10 reviews for ASUS VivoBook L203MA Ultra-Thin Laptop, Intel Celeron N4000 Processor, 4GB LPDDR4, 64GB eMMC, 11.6” HD, USB-C, Windows 10 in S Mode

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Shannon A – January 18, 2020

   I bought this on Prime day to replace an android tablet. Wanted something a little more capable, yet portable. I installed several Linux distros without a hitch. Settled on Mint 19. It’s rock stable and runs smooth as butter. I added a 200gb micro sd for data storage and have a 2 tb slim USB HD for more extensive things like video. I haven’t found much that this mighty mouse will not do. If you need am inexpensive portable Linux machine, look no further.All you kind folks having winows problems on this laptop, save yourself a boat load of headaches and jump off the Microsoft bandwagon. Try linux. Mint is a great place to start. It will easily handle your web, office and email. I have even edited photos with the (free) equivalent of Photoshop and Lightroom … GIMP and Darktable. I understand that there is a place for Windows et al on a more capable machine, but for something this light and portable I have not found a better way to go.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – January 18, 2020

   This notebook is great! We got one for each of our kids for their schoolwork, and my wife liked it so much I got one for her as well. These work so much better than the HP stream!! The build quality is nice, and the battery lasts all day! I took one on a business trip where we were doing a lot of document collaboration, typing all day long. It lasted all day!I highly recommend getting a micro sd card to store all your files on, leaving the small (64gb) hard drive for programs only.Some people have complained about the laptop suddenly not turning on. We have experienced that from time to time, and don’t know what causes it. The solution is to hold the power button down for about 40 seconds, release it, and then press it again normally. It usually fixes the problem.These computers are not for gaming, heavy photo editing, or video editing (though my kids do make stop-motion lego videos with them). They are meant for internet browsing, creating and editing documents, watching videos, and writing emails.The webcam is slightly better than awful, but it gets the job done for zoom, skype, etc. The audio is good, and the realtek software allows you to select whether you have connected headphones, a headset, or microphone. This allows you to plug in a microphone for a zoom call, but use the computer speakers for listening.We are very pleased with this computer for this price!Nathan

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Richard – April 15, 2020

   Ok, just to get everything out in one sentence: This is the perfect laptop for the CASUAL laptop user! Which is a good thing!This is a great little laptop! for $200 this is a steal. 64 gigabytes is enough for windows 10. If you get a 128GB mini SD card, then this laptop will work great for you. Now if you plan on using this to store pictures, videos and other files, for awhile, then you will run out of space (with the laptop alone). But with a mini SD card or a flash drives to store your files, you’ll be fine.If you are a heavy computer user and need it for heavy video editing, photoshop or a heavy gamer, then obviously this won’t work for you. I use windows movie maker. It works just fine. This can play light games or games that have been released from the early 2000’s (if you play on Steam).. Newer games that need Gforce and what not.. Obviously not. This laptop is for the casual user, but can hold its grounds when using other programs.I have used adobe elements for video editing.. Does it work. yes, it does! is it the best computer to use it on.. haha, no. But it does work on this laptop, though this isn’t the idea computer you’d used a program on like this. But if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind the laptop taking a few extra moments to process everything, then go for it.The keyboard and the mouse pad works like butter. I love typing on this thing. I’ve typed on several 11.6″ laptops and had trouble, but I have no problem typing on this.GREAT LAPTOP and VERY HAPPY!!

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   MI in DC – May 15, 2020

   I really, really like this little gizmo. Looks good, feels as solid as one can expect, nice response feel on the keys, crisp display and bright, and lightning fast… for a reason. First things first, I ripped Windows out of this mini laptop shortly after powering it up. Why? Windows is a memory and resource hog. Secondly, the amount of information they want just to run the laptop outside Windows S mode is ridiculous. Hence, Windows had to go, so it I took it out.In place of Windows I installed Manjaro Linux, based off the Arch Linux distro, using the Xcfe interface system. Both are considered light weight and just seemed perfect for this mini laptop. The OS slid right in without a single problem, it picked up all the hardware on boot-up, and the response times proved better than I hoped. As a test of the battery, I loaded up Youtube with 15 hours of videos and let it run. After nearly exhausting the 15 hours of videos, the laptop battery finally gave up. It impressed me since it played for 14 hours and 27 minutes non-stop. Moreover, the speakers sounded much better than I thought they would. A little tinny, but what could anyone really expect? The laptop never got too warm, either, considering it is a fanless system. It just powered through without a hiccup.After ten days of regular use it seems rock solid. The shakedown period ran without a hitch. The distro comes with automatic updates, so the OS is kept fresh and update. The WiFi range is quite good. I remained connected to my WiFi for just about fifty feet, and the signal needed to pass through walls. The camera is okay, but to be honest I do not use it much if at all. I simply tested it. At just over two pounds, it travels well in my backpack and I use it during my commutes to and from the office. LibreOffice runs like a champ. GIMP runs like a champ. Audicty runs like a champ. KPatience is quick and fun. Firefox with extensions is incredibly fast… faster than on my main desktop.This is a great little mini laptop and, with the Manjaro OS changes, is worth more than purchase price. I highly recommend it since it proved so amenable to modification. I would definitely buy again.6 Months Later… I still love this mini-laptop. I use it almost every day. Mostly I use it for writing, streaming music to a Bluetooth speaker, and a little web surfing, and I could not be happier with this machine. I made the right choice of swapping out the OS. I have recommended it to others, and I know of at least 3 other people who purchased one. They also seemed pleased, but I don’t want to speak directly for them.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   JorgeJorge – June 27, 2020

