If you’re comparing the Vivobook Go 15 to a more premium (or even slightly less thrifty) laptop, two things will be obvious. First, the keyboard experience is subpar—it doesn’t have backlighting and offers insufficient cushioning, leading to a harsh and tiring typing experience. Despite this, I managed to reach near my top speed in the MonkeyType online typing test, achieving 117 words per minute with 99% accuracy. Additionally, the keyboard has layout inefficiencies, offering no dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys and using a nonstandard three-column number pad. At least it provides a Function Lock feature to make the F1 through F12 keys primary.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The other significant issue is the screen. On paper, it doesn’t seem too bad, with 1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution instead of chintzy 1,366-by-768 and an antiglare surface. However, one glance at the washed-out picture is enough to cause instant regret. Apparently, old TN-style panels haven’t been completely phased out; you must view this display head-on, or the colors invert and the screen becomes unusable, which is a shame since the lid can be opened 180 degrees. Colors appear dull and unnatural—red, for instance, looks more like orange—while low peak brightness only compounds the poor quality.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
One minor upside is the webcam above the display, which provides decent picture quality despite its 720p resolution and includes a sliding privacy shutter. It doesn’t support Windows Hello face recognition, but biometric features aren’t expected at this price. The touchpad is average-sized and unremarkable. The speakers are subpar; when I played Kelly Clarkson’s “Catch My Breath,” the bass notes were flat, and the vocals sounded tinny.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
While the Vivobook felt responsive enough when typing this review, watching YouTube videos, and web surfing, the next section will reveal that its performance is only adequate for such undemanding activities. The 8GB of RAM, which as I noted isn’t upgradable, limits its multitasking capabilities. It’s fine for emailing and basic browsing, but don’t leave dozens of tabs open.
