Customer Ratings & Reviews

Well worth the price I bought it for. Runs Firefox, Spotify, Steam/basic steam games , etc. without an issue. Comes with Windows 11 on S mode. S mode sucks, but if you know how to navigate settings and click big buttons it's completely manageable. The extra 4gb really counts, since Windows and background processes eat up your memory. Wouldn't reccomend for gamers since the intergrated graphics is pretty basic, but that is to be expected. Storage is a bit on the light side but worst scenario you can store your documents and photos in the cloud. The laptop itself is a bit bulky at 16 inch screen-size, and I have trouble fitting it in the laptop bag I got, however it's lighter than expected due to materials the casing is made of.

An amazing laptop with great performance,12 gigs of ram ,the screen is clear and crisp and the overall overall functionality is superb. I highly recommend this laptop for work and school, can even be used for casual gameplay. Overall, aesthetically pleasing, my only complaint is the the battery life. The cooling fan system is quiet, and the possibility for upgrades, specifically , the ram is very easy to access.

this laptop has been great for my engineering and programming classes! it runs the programs i need it to and does so quickly. i upgraded to 24gb ram very easily and upgraded the hard drive. the only thing that keeps this laptop from being 5 stars is the low battery life. i have to keep it plugged in when running programs, and occasional games, because it dies very quickly.

I really liked the laptop, the size is perfect as well as light, the screen has bright colors, I liked that you can adjust the brightness to the screen and that you can activate the filter to protect your eyes, the volume is good, the camera is It looks very nice, in video calls it is perfect and it has many very useful tools

This Asus Vivobook is a choice for those looking for a bit more than a sub $500 laptop is going to offer. With a 16-inch display, a powerful processor, and a machine that doesn't sound like a jet engine when you remind it that it has better components, it's a solid choice with a couple of flaws that may be minor for many users. ---PROS--- - Larger than average 16-inch display - High-end processor - 12 GB of memory, a step up from the normal 8 GB (and upgradable to 16 GB) - Large multi-touch trackpad comparable with those on MacBooks (just a few millimeters less than my M1 MacBook Pro) - Satisfying, although slightly noisy, keyboard with a comfortable amount of travel in the keys - Very quiet with almost no fan noise - Sliding webcam cover - Ok battery life, and charges quickly - Quality build both inside and out ---CONS--- - Larger display makes this a large and rather heavy laptop - No backlighting on the keyboard - Cramped and abnormal layout of the number-pad that requires relearning for heavy 10-key users (see photo) - Includes Window 11 in S-Mode ---THOUGHTS--- This ASUS Vivobook is quite powerful. The Ryzen 7 5800HS is no slouch, with a score of over 20,000 on PassMark benchmarks (for the geeks out there). With the addition of 12 GB of memory (upgradable to 16 GB), out of the box, multi-tasking was able to keep up with ease as I ran two graphic editing applications, Word, Excel, Chrome with 9 tabs open, one playing video, and a casual game at the same time. This was also on battery power and the battery dropped only slightly less than 20% and without overheating and almost no fan noise. I can definitely use this computer on a daily basis without any concern that it won't keep up. When it comes to hardware upgrades, you are able to do the basics - increase RAM and replace the SSD (M.2). There are no additional M.2 slots, so all drive space must be contained in the one SSD (see photo). A peak at the interior shows once again some of the quality of ASUS devices. Thermals were a major consideration, as both the memory module (only 1 DIMM) and the M.2 SSD have thermal tap on both sides (see photo). A manual can be found on ASUS' website for the exact procedure of performing these upgrades. I also found that removal of the back cover was easy. All screws were the same length, so if they get mixed up, you won't have an issue. The build quality was evident here too as the back cover came off with ease and felt more sturdy than almost any other laptop I have opened up. ASUS is typically a more expensive brand but with that comes higher quality, and this laptop doesn't disappoint. The case is plastic, but definitely feels sturdy. Per the leaflet included in the box, the most commonly touched surfaces of the laptop have been treated with an antibacterial coating that is supposed to last up to 3 years. These are the small things that a brand like ASUS does that stand apart from other brands. That being said, there are a couple of characteristics of this laptop that I was disappointed with. For one, the number-pad is a bit cramped, but more importantly, has an unnatural button layout. This comes as a result of the ever decreasing sizes of the bezels on the displays (which are thin, but still almost a quarter inch in width), allowing ASUS to provide a 16-inch display on a laptop that is still about the size of the more common 15-inch displays. As a result, to keep all other keys the same size as a standard keyboard, the enter button is below 3, instead of to the right, and plus and minus are above 7 and 8, respectively. Worse yet, the NumLock key is above 9. If you are a heavy 10-key user, this may be a no-go for you unless you plan to use a separate keyboard or a willing to relearn the key layout. The other annoyance I had with this laptop is having Windows 11 Home in S-Mode. For those who are not familiar with this, S-Mode is a protection on Microsoft Windows that allows only applications downloaded from the Microsoft Store to be downloaded, similar to the way an iPhone works where natively, you can only install apps from Apple's Appstore. If you are providing or supporting this computer for someone (a child, a computer user with limited experience, etc), this can be a good thing as it helps to keep the user out of trouble. However, for most others, this will be something you want to remove (you aren't going to be able to install Chrome without doing this). Honestly, I was quite annoyed by this as this is a higher-end computer where the target audience is unlikely to want this. It is possible (at the time of writing) to set up a local account (no Microsoft account) on Windows 11 Home (and I did it with this computer, just search online for directions), but you have to be signed into a Microsoft account to remove S-Mode, so that defeats the purpose. As someone who uses Windows out of necessity and not desire (Mac or Linux for me), I was disappointed in the decision for ASUS to sell this computer in S-Mode, regardless of how easily that can be removed. I did search the ASUS website for drivers, and only Windows 11 drivers are offered for this laptop (no Windows 10). ---CONCLUSION--- Would I recommend this laptop? For the majority of users, absolutely yes. If you use a laptop "as a laptop" and will be relying on the keyboard and you need 10-key, consider this one carefully before purchase. Be prepared to deal with Windows S-Mode right off the bat if you plan on using software not in the Microsoft Store, and if you want a local account, be prepared to install a fresh copy of Windows right from the start. If you are new to Windows 11, this will also take some getting used to, as Windows 11 has changed a lot of the user interface and visuals. In the end, however, you will have a quality PC that has great hardware and a quality build that will keep up with you.

