Asus X401: Big laptop at netbook price

Abe Olandres August 11, 2012 · 1 min read

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We got a quick preview of this laptop back in May and Asus was really excited about this because the X401 is now crossing into the price category of the netbooks.

This is probably the first non-netbook laptop from Asus that is priced under Php20k. Perhaps they are targeting this model towards students (those who want better screen), as entry-level laptop (the GPU is decent) or for volume buys from companies or schools (regular workforce).

Asus X401 specs:
14.0″ LED @ 1366×768 pixels
AMD E2-1800 1.7GHz dual-core processor
AMD Radeon HD 7340 graphics
2GB DDR3 RAM (4GB max)
500GB SATA HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
Gigabit LAN
1 x HDMI port
1 x USB 3.0 port
1 x USB 2.0 port
Altec Lansing speakers
4400mAh Li-Ion battery
Windows 7 Home Basic

Suggested retail price for this configuration is about Php18,990. The MS DOS model drops the price to just Php16,990. That’s already crossing into the netbook-line. You can read more about our review of the Asus X401 here.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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88 Comments

rb navarro · 11 years ago

Hi sir I just want to ask since i have an x401a. I was thinking of upgrading the ram to 4gb. what i have is a ddr3 4gb 1066. now according to their support site thespeed is ddr3 1600. would replacing it with the 4gb ddr3 1066 ok?

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/X401A/specifications/

stardust023 · 13 years ago

bought this yesterday at sm north cyberzone. i was actually intending to buy acer v5 431 but a salesman in the shop (i think it’s megatrade or something at the 5th level – look for dennis) pointed this to me and i was enticed by the better graphics (compared to the intel celeron of asus v5 431) and the much cheaper price. almost same lang ang specs except for the processor and dvd rom (missing sa asus x401u, but not a prob since hindi naman madalas nagagamit ang dvd).

based from what i read in this article, the selling price was still high, but i really got this at a reeeeaaaaaally low price, which is 13.5k with lots of freebies! i paid it cash, for installment, i think it’s about 15.7k. for the record wala pa itong OS so i haven’t got anything to say about the performance yet. but as of the specs, looks, and all – it’s just exactly what i need! at 13.5k? it saved me a lot of money. needless to say, i’m very much happy with it!

hope this helps! XD

CC · 13 years ago

I was planning of getting this laptop over the Asus Vivo X202e since I’ll only be doing internet surfing and watching videos in it most of the time and the price tag is very tempting. Based on your experience with the X401U,how does it fare in playing 720p and 1080p movies? I have a lot of those but I don’t know if this can handle playing those movies. BTW, what OS did you install on your X401U? I am planning of just having Ubuntu installed on it. Hopefully you can provide me an insight regarding the daily usage of the unit.Thanks!

Ivan · 14 years ago

saw it in a computer shop a while ago. looks very slim indeed.

Arjay · 14 years ago

Kaya po kaya nito ang Adobe Photoshop at Lightroom?

sherwood · 14 years ago

256 mb lang pala ang video card neto, sayang

sherwood · 14 years ago

15k+ lang to sa Computer Zone, Tarlac City. nakita ko kanina No OS pre-installed nga lang, pero super slim sya, parang MacBook Air. hehee

PuroKayoSatsat · 14 years ago

lahat feeling pro kung maka comment….O.o

co0ljade · 14 years ago

feeling pro ba yung naglalahad lang ng opinyon?

Nemyo · 14 years ago

Merong Intel Pentium B970 2.70 GHz version nito (Sandy Bridge minus the hyperthreading) for only P18-19K without OS on some stores in Manila :) Yung model na yun ang bang for buck kasi malayo agwat ng performance nila ng E2-1800 :)

co0ljade · 14 years ago

sa Villman yung b970 version nito ay 23k ata yun. yung E2-1800 version naman na may Windows 7 Home Basic na ay 18,900 lang at 16k lang pag walang OS. pwede bang malaman kung saang store mo nakita yun. kasi sa pagkakaalam ko mas mura ang gadgets sa online stores.

Joms · 14 years ago

actually yung price sa villman e installment price yan. pumunta ka sa cyberzone sa megamall makita mo na halos dikit lang sa online. kaya sa mall na lang din ako bumibili me habol ka pa. and totoong around 19K ang bnew ng B970 version on cash purchases.

Neil · 14 years ago

Asus X401A with IntelÂ® PentiumÂ® Dual-Core B970 2.30GHz Processor that is. P20,988 at Villman, no OS pre-installed. P22,992 if you want it with Window 7 Home Basic. I am not sure of the mall prices tho.

gerald · 14 years ago

where to buy?

Angelo · 14 years ago

Would have bought this if it was fitted with an Intel processor. Got the Acer V5 instead at 27k.

Francis Rey Santos · 14 years ago

THIS OR GALAXY TAB 2 7.0!!?

ali · 14 years ago

bang 4 the buck to..

Eason · 14 years ago

Its ASUS Philippines answer to the Slimbook.

Only 22mm, 1.85kg light and very affordable.

RickyRepol · 14 years ago

“The MS DOS model drops the price to just Php16,990.”

Mga sir ano po meaning ng ms dos model?

sillyman · 14 years ago

It is the model that does not come with an OS hence, the lower price. If you know how to install an operating system on your own, get the one without the OS, which is the DOS version.

