Asus BR1100 Specifications
- CPU: Intel Celeron N4500
- Display: 11.6-inch IPS LCD 1366 x 768p, 60Hz
- GPU: Intel UHD
- Memory: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB NVMe PCIe Gen3
- Battery: 42WHr
- OS: Microsoft Windows 11 64-bit
Asus BR1100 Review: Design
Asus BR1100 is built to last and is designed in a way that it can withstand a bit of mishandling. The entirety of the Asus BR1100 is made using rubber and plastic, which will help absorb the impact and protect the internal components. The Asus BR1100 is a compact laptop with an 11.6-inch display with thick bezels on all four sides.
Do note that the Asus BR1100 is a fan-less laptop and uses a cooling solution similar to the one used on smartphones and tablets. The device has heatsinks inside, which help spread out the heat across a large area, helping the processor to stay cool even with the continuous usage with minimal performance throttle.
The laptop has side-mounted volume controllers, similar to smartphones, and a power button. When it comes to connectivity, the device does have two USB-A ports, a USB Type-C port, a full-sized HDMI port, an RJ45 ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a white LED indicator on the back panel, which acts as a battery indicator. When the battery reaches less than 20 percent, the LED will start blinking.
Asus BR1100 Review: Display
The Asus BR1100 has an 11.6-inch IPS LCD screen with 1366 x 768p resolution with thick bezels. The display offers a peak brightness of 220nits with 45 percent NTSC color space coverage and a screen-to-body ratio of 45 percent.
Due to the thick bezels, the display looks a bit dated. When it comes to color accuracy, the display does look a bit dull, and the Asus BR1100 is not meant for outdoor usage. Given the Asus BR1100 is targeted toward school students, in indoor usage, the display gets plenty bright and one should not have any issues while using the same.
I have been using a lot of laptops with high-resolution displays with better color accuracy, which makes the display on the Asus BR1100 look below average. Not just colors, the display looks yellow when viewed from a side angle. If you are high on watching movies, then the Asus BR1100's display might disappoint you.
Asus BR1100 Review: Keyboard And Trackpad
The Asus BR1100 has an excellent keyboard. The keys offer good feedback with plenty of key travel. In fact, the keyboard on the Asus BR1100 is on par with some of the laptops that are over Rs. 50,000. The only caveat is that the keyboard does not have backlighting.
The laptop has a tiny trackpad, which gets the job done. However, it is best to use an external mouse for a better user experience. Given the laptop has two USB-A ports, one can easily use one of those to connect a wired mouse or a receiver of a wireless mouse.
Asus BR1100 Review: Audio And Camera
Like the majority of mainstream laptops, the Asus BR1100 also has a 720p web camera. The device does have a physical web camera shield, which offers a sense of safety. Again, under good lighting conditions, the web camera does a good job, and can easily be used to attend online classes or even to join an office meeting.
When it comes to audio, the laptop has a SonicMaster-powered speaker setup. The sound offers plenty of clarity, however, the speakers aren't loud enough to fill the room, and it's best to use an earphone or a headphone for a better audio experience.
Asus BR1100 Review: Performance
The Asus BR1100 is powered by the Intel Celeron N4500 dual-core processor with up to 2.8GHz clock speed. The processor is paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage (M.2 SSD) with an additional SSD slot for additional storage expansion (up to 1TB).
On Geekbench 5, the Asus BR1100 posted 440 points on single-core and 549 points on multi-core CPU performance. These scores are pretty, as the Celeron N4500 is an entry-level processor. I also noticed that, with continuous usage, the bottom of the Asus BR1100 does get hot, and it does take its own time to come back to the room temperature.
During my usage, the Asus BR1100 does boot quickly. However, it does take a bit of time to load some of the applications. If you push the Asus BR1100 to its limit, the laptop does struggle a bit. However, for basic usage like browsing the web or taking notes, I did not notice any issue with the Asus BR1100.
Asus BR1100 Review: Battery Life And Connectivity
The Asus BR1100 has a 42WHr battery with support for 45W fast charging via the USB Type-C port. Asus claims that the BR1100 can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. In my testing (balanced mode) the laptop offered around six hours of battery life when used mainly for web browsing and watching videos online on platforms like YouTube.
The Asus BR1100 supports Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6. Do note that, in select markets, there is an LTE variant of the Asus BR1100 which also has a microSD card slot for additional storage expansion. In India, the company has not launched the LTE variant of the Asus BR1100.
Asus BR1100 Review: Verdict
The Asus BR1100 is a basic laptop with an entry-level Intel Celeron N4500 processor and 4GB RAM. While one might feel that the specifications of the Asus BR1100 are slightly dated, one should also know that the Asus BR1100 just costs Rs. 24,999 in India.
For the asking price, Asus has created a laptop that just offers the best possible user experience with Windows 11 OS, which allows students to use all sorts of software and services. Instead of an 11.6-inch screen, I would love to see a 13-inch or even a 14-inch screen which offers more real estate.