ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 review – Brilliant Big Display Budget Laptop

Not everyone needs a high end laptop that can tackle Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings or render 4K video like a boss. For those who need a modest all-rounder that can handle general computing tasks and a modicum of entertainment without costing an arm and a leg, ASUS has something right up your alley with their Vivobook line-up of budget laptops. We managed to get their latest example for review. Here’s our Vivobook 15X K3504 review where we put their budget laptop to the test!

ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 Review – Build and Specifications

The most recent addition to their budget Vivobook laptop line-up, our ASUS Vivobook 15x review sample aka model K3504 exists in a variety of configurations for different markets though Malaysia only has one variant available for sale that crams in proven hardware for a modest RM3,199 price tag.

In terms of build and design, our Vivobook 15X K3504 review unit retains the design language of the recent Vivobook series revamp which involves lashings of semi-industrial chic such as hazard stripes on the Enter key and an edgy, stylised Vivobook logo on the top lid. In keeping with their recent releases, the laptop retains a claimed MIL-STD-810H rating for resistance against extremes of temperature and modest drops to the floor though it is not water resistant by any means.

@hitechcentury We take the all new Asus Vivobook 15X K3504 that’s cheerfully cheap with a large display and sweet specs for general computing to the test! Here’s what we found appealing for this RM3,199 laptop. Stay to the end to see our verdict if it’s worth buying! #kitacreators #longervids #tiktokcreator #malaysia #fyp #asusvivobook #budgetlaptop #laptopforstudents #vivobook15x #viraltiktok #hitechcentury #kitacreators ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

The top lid of the laptop is made of stamped aluminium while the rest of the chassis including the keyboard tray and underside are made of polycarbonate that’s coloured a light grey to match the top lid itself. Even with the preponderance of plastic involved in its construction, the laptop itself is fairly heavy at 1.6kg. Build quality is sturdy without any give or flex in the chassis though it does look plasticky even at a casual glance.

The sides of the Vivobook 15X K3504 host a fairly diverse array of ports to cover most eventualities with the majority of them clustered on the right and a sole USB 2.0 Type-A on the left. Emplaced on the right side is a DC-IN port for a provided barrel charger as well as a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port that supports power delivery and, assuming you have a sufficiently powerful 65W USB-C charger, the ability to charge the laptop. 

This is somewhat of a bizarre mismatch of features but the use of a somewhat dated DC-IN barrel charger is likely for cost reasons while also ensuring that the USB-C port remains free for use. Assuming you have a 65W and up fast USB-C charger, you’ll be able to just charge the laptop straight off the USB-C port without having to tote around its hefty power brick. Alongside the sole USB-C port is a single HDMI 1.4 port to port out to an external display, a 3.5mm combo audio jack and a pair of USB 3,2 Type-A ports. 

The hinge assembly is a fairly conventional affair and eschews the Ergolift hinge of their higher end designs though it is relatively sturdy and has the interesting ability to fold flat all the way to a 180-degree angle in the off-chance you want to use the laptop as an external display.

Flipping the lid open reveals a full-sized keyboard complete with a numeric keypad as well as a generously sized touchpad inset with a fingerprint reader in the corner. For students and mobile workers who handle a lot of spreadsheets, the addition of the numeric keypad is a very welcome one.

Up top, you get a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS LCD display with a modest 60Hz refresh rate, 250 nits peak brightness and a fairly conventional 16:9 aspect ratio. Compared to their other designs, the bezels on the Vivobook 15X K3504 are fairly thick on all sides though it’s not a major deal breaker. Up top, you get a HD webcam for video calls complete with a privacy slider.

As mentioned earlier, ASUS ships the laptop with a 65W DC-IN barrel charger rather than a 65W USB-C charger though the laptop does have the ability to support USB-C charging. Also provided is a free backpack as well as a free copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student which adds quite a bit of value to what you pay for.

ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 review – Specifications and Performance

In terms of hardware, our Vivobook 15X K3504 review sample for the Malaysia market is configured primarily as a cost-effective laptop for general computing. Under the hood, you get a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U 1.3GHz processor which is ideal for mainstream users paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM while a spare SODIMM slot allows users to add up to 16GB of additional RAM for a potential total of 24GB RAM though you’ll have to pay extra out of pocket. To keep costs low, the laptop relies on Intel integrated graphics and has a single SSD slot with a 512GB SSD. Here’s how our Vivobook 15X K3504 review unit stacks up on paper…

Price	RM3,199
Display	15.6-inch Full HD IPS LCD, 1,920 x 1080 pixels, 60Hz, 16:9 aspect ratio, 84.3% screen-to-body ratio, 250 nits
Processor	Intel Core i5-1335U 1.3Ghz processor
OS	Windows 11
Graphics	Intel HD
Memory	8GB DDR4 3,200MHz RAM/ 512GB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Battery	42Wh, 60% in 49 minutes (quoted) via 65W DC-IN
Size/Weight	259.7 x 232.5 x 17.9mm/1.6kg

Running under the hood of the laptop is Windows 11 and the laptop their own MyASUS management app that ensures it gets timely updates as well as the ability to manage fan speed and performance to some degree. Assuming the laptop is plugged in, you can fire up a Performance mode which maximises fan speed and CPU clock speed. 

For our benchmarks, we plugged in the laptop and fired up Performance mode and set the fan speed to maximum. Here’s how it scored…

3D Mark Time Spy	868
3D Mark Time Spy Extreme	363
3D Mark Fire Strike	2,129
3D Mark Fire Strike Extreme	921
3D Mark Fire Strike Ultra	496
3D Mark Night Raid	8,505
GeekBench 6 Single core	2,191
GeekBench 6 Multi core	5,497
GeekBench 6 OpenCL	9,198
GeekBench 6 Vulkan	11,376
Cinebench R23 Multi Core	7,467
Cinebench R23 Single Core	927 8.05x MP ratio
PCMark 10 Extended	3,917
PCMark 8 Battery Life (Work)	3 hours 44 mins

Our ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 review unit has the very same 13th Gen i5-1335U processor as the higher end Zenbook S13 OLED UX3504 but uses less and slower DDR4 RAM of its higher end sibling along with more rudimentary Intel integrated graphics. Even with the same processor running under the hood as the Zenbook S13 OLED UX3504, the Vivobook 15X K3504 understandably has lower performance across the board even with Performance mode activated.

To be clear, the laptop isn’t intended for heavy video editing or gaming and the reliance on Intel integrated graphics means that it’s going to struggle with all but the most basic retro games from a few years back and all but the most basic trimming of video footage.

The hardware available is enough for general computing like basic word processing and spreadsheets, web browsing, emails and watching a few Netflix shows on the go though the modest amount of RAM means that it will occasionally slow down or lag if you’re multitasking or doing something intensive. 

On the bright side, the LCD display is relatively vibrant and has good detail though it’s not intended for photo editing much less video editing work as it isn’t colour calibrated and peak brightness only maxes out at 250 nits which precludes its use outdoors or near a window. The modest 60Hz refresh rate also means that it’s purely intended for casual use and not for gaming. Still, it’s large and bright enough for watching videos and getting some paperwork done on the go though that is another kettle of fish we’ll get into later.

While keyboard quality is typically an afterthought on most budget laptops, our ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 review sample offered a surprisingly pleasant, relatively quiet typing experience. The laptop offers 1.4mm of key travel and 0.2mm of key bounce so typing on it is a pleasant affair that allowed me to hammer this very review out at about a nippy 90wpm. On a side note, the provided 720P webcam isn’t fantastic by any means but it does the job with sufficient lighting though footage is still grainy.

Perhaps the biggest quibble here is its battery life and its 42Whr battery has less than 5 hours of actual use time on a single charge which is underwhelming at best. This isn’t as much of a problem seeing as it’s primarily intended for students and mostly office workers nipping out for a quick work meeting or two rather than dedicated road warriors who need all-day endurance.

Should you buy the ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504?

The ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 makes for a great budget laptop for students and deskbound executives. For RM3,199, it offers sufficient performance for general computing along with a large display and keyboard though battery life is somewhat underwhelming and it is fairly heavy as laptops go but it’s not a huge thing to quibble over seeing its modest price tag. Seeing its blend of capabilities and modest price, it’s highly deserving of our Value Buy award.

ASUS Vivobook 15X K3504 review sample courtesy of ASUS Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.ASUS.com/my/laptops/for-home/vivobook/ASUS-vivobook-15x-k3504/