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Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge review: zippy performance with a great display
7:00 pm | August 28, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Two-minute review

As Samsung's first Windows 11 Copilot+ PC, the Galaxy Book4 Edge has a lot going for it, including momentum in the space with more applications rolling out support. Still, though, the Book4 Edge has some pretty tough competition - some of which has the laptop beat in terms of design and battery life.

The Galaxy Book4 Edge impressed with its lightweight and thin build for the more prominent 16-inch size that we tested. The star, though, alongside plenty of ports, was the vibrant and immersive AMOLED display, which was great for word processing, image editing, building stories, and editing images – as well as for watching movies and TV shows or the occasional video call. 

Performance, as we've come to expect from the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, was very impressive and made any task, aside from gaming, run smoothly. It also fixed the problem of a long wait to wake the laptop up from sleep. However, the Book4 Edge lacks overall battery life, so if you need a road warrior, you'd be better served by a Dell XPS 13 or Surface Laptop 7.

Even so, if you're after a big screen, the Galaxy Book4 Edge offers fast performance and deep integration with Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets, which other Copilot laptops cannot match. It's also heavily discounted, making the 14-inch or 16-inch models much more affordable.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? $1,349.99 / £1,399 starting for the 14-inch or $1,449.99 / £1,499 starting for the 16-inch
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where is it available? Available in the US and UK

Samsung's Galaxy Book4 Edge is currently available directly from the technology giant and authorized resellers like Best Buy in either a 14-inch or a 16-inch size. Know that if you want 1TB of storage or the faster 3.8GHz Snapdragon X Elite processor, you'll need the 16-inch size.

The 14-inch with 512GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and the 3.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite starts at $1,349.99 / £1,399, while the 16-inch with the same specs starts at $1,449.99 / £1,499. You'll need to pay more for the 3.8GHz processor and 1TB of storage at $1,749.99 or £1,699. For either model, though, Samsung is offering some substantial discounts.

It is also worth considering the Surface Laptop 7 since the 13-inch and 15-inch models are cheaper and have similar specs. 

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Specs

  • Specs: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Design

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge laptop's keyboard and trackpad

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • A big, expansive display housed in an ultra-slim, lightweight build
  • Plenty of ports
  • AMOLED screen is immersive and super punchy with colors

With a sleek aluminum build in a shade that Samsung has coined Sapphire Blue – truthfully mostly gray and silver with a dash of blue – the Galaxy Book4 Edge looks right at home alongside its other laptops. Mirroring Microsoft’s Surface Laptop lineup or many of Apple’s best MacBooks, the Book4 Edge also comes in two sizes: 14-inch or 16-inch.

I’ve spent several weeks with the bigger 16-inch, and while it offers an immersive experience from an AMOLED display, it’s strikingly lightweight and thin. Even with that large screen, it still feels very portable, thanks to a thin, tapered frame that allows for a good mix of ports. It's 0.48 inches thick and weighs just 3.4 grams, which makes it pretty lightweight for a laptop of this caliber. Furthermore, it’s a balanced weight that makes it easy to lift with just one hand and place on your lap for working on the fly.

However, with the 16-inch display, I’d say place it on a table at home or
a tray if you're out and about on a train or plane. The display here is one of my favorite aspects; Samsung has never been a slouch. Like Apple’s Mini LED Super Retina XDR displays on MacBook Pro, this AMOLED here is vibrant and punchy with colors but also delivers crisp, inky blacks for text. Everything pops, and if you’re into watching films or content on a laptop, it flies here well. It’s pretty accurate for image editing, and the boon over a Mac and competing laptops is the touch-enabled screen. 

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge's left-side port selection

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

You can easily connect to an external monitor if you need more real estate, though, as Samsung didn’t skimp on any ports here. The left side has an HDMI and two USB-C ports, while the right has a micro SD card slot, headphone jack, and USB-A port. The latter is nice to see on a modern, ultra-thin laptop in 2024. 

Under the display in the main hull of the Galaxy Book4 Edge is a full-size keyboard with a function row and a number pad that feels cramped on the right hand side. It seems like a last-minute addition that didn't shake out in practice. The rest of the keys are a bit more expectedly sized and comfortable enough to type on, but there is significant travel here. To that effect, the keys don’t recoil a tremendous amount. 

On the other hand, the trackpad is quite spacious and easy to navigate around the 16-inch AMOLED screen. With one swipe, you can quickly move a file from the top left to the bottom right. 

