What you need to know
- ASUS announced a new VivoBook 14 and VivoBook 15 with refreshed internals.
- The VivoBook 14 can be configured with AMD's Ryzen 5500U while the 15-inch can handle the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U.
- While pricing is yet to be confirmed, we do know these two laptops will hit the U.S. in February.
ASUS used CES 2021 to propel changes it's making to the 14 and 15-inch variants of the VivoBook. The newly refreshed notebooks will be kitted out with AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series processors that were also announced during the consumer show. The 15-inch VivoBook can also be kitted out with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD, making it quite the compelling portable PC.
The VivoBook 14 from ASUS will support the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U only, so if you want the faster Ryzen 7 CPU you'll need to go with the slightly larger 15-inch laptop. It's limited to a 512GB PCIe SSD, but this should prove to be more than what most people will require. The same goes for the 8GB of RAM and integrated GPU. Nothing exceptional here, but easily good enough for most tasks.
A nice addition to both the 14 and 15-inch laptops is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, allowing the device to remain connected out in the field with excellent performance. It also helps that the NanoEdge IPS panels are absolutely stunning with an 85% screen-to-body ratio. They're not 16:10, but we can't have every box ticked.
| Category | ASUS VivoBook 14 (S413) | ASUS VivoBook 15 (S513) |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U AMD Ryzen 7 5700U |
| RAM | Up to 8GB DDR4-3200MHz | Up to 8GB DDR4-3200MHz |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Integrated | AMD Radeon Integrated |
| Storage | Up to 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD | Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Display | 14 inches 1920x1080 (FHD) IPS, 5.7mm bezel | 15.6 inches 1920x1080 (FHD) IPS, 6.8mm bezel |
| Ports | Two USB-C 3.2 USB-A 3.2 Two USB-A 2.0 HDMI microSD reader 3.5mm audio | Two USB-C 3.2 USB-A 3.2 Two USB-A 2.0 HDMI microSD card reader 3.5mm audio |
| Audio | Harman Kardon audio | Harman Kardon audio |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5 | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5 |
| Camera | Front-facing 720p | Front-facing 720p |
| Battery | 42Wh | 42Wh |
| Dimensions | 12.79 x 8.46 x 0.7 inches (324.9mm x 215mm x 17.9mm) | 14.13 x 9.25 x 0.7 inches (359mm x 235mm x 17.9mm) |
| Weight | 3.09 pounds (1.4kg) | 3.75 pounds (1.7kg) |
| Color | Heart Gold Transparent Silver Indie Black | Hearty Gold Transparent Silver Indie Black |
ASUS made sure the specifications of the VivoBook 14 are more than good enough for work and some downtime, but the VivoBook 15 takes things up a level with a slightly larger 15.6-inch IPS display. There's also the option of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which is a considerable upgrade to the Ryzen 5 5500U.
It's still limited to just 8GB of RAM, though again this is some fast DDR4 memory at 3200MHz. Integrated Radeon graphics are joined by up to a 1TB PCIe SSD, which is PCIe 3.0. The same port layout is here with more USB ports than you'll know what to do with, HDMI out, MicroSD card reader, and Harman Kardon audio.
The VivoBook 14 can so be configured with an optional ASUS NumberPad 2.0 for faster data entry. The two new VivoBook laptops will be available in the U.S. from February.
Rich Edmonds is Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him over on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.
