There is no shortage of folks who have modest performance expectations from their systems, but require a large display for entertainment and creativity purposes. ASUS has introduced a massive new laptop seemingly intended for such people, dubbed the Vivobook 18. As the name suggests, the laptop sports a large 18.3-inch display with an aspect ratio of 16:10. As we shall find out later, the product is affordably priced, which justifies the 1080p IPS display. At its size, a higher-resolution panel would've certainly been a welcome addition. Thankfully, however, the display boasts a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which should allow for an excellent motion experience. The display is also claimed to cover 100% of the sRGB color gamut, which is pretty neat.
At its heart, the Vivobook 18 is powered by the Ryzen 7 260 APU with 8 Zen 4 cores and 16 threads paired with up to 32 GB of DDR5 memory. The APU is no slouch, and packs enough grunt to trade blows with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU. There is no option for discrete graphics, which means that any graphically demanding task will have to solely rely on the integrated Radeon 780M iGPU. For non-intensive workloads and casual lightweight gaming, the RDNA 3-based Radeon 780M should easily suffice. An M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x 4 slot takes care of storage requirements, with 512 GB as standard. The memory is also upgradeable, courtesy of the single unpopulated SODIMM slot.
In terms of ports, the selection is adequate, but nothing to write home about. The array includes dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (with PD and display output), dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.1 TMDS (HDMI 2.0), as well as a single audio jack. Wireless connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. The built-in FHD webcam sports a privacy shutter and IR support allowing for Windows Hello functionality, which is certainly nice to have. A 70 Whr battery is provided, which should be good enough considering the relatively efficient internals. At 2.6 kg, the Vivobook 18 is light enough for its size, and with a starting price of €899 (incl VAT) in Germany, the Vivobook 18 might be an excellent choice for students and home users. A global launch is expected soon, likely with similar pricing.
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At its heart, the Vivobook 18 is powered by the Ryzen 7 260 APU with 8 Zen 4 cores and 16 threads paired with up to 32 GB of DDR5 memory. The APU is no slouch, and packs enough grunt to trade blows with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU. There is no option for discrete graphics, which means that any graphically demanding task will have to solely rely on the integrated Radeon 780M iGPU. For non-intensive workloads and casual lightweight gaming, the RDNA 3-based Radeon 780M should easily suffice. An M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x 4 slot takes care of storage requirements, with 512 GB as standard. The memory is also upgradeable, courtesy of the single unpopulated SODIMM slot.
In terms of ports, the selection is adequate, but nothing to write home about. The array includes dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (with PD and display output), dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI 2.1 TMDS (HDMI 2.0), as well as a single audio jack. Wireless connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. The built-in FHD webcam sports a privacy shutter and IR support allowing for Windows Hello functionality, which is certainly nice to have. A 70 Whr battery is provided, which should be good enough considering the relatively efficient internals. At 2.6 kg, the Vivobook 18 is light enough for its size, and with a starting price of €899 (incl VAT) in Germany, the Vivobook 18 might be an excellent choice for students and home users. A global launch is expected soon, likely with similar pricing.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
