Anirudh RegidiMar 26, 2021 12:12:37 IST
The ASUS V241EA is an all-in-one PC with a great display and mid-range laptop hardware, that can double as a 24-inch monitor when needed. If that’s the kind of device you’re looking for, read on.
Powering this machine is an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU that’s paired with 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD. And to be clear, that’s not one of the new 11th Gen Rocket Lake desktop CPUs that Intel announced a few days ago. No, the 1135G7 is a 25W laptop CPU with four cores and Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
The V241EA features a large screen with vanishingly small bezels. The bottom strip houses dual mics and a 720p webcam, as well as a pair of 3W stereo speakers that are surprisingly good. Image: Anirudh Regidi
Is it any good?
That depends on what you intend to do with this machine. If your computing needs can be summed up by the words, “Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Zoom, Excel, Word, Slack, Microsoft Teams,” this PC is good enough.
If you’re considering gaming, coding, video editing, or any kind content creation or serious computing, however, look elsewhere.
For daily work, as a typical student or worker bee, this laptop-grade i5 is good enough. 8 GB of RAM isn’t a lot, but it’s enough for this CPU and will ensure a lag-free computing experience for your relatively light workload.
I pushed the system to its limit with synthetic benchmarks and real-world workloads (like opening dozens of Chrome tabs while working in Word and Excel). The system didn’t stutter once, and better still, the fan stayed completely silent.
You’ll find the benchmarking results in the chart below, but honestly, they’re not worth looking at. Firstly, this PC is meant for light home/office use and not gaming, and secondly, faster components will make no difference to the subjective experience of using this PC for the tasks it was designed for.
Here we see the laptop-grade i5 in the V241EA AiO compared to a laptop-grade i7 in an Ultrabook from the same company. Despite being slower on paper, the AiO’s i5 takes the lead in several tests owing to the better cooling performance of its larger chassis.
I like the display
The 24-inch integrated display is excellent and key to making the computing experience feel pleasant on this AiO. It’s a bright, contrasty screen that’s great for movies and text alike, though I do wish the resolution was higher than 1080p.
The display is well-calibrated and colour rendition is great as is. Gamut coverage stands at an excellent 86% sRGB and brightness at 261 nits. Contrast ratio came in at an impressive 1024:1. Screen uniformity is quite good, as are viewing angles.
My favourite feature of this PC, however, is the fact that it has an HDMI-in port, which means that this display can be used as either a monitor, or as a sort of mini TV for your game console or Chromecast. You can switch between monitor and PC modes at the press of a button, and without needing to reboot the PC.
I wish more AiOs, especially Apple’s iMacs, had this feature.
It’s a great display for editing photos on, but I’d recommend getting something with at least 100% sRGB coverage if you’re serious about colour.
I also like the speakers
They’re dual 3-Watt speakers and are loud enough to fill a small room. They have some bass, especially at the distances you’ll be using this machine, and there’s good stereo separation. I watched a lot of videos on this machine and even plugged in a FireTV stick for the heck of it. This PC delivers a great multimedia experience.
I hate the keyboard and mouse
They’re wireless and not horrible, but they feel like cheap hunks of plastic.
The keyboard is powered by 2x AAA cells and the mouse by a single AA battery. The keyboard isn’t backlit, and while the keys have great travel and don’t wobble much, they feel mushy.
The mouse will do its job, but it won’t track on glossy surfaces – most decent mice do. The scroll wheel is particularly bad. It’s imprecise and rapid flicks don’t even register at times.
Where’s the USB-C port?
We gave Apple a tonne of flack for ditching USB-A in its MacBook line, but this was 5 years ago, when USB-C wasn’t a thing. It’s now 2021, everything is USB-C. But not this AiO. I can’t even connect my Android phone to the V241 to transfer images now.
Four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI in and an HDMI out, and an Ethernet jack are great to have, but where’s the USB-C port? Image: Anirudh Regidi
Anyway, you get 4x USB 3 ports, 1x USB 2.0 port — where you’ll permanently house the wireless dongle for your keyboard and mouse — an HDMI out, an HDMI in, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack.
Verdict: A well-rounded package for light home/office use
While I would always recommend that you build your own PC, if you’re looking for a hassle-free setup, I must admit that an AiO is a good option.
The V241EA from ASUS is a good example of this. It’s not very powerful, but it’s powerful enough for light home/office use. The display and speakers are also great, and I love the fact that you can use the display as an external monitor/mini TV.
You’re certainly paying a premium for the ASUS brand, but the V241EA is a well-rounded package and worth picking up.
