A SLICK, COMPACT CONVERTIBLE
The construction and design of this laptop’s exterior are
pleasing enough. The chassis is made of plastic, but it
does not feel cheap, and it’s lightweight at 3.31 pounds.
The paint is a nice black color that looks a bit dark-blue
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as always, slimming.
The lightweight design is underpinned by a compact
footprint, measuring 0.72 by 12.8 by 8.7 inches (HWD).
This combination makes the Flip plenty portable, easy
to slip in a bag or carry under your arm to a meeting or
between classes. Fitting a 14-inch screen into this size
makes it a useful productivity machine once you get
where you’re going.
Considering how inexpensive the laptop is, this is a nice
package overall. The IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is the same
weight and a touch thicker, while the HP Envy x360 13
is a tad lighter at 2.9 pounds.
The physical shape is supported by some important
design features. One of these is the hinges, which allow
you to fold this laptop’s screen all the way back into
tablet mode or to stop at any point in between. It folds
easily, and the hinges are secure. They may be a bit too
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screen-lift test: You’ll have to hold the body down as
you pull open the screen from the closed clamshell
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use cases, whether used as a tablet to draw or write
more easily, held as a tablet in one hand as you move
around, or set up with the keyboard facing down and
screen pointed toward you for an airplane tray table or
a demonstration.
Asus VivoBook
Flip 14
(2020)
PROS Compact 2-in-1
design with 14-inch
screen. Ryzen 7
processor faster than
similarly priced peers.
Good port selection
and a 512GB SSD.
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.
CONS Too much
chassis flex on and
around keyboard.
Lacks a standout
design element or
feature to separate it
from the pack.
BOTTOM LINE The
Asus VivoBook Flip 14
does a lot right for a
convertible laptop,
delivering top
performance in its
price tier, but its build
and feature set fall
behind some less
expensive
alternatives.