ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506 Review (Core Ultra 5-125H)

ASUS, a multinational company headquartered in Taiwan, holds a renowned position in the laptop market due to its wide array of offerings. The company provides a diverse range of options within this segment, catering to various needs and preferences of consumers. ASUS has solutions to all your requirements, from entry-level to flagship level and from business segment to gaming-oriented notebooks.

The notebook we have bought for today’s review belongs to ASUS’s Vivobook series. This series usually consists of business segment notebooks, but some also cater to the gaming segment. In the past, we have reviewed two of this series’s gaming notebooks, ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED and ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED.

ASUS has recently updated its Vivobook models with the all-new Intel Core Ultra series chipset. The notebook we are reviewing is the all-new ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED, powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5-125H chipset (also integrated with Intel Arc GPU). The notebook is also available in higher options, but the one we are reviewing is an affordable version with higher memory and storage capacity. As indicated by its name, the notebook features an OLED display. In addition, the notebook also features LPDDR5x RAM support and PCIe 4.0 SSD protocols, which is a must in laptops these days. All the aspects of the notebook are discussed below in the specs table.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Specifications

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Body Design and Appearance:

The all-new ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED comes in two color options: Neutral Black and Mist Blue. The one we are reviewing is in blue. Regarding technical specifications, the laptop has the following dimensions: 353.6×246.9×15.9mm and weighs 1.5kg. There is no doubt that the competitor models offer lower weights (around 1.1-1.2kg), but the overall portability of the Vivobook S 15 OLED is still excellent.

When handling the laptop, one immediately notices its lightweight and slim profile and well-distributed weight. The laptop also supports a 180-degree opening, allowing the user to use the laptop in various angles. In addition, it also got MIL-STD 810H military-grade standard certification, ensuring exceptional durability even in challenging conditions.

If we talk about the notebook’s design, the entire body is made up of metal body, enhancing its premium feel. Compared to its predecessor, the display shell now sports a more straightforward design, with the ASUS Vivobook branding engraved in tiny fonts on the middle-right portion (using CNC), whereas the previous model utilized an embossed logo nameplate. Beneath the display shell, heat ventilation openings are strategically placed for efficient thermal management.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Display

At the opening of the notebook, you will be welcomed by the ASUS’s Lumina OLED Glossy Display. The display is 15.6 inches in size, has an aspect ratio of 16:9, and has a screen-to-body ratio of 83%. It supports 3K resolution (2880x1620p), a 120Hz refresh rate, 400nits brightness, and a 1 billion colors range. Also, the response time is just 0.2ms, and the contrast ratio is 1,000,000:1. The display covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut as per the official claim. It is also certified by SGS Eye Care Certification and TÜV Rheinland-certified, emitting 70% less harmful blue light.

On the top display border, the manufacturer has integrated a Full-HD resolution supported camera sensor, which also supports the Windows Hello feature, allowing you to unlock the notebook quickly and securely. In addition, it also has a privacy shutter that will enable you to block the camera when not in use.

For the display’s benchmark testing, we used the Spyder X, on which we found that in DCI-P3 color mode, this display covers 99.8% sRGB, 95.2% AdobeRGB, and 98.8% DCI-P3 color gamut. The measured peak brightness was 362 nits in SDR mode and 579 nits in HDR mode, a bit lower than the official’s claim.

We also tested color accuracy in all three modes (sRGB, DCI-P3, and Display-P3). In sRGB mode, the measured average Delta-E value was 0.8 (peak value was 2.85). In Display-P3 mode, the average value was 0.78, while the peak was 2.62. In DCI-P3 color mode, the average measured value was 0.93, while the peak was 2.95.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Keyboard and TouchPad

Beneath the display, we have a full-sized Chiclet keyboard that supports single-zone RGB backlit (supports millions of custom colors and Microsoft Dynamic Lightning effect settings). While such a feature might seem unconventional for business-segment notebooks, it could appeal to specific users. The keyboard also features a small-sized numeric pad, which might be uncomfortable for new users. Technically, the keyboard boasts 1.7mm ultra-long key travel and features a 0.2mm concave arc keycap design.

