| Rating | Where to buy |
 | Amazon.com *Same or similar item |
Asus F555LA-AB31 15.6 inch laptop has been on the market for about a year. But it is available for a much lower price now. It comes with a good hardware configuration that is capable of running any latest software used on a daily basis such as Adobe CS6, Office 2016, movie players, video editing software, and less graphics-intensive games.
Design and features
It features 2.1 GHz fifth generation core-i3 5010U processor. It comes with 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive and Genuine Windows 10. Its 15.6-inch display is full HD, that is, 1080p. And it is a matte display, which is great for reading, writing, and doing other works that require looking at the screen for a longer period. Asus demands that they have managed to reduce 33% of the blue light emission (which is the main cause of macular degeneration and retinal problems) for laptops of F555LA series. The display is very soothing to the eyes. From a professional point of view, I recommend matte screens over glossy screens. Under bright light condition and under sunlight, matte displays are much more readable and seeable compared to glossy displays. I wonder why so few laptops feature matte displays these days! Certainly, the matte display is a big plus for this laptop.
A rather downside of Asus F555LA-AB31 is that it comes with a non-removable battery, so, if something goes wrong with this battery, you’ll have to send it to the manufacturer or to a laptop repair store for replacing it. However, according to Asus, the battery has 2.5 times the lifespan of regular cylinder batteries commonly used in laptops. Also, these batteries will retain up to 80% of original charge capacity even after hundreds of charging. Out of the box, the laptop battery lasted for 2.8 hours after being fully charged. We used the laptop for watching movies, playing games, browsing the internet, editing photos with Photoshop, and for several other tasks. The adapter is compact and nice looking. It operates on 110 to 240V as most other adapters do. As far as battery backup is concerned, I personally believe, Asus could have done better.
The exterior of F555LA AB31 features a nice fingerprint resistance design. The top of the lid features a finish of concentric circles that looks and feels nice. The palm rest and the areas around the keyboard are gray, and a little too smooth. Those with sweaty palms may have a hard time with the gray area; even a little sweat may make it slippery and leave an odd mark. Thankfully, the Ice Cool technology of Asus worked most of the time and it kept the palm rests cool. Keyboard built was average and the output from the bottom firing speakers was decent. On the downside, this laptop doesn’t have any CAPS lock or NUM lock indicator.
Asus F555LA-AB31 has two USB 3.0 port, a LAN port, VGA and HDMI port, the power-in port, and Kensington lock on its left panel. On the front side of the laptop, there are four LED indicators for power, battery, HD use, and Airplane mode. On its right panel, it has a USB 2.0 port, a mic/headphone combo port, an SD card reader, and the DVD R/W. There’s only one intake vent located on the bottom. It’s a very quiet laptop. And it rarely gets warm.
The webcam and DVD writer met our expectations regarding performance and quality. Asus F555LA-AB31 has Bluetooth 4.0. It is equipped with the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard connectivity, which is three times faster than 802.11n.
| Pros | Cons |
| 5th gen core i3 processor, full HD matte display, 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity standard, Bluetooth 4.0, price is justified. | Non-removable battery, no CAPS or NUM lock indicator. |
The look of the Asus F555LA-AB31 is not bad but not uncommon either. At $339, it is a great laptop without a doubt. It is great for 2D graphics editing, but only decent for 3D graphics editing (this laptop doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card), and is capable of running most other software that we use on a daily basis. You can even use this laptop for less graphics-intensive PC games. For example, we played NFS MW 2005 in full HD (you need to download NFSMWRES software to play the game in full HD detail). Asus F555LA-AB31 can be the ultimate choice for those who are looking to buy a laptop under $400.
Specifications
Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Resolution: 1920*1080 pixels
Processor: 2.1 GHz Core i3-5010U
RAM: 4 GB DDR3
Hard Drive: 500 GB mechanical_hard_drive
Graphics Coprocessor: Intel HD
Wireless Type: 802.11 A/C
USB 2.0 Ports: 1
USB 3.0 Ports: 2
Operating System: Windows 10
Item Weight: 5.1 pounds
Dimensions: 10.1 x 15 x 1 inches
Color: Black
Optical Drive: DL DVD RW/CD-RW
Batteries: non-removable battery. (included)