ASUS, today unveiled two new mainstream notebooks, A540 & R558UR, updating its mainstream line up, and adding the latest features and performance updates. The R558UR is a substantially upgraded variant of the R88UF premium notebooks, While the A540 focusses more on the lower spectrum at the same time providing premium looks and lightweight design weighing just less than 2 Kg. Both boast of USB type C connectivity which is a first in their respective segments.
Asus Launched A540 and R558 Notebooks in India
The ASUS R558UR is a considerable upgrade from the R558UF featuring a Full HD Antiglare display which has twice the pixel density as compared to a HD Display offered by most of the competition. It also features the latest ultra-fast DDR4 memory which currently is only available in high end gaming machines.
The Graphics have also been bumped up, courtesy of the New GT930MX graphics from Nvidia offering upto twice the performance compared with the competitors. R558UR’s Audio system is powered by SonicMaster and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower while the exclusive Splendid technology makes sure that your visual experience remains unadulterated. Moreover, the eyecare mode along with the anti-glare display panel provides unmatched visual comfort.
The A540 is contemporarily designed with stylish and elegant Glossy Brushed finish distinguishing itself from the dull designs seen in majority of the notebooks in this segment. The A540 is ultralight, weighing just less than 2 Kg even though it has an internal optical drive. Like R558UR, the A540’s Audio system is also powered by SonicMaster and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower while ASUS Splendid Technology takes care of the task of delivering beautiful visual quality.
ASUS A540 and R558UR are priced at Rs 20,990 and Rs 43,990 respectively
Asus R558UR Notebook Specifications
Model Name | R558UR |
LCD Cover Color & Decoration | Glossy Dark Brown IMR |
Top Case Color & Decoration | Matt Black IMR |
On board processor | Intel® Core™ i5-6200U Processor, 2.3GHz (3M Cache, up to 2.8GHz) |
Operating System | Free DOS |
Memory Slot | 1x |
On board memory | DDR4 4GB |
Memory Max. | 8G |
How to upgrade memory | Upgradable dedicate Memory door on Bottom side |
Total System Memory | DDR4 4GB |
Storage | SATA 1TB 5400RPM 2.5′ HDD |
Display | 15.6’//LED Back-lit//Ultra Slim 200nits//FHD 1920×1080 16:9//AG//NTSC:45% |
External video display modes | HDMI 1.4 |
Discrete/Share | Discrete |
Video Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce® 930MX (N16S-GMR) |
IGPU | Intel® HD graphics 520 |
Video memory | DDR3 2GB |
Video Camera | VGA web camera (Fixed type) |
Optical Drive | [SATA] 8.9″mm 8X Super Multi with Double Layer |
Wireless | 802.11bgn+Bluetooth 4.0 (Single band) 1*1 |
LAN | 10/100/1000 Mbps |
Card Reader | Spec: SD only |
USB Port | 1x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0 1x USB3.1 Type C (gen 1) |
Interface | 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 1x VGA Port (D-Sub) 1x HDMI |
Audio | Built-in speaker Built-in microphone Sonic Master |
Weight (Kg) | 2.10 KG (Without Battery) |
Dimension (cm) | 38.2(W) x 25.6(D) x 2.55 ~ 2.55 (H) cm |
AC Adapter | 65W AC Adapter Output : 19V DC, 3.42A, 65W Input : 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal |
Battery | 38WHrs, 2S1P, 2-cell Li-ion Polymer Battery Pack |
Keyboard type | Chiclet Keyboard |
Keyboard Specification | ASUS 348mm keyboard with 19mm full size key pitch, integrated Numeric keypad |
Software | ASUS Smart Gesture ASUS Splendid |
Asus R540LA Notebook Specifications
Model Name | A540LA |
Color | Black, Silver |
On board processor | Intel® Core™ i3-4005U Processor, 1.7GHz (3M Cache) |
Operating System | Free DOS |
Memory Slot | 1x |
On board memory | DDR3 4GB |
Memory Max. | 8G |
Total System Memory | DDR3 4GB |
Storage | SATA 1TB 5400RPM 2.5′ HDD |
EMMC/ISSD | N/A |
Display | 15.6’//LED Back-lit//Slim 200nits//HD 1366×768 16:9//Glare//NTSC:45% |
External video display modes | HDMI 1.4 |
IGPU | Intel HD Graphics 4400 |
Video Camera | VGA web camera (Fixed type) |
Optical Drive | [SATA] 8.9″mm 8X Super Multi with Double Layer |
Wireless | 802.11bgn+Bluetooth 4.0 (Single band) 1*1 |
LAN | 10/100 Mbps |
Card Reader | Spec: SDXC |
USB Port | 1x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0 1x USB3.1 Type C (gen 1) |
Interface | 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 1x VGA Port (D-Sub) 1x HDMI |
Audio | Built-in speaker Built-in microphone Sonic Master |
Weight (Kg) | 1.84 KG (Without Battery) 2.00 KG (with 3 cell battery) |
Dimension (cm) | 38.1(W) x 25.2(D) x 2.72 ~ 2.72 (H) cm |
AC Adapter | 45W AC Adapter: Output: 19V DC, 2.37A, 45W: Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal |
Battery | 33WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion Battery Pack |
Keyboard type |
Chiclet Keyboard |
A540LA - a retrograde move
The pricing of the 15.6 inch A540LA laptop — at around ₹21K, is great. But, why would a new laptop with a 4th gen. Intel processor be launched in 2016, when laptops like HP 15-ac184TU (T0X61PA) and HP 15-ac122TU (N8M18PA) with identical configuration — except for newer 5th Gen Ci3-5005U — is listed at ₹ 25,499 and ₹ 26,790 respectively.
Many reviewers of Asus laptops have mentioned that they have poor viewing angles. The A540LA has FreeDOS as OS, which means Windows or Linux will have to be installed by the customer.
Also, almost all the new Asus laptops (A540LA is an exception) have a 2-cell battery. And, Asus conveniently doesn’t mention how long the battery will last.
The Asus website doesn’t have the complete specs for most models.