Fast right out of the box. Haven't notice much bloatware either which is a plus. Very happy with this purchase. Paired with a stand, wireless keyboard and mouse makes the perfect computer.

Good computer. A little laggy on computer games but overall it works well.

The absence of a touch screen, it’s almost refreshing for this true working bee!!

Solid laptop. Hasnt given me any problems yet, and runs better than I thought it would.

Pretty good, it’s got a good battery, average-older display. It gets the job the done.

If you're looking for a basic laptop with solid running performance that won't break the bank then this laptop is an excellent option. It's perfect for those needing efficient running performance while multiple programs and apps are running, but would not be ideal for graphic intense games or high level photo/video editing (unless plugged into a better monitor). It's compact with a larger screen and very lightweight for those who would be toting it around. Although made from plastic, the shell feels sturdy without any flexing when using the keyboard, and the color is pretty too. The keyboard is excellent with soft touch keys and a numbers keypad (which I prefer), but it's not backlit; which appears to be one of the extras cut to maintain a lower price point with this laptop. The mouse pad is large, with accurate tracking and smooth button engagement. The only downside is the screen, which is noticeably duller at its lower resolution (full HD). The lower resolution screen, and the fact that it's not a touchscreen, are two apparent cuts made to keep the cost down for this laptop. Yet, impressively, the laptop comes with a number of USB ports (three USB-A ports and one USB-C port to be exact), along with a full size hdmi slot. There is even a mic/headphone jack plug. In use, the performance of this laptop is excellent. While some cutbacks were made to the aesthetics of the laptop, none were made to the performance. This isn't meant to be a gaming laptop so the graphics card is an entry-level card but the processor is excellent and a powerhouse in combination with the included 12GB of RAM. Additionally, the laptop was built with longevity in mind and allows for the RAM to be expanded to 16GB. Anytime I opened an application or browser tab, it opened up quickly, even with multiple tabs opened and a video streaming. While running multiple active tabs, including active video streaming, the laptop ran quickly without any hiccups. The laptop is also super quiet when running, without any fan noise. The built-in speakers are located on the bottom of the screen which I think is a much smarter location than other places I've seen them placed on other laptops. (Many times they're on the bottom.) With their strategic placement, the sound output is loud and very clear and overall satisfactory for built-in laptop speakers. The battery life of this laptop is excellent as well, and does well maintaining its capacity when in sleep mode too. The only complaint I had when using the laptop is the fact that windows is installed in S mode. To me, this isn't the type of device that should need this because of its performance capability. Overall, this is an excellent laptop for those looking for something with great performance and longevity, but without the excessive bells and whistles that typically drive up the cost. PROs: -Good battery life -Very quiet -Very lightweight but still feels sturdy -Speakers produce good, loud sound -Many USB ports CONs: -Screen is noticeably duller -Windows installed in S mode