So yes, any 16-inch laptop will be a behemoth, but Samsung’s approach was to slim it down and cut the weight. That’s effectively done here, so while the 16-inch Galaxy Book4 Edge is large, it has a bit of grace thanks to its lightweight and ultra-slim build that reminds me of Windows Ultrabooks from yonder.

  • Design: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Performance

An open Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge resting on a countertop

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Copilot works well here
  • Deep integration with Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets for some really handy functionality
  • If the app is compatible, performance will fly

Like other AI PCs – including Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 or Dell’s XPS 13 – the Galaxy Book4 Edge is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest, the Snapdragon X Elite. In short, Windows 11 really moves here. It’s faster to wake from sleep, it can last a heck of a lot longer in multi-day standby, optimized applications open much faster, and it feels a lot more instantaneous in everyday use. 

Of course, aside from general performance, the chip is also here to power some of the new AI features under the Copilot brand; there is even the dedicated key sandwiched between “ALT” and the number keys. Pressing it instantly (I’d say well under a second) brings up the Copilot app, which lets you chat with the assistant. From there, you can select a style for conversation – creative, balanced, or precise – and you’re off. Copilot was quick in my testing to provide topical answers on events, fast calculations, and even less specific ones. It will also employ “Designer” using DALL-E-3 to create images, be it a turtle underwater or a particular style of art recreation of a favorite city. Regardless of the answer, you’ll want to double-check it, though, since it’s AI and misinformation is possible.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge screen open to Copilot features

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

One Copilot feature that’s missing is Recall, though, as Microsoft is still working on it. With this promised feature, Windows will take screenshots and create a history of sorts. In its original form, this would have happened automatically, which caused some outcry, especially from a privacy perspective. If you’re keen to try it now, it’s available via the Windows Insider Program, but it’s still in beta and isn’t designed for everyday use. When it does roll out, you’ll be able to opt in or out of it.

Performance here is mostly in line with other Copilot laptops, namely thanks to a similar, if not the same, Snapdragon X Elite processor inside. Applications open quickly, and tasks are completed promptly, especially for optimized software. You will still encounter applications that aren’t, though, even to the degree where you might not be able to install them. The hope is that adoption will continue to grow, and that developers will roll out updates; Adobe is already working on updating its suite beyond Photoshop. 

Samsung did some legwork here, though, and rolled out some really nice ecosystem features. If you have a Galaxy phone, this likely makes the Galaxy Book4 Edge the best AI PC to invest in – that can be doubled down if you have a Galaxy Tab since that can be used to extend your screen – no cables required. 

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge screen open to Samsung apps

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Steel Nomad: 586; Fire Strike: 6,003; Time Spy: 2,174; Wild Life Unlimited: 29,078
GeekBench 6.3: 2,935 (single-core); 15,818 (multi-core)
25GB File Copy: 
24.59 seconds
HandBrake 4k to 1080p encoding: 5:00 minutes
CrossMark Overall: 1,485; Productivity: 1,411; Creativity: 1,590; Responsiveness: 1,409
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 9:56:24
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Ultra): 24 fps; (1080p, Low): 21 fps

These Samsung apps are built-in, but you can find them under the Galaxy Book Experience. Folks with a Galaxy Z Flip or S will be right at home with Samsung Notes, Studio, SmartThings, Quick Share, and Phone Link. This lets you seamlessly bring elements from your phone to your laptop, like texts appearing on both, using your keyboard to respond on either, and even quickly sharing files between the two devices. 

It all works pretty seamlessly, but the star is being able to control your Galaxy phone on the Book4 Edge, just like the forthcoming iPhone Mirroring app for macOS Sequoia. It wasn’t without a hitch, and I did experience a crash, but when it works, it’s convenient, especially if you left your phone charging in another room.

Even with this Galaxy-specific experience running alongside other Windows apps, you’ll be hard-pressed to make this laptop slow down or get overly hot. As you’d expect from a Windows laptop with the latest Qualcomm chips, performance is fast, and that goes for productivity or creative experiences. This means that the Book4 Edge is suitable for work and play if compatible. 

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Battery

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge's numpad and stickers

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
  • Doesn't last as long as other Copilot laptops

Performance boosts aside, the other promised advantage of a Copilot laptop is greatly improved battery life. The Surface Laptop 7 in our review hit the mark with 15 hours in our battery test, while the Dell XPS 13 hit up to 20 hours. The latter is the best we’ve tested out of these new Windows laptops and beats out the Galaxy Book4 Edge by quite a bit.

