The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ is a refreshed version of the popular VivoBook S14 laptop that was released earlier this year. It packs the powerful 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA MX350 graphics. Along with other computing machines in this lineup, this model is gunned for the younger demographics due to its vibrant cues in design and performance.
ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ Review
If you're reading this, you are probably toying with the idea of buying this laptop. Join us in this ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ review, and we'll answer some burning questions on its affordability, practicality, and value-for-money appeal.
Review Summary:
Pros
- Classic yet fun design
- Powerful 11th-Generation Intel Processor
- Long battery life w/ fast charging
- Practical price
Cons
- Small arrow keys
- Speakers need more bass and loudness
Design
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ is designed to appeal to the younger consumers. The Indie Black model may differ in that philosophy due to the fact that its chassis features a classic textured charcoal black tone.
Visually, the only tinged of it being youthful is when you open the laptop. You can never miss the pop of neon in the Gen Z key.
If you're someone who prefers it lowkey but has a bit of excitement and style, this colorway is for you. But of course, if you want to be creative, you can also install the stickers that comes out-of-the-box. You can check our unboxing of this laptop in the link below.
Unbox: ASUS VivoBook S14 Unboxing, First Impressions
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ comes with an aluminum alloy exterior. It's a clean and smudge-free chassis that definitely feels very premium. This 1.4-kg device is light enough to be rocked on the wild, whether you're in the campus or in a coffeeshop. Its sheer size makes it easy to slide inside your backpack. The lid also features the ASUS VivoBook branding which is flushed on the side.
The laptop is only 15.9-mm thin. It is packed with a generous number of ports and interface. There's a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and a full-sized HDMI on the left side. This side also houses the DC input, USB 3.0 Type A port and 3.5-mm audio jack. The right side is a home to two USB 2.0 ports, microSD card reader, and LED indicators for power and battery. Although the two USB 2.0 ports are great with accessories, you might want to stretch your patience if it comes to file transfers.
Opening the lid with one hand is quite a breeze. From there, you will be greeted with a full-sized keyboard and a 14-inch display. Bezels are quite minimum especially on the sides. The top bezel is a tad thicker due to the fact that it houses the HD camera; while the bottom bezel has the ASUS VivoBook branding.
Speakers and vents
The underside of the laptop houses the vents for its exhaust system. I could say that this variant of the ASUS VivoBook manages the system's heat cycle efficiently; I have not experienced any heating issues while using the laptop.
There's also the down-firing speaker tuned by Harman Kardon. It's not exactly as loud and "bassy" as the other laptops we've used but still, it is of decent quality. Watching movies and listening to music with the laptop are worthwhile experiences.
All in all, the ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ is a good-looking laptop. It has a good sense of handling and ease of use. Though we did not see the ErgoLift and ScreenPad in this series, the design is good enough to serve its purpose.
Display
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ employs a 14-inch LED-backlit Full HD display. The panel has a 16:9 Aspect Ratio and 85% screen-to-body ratio. In real-time usage, the screen is good enough for everyday use. The viewing angles are very welcoming.
It's also noticeable that the screen is recessed from the bezel. We've seen this kind of panel before with Huawei's MateBook D14. We could also say that this is where ASUS made some cuts. Yet again, this does not mean that the display won't keep up with your tasks. It is highly capable in handling good visuals and renders.
I'm quite impressed with the laptop's brightness. I tend to crank the brightness to 80 percent to get a decent viewing experience and avoid straining my eyes. But when I'm outside, the full brightness level could definitely give clearer visuals compared to its peers. On top of that, colors are actually accurate and color saturation is punchy. The contrast is also on point, while the display manages reflections well due to its matte screen finish.
Performance, Benchmarks
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ boasts the latest 11th generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor coupled with the NVIDIA GeForce MX350 GPU for some graphics-heavy tasks. Casual gaming and video editing run smoothly; but the laptop chokes with more formidable tasks and hardcore gaming.
