With VivoBook K15 OLED, Asus is bringing OLED displays to its VivoBook laptop range in India. At a starting price of Rs 46,990, the VivoBook K15 OLED becomes a decent contender for consumers under Rs 50,000. But is it worth buying? We answer that in the review.

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　　Ketan Pratap New Delhi

　　October 5, 2021UPDATED: October 5, 2021 16:10 IST

　　8/10HIGHLIGHTS

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED has been launched in both Intel and AMD options.

　　India Today Tech got the unit with an Intel Core i5 chipset, and it is priced at Rs 68,990.

　　The display is the biggest USP of the new VivoBook K15 OLED laptop.

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED laptop from Asus is the latest offering that tries to offer more for less. This is also the company's first laptop in the VivoBook line-up to ship with an OLED display, and we will talk about how it looks in a bit.

　　But the most important thing that probably makes the VivoBook K15 OLED more appealing is the price point. It starts at under Rs 50,000 and goes all the way up to Rs 81,990 for users who want the best processor under the hood.

　　The display is the biggest highlight of the VivoBook K15 OLED, but more things make this laptop an ideal machine for work and play, where you can shuffle between your office tasks during the weekdays to multimedia consumption during the weekends. I got the VivoBook K15 OLED unit with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor that's priced at Rs 68,990. In this review, I will try to break down the overall package to tell you whether it is worth buying.

　　Asus VivoBook K15 OLED review: Gorgeous display

　　I like to start my reviews by talking about the design of a device, but considering the display of the VivoBook K15 OLED is the biggest highlight. So why not start with the most important factor?

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　　It features a bright panel that offers a peak brightness of 600 nits and 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut compared to 62.5 per cent on most rivals around the same price. Compared to the LCD displays at this price, the VivoBook K15 OLED offers an OLED panel that provides richer and more vivid colours. Texts appear sharp, and images are crisp. Asus claims that the VivoBook K15 OLED packs a cinema-grade industry-standard panel, and I don't doubt that.

　　In recent months, the display on the VivoBook K15 OLED has been one of the most versatile panels I have used or reviewed and, in my opinion, offers a better display quality overall than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, which I reviewed a few weeks back.

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　　TRENDINGThe Taiwanese laptop maker has also received TUV Rheinland certification for offering reduced blue light on the VivoBook K15 OLED. This means, be it reading articles or typing on Microsoft Word, you can rest assured about blue light, which is known to cause visual discomfort and disrupt sleep quality. However, the VivoBook K15 OLED doesn't offer a touch screen if that's something on your wishlist.

　　The display comes with an 84 per cent screen-to-body ratio and supports 178-degree viewing angles. Everything about the display is nice except the bezels. The thick bezels around the display give it a slightly dated look, which Vivo should have thought about.

　　During the review, I had a great time watching movies, streaming shows, browsing through camera samples of phones that I'm reviewing. I can say that the VivoBook K15 OLED packs one of the best displays you can get on a laptop under Rs 50,000. Overall, you will be impressed by the screen performance of the VivoBook K15 OLED laptop. There are no surprises for guessing that the Asus VivoBook K15 OLED display will be the biggest possible reason why I may recommend anyone to buy this laptop.

　　Asus VivoBook K15 OLED review: A hefty machine

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED, in terms of design, will remind you of other VivoBook laptops. This means you won't find anything unique about the design. The aluminium alloy and plastic build feel decent. However, you won't get a premium feel out of the palm rest area or in the overall design department. But it feels durable for everyday use.

　　I liked the laptop lid, which is easy to open and close even with one hand, unlike some affordable or mid-range laptops available in India that have a stiff hinge, resulting in a lid that's not easy to open with one hand. On the other hand, the 15.6-inch screen means the laptop is not as portable as other 13 or 14-inch laptops. At roughly 1.8 kilograms, the VivoBook K15 OLED is also not a lightweight machine.