Value for money. Suitable both for office and school work

_____ *Pros: -Clean, low-key design that is functional and comfortable to carry around and use. -Nice big and bright 16" screen. -Spaciously laid-out keyboard with a number pad on the side. -Comfortable to type on and low noise. -Large Windows Precision touchpad area with accurate and responsive tracking. -Excellent system and app performance. -Speedy NVME hard drive for fast transfers. -Very low fan noise for a quiet operation. -Physical webcam privacy slider. -Easy to remove the bottom cover for upgrades and maintenance. -Good speakers. _____ *Neutral: -Too many stickers on the palm rest area (can be peeled off). -Webcam is only 720P. -Not a touchscreen display. -Comes with 12GB of RAM instead of 16GB (1 slot is upgradeable). -Not Windows Hello facial recognition certified. _____ *Cons: -No keyboard backlighting. ==== My Impression - Build quality and materials. ==== I've been a laptop user since 2005 and I've gone through 16 so far, from entry-level models to high-end gaming ones that cost over $3,000. My most recent experience with a "value" laptop was an HP Pavilion 14" from 2012 that cost me about $600 back then. My first impression of the Asus VivoBook M1603QA was positive, and I was surprised by how much progress laptops in this price range have made. The approximately 4-lb VivoBook feels well-balanced both when it's folded shut or with the display open. It has an understated and low-key design that is clean and functional. Every surface you'll touch and interact with is plastic, but the laptop doesn't make any cheap-sounding creaking sounds. The in-hand feel is also nice as the plastic is smooth, dense and not cheap and grainy. I do a lot of typing and swiping and fortunately, both the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable and satisfying to use due to the keyboard's spacious layout, well-dampened keys with a quick uptake, and the touchpad's relatively large and smooth surface area. A glass-covered touchpad would've been nicer, of course, but that's not really expected at this price range. There is a somewhat cramped number pad to the right, and I'm glad to have it as I do some number-crunching every once in a while. It's not very fun to use but it gets the job done. There is one big thing missing on the keyboard, and they're backlit keys which I find very surprising. Even my laptop from 2012 came with them so I’m kind of disappointed with Asus for cutting corners there. On the bright side, the VivoBook comes with many ports so I don't have to use any adapters or dongles. There is one USB-A port on the left edge, and two more on the right. On the right edge, there's also one HDMI port, one audio jack, and one USB-C port (not Thunderbolt, no power delivery). There are no ports on the back, and the air vents are located in two places - on the bottom panel and on the left edge of the keyboard deck. The 16" 1920x1200 IPS 60Hz display is big and bright, and good enough for my productivity tasks (Office, Zoom, HTML, photo editing). Even on the front porch where there is a lot of light, I never struggled with visibility. Windows 11 set display scaling at 125%, and it was right-on. With a 16" display, I can snap two windows side-by-side for more efficient multitasking without feeling too cramped, which felt really nice coming from a 14" laptop. I wish the display was a touchscreen, though, so it would make signing documents with my finger possible. I do Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings frequently, and the VivoBook handled those sessions just fine. It's a shame that the webcam is only 720P but the apps offer touch-up options that improve clarity and fidelity that kind of make up for the blurriness. The camera is not Windows Hello facial recognition certified so you won't be able to sign in via the front camera. There’s also no fingerprint scanner. The speakers can get loud and clear, and the microphone performed satisfactorily. The MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 module provided a fast and stable connection to the Internet. ==== Performance ==== The Asus VivoBook M1603QA is my first all-AMD laptop, and I was pleasantly surprised by its performance, stability, and battery life. The 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5800HS CPU, Radeon integrated graphics, 12GB DDR4-3200, and Intel 512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVME drive (440.02GB usable) harmoniously worked together to provide