Laptops

ASUS VivoBook X412F Review: A great midrange option for work and school

For those who need a fresh start

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Not everyone can afford a premium device. Even if the specifications entice you to buy that nice laptop, the ultimate decision point is in its price and value to you. Parents and young professionals starting a new job would know.

ASUS regularly comes up with great midrange selections for students and young professionals. That seems to be what the ASUS VivoBook X412F is: an all-around midrange device for productivity and day-to-day tasks. But if you’re currently a student or working full-time, should you consider this device?

Here’s a rundown of the device’s specifications:

It has a 14” HD anti-glare display

It’s powered by an Intel Core i3 processor and an NVIDIA MX230 graphics card

It comes with both a USB Type-A and Type-C port

Has a fingerprint reader on the touchpad

It gets the job done for its intended purpose

The model I used came with an Intel Core i3 processor, which won’t deliver great performance on paper. But after using it for a while, I can say that it really isn’t the case. It kept up with the numerous tasks I threw at it, whether it was writing documents or watching videos. Do take note that this device only comes with 4GB of RAM, so obviously you won’t be able to do a lot more.

It also helped that it comes with a 256GB solid state drive installed. Using SSDs provide a significant boost in loading times, which allowed me to get more tasks done. I would still prefer to have the more powerful Intel Core i5 option installed to maximize performance.

You can play games on it, just don’t push it

The VivoBook X412F comes with an entry level NVIDIA MX230 graphics card. Upon reading this, my initial thought was that gaming was possible — and it was. The catch is, well any game that doesn’t require so much graphical power will run smoothly. Games like CS:GO, Minecraft, and Rocket League do reach a hard 50 to 55 frame per second cap.

But like any other non-gaming laptop, using this strictly for gaming is highly discouraged. This device was not exactly designed to be a gaming machine, even if you get the units with more powerful processors on it. Plus, you will definitely feel the heat on your keyboard when you play for too long. So, I’m not saying that you can’t use it to play games; don’t use it just to play games.

It lasts relatively long, as long as you’re using it properly

Upon initial testing, I did get around five to six hours on one full charge. It’s long enough for you to just browse the internet, watch a few videos or movies, and type down reports. Doing some form of photo or video editing decreases that number by just a bit. It took two to three hours to fully charge the device from zero.

Battery life when playing games on it is just what you expect it to be. I got close to two hours and 30 minutes before having to plug the charger. Again, you can play games on this device but it’s not meant for strictly just gameplay. 

The webcam is surprisingly decent

One of the key critiques I’ve had over most laptops centers around their webcams. Most built-in HD webcams, when used for the first time, are not as “high-definition” as promoted. Images and videos either look blurry or grainy, which won’t help during conference calls.

With the VivoBook X412F, the webcam is decent at best — which is all you could really hope for. Under good lighting conditions, image quality on this 720p webcam feels more “high-definition” than most. I observed relatively less grain than most other laptops I’ve tried, which is great for video calls at least.

Other features worth considering before you buy

The VivoBook X412F comes with a fingerprint reader on the touchpad. Setting up Windows Hello was pretty fast, but I found the sensor to be pretty sensitive after. Even if I had already cleaned my fingers and wiped out the sweat, the sensor sometimes won’t read it.

It also comes with a chiclet keyboard without the number pad on the right side. Key travel, for me was decent and took just a short while to get used to. Sadly, it wasn’t backlit which I would have liked — especially for working late at night. 

Finally, you get what you can with its display. It’s only a 14-inch HD display, which doesn’t leave you much room for proper viewing angles and color accuracy. The one good quality it has, in my opinion, is that it’s an anti-glare screen. I used the device outdoors several times, and even at 70 percent brightness I could still see the contents of my screen.

Is the ASUS VivoBook X412F your GadgetMatch?

