Asus debuts new VivoBook S14 and S15 with ScreenPad 2.0 touchpads

Asus took the wraps off a slew of notebooks at Computex 2019 and showcased two new additions to their workhorse VivoBook lineup dubbed the VivoBook S14 and VivoBook S15 that feature refreshed hardware as well as several trickle-down features from their premium ZenBook series that were released last year.

The biggest call-out feature for the new Asus VivoBook series are their ScreenPad 2.0 touchpads which are essentially a 5.65-inch touchscreen that doubles as a mouse pad and as means for customisation for a variety of tasks – to enable one-button software macros, as a means to accept stylus input and as a numeric keypad for data entry duties.

The ScreenPad 2.0 touchpad doubles as a means to access shortcuts and act as a numeric keypad or calculator in a pinch

These first appeared on last year’s ZenBook series notebooks last year and act as a handy means of maximising utility on touchpads which lacked the space to integrate a physical numeric keypad so it’s a pleasant addition seeing them on Asus’ more affordable notebook range.

Of particular note is that the new VivoBook notebooks also sport infrared cameras and support for Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax which offers faster speeds.

Another improvement this time around are slightly slimmer NanoEdge displays that are thinner than ever before with 5.2mm thin bezels on the sides that have to an 88% screen-to-body ratio and a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Also retained this time around is their ErgoLift hinge from last year’s VivoBook models that raises the base of the notebook up slightly for better airflow and an optimised angle for typing.

As par for the course, the Asus VivoBook S14 and S15 will come in a variety of processor and storage configurations as well as paint jobs depending on region.

Asus VivoBook S14 specifications

In terms of hardware, the Asus VivoBook S14 comes with a 14-inch Full HD NanoEdge display, either an Intel Core i7-8565U 1.8GHz processor or an Intel Core i5 8265U processor, either NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM or just integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, up to a maximum of 16GB DDR3 RAM, up to a 1TB PCIE SSD and a 47Wh 2-cell lithium polymer battery that can fast charge to 60% capacity in 50 minutes. All this is crammed into a chassis that weighs 1.4kg and is 18mm thin.

Asus VivoBook S15 specifications

The larger VivoBook S15 comes with a correspondingly larger 15.6-inch Full HD NanoEdge display that has a similar 16:9 aspect ratio as the VivoBook S14, a similar choice of either an eighth generation Intel Core i7-8565U or Intel Core i5-8265U processors, either an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM and Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics or just the Intel UHD 620 alone, up to 16GB DDR4 2,400Mhz RAM and a combo storage option with up to a 1TB PCIe SSD and up to a 2TB hard disk. Keeping it juiced is a 42Wh 3-cell lithium-prismatic battery that also has fast-charge capability up to 60% in 50 minutes. Seeing its dimensions, the VivoBook S15 is also slightly heavier with a 1.8kg payload while remaining 18mm thin on the sides like the VivoBook S14.

The VivoBook S15 (left) and VivoBook S14 (right)

In terms of colour choices, both new VivoBooks come in your choice of Moss Green, Punk Pink, Cobalt Blue, Transparent Silver and Gun Metal, each of which has contrasting trim to make it look eye-catching indeed.

The Asus VivoBook S14 in Moss Green. And no, the stickers don’t come with the notebook.

There’s no word on availability, pricing, colour options or what configurations will arrive in Malaysia as yet but we’ll keep you posted. Stay tuned to Hitech Century for more details as they appear.