With Windows Dynamic Lighting, users can easily adjust colors, modes, and brightness levels directly within the Windows settings to enhance the appearance of their keyboard. Furthermore, the lighting style can be altered from static (Solid mode) to dynamic modes like breathing and rainbow mode.

Under the keyboard, we have a super-sized 7.1-inch touchpad, the most giant touchpad in the history of ASUS’s notebooks. Moreover, the officials claimed that its size increased by 40% compared to previous models. This touchpad supports a 240Hz ultra-high sampling rate, ensuring a smooth dragging experience without lag. Moreover, it operates quietly when clicked.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Ports

Regarding connectivity options, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED offers seven ports, adequately covering users’ daily office requirements. Starting from the left side, we have an HDMI 2.1 TMDS port, 2x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports (supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery), a MicroSD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right side, we have 2x USB Type-A Gen 3.2 ports that support 5Gbps transfer speed.

The notebook lacks a LAN port, but it is not a must in a notebook these days. With these adequate ports, we are sure that a user wouldn’t be required to connect any external dock to increase connectivity. ASUS has done an excellent job providing these ports in a slim body.

Also Read: Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 Review (Intel Core Ultra 7-155H)

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: Battery and Charging

As officials stated, ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is equipped with a 75WHr 4-cell Li-ion battery, the battery’s charging cycle is increased by 20%, and the remaining capacity can be greater than 75% after four years. As officials claimed, this battery can give a battery life of up to 16 hours on medium settings.

The company has provided a USB Type-C jack AC Adaptor for charging at 90W (20V/4.5A). The official claim says it can charge up to 60% of battery in just 49 minutes.

We used the PCMark 10 modern office to conduct the battery testing. Before testing, we configured the performance mode to “Best Energy Efficiency,” adjusted the fan mode to “Quiet mode,” and set the screen brightness to 50%. With these settings, we achieved a battery life of 13 hours and 20 minutes, with only 2% battery remaining. This translates to potentially a day or two of battery life for an average user.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: RAM and SSD

Regarding RAM, the laptop has two options: 16GB and 32GB. The one we are reviewing is equipped with a 32GB LPDDR5x Dual-Channel memory (2x 16GB RAM modules with a frequency of 7467 MHz). It is soldered on the motherboard, making it impossible to upgrade the RAM capacity.

We also did a benchmark using the AIDA64. On completion of the test, we got the following results: 74,882 MB/s Read Speed, 72,228 MB/s Write Speed, and 90,795 MB/s Copy Speed, while the latency rate was 134.8ns. The scores are pretty good.

In the storage section, the manufacturer has again provided two options: 512GB and 1TB. Our laptop has a storage of 1TB. There is only a single SSD slot, so the users would need to replace the current SSD to upgrade or downgrade the storage.

For testing the SSD, we used the CrystalDiskMark software on which we got the following results: 5,011.26 MB/s Sequential Read Speed, 3,439.87 MB/s Sequential Write Speed, 68.43 MB/s 4K Random Read Speed and 162.73 MB/s 4K Random Write Speed. In this section, ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has performed well.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506: CPU and its Benchmarks

As previously mentioned, ASUS has introduced updates to specific Vivobook models by incorporating Intel Core Ultra series CPUs. Notably, the Core Ultra series stands out as perhaps the most energy-efficient processor lineup in Intel’s history. These processors can dynamically adjust their power consumption within a range of 9-45W. Compared to previous Intel P-series processors, the Core Ultra series demonstrates a significant improvement in energy efficiency ratios.

The model we are reviewing is available in three CPU options: Intel Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7, and Core Ultra 9. The one we have in the house is powered by Intel Core Ultra 5-125H. In terms of specifications, the CPU consists of a total of 14 cores, including 4 P-Cores (1.2GHz base frequency and 4.5GHz peak frequency), 8 E-Cores (700MHz base and 3.6GHz peak frequency), and 2 LP E-Cores (700MHz base and 2.5GHz max frequency). In addition, the CPU also has 18 threads and 18MB L3 Intel Smart Cache memory. The CPU’s TDP in this notebook is 50W. The Integrated GPU is discussed after the CPU’s benchmark.