   Si buscas una computadora economica con todo lo que te ofrece una laptop office windows 10 y tamaño compacto, no es una netbook es una pc puedes instalar lo que sea

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   iblyth07 – July 2, 2020

   I rather foolishly gave up my very capable Lenovo Thinkpad for a massive HP Omen when I committed to getting rid of my console gaming systems. And love my 17in Omen as I do, I’m damned if that thing is going to travel with me anywhere I need to get some kind of work done when on vacation. Most of my work is cloud based, so I don’t need a whole mess of hardware to run what I do. I like Chromebooks, but I did miss the Microsoft ecosystem when I used them, I found. This little thing looks to be just the niche I needed. It’s dead small; I carry it around with my iPad Pro for editing photos and videos, and together they almost vanish in a bag. The battery life is pretty spectacular for the work I do on the regular. I did try, just for fun, putting some Photoshop and Lightroom projects on it, just to see how it handled them; eh – better than I thought, but definitely wouldn’t recommend. Maybe in a pinch, but I wouldn’t lean too heavily on it. The track pad is nothing special. I did eventually concede and buy a wireless mouse to use with it whilst on vacation, but that’s probably down to my impatience on certain things. It was definitely better than some trackpads I’ve used, but nothing like my old Lenovo…(moment of silence for Thinky) All in all, though, I would recommend this to anyone for whom a Chromebook is a viable solution, but doesn’t always go where constant connectivity is possible, so local word processing is a must.BTW, I can’t really speak to how the Vivobook runs and works in S mode, like it comes out of the gate. I needed some applications that the store doesn’t supply, so I switched out of it almost immediately. But I don’t doubt it would work just fine, if not even faster. But I never grew fond of Internet Explorer, or the newer browser, so S mode had to go.Even so, 5/5, would highly recommend – just know what you need it for, and if it can meet those requirements. With those in mind, this’ll probably do you just fine 👍

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Robert Ullrich – July 12, 2020

   I bought the ASUS Vivo book to replace an HP Stream I purchased at a local chain. As an author, albeit not well-known, I use a laptop primarily for writing. I also create my own graphics and maintain my website. The Stream quickly ran out of storage space, making it a constant (weekly) endeavor to free up space. Then – the death knoll. Not enough space to update Windows 10, and Microsoft would no longer offer service or support for my version of 10.I was unfamiliar with ASUS, having located the Vivo on Amazon. The specs were sufficient for my needs. The bonus of Office 365 for a year was a plus as a 19-year user of Office. Slim and lightweight, easy to carry. Graphics are good, as is sound and compatibility with my desktop.The most impressive feature to me? Power on to ready to use is 10 seconds. The Stream took 30-45 and my aging desktop – up to 2 minutes. For $190 dollars, I am as pleased as I’ve ever been with a laptop/notebook. I’m even getting used to Windows 10, and I love the Cloud storage. I would recommend to someone on a budget or if your looking for a fast and efficient laptop/notebook, (a pretty nice option)>

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Z. K. – July 12, 2020

   I bought this laptop to leave at work so I can log on to World of Warcraft during my lunch break everyday and work on my character(s) professions. (I installed WoW on a MicroSD card since the 64GB internal drive is not enough room.)I was skeptical WoW would even run, but it does! I turn all the graphics settings all the way down, and get anywhere from 10-45 FPS in the open world, and 5-15 FPS in the cities.This might be my best purchase ever! I cannot wait for WoW Classic!