In our standard video playback loop to test battery life, Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Edge lasts just shy of 10 hours at 9 hours and 56 minutes. It could be the AMOLED display, the larger size, or a smaller battery cell inside, but that is not the longest battery life by any stretch of the imagination…especially at this price point.

However, in qualitative use, you can get a full workday out of it if you can top it off at some point, mainly if you’re pushing it a bit harder with specific applications, as that will drain the power faster.

One big advantage, though, as I noted above, is that it does wake up pretty instantaneously from sleep, whether that be after a few minutes, hours, or days. Gone are the days of waiting for this to reboot. 

  • Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge?

Buy it if...

You want a big, vibrant screen
If you're looking for a large-screen laptop with excellent visuals, look no further than the Galaxy Book4 Edge. Its vibrant and punchy AMOLED screen looks great in nearly any viewing condition.

You're in the Samsung ecosystem
Unlike any other Copilot PC, the Galaxy Book4 Edge offers custom-made functionality that works with Galaxy phones and tablets.

Don't buy it if...

You want long battery life
If you want a long runtime that can easily last a day, even with more intensive use cases, you'd be better served with a Surface Laptop 7 or Dell XPS 13.

You want a smaller screen

If you don't need a large display, you'll save some money by opting for a 13-inch Copilot laptop like the Surface Laptop 7.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: Also consider

If you're aren't sold on Samsung's Galaxy Book4 Edge, consider these three alternative laptops.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

Just like the Galaxy Book4 Edge, the Surface Laptop 7 comes in two sizes – 13-inch or 15-inch – with excellent performance from the Snapdragon X Elite chip, all packaged in a slightly more premium build.

Check out our full Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge

I've spent nearly a month using the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge for work with applications like Edge, Slack, AirTable, the Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Chrome, as well as for play with countless applications. TechRadar ran a set of qualitative benchmarks to gauge performance. I matched those with my everyday performance in several scenarios, including being connected to power or running off battery indoors and outdoors.

To get a feel for the design, I used it in various locations and tested traveling with it with three backpacks to get a sense of versatility. I also wrote this review and countless other stories using the integrated keyboard and viewing them back on the display. I paid close attention to the Copilot experience and others that use the NPU in the Snapdragon X Elite processor. 

To get a sense of the ecosystem integration, I used the Galaxy Book4 Edge alongside a Galaxy S24 Ultra, a Galaxy Tab, and a Galaxy Z Fold 5 to test the functionality with experiences like Quick Share, working with Samsung Notes, and mirroring my phone screen to the laptop. 

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) review: incredible versatility and screens, held back by poor cooling
7:00 pm | August 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Two-minute review

The Zenbook Duo has always been a bit of a curious laptop. These Asus portables lie on the fringes of what you’d expect from high-end premium notebooks, bringing something of a gimmick to the forefront to differentiate the Zenbook.

For the uninitiated, the Duo in the name refers to the fact that this Zenbook packs two separate screens. Now this specific edition for 2024 has twin OLED panels, both offering a 2,880 x 1,800 resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. Both screens are 14 inches, and both are fixed together, with the laptop’s internal hardware interlinked between the two displays. Keyboard and mouse support is provided by a Bluetooth solution that can simultaneously pseudo “wirelessly” charge off the bottom display as well (there’s a pin connector basically).

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s a very different laptop design, then, and one that brings some major caveats with it. In particular, cooling with the Zenbook Duo takes a hit because of the real-estate that those twin screens take up, and the need for this device to be relatively thin. Higher spec models of the Zenbook Duo (2024), like the one we’re reviewing here, are decent enough in short-term bursts of activity, but struggle with any form of prolonged and demanding CPU workloads. Gaming in particular feels sluggish and is often on the verge of being unplayable, even at 1080p resolution with medium settings.

Still, pricing isn’t entirely unreasonable. In the US the Zenbook Duo (2024) retails on average for around $1,829, and in the UK about £2,000 or so, and you get some serious hardware in the laptop. It is, however, still more of a MacBook alternative rather than a serious work machine, and certainly not one of the best laptops around. For that, you’ll need to look at the Asus Zenbook Pro instead.