The ASUS VivoBook X412F is one device that truly caters to those who want an affordable yet premium experience. It comes in a package that promises great productivity and portability, and lasts a long time. It’s a total fit for students and young professionals looking for their first school or work laptop. Of course, that’s only the case as long as it is used for its intended purpose.

With a device like this, you can only do so much. While tasks such as photo, video editing, and gaming are possible, it proves to do more harm than good. If you really want to get the most value out of this laptop, I suggest you use it mostly for its intended purpose.At PhP 32,995 (US$ 629) for the 256GB + 4GB RAM unit, the ASUS VivoBook X412F is a great productivity device for work and school. That is, if you will use it for work or school-related activities.

SEE ALSO: ASUS VivoBook, X series laptops on sale at Shopee

Accessories

OBSBOT Meet Flip Hands-on

It’s tinier and folds this time

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Phones flip and fold. Now webcams do too.

Foldable screens have found their way into phones, tablets, and laptops in recent years. Now, OBSBOT is taking that idea in a considerably smaller direction: the webcam.

OBSBOT Meet Flip

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is the company’s first foldable 4K webcam packing:

  • 1/2-inch stacked CMOS sensor
  • intelligent audio
  • a collection of AI-powered meeting tools

All of these inside a body weighing just 37.7 grams.

A fold that does something, not just a gimmick

The OBSBOT Meet Flip isn’t foldable just to make it easier to throw into a bag.

Closing the webcam physically blocks the lens and puts the device into sleep mode. Open it when you want to be seen, flip it shut when you don’t.

A physical privacy cover isn’t novel in itself. What’s clever here is how it’s part of the folding design.

As someone with a love-hate relationship with data privacy, I almost always keep some physical barrier over my laptop webcam. And if I can avoid having a webcam there entirely, even better.

Serious camera hardware in a pocket-sized webcam

Despite its size, OBSBOT hasn’t treated the Meet Flip like a basic laptop-camera replacement.

Inside is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology, capable of recording 4K UHD at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. It also packs an f/1.8 aperture, HDR, PDAF autofocus, ISO 100–6400, and up to 4x digital zoom.

At its core is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology.

It can record:

  • 4K UHD at 30fps
  • 1080p at 60fps

You also get:

  • f/1.8 aperture
  • HDR
  • PDAF autofocus
  • ISO 100–6400
  • up to 4x digital zoom

On paper, that gives the Meet Flip a better shot at handling the situations built-in laptop webcams often struggle with: dim rooms, harsh backlighting, changing lighting conditions, or simply moving around in front of the camera.

HDR helps keep faces visible against bright backgrounds, while PDAF autofocus continuously adjusts focus as you move closer to or farther from the lens.

The wider f/1.8 aperture should also help in less-than-ideal lighting.

The point is that once the Meet Flip is set up, you shouldn’t have to spend much time thinking about the camera itself.

It listens differently depending on the room setup

The Meet Flip also uses an intelligent dual-microphone system combining omnidirectional and directional microphones.

Instead of relying on one pickup pattern for every situation, it offers four audio modes for different setups:

Directional Mode focuses on sound coming from the front, making it the obvious choice for solo calls.

Dual-Directional Mode listens to both the front and rear of the webcam, which could be useful for interviews or conversations between two people sitting across from each other.

Conference Meeting

Smart Omni Mode is designed for group meetings, picking up voices from around the room.

And Pure Audio Mode provides unprocessed left and right stereo channels for users who would rather handle the audio themselves in post-production.

Auto Gain and AI Noise Reduction also work across the first three modes, helping clean up audio without requiring much manual adjustment.

It gives the Meet Flip more flexibility than a typical webcam microphone, especially if you regularly switch between solo calls, interviews, and group meetings.

AI that doesn’t intrude

AI has become an almost obligatory addition to new hardware in 2026, but several of the Meet Flip’s features put it to work on real-world meeting annoyances.

AI Auto Framing keeps you in frame, with options for:

  • Group
  • Single Close-up
  • Upper Body
  • Full Body

Gesture controls can also toggle Auto Framing or adjust the zoom without reaching for a keyboard or mouse.

