Every laptop has its specialty. Some are for gaming, others are for content creation, this is best for content consumption. We are looking at Asus’ Vivobook Go 15 OLED E1504FA-L1412WS today. A budget friendly OLED laptop from 2023.
Table of Contents
Specification Sheet
| Model Name | Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED E1504FA-L1412WS |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (4 cores, 8 threads) |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon 610M |
| Display | 15.6-inch, 16:9 FHD OLED 1920 x 1080, 60Hz |
| RAM | 2x 4GB LPDDR5-5500 (non-upgradeable) |
| Storage | 1x 512GB PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe |
| I/O Ports | 1x DC-in, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5Gbps), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (5Gbps), 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack |
| Camera | 720p HD, with Privacy Shutter |
| Network and Communication | MediaTek MT7902 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax 1T1R), Bluetooth 5 |
| Battery | Asus C31N2024 11.55V 4335 mAh 50WHrs, 3-cell (3S1P) Li-ion |
| Power Devices | 65W AC Adapter |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 36.03 x 23.25 x 1.79 cm |
| Weight | 1.63 kg |
Unboxing
In the box there is the laptop, 65W AC adapter, user guide, and warranty card booklet.
For people with grimier hands, it is best to carry a cleaning cloth at all times as the laptop chassis easily picks up fingerprints. This will result to a visibly less-appealing surface.
The bottom of the case is well vented with the exhaust in the hinges. The airflow is not optimal but that is the standard in slim laptops. The laptop is raised by rubber feet in each corner improving airflow on flat surfaces.
For repairs and storage upgrades, the Vivobook Go has 10 screws on the bottom with 2 different sets of screws. But in order to remove the bottom panel, there are 24 snap-on clips around the laptop which tend to be fragile and will break without the proper care and tools especially as the laptop ages. Upon opening, the boot SSD is removable, while the RAM is not. The cooling is handled by a single heat pipe and a single fan which is enough for the CPU’s low TDP but not for extensive render cycles if the fan is not well fed.
Review
Startup and Windows
The Vivobook Go boots up in 15 seconds with fast boot, and in 21 seconds when fast boot is disabled. For Windows Hello, the laptop comes with a fingerprint scanner on the trackpad. The laptop does not have IR so webcam based Windows Hello is disabled. For fingerprint unlocking, the laptop needs to be already awake in order to recognize the presence of the finger. Based on experience, the unlock speed takes less than a second. Do note to not use a swiping motion when registering your fingerprint as it may result in errors.1
The laptop comes with MyAsus, Asus’ UEFI BIOS which is feature rich enough for people trying to troubleshoot any physical issues that may occur as the laptop ages.
Pre-installed Software
One of the most detrimental to have in a budget laptop is bloatware running in the background. The Vivobook Go also suffers from the same problem as most laptops. Here is a picture of the installed apps.
It is best to uninstall the apps you don’t need. The included McAfee is only a trial version thus it is best to uninstall it as it will waste resource even when the trial ends as it will constantly and repetitively remind you to upgrade to a full version.
For the Vivobook Go, MyAsus is required to adjust multiple settings in the laptop. MyAsus requires an Asus account to function. This program is the only location to enable “Battery Care Mode”, a feature to limit charging to a maximum of 80%, “Instant Full-Charge Mode”, a temporary setting to allow the battery to charge to 100% for 24 hours before reverting back to battery care, “Fan Profile”, “AI Noise-Canceling” on both the speakers and microphone, “TaskFirst”, a network bandwidth priority setting, “Color Gamut”, color and eye care settings for the display, and the most important “Asus OLED Care” which adjust settings to maximize the OLED lifespan.
This is one of the few software that should be used and never uninstalled as it does not present these important settings outside of MyAsus. This comes as a concern for non-Windows users as these settings are not accessible and are required to maximize the battery and the display’s lifespan. One can try to use a community-backed software like asusctl to recover some of the functionality. Though caution is always required for installing such software.
Battery and Charging
One of the most important things for laptop users is being able to use the device away from a wall outlet. 3 different loads was tested on this laptop.
On regular load, the laptop was set at 50% brightness, 25% volume, standard fan profile, balance performance with no battery saving. Wifi is used with good strength. Half of the screen is on Google Sheets on light mode, with the second half of the screen as Microsoft Edge browsing the web with 5 tabs open. In the background, a live youtube link of Lofi Girl, “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” is being played at 1080p. There are also no peripherals attached. The laptop was able to reach 5 hours with a realistic work load. Not bad for a laptop at this price range.
