Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
I didn't find any posts about this before posting, so if there is I'm sorry.
While the laptop is not listed on the Asus website by searching, software, drivers, warranty info, and manuals are found here: http://www.asus.com/supportonly/Q551LN/HelpDesk_Download/
The ASUS Q551LN is a stylish 15 inch 2-in-1 laptop that sports some impressive specs in a body less than 1 inch thick and weighing in at just 5.1lbs. So far, the Q551 is a best buy exclusive, I have the Q551LN-BBI706, and here are the specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4510u Dual Core Haswell 2GHz - 3.1GHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeFore GT 840M 2GB Dedicated/Intel HD4400 Switchable Graphics
- RAM: 8GB DDR3-12800 RAM (4GB Soldered)
- HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB 5400RPM
- ODD: DVD-RW
- Display: 15.6 inch FHD 1080P Glossy IPS Screen w/ 10 point Multi-Touch
- WLAN: Intel AC7260 Dual-Band AC + Bluetooth 4.0
- LAN: Realtek RTL8168C Gigabit PCIe
- Realtek 2 Speakers + External Subwoofer
Case
The case is entirely aluminum, and has a black brushed finish. With the case having a brushed finish, it will attract fingerprints very easily. Cleaning can be done with a microfiber cloth and alcohol/Windex. On the top inside edge, there is a chauffeured silver band that helps the edge not be as sharp. On the back of the display, there is a silver Asus logo, which glows white when the laptop is on. The bottom of the laptop is completely flat with only 4 rubber feet. These feet are a little higher than others, but it is to keep the screen in the proper position while in tablet mode. The back plate can be taken off for direct access to all of the insides. Ventilation slots can only be found in the groove between the screen hinge and the body.
When closed, the case measures 0.9 Inches thick, is 15 inches wide, and has a depth of 10.2 inches. It weighs in at 5.1 pounds, so while not quite an ultrabook, it is not the heaviest laptop by any means. Keep in mind that carrying it around in tablet mode for extended periods may become uncomfortable as it is heavier and larger than a standard tablet. When folding the display back past 190 degrees, Asus FlipLock prevents the keyboard and touchpad from activating. This also prevents fn buttons from working as well, and it does not turn off the backlight on the keyboard. If you are going to use tablet mode for a while and don't want the backlight on and take a hit to the battery, turn it off prior.
Connectivity
The Q551 is fairly loaded when it comes to ports, with all of the ports on the sides. On the left, there is the AC power, Subwoofer, RJ-45, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0 (One powered for charging devices), Start button, Volume rocker -/+, and Power button. The Right has the DVD drive, Kensington lock, USB 3.0, Combo headphone/mic port, and SD/MMC slot. The front has three indicator lights, power, battery, and activity, as well as the two speaker grills. I do find myself hitting the power or volume buttons often when picking up the laptop or using it in tablet mode.
Accessories
Included in the box is a power plug that resembles an Apple charger, quickstart manuals, warrenty information, and an Asus SonicMaster subwoofer. This plugs into the yellow port on the left of the machine, and will provide more bass and lows while listening to music.
Keyboard & Touchpad
The Q551 uses a standard backlit QWERTY island style keyboard with a numpad. The keyboard uses silver keys with black letters, which contrast the black case well. The keys have a good amount of travel, and no flex throughout the entire keyboard. The keys do have chatter, although this is more noticeable when typing faster or pressing harder on the keys. There are indicator lights on the caps lock and airplane mode(f2) keys, although none on the numlock key. It is backlit with three levels of brightness, as well as an auto-adjusting setting, and the light does not have much bleed from behind the keys unless looking at it at an angle. However, the white light on silver keys can make it difficult to see the letters on the lowest setting, so a brighter level may be needed in very dark environments.
