1080p OLED for the masses: Asus VivoBook 15X M1503QA laptop review

[Redaktion]

There are a handful of VivoBook 15 models to keep track of and the VivoBook 15X OLED is the latest one on the list. It sports an updated design from the existing VivoBook 15 and VivoBook 15 Pro while maintaining both the OLED display and an attractive price point of well under a grand.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/1080p-OLED-for-the-masses-Asus-VivoBook-15X-M1503QA-laptop-review.692363.0.html

[Mr Majestyk]

1080p, 16:9 let's party like it's 2009. Instant fail in 2023.

[NikoB]

I really sympathize with these "masses", those poor fellows who will buy this product with terrible 60Hz PWM and lower color resolution than IPS, even with a pathetic 1080p matrix. And with a glare screen...

[ramirezenv]

Relax :)

" There are higher-end SKUs available with denser 2.8K (1620p) OLED "

[NikoB]

Relax :)

There can be no "relaxation" with awful PWM at 60-250Hz, harmful to the eyes and nervous system. With a highly reflective panel. And low ppi in color on AMOLED, with such a sub-pixel structure. Moreover, with a low resource of 8k hours, up to a 50% drop in brightness compared to 15k+ hours for a semi-matte IPS with full color resolution and no problems with flickering and glare from the mirror on the screen. =)

IPS, as it was and remains the best universal panel for eyes. And miniLED is a pathetic crutch before the start of microLED production and generally does not solve the problem of contrast.

[JamesV2]

IPS, as it was and remains the best universal panel for eyes. And miniLED is a pathetic crutch before the start of microLED production and generally does not solve the problem of contrast.

I'm sorry but at this moment, only microLED displays provide enough brightness for HDR or outdoor use. I disregard any laptop below 500 nits as I like to work outside. I hate Apple but they seem the only one to understand the importance of brightness.

[RobertJasiek]

Sometimes also HP.

[Dorby]

Important to note that VivoBook 15X is lower tier than VivoBook "S" 14/15.

The order of component tier goes - VivoBook → VivoBook S/Pro (same chassis) → ZenBook → ZenBook S/Pro. It's confusing since ASUS rebranded their VivoBook S lineup. Before 2022, VivoBook S15 was entry-level, but now VivoBook S are their low-end series and tier above its nominal predecessor.

Also the "X" at the end of numbers do not indicate higher quality for VivoBooks and ZenBooks as it does for other brands. Same SKU may be sold as "VivoBook 15X" in one region and "VivoBook 15" in another.

[JamesV2]

I'm sorry but at this moment, only microLED displays provide enough brightness for HDR or outdoor use. I disregard any laptop below 500 nits as I like to work outside. I hate Apple but they seem the only one to understand the importance of brightness.

Oops, microLED should have been miniLED.

[NikoB]

only microLED displays provide enough brightness for HDR

HDR doesn't need brightness - it needs a native contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1 and nothing more. In complete darkness, when watching a movie, you don't need brightness above 70 nits at all. You need "infinite" black.

Brightness is needed only when viewing in a sunny room. In most cases, 500 nits is sufficient in a sunny room.

Outdoors, in direct sunlight, you need a minimum of 5000 nits. There are simply no such models of laptops and smartphones on the market.

[Ron F]

I have this product and for the money, which was $550 from Newegg, this laptop cannot be beat. Was intrigued with a OLED laptop in this price. I added an 8GB stick of memory, which addressed some of the performance and graphics issues.

The screen is great, and at about 60% brightness there is no noticeable flicker at all. I would not pay any attention to the negative comments about the screen and this Vivobook, by someone who had ZERO HANDS-ON with this fantastic laptop. I'd challenge this "expert" (LOL) to come up with something better for $550. Although OLED has some limitations, it blows any IPS LCD display I've owned out of the water.

This review is spot on and confirmed by someone ("one of the masses"...LOL) who actually owns this laptop. The whiners can pay 2X-3X more for their "perfect" notebook.

Excellent and accurate review. Thank you!

[NikoB]

he screen is great, and at about 60% brightness there is no noticeable flicker at all.

Hello Asus marketer.
The review clearly shows 60Hz flicker at any brightness. And this is obvious if the contrast is "infinite" on AMOLED. 60 Hz is a monstrously harmful mode for both the fundus of the eye and the nervous system as a whole. Especially for children.

The rest of the shortcomings of AMOLED, especially in such a version as in this cheap laptop, are clearly described by me above and many times in detail in different branches of forums. They are undeniable. Therefore, in response, marketers and paid bots of companies can only lie and nothing more.

Such screens should generally be banned from sale in the world.

[Ron F]

So apparently I'm imagining that I can activate DC dimming and disable PWM at brightness levels above 55% and by explicitly setting the dimming level via the the slider in the MyAsus app in the Oled Flicker Free section. I'll stand by my statement about the display being flicker free with these options set.

Please note that PWM will be on at all brightness levels by default unless you turn it off in MyAsus... but I'm sure you know that. 

[NikoB]

As soon as DC Dimming is used on the screens of Asus laptops, which has already been proven by many reviews, you can forget about "infinite" black, the contrast immediately drops by 50-100 times, black becomes gray, and the screen life becomes 7k hours until about 50% burn-in by max brightness .

Not only what to do when you need brightness below 55%? I never use brightness above 50% for panels with 300 nit. And most, too, who follow the correct lighting and vision.

What is constantly hidden in reviews even on NB is that the screens are disgustingly calibrated and almost never manage to calibrate them with dE less than 2. This is proven in reviews where the calibration results are still published. For most consumers, you can simply forget about color accuracy on AMOLED. And even with a successful calibration, if this happens, with dE below 2, it floats in time many times faster than on IPS.

And this does not negate the fact that all OLEDs are glossy, which means they glare wildly in complex side lighting. Most of them have a resolution lower in color than stated by the panel manufacturer, in contrast to 100% guarantees for IPS with RGB pixel structure.

So good luck with your attempt to promote AMOLED employee ASUS. But no, we don't need this, especially children should be prohibited from using it, like all smartphones with AMOLED.

[John S]

Hey Niko?

Did someone beat your dog with one of these 15x's or something? You seen to have quite a bit of hate built up. I'm not a licensed professional but I'd suggest you just not buy one and maybe find someone to give you a hug. It's a $550 laptop. Is it really that important to you? You must be a blast at parties.