A few weeks after their announcement, new Intel Meteor Lake processors are starting to hit the market. In this Intel Core Ultra CPU equipped laptop, Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED N6506. A 15-inch ultrabook that’s ultra-thin and light while offering a muscular profile capable of responding to users looking for a powerful computer but without falling into the extravagance of a gaming model! Attractive neat looks but is it enough to entice and above all enough to justify the prices which many would consider (too) high?
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED 2024: 50 shades of grey
With its light gray color, VivoBook Pro 15 has a calm and elegant look. Not very original, of course, but this allows it to sit in a professional environment like a classroom or on the corner of a living room buffet without attracting attention. Nomads will appreciate the contained weight (1.6 kg) and 1.8 cm thickness.
The finish is neat, with a partially aluminum chassis. As for touch, it remains rewarding but doesn’t compete with the Zenbook’s quality. Some areas thus show a slight bend in the long support position. However, nothing is off limits until you consider the prices of this Asus N6506 marketed between €1,500 and €2,000 (in March 2024). A recurring observation that has come up with us on numerous occasions during this test.
Inside, the Vivobook Pro 15’s 2024 vintage adds to the coolness. Touches of red and distinctive symbols (“/////”), make way for the accentuation of specific areas based on variations in gray.
On a day-to-day basis, the VivoBook Pro 15 keyboard is comfortable and allows you to type long texts without tiring thanks to its generously sized keys (16.4 x 15.7 mm). Distance is in the lower average (2.8 mm), unlike travel (1.5 mm). Yet the response remains very lively while offering consistent cushioning with an “energetic” strike. Let us also highlight the discretion of the keyboard, the “sound” of which will be heard only by the acuteness of the ear. The white backlight is adjustable for three intensity levels, and can be activated automatically when brightness decreases (to be activated via the MyAsus utility). A numeric keypad (with small keys – 14 mm) is also present. Assets or even essential criteria for certain users.
The fingerprint reader gives way to an infrared camera compatible with Windows Hello, thus making entering a password largely obsolete. With a definition of 1440P, the camera stands out from the competition. At least on paper. In practice, it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern the difference in terms of quality. Images still lack detail and show noise with a red cast and then a decrease in brightness.
The touchpad has good dimensions (130 x 80 mm) and is responsive. The most observant will have noticed the Asus dialpad present in the upper left corner. A kind of sensitive wheel, customizable to offer a range of additional interactions with numerous software programs. For example adjust brightness, adjust volume or sliders in Lightroom Classic. An interesting and well-made proposition, but one whose interest remains incidental in practice, as we recently mentioned in our test of the Zenbook Duo 2024.
Connectivity and Audio: The right student
Vivobook Pro 15 offers full connectivity with two USB-A ports, HDMI output and headphone/microphone jack. In which two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SD card reader and an Ethernet port have been added. More and more rare features, which justify the “Pro” name of this Vivobook.
The audio system from Harman/Kardon (Dolby Digital compatible) works very well for a laptop. It needs some warmth to look powerful, detailed, less artificial.
An OLED screen yes but…
The OLED screen (Samsung SDC4180 – ATNA56AC02) is undoubtedly the strong point of this VivoBook Pro 15. It delivers vivid and deep colors with full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space (and sRGB/RGB). The result is dynamic images and deep blacks.
However, as good as it is, OLED screens aren’t everything. Here the 16:9 format is disappointing while most competitors have now adopted 16:10. Given the price of the device, Asus could have offered better. Likewise for brightness, decent (375 nits / 415 in HDR), but not always enough in very bright environments.
3K definition (2880×1620 pixels) lets you enjoy beautiful display resolution on a daily basis. The 120 Hz refresh rate is also an asset for more fluidity.
Some of the most efficient components
Under the hood, the VivoBook Pro 15 is equipped with the latest generation Intel processor (Meteor Lake), Core Ultra 9 185HEquipped with 16 cores (6 Performance, 8 Efficient, 2 Low Power Efficient). It is associated with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. As with gaming laptops, a MUX switch is present. In this way it is possible to disable the Intel ARC chip integrated in the CPU to switch to a direct connection to the Nvidia GPU and thus benefit from a small increase in performance.
