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Asus Vivobook S400CA - A Light, Stylish And Inexpensive Laptop

7/25/2013 9:21:43 AM

One of our favorite ever ultra-portable laptops was the Asus VivoBook S200, thanks to its classy build, comfortable keyboard and low price. The new VivoBook S400CA is a bigger version that is similar to its predecessor in many respects.

Asus Vivobook S400CA

Asus Vivobook S400CA

It looks more expensive than it actually is. Instead of the plastic commonly used in other laptops at this price, the lid and wrist rest are made out of sturdy, classy looking metal, and the underside is coated in a soft rubber material to stop it skidding around your desk. The cooling vents are on the underside though, so using this laptop on your lap can be uncomfortable when warm air is expelled from the vents.

Weighing just 1.8kg, the S400CA is lightweight enough to be carried around easily. Asus achieved this by leaving out the DVD writer - an increasingly common design decision. If you still want to install software from disc or watch DVD movies on the go, you will need an external drive. Battery life was good for a laptop at this price - it lasted just under six and a half hours.

Weighing just 1.8kg, the S400CA is lightweight enough to be carried around easily.

Weighing just 1.8kg, the S400CA is lightweight enough to be carried around easily.

The S400CA’s performance was sufficient. Its 1.8GHz Core i3 processor is an improvement over the slower Pentium chip included in the S200. And paired with 4GB of memory, it had no trouble running our benchmarks, so it’s fast enough for most tasks.

The 14in screen has a 1366x768-pixel resolution and average color accuracy. But surprisingly, for a laptop this cheap, Asus has included a touchscreen. The S400CA can’t convert into a tablet, so this feature must be used in an upright position, which can be uncomfortable after sometime.

the keys are large

The keys are large

Thankfully, you needn’t use the touchscreen as the touchpad is large and responds well to touch. It also recreates the Windows 8 touchscreen gestures, such as swiping in from the right edge to show the Charms bar.

We didn’t like the keyboard though. Although the keys are large, they feel too spongy and don’t give enough feedback when pressed. Typing isn’t as comfortable as it should be.

There is a small SSD installed to boost startup and wake from sleep times, with all your programs and files stored on the 500GB hard disk. If this isn’t enough, USB3 hard disks can be used for extra storage. Only one of the three USB ports supports USB3 though. The other two ports only support the slower USB2 standard, which is disappointing. Despite the laptop’s slender, tapered design, it has plenty of other ports, including Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI and VGA, as well as a SD card reader.

Only one of the three USB ports supports USB3 though. The other two ports only support the slower USB2 standard, which is disappointing

Only one of the three USB ports supports USB3 though. The other two ports only support the slower USB2 standard, which is disappointing

Niggles aside, the S400CA is cheap and well made. If you want an ultra-portable laptop on a budget, this is the one to buy.

Verdict

It’s not perfect, but the VivoBook S400CA is the best budget ultra­portable laptop currently available

Ratings: 4/5

Key points

·         Inexpensive

·         Lightweight

·         Imperfect keyboard

·         Sturdy metal design

·         Good battery life

·         Touchscreen

·         Touchpad supports Windows 8 gesture controls

Best price online

Price: $720

Website: www.snipca.com

Alternative

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13

·         Price: $1,499

·         A style ultra-portable

·         Ratings: 4/5

·         Website:  www.computeractive.com/2240642

Asus Vivobook S400CA specs

§  Color: gray

§  Operating System: Windows 8 64-Bit

§  CPU Type: Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz

§  Screen: 14"

§  Memory Size: 4GB DDR3

§  Hard Disk

§  500GB HDD + 24GB SSD: Graphics Card

§  Intel HD Graphics 4000: Video Memory

§  Shared memory

§  Communication: Gigabit LAN and WLAN

§  Dimensions: 13.3" x 9.4" x 0.7"-0.8"

§  Weight: 4 lbs.

 

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