The significant advantage of using two LP E-Cores is that they are responsible for video decoding and playback. They can completely shut down all P/E cores and other unused module units in the computing module, resulting in ultra-low power consumption. Following are the benchmark results of the Intel Core Ultra 5-125H CPU:

CPU-Z: 748 on Single-Core and 6,441 on Multi-Core

Cinebench R15: 242 on Single-Core and 2,153 on Multi-Core

Cinebench R20: 643 on Single-Core and 5,281 on Multi-Core

Cinebench R23: 1,709 on Single-Core and 13,918 on Multi-Core

Cinebench 2024: 99 on Single-Core and 820 on Multi-Core

It is worth noting that this test was done in Best Performance Mode, and the fan mode was set at Full Speed to obtain the maximum CPU strength. We also compared Core Ultra 5-125 with Core i5-13500H CPU and found out that the difference between both is so small.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED: Integrated GPU and its Benchmarks

The laptop has no discrete GPU but comes with an Intel Arc GPU. The Intel Arc GPU consists of 7 Xe Cores with 2.2GHz frequency. Following are the benchmark results of GPU:

3DMark Time Spy: 3,879 Total Score including 3,521 GPU Score

3DMark Fire Strike Extreme: 4,305 Total Score including 4,319 GPU Score

ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED: Heat Dissipation and Stress Testing:

At the bottom of the notebook, manufacturers have incorporated cooling vents to facilitate airflow. ASUS has implemented its IceCool thermal technology inside the laptop, comprising two heat pipes and dual fans featuring 97 ice blades each. Additionally, it’s noteworthy that both fans are equipped with dust filters, preventing dust and fibers from being drawn inside the notebook, thus contributing to its longevity and optimal performance.

CPU Stress Testing: This test was done using the AIDA64 FPU mode. After almost 10 minutes, the power consumption rose to 54W, and the core temperature was at 95°C. The frequency of the P-Core was at 4.0GHz, E-Cores’ frequency was at 2.81GHz, and LP E-Cores’ frequency was at 2.31GHz.

Summary:

The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506, powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5-125H chipset and integrated Intel Arc GPU, is a notable addition to the Vivobook series. Featuring a sleek design with a metal body available in Neutral Black and Mist Blue, this laptop offers portability and durability with MIL-STD 810H military-grade certification. The standout feature of the Vivobook S 15 OLED is its stunning 15.6-inch Lumina OLED Glossy Display, boasting 3K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and impressive color accuracy. The display also incorporates a Full-HD resolution camera sensor with Windows Hello support and a privacy shutter.

Also Read: Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 9 (16″, 16IRX9) Review

Equipped with a full-sized Chiclet keyboard with RGB backlighting and a super-sized 7.1-inch touchpad, the Vivobook S 15 OLED ensures comfortable typing and smooth navigation. Connectivity options are ample, with 7 ports including HDMI, USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4, MicroSD card reader, and USB Type-A Gen 3.2. Battery life is commendable, offering up to 13 hours and 31 minutes of usage with the PCMark 10 modern office test. The notebook features a 75WHr 4-cell Li-ion battery and supports fast charging with a 90W USB Type-C AC adaptor.

In terms of performance, the Intel Core Ultra 5-125H CPU delivers efficient processing power, while the integrated Intel Arc GPU provides impressive graphics performance, surpassing some dedicated GPUs in benchmark tests. The IceCool thermal technology ensures effective heat dissipation, maintaining optimal performance under stress. Overall, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED S5506 excels in design, display quality, performance, and battery life. It is a compelling choice for users seeking a versatile, high-performance laptop for work and entertainment.

Regarding pricing, the variant we are reviewing offers excellent value for money at $830. However, for those on a tighter budget and willing to compromise on memory and storage capacity, there is the option of 16GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration. Additionally, for users seeking even more robust performance, there are variants available with Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Core Ultra 9 CPUs, offering enhanced processing power at potentially higher price points.