ASUS VivoBook 15 Thin and Light Laptop, 15.6” FHD Display, Intel i3-1005G1 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Windows 10 Home in S Mode, Slate Gray, F512JA-AS34

Item #1 below is focused on Windows 10 S Mode. I didn't intend to write so much about S Mode, but I did so and thus it is there for you to consider. The rest of the comments made are about the Asus laptop itself.1.) I find Windows 10 S Mode to be excellent. The more I use it, the more I like it. {I've used S Mode on other devices for about 8-months.) You can exit S Mode easily, but I say it is really an awesome and an under rated OS. It virtually blocks malware, period. You can't tell the laptop is in S Mode unless you try to install something from outside of the Windows Store. Unless you are a gamer or need some special program, S Mode should be considered. It can save you a lot of concern about being compromised by hacking, which is becoming more of a concern of late, especially with the increase in sophistication in attacks from nation states and organized crime. Yep, I'm a techy with an opposing view to the techie press. Seems they mostly trash Windows 10 S Mode, but they rarely seem to articulate the benefits of S Mode. I think Microsoft should do a better job of marketing the OS. Why they don't is beyond me.I upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro via the Windows Store. I then as an admin joined this device to Office 365's Intune. I realize the tech world seems to talk down Windows 10 S Mode, but I am a contrarian and think it is outstanding. Also, S Mode requires way less Windows updates than regular Windows so, again, I am a fan. As an admin, I don't need to concern myself with updates as much. This OS is really hard to compromise.2.) This laptop is an outstanding value for the price. It has and i3 Intel processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD hard drive. Really, this is perfect configuration for the average business or college user. The performance is excellent for what it is equipped with. The i3 Intel chip works a lot better than most people realize. Even running when streaming video, it does well.3.) The display is adequate for business use. If you are a gamer or watching lots of video, it will likely be somewhat disappointing, good displays cost. You don't usually get something for nothing. Again, the display is adequate for what it is. Although the viewing angles are tight, I've seen other reviewers comments about the display and find their comments exaggerated and I wonder what they expect for a laptop that costs less than $500. Let me add that I have worked on a lot of PCs over the years, and I can tell you this display is good, but not great. However, if you want a premium display, like I said earlier, you need to pay for it. Again, this display is good enough for general use.4.) The ports provided are the latest version of each type provided. Again, this laptop is a great value for the cost.5.) The backlit keyboard is really good. I like the feel of the keys, and I like the numeric pad. The keyboard is quiet and comfortable to type on.6.) The laptop's body/frame. Is plastic. Looks pretty darn good given the price of the unit. However, I am unsure as to how strong the body is should the laptop take a fall. I'm not doing a drop-test on this one because I have pay for it if I break it, but again, the price point of this laptop gives you a pretty darn good device for the price.CONCLUSION: A surprisingly great laptop for the under $500 price charged and will be appreciated by a general or average user. (Suggestion: Keep the device in S Mode and save yourself malware and update headaches.)

I’ve been using the ASUS Vivobook Go 14 for a couple days now, and overall, it’s a great value for the price. The design is lightweight and sleek, making it easy to carry around, and the 10-hour battery life is a huge plus for staying productive on the go. Having Windows 11 Home in S Mode pre-installed, along with 1-year of Microsoft 365, adds extra convenience for everyday tasks.One thing to note is that the laptop may feel slow at first, but after installing updates and giving the system a bit of time to optimize, the performance improves noticeably. Once everything is up to date, it runs smoothly and reliably for basic computing, web browsing, and office work.If you’re looking for a solid, budget-friendly laptop that gets the job done, this is a smart choice. The Wi-Fi 5 and USB Type-C support are also nice features that enhance its versatility. Definitely worth the investment!

I personally love this laptop, in fact, I'm writing this review on this laptop, but that's only because it's the right laptop for my needs. This laptop is not for everyone, because I don't believe it's all that practical to be used for multimedia purposes, AKA, gaming and streaming, etc. There are specific reasons why I say this, and one of the reasons for that, is yes, just like the other reviewers say, the screen is a bit to be desired.First, I'd like to say that the screen isn't bad, it's just not great. It is a full HD display, but you do pretty much have to look straight at it to get a clear picture. You can see it okay from certain angles, but nothing too fancy. That's why I don't think it's good for multimedia, for example, if you want a laptop to stream movies and watch shows with friends and family, I would not recommend this laptop. It'll stream it just fine, because this computer is very fast, but the picture won't give a clear picture to a group of people watching it. However, if it was you, then I'd say go for it.The other reason why I don't think this laptop is good for multimedia use, is because of the audio. I am going to be brutally honest when I say that the audio on this laptop is absolutely horrible. I put max volume on my Spotify, and it the volume was so unimpressive, that I could comfortably hold a conversation with someone next to it. So, not only will the screen give a person issues, but unless you have a good speaker connected, you're not going to hear any music, shows, or movies very well with this one.I also don't recommend gaming on this laptop, not just for the reasons already stated above, but because of performance. This computer can perform very well at several multimedia tasks in terms of processor and memory, and you could play some simple games. But the moment you talk about WoW, or Overwatch... well, let's just say I don't believe this laptop was designed to be a gaming laptop.That all being said, I love this computer because I don't need a laptop for gaming, or for multimedia purposes. I am a writer, and I also love doing research, and doing basic stuff like checking email, or Reddit. For those basic tasks, this computer is actually quite phenomenal. Because of the SSD (Solid State Drive for those that don't know), it boots up very fast. It could be completely off, and from the time I push the button to turn it on, to the time the computer is ready for whatever task I want to do, barely 4 or 5 seconds have passed. That is not an exaggeration!The battery lasts for several hours, as long as you're smart about it. Like making sure the light on the keyboard is either off or low, when using the battery, and turning the screen brightness down. You can google tricks like that to extend battery life on all kinds of electronics, but as long as you do those basic things, the battery should last at least 6-7 hours.The processor is super fast, and I never have to wait more than seconds, if that, for the computer to act on anything I do. The moment I click on Google Chrome, the browser and my personal front page is up in less than 2 seconds. This computer is very fast, and despite what I've said before about the screen and audio, it actually does stream Netflix and all the other streaming apps pretty well.To anyone wanting to play games, watch movies with friends/family, or listen to loud music, I would not recommend this laptop. However, if you want a laptop to do everything else, I would not only recommend this laptop, but I would even go so far as to say that it's the best one on the market, for its price.