Kyle · 14 years ago

Been reading the comments and many are not satisfied with the AMD E2-1800. There is, however, a version with the Pentium B970. I was at Complink Park Square 1 Makati earlier. They had the no OS variant at only 18.7K cash. The Intel HD 2000 graphics on the B970 are respectable with the latest drivers and performance is comparable to the Mobility Radeon HD 5470 and GT 310M. I think it’s a better buy than the AMD variant. Also, I got to try one in person. This thing is LIGHT, even with the battery attached.

Mr A · 14 years ago

Nice price. But 14 inch of a 720p resolution will not look good on screen.

But that price range and a good APU is enough to give this a recommendation.

co0ljade · 14 years ago

ok,kung sa tingin mo ang performance ng laptop na ito ay comparable to netbooks,yung price naman niya diba ay halos kapareha lang din ng mga netbooks jan na may Atom CPU?oo merong netbooks na 10-15k ang presyo pero single core CPU yun at yung display ay 10inch lang.siguro kung itong laptop ay may i3 version, im sure aabot ito sa 24 to 25k. kasi mura lang kasi yung AMD APUâ€™s.

sherwood · 14 years ago

san available ang laptop na to’?

calico · 14 years ago

Maganda ang price at specs (Php18,990.)
http://ph.asus.com/Notebooks/Versatile_Performance/X401U/#specifications

comparable sa Sony (Php23,999.00)
http://www.sony.com.ph/product/sve11115eg

ALIN KAYA ANG MAGANDA SONY O ASUS???

Papay · 14 years ago

Great price! In case I will need an extra laptop that’s bigger than a netbook, i’ll definitely get this one! :)

donclark10 · 14 years ago

great specs…good for on the go techies..

Glenn Encinares · 14 years ago

Wow, I like it

Glenn Encinares · 14 years ago

Wow, I like it :)

paul · 14 years ago

If pretty sure that this notebook will be the perfect notebook for students and for the masses. The inclusion of a decent GPU makes this notebook a “bang for the buck” too. Nice one, Asus!

Now, I want to replace my one-year old Asus K40AE with this new awesome notebook. DVDs are getting unused nowadays so I’m fine without a DVD drive with this notebook.

co0ljade · 14 years ago

@Dsadasd This AMD E2 comes with an integrated AMD Radeon HD 7340 graphics solution which means you can play some 3d and HD games withouts experiencing any lags and with higher FPs. This only proves that this is more powerful than almost all netbook that omes with the Intel Atom processor. At tsaka ito daw ang ang papalit sa AMD E450 na sikat na sikat na processor para sa mga affordable laptops.

J · 14 years ago

Hanep to :)

dsadasd · 14 years ago

I checked the benchmarks for the AMD E2-1800 and its score is almost in the same range as the Intel Atoms and Centrinos, which are used for NETBOOKS. Actually, they are really designed to compete with Intel Atoms. I wish they packed an Intel Core i3 at the least because it already has a pretty good GPU, so why choose an APU?

So basically, it’s a NETBOOK on the inside (in terms of performance) but a NOTEBOOK on the outside. (in terms of portability)

blackbeard · 14 years ago

If you want more battery life and decent graphics, go for the AMD version of this notebook.

If you want a little bit of performance, get the Intel version.

You may be right that the Intel comes with a good GPU but still, Intel’s drivers are unoptimized and not all games support the Intel HD Graphics properly. AMD’s graphics drivers are much more mature and optimized than Intel’s.

co0ljade · 14 years ago

kung ugsto mo talaga ng laptop na may i3 mero naman ang Asus eh. pero syempre mas mahal. mga 25-30k yun. kapag mag AMD or Nvidia graphics aaboy yun ng 30k. so para sakin mas sulit ang laptop na ito. para talaga sa students

co0ljade · 14 years ago

edited version. daming mali ng una kong comment eh. “kung gusto mo talaga ng laptop na may i3 meron naman ang Asus eh. pero syempre mas mahal. mga 25-30k yun. kapag may AMD or Nvidia graphics aabot yun ng 30k. so para sakin mas sulit ang laptop na ito. para talaga sa students ang Asus x401 na may AMD APU”

dsadasd · 14 years ago

Sorry. I thought the AMD Radeon 7340 Graphics was a discrete GPU. It’s an Integrated GPU. That’s what I meant with the “Pretty good GPU”.

But my comment wouldn’t change. The CPU performance of this laptop is comparable to netbooks and I think enough CPU performance is still needed to play 3D/HD games.

A laptop packed with an atom-like CPU and a decent GPU. That’s what this netbook is. I guess this would be the best laptop for students who just surf the net and play light games but it isn’t the best buy for those who want CPU performance.

co0ljade · 14 years ago

ok. kung sa tingin mo ang performance ng laptop na ito ay comparable to netbooks, yung price naman niya diba ay halos kapareha lang din ng mga netbooks jan na may Atom CPU?oo merong netbooks na 10-15k ang presyo pero single core lang yung CPU nun at yung display ay 10inch lang. siguro kung itong laptop ay may i3 version, im sure aabot ito sa 24 to 25k. kasi mura lang kasi yung AMD APU’s at mahal yung intel core processors. magpapabili ako nito sa mom ko. xD

Pau · 14 years ago

i’m surprised about this. May I know how long does the battery last as for the AMD processor? (because what you reviewed has a core i3). Thanks :)

jums · 14 years ago

wow! grabe! mura! kaya naman siguro nito ang win8.

Semidoppel · 14 years ago

WOw, i think the price is ok. if internet surfing at dicuments lang naman ang ggwin, ok n ok to.

Michael · 14 years ago

I’m currently looking for a student laptop, primarily for browsing and typing. This seems pretty nice. At these specs, may mas mumura pa ba sa laptop na to?