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Asus has consistently launched some innovative laptops in India over the last couple of years. And the VivoBook S14 S433 carries the legacy of earlier VivoBooks or even the ZenBook range by bring an X-factor that further enhances user experience.
The latest VivoBook S14 is yet another mid-level ultrabook that borrows a few of trademark features from Asus’s premium ZenBook line along with some bold and interesting colour choices. It is a premium and compact laptop with an all-metal build, a backlit keyboard, a dedicated Nvidia graphics card and a matte display panel.
Designed for a younger audience, the VivoBook S14 S433 has all the bells and whistles but retains the sleekness, fitting right into the backpacks without adding much bulge or weight. Furthermore, Asus has also thrown in a complimentary pack of stickers for users to add a personal touch to their devices.
Price and availability
The unit that we received, came with a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor and is priced at Rs. 78,990. The pricing of variants depends on the inbuilt memory and storage combination apart from the processor that powers the laptop. The newly launched VivoBook S14 series starts at Rs. 67, 990.
The laptop is available for purchase starting July 30 and can be bought online from Amazon and other preferred retail partners.
Check out the Asus VivoVook S14 S433 on Amazon
Specs as reviewed
Configuration of the Asus VivoBook S14 S433 sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U processor 1.8GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost (up to 4.9GHz) and 8MB cache
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce® MX250 (2GB GDDR5 VRAM)
RAM: 8GB 2666MHz DDR4
Screen: 14” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
Storage: 512GB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2)
Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x MicroSD card reader
Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: Full HD Webcam
Weight: 1.4kg (3.08 pounds)
Size: 1.59cm (0.62 inches) x 32.49cm (12.79 inches) x 21.35cm (8.40 inches) H x W x D
Design and Build
- Metal build
- Thin and light
- Extremely portable
Design is probably one of the key highlights of the Asus VivoBook S14 S433. The laptop is available in four different trendy colour options Gaia Green, Resolute Red, Dreamy White and Indie Black. All the names sound fancy but the Gaia Green that we received, stood out from other silver or grey coloured laptops and added the much-required jazz to the otherwise boring routine thanks to being locked down in the house.
Though I’m not a huge fan of fancy and coloured gadgets since attractive colours and effective performance have nothing to do with each other. However, thanks to the aluminium alloy build, the green colour proved to be a centre of attraction for a couple of college-going boys in my neighbourhood who quickly came asking about the new laptop. The glint that I saw in their eyes, can be seen as approval of Asus's idea of using a bold colour scheme for the laptop and I could see the target audience getting impressed instantly.
As mentioned above, the back of the lid, palm rest and the rear panel of the laptop is made out of an aluminium alloy that provides it with the strength to endure daily wear and tear and the diamond cut design on the edges offers the laptop the premium feel it deserves.
A couple of USB 2.0 ports and a Micro SD card slot along with the charging indicator is placed on the right side of the laptop while on the left you have the charging socket, an HDMI port, a USB 3.2 Type Gen 1, a USB C 3.2 Type Gen 1 port and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack.
It is somewhat odd that the charging indicator is located on the opposite side, though we have noticed the same in some previous Asus laptops as well. Also, the Type C port does not offer video out nor can it be used to charge the laptop hence you need to carry the charger along with you.
While the laptop comes with very thin bezels around the display, thankfully it has a webcam with Full HD resolution present for all those online meetings/calls. The image and video quality from the built-in camera leaves a lot to be desired. Further, the camera is also not compatible with Windows Hello so you do not get facial recognition unlock on this laptop.
The rear panel is rather plain and houses a couple of bottom-firing stereo speakers housed on each side, apart from a vent for air circulation.
Overall, the build quality of the Asus VivoBook S14 S433 is impressive and weighing at just 1.4 Kgs this laptop is ideal to carry around.
Display
- Colour accurate
- Thin bezels
The 5.7mm bezel on the laptop means that the 14-inch display gets a high screen to body ratio. For those interested in exact numbers, it comes to 85% to be precise, though a fair bit of new age ultrabooks come with even thinner bezels. According to Asus, it comes with an advanced video tuning Tru2Life technology aimed at offering better visual quality, though, on a regular day to day usage, we did not notice a huge difference.
