Asus VivoBook S13 – at last an excellent well priced, well featured light laptop with 13.3" screen but there’s a big catch!

Pleasantly surprised setting up a new Asus VivoBook S13. It seemed to have all the basics done well and was a pleasure to use. A 500GB SSD – at last what should be the baseline for hard drives in 2019. I can forgo a touch screen for the very good FHD screen. The small size 13″ screen in an 11.6″ body, light weight and 4mm bezel a joy to someone who has been a laptop afficionado since the early 1990s. In USD I calculate the cost to be $890.

To my client I recommended my usual go to – an HP ProBook 430 – in this case a G6 but heavier, bigger and no FHD screen at a comparable price. Nice try HP but compared to the Asus offering you are running behind.

At last Asus have made the every person laptop for 2019 for those who want the leader – a Dell XPS but can’t afford it. I even embrace the no camera decision with the bezel less screen – leave it out – use your phone or tablet instead. I am genuinely excited by this simple laptop.

The Asus VivoBooks should be flying out the door at Best Buy to all those who want a great product for a great price but… all the great things ruined what I would call an Asus brain freeze.

Yes the brilliant non techs at Asus have ruined all the great work by the tech design and engineering teams to provide this device in my country (New Zealand) currently only in Rose Gold!

How to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

Would love to hear others opinion who have checked out this Asus and their thought on what seems to me a crazy decision to sell such a great product in “exciting” colours and restrict the more desirable simple colours.

For a manufacturer clearly influenced by design at Apple the point of difference using colour absolutely grates. Maybe all the silver ones have gone to the USA. Lucky USA if that is the case.

The colour choice in the other screen size models is even more bizzare. It’s a long road to the perfect value laptop, so near and yet so far unless you are colour blind or Rose Gold is your thing.