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Price and availability

  • How much does it cost? $1,829 / £2,000
  • When is it available? It's on sale now
  • Where can you get it? Newegg in the US, or Currys in the UK

At least on the surface, the Zenbook Duo appears to be remarkably good value for money. In our review model, Asus crammed in an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake) processor with six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power cores (22-threads in total). This CPU has a rated maximum clock speed of 5.1GHz, and sports a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for accelerating AI tasks. You get 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM (soldered, of course), and for storage you’re looking at a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

The biggest selling point, though, has to be those twin OLED displays. They’re vibrant, punchy, and really do make this laptop a joy to use, helping to justify the price tag.

There are a number of different Zenbook Duo (2024) models out there right now, and you can pick up one with a Core Ultra 7 processor, and a 1TB SSD plus 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM for a lot less than our review model here. Although be warned that lower-end variant does come with lower resolution (1080p) screens (and a slower refresh rate).

  • Price: 4 / 5

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Specs

Here are the specs for the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) at a glance. 

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Design

  • OLED screens are phenomenal
  • It all feels impressively premium
  • Some interesting hardware decisions

Okay, let me be clear here. I’ve been testing laptops for years, and have toyed around with a number of top-tier premium solutions, many of which have been Asus devices. The Zenbook Duo, from a purely physical perspective, is an absolutely outstanding notebook. Those dual screens are beautifully crisp, with an impressive response time (7.6ms MPRT when tested), and a buttery smooth refresh rate to cap it all. They’re bright, colorful, and gorgeous to behold.

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

The Duo’s not short on ports either, certainly not for a slim laptop. You get two USB Type-C, one USB-A (rated at 5Gbps), HDMI out, and a 4-pole 3.5mm analog jack as well. The keyboard (plus trackpad) is a Bluetooth affair, and, although not exactly thrilling with a simple design, it’s got an impressive battery life, and connects seamlessly to the Duo via magnets (and also charges pseudo-wirelessly via a pogo-pin off the Zenbook, as well).

The internal hardware is a little bit on the curious side, however. This particular model comes with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, which is quite a thirsty – and toasty – chip. It has an NPU built in, making the processor somewhat more potent at handling AI operations (although nowhere near as powerful as a dedicated GPU), but it does require some serious cooling to keep all that potency in check. I’ll talk a little bit more about that later.

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Other specs include 32GB of LPDDR5X soldered memory clocking in at an impressive 7,647MHz, and a 2TB WD SN740 M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, which although hefty in capacity, does lack in some respects in terms of performance (I’ll come back to that, too).

Overall build quality is impressive, with tiny screen bezels, and the integrated webcam isn’t obtuse by any means. Asus has really done an incredible job of making this feel and act like a premium device.

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

You can use the Zenbook Duo in all manner of configurations. Detach the keyboard and run it wirelessly and you’ve got a flat screen on your table, and one propped up in front of you. Alternatively, you can pop the stand out on the bottom screen (the underside of the laptop) and perch both screens up on a table fairly seamlessly. You can also disable that bottom screen entirely by positioning the keyboard on top of it too, and even flip it onto its side, and run both displays in portrait mode, side-by-side.

It’s just a fantastically seamless experience all round really, and it’s a party trick that never quite gets old. Although one thing to note: if you do flip the Zenbook so both screens are portrait, you lose access to at least some of those ports on the bottom.

  • Design: 4.5 / 5

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Performance

  • Day-to-day use is fine
  • CPU throttles during longer more intense workloads
  • SSD performance is underwhelming
Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) performed in our suite of industry-standard benchmarks and game tests.

Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,330
Multi - 11,645
3DMark:
Night Raid - 23,008
Solar Bay - 11,989
CrossMark:
Productivity - 1,533
Creativity - 2,060
Responsiveness - 1,350
Overall -1,709
Cyberpunk 2077:

1080p - 17.8fps (Medium)
Total War: Warhammer III:

1080p - 16.3 (Medium)
Final Fantasy XIV:
1080p - 37.3 (Medium)
CrystalDiskMark:
Read: 5,242MB/s
Write: 4,813MB/s
Cinebench R24:
Single-core - 106
Multi-core - 429
PCMark 10 Battery Test: 8h 4m

I ran the Zenbook Duo through a gamut of tests to really weigh up its worth and see just how it performs, covering everything from longer creative CPU workloads, to gaming, to AI operations and everything between. Across the board, the Asus laptop is pretty average, which is a challenging thing to say when looking at an $1,800 laptop. Clearly the bulk of the manufacturing cost is spent on the displays.

