The Asus VivoBook S15 comes with a one-year warranty. See how the company performed on our Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands ranking.There is a single configuration of the Asus VivoBook S15. For $699, the 15.6-inch laptop comes with an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD -- our minimum recommended setup for a mainstream laptop.The colorful Asus VivoBook S15 is one of the most visually stunning laptops to cross our desks this year, and at $700, it's much more affordable than you might expect. Furthermore, the laptop has very good performance, speakers that output clear audio and a clever hinge that angles the keyboard toward you. The only considerable knocks against the portable 15-inch laptop are a dull display and an unfortunate amount of bloatware.
But the VivoBook S15 has some tough competition in this price range. The Lenovo Ideapad 530s is remarkably similar to the VivoBook S15. It has gorgeous looks, a borderless display and a thin-and-light footprint. It also has similar internals -- a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD -- for the same $700 price. However, like the Asus, the Lenovo's biggest shortcoming is a dull display.Ultimately, your decision between these two laptops should come down to your personality. If you prefer a more buttoned-up look, go with the Lenovo. But if you want a laptop that stands out, the Asus VivoBook S15 is a great option.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen) continues its tradition as a premier, though pricey, business laptop that weighs as little as some tablets. Quite simply, it exudes quality.Around the very good 14-inch display can be found a variety of ports, including a pair of high-speed Thunderbolt connectors ideal for driving external displays. Battery life is also very good, though that’s assisted by the somewhat basic 1080p display that accompanied our review unit. Under the hood, there’s an 8th-gen Intel Kaby Lake-R processor that accomplishes quite enough for most business tasks. It may be be a few hundred dollars more than the competition, but that hasn’t prevented it from earning our Editors’ Choice award. Read on for why.
According to Lenovo, the Thinkpad X1 Carbon is constructed of four layers of carbon fiber, together with a magnesium alloy roll-cage. In our day-to-day handling, that meant that it felt solid: both light and totally sturdy, with nary the slightest wiggle in the chassis. (It’s rugged enough to pass the military’s MIL-STD-810G ruggedized tests, Lenovo says.)The carbon construction also pays dividends in terms of weight. One of the theoretical advantages of a Windows tablet like the sturdy 2017 HP Spectre x2 is its mobility, at 2.48 pounds on our scale. But the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen weighs even less: 2.46 pounds, and it’s far sturdier on the lap. All told, you’ll almost certainly be surprised with how thin and light it feels in the hand.
The left-hand side of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen boasts a variety of ports, including the USB-C and Gen 2 ethernet port that can be used with one of Lenovo’s physical docks.Though it’s optionally available in silver, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen is most frequently offered in ThinkPad’s signature black. It’s not technically a convertible, but the display reclines to a flat angle, serving as a writing surface if you choose. (Lenovo doesn’t bundle a stylus with the X1 Carbon, however, nor does it list one among its accessories.) The Carbon’s stiff hinge also resists any movement when flopping about.Open the Carbon’s cover, and you’re met with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s display, not typically one of Lenovo’s traditional strengths. Four options are available, all 14-inch panels: The 1920x1080 display generated 309 nits using our tests. We generally test with a brightness between 250 and 260 nits as a comfortable level for daily work, and measure battery life accordingly. Hitting that target was a smart decision on Lenovo’s part, as it maximizes battery life without sacrificing additional brightness.
Another USB-A port is tucked on the right of the Lenovo X1 Carbon (6th Gen), along with some large fan vents. There’s a Kensington dock and a headphone jack, too.
Keep in mind, though, that the base display doesn’t offer touch. For that, you’ll pay $85 extra for a 1080p, 300-nit (rated) display, which was on the model we reviewed. You can also pay more for a higher-res 2560x1440, 300-nit display (a $138 adder) or $180 more for a 500-nit, 2560x1440 glossy display boasting the Dolby Vision HDR capabilities. All of the lower-cost panels feature anti-glare coating, which works as advertised.
Maybe I’m just used to higher-res panels, but the 1080p 14-inch panel looked a little too squished for an everyday, business notebook. And to my eye, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen's image quality looked a bit too yellowish, even when Lenovo’s software reported a maximum color temperature of 6500K. Turning on Eye Care mode (the equivalent of Windows’ “night light” settings) within the Lenovo Vantage utility software really dialed down the blue light (4500K). But, like Windows, you do have the ability to make adjustments via a slider bar.In terms of ports, the X1 Carbon offers a smorgasbord of options. More and more notebook and tablet makers are moving to USB-C charging, and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen is no exception. One of the nice older traditions within the ThinkPad line was the consistency of its chargers; Lenovo shipped us the same 65-watt charger in two different models of Lenovo notebooks we’re testing.
The left-hand side of the chassis is where the X1 Carbon 6th Gen includes that USB-C port, which is Thunderbolt 3.0 enabled—meaning that it can supply (or receive) power, provide USB 3.0 data transfers, and power up to two 4K monitors at 30Hz refresh rates apiece. An HDMI port and a more traditional USB 3.1 Type A connector provide legacy connections.Right in the middle, though there’s also Lenovo’s proprietary docking connector, which includes a second, Thunderbolt 3.0 port plus a special ethernet Gen 2 jack, both physically designed for Lenovo’s 90W Pro Dock, which we didn’t test. It’s all a bit inconvenient if you don’t buy into Lenovo’s dock vision; the USB-C port is standard, but you’ll almost certainly need to buy a dongle to fit the special ethernet adapter, which wasn’t shipped with our review unit, or simply connect wirelessly. In my mind, this is the only thing that annoyed me about the X1 Carbon, though an ethernet-to-USB-C dongle is really just $25 or so more.
The righthand side of the chassis includes the second USB-A connector, a Kensington lock, large fan vents, and the 3.5mm headphone/mic jack.And don’t forget about the combination SD card and WLAN SIM card holder, which is tucked away within the hinge, and somewhat inaccessible unless the laptop is aligned just so. Naturally, you’ll need to supply your own SIM, and the Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE-A cat 9 card that enables it is a $100 option. The Thinkpad X1 Carbon 6th Gen also includes a hardware dTPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip, too, for additional security. The combination SD/WWAN slot on the X1 Carbon (6th Gen) is hidden near the hinge. You’ll need a pushpin, staple, or SIM prong to remove it.
Two other key features were also designed with security in mind. First, there’s the fingerprint reader to the right of the trackpad, Lenovo’s choice for allowing users to log in using Windows Hello. We were pleased to find it as reliable as other Lenovo fingerprint readers we’ve used. Lenovo also offers an upgrade to an IR depth camera that should allow Windows Hello to be used via the front-facing camera, too, though our review unit lacked that capability.