Vivobook S14 (HX 370, 32GB) review after 18 months use
Posting this in case it helps anyone weighing one up. Short version: I’m happy with it overall, but the build is the weak spot and you should go in knowing that.
TL;DR: Great internals (HX 370 + 32GB), runs much better and quieter on Linux than Windows. But the build is weak. Lost 4 of 11 brass screw inserts, the whole bottom half has bent, SD reader stopped ejecting, and one USB-C port stopped charging. All within about a year. Buy it for the chip, treat it gently, put Linux on it. Not one for heavy travel. For the price build quality should be better
The good stuff first. The HX 370 is a great chip and 32GB of RAM means it just gets out of the way for work. On Linux it’s a different machine to what Windows makes it feel like. Quieter, cooler, fans behave themselves. On Windows the fans spin up loud over not much, and even general use feels like the system is fighting itself(not that it stalls or something). Moved to Linux and it’s been much better, performance and noise both.
Battery charge limiting (80% on Windows or 60% on Linux) is brilliant for how I use it. I’m mostly stationary and plugged into AC, so capping the charge to spare the battery is exactly what I want, and it’s easy to set on Linux.
Gaming, manage your expectations. I bought this for work and older titles, not modern AAA, and for that it’s fine. Push it harder and the fans get loud on Windows. Same story as everything else, it runs better and quieter on Linux. Diablo resurrected, don’t starve, half life 2 (on these titles fans go crazy :/) and the whole thing gets hot.
Now the bad, and it’s the build. I opened the case for some maintenance and found that 4 of the 11 brass screw inserts had broken clean off, taking the surrounding plastic post with them. I glued them back but I don’t expect that to hold long term. It’s not that the case opens opens due to lack of screw mounts as it doesn’t but it’s that a laptop costing what this does shouldn’t be breaking like that internally. The whole bottom half has also developed a bend, middle down sides up. I had to stick extra rubber feet on the underside to stop it bowing further. If you travel with this thing, know that the construction is weak and it will flex and bend.
Two ports gave up too. The side SD card reader stopped ejecting cards. It reads,
Saves but eject doesn’t work and need to pull cards out with some extra tool. I didn’t use it much so it’s not a dealbreaker for me, but it quit after maybe a month or so of light use. And both USB-C ports used to charge the laptop, now only one of them does. Not the end of the world but it’s another thing that’s degraded over a fairly short life.
So that’s the verdict. Genuinely good internals, the chip and RAM are exactly what I wanted, and Linux makes it shine. But ASUS cheaped out on the chassis and you feel it. Buy it for the silicon, treat the body gently, and slap it on Linux. If you need something that survives being thrown in a bag day after day, look harder.