When talking about notebooks, the models that usually come to mind are the sleek ultrabooks, powerful gaming laptops, and convertible types. However, there’s a breed of notebooks out there that is designed for business. They’re tough, secure, and has plenty of connectivity features. One good example is the ASUS P5430UF.
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Design and Construction
When it comes to design, the ASUS P5430UF is not stylish like an ultrabook or intimidating like a gaming notebook. It’s something that you would describe as simple yet functional. The whole chassis is clean cut thanks to its one-piece build which creates a subtle and consistent look.
The top lid, which is sadly prone to smudges, is made of plastic with a hairline brushed finish and ASUS badge right in the middle. While underneath are four rubber nubs to keep it firmly planted on a flat surface, and a couple of loudspeakers on the left and right side edges.
Looking at the sides, we have wide-range of connectivity options. On the left are the DC Power port, USB 3.0, USB 3.0 with charger, Mini-Display port, VGA port, and USB 3.0 Type-C.
On the right are the Audio and Mic jack combo, SD Card Reader, USB 2.0, RJ45 Ethernet, and Kensington lock.
Open the lid and you will be greeted by a 14-inch display bordered by thick plastic bezels with a textured finish. Placed above it is the HD web camera and microphones, while down below it is another ASUS badge.
While the exterior is made of plastic, the inside chassis is made of metal with the same hairline brushed finish as the lid. Housed here are the chiclet keyboard, power button, fingerprint scanner, and the multi-gesture touchpad with left and right click buttons.
Speaking of the keyboard, the chiclet keys are thick but with good tactility and travel (2.3mm). We’re used to the relatively shallow keys of most ultrabooks but we never had an issue adapting to the ASUS P5430UF’s keys. It’s comfortable to type on and produces that subtle yet satisfying plasticky clicking sound. There’s no backlighting though, which is a bummer if you’re working at night, but its spill-proof so that’s a worthy trade-off.
One of the main physical features of the ASUS P5430UF is its tough build. ASUS says that the P series notebooks were proven to be highly durable in drop tests, hinge cycle tests and panel pressure testing. As for its dimensions, well, it’s no ultrabook so it’s a bit chunky at 26.3 mm and weighs in at 1.7 kg. Still, it’s portable enough to be carried around in a backpack or suitcase.
Display and Multimedia
The ASUS P5430UF uses a 14-inch anti-glare non-touch matte display with full HD resolution. Resolution is fine for a screen of this size and has good colors with decent viewing angles from the sides. Color shifting is noticeable though, especially when viewing from the top and bottom.
When it comes to audio quality, the loudspeakers are capable of producing sounds that are loud enough for web calls or listening to some videos on YouTube in a quiet room. But if you’re in a relatively loud area, you might find yourself reaching for those headphones.
Software and Performance
As a business-centric laptop, the ASUSPRO P5430UF runs Windows 10 Pro instead of Windows 10 Home that is found in most laptops. That said, it comes with special features that are aimed at security and support – BitLocker, Remote Desktop Connection, and Windows Update for Business, to name a few.
In addition to the baked-in Windows features, ASUS also pre-installed it with ASUS Business Manager apps, along with TeamViewer 10, WPS Office for ASUS, and Microsft Office 365. These apps don’t eat much storage from the 512GB SSD and provided us with 476GB of usable space out of the box.
Powering the ASUSPRO P5430UF is an Intel Core i7-6500U processor and 8GB of RAM. Performance is good and we didn’t encounter any problems when browsing the web with plenty of tabs in Chrome and finishing our tasks using MS Office applications. Photo and video editing shouldn’t be an issue thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce 930MX graphics. It can handle some games as well as long as you put them in HD resolution with low to mid-quality settings.
The only thing we had issues with is the fingerprint reader. Although it adds a layer of security, it’s not as fast and accurate compared to the scanners found in smartphones. In our experience, it takes us 3 to 4 swipes before it was able to read our print. On the contrary, we find the PIN method a little more convenient.
Battery Life
The ASUSPRO P5430UF is equipped wit ha 3-Cells 48 Whrs battery which lasted us an average of 6 to 7 hours with constant WiFi connection and brightness kept under 75%. In our video loop test (1080p video on loop in Airplane mode, in 50% brightness and volume with headset plugged in), we got around 7 hours and 20 minutes of playback. That said, the battery life is enough for quick office tasks but in case you’re planning to work longer, don’t forget to bring the charger.
Conclusion
The ASUSPRO P5430UF is not your typical laptop that’s mostly used for answering emails or browsing the web. It’s a productivity laptop that caters to corporate types and those who manage SMBs. It runs Windows 10 Pro for extra features, a fingerprint reader for extra security, and a slew of ports so it can easily connect to almost all peripherals in the office. In addition, it’s tough as it is designed to pass drop tests, hinge cycle tests and panel pressure testing. Not to mention the spill-resistant keyboard.
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The ASUSPRO P5430UF starts at Php49,992 for the Core i5, 4GB RAM model and is available in stores like Asianic and Villman.
ASUSPRO P5430UF specs:
14-inch Full HD Anti-Glare display
2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U processor
NVIDIA GeForce 930MX 2GB VRAM
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
Chicklet keyboard
Multi-format card reader
HD Web camera
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
1 x Microphone-in/Headphone-out jack
1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor
1 x USB 3.1 TYPE C port(s)
2 x USB 3.0 port(s)
1 x USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x mini Display Port
Built-in Stereo 15 W Speakers And Microphone
Kensington lock
Fingerprint reader
3 Cells 48 Whrs Battery
Windows 10 Pro
339 x 234 x 19.78 ~20.48 mm
1.7 kg
What we liked:
* Sturdy build
* Comfortable keys
* Good performance
* Plenty of ports
* Comes with a free mouse
What we didn’t:
* Generic design
* Slow fingerprint reader
* No keyboard backlighting
