

The main keys measure about 15 x 15 mm, are completely flat and slightly rough to the touch. The X550LB comes with a full-sized chiclet-style keyboard without a backlight, but a numeric keypad on the right.
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All other components are not accessible unless the notebook is disassembled further.Īsus warrants the notebook to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 months with free 2-way standard shipping and 24/7 technical support. Since there is no docking port, there are no dedicated accessories available.Ī bottom hatch, which is attached with two screws, gives access to the hard drive and the RAM slot, which, in case of our review model, is populated with a 4 GB module for a total of 8 GB. During our time with the X550LB we ran into no issues with with the wireless connectivity strength and didn't experience any unexpected dropouts.Īside from the usual pamphlets and the Ultrabook-style AC adapter, no other accessories are included in the shipping carton.
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A chip from Realtek (RTL8168/8111) allows for cable-bound Gigabit-LAN connections Bluetooth 4.0 is on board as well.


WLAN capability is provided by a Ralink RT3290 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n). The AMD-equipped Acer Aspire V5-552G Notebook has an almost identical footprint, but is substantially slimmer at less than 21 mm and also about 11 % lighter. This is less of an issue here since the notebook is not equipped with a touchscreen.Īt 381 x 252 x 25.4 ~ 30 mm (without the rubber feet) and 2.256 kg, the X550 is similar in weight to the - from a hardware perspective - almost identical HP Pavilion 15-n213e, although the latter is a bit slimmer at 23 mm. The hinges hold the display securely, although they can't prevent some bouncing. The build quality itself is OK though thanks to small gaps and clean transitions.

While the base unit and the display lid resist twisting forces reasonably well, the entire keyboard tray unfortunately lacks rigidity and can be fairly easily depressed with a moderate push from a finger. Opening up the notebook reveals a matte black bezel surrounding the display and a metallic silver keyboard deck with a painted-on circular pattern, while the palm rest itself is actually textured. While this treatment feels rather strange to the touch, there is no denying that it allows for a good grip even with wet hands and fingerprints are simply not an issue. The dark gray display lid features what Asus calls a "classic spin line finish" with circular grooves surrounding the Asus logo, which move outward from the middle. Closer inspection shows that the entire chassis is made out of plastic, which can be expected given the fairly low price point in combination with the not-so entry-level hardware. Is the notebook a worthwhile purchase over its competition and can it truly "redefine expectations" as Asus' would like us to believe?Īt first glance, the stylish notebook might fool some users into thinking they are looking at a display lid manufactured from anodized aluminum. Of course, the X550LB is not the only game in town. Interestingly enough, we weren't able to locate our particular review model on the site, although its sibling X550LA seems to be identical save for its higher-end GeForce GT 820M GPU. On their webpage, the Taiwanese manufacturer lists several different X-models under the category header "Everyday Computing", ranging from the 11.6-inch X200CA with Celeron, Pentium, or Core i3 processor to the 17.3-inch X750JB with Core i7 CPU. The X550LB-NH52 packs a 4th-generation Intel Core i5-4200U CPU, 8 GB of RAM, a generous 750 GB hard drive, and a dedicated middle-class Nvidia Geforce GT 740 GPU into a reasonably slim and attractive chassis. Case in point is the Asus X550LB-NH52, which - a the time of writing - can be found online for just shy of $700. All-rounder notebooks suitable for gaming don't necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg.
