ASUS F555LA-AB31 Review

The Asus F555LA-AB31 is a decent Windows 10 laptop that fits the bill if you’re looking for a desktop replacement notebook that will stay in one place, like on your home office desk, most of the time. It comes with Intel i3-5010u processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, regular HD display and Windows 10.

Nonetheless, it makes a few tradeoffs for its powerful 15.6-inch screen, namely lack of flash drive and no touch screen (but for the price it is bearable). Still, the ASUS F555LA-AB31 appears to be a decent choice thanks to a 5th-Generation Intel Core i3-5010U Processor, Windows 10 pre-installed, Full HD (1920-by-1080) resolution, and a decent collection of ports among other niceties.

Design and Features

The ASUS F555LA-AB31 measures 1-by-15-by-10 inches (HWD) and, at a light 5.1 pounds, it may not slip into your bag just as easily as a few magazines. Nearly every other system in its price range looks gargantuan when placed alongside the F555LA-AB31, but you have the likes of the Asus VivoBook 15 with the same footprint. In addition to its size, the sports a sleek and elegant exterior with the matte coating on the grey palmrest and concentric circles on other parts which is also good for protecting from scratches and fingerprints.

The F555LA-AB31’s 15.6-inch display has a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 (Full HD), and dishes out vibrant colors and clear text. The non-touch screen is also gives sharper and clearer visuals for photos, videos and games and the graphics card is the Intel HD 5500 which is better than the previous generation Intel HD 4400 and is good enough for running older titles fluently (Battlefield 4 at 30 fps and above) and the latest games are playable at very low settings.

The non-backlit keyboard with 10 key numpad is ergonomic and comfortable and with IceCool technology your palm rest stays cool- never at an uncomfy temperature. Large speakers and ASUS SonicMaster offer clearer sound and deeper bass- better than most budget computers.

Ports and Storage

Connectivity options are standard for a budget laptop: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, HDMI out port, VGA port for connecting to external displays, audio jacks, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and a 3-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/MS). Others include the 802.11ac wireless that is three times faster than 802.11bgn, Gigabit Ethernet with RJ-45 connector, Bluetooth 4.0, and a Super Multi DL DVD±RW/CD-RW Optical Drive. Its 500GB, 5,400rpm hard drive is fast and will provide plenty of storage space for your files, although 5,400rpm is too yesterday and 7,200rpm would have been better.

Inside is a 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive, which presumably provides plenty of storage space for your files, although 5,400rpm is too yesterday and 7,200rpm would have been better. To that, add 4GB memory and you have a decent laptop for day-to-day use. All these are upgradable, with the RAM hitting a maximum of 16GB as supported by the processor, while you can swap the traditional hard drive with a snappier solid-state drive (SSD).

Performance

With a 2.1GHz Intel “Broadwell” Core i3-5010U, Intel HD graphics and 4GB RAM, this system isn’t the most powerful, but it does crunch the numbers where it really matters–basic day-to-day computing. The combination makes it possible for the system to handle a mix of light multimedia usage, Web browsing and productivity without an issue.

During testing, I managed to multitask by browsing the Web in Google Chrome, was able to stream the latest episode of “Seconds from Disaster” in 1080p from YouTube while at the same time typing a document in OpenOffice.

To test its resilience, I pushed it a bit higher with more browser tabs, and felt the purge at nine tabs, but was still able to type a document without any serious lag. This is at par with its direct competitors including the Acer Aspire 1, though the latter delivers impressive battery life, an eighth-generation processor and includes a Type-C port.

The graphic card here is the Integrated Intel HD graphics – I just hope that you love Solitaire, since this card can’t play any complex game. Still, it is fine for some Facebook and Flash games, but you don’t expect anything more from this budget system. Additionally, you have a webcam that is just fine for Skype and other video call services, and it doesn’t promise anything beyond that.

Battery Life

On battery life, the laptop lasted 4 hours 8 minutes, during testing which entailed continuous video streaming in full HD and surfing on multiple tabs. This is quite impressive for a budget system, but its competitors do deliver even longer battery life. For instance, our Editors’ Top Pick, the Acer Aspire E15 lasts 10 hours 45 minutes, which is good enough to make it through an entire workday or a Netflix binge-watching session.

The Bottom Line

The ASUS F555LA-AB31 has enough features and performance to shine as an above-average entry among budget desktop-replacement laptops. It boasts class-leading performance, good build and design, a decent amount of storage space and a full HD screen that’s easy on the eyes. The Acer Aspire E5-576-392H remains our Editors’ Top Pick award, however, for having much better performance thanks to an eighth-generation processor, a good number of ports and longer battery life.

Still, if you’re on a budget and looking for a 15-inch notebook for light college projects or office tasks, browsing, checking Facebook or text editing, the ASUS F555LA-AB31 is an easily recommendable choice.