The ASUS F555UA-EH71 is a mid-range laptop which features a brand new, 6th generation Skylake Intel processor. Besides that, this notebook is rather unimpressive at first, leaving many users wondering why the people at ASUS didn’t add more features to it, considering it’s not exactly a cheap model.
Review
Ok, so this ASUS may look a bit like a ZenBook, but it has nothing to do with the company’s flagship ultrabook. It does borrow some stylistic elements, such as the brushed casing or the understated feel, however the F555UA-EH71 is all plastic. It’s also quite heavy by today’s standards, weighing in around 5 pounds, making it unsuitable to carry around for long periods of time. The battery doesn’t help either. A 2-Cell Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 37 Whr will likely hold a charge for up to 5 or 6 hours, although no official information exists on battery life for this model yet.
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I’m left to speculate that the ASUS F555UA-EH71 is positioned somewhere between a low-end notebook and a mid-range desktop replacement. It’s too good for the former category, but also lacks some essential features to fully belong in the second one. This doesn’t mean it’s a failed product. No, it just addresses the needs of its users taking into account some compromises here and there.
The computational part of this laptop is as sound as it gets. I would go as far as calling the CPU its main strength because it belongs to the new generation of Intel processors. The new Intel Core i7-6500U that was fitted on this model will shine through whatever tasks you may throw at it. The dual core processor is suited to accommodate the needs of both casual users and more performance oriented types who need a bit more out of this laptop. Multitasking and running intensive programs such as Photoshop will be handled with ease by this processor.
Speaking of performance, the ASUS comes with 8 gigabytes of system memory installed. However, we’ve received reports that one of the two slots of memory is locked on the motherboard, which means only the other slot is accessible and upgradeable. Realistically, you’re looking at a configuration of 4 GB + 4 GB which can be upgraded to 8 GB + 4 GB, totaling 12 gigabytes of RAM, more than enough for what this laptop was designed to accomplish.
At one terabyte, storage space is likely enough for anyone’s music or photo collections. However, the hard disk drive will slow down an albeit fast system. I suggest buying and installing a 2.5″ Solid State Drive to get more speed out of the ASUS. The system will boot up in seconds and feel more snappy at the cost of available space. You’ll likely sacrifice a quarter of the initial storage space by fitting an SSD. This may prove to be an inconvenient for people who need to store files on their notebooks and not rely so much on cloud solutions.
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The two areas where I wish ASUS gave more to potential buyers are graphics and display. This notebook comes with an integrated video card and a 15.6 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Considering the asking price, I feel they could have mounted at least a full HD display or a dedicated video card, if not both. The F555UA-EH71 doesn’t suffer because these features are lacking, but it could have been a more complete device, capable of real competition among its rivals. I would argue that despite its quality processor and adequate system memory, the ASUS will likely satisfy at most everyday and light users because of the lack of features in an otherwise decent laptop.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, this notebook is not a viable solution to use when travelling because of its weight and small battery capacity. It has a new generation 802.11ac wireless card and IceCool technology, which keeps the palm rest area cooler than the rest of the laptop to make it more comfortable and easy to use. It’s also worth noticing it has some useful backward compatibility features such as a VGA port and a DVD reader/writer, two useful technologies for folks with non-HDMI compliant external monitors and for those with extended physical media collections.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Product[/th_column]
[th_column]ASUS F555UA-EH71[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]PROCESSOR[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Core i7-6500U[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual Core[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Speed[/row_column]
[row_column]2.5 GHz up to 3.1 GHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Cache[/row_column]
[row_column]4 MB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]SYSTEM MEMORY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Installed Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Memory Type[/row_column]
[row_column]DDR3L SDRAM @ 1600 MHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Total Memory Slots[/row_column]
[row_column]2 slots[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]STORAGE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]1 TB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Hard Disk Drive[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]SATA, 5400 rpm[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]DISPLAY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Size[/row_column]
[row_column]15.6″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Type[/row_column]
[row_column]LCD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]LED-Backlit[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1366 x 768[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Aspect Ratio[/row_column]
[row_column]16:9[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touchscreen[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]GRAPHICS[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Processing Unit[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel HD Graphics 5500[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Card Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Integrated[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]Shared[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]AUDIO & VIDEO[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Audio Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]HD Audio[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Speakers[/row_column]
[row_column]2 Speakers[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Webcam[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, 720p[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Wireless LAN[/row_column]
[row_column]802.11ac WLAN[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Bluetooth[/row_column]
[row_column]Bluetooth 4.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Ethernet[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INTERFACE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]USB Ports[/row_column]
[row_column]2 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 2.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]HDMI[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]VGA[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Headphone/Mic[/row_column]
[row_column]Audio Combo Jack[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Multi Card Slot[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, SD support[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]LAN (RJ45)[/row_column]
[row_column]No, only through dongle[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INPUT DEVICES[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Pointing Device[/row_column]
[row_column]Track Pad[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Full Size Keyboard[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Backlit Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]BATTERY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Type[/row_column]
[row_column]2 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]37 Whr[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Unknown[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]ASUS IceCool
DVD Writer[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 10[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]15″ x 10.1″ x 1″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]5.1 lbs[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores, Pros and Cons
[row]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Performance: 8/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”75″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 7.5/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Price: 8/10″]
[/column]
[/row]
[list]
[li]Pros[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Sixth generation i7 processor[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Adequate system memory[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Sufficient storage space[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Nice design and feel[/li]
[li]Cons[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]No dedicated video card[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]No full HD display[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Modest battery life[/li]
[/list]
Final Thoughts
Although the ASUS F555UA-EH71 has been released a couple of weeks ago, it already feels like an older device. I’d consider waiting for discounts, since the MSRP seems a bit exaggerated. Nonetheless, considering a future $50 or maybe even $100 discount, this laptop suddenly will become much more attractive. I would use the saved money to replace its hard drive with a solid state drive.