Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403) Review: Our Full Review – Laptops

The Asus Vivobook 14X does not only exist in an OLED version. Its simpler and more affordable sibling, the Vivobook 14X, is now being tested to prove its worth.

In Asus’ 2022 lineup in the mid-range, there is of course the Vivobook 14X OLED… but also the Vivobook 14X, little brother of the LCD panel that doesn’t deserve so much emphasis. So be careful when buying, since as you will discover in this test, one is not the equivalent of the other, and confusion quickly arises.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Data sheet

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Design

The Asus Vivobook 14X is exactly what you imagine when you think of a mid-range computer. That is to say: almost everything in the high-end version, but with a slightly less precise construction and less valuable materials. This is exactly what happens to the Vivobook 14X compared to the latest Zenbooks, since it recovers a chassis in substantially the same way and with the same intention, but this time in plastic.

However, its feel is not bad and its flexibility is still minimal for a design of this type. Still, handprinting is far from luxurious and tends to err on the side of utilitarian. Its cover, which can be opened completely flat to 180°, has a slight tendency to sink into the skin when using the Vivobook 14X on your knees, and since its edges are a bit sharper than average, the feeling can be uncomfortable. .

Nevertheless, it is a large and comfortable computer, whose weight of 1.6 kg does not make it the champion of lightness, but it is transported with ease in any circumstance. A good little laptop, overall.

keyboard and touchpad

The slightly plastic impression continues naturally on the keyboard, which still has the merit of offering very wide, spaced and, above all, well-balanced keys. However, the switches are very plastic and light, which affects typing comfort. That said, we are in the middle of this category of products. Therefore, it will be criticized above all for this Enter key cut in two in the American style, still so creaky for a European user.

The touchpad isn’t made of glass, but it’s still very wide and very slippery. Above all, it re-incorporates the numeric keypad that can be activated with the push of a button. This feature is a major asset at Asus and is particularly useful for anyone who has to work in Excel on a regular basis.

connectors

We will also rate the Asus Vivobook 14X when it comes to its connectivity. If the left edge only offers a single USB A 2.0 port, the right edge accommodates the power port, a full-size HDMI 1.4 port, 2 USB A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a USB C 3.2 Gen 1, and a combo jack. .

Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid

Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid

What would we have liked to see? An additional USB-C port that can be used as a charger for the computer, instead of the traditional barrel port that is dying out. An SD card reader would not have been rejected either. But overall, the computer won’t be begging to invest in a dongle any time soon for most users.

webcam and audio

A small 720p webcam that does not work miracles, but has the merit of transcribing the colors of the scene well. Therefore, it is not so bad compared to its rivals in the same category, which do not even try to process the signal to the maximum.

The speakers, on the other hand, are of very low quality. They lack volume, and the sound they produce doesn’t really secure anywhere, from bass to treble to mids. Everything seems to sink underwater, and the placement of the speakers below the device does nothing to support them.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Screen

This is where you will have to pay attention. Yes, the Vivobook Pro 14X has an OLED screen. But the classic Vivobook 14X that we are testing in these lines is far from being housed in the same boat. We take advantage of a simple 14-inch IPS LCD panel in a definition of 1920 × 1200 pixels, that is, a ratio of 16:10. This panel is non-touch and not particularly qualitative: the manufacturer honestly advertises only 45% NTSC coverage.

And under our probe, with the DisplayCal software, it is… actually what the manufacturer advertises. If the manufacturer offers two display modes (Normal/Vivid) in its interface, the difference is so small that it is not even worth comparing them. Choose Vivid mode, a bit better, but it only covers 60.6% of the sRGB space, 42.9% of the DCI-P3 and 41.8% of the Adobe RGB. We’re here with a maximum brightness of just 362 cd/m², and an average Delta E00 of 6.97 which is far from adequate for the slightest of graphics work.

We would almost have been tempted to compare this panel to that of the HP Victus, but it still does much better, thanks in particular to a contrast ratio of 1502:1. Visually, the screen is honestly decent. But as soon as it is next to a good screen, the Vivobook 14X will reveal its weaknesses to you at a glance.

This is not disturbing in itself for a product intended to be sold at a relatively low price. However, we would have appreciated from the manufacturer a clearer delimitation of this product in its range, since it risks being confused by ordinary mortals with the Vivobook Pro 14X with OLED screen. And in which case, the disappointment will be terrible.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)software

Asus has always given us the pleasure of integrating a good software suite with MyAsus, which allows you to find the most important configurations of your machines in an instant and in a clear and concise interface. Obviously, this is still the case here, and we still really like this app.

But the manufacturer is also used to integrating a lot of adware, like McAfee, which we don’t like… on the high end. In the mid-range where the Vivobook 14X is located, it is already much more forgivable.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Performance

In our test configuration, the Asus Vivobook 14X is backed by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H SoC, a 6-core, 12-thread CPU that can clock up to 4.2GHz. 512GB in PCIe 3.0. A mid-range configuration par excellence, where AMD continues to stand out with its Zen 3 SoCs that combine power and autonomy.

General Benchmarks

There is no disappointment at this point: the Ryzen 5 5600H sings in tune with a score of 9289 points in multicore and 1361 points in single core in Cinebench R23. As usual in this generation, AMD replaces Intel in multi-threaded tasks, when single core performance is above Intel. The PCMark 10 score of 5891 points assures us that this Vivobook 14X is simply on par with any 2022 ultrabook in terms of raw power.

You can also count on the integrated Vega 7 generation GPU, which offers relatively similar performance to a Steam Deck. Suffice to say, you can comfortably play your favorite free games on the go, without going overboard. It is especially on the storage memory side where the limits will be felt, the PCIe 3.0 generation begins to age against a well-installed 4.0 and a well-implemented 5.0. It is still a fast, fluid and powerful Vivobook 14X today.

cooling and noise

Good surprise on this side, since in classic use the Asus Vivobook 14X is not only perfectly cool, but also perfectly quiet. It is in performance mode that it will start to be heard slightly, and that the heating will be noticeable, but this is kept under control with a well-placed hot spot in the center of its chassis, at a maximum of 46°C in our tests. The keyboard area remains comfortable at just 36 °C.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Autonomy

The Asus Vivobook 14X is equipped with a 50Wh battery and requires a traditional 90W power supply to run. This is a first disappointment here: as said in the connection part, we would have liked to implement USB-C Power Delivery (which supports up to 100 W) instead of using this old format.

At the level of autonomy, the computer is not the champion of the year. There’s between 8 and 9 hours of fairly standard office use, with YouTube video, sound, and of course lots of tabs open while writing an article. That said, it’s still a comfortable one-day range, which will suit a student or classic employee.

All of this really would have been improved with USB-C PD, which would have made it easier to charge the device on the go, but here you’ll need to bring your brick with you. At least it’s small enough.

Asus Vivobook 14X (M1403)Price and availability

The Asus Vivobook 14X is now available in France. You can find it at the recommended starting price of 799.90 euros.