Asus VivoTab Note 8 review
A functional, but slightly dull 8in Windows 8.1 tablet
The New Year has seen an influx of new small form factor Windows 8 tablets. These have included devices from tech heavyweights, such as Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba. However to date, as we noted in our Toshiba Encore review, these portable, 8in Windows 8 devices have been slightly fiddly to use, especially when they are running in the operating system's desktop mode.
Asus has moved to fix this with its VivoTab Note 8, bundling it with a dockable stylus. But even with this, we have to question whether the Intel Atom-powered VivoTab Note 8 will have any success battling its more established iPad Mini and Nexus 7 competitors.
Design and build
The Asus VivoTab Note 8 looks fairly generic and has the same minimalist design seen on most other Windows 8 tablets. It features a polycarbonate, slightly curved single-piece backplate that connects to a flat Gorilla Glass front.
Were it not for the Asus logos emblazoned on its back and front, the VivoTab Note 8 would look all but identical to competing devices, such as the Toshiba Encore or Dell Venue 8 Pro. This means, compared with slightly more sleek tablets, such as the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini with Retina display, the VivoTab Note 8 looks slightly dull and boxy.
That said, the tablet is far from ugly by Windows tablet standards and has a reasonable selection of ports. The VivoTab Note 8 comes loaded with micro USB, audio jack and micro SD inputs. It is also fairly travel friendly, measuring in at 221x134x10.95mm and weighing 380g. The VivoTab Note 8 also has a discreetly hidden Wacom stylus, which docks at its bottom right-hand side.
We were reasonably happy with the VivoTab Note 8's build quality, with its slightly rubberised back proving fairly scratch and mark resistant and offering next to no give when pressed. That said, we still wouldn't trust it to survive a drop onto a hard surface.
Our only real issue with the VivoTab Note 8's design is that it doesn't feature a Windows button on its front. Instead it has an oddly placed "back" button on its top left-hand side. This isn't the end of the world but it made the VivoTab Note 8 feel slightly odd and awkward to navigate.
Next: Display and operating system
Asus VivoTab Note 8 review
A functional, but slightly dull 8in Windows 8.1 tablet
Display
The Asus VivoTab Note 8 comes with an 8in LED Backlight, WXGA, 1280x800, in-plane switching (IPS) display. Compared to the 7in 1920x1200 1080p HD 323ppi screen seen on the Nexus 7, and the 1536x2048 7.9in 324ppi Retina display featured on the new iPad Mini, the VivoTab Note 8's screen is nothing to write home about.
But within the Windows tablet ecosystem it's pretty good. While it's not as crisp and icons do look slightly fuzzy when viewed up close, there was no point where we found it unusable. Thanks to its IPS technology, colours on the VivoTab Note 8 are nicely vibrant.
Our only real qualm with the screen is that when using certain applications or opening web pages in the desktop mode, text could appear woefully small and slightly difficult to read.
Operating system
The VivoTab Note 8's biggest selling point is the fact it runs on the full version of Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 is one of the most enterprise and business-friendly choices for tablets. This is because, as well as having Windows security services, and quick and easy Outlook, Office 365 and Exchange support, the OS is also legacy-application friendly.
This means users can run applications designed for older Windows versions, or custom-built applications on the VivoTab Note 8. As an added bonus to businesses, the VivoTab Note 8 also comes bundled with a free version of Microsoft Office and a year's worth of free unlimited storage on Asus's WebStorage cloud service.
Traditionally we've found Windows 8.1's perks have been diminished on small form factor tablets. This is because many applications are designed to run on larger 10in-plus displays and generally feature user interfaces that become fiddly to use on an 8in device. Luckily, this issue has been largely removed on the VivoTab Note 8 via the inclusion of its dockable stylus.
Built by Wacom, the VivoTab Note 8's stylus looks close to identical to the digitiser pens included in Lenovo Thinkpad tablets and is listed as being capable of detecting 1,000 levels of pressure sensitivity. We initially found it was slightly inaccurate when used left handed, but luckily this issue was quickly solved when we manually calibrated the pen.
Once calibrated, the pen was fairly accurate and responsive, making it quick and easy to scribble down notes in Evernote or edit spreadsheets in Excel. The only time we had any issues with the stylus was when using it to try to digitally paint and edit photos in Gimp - though to be fair this was more due to the VivoTab Note 8's small screen than the stylus.
Next: Performance and camera
Asus VivoTab Note 8 review
A functional, but slightly dull 8in Windows 8.1 tablet
Performance
The VivoTab Note 8 is powered by an Intel Atom Z3740 quad-core, 1.86GHz processor and features 2GB of RAM. For general purposes we found this meant the VivoTab Note 8 was fairly good for most everyday tasks and is a suitable netbook replacement. Using it for basic web browsing, video streaming and document editing the VivoTab Note 8 worked chug and hassle free.
However, for people looking to use the VivoTab Note 8 for work and play, it's important to note the VivoTab Note 8 isn't capable of dealing with more demanding tasks, such as 3D gaming. Featuring Intel HD Graphics and DirectX 11 support, the VivoTab Note 8 will chug when tasked to play even the most basic of games.
Camera
Here at V3 we're yet to find a tablet that's actually good at taking photos. Sadly, like all other tablets we've tested, the VivoTab Note 8's 5MP rear camera isn't great. In regular light the images, while legible, regularly come out noisy and pixelated. Shooting in low light we found image quality deteriorated to the point that images were all but unusable.
Taken on the Asus VivoTab Note 8
The VivoTab Note 8 is also fairly understocked when it comes to shot modes featuring basic video, photo and panorama options.
Taken on the Asus VivoTab Note 8
The VivoTab Note 8's 1.26MP front camera is reasonably good for video conferencing. The camera is able to record video at 720p and was more than good enough for making video calls on Skype.
Next: Battery and storage
Asus VivoTab Note 8 review
A functional, but slightly dull 8in Windows 8.1 tablet
Battery and storage
Asus claims the VivoTab Note 8's 15.5W battery lasts for around eight hours of regular use off one charge, and in general the tablet lived up to Asus' predicted life. Using it as our primary tablet, the VivoTab Note 8 generally lasted around two days off one charge. Regular use entailed sporadically surfing the internet, watching a couple of YouTube videos and episodes of Breaking Bad on Netflix, and editing a few Word documents.
Battery burning the VivoTab Note 8 by constantly looping a video file stored on the tablet with the screen brightness set to automatic, the tablet performed reasonably well. On our first burn the VivoTab Note 8 lasted seven and a half hours. It then made it to eight on our second before dropping back down to seven and a half on our third.
Asus is currently offering the VivoTab Note 8 with 32GB or 64GB of storage. Both versions' storage can be upgraded using their micro SD card slots, so most users shouldn't have to worry about running out of space.
Overall
Having used the Asus VivoTab Note 8 for more than a week, we have to say it is one of the best small form factor Windows tablets available. This is largely because of the Wacom stylus Asus has bundled with it. While it can at times still be fiddly to use certain desktop applications on the VivoTab Note 8's 8in screen, the stylus makes it doable and not overly painful.
That said, the VivoTab Note 8 is far from perfect. The lower-resolution display just doesn't match the performance of competing small tablets, such as the Nexus 7 or iPad Mini with Retina display. It also features a slightly dull and boxy design, which bizarrely doesn't feature a Home button on its front.