ASUS Vivobook Ultrathin Go Laptop Review

This ASUS Vivobook is a cheap laptop, and it feels like one. The one thing you need to know is that its 4GB of RAM is a deal-breaker in 2024. Windows 11 will struggle from the moment you turn it on, making even basic multitasking a chore. It's built for one thing: being the absolute lowest-priced entry point to a Windows laptop, and you'll feel that compromise every time you use it.

The performance is exactly what you'd expect from 4GB of RAM and a basic AMD 4500 CPU: not great. It lands in the 0th percentile for RAM and 35th for CPU, which means it's slower than almost everything else out there. The 128GB eMMC storage is painfully slow and tiny, sitting in the 7th percentile. The only mild surprise is that the integrated Intel UHD Graphics managed a 42nd percentile ranking, so you can probably watch a YouTube video without it stuttering too much.

At $229, it's cheap. But it's not a good value. You're paying for a machine that will frustrate you with its slowness and lack of storage from day one. Save up another $100-$150 and you can get a laptop that will actually last you more than a year.

Don't even look at the MacBook Pro or gaming laptops on the competitor list—they're in a different universe. The real comparison is to other budget machines. Even a basic Chromebook or a used business laptop from a few years ago with 8GB of RAM will run circles around this Vivobook. The Zenbook Duo is also from ASUS but is a premium, dual-screen productivity beast; this Vivobook is its bargain-bin cousin.

I can't recommend this laptop. The 4GB of RAM makes it a non-starter for anyone who needs to do more than check a single email tab. It's built for a price point, not for a user. If your budget is truly $229, I'd suggest looking at the used market or a Chromebook instead. This Vivobook will only lead to frustration.