Computer hardware is getting cheaper and cheaper, so much so that many devices such as printers, are now a disposable item. It seems that laptops aren’t far behind that with Asus bringing a student-focussed 11.6 inch laptop to market for a mere $559.00 outright.
The BR1100 can run as a laptop, or in flipped “A frame” setup for media playback and is set up to last through daily use and — limited — abuse. It features a rubber bumper to minimise shocks to the device and a spill resistant keyboard. With other design elements, Asus have completed testing to confirm that the BR1100 will survive drops of up to 1.2 meters although it’s not recommended.
As a starting point, it’s somewhat devoid of storage with 128GB eMMC installed but an M.2 SSD slot for up to 1TB of additional storage. The marketing clearly points to this being a workhorse for school kids, offering a full day of battery (10 hours) on a single charge. The integrated Intel UHD graphics will do the job for streaming media and word processing, but gaming will be too much to ask of it.
If you’re concerned about connectivity, it ticks the boxes for all of the basics. You’ll have Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, an HD Webcam with shutter, USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet and a headphone jack. All in all, it’s a solid offering for a really friendly price.
