The VivoBook has always delighted audiences with its neat amalgamation of competent processing with a bright display, easy portability, and innovative features like enhanced auditory experiences. The latest addition to the series is the ASUS VivoBook S S510UN-DB55—a laptop equipped with an eighth-generation Intel i5 processor that can be boosted up to 3.4GHz, 4GB RAM (+16GB Intel Optane), 1TB of storage space, and a battery with a long lifespan.
Processing as competent as that is complemented beautifully by the NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics that elevate the viewing experience you expect from a budget laptop by several notches. Let’s drill deeper into this VivoBook, priced at $699.00, and see how it holds its own amidst competing contemporaries.
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Processing That Won’t Let You Down
The Intel Core i5-8250U processor that drives this machine is a performer in the true sense of the work, adapting well to day-to-day computing needs and delivering both speed and performance. You 
Notably, the Intel Optane memory helps you work faster by cutting down on booting/loading times as well as resume times (of the laptop in general as well as your apps). Simply put, this is an optimal marriage of (close to) SSD performance and the large space of a typical HDD.
This laptop runs Windows 10, so you also get the easy assistance of Cortana—a personal digital assistant that understands and fulfills voice commands.
Things never get hot and sweaty, even when you are multitasking, for this laptop has a capable cooling system aptly named ASUS IceCool technology. This technology employs smart fans and heat pipes to dissipate the heat generated and keep the temperature of the palm-rest under 35°C.
Since this is lower than the body temperature (37°C), things always feel cool and fresh even when you have been slogging away for hours.
An innovative “Battery Health Charging” technology helps the battery stay in an optimal condition for longer—arguably up to thrice as long as a regular lithium-ion battery. If the long battery life has got you pleased, the fast-charging is even more exciting—you can power up to 60% in only 49 minutes.
This translates into many more hours of unplugged use, allowing you to work unfettered in variable surroundings (read sporadic power supply).
Spectacular Display, Excellent A/V Experience
This is a 15.6” laptop with a full High-Definition, wide-view screen and 45% NTSC. The screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 though you can also purchase a lower resolution if you want—HD or 1366 x 
The narrow-bezel design (0.3”) makes things truly glorious by giving you a close to frameless view, an 80% screen-to-body ratio, and a sleekness that belies the fact that this isn’t a 14” laptop.
As far as the quality of the imagery is concerned, you experience accurate colors and brightness, thanks to the NVIDIA graphics card with 2GB dedicated memory. The graphics quality is further enhanced by the industry-leading technologies that ASUS employs—ASUS Splendid and ASUS Tru2Life Video.
This enables you to switch among four viewing modes, based on your needs: normal (for regular tasks), eye-care (reduced blue-light to prevent eye strain), vivid (to up the contrast and make things more stunning) and manual (can be customized as you desire). The video technology adjusts the finer details of videos, enhancing the sharpness and contrast by 150%, thereby also increasing the semblance of realism.
Interestingly, the commitment to a spectacular A/V support also extends to the sound system, with the ASUS SonicMaster technology intelligently combining hardware and software enhancements to eliminate noise and distortion. The result is purer audio even when you’re surrounded by incessant droning in public transport.
ASUS VivoBook S S510UN-DB55 Portability & Design
A weight of 3.7lbs, a thickness of 0.7”, and a durable aluminum body make this VivoBook highly portable, allowing you to carry it with you without fretting about damage. In fact, this VivoBook is so mobile it almost feels like an Ultrabook with the performance of a laptop.
The backlit keyboard (Chiclet) helps you work in varying environmental conditions; the ergonomically designed keys spaced at 1.4mm make for more comfortable typing. To prevent you from being hindered by long passwords on the go, this laptop has an inbuilt fingerprint sensor. When combined with Windows Hello, you can log in to your machine with only your touch.
Device Support & Wireless Connectivity
With the VivoBook S510UN, you get 802.11ac Wi-Fi (dual-band) that is almost six times faster than its predecessor (802.11n). Depending on the availability of a public or private Wi-Fi network, you can experience connection speeds as high as 867Mbps. The VivoBook S510UN also has Bluetooth 4.2.
In terms of device support, you can avail of a USB 3.1 port (Type-C) that lets you transfer data at incredibly high speeds. Additionally, this laptop also has two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI, a Webcam (VGA Camera), and an SD card reader. That’s terrific device support for your peripherals, projectors and anything else you need for connectivity and collaboration.
It helps that the laptop—so sharing-friendly at heart—understands the value of security. To this end, it has BIOS booting protection and HDD security (through user password).
- Other Versions: ASUS VivoBook S S510UA-DS51 and S410UN-NS74
The Verdict
Using the ASUS VivoBook S S510UN-DB55 laptop turns out to be a rewarding experience, blending speed and performance with high-quality graphics and hassle-free mobility. This is a lightweight, sleek, easy-to-operate machine infused with thoughtful technology to deliver a meticulous, immersive multimedia-world.
At the same time, it also provides ample options for collaboration and connectivity. Priced in the under $700 range and extending a lineage that has well-earned a reliable reputation, this laptop is definitely bang for your buck.
| Specs of ASUS VivoBook S S510UN-DB55 |
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| Processor | Intel Core i5-8250U (up to 3.4 GHz) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB |
| RAM | 4GB DDR4 + 16GB Intel Optane |
| Storage | 1TB HDD |
| Display | 15.6″ Full-HD NanoEdge |
