The Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA is a budget laptop designed for basic users looking to do core basics: emails, simple work, streaming, and productivity tasks. Coming in sub-£250, it’s in a competitive space with several other affordable laptops and Chromebooks and is a good option if you’re in the market for a laptop that will get you through day-to-day work without breaking the bank.
Asus is a popular brand in the laptop space with a wide range of devices, from basic to high-end productivity and gaming laptops. With the Vivobook 14, Asus offers an affordable notebook for students and light office users. Its Intel Celeron N4020 processor and 4GB RAM won’t break any performance records, but it brings enough muscle for light work.
About the Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA
Here are the specs and features on the Asus Vivobook 14:
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020
- RAM (as Tested): 4 GB
- Boot Drive Capacity: 128 GB eMMC Flash memory
- Screen Size: 14 inches
- Native Display Resolution: 1,920 by 1,080
- Graphics Processor: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- Wireless Networking: 802.11ac, Bluetooth
- Dimensions (HWD): ‎32.5 x 1.84 x 21.7 cm
- Weight: 1.3kg
The Asus E410MA is one of the truly affordable Windows 11 systems, even by the standards of other budget laptops. We often consider budget laptops to be anything that costs under $500/£400, and the E410MA in this review is just under half that. Only a select few Win 11 models and ChromeOS devices cost any less than that; and, for the price you do get a functional Windows 11 Home system with a surprisingly solid build and decent battery life.
What We Like
Decent specs for the price
The Vivobook E410MA is a thin and light laptop. It might not have the most powerful processor you can get from Intel, but it makes up for that shortcoming in other areas. It arrives with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB eMMC flash drive, in addition to a 14-inch Full HD 1080p screen. That’s enough space for your data, enough RAM to keep basic apps running, and a sharp screen that’s much better than the 720 screens you find on comparably priced 14- and 15-inch notebooks.
Well, we can’t kvetch about how a normal SSD SATA SSD is better than the eMMC storage used here, or can we complain that it uses an Intel Celeron N4020 chip instead of a, let’s say, a Core M or i3 processor, but for the price, this is a notebook that packs everything an average user could ask for. Instead of struggling with the limitation of ChromeOS on Chromebooks, this feels more like a ‘real’ computer.
A good enough keyboard and trackpad
Most 14-inch laptops often come with cramped keyboard decks, but this Asus offers a better experience. The typing experience on this device is pretty good, and the keyboard here feels comfortable compared to using other keyboards, better than more expensive computers out there. Key travel is comfortable, and the shape and size of each letter are just about perfect.
The touchpad comes equipped with Asus’s built-in NumberPad, which you can toggle on and off. It’s a way of keeping the keys bigger and more accessible by not cramming in a second number pad on the right-hand side of the keyboard, and useful for those who use Excel a lot.
Port selection is well rounded, including USB 2.0, USB 3.2, USB Type-C, HDMI, audio jack combo, and micro-SD card. Wireless connectivity comes in the way of Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac), and an included webcam on the upper bezel. All of these ports will prove useful for docking all your peripherals.
What We Don’t Like
The 1080p screen would be brighter
While 1080p is still acceptable at this price point, we can’t just assume the matte TN panel with shallow edges, making it look less colorful than other displays we’ve seen this year. We’ve seen IPS-type screens on even some of the cheapest phones around, that offer decent color and viewing angles.
The 14-inch, FHD LCD screen has a 78% screen-to-body ratio. Whilst it’s a good size for streaming, the screen is quite dull even when turned up to full brightness. This also means that the laptop isn’t that suitable to be used outdoors in direct sunlight, as the screen won’t be very visible to the user.
Weird rear design
The design on the lid of this laptop is the most bizarre thing. It’s covered with letters and symbols drawn from the Asus logo. Asus made a bold design choice here – and I think it highlights the cheap price of the laptop, instead of making it stand out in a good way.
If the quirky pattern had not been printed all over the rear, this would have been a good-looking laptop. The blue body has a nice shine to it, which looks OK paired with the blue chamfer along the edges.
The laptop comes equipped with a VGA camera and a built-in microphone for video calls. The picture quality isn’t too bad, but the microphone doesn’t pick up everything.
Should you buy the Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA?
The Asus Vivobook 14 is a little tricky to recommend entirely, but it poses a lot of potential. The build is reasonably solid, it has a decent collection of ports, the battery life is long enough, and it can perform basic everyday tasks well. On the downside, the screen is poor, and if you want to do anything beyond basic tasks, it may not be the best laptop for your needs.
Having said that, remember it costs pennies, and those compromises look a lot more reasonable. If you’re looking for an affordable laptop with good performance and very good battery life, the Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA gets as good as it can get. If you don’t mind a ChromeOS, the Acer Chromebook 314 is also a good choice to consider.
Recommended Configuration
ASUS Vivobook 14 E410MA 14.0" Full HD Laptop with Microsoft Office 365 (Intel Celeron N4020, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC, Windows 11 Home) Includes 1 Year Microsoft Office 365 Installed
£156.62 in stock
The Review
Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA
The Asus Vivobook 14 E410MA is a very affordable laptop with decent performance, good battery life, and useful ports, but the screen would be better.
PROS
- Lightweight and portable
- Useful for basic tasks
- Excellent battery life
CONS
- Dim screen
- Weird lid design
Review Breakdown
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ARS RATING
