Asus launched its first laptops with Intel Apollo Lake processors in late 2016. Now the company is adding a few new models to the family, and this time they feature smaller, 11.6 inch displays.

The Asus VivoBook E12 E203NA and  VivoBook E12 E203NAH are compact notebooks with low-power Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core or Pentium N4200 quad-core processor options.

While pricing hasn’t been revealed yet, they’ll probably both be relatively cheap.

Both laptops have the same basic design and features, but there’s one key difference: the E203NA has eMMC flash storage, while the E203NAH has a hard drive.

Among other things, that means you get more storage with the Asus VivoBook E203NAH (it’s available with 500GB to 1TB of storage, while the E203NA comes with 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB).

But the hard drive model is also a bit thicker and heavier, coming in at 0.82 inches thick and 2.7 pounds, compared with 0.67 inches and 2.2 pounds for the version with flash storage.

Both models feature 1366 x 768 pixel displays, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, microSD card, and headset jacks, as well as two USB 3.1 Type-A ports and one USB 3.1 Type-C port.

Asus says each notebook should be able to get up to 10 hours of battery life, even though the hard drive model has a larger 42 Wh battery, compared with a 38 Whr battery for the thinner, lighter model with eMMC storage.

Interestingly, the Asus website also says the notebooks will be available with either Windows 10 Home or Endless OS, which is an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux operating system initially designed for use in developing markets.

thanks anonymous tipster!

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12 replies on “Asus introduces 11.6 inch Apollo Lake laptop (VivoBook E12)”

  1. It amaze me that Asus is using a very similar chassis from 2015. The VivoBook E12 chassis is very similar to the chassis of the Asus EeeBook X205 I use till today.

    The I/O is great with the inclusion of Type-C, however like the EeeBook X205, the I/O location on the right hand side of the laptop is near the bottom which sometimes can interfere with using a mouse.

    One reason why I purchased an EeeBook X205 was because it lacks moving parts which can fail. I really hope the VivoBook E12 doesn’t have a fan to cool the processor

    Also RIP EeeBook family of computers. In Malaysia, the successor to the EeeBook X205 was the EeeBook E202. However the EeeBook E202 recently got rebadged into the VivoBook E202.

    At least the VivoBook E12 weighs less than a kilogram like the EeeBook X205 and unlike the EeeBook/VivoBook E202

  2. I don’t need a whole lot of processing power either, so the focus on value, portability, and battery life is perfect for me. Sure, I’d love a Surface Book but I’m not going to plunk down $2000+ for one.

    Are these models pretty easy to open up? I wonder how much it’d improve the battery performance if you swapped the hard drive for an SSD.

    1. I think that these laptops are pretty easy to open. I say this because I own the EeeBook X205 which I think uses the same body as the E202 and E12 and all it requires is unscrewing like a dozen screw, prying and removing the bottom panel. As for swapping the HDD for an SDD, it probably can be done if the computer has a 2.5″ bay

  3. If it’s charging through the USB-C then I’m in, one less charger to carry.

  4. I don’t need a lot of processing power or storage, so one of these would be perfect for me. However, I can’t live without a backlit keyboard. That seems to be an option on high end laptops only. I’m not sure how much this would add to the price of a laptop like this, but the first company to provide this feature would get my business.

  5. “Both models feature 1366 x 768 pixel displays, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, microSD card, and headset jacks, as well as two USB 3.1 Type-A ports and one USB 3.1 Type-C port.”

    Okay, I’m not excited about the resolution here, but wooo, proper ports!

    1. If these are anything like the E200HA model that they’re replacing, they’ll have an all plastic shell with a “velvet” like finish that looks amazingly beautiful and attracts fingerprints like crazy. I really wish they weren’t doing the gradient or hexagon pattern on these. On the HP Stream, this kind of busy design just makes it look like a cheap children’s toy. Still, it might reduce the appearance of fingerprints (maybe).

      1. I’m pretty sure that the VivoBook E12 is replacing the VivoBook E202 which was a rebadged EeeBook E202 which was a successor to the EeeBook X2055

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