It’s really not that big of a deal to say that Asus has come out with another slim and sleek notebook. In fact, it’s not that crazy to hear descriptive words such as affordable, good keyboard, attractive design, and decent battery life. What makes a laptop good enough for buyers is if many or most of these characteristics are part of the package. So how about we take a look at Asus’s latest attempt to make us as small, light and cheap of a laptop as possible, all the while still providing usable performance and long battery life.

Seems like a challenge, doesn’t it? Well wake up call, that’s the exact challenge all computer companies are after, and it’s all about the small things in between that get them ahead. With the Asus VivoBook E200HA, however, I don’t know guys, it’s hard to tell. From first glance, it isn’t easy to presume if any of the laptop’s features are more impressive than the next. Still, it goes to show there’s heaps of competition out there- at least proving the notion there’s something for everyone. The 11.6-inch device, measuring just .7 inches thick and weighing 2.2 pounds, is definitely a carry-along-with-you type of piece. Although it comes with a sub-par (moderate) 1366 x 768 display, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, that is more than fine for watching video. It is unfortunate, though, that the VivoBook is accompanied by a not-so-great speakers, you know, the kind with okay volume and little bass? Add the low pixel count to that, and you get a “womp womp”.

As far as the processor, an Intel Atom Cherry Trail Z8300, running at 1.44 to 1.84GHz, supported by 2GB of RAM- could restrict your options to web browsing, media streaming and simple docs/email. Additionally, don’t push this guy to the limits with too many open windows and document editing/creation, you’re going to be disappointed. There’s more or less a half and half conclusion affirming the VivoBook tends to function slowly, at even basic tasks. More specifically, this means files will be slow to open, an obvious sign that the hard drive can’t handle heavy loads.

With a number of shortcomings, there are some healthy attributes to the Asus VivoBook E200HA to be thankful for, including both the keyboard and touchpad, praised for being swift and natural in use. Plus, there’s a fun fact about the decent screen. It provides more accurate color by automatically fine-tuning various display settings to optimize all kinds of images, establishing richer and deeper colors. See, not all things are bad! And did the price even come up yet? This thing is $199 to start, so I think it’s safe to say we can’t hate on it too much. A laptop that cheap can come with me anywhere it wants to, even if said speakers aren’t that great.