Asus Vivobook 15 (X1502) Review: Best Budget Laptop for Students

After launching a line of high-end laptops aimed at developers and gamers, Asus is shifting its focus to its patrons with the new budget-friendly Asus Vivobook 15 (Touch). Priced at Rs 44,990, this laptop promises a wholesome experience with its lightweight design, sizeable 15.6-inch touchscreen and nifty features like a touch sensor and webcam shutter.

Asus relies more on the VivoBook 15's glossy, touch-enabled display than the processor's capabilities. This is still a rare feature in this segment. But is it enough to save it in a competitive market? Here's a detailed review.

Design

At first glance, Asus' new VivoBook 15 looks top-notch. We're also pleased to have received a blue colourway which will suit many younger customers looking for something a little more traditional and bright. If you're one of the traditionalists, there's also a silver option.

As expected, Asus makes some sacrifices to keep the laptop affordable, and the Vivobook 15 features a plastic construction that raises a few caveats when it comes to durability. At least in my quick test, I didn't have any issues, but the plastic felt a bit subpar and Asus could have done a better job on that front. It helps you maintain your life and carrying it daily is no problem. Plus, it's US MIL-STD 810H rated for durability.

Display

Asus has bet on the Vivook 15's display and honestly has little to complain about. First, the 15.6-inch display area is great for watching movies and using apps like Chrome. If you use spreadsheet apps a lot, it's usually a good idea to buy a laptop with a larger screen. But that's okay. However, the display doesn't have the narrowest bezels, although it's not an eyesore. Adding the touch function is convenient, but I honestly don't use it much. If a touch display is your priority at this price point, the Asus Vivobook 15 (X1502) will not disappoint.

Users can also tilt the screen back up to 180 degrees. Most importantly, at least the hinge is solid and the screen doesn't shake too much. I really enjoyed working with this screen, touch or not, and the colours are great. The display offers decent viewing angles and we also like the glossy finish. The display features Full HD resolution which is standard for most laptops.

Specifications and Performance

The heart of every gadget is the processor, and the Asus Vivobook 15 is powered by the 12th Generation Intel CPU. The variant I have includes an Intel Core i3 (1220P) with 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 512 GB of PCle 4.0 SSD storage, and a discrete Iris Xe GPU.

From a productivity standpoint, the laptop can easily run the most popular apps like Chrome and Excel. It also runs Windows 11 and I haven't noticed any sudden crashes after short periods of use. However, 8 GB of RAM is not ideal for top productivity performance. For example, tabs in heavy apps like Chrome refresh automatically due to low read memory. If you want to use your computer more, you have the option to upgrade your RAM to 16GB.

As for benchmarks, the Asus VivoBook 15 (X1502) scored 4110 points in the PCMark10 CPU test. This isn't too bad when you look at the competition with the 11th Gen Core i3 CPUs. Also, the laptop only scored 722 on the GPU test for 3D Mark. This is a fairly average score. If you are planning to game on this machine. You should keep in mind that though older games can still run on the Vivobook, anything Graphic intensive fails to provide a good experience. I tried to play Apex Legends but the experience was largely unimpressive due to lags and stutters.

Keyboards and Mouse

Large-screen laptops usually have keyboards with numeric keypads, and this is also found in the Asus VivoBook 15. Typing on this laptop feels great, with 1.4 mm of key travel. The distance between the keys is also good enough, and there are enough hotkeys for regular users, though there is no backlighting which the company should consider.

I also like the placement of the trackpad as there is plenty of room for my palms to rest. I generally prefer using an external mouse, so I can't say too much about the quality of the trackpad. But I'm sure a lot of people aren't happy with the trackpad's plastic finish. On the other hand, the HD webcam is average, and if you want to make video calls with your notebook, the external webcam is the only thing that can save you.

Battery

As for the battery, the Asus Vivobook 15 (X1502) packs a 42 Wh battery compared to last year's model's 37 Wh unit. The laptop offers around 5 hours of runtime on a single charge. This is decent, and the charging speed is also good with the included 65W charger. It took anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour to fully charge the notebook.

Verdict Overall, the Asus Vivobook 15 (X1502) offers decent performance and I think this laptop is a good choice for students. It has a modern look and many features that will attract younger customers (fingerprint sensor and Wi-Fi 6, etc.).

We continue to recommend customers to choose the Core i5 CPU variants. This will improve performance. If you're looking for a productivity-oriented laptop with a great display and a decent battery for under Rs 45,000, the Asus Vivobook 15 (X1502) won't disappoint.