Asus Vivobook Flip 14 Review

The ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 is a powerful and versatile AMD-powered convertible laptop starting at $599 (our test model TM420IA-DB71T is $699). The laptop’s best feature is the Ryzen 7 processor in our test model, which outperforms its competition. The VivoBook Flip 14 has an adequate build (albeit not as impressive as other alternatives), handy ports, and a battery life of around 10 hours. There aren’t any obvious flaws here, but the Flip falls short of the simply superior Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. While the Asus wins in terms of performance, the keyboard deck has a lot of flex, the battery doesn’t last as long, and it costs $100 more. The latter keeps its Editors’ Choice status, but if you’re on a tight budget, the VivoBook Flip 14 is also worth considering.

A Compact, Sleek Convertible

The structure and design of this laptop are very impressive. Although the chassis is of plastic, it does not feel cheap and weighs only 3.31 pounds. It is a wonderful black color with a dark-blue tint; it’s officially called “Bespoke Black.”

A compact size, approximately 0.72 x 12.8 by 8.7 inches, supports the lightweight design. This combination makes the Flip extremely portable, allowing you to easily slide it into a backpack or carry it under your arm to a meeting or in between courses. Once you’ve gotten where you’re going, the 14-inch screen makes it a useful productivity machine. When you consider how cheap the laptop is, it’s a wonderful deal all around. The HP Envy x360 13 is a bit lighter at 2.9 pounds, while the IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is the same weight and somewhat thicker.

Some key design characteristics also help to sustain the physical shape. The hinges, for example, allow you to fold the screen of this laptop all the way back into tablet mode or stop wherever in between. The hinges are secure and fold effortlessly. They could be a little too tight because this laptop fails the one-finger screen-lift test. The hybrid design gives a lot of versatility for numerous use cases, such as using it as a tablet to draw quickly, using it in one hand while moving around, or setting it up as an airplane tray table or a demonstration with the keyboard facing down and screen facing toward you.

The Rest, the Keyboard, and the Display

The keyboard itself provides a mediocre typing experience in this regard. Although the angle is beneficial, the keys are a little sloppy. They don’t provide sufficient feedback, and there’s some wiggle area as well as a flex in the center of the keyboard, which appears to slump slightly when typing.

The keyboard deck flexes with a little pressure, unlike the exterior or lid, especially above the keyboard. The fact that the deck is lifted off the desk in that place by the hinge highlights the notion that this is a less expensive laptop in that aspect. The touchpad, on the other hand, is a little undersized but smooth and sensitive. A fingerprint reader is also included in the upper right corner for secure sign-in.

Performance Test

Now it’s time to talk about the components and their performance. This laptop is available in two variants, one for $599 and the other for $699. The TM420IA-DB71T comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor with AMD Radeon Graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB solid-state drive(SSD).

Performance, storage, and media testing

PCMark 10 and 8 are complete service packs developed by PC testing experts from UL.PCMark 10 simulates various daily workflows and content creation processes. It evaluates overall system performance for tasks like word processing, web surfing, and videoconferencing in the office. At the same time, PCMark 8 includes a memory sub-test. We use it to determine the speed of the boot disk. Both tests provide numerical results; the higher the number, the better.

So far, AMD’s Ryzen 4000-series processors have wowed us, and this one is no exception. Even though PCMark 10 is not a test that pushes a processor to its limits, the VivoBook Flip 14 came out on top. While it is a low-cost machine, it is nevertheless capable of multitasking and efficiently executing your daily programs (perhaps even more so than the others). The storage is also rapid, albeit all of these SSDs boot and load at around the same pace.

Graphics Evaluations

3DMark measures relative graphics performance by creating extremely realistic game-style 3D sequences, with an emphasis on particles and lighting. Sky Diver and Fire Strike are two independent 3DMark sub-tests, applicable to different types of systems. Both of these benchmarks are for DirectX 11.

Integrated graphics aren’t powerful enough for gaming or any 3D task right now (but it may change soon with Intel Iris Xe!). The VivoBook Flip 14 is one of the better selections here, but only by a small margin, and they’re still in the budget range. This means you can play simple games on low settings, but mainstream and serious gamers should get a gaming laptop with a discrete GPU.

Battery Test

The Flip’s battery life is adequate, but not exceptional. On its own, ten and a half hours is a good result. That amount will cover a full day of lessons or a commute. Therefore it isn’t a flaw. If you’re a true road warrior who spends a lot of time off the grid, you might want to look at one of the more durable options.

A Superb All-Rounder For Convertible Lovers

The Asus VivoBook Flip is a solid, affordable convertible with few flaws. The design is slim and light, with plenty of connectors and a great screen, and the battery life is adequate. Thanks to the Ryzen 7 CPU, which outperforms the Ryzen 5 and Intel counterparts in PCs priced similarly, performance is a strong suit. Those factors, however, do not make it a good budget convertible. The build quality is adequate on the outside, but it is a little too flimsy around the keyboard deck, and the keyboard is mediocre. The battery life is also only adequate. These are the features that remind you that this is a budget laptop, but this isn’t true of all devices in this price range. The Asus’ design pales in comparison to that of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 and the HP Envy x360 13 (2020). Although it receives bonus points for performance, the IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is an amazing laptop for $100 or less and retains its Editors’ Choice status. Even said, if raw CPU performance is your primary concern, the VivoBook Flip 14 has lots of charm hidden beneath its shell.