Asus is refreshing its Vivobook line of mid-range laptops with three new models that combine budget elements like plastic bodies with premium touches like support for up to a 2.8K, 120 Hz OLED display.
The new Asus Vivobook 14 OLED, Vivobook 15 OLED and Vivobook 16 are also all available with up to an AMD Ryzen 7730U “Barcelo-R” processor.
That’s a current-gen processor that features AMD’s previous-gen tech… basically it’s a repackaged Ryzen 7 5825U chip. But it’s still a pretty good processor that features eight Zen 3 CPU cores and 8-core Radeon Vega integrated graphics.
Other features include support for up to 16GB of total RAM (there’s 8GB onboard and a SODIMM slot with support for up to 8GB more), up to 1TB of PCIe 3.0 Gen 4 storage, and a set of ports that includes USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C and Type-A, HDMI 1.4, and 3.5mm audio.
All of the laptops have a DC power input and come with a 45W power adapter, but they also all support USB Power Delivery, so you can also use any USB-C charger or power bank capable of delivering 45W.
As the names suggest, the 14 and 15 inch models feature OLED displays. The Vivobook 15 OLED is available with up to a 2880 x 1620 pixel, 120 Hz display with a 16:9 aspect ratio while the Vivobook 14 OLED tops out at a 2880 x 1800pixel (16:10) display with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
Interestingly it looks like the largest model will most likely be the cheapest. It has an IPS LCD display and no option for an OLED upgrade. Entry-level models will also ship with Ryzen 5000U series chips, although higher-priced configurations will have the same Barcelo-R processor options as the other models in the series.
Here’s a run-down of key specs for the new Asus Vivobook Classic family:
| Vivobook 14 OLED (M1405) | Vivobook 15 OLED (M1505) | Vivobook 16 (M1605) | |
| Display | 14 inch OLED (2880 x 1800, 90 Hz, 600 nits) 14 inch IPS LCD (1920 x 1200, 60 Hz, 300 nits) | 15.6 inch OLED (2880 x 1620, 120 Hz, 600 nits) 15.6 inch OLED (1920 x 1080, 600 nits) | 16 inch IPS LCD (1920 x 1200, 60 Hz 300 nits) |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U AMD Ryzen 7530U | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U AMD Ryzen 7 5825U AMD Ryzen 5 7530U AMD Ryzen 5 5625U | |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4-3200 onboard + 1 DDR4 SODIMM slot Up to 16GB total supported | ||
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe | ||
| Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (with power delivery) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x DC power input | ||
| Connectivity | WiFi 6E + BT 5.3 WiFi 5 + BT 5.0 | ||
| Camera | 720p w/privacy shutter | ||
| Input | Asus ErgoSense keyboard Optional Asus NumberPad 2.0 | Asus ErgoSense Keyboard w/numeric keypad | |
| Security | Optional fingerprint sensor | ||
| Battery | 50 Wh (OLED) 42 Wh (LCD) | 50 Wh | 42 Wh |
| Power supply | 45W AC adapter | ||
| Chassis | Plastic | ||
| Dimensions | 317 x 222 x 20mm | 357 x 228 x 20mm | 359 x 250 x 20mm |
| Weight | 1.6 kg | 1.7 kg | 1.8 kg |
Why in the world would they call it a classic?
Software bloat and social constraints have made it almost impossible to use a laptop that’s 20 years old and likely always will, even when some slowly encroaching disaster that it wasn’t okay to worry about, let alone try to prevent, makes all software moot.
I see no reason to expect this model will last 20 years before it breaks, just like everything else that wasn’t replaced before it broke. Certainly not with an OLED screen.
It would be funny watching a notebook after with OLED display after 10-20 years of intense use. It would be very deeply burn out with intense mars of same static GUI elements.