The Core Ultra 9 185H is a hot and hungry CPU by its very design. Run the Zenbook Duo through any relatively short benchmark, like Geekbench 6 or CrossMark, and it’ll typically spit out some fairly decent numbers. Geekbench gives it a score of around 11,645, and by comparison, Asus’s Vivobook S 15, with its Arm-based Snapdragon X processor, flirts with 13,864 (19% faster) in that test. The Acer Swift Go 14, with its Core Ultra 5 125H, manages 10,809  (7% slower) as well.

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Throw something a little more intense at the Duo, though, and soon enough the heat issues become apparent. In Cinebench 2024 the Zenbook Duo scored a paltry 429 in the multi-core test. The Core Ultra 5 in the Acer Swift managed 636, and the Vivobook S 15 an impressive 925 by comparison. That is a big difference, and it’s mostly down to clock speed falling off a cliff as the Zenbook throttles under the thermal load.

Then there’s the storage. Top-line sequential figures generally come out fairly well here. The 2TB drive produces 5,242MB/s read and 4,813MB/s write speeds, about on par with an average PCIe 4.0 SSD in a laptop, most likely due to a larger onboard cache. Where it falls apart a little is in the random 4K writes. The SN740 managed only 120MB/s whereas the 500GB Kingston drive in the Swift hit 227MB/s, and the drive in the Vivobook S reached 211MB/s. Random 4K benchmarking reflects Windows and game-loading performance, so that’s not so great to see here.

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of gaming, at 1080p on medium presets, it is possible to eke out some semi-tolerable performance. Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail managed 37.3 frames per second (fps), but Total War Warhammer 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (without XeSS and no ray tracing) were both under the 20 fps mark. Enable XeSS and Cyberpunk jumps up to a 26 fps average, but it’s still not exactly comfortable for many modern titles. The results are predictably worse at the Duo’s native resolution on low graphical presets, with even Final Fantasy’s Dawntrail benchmark clocking in at just 22.1 fps.

For AI testing I used UL Procyon’s AI Computer Vision benchmark with Float16 accuracy. Under CPU power alone, and in Windows’ Machine Learning API, the Zenbook Duo scored just 28, whereas again the Core Ultra 5 in the Swift Go managed 32 by comparison. Matters do improve if you switch to using the integrated GPU in that scenario, with the Zenbook landing 230 versus the Swift’s 194, but it’s still not a patch on a dedicated GPU which typically reaches well above the 1,000 mark, if not much higher (an RTX 4080, for reference, nets a score of around 1,940).

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

For day-to-day work then, the Zenbook Duo is a good pick. Its crisp displays and smooth desktop experience are beautiful to behold. However, if you are looking at any major rendering operation, or something that involves consistent workloads over a longer period of time, you are going to be severely limited by that Core Ultra 9 chip. Unfortunately, the difference between the Core Ultra 7 and the Ultra 9 mostly comes down to professional-grade features, rather than a reduction in core count, so you’re not likely to see improved performance with lower spec models either.

  • Performance: 2.5 / 5

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Battery life

  • Battery life is solid
  • Intel chips still lag behind Arm, though

The Zenbook Duo comes with a 75WHr battery as standard, paired with a 65W charger. It’s rapid enough to charge up, although not the fastest by any means. I used the Zenbook Duo as my daily driver for around two weeks or so, and found it to be more than adequate for holding a day’s worth of charge in the office.

I also benchmarked it utilizing a mixture of tests in PCMark 10. The video test in particular, with 50% screen brightness and no audio, managed just over eight hours before the device hit 3% charge. Gaming, as you’d probably expect, was far more demanding (and tested at 75% screen brightness), lasting for only a smidge over two hours before meeting the same fate.

That’s not bad, all things considered – and the fact Asus has even managed to cram in a 75WHr battery is nothing short of impressive. The Acer Swift, which has a 65WHr battery (about 13% smaller), only lasted for six hours in PCMark’s video test. Still, in both scenarios those are solid numbers, certainly for laptops with x86 chips. Neither of them, however, hold a candle to the Snapdragon X Elite in the Vivobook S 15, which lasted a phenomenal 12 hours.

  • Battery: 3.5 / 5

The Asus Zenbook Duo laptop photographed on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)?

Buy it if...

