ASUS VivoBook L203MA Ultra-Thin Laptop, 11.6” HD, Intel Celeron N4000 Processor (up to 2.6 GHz), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, USB-C, Windows 10 in S Mode, One Year of Microsoft Office 365, L203MA-DS04

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This notebook is not of a great quality. The HDMI port died after two months. I spoke to ASUS tech support, they issued RMA number and I sent the notebook to ASUS with Windows 10 Pro operating system as I upgraded it from Windows S mode. I got back my notebook after two weeks. They had to replace the motherboard. However, it came back with "Windows 10 Home Single Language" installed on it. They downgraded my operating system. I was extremely unhappy. I spoke to ASUS tech support and complained, they issued me another RMA number and I had to send the notebook right back to them for correct operating system. Now, Im out of my notebook for almost a month now. Im still waiting for my computer to get back. Ill post the progress when I get the notebook back the second time. I will never buy another ASUS notebook again. Please be cautious when considering this notebook. 12/20/2018 Update I received the unit second time back from ASUS but it still had the wrong Operating system. They still would not install the original operating system that the computer came with and different ASUS agents gave me different excuses for it. Now I got another RMA number and sending it back the third time. I have requested a replacement unit. Lets see what they do this time, I dont expect much because of the incompetency of ASUS tech support. Im out of computer since 11/17/2018 and today is 12/20/18. At the time of this writing the unit is still on its way to the tech support for the third time. The amount of time ASUS tech support spend on my computer and the cost of shipping the unit back and forth three times already had cost ASUS more than the original cost of the unit I paid. It would have been very smart of them, had they given me the replacement unit the first time since I only had it for less than two months. 4/8/2019 The HDMI port died yet again even after it took them two months to fox it earlier. I hade to send it in the 4th time for repair. Please Dont buy ASUS netbooks especially this model.

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April 20, 2019 update: Well, you can see my earlier, glowing report below. But now eight months later, the screen went black while using, cant reboot. %^&*. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I installed Linux Mint Cinnamon 19 on this machine, intentionally wiping Windows off the disk in the process. Turns out to be an excellent combination! With this particular Linux distro, the notebook is quite peppy and everything works. Installation took about 10 minutes. Updating the software via wireless was another 10 minutes. Great wireless reception. After installation, I had about 40GB of "disk" space left for my documents. If I find I need more space, I can get a 128GB card for about $40. But this is all I need for now. Everything works -- Asus function keys, auto suspend after timeout or lid close, resume on opening lid. Linux bootup time is about 25 seconds, power button to desktop. Libreoffice, which Ive been using on my desktop machines for over ten years, is included in the install. With my documents, Ive never had trouble reading or writing MS-compatible files. I havent checked battery life yet, but I expect it to be as good as with Windows. I like the airplane-mode button. It shuts off the bluetooth and wi-fi, saving on battery life when Im not using the internet. With Linux, for document processing and web browsing, this is almost as fast as my newish desktop i3 machine. It would not be able to do as many things at once, but thats not what I want this notebook for. The appearance is sleek and pleasant. And I love the 11.6 size. Small as the notebook is, the keyboard is fine: full-sized, with nice ergonomics. The touchpad is fine for me, also. Nice crisp display. Viewing angle makes a bit of a difference, but it hasnt caused me a problem. The letters on the display were initially a little small for me. Increasing the font size by one point from the Cinnamon system settings menu solved that. This notebook has all the connectivity I would want: HDMI and three usb 3 connections, including one usb-C. I dont expect to connect it to ethernet, but if I do, I can get an ethernet to usb adapter for under $15. A few details ... On first startup, I did the auto-registration with Asus / Microsoft. In this security-conscious age, I was amazed the registration program would not let me proceed without entering a date of birth. It took over two hours to write the Windows "recovery" information to a usb 2 thumb drive. Then after I had installed Linux, I checked to see if I could restore Windows. I was able to boot from the usb drive to some utility screen (not to the Windows OS), but could not begin a recovery operation. Apparently Windows recovery cannot be done after Windows has been completely wiped from the machine. Since I dont intend to reinstall Windows and everything works, Im not concerned about it. After installing Linux Mint Cinnamon, I experimented with a few other Linux distros. MX-17.1 was not able to see the wireless on the notebook. [This has changed for the better with MX 18. See update note below.] I tried LInux Mint XFCE, which seemed fine, but discovered it would not do a suspend on timeout -- a big deal for battery life. The only reason I tried those two is I thought they might be a little more efficient than Cinnamon. They were maybe a tiny bit snappier, but Linux Mint Cinnamon is pleasant to use, and everything works with it. I have not found myself wishing it were faster. Another reviewer noted the difficulty with getting a manual. I encountered this too. When I called Asus, I was talking to someone in less than a minute(!) Their advice was to do a web search on Asus E203 ma. This took me to the Asus product page for this model. Click "support" near the top of the page, and then "manual and documents" on the next page. Download the manual. The only thing I really needed it for was how to get to the boot menu. (Hold down F2 while you press and release the power button.) Apparently the manual info is on the product page, but hasnt gotten to the main Asus support page. All in all a really excellent machine, so far, for a great price. ----------------------------------------------------- Update Dec 31, 2018 The MX LInux people came out with version 18 of their software during the last month, so I gave it a try. It installs and updates fine, works great with my wireless, and is very, very peppy on this machine. It uses the xfce window manager and utilities. Again ... this is a really nice laptop for running LInux.

