This time around, we have the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED (K5504) with us, which could be targeted towards home users. Let’s be honest – with a price range of around $999.99, the Vivobook S 15 OLED is not a cheap laptop. However, it houses truly enticing technical features. If I were to buy a new laptop right now, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED would be in the top three.
ASUS may receive criticism for many things, but it must be said that the new OLED screens are capable of revealing much, or even everything. Here, I am primarily referring to the software and advertising applications created by ASUS; at the hardware level, ASUS consistently maintains a high standard.
Technical Specifications of ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED
| Component | Specification |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-13500H 2.6 GHz (18 MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 12 cores, 16 threads) |
| Graphics Card | Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Also available with Intel Arc A350M 4 GB graphics card) |
| RAM | 16 GB 4800 MHz LPDDR5 (max 16 GB) |
| Display | 15.6 inches, OLED (2880 x 1620, 16:9), 120 Hz, glossy, NanoEdge (86% screen-to-body ratio), 600 cd/m², 100% DCI-P3, PANTONE Validated |
| SSD | 512 GB NVMe PCIe 4.0 (max 1 TB) |
| Ports | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C (up to 40 Gbps), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax (2×2) + Bluetooth v5.3 |
| Dimensions | 35.93 x 22.94 x 1.79 ~ 1.79 cm |
| Weight | 1.7 kg |
| Battery | 70 Wh, 90 W charging device |
| Additional Features | Backlit keys in white, 1080p camera |
| Software | MyASUS, McAfee |
| Price | $1,299.99 |
Appearance and Build
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is available in several colors; we received the bluish version with orange accents. It somewhat resembles the color scheme of a basketball team from the nineties, but I really liked this approach. Definitely a step up from those plastic-looking silver laptops.
The exterior of the laptop is metallic, while the interior is made of high-quality plastic. This doesn’t bother me at all, as the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED feels very well-built in hand. The laptop can be easily opened with one hand, revealing a sleek and quite comfortable backlit keyboard, a convenient touchpad, and nothing excessive.
Ports and Connectivity
The number of ports is acceptable, including both USB Type-C and the standard, sturdy USB. Even an HDMI port finds its place. However, it’s worth taking another look at the technical specifications, as the ports aren’t the most up-to-date. The HDMI port is version 1.4, meaning you won’t be connecting a 4K screen to it, as you’ll only get 30 Hz. 30 Hz is not usable! With the Thunderbolt 4 Type-C output, you can attach a higher-resolution monitor. I didn’t test this though, as I don’t have a compatible monitor.
Screen
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED features a stunning 15.6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2880 x 1620 (16:9) and an impressive 120 Hz refresh rate. This is a delightful and capable OLED screen with a maximum brightness of 600 cd/m². Additionally, the screen tilts back almost 180 degrees, which is a rarity in laptops of this kind.
As we can see, it maintains a 16:9 aspect ratio, which may cause some to raise an eyebrow. The modern 16:10 aspect ratio is not present here, as that would mean a 16-inch display outright. ASUS has reserved its fantastic 16-inch OLED screens for the more expensive laptop models – ones that are two or three times the price.
In any case, the Vivobook S 15 OLED’s screen is outstanding! And there’s a physical cover for the webcam, a thoughtful addition.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED comes with a sensible full-sized keyboard, but I don’t want to promise anything extraordinary. Yes, I’ve been spoiled by expensive Dell and HP keyboards; all others seem cheap and almost pointless to me. Greetings to ThinkPad enthusiasts – I don’t really understand your keyboards either, but ASUS certainly has room to grow in this area.
The touchpad is large and pleasantly user-friendly; I haven’t encountered any issues here.
Battery of ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED
Honestly, I must admit that the battery of the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED was the biggest surprise for me. Previously, I had seen a very similar OLED screen in the aforementioned ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED (UX3404), but there the screen drained the battery quite quickly. With the Vivobook S 15 OLED, it’s a whole different story. With one charge, the laptop will definitely last for 10 hours, but it can even stretch to 12 or just shy of 13 hours.
Charging is done with a sensible 90W charger, which fairly quickly (in about 1 hour of use) will recharge the Vivobook S 15 OLED battery.
ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED Performance
Gaming Capabilities
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is by no means a gaming laptop, although this model is also available with an Intel Arc A350M 4 GB graphics card. Opting for the Intel Arc A350M will raise the price of the Vivobook S 15 OLED by approximately $200 to $250, depending on the rest of the specifications. Whether this step is worth it, I’m not sure.
Available online data suggests that in terms of gaming performance, the Intel Arc A350M 4 GB graphics card falls even below the GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q, which seems somewhat disappointing in today’s context. For around $1200, laptops with an RTX 4060 graphics card are available, offering a significantly better choice for gaming enthusiasts. In this case, however, one should not expect an OLED screen; instead, a mediocre IPS screen with 144 Hz is more likely.
Cooling and Noise
The Vivobook S 15 OLED is fairly well-cooled, but it can still get loud. It’s important to note that I had the Vivobook S 15 OLED set to the highest cooling mode throughout my usage.
Benchmark Results
In the PassMark test, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED delivers a very good result. Just under 4900 points may not be in the range of laptops designed for gaming, but this is a highly respectable score among office-type laptops.
In the Cinebench test, the laptop demonstrates that it does indeed have a Core i5 processor, but it’s a modern and capable i5 that doesn’t lag far behind the Intel Core i7-13700H we saw in the Zenbook 14X OLED.
The NVMe SSD memory also shows a quite good, although not outstanding, result.
3DMark data indicates that this is not a laptop intended for gaming. However, in simpler games, we can expect a decent frame rate per second.
ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED Review Conclusion
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED would be, in my eyes, an ideal companion for those who crave a perfect, vibrant OLED screen but have less of a hunger for playing demanding video games. For work, YouTube, some light gaming, and movies – one can hardly imagine anything better. The Vivobook S 15 OLED is sleek, not too heavy for its screen size, and boasts a very good, if not excellent, battery life.
I’m slightly disappointed by the presence of an HDMI 1.4 version; it could have been at least HDMI 2.0. The keyboard, too, is not the most outstanding, but it’s acceptable. Otherwise, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED seems meticulously crafted and rather fitting for its price.
