[Review] Asus Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02: Should You Buy It?

Entry-level laptops are a perfect solution for those looking for decent daily performance at a very low price point. And ASUS's Vivobook Go 15 lineup is a perfect example of that, as it comes in at just under $300 - at the moment of this article -equipped with the basic features you'll need to make your day-to-day tasks more manageable.

One of its top-rated models is the one we're about to uncover in this review of the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02. This laptop packs a low-consumption Intel Celeron processor, a crisp Full HD display, a comfy and spacious keyboard, a decent battery life, and an easy-to-carry design you will love.

As we've said before when reviewing similar models, the L510MA-AS02 is best suited for children, students, and older people needing a handy device to do very basics tasks such as surfing the web, make video calls, and streaming multimedia content without worrying about viruses or any other malware since it comes with Windows 11 Home in S mode preinstalled. 

The ASUS Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02 is an elegant black ultrabook entirely made out of plastic that you can easily slip into your backpack and take it with you everywhere you go because it measures just 0.72 inches in thickness and weighs only 3.59 pounds.

Also, its fanless design allows you to be more productive in your daily routine or watch your favorite media content since it is way more silent than most 15-inch laptops, while its practical 180-degree folding hinge allows you to share your ideas with your colleagues.

Even though it is an entry-level model, this laptop features a thin-bezel 15.6-inch display that offers a sharp and colorful image thanks to its Full HD native resolution and anti-glare coating, which reduces ambient light reflections to keep you focused on your daily tasks.

Moreover, ASUS opted for a non-backlit keyboard with a dedicated number pad on the right side that provides a good feeling when typing, thanks to its key travel of just 1.4 mm. The touchpad supports multi-gesture technology and features two-click buttons built into the surface instead of the typical physical external buttons.

Another reason for buying the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02 is that it features low-power components that don't consume a lot of battery which translates into fewer charging hours and higher productivity.

Specifically, the L510MA-AS02 packs an entry-level Dual-Core Intel Celeron processor with a burst frequency up to 2.80 GHz, 2 threads, 4 MB of cache memory, and a non-upgradeable 4 GB of RAM. 

And as many users can attest, this computer can be used for daily home and office tasks such as spreadsheet editing, web surfing, checking email and social media, and video calling, among other tasks.

Regarding its graphic performance, the Intel UHD Graphics 600 integrated into the processor is ready to run basic photo editing and stream 4K content through an external monitor since its screen doesn't support this resolution.

As we've seen before in other similar ultrabooks, this model packs a limited 64 GB eMMC flash storage which is partly occupied by Windows. So, if you want a low-cost laptop with SSD storage instead, you can look at the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 81VU0079US or maybe add extra storage via the NVMe port included on the motherboard.

Regarding connectivity, the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02 packs a balanced selection of terrestrial ports.

It comes with three USB ports (one of them USB-C 3.2), an HDMI output for external monitors, and a 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack. There's also a built-in HD webcam.

Furthermore, it has Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi 5 technologies.

However, suppose you prefer an affordable laptop with the newest standards in wireless connectivity (Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6), as well as an Ethernet port. In that case, you might want to consider the recently reviewed Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK packed with an 11th-Gen Intel Core i3 processor and a 128 GB SSD storage capacity at a similar price point.

And in case you didn't know, the Wi-Fi Alliance changed up the names of Wi-Fi standards a few years back, so the previously known 802.11ac is now Wi-Fi 5, and the 802.11ax protocol corresponds to Wi-Fi 6.

As for the battery life of the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 L510MA-AS02, this model packs a 42 Wh lithium battery which provides up to 8 hours of mixed usage whenever the brightness of the screen is not set at maximum.

Moreover, it's always important to remember that number varies depending on your particular usage, power settings, and other factors, so you can expect 25 or 30% lower battery life than the manufacturer usually claims.

Before you go ahead and disable S Mode, you should remember that this action is not reversible. However, for users wanting to make the most out of their laptop, we typically recommend it as you're not constrained to the ecosystem of apps available on the Windows App Store. 

As a simple example, disabling S Mode will allow you to install Chrome which is the default browser for most people.

To disable it, you must head to settings > system > activation. On the section that says "Switch to Windows 11 Pro" you must select the option that states "Go to the store." Once there, you should see an option that says "Switch out of S Mode," and that's where you click on the "Get" button or something along those lines as you can see on the screenshot above.

Verdict: Should you buy it?