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After 11 days of purchased, all I get is a black screen. Had to return it!!

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Update 2 months after purchase: Power supply died and laptop wont power on. ASUS wanted me to pay for shipping the bad one to them to get a replacement a month later. The shipping cost was almost as much as a new one. So, I ordered a replacement power supply charger cord on Amazon (not asus original) for 17 bucks and got it in 2 days which has fixed the problem. ASUS has always had great motherboards, but I guess power supplies are not their thing. Updating 5 stars to 2 stars. Great deal for 199 bucks. Cant really beat it. Light and works pretty well for my kids in school. 64GB is plenty, but 32GB models are not adequate. You can easily switch this from Windows 10 S to Pro from the app store for free, which I did right away. ASUS is a solid brand for hardware.

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I must say that I was a little disappointed by this laptop. Yeah, I know its never going to read any speed contests, but I had a E200HA for over a year so I felt like I knew what I was getting with this laptop. Unfortunately there were a few things that disappointed, the biggest of which was the smallest change: the lack of perceived performance improvement from the E200HA model. Pros: - Keyboard: this has a most excellent keyboard for the size. Typing is very pleasant and for the most part I hit the right keys, like I would on a much larger laptop. It even has a delete button, which for anyone who types as poorly as I do, is an essential button. - Ports: it has all the ports I need. No dongles required. - Power button: placed in good spot that cannot be mistaken for another key on the keyboard, or for a volume up/down. - weight: this is the lightest laptop Ive ever owned. I can easily pick it up with one hand, barely noticeable in backpack. - price/value: I get a happy buzz from the price. Under $200 for a device that is functional, where I can do web development while traveling, is very satisfying. - N4000 Celeron responds better than the Atom 8350 in the E200HA Cons: - only two cores/threads. The E200HA had 4 cores/threads and for LInux, I felt it made a difference - display: there was not material improvement from previous model. It really could benefit from 1080p. - IO speed: the eMMC drive is very slow, read/writes to USB 3 drives perform much slower on this device compared to my other laptop, same goes for MicroSD - 4G RAM: this is fine for basics, but having 8G would have made this little computer so much more useful - design: the E200HA looked great. Asus really made the E200HA a good looking gold-colored laptop that looked more expensive than it was. This one looks cheap, you may be a little embarrassed to flash this one around in public. Now, if Asus could somehow make a Windows version of their 12.5" C302CA-DHM4 Chromebook I think they would have the ideal portable laptop.

