The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED, or the series I'm reviewing in this article, is the M3500QC with a Ryzen 5 5600H processor and Nvidia RTS 3050 GPU. Its power is undeniable!
Design and Connectivity Ports
In terms of design, this laptop looks quite premium with its metallic silver color, which Asus calls Cool Silver. Although the materials are far more premium than those of the HP Envy 13, for example, upon closer inspection, the build quality is quite good, and it feels like a laptop with more value than its price.The hinge is sturdy and can be opened with one finger, the touchpad doesn't feel like a cheap laptop, and the keyboard is very comfortable to type on.
This laptop has a size that can be said to be large with dimensions of 35.98 x 23.53 x 1.89 ~ 1.99 cm (14.17 "x 9.26" x 0.74" ~ 0.78") with a weight of 1.65 kg (3.64 lbs), it is quite heavy and very complicated if you want to carry it anywhere so if you want a compact laptop, this laptop is not the best choice for you to use.
In terms of ports, this laptop comes with a very complete port, namely 2x USB 2.0 Type-A (data speed up to 480Mbps) on the left side, complete with battery and power indicator lights.
On the right side, there's one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port (data speed up to 5Gbps), one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port (data speed up to 5Gbps), one HDMI 1.4 port, one 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, one DC-in port, and a Micro SD card reader. This laptop is definitely a must have for content creators.
I always use all of these ports on the right side to connect to various peripherals, such as a monitor, sound card, external HDD, and USB hub.
In terms of connectivity, this laptop uses Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (Dual band) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.1 Wireless Card, which offers a pretty good signal reception and a fairly fast speed.
Performance and Specifications
The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED is powered by an AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H Mobile Processor with 6-core/12 threads, 19MB cache, and up to 4.2 GHz max boost. The performance of this Ryzen 5 5000 series is undeniable, and it's a true powerhouse for gaming.Coupled with an NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 3050 Laptop GPU with 4GB GDDR6, it's even more impressive for graphics intensive tasks like rendering or gaming.
One downside to the internals is the 16GB DDR4 RAM, which isn't upgradeable. While it's sufficient for now, 16GB feels inadequate for heavy duty work and multitasking. As mentioned above, the average usage of this laptop is 12.2 GB, which is enough for almost all the applications I use open. If I add in YouTube media playback or perhaps open a heavy application, 16 GB will clearly feel insufficient.
In terms of storage, this laptop has a 512 GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD, which is sufficient for most tasks, and in terms of speed, it's quite good and runs very fast.
Benchmarking the SSD using CrystalDiskMark yielded average readings of 2920 MBps for Read and 1526 MBps for Write. In terms of performance, this SSD is certainly very capable, although not the fastest on the market.
Based on my testing, these specifications are more than adequate. It's very capable for work and gaming, too. The only downside is the RAM, otherwise, it's very solid.
Can it be used for gaming?
The answer is clear: all my favorite games run perfectly on the Asus Vivobook 15 OLED, and most of them run smoothly at max settings.For example, a game like Chivalry 2, with the settings maxed out at Epic, still runs even with the laptop's fans spinning at full speed, because the GPU is really being pushed to its limit.
The above image shows the GPU being fully utilized, playing Chivalry 2, with the settings maxed out, with all Epic settings.
Moving on to Farthest Frontier, another of my favorites, the Asus Vivobook 15 OLED can run it at max settings. Even when zoomed in, the detail is impressive.
Furthermore, my favorite games like The Forrest, Stronghold Crusader, World War Z, and others run smoothly without any issues, even at max settings. However, for the best experience and to achieve more than 60 fps, it's best to set them to normal or low, especially if the laptop starts to feel hot.
Display
The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED features a 15.6 inch Full HD display with a glossy OLED panel. It boasts up to 600 nits of brightness and a 100% DCI-P3 (cinema grade) color gamut. Even outdoors, you can still clearly see the screen.Furthermore, the aspect ratio is 16:9 and the screen to body ratio is around 84%, so the bezels are quite thick. But it's still pleasing to the eye.
Because this is an ASUS laptop, there are several additional features available for this screen, including HDR True Black 600, ASUS Splendid, and SGS Eye Care, all of which can be adjusted from the MyASUS app.
What's so great about an OLED screen?
Honestly, this is my first time using an OLED screen on a laptop. The colors are more vibrant yet accurate even at low brightness levels. Furthermore, the contrast is high, with truly deep blacks because each pixel can be completely turned off.Screen Burn in Issues and How Does ASUS Address Them?
OLED or AMOLED screens often experience screen burn in, especially if a static image is displayed for too long. This can leave permanent marks and damage.But don't worry, ASUS offers screen protection with the Pixel Refresh feature, which will manually refresh if the screen is idle for a few minutes.
You can check these and other system settings in the MyASUS app, where you can also adjust Splendid, Touchpad, Performance, Fan, and more.
Webcam Support
The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED comes with a fairly standard webcam, a 720p HD resolution webcam with a Privacy Shutter feature for privacy. Additionally, the array microphone and AI noise-canceling feature make this laptop comfortable enough for Zoom or Google Meet.The camera's results are quite good; you can check out the following image and judge the quality based on the results.
Other Cool Features
Besides the impressive OLED display, this laptop comes with Harman Kardon certified stereo speakers that produce crystal clear, pleasant sound. It also features the IceCool Plus cooling system, which features two cooling fans with three performance modes that can be set in the MyASUS app. It also features the aforementioned privacy shutter, a full range of ports, and Wi-Fi 6 + ASUS WiFi SmartConnect for a stable and fast connection.Soft Keyboard
Also, for me, who frequently writes, this full-layout keyboard isn't my favorite, but the typing feel is soft. While it's not the best, I found the Asus Vivobook 15 OLED's keyboard comfortable.Battery
The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED M3500QC has a fairly robust battery in its class and is designed to support productivity and daily use. You can see the battery specifications in the table below.In testing, the battery life is quite long, reaching 8 - 11 hours depending on the scenario. Furthermore, it charges quickly. If plugged in for extended periods, you can limit the charge to 60% using the MyASUS app to maintain battery health.
Conclusion
The Asus Vivobook 15 OLED M3500QC is a powerful laptop that offers a combination of high performance and a classy display, thanks to its stunning OLED display vivid, accurate colors, and comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions. Furthermore, it boasts comprehensive multimedia features and an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor and RTX 3050 GPU, making it capable of handling heavy multitasking and a variety of modern games at maximum settings.It has a sturdy design, complete ports, excellent connectivity (Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1), and an effective IceCool Plus cooling system that keeps temperatures stable. While the 16GB of onboard RAM feels limiting for upgrades, overall performance remains solid. It has a long lasting battery, fast charging, and comes with security features like a privacy shutter and fingerprint sensor.
This laptop is definitely perfect for content creators or those who enjoy gaming.