You’re looking for a versatile notebook with stunning screens
There’s no denying those twin 3K OLED panels are phenomenal to look at, with high refresh rates, a solid response time, and beautifully crisp colors. These screens themselves make the Zenbook Duo a tempting proposition.

You want a premium notebook ideal for office productivity work
The Duo is perfect for those looking for a Windows alternative to a mid-range MacBook. It might not have the clout of an Arm processor, but if you’re not into that, this Zenbook will have you covered.

Don't buy it if... 

You’re a creative with longer, more demanding, workloads
Rendering video? Working with large datasets? Managing AI workloads? This isn’t the laptop for you. Thermal throttling seriously hinders its overall performance by no small margin.

You’re looking for the best battery life
Similarly, Intel’s Core Ultra series may be better than its past mobile CPU offerings, and those from AMD, but Meteor Lake still doesn’t hold a candle to the Snapdragon processors now out in the wild.

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024): Also consider

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+
It’s the Arm-based Snapdragon chip in this notebook that really dominates in performance terms, but it’s all bundled together with a beautiful design, plus phenomenal pricing.

Read the full Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ review

Acer Swift Go 14
This laptop is far more affordable than the Asus Zenbook Duo. What it lacks in extra screens, it makes up for with stellar performance for the price – plus it’s still an OLED display here, too.

Read the full Acer Swift Go 14 review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)

  • Used the laptop for two weeks as my daily driver
  • Tested it for work and gaming
  • Ran a whole gamut of benchmarks

With all the laptops I get in for review, I aim to use them for at least two weeks as my daily driver, answering emails, using them for work, doing a bit of light content streaming (Netflix, YouTube and Spotify), as well as some light Photoshop work and gaming too. I also run them through a myriad of benchmarks designed to push the laptops to the absolute limit of their potential, to ensure that they perform well in any scenario, not just day-to-day office use.

I’ve been reviewing laptops and PCs for well over nine years now, and have evaluated many, many devices in that time. Intel’s Core Ultra chips are certainly a step in the right direction, but I can’t help but feel that the time of x86 chips might be coming to an end.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed August 2024
MSI Modern 14 H review: An affordable business-ready laptop
8:04 am | August 6, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: | Comments: Off

MSI MODERN 14 H: Two-minute review

The MSI Modern 14 H is a low-cost, business-focused laptop that aims at providing bang for buck rather than trying to pack in every last feature. The laptop has a 14-inch frame with 31.4 x 23.6 x 1.9cm (12.4 x 9.3 x 0.73 inches) dimensions and weighs 1.6kg (3.53 lbs), making it quite portable but larger than very slim or ultralight models.

The Modern 14 H configuration featured in this review (D13MG-045AU) boasts a relatively powerful Intel i9-13900H CPU with 14 cores, 20 threads and a boost frequency up to 5.4GHz. It also has 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM (upgradeable to 64GB), a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD and a 53.8Wh battery. The 14-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (16:10 ratio) and uses a 60Hz IPS panel with a matte coating and no touchscreen.

Along the left edge, the Modern 14 has the DC power input, a USB-C port (40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort and 100W PD charging), a single USB 3.2 Type-A port and a 3.5mm headset jack. The right side has a vent and a Kensington lock, while the rear has HDMI 2.1, a 1Gb Ethernet connection and two USB-A ports. While I wish there was a USB-C connection on the rear as well as the side, the overall layout of the ports is quite neat. The top and bottom panels are metal, but the rest of the laptop shell is a surprisingly rigid, robust-feeling plastic. The included 90W power brick is a little chunkier than expected, but not outrageously large.

MSI doesn't provide the display brightness or color accuracy, but the screen is perfectly usable for office tasks. It can be laid down almost flat (but not quite a full 180º) and, when combined with the display flip hotkey, makes it easy to show what's on the screen to a person sitting across from you. The 720p webcam is serviceable (and has a physical shutter), but does not support facial recognition and there's no fingerprint reader for fast, secure logins. The keyboard is backlit and comfortable to use despite a little flex, while the trackpad is reasonably large and accurate. The speakers are nothing special but give clear audio and work well for tasks like video meetings.

Equipping the Modern 14 with an Intel i9-13900H is an interesting move, as this slightly older (2023) but relatively powerful CPU isn't often seen in more affordable laptops. Of course, real-world performance also depends on cooling, but the Modern 14 H system allows the the i9-13900H to sustain near-full CPU power in heavy workloads. While normally near-silent, the the fans become audible under load, but aren't too intrusive. The included MSI management software is straightforward and easy to use, and gives a reasonable depth of settings.