OBSBOT Meet Flip

More interesting is AI Magic Notes.

Through OBSBOT Center, it provides real-time transcription and can automatically generate meeting summaries with key points, decisions, and action items. It works across Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

Although AI Magic Notes is offered as a subscription service, every Meet Flip includes 120 complimentary minutes to get started.

MORE with OBSBOT Center & OBSBOT Live

There are plenty of other software features as well. OBSBOT Center includes:

  • Background Blur and Background Replacement
  • Real-Time Beauty Mode
  • Picture-in-Picture overlays
  • Smart Eye Tracking
  • Teleprompter support
  • Detailed image adjustments

The Meet Flip isn’t limited to laptops or desktops either. Through OBSBOT Live, it can connect directly to smartphones and tablets over USB-C for mobile streaming and content creation.

Flip it open. Fold it away.

None of those features reinvent the webcam on their own.

Taken together, though, they make the Meet Flip a more thoughtful take on a piece of hardware whose basic design and features have barely changed.

The flip may grab your attention first, but it’s how OBSBOT uses that design alongside its camera, audio, and software features that makes the Meet Flip interesting.

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is now available at US$ 119 and is currently available through OBSBOT’s official store, Amazon US, and select retailers.

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Laptops

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition now available

Premium aesthetic, AI-ready performance, exclusive accessory bundle

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The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition is now available. It is the latest addition to MSI’s artisan collection. It combines a design inspired by one of the most influential painters in the world, AI-ready performance, portability, and an exclusive accessory bundle.

This limited-edition laptop celebrates artistic craftsmanship. Its design captures the emotion, movement, and creative spirit of two of the artist’s most iconic masterpieces.

Beyond the aesthetic, the special 2-in-1 laptop delivers versatility and AI-ready performance. It’s chiefly meant for creators and professionals and their modern-day workflow.

The package is completed by an exclusive bundle pack with a wireless mouse, Van Gogh-inspired mousepads, and ID badge, sleeve bag, keyboard cover, and specially designed packaging.

The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition draws inspiration from the “Starry Night Over the Rhône” and “The Starry Night.”

Such contrasting moods on each painting influenced the product’s design language. Chassis textures, color details, and UI themes of MSI Center M reflect the flowing movement and layered emotions found on the two paintings.

Different blue tones, textures, and finishes also capture the range of moods — from peaceful and quiet to bold and expressive.

Built for modern creative workflows

Beyond its artistic identity, the 2-in-1 laptop is built for creators who move between work, inspiration, and everyday life.

The laptop is powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, weighs 1.37 kilograms, and measures 11.9mm thin.

It supports a range of AI-enhanced experiences for both creativity and productivity. This includes A-assisted photo editing, image generation, video editing, background noise reduction, live captions, and other intelligent tools.

In front is a 14-inch OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, delivering rich contrast and accurate color reproduction.

Inside is an 81Whr battery supporting up to 30 hours of 1080p video playback under specific test conditions.

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Laptops

30 days later with the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra: Like seeing an ex

Felt exactly as I remembered.

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ASUS Expertbook Ultra

I genuinely thought that was it.

The review was done. The feature was out. ASUS had already collected the laptop. In my head, the campaign was over.

Then, out of nowhere, they sent it back.

Between the original review period and this unexpected encore, I ended up living with the ExpertBook Ultra for close to 30 days.

I wasn’t expecting to spend more time with it, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain. If anything, I just hoped they wouldn’t ask for it back again anytime soon.

Picking it back up felt familiar.

Like seeing an ex.

The butterflies came back almost immediately. So did everything I remembered about it.

It also got me thinking.

Maybe the best follow-up to a review isn’t spending another week with a laptop. Maybe it’s asking yourself one simple question:

How much did you actually miss it after it was gone?

That question was surprisingly easy to answer.