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This is, what I consider to be, an ideal Travel Laptop. It is certainly light weight and has everything you need for online activities. Yes, it has only 64gb of storage, but that is enough to handle the Windows 10 pro operating system (easily installed from your free Microsoft Account) as well as office applications. If you want more storage, you can use a micro SD card and/or a flash USB drive. The ports are adequate (HDMI, USB, MICRO-C, etc.). The display is easy enough to read (which is what I want most), and I have found no issues with WI-FI or Bluetooth connections to any device. If you want lots of built-in storage and power to do multi-tasking and play intense games, then this laptop is not for you. But if you just want to connect to online services, surf the web, run basic office applications, and travel light, then you cannot beat the features for the price!

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I actually ended up returning this particular computer because it had become out of stock after I paid for it. I was sent a similar machine with a larger screen, but with only 32GB internal storage. I already had this same computer with 32GB for a significantly lower price, so I returned the substitute. Apparently it is available again now. These computers (really netbooks) are very limited by the storage space of the internal chip, so getting a good-sized SD card for photos, music, and such will help. That said, I love this computer for its looks, size, weight, and portability, plus I have really liked my ASUS computers. It comes with Windows 10 S installed, and sure enough, the first app from a Microsoft untrusted source (my ISPs free anti-virus suite) wouldnt install. So, I did the one-time, one-way free fix to revert to Windows 10 Home, and then it worked as I wanted. I also dont really like the look and feel of Windows 10, so I went to CNET and got a (free) program titled Classic Shell. I use it on all my Windows 10 machines. Once you get it set up the way you want, you wont know you arent using Windows 7. Your desktop, start menu, everything will work like you are used to. I keep mine in the car and get it out several times per week at hotspots. I love having the real keyboard and reasonable screen size. If I had really gotten this computer with 64GB internal and regular Windows10 as it advertises, it would be 5 stars.

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This suits my needs perfectly for college. Its small and lightweight, so its not annoying to lug around, and it comes with relatively good specs for a budget laptop. I wasnt sure about the difference between the processor options, so I just bought the cheaper of the two which happened to be the n4000 one. I paid about $170 for it. The 4gb ram is great to have as standard. The computer runs smooth and quickly for what I use it for, browsing the internet and writing papers mostly. Windows 10s is annoying, but you can upgrade to Pro for free. Though it does take up quite a bit of storage. So, the 64gb harddrive option is a must, the 32gb one will just get taken over by the operating system. The trackpad is pretty good for moving the mouse around, but its sometimes difficult to click with it. I would have preferred seperate mouse buttons. Battery life seems good, it lasts me the whole a day after a full charge. Though, I dont keep it on all day. As far as typing goes, its pretty comfortable. I have no trouble with the smaller keyboard. Im not too big of a fan of the plastic shiny cover, it just attracts fingerprints. The color is pretty nice however, its a very deep and dark blue that almost looks black. Obviously, you cant really game on this or use heavy programs. But for basic schoolwork and such, you cant go wrong for the price.