The 53.8Wh battery is not especially large, but the MSI laptop can manage a pretty decent 6 hours and 23 minutes unplugged when doing office tasks. Performance is limited to 30W on battery – though it will run at full speed on USB-C. A full charge takes up to 1.5 hours, but 50% capacity can be reached in just over 30 minutes.

Viewed from above, the MSI Modern 14 H screen folded flat

(Image credit: Future - Lindsay Handmer)

MSI Modern 14 H: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? $999 / £999 / AU$1,599
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where is it available? Available in the US, the UK and Australia

The i9-13900H MSI Modern 14 H (D13MG) tested is still hard to buy in the US and UK and costs $999 / £999 where available. It's a little more widely available in Australia, where it will set you back AU$1,599 at full price. 

When shopping around, keep in mind that there are many MSI Modern 14 variants that don’t have the mighty Intel i9-13900H CPU. Models equipped with an Intel Core i5, i7, or AMD Ryzen CPUs are still great laptops, but only the H spec offers higher-end performance and 13th Gen CPUs like the i7-13620H and i9-13900H. 

For those who want a larger screen, the MSI Modern 15 H (B13M) can be found for a very similar price ($999 / £999 / AU$1,599) and otherwise near-identical spec. Again, the 15 H with the i9-13900H is easiest to buy in Australia, but is available in the US without too much trouble and in the UK from limited retailers. 

In Australia, the Modern 14 H stands out as excellent value amongst its often feature-packed but more expensive peers. The comparatively limited availability in the US and UK means the Modern H is often not as price competitive. 

  • Value score: 4.5 / 5

MSI Modern 14 H left side side ports showing the DC input, USB-C, USB-A and 3.5mm audio

(Image credit: Future - Lindsay Handmer)

MSI Modern 14 H: Specs

The Modern 14 H doesn’t have a huge number of configurations, and even then not all are for sale. The main difference are the CPUs available, and the H spec laptops can have the i9-13900H, the i7-13620H and i5-13420H – though only the i9-13900H gets Intel Iris Xe graphics. 

Below is the list of specs for the configuration tested for this review:

  • Specs score: 4 / 5

MSI Modern 14 H screen folded flat and flipped for sharing

(Image credit: Future - Lindsay Handmer)

MSI Modern 14 H: Design

  • Fold-flat screen 
  • Thunderbolt 4
  • 100W USB-C charging 

The Modern 14 does an admirable job of keeping the design simple, with a focus on higher performance at an affordable price, so the lack of an IR webcam for facial login support and no fingerprint reader are minor frustrations. I wish there was a 32GB model available, but at least the laptop uses upgradeable RAM. 

The Modern 14 H measures in at 31.4 x 23.6 x 1.9cm (12.4 x 9.3 x 0.73 inches), and while it does have chunky rubber feet to ensure adequate cooling space, they don’t cause any issues with even very slim laptop bags. The laptop's 1.6kg (3.53 lbs) feels very light in hand compared to the overall size. 

The Modern 14 H layout is quite clean, and I appreciate the way the ports are all on the left and rear (though left handers may feel the opposite!). Still, having an extra USB-C port (with PD charging) on the rear would have been handy. The lack of SD or microSD card reader may also frustrate some buyers. On the plus side, the choice to have the USB-C port support Thunderbolt 4 with 100W PD charging means the Modern 14 H is ideal for connecting to a dock with an extra monitor or other high-speed external devices. 

The Modern 14 H has a mostly plastic body, with metal top and bottom panels. The plastic is quite stiff itself and, combined with the metal, the 14-inch form doesn’t exhibit much flex at all. MSI also reports the laptop is rated to the MIL-STD-810H Military Grade Standard for toughness, and I didn't find any compromises that could result in premature failure or wear. 

The Modern 14 H uses a 16:10 ratio display to give a small but welcome amount of extra vertical space compared to a 16:9 screen. The resulting resolution is 1920 x 1200, and while that may seem low, the display is quite sharp and perfectly usable in the 14-inch size. The (almost) 180º fold-flat screen is a nice addition, as well as the hotkey for flipping the display orientation to show it to someone sitting opposite. The fold-flat screen also means the laptop works great with a dock and vertical stand, though I do wish the hinge allowed a bit of extra folding so it could lay fully flat.

