The Taiwanese OEM has been diversifying its market in India and in the world as well for quite some time now, its own form of making a Surface Pro clone by slapping an OLED display to it has resulted in this new ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED. This 13-inch tablet has the same OLED panel that ASUS is using in all of its recent Zenbook or Vivbook OLED laptops.
However, ASUS this time has tried to make this device as an alternative to people who have a liking for the Surface Pro lineup but aren’t considering it because of its high prices, especially in India. Though the effort seems good it needs more refinement and issues need to be addressed to make it a perfect secondary device.
Specifications of ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED
- Processor: Intel Pentium Silver N6000 Processor 1.1 GHz Base Speed, Up to 3.3 GHz Max Turbo Speed, 4 cores, 4 Threads, 4MB Cache
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X onboard | Storage: 256GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
- Display: 13.3-inch (33.8 cms), FHD (1920 x 1080) OLED 16:9 aspect ratio, 0.2ms response time, 550nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, PANTONE Validated, Glossy display, SGS Eye Care Display, Touch screen, With stylus support, Screen-to-body ratio: 83 ％
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
- Operating System: Pre-loaded Windows 11 Home with lifetime validity | Software Included: Pre-Installed Office Home and Student 2021 | 1-Year McAfee Anti-Virus
- Design & Battery: 0.79 cm Thin | Thin and Light Laptop |Laptop weight: 0.78 kg | 50WHrs, 3-cell Li-ion battery | Up to 9.5 hours battery life
- I/O Port: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support display/power delivery, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, Micro SD card reader
- Other: Dual camera – 5.0M front camera, 13.0M Rear camera | FingerPrint Reader | Smart Amp Technology | Built-in 4-way stereo speakers | Built-in array microphone | Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) (Dual band) 2*2 | Bluetooth 5.2
Design & Build Quality
When you look at the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED for the first time you will in fact notice that it bears similarities with the Surface Pro which also has this tab with an integrated kickstand. Here you have the tablet which you can buy separately or get the entire bundle that contains the Stand that fits perfectly to the back of the tablet.
The stand is made up of hard plastic and has that cool look and easily integrates with the tablet to make it your secondary device. You can slide the kickstand which then holds the tablet in place and you have a Surface Pro-style OLED tablet with its kickstand. However, you have to be careful because if the magnetic stand slides somehow you might damage the display.
To ensure that, when you purchase the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED bundle, the keyboard & trackpad acts as a cover to the tablet and seamlessly attach when needed. The tab is not the lightest as it weighs 785g and is just at 7.9 mm thin, it enhances mobile entertainment, however, using it with the bundle is much more easier.
Overall, in terms of design and build quality, ASUS has done a good job, however, if the kickstand would be integrated that would have been safer as well as handy.
Display
So, one eyeing to buy this device will definitely consider it mainly for the awesome OLED HDR display ASUS is promising to provide with this Vivobook 13 Slate OLED. The size of the display is slightly bigger, 13.3-inch is pretty good for those who love bigger screens will appreciate this secondary device to have one that too if it’s such color accurate.
It still comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio rather than a 16:10 but the quality of the OLED panel is excellent even better than the ones you see on ASUS’s OLED laptops. In terms of color accuracy, the display covers a remarkable 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, so if you like a display to draw all your stuff or edit photos, the tablet makes sense.
ASUS has used a display that comes with a mind-blowing 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 0.2 ms response time, 1.07 billion colors, up to 550 nits of peak brightness, and 0.0005 nits of deep black brightness. On a tablet, this kind of OLED panel is the best in the industry undoubtedly but now it depends on your use case if you actually need such a device or not.
So, I thoroughly enjoyed using the display of the tablet and as a secondary device, this amount of colour accuracy is generally not needed, still, if you like drawings, digital artistry, or if you are a movie addict or someone who works on video production, this kind of secondary device is really helpful.
I also like the fact that the OLED panel has 70% less harmful blue light than LCD panels and is certified by TÜV Rheinland. In terms of its key USP here, i.e. the display, the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED by ASUS has one of the best displays I have ever seen and I do like the OLED panel used here for my daily usage.
Performance
The key thing point to talk about this tablet or so-called secondary computing device of yours seems to be very slow. The only factor that actually made me cry is the performance of the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED.
I get the fact that this is a tablet with its key USP here being the display, however, if one has to do even basic things like writing emails, opening a few tabs for quick browsing and basic stuff the tab struggles after a few days of use. The key fact is that the full-fledged Windows 11 actually is quite difficult for the Intel Pentium N6000 processor to handle even if it be a quad-core CPU.