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　　Another thing that I liked about the VivoBook K15 OLED is the keyboard. The laptop ships with a full-size backlit keyboard with a 1.4mm key travel a comfortable typing experience. The tactile feel of the keys is nice, and I had no issues typing multiple long articles on this laptop. Like some VivoBook laptops, the VivoBook K15 OLED comes with the Enter key with green accents around the corners.

　　The palm rest area is vast and offers plenty of real estate. The touchpad is decent but not the best I have used on laptops. The laptops with fingerprint scanner in india built-in touchpad is quick and is a great way to unlock the laptop at any given time. The laptop has been launched in Indie Black, Transparent Silver, and Hearty Gold colours. I got the Silver model for the review, which I believe is the most standard colour option you will find on modern-day laptops in India.

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　　Asus VivoBook K15 OLED: Specifications

　　Processor - Intel Core i3-1115G4/ Intel Core i5-1135G7/ Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor and AMD Ryzen 5-5500U options

　　Display - 15.6-inch Full-HD (1920x1080 pixels), 600 nits peak brightness, 85 per cent screen-to-body ratio

　　RAM - Up to 16GB LPDDR4x RAM

　　Storage - Up to 512GB SSD

　　Webcam - HD Camera

　　Keyboard - Backlit keyboard

　　Connectivity ports - 2 x USB Type-A, 3.5mm audio jack, 1 x USB-C, 2x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI 1.4, and 1 microSD card reader

　　Operating system - Windows 10 Home

　　Audio - Harman Kardon speakers

　　Battery - 42Wh

　　Dimensions and weight - 359x235x17.9mm and 1.8 kilograms

　　Colours - Indie Black, Transparent Silver, and Hearty Gold

　　Other features - Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0, Windows Hello fingerprint authentication

　　Asus VivoBook K15 OLED review: Performance apt for your work and fun

　　The VivoBook line-up for laptops is not a traditional gaming machine from Asus. Instead, it has an entire galaxy of ROG devices for gaming purposes. The VivoBook line-up targets more everyday general use machines that can come in handy for day-to-day tasks. An excellent example is the VivoBook K15 OLED. Powered by an all-new 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor and Iris Xe graphics, the VivoBook K15 OLED is a beast when it comes to handling multitasking and casual gaming.

　　Thanks to Harman Kardon speakers and OLED display, the multimedia experience of the VivoBook K15 OLED is something you won't get at this price. The keyboard is also nice, and you can have long typing sessions on this one without any problems. In addition, there are tons of connectivity ports that make them ideal for connecting to other accessories or more.

　　During the review, the VivoBook K15 OLED laptop was largely a silent operator, and I have to commend the team for bringing an intelligent setup where I could choose modes depending on what sort of task I was doing. If you're multitasking and doing more graphics-heavy tasks, switching to Performance mode maximises performance alongside thermal parameters. Then, there's the Balanced mode that intelligently optimises performance, thermal and power parameters, and lastly, the Whisper mode for the quiet power-saving operation of fans. I was using the laptop in the Balanced mode for the most duration because it swiftly handles both intense tasks and quiet periods.

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED packs an HD webcam which has a decent quality if you've enough light around during your video calls.

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED packs a 42Wh Li-ion three-cell battery with no fast charging support. The laptop lasted for roughly four hours during the review, which isn't an excellent figure for a 15.6-inch machine. With mixed usage, the VivoBook K15 OLED gave an extra hour of use, but that was about it.

　　Asus VivoBook K15 OLED review: Verdict

　　The Asus VivoBook K15 OLED laptop at a starting price of Rs 46,990 is an excellent value for money proposition. You get a decently powered laptop that can handle day-to-day tasks without any hassles and offers the best display experience at that price. Obviously, if you need more RAM, you can opt for the one I reviewed here - the 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 version that costs around Rs 68,990.

　　The VivoBook K15 OLED from Asus is an outstanding laptop option for those who need a personal laptop for work and a bit of multimedia consumption. It can handle multitasking with ease and a bit of casual gaming, but you should not expect a lot in terms of gaming experience. But, the display and loudspeaker quality is among the best you can get at this price.