The ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021) is an ultraportable Windows laptop. It's available with various Intel 11th Gen. CPUs, up to 16GB of memory, and over 1TB of storage. You can configure it with integrated graphics only or with an NVIDIA GeForce MX330 or MX350 discrete GPU. There's a single display option: a 15.6-inch OLED panel with full DCI P3 and Adobe RGB coverage. Its port selection includes three USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. It has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, a 720p webcam, and a fingerprint sensor.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is decent for school use. It has a 15.6-inch screen that provides enough space for light multitasking and gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings. The touchpad tracks well, the webcam's video quality is adequate, and the keyboard is spacious but can be tiring to type on for extended periods. Although it's a compact laptop that's easy to carry around, its battery doesn't last long enough to get through a typical school day, and it doesn't support charging over USB-C, so you'll have to bring the proprietary charger with you.
- Very portable.
- Display gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- Adequate webcam video quality for video calls.
- Battery lasts less than seven hours of light productivity.
- Keyboard is tiring to type on for extended periods.
- Integrated and entry-level dedicated GPUs can't handle demanding workloads.
- USB-C doesn't support charging or video output.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is mediocre for gaming. It's only available with power-efficient Intel 11th Gen processors with integrated or entry-level dedicated GPUs, which aren't powerful enough to handle graphically demanding games. You can play some older or lighter titles on models with a Core i5, i7, or an NVIDIA GPU, but you'll have to play at low settings to get smooth gameplay. While its OLED panel is great for game immersion, it has a basic 60Hz refresh rate and lacks VRR support to reduce screen tearing.
- Fast storage drive.
- Easy to upgrade components.
- Minimal performance loss over time.
- 60Hz refresh rate and no VRR support.
- Integrated and entry-level dedicated GPUs can't handle graphically demanding games.
- Keyboard gets hot under load.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is decent for media consumption. It has an OLED panel that displays deep blacks, making it fantastic for dark room viewing, and it supports a wide color gamut for HDR content. The speakers get acceptably loud and sound good overall; however, they aren't ideal for listening to music as they lack bass. Unfortunately, even though it's a thin and light device that's easy to carry around, its battery lasts less than five hours of video playback, so you'll have to bring the charger with you.
- Very portable.
- OLED screen displays inky blacks.
- Wide color gamut support.
- Good-sounding speakers.
- Colors look oversaturated in most content.
- Battery lasts less than five hours of video playback.
- Screen doesn't support touch input.
The ASUS VivoBook isn't designed to be used as a workstation. It's only available with low-power CPUs and GPUs, which aren't powerful enough to handle demanding tasks like video editing or 3D animation. You can do some lighter color-correction work, though, as its OLED display has full DCI P3 and Adobe RGB coverage. It doesn't throttle much under load, and you can easily access the internals for repairs and upgrades.
- Fast storage drive.
- Easy to upgrade components.
- Minimal performance loss over time.
- Keyboard is tiring to type on for extended periods.
- Integrated and entry-level dedicated GPUs can't handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard gets hot under load.
- USB-C doesn't support charging or video output.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is decent for business use. It's a very portable, thin, and light laptop with Intel 11th Gen CPUs, which can handle tasks like text formatting, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations. The webcam's video quality is adequate for video calls, the touchpad is responsive, and the keyboard is spacious but can be tiring to type on for extended periods. Unfortunately, its battery lasts less than seven hours of light productivity, and you can't use its USB-C port to charge the laptop or output a video signal to an external display.
- Very portable.
- Display gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- Adequate webcam video quality for video calls.
- Battery lasts less than seven hours of light productivity.
- Keyboard is tiring to type on for extended periods.
- Integrated and entry-level dedicated GPUs can't handle demanding workloads.
- USB-C doesn't support charging or video output.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 23, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity and readability.
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Jul 31, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip TP3604 (2023) as an alternative with a sharper display in the Screen Specs section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (model S513E) with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 dedicated GPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The ASUS VivoBook is a decent ultraportable compared to other models in its class. It stands out for its OLED panel, which displays deep, inky blacks and bright, punchy colors. However, its build quality feels inferior, and its battery life is short.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best business laptops, and the best laptops for college.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 OLED K513 (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) are both ultraportables designed for light, general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. The Zenbook is a more premium model and provides a better user experience overall, while the Vivobook is more of a budget option. As for the Vivobook, it might be a good option if you have a very strict budget; just know that its battery life is quite short at around six hours of light use.
The LG gram 17 (2021) and the ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021) are both ultraportable laptops with Intel 11th Gen processors. The LG is better for productivity because it has a larger screen for multitasking, a more comfortable keyboard, a more responsive touchpad, and a better webcam for video calls. For media consumption, the ASUS comes out ahead because it has an OLED panel that displays much deeper blacks, and it's more color-accurate out of the box. In terms of battery life, the LG lasts much longer, nearly twice as long for light productivity and video playback. The LG isn't as portable due to its larger size, but it's lighter than the ASUS.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) are very different even though they're both ultraportable laptops. The Apple is a much more premium laptop with better build quality, and it's easier to carry around as it's a smaller device. The Apple laptop's keyboard provides a better typing experience, the touchpad is larger and more responsive, and its webcam captures a more detailed image for video calls. The Apple laptop's M1 SoC performs better than the ASUS laptop's Intel 11th Gen CPUs, and it's more power-efficient, allowing the Apple laptop's battery to last more than twice as long as the ASUS. The Apple laptop's display is sharper, brighter, and more color-accurate, but the ASUS laptop's OLED panel can produce deeper blacks for a better dark room viewing experience.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is better than the ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021) for most uses. The M1605 has a better keyboard and touchpad, and its battery lasts longer. However, the K513's OLED display has a higher contrast ratio and a wider color gamut, and it gets brighter to combat glare. The M1605's AMD Ryzen CPUs have better multi-thread performance than the K513's Intel CPUs, but you'll have to get a model with 16GB of RAM or upgrade it yourself to get the most out of its CPU, as the 8GB models run in single-channel mode.
Test Results
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