The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is a bit of a strange beast. Asus positions it as a secondary device, meant for entertainment but doubles up for work. With the number of parts and pieces it has, it really should be a first and perhaps only device. But it isn’t, because it has one thing inexplicably missing — sheer power. But could it be just what you’re looking for? An unusual device is always worth a look…
The 13 Slate is a 2-in-1 Microsoft Surface wanna-be. Depending on which of the variants you buy, the package can include a lot of interesting things. Our review unit had, first of all, the main ‘slate’ or tablet screen. Along with that, there’s a detached keyboard, a separate kickstand, (attachable with magnets) a protective case, a digital pen, and charging essentials. It would have been easier to fix the stand on to the back of the tablet because as a separate part, it’s just more components to keep track of as you move about with this entire package. Since entertainment is supposed to be one of the main uses, it would make sense to make it a safer fixed part. The slate package is priced at Rs 62,990, while the base variant priced at Rs 45,990 doesn’t come with all these accessories.
An expanse of screen
The screen is the crowning glory of this device. In fact, the screen is the device. It’s long when viewed in landscape orientation and tall when viewed in portrait, where you could use it to browse, look at social media, make video calls, etc. It’s more natural position will be landscape though, where it doubles up as what Asus calls an OLED TV. And it is certainly true that content consumption has become a more personal and personalised activity with users watching on their phones and tablets. This slate offers 13.3 inches of screen real estate, bright with great viewing angles and good colours, which Asus says are richer and more vivid to be ideal for colour-intensive projects. The display apparently has Pantone validation. But it’s a FHD resolution screen, of 1080×1920 resolution. Being a tablet, it’s a touch-screen and generally quite responsive. Asus claims this screen emits 70 per cent less harmful blue light than LCD screens, particularly keeping children in mind. There are quad speakers to go with the screen and these support Dolby Atmos. An equaliser gives a detail level of adjustment to the sound.
The digital pen comes with tips (2H, H, HB and B) to mimic a real pencil. A button on the pen acts as an eraser and another triggers the right-click action. This is one more item to keep track of as it doesn’t snap on to the tablet, but there is a slot in the sleeve. It charges via a concealed port. The pen doesn’t by any means give the same experience as the Apple Pencil or Samsung’s S-Pen, but it’s a welcome addition for those who work with marking up, sketching and drawing, etc.
The keyboardhas enough travel in its keys, and a large enough touchpad. The device runs on Intel’’s Pentium N6000 with 8GB LPDDR4X memory and up to 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD. It has two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type — C ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack and a microSD card reader.
The key to this product is that it runs on Windows 11 and isn’t your usual Android tablet. While it’s Android or iOS that are more typically found on tablets, Windows makes it possible for the user to properly have it do double duty for work because Windows-specific applications will run on it. And because it’s so ‘swipe-friendly’, it can work quite well on tablets – especially large ones. Swiping on the left side of the screen gives users access to Microsoft Window’s new customisable widgets panel, where users can look up news, check \ weather, etc. Swiping on the right side of the screen allows users to check their notifications. The Windows 11 has built-in Intel Bridge Technology that also lets you run Android apps.
The Slate supports Wifi 6, but doesn’t have an LTE connection. It has a 50Whr battery that charges quite fast. Other features include a fingerprint sensor on the power button, 13MP and 5MP cameras, and Bluetooth 5.2.
This is a truly versatile product that makes up a comprehensive package, only let down by not being very powerful, which is why it’s positioned as a secondary device. Had it come with more power, of course, it would have been a great deal more expensive.
Published on
March 15, 2022