For Heavy Load, the laptop was set at 50% brightness, standard fan profile, high performance mode with no battery saving. Consecutive runs of Cinebench R23 on all cores was run to simulate heavy CPU load for people who would use the laptop for rendering as well. At only 1 hour and 20 minutes, the laptop’s 50 WHr battery is good enough for quick renders. With the Cinebench R23 scores between each run only changing under 2%, the laptop was not found to be throttling in a well ventilated room.
On movie, the laptop was set at maximum brightness and maximum volume. Standard fan profile, balance performance with no battery saving. VLC was used to play SDR and HDR video clips in both H.265 and AV1 codec. 5 hours of movie viewing is enough for most people watching back to back movies without needing to look for a wall outlet.
The Vivobook Go is able to charge up around 60% for 45 minutes which confirms Asus’s claim of 60% in 49 minutes. Do note that this only applies for charging from a very low state as we can see in the chart. This is perfect for people trying to get a quick charge before going to work, without needing to charge overnight. Something to note is that the wider range of charging power is determined by the battery’s controller and the charging brick itself as it tries to not exceed safe temperatures.
Based on experience, the battery has a tendency to get too hot while laptop is turned off as the fans can’t kick in to provide airflow for the laptop while shutdown or sleeping. With this knowledge, it is advised to not charge the laptop inside a bag.
Color Accuracy
Data collected using the SpyderX Elite in SDR.
| Stock Color Profile 100% Brightness Native Profile | Stock Color Profile 100% Brightness sRGB Profile | Stock Color Profile 100% Brightness DCI-P3 Profile | Stock Color Profile 100% Brightness DisplayP3 Profile | |
| sRGB Coverage | 100% | 98% | 100% | 100% |
| AdobeRGB Coverage | 97% | 74% | 93% | 89% |
| P3 Coverage | 100% | 73% | 99% | 99% |
| NTSC Coverage | 96% | 69% | 91% | 87% |
| Gamma (E) | 2.2 (0.02) | 2.2 (0.02) | 2.6 (0.02) | 2.2(0.02) |
| SDR Brightness (cd/m2) | 401.2 | 404.5 | 400.1 | 405.8 |
| Contrast Ratio | 4150:1 | 3650:1 | 3620:1 | 3680:1 |
| White Point | 6900K | 6800K | 6600K | 6900K |
| ΔE Min | 0.15 | 0.05 | 0.27 | 0.11 |
| ΔE Max | 2.06 | 4.92 | 2.91 | 1.98 |
| ΔE Average | 0.75 | 0.83 | 1.17 | 0.8 |
The laptop on stock delivers the best experience with the only downside being the 6900K white point which is cooler than what is optimal. With an average ΔE of only 0.75, the laptop can be used for color-sensitive work. Upon testing, all of the special profiles provided does not improve the accuracy of the display. A 400 nit display on SDR allows you to work in brighter environments, but not direct sunlight.
Brightness, Contrast, and White Point
Data collected using a SpyderX Elite in SDR.
| Brightness (nits) | Stock Color Profile Native Profile | Stock Color Profile sRGB Profile | Stock Color Profile DCI-P3 Profile | Stock Color Profile DisplayP3 Profile |
| 0% | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| 25% | 42.6 | 43.0 | 42.4 | 43.3 |
| 50% | 102.5 | 103.9 | 103.1 | 104.4 |
| 75% | 247.3 | 249.5 | 246.7 | 249.6 |
| 100% | 401.2 | 404.5 | 400.1 | 405.8 |
| Black (nits) | Stock Color Profile Native Profile | Stock Color Profile sRGB Profile | Stock Color Profile DCI-P3 Profile | Stock Color Profile DisplayP3 Profile |
| 0% | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| 25% | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| 50% | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| 75% | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| 100% | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.11 |
| Contrast | Stock Color Profile Native Profile | Stock Color Profile sRGB Profile | Stock Color Profile DCI-P3 Profile | Stock Color Profile DisplayP3 Profile |
| 0% | 60:1 | 60:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| 25% | 440:1 | 450:1 | 380:1 | 390:1 |
| 50% | 1060:1 | 1080:1 | 930:1 | 950:1 |
| 75% | 2560:1 | 2250:1 | 2230:1 | 2260:1 |
| 100% | 4150:1 | 3650:1 | 3620:1 | 3680:1 |
| White Point | Stock Color Profile Native Profile | Stock Color Profile sRGB Profile | Stock Color Profile DCI-P3 Profile | Stock Color Profile DisplayP3 Profile |
| 0% | 6700K | 6700K | 6400K | 6700K |
| 25% | 6800K | 6700K | 6500K | 6800K |
| 50% | 6900K | 6800K | 6600K | 6900K |
| 75% | 6900K | 6800K | 6600K | 6900K |
| 100% | 6900K | 6800K | 6600K | 6900K |
6700-6900K is a little cooler than the desired 6500K white point for more color accurate use case.
