ASUS X540SA preview – sophistication, mobility and beautiful design in the budget class
ASUS refreshed its X540 lineup by incorporating new technologies in the latest models that are expected to deliver better performance and quality. All X540 devices target users who are after a budget machine that is stylish, lightweight and, most importantly, good quality. The newest X540SA series offers all this, and its starting price is around $240.
The model that is subject of this publication is offered in various configurations, some of which include SSD options. You can learn more about specs, price and availability here: http://amzn.to/29DFeAW
Style and design
As far as the exterior is concerned, this mobile device offers beautiful style thanks to the elegant design of its lid. On the other hand, the interior uses a similar pattern, and the keyboard is standard for a 15-inch device (there is a NumPad panel, too). Additionally, the key travel is 1.8 mm which translates into comfort during longer periods of typing.
Next to it you will find the touchpad which can recognize gestures that we frequently use on our smartphones. By touching the trackpad with two fingers, you can resize a particular content, as well as move it up and down or to the sides (if possible). Also, if you press with three fingers, Cortana launches. If you swipe with three fingers, a new virtual desktop appears (that is if you are using Windows 10 which is recommended by ASUS for X540SA).
Changes can be observed not only in the exterior or interior but also along the sides. On the left, there is a newly-added USB Type-C port which allows us to connect an external monitor, as well as transfer data with speed up to 5 Gbit/s. The remaining connectivity options ASUS X540SA offers are USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, RJ-45, an optical drive, combo audio jack and a 3-in-1 card reader. According to the manufacturer, the weight of this device is 1.9 kg (battery included) and is 25.4 mm thick at its thickest point.
Eye-friendly display and good sound quality
ASUS X540SA features a 15-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels. Additionally, you get the ASUS Splendid technology which corrects picture quality and includes four visual modes – „Normal“, “Eye Care”, “Manual” and “Vivid”. Sound quality is also good, considering the price. This is due to the loudspeakers which are round, and to AudioWizard which is similar to Splendid in that it offers several operation modes – „Gaming”, “Music”, “Movies”, “Recording” and “Speech”.
Specs sheet
CPU | Intel Celeron / Intel Pentium |
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RAM | 4GB (1x 4096MB) – DDR3, 1600Mhz |
GPU | Intel HD Graphics (Braswell) (shared memory) |
HDD/SSD |
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Display | 15.6-inch HD (1366×768) |
Optical drive | DVD burner |
Features |
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Battery | 3-cell |
Thickness | 25.4 mm |
Weight | 1.9 kg |