ASUS L402WA-EH21 Review - Quick Verdict
The ASUS L402WA-EH21 is a laptop that targets school students where the main usage would be taking notes and running office applications. The hardware is underwhelming but gets the job done especially at this price point. If you need a super inexpensive laptop that would do all your everyday tasks, then this laptop would be a good fit.
- Very affordable
- Presence of flash storage improves performance wherever possible
- Laptop is super portable thanks to the sleek footprint
- Hardware can be a hardsell for some
Author's Rating
Selecting a budget laptop is always tricky. While you have a lot of options, you don’t know which one gives you better value for your money. In this ASUS L402WA-EH21 review, we talk about this budget laptop from ASUS that assures good value for your hard-earned money.
With a 14″ form factor, we can already see where ASUS is cutting corners. It comes with an AMD processor and integrated graphics. Advertised as a laptop for everyday use, can this one walk the walk? Let’s find out.
Design
The ASUS L402WA-EH21 is a budget laptop and looks like one. When you compare the aesthetics to that of other laptops in the same price range, you’ll see that this ASUS notebook is better than most.
The first takeaway is that ASUS has done with black color for budget laptops as this one comes with a dark gray coating. This gray color is much more beautiful to the eyes and feels a bit more premium than previous color themes.
The build of this laptop is completely made out of plastic, as you’d expect. There is a bit of flex when you bend the screen, but that is common among budget notebooks. The bottom part is sturdy and can take a hit or two without losing performance.
With dimensions of 13.3 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches, the laptop weighs around 3.6 pounds which is pretty light for a 14″ laptop. You can take this one with you wherever you want for computing on the go.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the ASUS L402WA-EH21 is pretty decent. It comes with a travel of 1.7mm which is neat for a budget laptop. You can type fast on this keyboard without losing speed and accuracy.
The only gripe with the keyboard is that there is no dedicated number pad. If you’re an excel guy, you’re going to miss this badly.
The touchpad, on the other hand, is standard stuff. You can make all the gestures that are available in Windows 10 without any hiccups.
ASUS L402WA-EH21 Specs and Performance
The first thing you’d notice when you open the lid is the display.
We have a 14″ display that comes with an HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Since we’re dealing with a slightly smaller screen, the pixel density is a tad better when compared to that of 15.6″ displays. This means images and text will be sharper than ever.
The color accuracy is not on par with higher-end models but is sufficient for the likes of browsing the web, social media, and watching movies.
The speakers are made up of 9cc chambers that lay below the palm rest. The audio output is decent and can fill a small room. With higher volumes, you can see the quality of sound declining which is not great for media consumption.
Processor and Memory
When it comes to processing power, the ASUS L402WA-EH21 is not even close to the finish line. The laptop comes with an AMD E2 6110 processor which has four cores and a stock speed of 1.5GHz.
This processor is an entry-level one and is more suited for simple operations like office applications, browsing the internet, watching movies and series, and other similar workloads. When you try to push the boundary, you can see the performance taking a hit.
The processor gets good company from the 4GB DDR3 RAM in the memory department. This RAM allows you to do some decent multitasking. You can open a few browser tabs open, have a couple of office applications running side by side, and even edit some photos while watching a tutorial online.
This combination of processor and memory is made for a light user. If you have needs that are beyond this processing power, then we suggest looking for laptops with more power.
ASUS L402WA-EH21 Hard drive/Flash Drive
When it comes to storage, you are not given a lot of space in the ASUS L402WA-EH21. We have a 32GB eMMC flash drive which is pretty fast when compared with mechanical hard drives. This is an excellent option to provide as it can improve the performance of the device on its own.
The only concern here is that this space is not enough even for light users. You can either add an external SD card or install more space by including a hard drive. Either way, you need more space in addition to what is available here.
The flash drive comes with Windows 10 installed in it. It is the latest OS in the Windows ecosystem and works like a charm.
ASUS L402WA-EH21 Gaming
If you’re going to get this laptop for gaming, then you’re sure to be disappointed.
This ASUS L402WA-EH21 laptop is an entry-level laptop, and it is not made for gaming. It comes with an integrated graphics card and is best suited for super light games that don’t demand any kind of graphics.
If the price is not a problem for you, then the right thing to do would be going for serious gaming machines. Yes, they are many times more expensive but can do gaming which this model can’t.
Battery Life and Connectivity
The battery life in the ASUS L402WA-EH21 is not that bad, to be honest. With light tasks, you should be able to get around 6.5 hours of battery life without any issues. If you’re looking for whole day battery, be sure to carry the adapter with you as there isn’t enough juice for that.
The battery life mentioned above is with Windows 10 S which is a lot more power-efficient when compared with other variants of the operating system. Also, if you work with applications that are processor-hungry, then you can expect this battery to die a lot sooner.
The ASUS L402WA-EH21 laptop comes with a good number of connectivity options. You get a USB type C port which is great for external connectivity and high-speed data transfer. There is also a type-A USB 3.1 port as well.
With the HDMI port, you can connect this laptop to external monitors with ease. This can be a beneficial thing while making presentations. There is an Ethernet port for wired internet connections which are usually faster than the 802.11n WiFi found in the laptop.
With the SD card slot, you can manage all your data effectively. This port can be handy if you have an extensive library of photos and videos.
ASUS L402WA-EH21 Review – Bottomline
With a stupidly low price, the ASUS L402WA-EH21 is a perfect laptop for school students for note taking and offices where you can make a lot of presentations. This laptop is not great at gaming and heavy duty work. But it is an excellent fit in places where the workload is light and simple.
If you’re looking for a simple and effective laptop that comes with a cheap price tag, the ASUS L402WA-EH21 should be a good choice.