It still feels impossibly light

The first thing I noticed wasn’t the display. It wasn’t the keyboard either.

It was the weight.

That became painfully obvious on days when I absolutely had to bring my laptop around. The 0.99kg starting weight really does make a difference when you’re bouncing between cafés, meetings, and wherever else work decides to take you.

So when the ExpertBook Ultra came back, it slipped right back into the same routine. Same cafés. Dinner after. Then back home where work usually followed me all the way to bed.

Most definitely inside the Bravo Tote V2. I upgraded my bag too lol.

The thing I noticed almost immediately wasn’t that it was light. I already knew that. It was how quickly everything came back.

Like we never parted.

The ASUS ExpertBook Ultra is still everything I want my MacBook Pro to look and feel like.

I still have a weird relationship with the Nano Ceramic finish

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I still catch myself running my hand across the lid before opening the laptop.

It’s just become part of the ritual.

Pick it up. Marvel at how light it is. Run my hand across the 9H Nano Ceramic finish. Then get to work.

One of the things I wondered after ASUS took the laptop back was whether I’d still care about the finish once the honeymoon phase had worn off. It felt like one of those features that would naturally lose its magic over time.

Apparently not. If anything, the time apart made me appreciate it even more. And as I continued to use it, these words came to mind: “I wish we never parted. I wish you stayed. And I wish you never go away.”

I forgot how much I liked working on it

ASUS Expertbook Ultra

One thing that didn’t change while the ExpertBook Ultra was away was the kind of work I do.

The breadth and depth of it certainly didn’t magically change. I still spent my days coordinating projects, replying to emails, juggling deadlines, and letting ChatGPT help me process unresolved feelings and questionable timing in between writing articles.

That also meant I wasn’t really the target audience for some of the ExpertBook Ultra’s AI for Work features. I appreciated having tools like MyExpert, AI ExpertMeet, and Copilot+ within reach, but my workflow rarely called for them. Most days, I was simply too busy doing the work instead of exploring new ways to do it.

Although, I will say I did a lot more coordination work than the emotionally charged reviews and features I usually enjoy writing.

I also started editing a reel before eventually handing it over to one of our video editors for reasons completely unrelated to the ExpertBook Ultra. Rodneil issue.

The keyboard, though, was just as lovely as I remembered. The 1.5 mm key travel still struck a nice balance between comfort and responsiveness, while the ASUS ExpertCool keyboard with its Excimer UV coating gave me one less thing to worry about during long workdays.

People often say a good keyboard is one you stop thinking about. I never did.

Every now and then I’d be halfway through an article and randomly catch myself appreciating how good it felt to type on. It’s one of those things you don’t expect to notice after days of use, but somehow you still do.

The haptic touchpad, on the other hand, started feeling like it was fighting me a little this time around. I still think that’s more of a software thing than an ASUS thing. If there’s one thing Apple still has over practically everyone else, it’s the MacBook trackpad.

That said, I still never found myself reaching for a mouse.

I got distracted… again (thanks, 3K Tandem OLED)

See You at Work Tomorrow | Kang Mina | ASUS Expertbook Ultra

Eventually, though, my brain would tap out.

That’s usually when I’d stop pretending to be productive and switch to whatever was helping me decompress that week.

This time, it was See You at Work Tomorrow. I initially watched for second female lead Kang Mina (due for a lead role, btw) but got hooked with the rest of the cast pretty quickly.

See You at Work Tomorrow | Kang Mina | ASUS Expertbook Ultra

I also started Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You. It’s quietly become one of my comfort shows of late.

Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You | ASUS Expertbook Ultra

And naturally, there were the occasional fancams. This time, mostly of Kim Chaewon during LE SSERAFIM’s PUREFLOW concert stops.

LE SSERAFIM Chaewon fancam | ASUS Expertbook Ultra

Funny enough, I don’t think I consciously appreciated the 3K Tandem OLED display as much this time around. I think I just got used to how good it looked.