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Grayhawk51 – September 17, 2020

   Ok, so you’re tired of carrying around the 100 plus pound laptop when you go on vacation or need to make a presentation. Well, I was there too. This 11.6 in screen ASUS Vivobook L203MA 2 + lbs laptop is great ! It’s similar in size to a Chrombook but this has Windows10 home. It’s in “S” mode (safe) which protects you from outside attacks. The downfall on that is that you’re going to want to add some of your programs which will require you to remove the system out of “S” mode. (super easy).One important thing…. I highly recommended spending a little more $ to get the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model.. It’s going to cost a little more but highly recommended !!I also bought along with this a wireless mouse. I also recommended the Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub with Individual LED Power Switches (HB-UM43) . I’m able to plug in my USB CD player, wireless mouse button, and what ever other USB you’ll use.In short, I am totally happy with my setup and love the portability for traveling.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Alessandro AD – September 18, 2020

    Wow wow wow. I can’t find enough good things to say about this portable powerhouse. I’m a pretty hardcore gamer who also uses a lot of graphics intensive programs like Photoshop and Unreal 4. This laptop… is not for that.It’s for those times away from your high-end programs, where you need 10 chrome tabs open in a coffee shop while you’re experimenting with Microsoft Word layouts. It’s for when you’re out in the woods and want to sort and organize the photos on your camera’s SD right then and there. It’s for trips where you want to travel light, but still want the world at your finger tips.OK, OK, enough flowery language. Let’s get to the pros / cons:Pros:-The keyboard feels great, with a nice balance of being chunky and “clicky” while still being compact. Once you get used to its size, it’s pretty easy to get close to your fastest typing speeds with minimal errors.-This thing is really light. Maybe I’m too sued to heavier laptops, but seriously, this thing is effortless to bring around. Throw it in a backpack, tuck it under your shoulder, do whatever. This thing is pretty durable from what I can tell, so all that lightness doesn’t come at the cost of having to gingerly secure it in a special compartment. Any ol’ laptop bag / pocket will do!-The battery life is great! Maybe I’m too used to being tethered to outlets by more power-hungry machines, but I was able to get hours of typing and Chromeing out of this thing. The key I’ve found (as with most machines) is to keep the brightness a bit low when you’re not plugged it, it can make a big difference.-ASUS has always made my favorite laptops and this one is no exception. If you’re a fan of ASUS’ work, you’ll find everything you know and love about and ASUS packed into a tiny package.-The ports, lordy, the ports! So many ports in such a tiny machine.-The screen is far brighter and more colorful than I was expecting. My other laptop is a “state-of-the-art” ROG Strix II, with a high color accuracy, high refresh-rate display… the issue is they never calibrate said displays and they always end up coming out sickly yellow, requiring hours of manual adjusting. Not this little fighter though! Bright and beautiful right out of the box! Color pureists will notice things can get a bit washed out, but it’s certainly preferable to the yellow tint of other machines.-The price is the best I’ve seen for the quality of machine you’re getting. This thing is durable, sturdy and built for a few specific things it excels at. It’s definitely given my productivity a boost and is well worth the investment.-There was pretty minimal bloatware on the machine, which was great.-Office 360 for a year is a HUGE plus. Also be sure to upgrade the machine to full Windows 10 (from S), the process is free, fast and jarringly painless.Cons:-Even 64 GBs is not a a huge amount of space. This is definitely more of a document and cloud oriented device. If you’re hoping to put your entire music library on this thing you’re going to need to expand the storage. If storage isn’t an issue, than this is probably the book for you!-Similarly the 4 GBs of RAM can make this little engine chug sometimes. Don’t expect it to be happy with running 20 chrome tabs at once,n or for it to instantly load pages the moment you click them. It’s certainly fast enough, but as someone who’s coming from a 16 GB machine the little differences can be noticeable.-The touch pad is … OK. It’s not terrible, but (much like all touch pads these days) it loses tracking now and then and lacks any real buttons for the left and right. I never much enjoyed touch pads to begin with so maybe I’m biased.Closing thoughts: If you like what you’ve read, read more reviews and honestly take the dive. If you’re looking for a durable portable typer, that can do a little bit of everything this is your machine!More closing thoughts: A story for you, about ASUS laptops…In winter I got an ROG Strix II, a very powerful and very pricey machine. It was maddening getting the thing to work properly. Getting photoshop to play nice with the dual graphics. Getting the screen to not look yellow. Getting the damn speakers to not crank the bass. Many of these issues are still unresolved and frankly though I love the hardware I’m more than likely going to have to start from square one with that thing.I was all emotionally prepared to go through the same process with this little trail-blazer. I was ready to troubleshoot and troubleshoot and finally get something that mostly did what I needed. To my absolute delight, this machine seems to be the last bastion of PCs that do everything right, everything the way they’re supposed to, right out of the box. I haven’t had to troubleshoot a single thing about this beautiful laptop and honestly couldn’t be happier. If you’re looking for something portable, something durable, something to up your productivity and most of all something easy to work with, this is the laptop for you.