Still, we consider the VivoBook S14 S433EQ as a daily worker. Running multiple tabs in a browser is not an issue with this computing machine, even when there are multiple programs in the background. Apart from that, the VivoBook S14 is a great multimedia device. Watching movies or streaming content in the web are activities that I love to do with this laptop. On top of that, I also edited some photos via Adobe Photoshop and it went well.
Quick gaming breaks transpired to be smooth sessions until when we tried graphic hungry games like PUBG and Overwatch. In our Geekbench 5 CPU Benchmark, the laptop tallied 1115 single-core and 3294 multi-core scores which is quite high for this price segment.
The Keyboard, NumberPad and TrackPad
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ has a small footprint but that does not crammed its keyboard layout. This full-sized keyboard is very convenient to use and with Function keys large enough to let you create and be productive. Keys have great travel with the right amount of feedback presses on your fingers. On the downside, Arrows Keys are small. I also tend to press the power button even when I mean to hit the delete key. However, on continued use, you can get the hang of it.
If you're missing the Number Keys, don't fret, the VivoBook S14 deploys the popular NumberPad, now in a revved version 2. It is integrated in the trackpad. Despite the fact that it's only an LED-illuminated frame, it is very responsive in taps.
Speaking of the trackpad, it's also very responsive and supports multiple finger gestures to make navigation easier. Plus, you can still use the trackpad while the NumberPad 2.0 is activated.
Battery and Software
The ASUS VivoBook S14 is also a winner when it comes to battery life. In our real time usage, we can stretch around 10 to 12 hours of normal to moderate use. And when we say "normal to moderate," I mean surfing the web, streaming shows online, creating documents, casual gaming, and more. Its 50Whr battery is definitely dependable when you need longer hours of work away from the wall outlet. It takes about two hours to fully charge the laptop with the 65Whr charger. However, it's also amazing to note that this charger can charge up the device up to 60% in just 49 minutes.
The VivoBook S14 boots with Windows 10 Home which comes with Microsoft Office 365. There are minimal pre-installed third party applications like McAfee Live Safe. Our favorite is the Link to MyASUS wherein it allows us to transfer files wirelessly from our phone. The Link to MyASUS supports both Android and iOS devices which is very convenient if you're using many devices across these platforms. Furthermore, the MyASUS software is very useful when it comes to checking software updates and customized tweaks to the system.
Should You Buy The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433EQ?
The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433 is a very dependable laptop. ASUS is targeting this model to the younger demographics but I think young professionals could also take advantage of the powerful internals that this computing machine is capable of.
It definitely has almost all the necessities you'll need for a great laptop purchase right now - decent design, ergonomic keyboards, feature-rich specs sheet, and long battery life. Plus the fact that it's only priced at PHP 59,995 makes it a more compelling buy this holiday season.
To those looking for a more affordable machine, the 11th Gen Intel Core i5 variant is also an option. It is priced at PHP 49,995 and packs an Intel Iris Xe graphics.
Key Specifications:
- 14-inch LED-backlit Full HD NanoEdge display
- 16:9 Frameless four-sided, 85% screen-to-body ratio
- 178° wide-view technology
- Windows 10 Home
- NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (S433EQ)
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics (S433EA)
- 8GB 3200MHz DDR4
- 512 GB SSD
- Intel WiFi 6 GIG+ (802.11ax)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- HD camera
- I/O Ports: 1 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C; 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 2 x USB 2.0; 1 x HDMI; 1 x Audio combo jack; 1 x MicroSD card reader; 1 x DC-in
- Audio: Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support, 3.5 mm headphone jack, certified by Harman Kardon
- Battery: 50 Wh 3-cell lithium-polymer battery, 65W power adapter 60% in 49 minutes, Plug Type: ø4 (mm)
- Output: 19 V DC, 3.42 A, 65 W
- Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
- Dreamy White / Indie Black / Gaia Green / Resolute Red
- 1.59 x 32.49 x 21.35cm, 1.4kg
- PHP 59,995 (Core i7)
- PHP 49,995 (Core i5)