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I work and play mainly from a desktop, but I wanted something cheap and portable that I can use when I need a change of scenery. I was looking for three things in a laptop: 1) small footprint, 2) looooong battery life, and 3) low cost. Basically, I needed a typewriter with internet, and I didnt want to invest too much money or time into it. This machine checks all three of my boxes. Its itty bitty and very lightweight, and so far I havent been able to drain the battery in a single day of on and off use. I also purchased this during a Deal of the Day promotion for $179, which is a great price for a PC with these specs. I dont know if I would pay full price for this, which is around $230 at the time of posting. If Im going to spend that much, I might as well increase my budget slightly and get something with a few more bells and whistles, like a convertible hinge or a touch screen. The top cover of the case is shiny plastic, so its a huge fingerprint magnet. Thats kind of a bummer, but look at all the money youre saving! The underside of the case is matte-black plastic. The palm rest, which looks slate gray in pictures, is actually a very warm, classy-looking gray in person. It almost has a purplish-bluish tone in the light? Its a livelier gray, anyway. I really like it. The whole thing looks professional, even though it feels cheap in the hand. Its a case that I wont feel bad about getting my first scratch on, lets put it that way. Thats part of the appeal of an inexpensive computer. The screen is crisp and bright, although it does have a high gloss and tends to get shiny. Theres no fan noise because theres no fan, but the machine barely heats up at all. It runs cool and quiet. The chiclet keyboard is responsive, with just enough clickiness for comfortable word processing. I was a little concerned about the small footprint of the keyboard, as I read a few reviews complaining of difficulties with touch typing, but I never had an issue with it. Touch typing is a breeze at 70-90 WPM, and there arent any keys in weird places, which you sometimes see on cheapies like this. I was pleasantly surprised. The performance is good. Its what you would expect from 4GB ram. You can work on a word document, listen to music, and open a handful of tabs with no problem. You could probably do a little more on top of that, but I havent bothered. Some fancy websites can be a bit slower to load, but I havent run into any unreasonable wait periods yet. Just a matter of seconds here and there. Startup is snappy, about 8 seconds from shutdown to login. As far as space goes, 64GB is not enough for me (and probably most people, unless you keep everything in the cloud--in that case, buy a Chromebook). Windows takes up about a third of that space, so spend the money you saved buying a cheap computer on a micro SD card to expand your storage. Keep in mind, this PC will probably come loaded with Windows 10 S, which is a limited Microsoft OS built for schools, and doesnt allow the use of non-Microsoft apps and software. Upgrading to Windows 10 Pro is simple, and at the time of this review, free. Have I mentioned how inexpensive this laptop is?? If you can get it on sale for less than $200, its definitely worth it. All in all, this is a great budget PC that lasts all day. I would never use it as my main computer, but I am giving it 5 stars based on its function as a mobile typing machine, and on that front, this PC nails it.

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The mother of all motherboard makers, Asus again teams with Intel to create yet another awesome, small but full-function laptop. On day 1 I plugged in the power, then my ASUS Portable USB DVD External Drive , with the ISO of Peppermint 9 (64-bit) on it, plugged in a USB C to Ethernet Adapter , powered it up and booted to the DVD/CD player, and installed Linux alongside Windows, which is still lurking in there somewhere on its own smaller partition, undisturbed. The build is great; its so thin and lightweight; the keyboard is soft which is good if youre a light fingered typist. I peck, but its doing great. Everything worked the first time; the trackpad, WiFi; everything. Installed Chrome, etc., and otherwise tweaked the OS to my tastes. Have not booted into Windows yet, and if this laptop continues to perform so well, Ill just delete that partition and all within it. The N4000 Processor is quite peppy with Peppermint, or w/ Linux Mint , Ubuntu or its many fine derivatives, with a light desktop (a DE like xfce). At $179 this was/is a steal (and the price varies, I know). A Sandisk Ultra 128GB Micro SD Card disappears in this unit, for all your on-board storage. Theres no hard drive access; see pics, and just web search eMMC Flash Storage (this unit is not expandable). Windows 10 requires more hardware than this unit provides; hence all the bad reviews, when the problem is not Asus/Intel, but Win-10. If you must use Win-10 a minimum of 8G RAM, 128G HD, and the Intel Core I-3,5,7 Processor, or youll likely have problems with any laptop/PC. Click profile name then blog. Another similar option is the Acer Aspire 1 A114-32-C1YA. UPDATE 10/18/18: Installed Linux Mint 19-C and wiped everything else; performance is outstanding! UPDATE 02/19/19: Still cranking full speed with Mint 19.1 Cinnamon. UPDATE 06/22/19: Trouble free still!

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