CPU Benchmarks
The Ryzen 5 7520U performs well for a laptop CPU with 4 cores and 8 threads. We currently don’t have enough sample size for other similarly performing mobile CPUs. This is enough for most basic workload. For AI needs in the future, it would be better to wait for newer ones from AMD/Intel that will come with a neural processing unit (NPU) that is optimized for AI and ML applications.
GPU Benchmarks
The Ryzen 5 7520U comes with a Radeon 610M integrated graphics (iGPU). This is a low powered GPU no better than the integrated graphics in non-G 7000-series desktop CPUs. Paired with the slow LPDDR5-5500 CL30 and the limiting 512MB dedicated for the iGPU, most games are not playable in native resolution.
As this is not a gaming laptop, points can’t be taken away for underperforming in this aspect, but it’s best to see how much this can perform when the need arise.
Storage Benchmarks
The Vivobook Go comes with the Intel SSDPEKNU512GZ on stock. This is a QLC PCIe 3.0 x4 DRAMless NVMe SSD rated at 3000 MB/s Sequential Read and 1600 MB/s Sequential Write. Unfortunately, the SSD only runs at PCIe 3.0 x2 on the Vivobook GO.
Here are four benchmarks run at large test sizes.
As the storage interface of the Vivobook Go is only at Gen 3 x 2, the full performance of the SSD is not fully utilized. But based on the benchmarks, actual performance is much closer to Gen 3 x1 at 800MB/s max. The experience of using the Vivobook Go should be snappy enough for general use, but do note that this is not enough for heavy use.
As this is an interface limitation, upgrading to a faster SSD might not improve overall performance. With other laptops especially newer ones coming pre-installed with Gen 4 x4 SSDs, the performance difference would be very apparent.
Keyboard
The typing experience of the Vivobook Go OLED is great for typing as key wobble is minimal and the spacing between keys is sufficient. Trackpad placement was not an issue for typing but your experience may vary. The smaller arrow keys would take some time getting used to if you’re coming from a desktop keyboard. For heavy-users of the numpad, disabling the power button is recommended to prevent accidental shutdown.
Here is the list of keyboard shortcuts:
| Fn + Esc | Fn Lock | Fn + F9 | Mute Microphone (Lit up when muted) |
| Fn + F1 | Mute Speakers | Fn + F11 | Snipping Tool |
| Fn + F2 | Volume Down (- 2%) | Fn + F12 | Open MyAsus |
| Fn + F3 | Volume Up (+ 2%) | Fn + R. Ctrl | Context Menu |
| Fn + F4 | Brightness Down (-10%) | Fn + Up | Page Up |
| Fn + F5 | Brightness Up (+10%) | Fn + Down | Page Down |
| Fn + F6 | Toggle Touchpad | Fn + Left | Home |
| Fn + F7 | Toggle Keyboard Backlight (Off, 1-3) | Fn + Right | End |
| Fn + F8 | Projector (Multiple Display Out Setup) | Fn + R. Enter | Open New Calculator Window |
Note: The default settings for the laptop is that the Fn is enabled for the function row without needing to press Fn. (also known as “Locked Fn key”)
Where to buy
Website (Official Asus Website) – 42,995
Shopee (Official Asus Store) – 35,866
Lazada (Official Asus Store) – 37,995
Datablitz – 33,950
PCExpress – 35,135
Gigahertz – 35,999
Villman – 37,995
(Prices as of 17 May 2024)
Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED E1504FA-L1412WS Conclusion
At the current price, the Vivobook Go 15 OLED E1504FA-L1412WS is perfect for people looking for a laptop with a great display for watching movies or doing work on the go. With its color-accurate OLED display, it has one of the best displays at this price. For people who plan to play any resource-demanding games or heavy rendering, the non-upgradeable 8GB RAM and the paltry Radeon 610M would not keep up. A point of improvement of the laptop would be a 16:10 aspect ratio display for people multitasking as the extra vertical pixels help with work and not noticeable on an OLED display while watching movies. This display is already available in more expensive Vivobook models
Bugs Experienced
- Fingerprints no longer detected (Not able to replicate)
- GPU disable after sleeping (Check power options to stop power saving)
- Blender’s open benchmark not able to use iGPU (Some software might not detect the integrated graphics as a GPU, other software/games may also find 512MB to not be enough)
- PC Crashed upon alt-tabbing while playing AV1 video (Not able to replicate and no event viewer log)
Disclaimer
We were loaned the laptop in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the company and/or its affiliates in any way. There is always variation from unit to unit and your experience may differ from ours.