It offers comfortable viewing angles, however, legibility in bright sunlight is a challenge. Though not many use their laptops outdoors, when you need to, you’ll struggle. The display has a matte finish and is one of the most colour accurate displays I've tested.
Creative folks who want to use the laptop for working on videos or images would definitely enjoy using the ASUS VivoBook S14 S433.
Keyboard and Trackpad
- Comfortable and spacious keyboard
- Solid build quality
The keyboard on the Asus VivoBook S14 S433 is one of the highlights. Even though the laptop has a very small frame, the keys are spaced out and typing on this laptop was extremely comfortable. The keys aren’t wobbly and the key travel is satisfying hence offering an accurate typing experience.
Though I’m used to typing on a mechanical keyboard, I didn’t face any issues while keying in long stories using the built-in keyboard.
Asus has highlighted the Enter key with a green colour and while it may not serve any practical purpose it does add to the style statement. Backlit and a silent keyboard like this is a godsend for people like us who want to work till late hours.
The trackpad is located right beneath the keyboard. It is sturdy yet responsive and offers a smooth scrolling experience. It doesn’t offer a plasticky feeling and there is no gap left between the frame and the trackpad once it is pressed. A fingerprint sensor is located on the right corner of the trackpad and is easily accessible too. It was able to unlock the laptop 9 out of 10 times, we didn’t have any complaints or issues whatsoever.
For some odd reason, Asus has decided to do away with the ScreenPad. While the number pad overlay works fine when you want to calculate a lot of numbers, but the trackpad lacks the versatility offered by the ScreenPad.
Performance and battery
- Nononsense performance
- Full-day battery life
The Asus VivoBook S14 S433 comes loaded in terms of specifications. The unit that we reviewed came with 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, coupled with 8GB DDR4 RAM and Nvidia MX250 GPU. On the storage part, it has 512GB SSD storage that can be upped till 1TB in case required.
This configuration is sufficient for more than average tasks and some casual gaming as well. We had multiple browsers like Chrome, Brave and Firefox opened with various tabs opened on each of them apart from a couple of Word documents and spreadsheets. Juggling between tasks was not an issue at all and there was no lag whatsoever. Streaming video while doing basic photoshop edits on images apart from randomly checking my Twitter and Facebook feed seemed normal on this guy.
The Nvidia MX250 GPU feels slightly dated especially for a laptop in this price segment. The Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition comes with an MX350 GPU and was launched in June at a much lesser price point. Having said that, the MX250 performed most tasks thrown at it with ease, It is also worth noting that my gaming mostly included car racing games.
In terms of performance, the Asus VivoBook S14 S433 would perform perfectly fine with most day to day tasks and users will not have any complaints in terms of multitasking.
The battery performance on this laptop is fairly decent. The 3-Cell 50 WH battery offered a healthy 7+ hours of backup with display lit up to the maximum. This included surfing the web, working on word documents, streaming music and occasional gaming. You can easily expect similar or slightly more backup for while performing regular day to day tasks.
The bundled charger is very small yet can tank up the battery rather quickly as the laptop supports quick charge technology. It would take under two hours for the laptop to go from 0 to 100. You can also use various battery modes under MyAsus software that is found in all Asus laptops. The audio output from the speakers is just average, even though the pair is certified by Harman Kardon. While the sound output is clear but it lacks bass and it is hardly room-filling at the maximum level.
Our verdict
The Asus VivoBook S14 S433 is a solid performer both in terms of build quality and performance. It packs quite a lot but retains its slim build, allowing it to slip into the smallest of backpacks. Even the tiny little charger is a perfect travel companion, though it could be avoided had Asus allowed charging via the Type C port.
The decent battery life coupled with fast charging tech makes it the obvious choice for road warriors and the spacious keyboard makes working on this laptop a pleasant experience.
The fact that you cannot expand the memory on this laptop, has speakers that leave a lot to be desired, an abysmal camera and the fact that you cannot charge a laptop via the USB Type C at this price point is disappointing.
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