Available since the beginning of the year, the Vivobook 13 Slate tries to solve the main problem of users with a content budget. Namely, resolving to choose between productivity and leisure. Indeed, for this price, if you want to take advantage of a high-performance tablet, you often have to opt for a Chromebook. Although the operating system of these machines is versatile, it is not suitable for everyone.

And if ultimately the choice is an entry-level Windows PC, then the digital slate to relax will generally not exceed 10 inches. So, with its 13.3-inch Full HD OLED screen, its detachable keyboard, its stylus and its maximum price of 699 euros, the Vivobook 13 Slate is almost like a UFO.

Is he able to keep his double promise? In other words, to be able to make us work efficiently while having fun. The answer after several weeks of use.

An OLED screen for this price is priceless

For some time, and for our greatest happiness, Asus has made OLED its workhorse. Vivobook 16X and S15, Zenbook 13 and Pro Duo 15… All of the latest additions to the manufacturer’s catalog indeed embed this display technology. With its 13.3-inch Full HD (1920×1080) panel, the Vivobook 13 Slate is no exception to this rule. Touch-sensitive and certified HDR True Black 500, this screen offers deep blacks and shimmering colors with a rendering very faithful to reality.

Those who prefer a more saturated colorimetry can be reassured, it is possible to switch to “Vivid” mode or to adjust it manually. Watching a film in the dark on your couch, writing emails outside on a terrace, browsing social networks in bed… All activities are a pure delight for our peepers, whether on a PC or tablet. Especially since the four speakers, located on the left and right edges, offer powerful sound and really pleasant spatialization.

To quibble, we noticed that the brightness was sometimes a little tight in direct sunlight, so we just had to activate the HDR mode to solve the problem. Finally, note also that the 16/9 display is a bit unsettling at first when using the Vivobook 13 Slate vertically in tablet format. In barely two weeks, you get used to it without any problem.

3 accessories to enhance this tablet

With its clean lines and neat chassis, the tablet exudes solidity even before you take it in hand. Once that’s done, we have to admit that the slate is impressive, 31 x 19 x 0.79 cm, for 795 grams, suddenly it took us some time to adapt in order to be able to handle it without be afraid to drop it. At the rear, there is a black anodized coating of the most effect. This set is disturbed only by a long gray rectangle, tinted with minimalist green inscriptions.

To use this slab with more comfort, it is necessary to add our first accessory: the detachable tilt support. The latter attaches, quickly and very easily, thanks to magnets located on the upper back and offers an inclination of up to 170 degrees. This largesse allowed us to watch movies at 90 degrees and play games at 20 degrees, all comfortably.

To transform this set into a PC, simply add its keyboard via a connector. The operation always went smoothly and smoothly. Likewise, we were able to use this keyboard for two months, at regular intervals, during our working days and we must admit that it holds up really well. Slightly curved, the keys are an ideal size for long writing sessions and the spacing is appropriate. Typing comfort is there and the touchpad is relatively wide, 12.8 for 6.4 cm. Only (big) regret, this keyboard is not backlit.

To complete the experience, the Asus Pen 2.0 is that kind of little detail that makes the difference on a daily basis. Very practical and responsive, it served as an extra mouse thanks to its “right click” button.

Although it can be stored on the right of the slab, this will not be enough to recharge it, to do this it will have to be connected to USB-C. In itself this is not a problem, since its announced autonomy is 140 hours.

Yes for students, no for creatives

Attractive price, serious manufacturing quality, superb OLED screen… Asus had to make a concession somewhere. With its 8GB of RAM and Intel Pentium N6000 processor, the Vivobook 13 Slate delivers, shall we say, modest performance. What to understand by this? For simple office automation, note taking, navigation and very low-consumption 2D or 3D games, it will fulfill its role without problem.

It will still be necessary to be careful not to ask too much of it in multitasking and not to leave more than twenty tabs open at the same time, at the risk of suffering some slowdowns. The use of more advanced software is not discouraged, it is an idea to banish, unless you want latency to become its best costume.

In addition, with a maximum memory of 128 GB, it is logically impossible to ignore an external storage medium. On the connection side, it is also the union minimum. Two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports for charging, a mini-jack socket and a microSD card reader. In tablet format, the Windows 11 experience is interesting, but the Microsoft Store is still light in terms of applications, strongly that those of Android come to lend a hand.

Autonomy, a good or a short day

With its 50W 3-cell Li-Po battery, the Vivobook 13 Slate is durable in purely office use, with basic web browsing and 70% brightness. In this configuration, he always had a good long working day, a little over 8 hours.

In the evening, we had to plug it in to enjoy it a little more. Other days, we allowed ourselves to tickle it a little more, a little Netflix during the lunch break, a Spotify tab active for a good part of the afternoon and two big video meetings.

As a result, it had to be brought closer to the socket much earlier. Without being bad, its autonomy does not allow it to free itself from its charger as soon as we pass our doorstep. Luckily for him, the 65W power supply is quite fast, we clocked an average of 45 minutes to get him from 0 to 65%.

Buy the Vivobook 13 Slate

Our opinion after the test of the Asus Vivobook 13 Slate

With this PC / tablet, Asus has clearly come to hunt on the lands of the Surface Go 3. Although the latest Microsoft seems to offer performance a bit above, thanks to its Core i3, it only offers a panel 10.5-inch LCD and displays a slightly higher price, around 750 euros. With its superb OLED screen, its manufacturing quality and its correct autonomy, the Vivobook 13 Slate suddenly becomes much more than a stooge.

Web browsing, video streaming on Netflix or Twitch, some basic video gaming, video calls. For a teenager, who does not practice gaming and who has a non-extendable budget, the Vivobook 13 Slate will be more than enough.

At ease for classic office automation or on the Cloud, it is also a good product for a university or business school student or more simply for someone who needs an easily transportable PC. If you don’t fit into these boxes, move on. Couldn’t be clearer.