Also, to maximize battery life, choosing a low TDP entry-level Intel CPU makes sense for a manufacturer like ASUS. However, instead of using so, it could have gone for a Windows 11 in S mode or even Chrome OS. This would have retained all the Intel features you expect from a tablet/laptop while still getting a fluid experience for everyday work.
The surprising fact is I am using a top-of-the-line 8GB RAM+256GB SSD model, so I highly doubt the base 4GB RAM variant could keep up with your heavy tasks. So, either ASUS has to use a stronger CPU like the 12th Gen ones for the next version of this ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED else has to change the OS to give a better experience for daily work.
ASUS Pen 2.0 Stylus
If you do end up purchasing the bundle you will also get an ASUS Pen 2.0 stylus and is a great device to pair up with your color-accurate ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED. People who love making digital drawings or calligraphy will genuinely love the fluidity of the stylus, not as smooth as you experience with a costlier Apple Pencil with iPad Pro but its good.
It’s not the best experience if you ask or I used it very often but children or professionals will like the fact that ASUS is bundling this stylus with the bundle and could be a deal-breaker if one does like to use it.
Connectivity
In this department, I am very satisfied with the I/O and ports provided with this Vivobook 13 Slate OLED. Now, because of a 64-bit CPU, you get the advantages of a Windows tablet with a lot of I/Os including 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports which support both power delivery and display, a headphone jack and a Micro SD card reader if you want to further add storage.
Talking about the WiFi, you have the latest WiFi 6 option paired with Bluetooth 5.2, this works like a charm for your day to day work or even casual stuff. So, attending calls using my Bluetooth headphone or earbuds or pairing up my mouse was very smooth, here, in terms of connectivity you cannot complain.
Additional features like an integrated Single Sign-On (SSO) fingerprint sensor to the power button or ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Audio function is also welcome for making the device more productive.
Keyboard & Trackpad
As told previously, when you buy this ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED bundle, you also get a keyboard cover that also houses a laptop-style big trackpad, even bigger or says comparable to one’s use with the Surface Pro devices. I like the fact that ASUS has used a slim and detachable keyboard because not every moment you will need the keyboard.
Now, attaching it to the tablet is very easy and satisfying thanks to the set of “pogo pin” connectors that ensure an instant connection, never did I feel any issues with this keyboard, also talked about the quality of the keyboard.
You do get full-size keys that have enough space between each keys, while 0.2 mm key-cap dish, and 1.4 mm key travel on this keyboard is even ideal for types like me as I enjoyed writing articles on it.
Talking about the trackpad, this detachable keyboard, according to ASUS, comes with a 50% larger trackpad compared to the industry standards while supporting multi-touch and Windows Precision Touchpad multi-gesture input with up to 4-finger gestures.
Audio & Webcam
Coming to the audio front, this ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED features built-in speakers with Dolby Atmos support. As these are front-firing speakers, when you play something you will get that stereo separation as they are present two on each side. Also, with Dolby Atmos support, the music or entertainment experience is really great and I did use it as a speaker more often than not.
Talking about the cameras, here you have two of them – a 5-megapixel camera at the front
helps users make clear video calls and chats while you have a dedicated 13-megapixel camera for taking quick snaps when you are carrying it with you.
Both of the cameras are decent while the front one could have been better but apps generally tend to use the rear camera more often and there’s no switching option, this could be a bit tricky on this Vivobook 13 Slate OLED tablet.
Battery Life
Last but not the least, the battery life here has been promised to last over 9 hours of battery life on a single charge, thanks to its 50Whr battery. However, in daily usage, it last me for 5-6 hours only and the standby time is even worse when you compare with an iPad, but for a Windows tablet is good.
The good thing is, this ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED features a fast-charging function that charges the battery from 0% to 60% in less than 39 minutes. This benefit can be availed by any PD (Power Delivery) certified charger and can even be charged using a power bank. The battery life could have been better if it didn’t have a full flat Windows 11 but this is a sacrifice you have to give if you want a Windows tablet.
Verdict
So, now it comes to the key point here, should you buy the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED or not? Well, the question’s answer depends on your need and budget to afford this secondary Windows tablet. Practically you can buy the base variant that comes with 4GB RAM for ₹46,300 if you feel that would do your job and if you just want to use this device as a tablet.
However, if you want a better experience and have the money to spend, the bundle also comes with a better 8GB RAM+256GB SSD option along with all the benefits we discussed here. Overall, except the weak performance, I am really impressed with the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED, obviously this is the first variant and I am sure ASUS will keep improving it.
If you do like tablets with vibrant displays, exceptional audio, nice design and of course all the benefits of Windows 11, then this is a serious option you could consider. Also, watch out for sales, deals and offers as with reduced pricing, sure, the value of this ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED gets even better then.
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