a frustration-free and performant experience. I normally run Chrome and Edge with about 30 tabs between them with music streaming in the background and all was well - no stutters or micro-lags. With the laptop unplugged on battery and on the Best Performance power plan mode, my Geekbench 6 score was 1547 single-core and 5540 multi-core. When plugged in, it improved to 1818 single-core and 6702 multi-core. My Geekbench 6 Vulkan GPU score was 14,514. As a point of reference, my AMD desktop with a Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, Radeon 6700XT GPU, and 32GB DDR4 scored 2052 single-core, 9056 multi-core, and 100,664 Vulkan. Since I don't do any gaming on the VivoBook, I've been running the laptop in the Balanced power plan mode in Windows 11, which nets me about 7 hours of screen time with the display at about 60% brightness. This is more than enough for my needs and I'm quite happy with the VivoBook's stamina. ==== Windows 11 and App Experience ==== My copy of Windows 11 Home arrived in the "Windows 11 in S Mode" running version 22H2. The first thing I did was to uninstall all the unwanted bloatware apps, then go to the Microsoft Store to deactivate the S Mode so I could download third-party apps, such as Google Chrome. If you'd like to remove the S Mode as well, then go to Settings > System > Activation > S Mode > Open Store. Once that app is installed, you can launch it to deactivate the S Mode. Asus includes its MyAsus app and it's quite useful. With it, you can check up on the health level of the battery, change battery charging levels (Full, Balanced/up to 80%, Maximum Lifespan), change fan profiles, turn on and off the AI-Noise cancelling feature for the mic and speakers, switch between screen color profiles, and alter how the function keys behave (e.g., F1-F12, hotkeys). The VivoBook is my third PC that came preloaded with Windows 11, and I still don't like and find it difficult to get used to its drastic UI changes after using Windows 10 for so many years. To restore the Windows 10-style Start Menu and Taskbar, I downloaded and installed an app called ExplorerPatcher (author Valinet) to get the Windows 10 interface back, thus improving my quality of life tremendously. As for everything else, all of my usual apps installed and worked perfectly out of the box on the VivoBook. No complaints there. ==== Is it a good buy? ==== I would definitely say so. At this price point, the VivoBook is missing only a few premium features I've taken for granted, such as an OLED display with high dpi, a glass surface touchpad, 1080P webcam, and Thunderbolt and USB-C PD support. The VivoBook manages to get most of the basics right while keeping the price affordable and reachable for the masses. The AMD CPU and integrated graphics are fast and efficient, and so is the NVME hard drive that powers Windows 11 and apps. The keyboard and touchpad, which is where most people will spend the majority of their time interacting with the VivoBook, are excellent and responsive. The bright 16” display offers a lot of screen real estate for efficient multi-tasking, and the long battery life should get most people through their day without needing a recharge. I give the VivoBook M1603QA a solid 4-Star rating.

Decent laptop with good specs for the price. I would recommend it to others.

Does what I need it to do. Price is good. Pretty fast start up.

This is good value for the price if what you are after is performance. The CPU, SSD and RAM all hit above average for the price range, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the laptop I received has a 1920x1200 screen (16:10 aspect ratio). There are some corners that were cut to achieve the value price though: - The chassis is plastic (doesn't affect me at all) - Speakers are weak (plan on using headphones whenever possible) - They keyboard is not backlit - No GPU (can still handle eSports titles okay) - No dock connectivity options (Thunderbolt, USB+Display port hybrid, it does have HDMI so you can connect one external screen) All of this puts this laptop at the higher end of the "value" category if what you value is performance above all. The only reason I'm docking a star is the lack of backlit keyboard (that is enough of a standard feature today I didn't even bother to check) and the fact that some of the information on the product listing page was just wrong, most notably the screen is 1920x1200 (a happy surprise, but still a surprise) not 1920x1080 or 1366x768 as the page lists.