Somewhere between deadlines, comfort shows, anime, and Chaewon fancams, I stopped noticing the display altogether. I just enjoyed whatever happened to be on it.

That’s probably the highest compliment I can give it.

Turns out, I hadn’t changed my mind

One of the reasons I was genuinely happy the ExpertBook Ultra came back was because I wanted to see whether I’d remembered it too fondly. After all, that’s usually what time does. You remember the good parts, forget the little annoyances, and convince yourself something was better than it actually was.

That never happened here.

If anything, getting the laptop back just reinforced the conclusions I had already come to the first time around. It still feels impossibly light. I still think it’s everything I want my MacBook Pro to look and feel like. And yes, I still wish it ran macOS.

Sorry, Windows.

What surprised me more was that I never really found myself looking for reasons to disagree with my original review. I wasn’t paying attention to the little things anymore. Nor was I trying to re-review the laptop or see if I’d somehow missed a fatal flaw the first time around.

I just… used it.

It stopped feeling like a review unit and simply became the laptop I reached for whenever I had work to do or wanted to unwind with a K-drama at the end of the day. Looking back, that’s probably why nothing really changed. I had already formed my opinion. Getting it back just confirmed it.

The person I picture using this laptop also hasn’t changed. It’s still for people who’ve made strides in life and want a machine that reflects where they are while keeping up with everything they’re taking on.

That’s who I pictured when I first wrote about the ExpertBook Ultra.

Funny enough… That’s still who I picture today.

Sometimes the best review begins after the review ends

When ASUS took the laptop back, there was actually some relief. It signalled that the campaign was over.

That feeling didn’t last very long.

I couldn’t help but long for it shortly after, especially on days that I absolutely had to bring a laptop around. The weight really does play a big factor during days like this. And as ridiculous as it sounds, I never quite got over the Nano Ceramic finish either.

That’s probably what surprised me the most. Not that I still liked the ExpertBook Ultra. I already knew that.

It was realizing just how much of the experience stayed with me after it was gone.

If you’ve been considering the ExpertBook Ultra, my advice probably hasn’t changed after spending close to 30 days with it. Don’t buy it because it’s the lightest laptop around or because it packs every feature under the sun. Buy it because you want a machine that quietly gets out of your way and lets you focus on the work that matters. That’s what it ended up doing for me.

After this reunion, the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra will likely leave me again. Some exes are just like that. They’re meant to be exes.

And while they don’t stay, they leave an imprint on how you go about life moving forward.

I just know some part of me will always look for the best that I’ve found with the ExpertBook Ultra whenever another laptop lands on my desk.

Is that fair? Perhaps not. But it is what it is.


Thinking of making the switch?

If you’ve been considering the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra, ASUS Business Philippines is currently running an Early Bird Bundle Promo until August 31, 2026. Purchase any ASUS ExpertBook Ultra from participating ASUS Expert Stores and select tech retailers to receive over Php 13,000 worth of freebies, including an ASUS 100W GaN Charger and SSI Gift Certificates. (DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-261070 Series of 2026.)

The ASUS ExpertBook Ultra starts at Php 129,995 and is available through select ASUS authorized stores and tech retailers nationwide.

Every purchase also includes a 3-year battery and charger warranty extension, with upgradeable warranty coverage of up to 5 years, giving you added peace of mind long after you’ve taken it home.

Where to buy:

ASUS ExpertBook Ultra: https://ph.asus.click/ExpertBookUltra-WheretoBuy
ASUS Expert Store – Lazada: https://ph.asus.click/ASUSExpertBookStoreLazada
ASUS Expert Store – Shopee: https://ph.asus.click/ASUSExpertBookStoreShopee

For businesses, ASUS Business Philippines also offers flexible configurations tailored to your organization’s needs. To learn more about volume purchases, visit:
https://ph.asus.click/Business-VolumePurchase

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