Review Summary
Expert Rating
The ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is a compelling option in a rather crowded budget laptop market. It offers a healthy mix of essential features at a remarkably accessible price point of Rs 23,000.
Clearly aimed at students, professionals on a tight budget, and casual users, this laptop promises to deliver reliable performance for everyday computing tasks without putting a strain on the wallet. In this review, let’s scrutinise the Vivobook Go 14’s inner workings to determine whether it lives up to its budget-friendly promise.
This device was originally reviewed by Florence George, and this article is based on his evaluation.
Here’s a video review of the laptop:
Table of Contents
Design and display
Despite its low price, ASUS has managed to add a sense of beauty to the Vivobook Go 14. The design is clean and modern, with a tasteful placement of the ASUS logo on the lid and below the screen. Slim borders surround the 14-inch display to enable a more immersive view and further add to the premium feel of this device.
While the build quality is admirable for its price category – pulling a solid 7.5 out of 10 in our rating – there is some flex in both the lid area and the keyboard area, which work as subtle reminders of the laptop’s budget origins.
Nevertheless, the overall construction still appears solid enough to withstand everyday abuses. Its lightweight design makes it easy to lug around; another huge plus for students and professionals looking for something portable.
The 14-inch Full HD panel, with its 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution and 200 nits peak brightness, delivers crisp visuals for basic tasks. However, the absence of IPS technology becomes apparent when viewing the screen from oblique angles, as colour shifts are noticeable.
This limitation may not significantly impact individual users but could pose challenges in collaborative settings or for those requiring precise colour reproduction.
However, it is unlikely that creative users with requirements for a highly colour-accurate display will be purchasing such a budget machine. As it happens, the display performs admirably for general productivity tasks, web browsing, and casual media consumption.
The screen’s resolution ensures that text and images are sharp, making it suitable for reading documents, browsing the internet, and watching videos. Despite its limitations, the display is a solid offering for its price point.
Keyboard, Trackpad & I/O
One of the real strengths of the Vivobook Go 14 is the keyboard. It has a comfortable typing experience with good key travel and a pleasing tactile response to the keys making it quite suitable for lengthy writing sessions.
We think that the functionality will be appreciated by professionals and students alike who write or code extensively for reports. The evenly spaced keys may actually lessen the likelihood of typos, which are a regular occurrence with many smaller devices.
The omission of keyboard backlighting is a discerning one and may hurt productivity in low-light environments. Otherwise, typing on the machine remains impressive, considering it belongs to the budget category of laptops.
The trackpad incorporates an innovative feature – an integrated numpad that can be toggled on and off. This addition enhances functionality for users who frequently work with numbers, providing a convenient solution to the absence of a dedicated numpad.
The trackpad itself is responsive and accurate, contributing positively to the laptop’s usability. Gestures like scrolling and multi-finger taps work seamlessly, enhancing the user experience.
In terms of connectivity, the Vivobook Go 14 offers a practical selection of ports:
- USB 2.0 Type-A
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C
- Audio combo jack
- HDMI 1.4
- DC input
This array caters to most peripherals and external displays, hence serving the most basic connectivity demands that its users might have. The most striking of these would be the USB Type-C, with fast data transfer speeds and versatile connectivity. Be it a mouse, an external hard drive, or even a secondary monitor, the Vivobook Go 14 has got your back.
Performance
At the heart of the Vivobook Go 14 lies a dual-core Intel Celeron N4500 processor, paired with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. This configuration is tailored for basic computing tasks, handling everyday activities such as web browsing, document editing, and media playback with reasonable efficiency.
There is a 256GB Gen 3 SSD which helps in quick boot times and snappy application launches.
However, the limitations of the Celeron N4500 become evident when attempting more demanding tasks. Our benchmark tests, including Cinebench, PCMark 10, and Geekbench, revealed modest performance scores.
Attempts to run modern games like Valorant and GTA V resulted in unplayable frame rates and graphical artefacts.
Even the process of running benchmarks proved challenging, with several applications crashing repeatedly. Suffice it to say, you will not be gaming or doing anything remotely graphically intensive on this machine.
Potential buyers must understand that the Vivobook Go 14 is designed primarily for basic computing needs.
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3DMark Fire Strike | 3DMark Night Raid | |
| Asus Vivobook Go 14 | 179 | 536 | 1483 |
| Infinix InBook Y2 Plus | 1023 | 2660 | 9514 |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core/Multi Core | Cinebench R23 Single Core/Multi Core | |
| Asus Vivobook Go 14 | 489/748 | 575/1004 |
| Infinix InBook Y2 Plus | 1831/3919 | 1301/2783 |
While it can handle light multitasking, resource-intensive applications such as video editing software or modern games are beyond its capabilities. Users requiring a device for these purposes should consider more powerful alternatives.
Battery and charging
The Vivobook Go 14 is equipped with a 42 Watt-hour battery, which delivers respectable endurance for its price point. Our tests revealed approximately 5 hours and 47 minutes of video playback at 80 percent screen brightness.
This performance should suffice for a significant portion of the workday or school day, providing users with the flexibility to work or study without constant access to a power outlet.
One of the interesting features of the laptop is its passive cooling system that makes a fan unnecessary.
This passive cooling system ensures that the laptop will always remain cool to the touch even after hours of continuous use for maximum user comfort. In our testing, even under load the temperatures on the CPU did not breach the 70-degree Celsius mark, which is saying something for a fanless machine.
Verdict
The ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is a competent, budget-friendly laptop that caters to users with basic computing needs. It excels in providing essential functionality at an extremely competitive price point, making it an attractive option for consumers seeking a secondary device, or anyone operating on a tight budget.
Apart from that, the combination of a decent build quality, a comfortable keyboard, and sufficient port selection makes it a practical choice for everyday use.
However, those who can stretch their budget might find better performance in slightly higher-priced alternatives with more powerful processors. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons based on your specific needs.
If you require a laptop for basic tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and media consumption, the Vivobook Go 14 is an excellent choice. However, for more demanding applications, investing in a higher-end model might be worthwhile.
Editor’s Rating: 7 / 10
Pros
- Highly affordable
- Decent build quality for the price
- Sufficient port selection
- Adequate battery life
Cons
- Limited performance for resource-intensive tasks
- Lack of keyboard backlighting