RAM is made up of 8 GB integrated into the motherboard and 16 GB SO-DIMM for a total of 24 GB. A questionable choice on a model that claims to be “Pro”. Two standard locations would be more compatible and allow RAM to be upgraded at will, if needed. A second NVMe slot is available should the need to expand storage arise.
In use, the Asus Vivbook Pro 15 delivers solid performance, capable of meeting the needs of photographers, video editors and other image professionals. Casual gamers for whom a laptop with a sober look is the first criterion will also find this Asus a favorite companion.
Tests were conducted through the MyAsus utility with the performance profile active. This mode allows you to benefit from better performance but at the cost of more ventilation (51 dBA vs 46 dBA in normal mode). The “Full Speed” profile is still a bit faster but involves noise pollution that is hard to tolerate (56 dBA!). For example exports initiated during coffee breaks and reserved for long calculations. In terms of temperatures, we recorded up to 95°C for the CPU and 85°C for the GPU while gaming.. Despite its definite efficiency, the cooling system here comes close to its capacity limit.
What is the battery life of Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N6506?
Equipped with a 75 Wh battery, the Asus Vivobook Pro N6506 is able to last around 8 hours of web browsing (with a brightness of 140 cd/m²) on the battery. Average autonomy.
Our take on the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N6506 OLED 2024
After spending a few days in its company, the Asus VivoBook Pro 15 leaves us with mixed feelings again this year. Certainly, it has undeniable qualities. An elegant chassis, a comfortable keyboard exclusive to the brand and a 3K OLED screen with bright and deep colors without forgetting the Asus dialpad.
However, some of Asus’ choices remain questionable, even more so for a laptop with the qualitative “Pro” in its name. Leaving the 16:10 panel on a model sold for more than 1,500 euros in 2024 seems incongruous. Likewise, settling for 8 GB integrated into the motherboard seems like “saving pennies” in this price range.
Let’s agree, the Vivobook Pro 15 is a good laptop but it may struggle to find its place compared to its counterparts in the Asus range, which starts with the better equipped Vivobook Pro 16 or Zenbook Pro 14. And often rarely more expensive…
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED 2023 gets a score of 3.5/5
- Strong points
- Calm and elegant design
- OLED screen
- Comfortable keyboard/touchpad
- performance
- Full connectivity
- to review
- 16:9 format screen
- high rate
- Partially welded ram
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N6506 Ultrabooks available at best prices:
15″ OLED 2880 * 1620 (Quad HD+), Core Ultra 9 185H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 1 TB SSD, 1.8 Kg
With its elegant appearance, theAsus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED N6506MV-MA043W Aimed at people looking for a high-performance computer, capable of meeting a wide range of profiles and needs.
15″ OLED 2880 * 1620 (Quad HD+), Core Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 1 TB SSD, 1.8 Kg
With its elegant appearance, theAsus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED N6506MV-MA043W Aimed at people looking for a high-performance computer, capable of meeting a wide range of profiles and needs.
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N6506 Technical Sheet:
| screen | 15.6″ OLED 3K 120Hz 0.2ms 100% DCI-P3 DisplayHDR True Black 600 Corning Gorilla Glass (2880×1620, Glossy) |
| processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Meteor Lake (16 cores: 6P 4.8 GHz / 8E 3.8 GHz / 2LP-E) |
| Installed RAM (Maximum) | 24 GB (8 GB Solder + 16 GB) DDR5 5600 MHz, 1 slot (occupied) |
| graphic card | NVIDIA Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB dedicated GDDR6 (1470MHz, 90W), Intel Arc processor and integrated Optimus |
| Collection | 1TB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) |
| Connections | 2 USB 3.2 (Gen1) + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen2), 1 USB-C Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, SD 4.0 card reader |
| network | Wi-Fi 6E ax (2×2), Bluetooth 5.3 + Gigabit Ethernet |
| Backlit keyboard | Yes (1.4mm stroke), dialpad |
| Numeric keypad | Yes |
| Windows Hello | Yes, via infrared webcam with shutter |
| Audio system | 2 speakers (2 x 2W) Harman Kardon |
| operating system | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Announced autonomy / battery | 6 hours / Li-ion 4 cells 75Whr |
| Weight / Dimensions (mm) | 1.8 kg / 355.7 x 235.3 x 19.9 |