Purchased this laptop for my mother. Very fast machine, good storage amount for her use case. Very quiet. The only complaint I have heard from her is it has Windows 11. I put Chrome and Firefox on it and that seemed to solve the bulk of the concerns. My sister likes the machine as well with the (you guessed it) exception that it is running Windows 11. In purchasing it, I did not notice that it did not have a dedicated Ethernet port. Given the close proximity to the router it was not a big deal. If you are replacing a machine that was connected by Ethernet or looking to use this for a business then you may need to obtain a USB to Ethernet adapter. Screen is well lit and good for reading everything from email to ebooks/pdf content. Does not hurt the eyes. Mom was pleasantly surprised that she could take it with her around the house and not have to worry about the battery running out. As she was used to using an older (6th gen) I3 machine that had to remain plugged in. Battery lasted about 3.5 hours before she went to do something else.

ASUS is one of my favorite brands for personal computers; be it basic computing, or gaming. I've owned several, along with other well-known brands of PCs. ASUS rarely disappoints. And this Vivobook lived up to my reasonable expectations. Getting this ASUS Vivobook up and running out of the box was pretty straightforward. Be sure to take the time to install all those lovely updates to the Windows operating system. I'm still "making friendly" with Windows 11, as I prefer 10. There were some default settings I needed to change to make the computer able to perform as I required, but after that, we were good to go. What immediately struck me is how pretty this Vivobook is. The matte color - Quiet Blue - is quite striking. I actually kinda love it. Now, this model ASUS is a basic computer, not designed for gaming, but what I always do when trying out any new PC is run it through it's paces via a Benchmark test, as well as, install an MMORPG. This Vivobook rated 'Slightly Low' for the Benchmark test. However, it did perform adequately when I tried playing some World of Warcraft at mid-range settings; with an average of around 60 fps. As for the on-board speakers ... 'eh, they are what you'd expect from your average laptop PC. The audio is clear, but you might want to connect a Bluetooth speaker, or use a good headset to boost that sound. The touch pad is huge, with a built-in fingerprint sensor; if you choose to use that. There is a 'webcam shield' slider, simple yet effective, for those wanting to protect their privacy. The display screen offers clear and crisp visuals. Yet what I find super cool (or maybe it's the geek in me), is the edgy graphic on the Enter key. This minor addition draws the eye, making the key stand out, so it's easier to find and press. A really interesting feature this ASUS Vivobook has is an - 'Antibacterial Guard.' That is, the most frequently touched surface areas on the laptop have been "treated" with this antibacterial technology, which lasts up to 3 years and won't be washed away when you clean those surfaces. This is actually particularly useful, especially in this day and age. Overall, this ASUS Vivobook is an above-average basic laptop PC. The price is fair, it's well made, and looks modern. Recommend.

At first when I found this computer my main concern was the screen size, since I will use this for school I was scared it might not fit on the small desks at my school. The reason for this was because I have a 17 inch hp omen laptop already which scared me into getting a 16 inch. But it is actually a big difference and it’s actually a pretty good size. The other thing I was worried about once I got the laptop was the battery but after testing it from 100% to 0% it gave me about 6 hours which is a avg school day. The audio quality is terrible though, you should maybe use headphones because the built in speakers are really bad, so if you are going to watch movies and videos on this consider getting some headphones as well. Overall I would recommend it for anyone doing light tasks, or every day work. Honestly I got this for $479 and for the specs that is a great deal compared to all the other laptops I’ve seen in the market recently, I wish it had a fingerprint scanner for the price but the specs on this kicks that out.

Pros: the size and weight are perfect. Large display is a plus. The keyboard size is great, good feel and it's quiet. For the price, you get a fast processor and plenty of memory. Battery life is excellent. Provided ports are adequate for my needs. Cons: I would have preferred a USB charging port rather than a traditional charger. The screen is pretty good, though it could be a bit brighter. Audio could definitely be louder, the speakers are just OK. Windows 11 S-Mode - what a pain, I killed that right away. Conclusion: all in all, a very good general purpose laptop at a great price point.