The ASUS VivoBook X540SA is a bestselling budget friendly laptop that has been praised for its light weight design, for its attractive price, its USB 3.1 Type-C port, and for its fast AC WiFi. But users have commented that there is some display and keyboard flex which is quite common for its price category. The Intel Pentium processor and 4GB of RAM won’t win any awards but feels quite snappy for basic tasks and light multitasking. The 500GB of storage space allows you to store all of your work and a decent amount of multimedia files. While it only comes with one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 ports, it does come with a next generation USB 3.1 Type-C port for superfast data transfer speeds.
While most budget 15.6-inch laptops weigh in at over 5 pounds, the ASUS VivoBook X540SA is noticeably lighter and weighs in at just 4.41 pounds. Its sturdy plastic construction is quite rugged and will easily withstand being carried around on a daily basis. The battery life is also a lot better than some of its competitors and some users have reported run times of over 7 hours off of a full charge. Realistically you can look at 5-6 hours of web browsing or word processing and 3-4 hours while streaming videos.
Powered by an Intel Quad Core Pentium N3700 processor and 4GB of RAM, the ASUS VivoBook X540SSA will easily cope with basic tasks at home or at the office. But the installed 4GB of RAM is soldered to the mainboard and you will only be able to install another 4GB RAM module. But 8GB of RAM is more than sufficient for the needs of most basic apps and for the limitations of the Pentium processor. The 500GB mechanical hard drive offers a decent amount of space to store your files and your installed apps, but it is a slower 5400rpm drive.
You can upgrade to a faster drive, but it is not necessary for this budget friendly laptop. You get a standard 1366 x 768 display, which offers great image quality, but the viewing angles are not as good as IPS displays. The display offers impressive image quality for video playback and you can comfortably stream videos at 720p. The superfast USB 3.1 Type-C port allows you to connect to a host of next generation devices and peripherals, which helps in future proofing the ASUS VivoBook X540SA.
Pros
- Price
- USB 3.1 Type-C
- Decent battery life
- Light
Cons
- 4GB of onboard RAM can’t be removed
- Slightly underpowered processor
- Slight keyboard and display flex
- Only two full size USB ports
Bottom Line
The ASUS VivoBook X540SA offers great value for money and even features a USB 3.1 Type-C port. But the Intel Pentium processor is slightly underpowered for more intensive multitasking and you only receive two full size USB ports.
- Weight: 4.41 lbs
- Processor: Intel Pentium N3700 1.6GHz
- Display Size: 15.6 inch
- RAM: 4GB DDR3L
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)
Critic Reviews
Full Specifications
| Processor | Intel Pentium N3700 1.6GHz [View Benchmarks] |
|---|---|
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics (Braswell) [View Benchmarks] |
| Graphics Type | Integrated |
| Graphics Memory | shared |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3L |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Windows 10 Home |
| Weight | 4.41 lbs |
| Battery Life | 6 hours |
| Hard Drive 1 | 500 HDD 5400 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inch |
| Display Type | TN |
| Display Resolution | 1366 x 768 |
| Display Technology | LED backlight | ASUS EyeCare Technology | ASUS Splendid Video Intelligence Technology |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 3.1 Type-C | HDMI | VGA | 10/100 Ethernet | AC WiFi | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | ASUS SonicMaster | ASUS AudioWizard |
| Webcam | VGA |
| Additional Features | Memory card reader |
| Dimension (LxWxH) | 15.0 x 9.9 x 1.0 |
| Warranty | 1 year warranty |