In these times when everything seems tenfold as expensive as it used to be not long ago, expecting good quality at a low price has become increasingly difficult. The ASUS X540UA-DB71 laptop, however, manages to achieve a great equilibrium between cost and quality. It is available at a budget price of $699.99 but offers a high processing power, crisp graphics, stylish design and adequate connectivity. This latest budget offering from the ASUS family can become an ideal partner for school/college, office or home as it efficiently fulfills day-to-day computing tasks. Let’s analyze everything it brings to the table.
Table of Contents
The Look and Feel: Design & Portability
A metallic brush finish, weight of only 4.4 lbs—not exactly features that scream “budget”—but there 
All in all, it fits into a bag quite smoothly and is portable enough to carry around with you every day without fretting about transit damage. Perhaps you can use one of the ASUS Republic of Gamers or Artemis backpacks to up the ante in style! Note that the product comes with a one-year warranty and free shipping for standard repairs under this.
Efficient Processing
The ASUS X540UA-DB71 is powered by an Intel Core i7-8550U processor running at 1.8GHz. It can be Turbo boosted to 4GHz. It offers 8GB RAM (DDR4 at 5400 RPM) and 1TB of storage space (SSHD, FireCuda). The cache in place is 8GB. For a laptop in this range, this is extraordinary processing prowess!
Picture this: The processor is efficient and speedy and combines well with the memory and storage specifications to produce a smooth response. It adapts well to multitasking. The FireCuda SSHD is incredibly fast too; reportedly, it is up to five times faster than regular, traditional hard disk drives. The performance is glitch-free for most day-to-day computing needs, say, working on documents or decks, playing back A/V content or browsing the internet. Since the operating system is Windows 10, you get additional support while working by way of productivity, security and collaborative tools.
The battery backup is fair; the Lithium-ion battery (three-cell, 33WHrs) keeps the laptop autonomous for a good part of your workday. The exact juice you get can vary widely based on your usage and power management settings.
Display, Graphics & Sound
In a budget laptop, the last thing you’d expect is breathtaking graphics. Well, this full High Definition laptop manages to be above-par. It is a 15.6” laptop with a maximum screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. 
The laptop’s sincere attempt to deliver beyond its promise is visible in every frame. The images you see are crisp and sharp, also optimized by the ASUS Tru2Life Video technology. Using an inventive approach, this technology improves the sharpness of each pixel by up to 150 percent. You can imagine the difference it makes. (Hint: Immense!)
Talking about sound, listening to your favorite audio books or songs on this laptop is a comfortable experience. The speakers are large, and there are resonance chambers to produce pure, realistic sound. Here too, ASUS applies innovative thought to elevate things to wow. The laptop uses the ASUS SonicMaster technology which has a high-quality codec for almost professional encoding and decoding. It also employs signal processing/tuning to give you distortion-free sound. The clarity is especially delightful when you are on the go with your laptop; the noise of the outdoors doesn’t drown your auditory experience.
The Typing Experience
This budget ASUS laptop comes with a Chiclet keyboard that has been ergonomically designed for comfortable typing. This is excellent because you experience minimal strain even after hours of using this multi-purpose computer. The distance between the keys is 1.8mm which is fairly convenient for accurate, speedy typing.
Staying Connected
Few things get done anymore without collaboration, and if they do, the outcome is underwhelming. To facilitate connectivity with the world around, the ASUS X540UA-DB71 laptop comes equipped with a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader (micro) and an HDMI. It also has a webcam (VGA Camera) and a DVD-RW drive although the software for this is not included. The device support makes it simple to connect to peripherals, transfer data, and work in tandem with peers and colleagues—all through a lightweight laptop.
To connect to a wireless network, you can make use of the 802.11AC Wi-Fi standards—dual antenna, good speed. The laptop also supports Bluetooth 4.1.
The Verdict
Sturdy, hard-working and reliable friends are difficult to come by, which is why you should not let go of a laptop that doubles over to stick to its promises. In an affordable price range, the ASUS X540UA-DB71 laptop delivers terrific processing power, meticulous imagery, ample connectivity options and good-quality audio.
The computer is easy to use and light enough to carry around with you, wherever you go. Moreover, it comes with the assurance of the ASUS family name which contributes a great deal towards your peace of mind. The body of this laptop is compact and its exterior sturdy—something that bodes well for long-term, intensive use.
| Specs of ASUS X540UA-DB71 |
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| Processor | Intel Core i7-8550U quad-core (up to 4.0 GHz) |
| Graphics | Intel HD |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1TB FireCuda SSHD |
| Display | 15.6″ Full-HD |
