ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 Laptop Review

The ASUS P-Series’ key highlights are its decent performance, excellent security, and long battery life. It will comfortably meet the needs of anyone in business, especially mindful of Small and Medium Enterprise owners pressed to get the best value out of their hard-earned money. Without a doubt, the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 Laptop gets a thumbs up from us.

ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 15.6” 8GB RAM 256 SSD...

Pros

TPM and fingerprint reader are present for better security
Large removable battery
Excellent port variety and selection
Respectable specifications at a budget

Cons

Lacks a USB Type-C port
Not best suited for gamers

ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 15.6” 8GB RAM 256 SSD...

Strong combination of design and business productivity. Incredible battery life with up to 9 hours*...
Affordable price with the right amount of small business security and manageability. TPM and...
Intel Core i7-8550U processor 1.8 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz) processor with 8GB of RAM and 256...

If you love business and just need the right tools to get you going, then the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 Laptop might just be what you need. Down from display quality all the way to security, the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 traverses the paths of business and patches up the pitfalls that ordinary laptops may just fail to cover. Best of all… you don’t have to lose an arm and a leg to get it

ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 Specs

Processor	8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U Processor \| 1.8 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz)
RAM	8 GB RAM
Internal Storage	256GB SSD
Display	15.6-inch \| Resolution – 1920 x 1080 pixels (FHD) \| TN panel \| Anti-glare \| LED-Backlit
Graphics	Discrete NVIDIA GeForce MX110 graphics with 2GB of memory
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.2 \| Integrated 802.11ac
Interface	Microphone-in/Headphone-out jack USB 3.0 ( x 3) USB 2.0 ( x 1) RJ-45 HDMI VGA 2-in-1 Micro-SD card reader ( SD and MMC)
Memory Card Reader	Yes \| Multi-format card reader
Integrated Webcam	Yes \| HD
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro
	Built-in Stereo and Microphone
Dimensions	15 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches \| 38 x 25.7 x 2.3 cm
Weight	5.2 lbs \| 2.4 kgs
Battery	48WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion battery \| Removable / Lasts for 9 hours

DESIGN AND FEATURES

Consonant with the business theme, the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 features a simple yet functional design and a subtle sleek feel to it. Or perhaps the sleekness emanates from the smooth matte exterior coating that graces the touch… deliberated quality is the word. While made of plastic, the body feels strong and ill subject to flex, just what one needs to handle the rigors of travel.

If you’re out in the market for a thin and light machine, then the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 may not exactly fit the bill. A better option may just be the ASUS UX360CA-AH51T that weighs only 2.9 lbs. However, that does not mean that the ASUS P-Series is averse to the traveler’s bag, neither is it overly large or bulky for convenience.

It weighs 5.2 lbs (11.5 Kgs) – which is below the 5.5 lb threshold for desktop replacements laptops – and measures 15 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches. With such a weight, the occasional ride on your shoulder as you take the stairs to your car or as you walk from the office to the coffee shop won’t land you at the hospital with a broken back.

Under the hood …

On opening the lid, the full-sized qwerty chiclet keyboard is unavoidably apparent: a well-spaced set of keys in the company of a te- key numeric keypad. A numeric keypad comes quite handy more so when feeding in numeric values, saving the user both time and effort. Unfortunately, the keyboard is not backlit… which of course sucks, but is something we expected to see in a sub $500 laptops.

One exception to that is the Acer Aspire E 15, a sub $400 machine that offers a lot more than it costs. Thanks to the decent key spacing and deep key travel, however, one can easily achieve his/her full typing speed within a few minutes of practice.

The touchpad, on the other hand, is slightly displaced to the left, and offer excellent functionality. Scrolling is smooth both online and offline, and clicks are accurate. It further supports multi-finger gestures for better user experience.

Display

Adorning the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 is a 15.6 Inch TN display with LED-backlighting. With a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, image quality is crisp and color reproduction is impressive. However, IPS displays offer better viewing angles and generally a richer viewer experience, though costing significantly more.

Thus for an ordinary user with typical non-professional needs, the TN display will be quite fine. Reading is a joy thanks to the anti-glare display that keeps glare in check thus preventing eye strain while at the same time maintaining image quality and integrity.

The ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 simply oozes with ports. Every inch on the sides that could fit a port had one installed into it. On the left side features three USB 3.0 ports, an RJ-45 port, HDMI port, and a VGA port. On the left is a headphone/microphone combo jack out and one USB 2.0 port, with the card reader being positioned at the front left.

The card supports SD and MMC formats which means it’s well equipped for both multi-media transfer from your camera or just for simple data transfer from and to another laptop. In terms of port selection, the makers of the ASUS P-Series got it right. The only query we have with it is the lack of a USB-C port, especially considering its versatility and how widespread it’s beginning to be with each passing day.

However, the lack of this port does not stand as an insurmountable obstacle to meeting the user’s needs.

Wireless connectivity, on the other hand, is via the latest 802.11ac wireless WLAN and Bluetooth 4.2.

SECURITY

The main feature that sets the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 apart as a business laptop is its security. Without a doubt, much time, effort and deliberation went into coming up with a secure machine at an affordable cost. The features included in it are as follows.

Kensington lock
BIOS Booting User Password Protection
Intel Anti-theft
TPM (Trusted Platform Module)
Finger Print Reader

Thanks to the TPM, you can easily secure your login information, store biometric data and check the health of your computer. It’s a feature mostly found on business laptops, notebooks, and desktops. Today, TPMs are part of virtually every computer especially if those machines will ever find themselves crossing hairs with user authentication, network access or data protection.

PERFORMANCE

The ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 drives on the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor – energy-efficient quad-core processor made primarily for notebooks. Alongside that processor is 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD of internal storage and an Nvidia GeForce MX110. Breaking it down further, the Intel Core i7-8550U processor has a base clock speed of 1.8 GHz and a turbo frequency of 4.1 GHz.

This means that most tasks will run seamlessly and without a hitch on the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71. Tasks such as word processing, browsing the net with multiple tabs open, video streaming, Photoshop, and Auto CAD run without a hitch. Thanks to the large RAM, even demanding tasks such as gaming run seamlessly.

Despite issuing such sentiments, it is important to note that the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 is not a gaming PC. Yes, it can handle a little gaming here and there, but it falls short when it comes to competitive games. Most modern games can play with appreciably decent frame rates at minimum settings – these being games like Call of Duty WWII, Need for speed payback, Assassin’s Creed and FIFA 18.

Memory and Storage

These days, 8GB is the standard memory size for running software and applications. However, in the event the 8 GB RAM is not sufficient for you, the ASUSPRO P2540UB was designed with the capacity for expansion to a maximum of 16 GB. For the most part, 16GB should cover you over the future and long haul. If you’re planning on running some profession applications, video editing or audio post-production, then you need the 16GB. Otherwise, it will be overkill.

The motherboard houses two SO-DIMM sockets which are accessible via a door at the bottom of the machine. This makes it super easy to make upgrades – and you don’t have to be an IT expert to plug in a RAM stick.

The 1TB hard disk drive (HDD) on the other hand is enough storage for numerous movies, music, and files – though being a slower than more recent Solid-state drives. If speed is your principal concern, you can replace the HDD with a SATA III solid-state drive. With such a combination of specs, the ASUSPRO P2540UB guarantees to take you at least three years before you feel the need to replace it with another PC.

Audio and battery

The ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 comes with two ASUS SonicMaster tuned Speakers (2 Watt), an analog microphone and a VGA/HD camera. The speakers output good quality sound with a decent sound range that will only fall short of satisfying staunch audiophiles.

On matters battery, the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 performs quite well. It has a 48 WHr battery that lasts a 3 – 4 hours depending on the usage, which is standard for a 15.6 Inch desktop replacement laptops. Moreover, the ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 version has a 72WHrs battery which gets closer to the advertised 9-hour runtime.

Thanks to the readily removable battery, it’s possible to carry an extra battery that you can switch whenever the first brick runs out – perfect for those long haul flights ever so often.

An Excellent partner in business

The ASUSPRO P2540UB-XB71 bears a simple yet robust exterior, and the performance to boot. It forms an excellent choice for anyone out in search of security and reliability at a budget. It delivers exceptionally well all round and is it is well worth the investment you’ll make to get it. And that is why we recommend as the best budget business laptop.

P/S This matte finish laptop just made it to Amazon’s top list (Amazon’s Choice) of recommended work laptops.