If you want to do professional video editing or graphic design, you usually have to spend well over $1,000. However, Asus's new 15-inch VivoBook Pro offers the premium design and high-end specs creative professionals need at a starting price of just $799. The brushed aluminum laptop comes with an Intel quad-core processor, an optional 4K display and up to Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics.
We don't know the specs for the $799 base model and how much other configs will cost. However, we know that the high-end model will have a Core i7 HQ series processor, the 4K screen, the Nvidia 1050 graphics, 16GB of RAM and both a 512GB PCIe SSD and a 2TB hard drive. The hard drive uses Intel Optane cache memory to make it even faster.
Considering its plethora of high-end components, the VivoBook Pro's 4.85-pound weight and 0.75-inch thickness are quite reasonable. The VivoBook Pro uses a dual-fan system to keep its powerful components from getting too hot. During a brief hands-on, the laptop felt solid and sturdy in my hands and its metal deck was pleasantly cool to the touch.
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The VivoBook's backlight keyboard felt sturdy snappy under my fingers and didn't even have a hint of flex. Its buttonless touchpad had just the right amount of friction and resistance for each click.
Asus claims that the optional 4K screen on the VivoBook covers an impressive 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut. In my brief time with the laptop, it was difficult to tell how vibrant the colors were as the background and icons the company displayed were rather bland.
The VivoBook Pro doesn't skimp on ports. Its left side contains an Ethernet port, a USB 3.0 connector, HDMI out and a USB Type-C port. The right side houses two more USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. It's a shame that Asus didn't put a Thunderbolt 3 port on this laptop, but that would have likely added to the cost.
Asus hasn't announced a release date for the VivoBook Pro. However, depending on how much you get on the base config and how much the higher-end models cost, this laptop could be a great buy for design students or anyone that needs to do creative work, without breaking the bank.
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