Asus brought to us a robust line-up of laptops that are not only power-packed but also match very unique pricing points, unlike what we have to see of late in the market. One of the company’s offerings in particular, the VivoBook Pro, does not set out to be anything more, but rather is just the exact amount of specification, power and functionality that is required of a laptop, at a price point that puts the likes of the Dell XPS to shame.
Great all-round specs
The laptop has some internal specifications to match the pro quality that users have been pining for from a budget offering. With options for CPU configuration going as high as the Intel Core i7 HQ series and with graphics up to the NVIDIA GTX 1050, coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and a hybrid SSD and HDD setup, the offer is quite tempting. What closes the deal in terms of performance is that Asus have gone an extra step forward to include Intel Optane cache memory in order to load memory even faster. These are all the right ingredients for the perfect portable workstation. Making sure everything is not over-heating, Asus also employs a two-fan cooling system.
Great input
The keyboard on the VivoBook Pro does away with being sturdy and non-flexible. The touchpad as well, retains good resistance per click, despite being a button-less touchpad and makes moving around the interface quite smooth. Buyers will not have much to complain about here. Asus does a great job with capable input.
Quality build
The laptop itself is not one to compromise on quality. The metal brush finish and the chassis of the laptop are sturdy. It is light enough to carry it anywhere without a fuss, weighing in only at nearly 2kg and a thickness of 0.75 inches. The chassis is also remains cool, thanks to the cooling system inside. And despite its sim profile, features Harman Kardon certified stereo speakers.
Ports galore
When the entire segment is skimping on the most important ports and sticking to only a few USB Type-C ports, Asus generously offers what this segment of the spectrum yearns for – a variety of ports. The VivoBook Pro offers an Ethernet port, USB 3.0 connector, HDMI out as well as USB Type-C, all on the left side. The right side of the laptop contains two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. With such a great mix of legacy and new ports, Asus definitely is looking out for the professional creators.
Pricing
The base model, which will come with an Intel Core i5 7300HQ CPU, 500 GB of storage and a 1080p display and Intel graphics at a cost of just $799. The high-end variant will feature a Core i7 7700HQ, 4K full sRGB screen which will include touch-screen input as well, along with hybrid storage and the GTX 1050.