It seems that Asus designed their keyboard by attempting to please both those who desire a numpad, and those who don't. The main portion of the keyboard is very well spaced, and is pleasant to type on. Because of the amount of space allotted to the main portion, the numpad has narrower keys. This can make using it feel slightly cramped and awkward. The arrow keys are full size, which is unusual for a laptop and are a welcome touch for gamers. They do however make the shift and Num 0 keys smaller than usual and may take time getting used to. Overall, a good keyboard, but there are a few design flaws that should be noted.
The touchpad is multitouch and is quite spacious. Gestures act fairly well, although I had a little trouble with navigation on the web. The gestures can all be enabled or disabled on the included software. There are left and right buttons seamlessly included on the bottom that can be clicked, but are still sensitive to touch. There is a lot of travel on the buttons and almost the entire touchpad can be clicked. While clicking a button, feedback can be felt throughout the majority of the touchpad.
Display
The Q551 shows of a 1920x1080p IPS display, with great viewing angles and a fairly bright picture. I'm not sure on the sRGB, I have a color calibrator, but no software, so I will post results when I get the right software to run it. Either way, pictures look good with great contrast, and viewing angles are good. Viewing the display at an angle does not wash color out, although some contrast is lost. The display is fairly bright, although the glossy finish because of the touchscreen does make it difficult to see in direct sunlight. Outside use is alright at a higher brightness, but there will still be some reflections.
The touch portion of the screen is great, and there have been no hiccups. The screen recognizes up to 10 points, and gestures work fluidly. Windows 8.1 even works better with a touch screen, and the "Modern" UI is easier to navigate having the touch option. The display was calibrated out of the box, although it can be recalibrate in the tablet settings in the control panel if needed. Overall, it is accurate, although some buttons can be difficult to press on the 1080p screen. I find myself using the 125% option within the display setting to make seeing and using the touchscreen easier.
Speakers
Asus has branded their multimedia laptops with Bang & Olufsen ICEPower speakers, and while some of their laptops live up to their hype, this one is just a little above average. With the included subwoofer plugged in, the speakers can easily fill a room with rich lows and good highs. Notes closer to the 20hz area will still not be produced, or not as loud, but that is only to be expected on a laptop. Remove the subwoofer, and the laptop speakers are still fairly loud. At maximum volume, 49db was the average without the subwoofer, measured 1 inch from the center of the center of the device.
Performance
A dual-core haswell core i7-4510u can be found powering the laptop. As with all ULV processors, performance will not be near a full voltage desktop i7. But what haswell has done is increase the amount of power squeezed out per watt. With a tdp at just 15w, the i7-4510u has a base clock at 2.0GHz, but can overclock to 2.8Ghz with both cores, or 3.1Ghz on a single core. The HD4400 is fine for daily use, including hd movie streaming and some photo editing, but when extra power is needed, the included GT840m can take over. Using Nvidia optimus, you can choose when and what process uses the two graphics cards. This helps save on battery when not using graphic intensive programs, but allows for extra power when needed.
Temperature & Noise
While idling, the laptop stays cool to the touch on all surfaces, and very quiet. The laptop does get warm, but so far I have yet to get hot temperatures anywhere but near the vents, even when gaming. The fans will kick up while working under load, but they are still not extremely loud. In a quiet room, you can also hear the hard drive as it reads/writes data, but that is only minor.
Battery
I have not done any formal testing with the battery, but it does seem very average, if not a little better. With wifi on, no keyboard light, and the brightness set to about 50%, I can get around 4-6hrs depending on the power profile. While under load, it goes down to 2-4hrs depending on the kind of load. The keyboard light does affect the battery life, although not by much when only using the lower 2 levels.
Overall, I'm happy with the laptop, and have had no major problems with it. I did do a clean instal of windows 8.1, and while I don't like the on screen keyboard, that's a software issue and should not be taken out on the laptop. Open box deals can be shipped from ebay for $899, which is $100 off the $999 new price tag, and a best buy certified one can be had at $929. I'll update this later as I have more time with it.
ASUS Q551LN Review & Owner Lounge
Discussion in 'ASUS Reviews and Owners' Lounges' started by tdzaleski, Jan 25, 2015.
