ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605YA Review
£374.98
£393.00
Amazon.co.uk
The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605YA is a versatile and budget-friendly laptop that offers a great balance between performance, design, and usability. With a large 16-inch display, a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, and thoughtful features, this laptop is designed to cater to students, professionals, and casual users alike. This review explores its design, performance, display quality, battery life, and overall user experience to help determine if it’s the right choice for you.
Design and Build Quality
The ASUS Vivobook 16 sports a modern and minimalistic design with a durable plastic chassis that feels solid in hand. The laptop is relatively lightweight at 1.88 kg and has a thickness of 19.9 mm, making it portable enough for everyday use. The signature Vivobook branding on the lid gives it a stylish yet subtle look.
One of the standout features is the 180-degree hinge, allowing the laptop to lay flat, which is useful for collaborative work and presentations. The build quality feels reliable, and the keyboard has a comfortable layout with a dedicated number pad, enhancing productivity for users who work with numbers frequently.
Display Quality
The Vivobook 16 is equipped with a 16-inch Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS-level display that provides crisp visuals with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This taller screen format offers more vertical space, making it ideal for browsing, reading, and working on documents.
Although the display offers good viewing angles and decent brightness (300 nits), it only covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut, meaning colors may not be as vibrant compared to higher-end panels. However, the anti-glare coating helps reduce reflections, making it comfortable to use for long hours. Additionally, the display has a low blue light certification, reducing eye strain during extended usage.
Performance and Hardware
At its core, the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605YA is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor, which features six cores and a boost clock speed of up to 4.5 GHz. This makes it highly capable of handling everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and multimedia consumption with ease.
For graphics, it relies on integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, which can handle light gaming and basic creative tasks such as photo editing. However, it’s not designed for intensive gaming or professional video editing.
The laptop comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM, with an additional SO-DIMM slot that allows expansion up to 16GB. This ensures smooth multitasking and responsiveness. The 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD provides ample storage and quick boot times, enhancing the overall performance of the laptop.
Battery Life
The 42Wh lithium-ion battery provides around 6 to 8 hours of battery life, depending on usage. While this is decent for general use, it may require charging for more demanding workloads. The good news is that the laptop supports fast charging, reaching 60% battery in just 49 minutes, making it convenient for users who are always on the go.
Connectivity and Ports
The ASUS Vivobook 16 offers a solid range of connectivity options:
- 1 x USB 2.0
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (with Power Delivery)
- 1 x HDMI 1.4
- 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack
Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, ensuring fast internet speeds and reliable connections for peripherals. However, it lacks Thunderbolt support, which might be a drawback for users who need high-speed data transfer and multiple external monitors.
Special Features
ASUS has included several thoughtful features in this laptop to enhance the user experience:
- AI Noise-Canceling Technology: Uses machine learning to filter out background noise during calls, ensuring clear audio.
- Fingerprint Sensor: Integrated into the touchpad for quick and secure login via Windows Hello.
- ASUS Antimicrobial Guard Plus: A special coating that helps prevent the buildup of bacteria and germs on the laptop’s surface.
- Military-Grade Durability: The laptop meets US MIL-STD-810H standards, ensuring durability against environmental factors like humidity, vibrations, and extreme temperatures.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
✔ Large 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio
✔ Reliable Ryzen 5 processor for smooth performance
✔ Expandable RAM and fast SSD storage
✔ AI noise cancellation and fingerprint sensor for enhanced usability
✔ Fast charging support
✔ Military-grade durability
Cons:
❌ Display covers only 45% NTSC, making colors less vibrant
❌ No Thunderbolt support
❌ Single USB-C port limits connectivity options
Conclusion
The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605YA is an excellent choice for users looking for a budget-friendly laptop with a large display and solid performance. It excels in everyday productivity tasks, multimedia consumption, and light creative work. While the color accuracy and port selection could be improved, its performance, battery life, and extra features make it a worthwhile option for students, professionals, and casual users.
If you need a reliable workhorse for daily use with a large display and premium features at an affordable price, the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605YA is definitely worth considering.ts a well-rounded package for users seeking a budget-friendly laptop with a large display and reliable performance. Its combination of a spacious 16-inch screen, solid build quality, and thoughtful features like fast charging and antimicrobial protection make it a strong contender in its category. While it may not cater to high-end gaming or professional-grade content creation, it adeptly meets the needs of students, professionals, and everyday users looking for a dependable computing companion.