  • Design score: 3.5 / 5

MSI Modern 14 H keyboard and trackpad showing the white key backlighting

(Image credit: Future - Lindsay Handmer)

MSI Modern 14 H: Performance

  • Powerful CPU
  • Not too noisy
  • Fast 1TB SSD
MSI Modern 14 H: Benchmarks

Here's how the MSI Modern 14 H performed in the TechRadar suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Time Spy: 1,809

Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 13,337 points; Single-core: 2,029

PCMark 10: 6,510

CrystalDiskMark 8 NVMe: 5,000 MB/s (read); 3,576MB/s (write)

Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Ultra): 25fps

PCMark 10 Battery life: 6 hours and 25 minutes

1080p video playback battery life: 6 hours and 57 minutes

It’s important to remember the relatively affordable nature of the MSI Modern 14 H when considering the performance. It’s not common to see a higher-end CPU like the Intel Core i9-13900H CPU in a thin and light chassis, though the Modern 14 H opts for DDR4 RAM over DDR5 (both are supported by the CPU) to help keep costs down. The RAM runs at 3200MHz and, in this case, faster DDR5 wouldn’t give much of a performance boost.

The MSI Modern 14 H benchmarks results are excellent and it bested more expensive laptops – even those with the same or a similar CPU. This largely comes back to the MSI engineers making sure the i9-13900H is kept cool enough to run at or above its 45W thermal design power. Unfettered, the CPU can boost up to 115W, but that’s reined in and total system power is limited by the 90W adapter.

The laptop vents hot air out the rear and right side, and at full power that can result in a warmer-than-usual mousing hand. That's delightful in winter perhaps, but not as nice in a hotter environment. The MSI software in 'AI' mode does an admirable job of keeping the laptop as quiet as possible without limiting performance when needed. For those who like manual control, in performance mode, the CPU can sustain the 45W TDP for extended period, and under load the fans are plainly audible but not excessively loud. 

Balanced mode drops the CPU power back to 30W, and even with heavy use, the fans are only just able to be heard. Quiet mode limits the CPU to a much more modest 20W, ensuring that even under sustained load the fans never spin fast enough to be audible. Super battery mode limits the CPU to just 15W, making many apps noticeably slower, but it still works well if maximizing battery life during lower impact tasks like video playback.

On battery, the system automatically limits the CPU to 30W – though the impact of this is only noticeable in very CPU-heavy apps. The Modern 14 H doesn’t throttle performance at all when connected to a 100W USB-C charger, and peaks at just over 90W when pushed hard.

The Modern 14 H SSD is reasonably fast overall and the laptop is well suited to work that demands higher-than-average performance. Despite the decently powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics, the overall cooling of the laptop does mean gaming performance is limited. This is expected for a business-focused laptop, but nevertheless you can still get playable frame rates out of older or less demanding games. 

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

The MSI Modern 14 H power brick sitting behind the laptop as a size comparison

(Image credit: Future - Lindsay Handmer)

MSI Modern 14 H: Battery life

  • 6 hours and 25 minutes work when unplugged 
  • 6 hours and 57m of video playback 

The Modern 14 H has a fairly normal sized 53.8Wh battery and it gives decent but not outstanding battery life. Connected to Wi-Fi, I managed over 6 hours of office work on battery. This isn’t quite enough to get through a full day's work without a charger, but is more than enough to spend plenty of time unplugged. For less demanding tasks like video playback, the Modern 14 H can just reach 7 hours. If working the CPU hard, expect as little as 2 hours on battery, or 3 to 4 hours with medium level workloads.

The Modern 14 H will fast charge on USB-C or using its power adapter, and from 4% charge it can hit 50% in not much more than 30 minutes. A full charge takes around 1.5 hours. The battery charge efficiency is above average, and from 4% capacity it took 59.5Wh to charge the 53.8Wh battery. This means you can fully charge the laptop on a suitable 20,000mAh (74Wh) or larger power bank.

The Modern 14 H doesn’t throttle performance when connected to USB-C – meaning you can get full performance for heavy workloads when on the go by using a power bank. In my testing, a 20,000mAh (74Wh) power bank gives an extra 5 hours or so of demanding work, like video editing.

  • Battery life score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the MSI Modern 14 H?

Buy it if...

You need above-average performance
Thanks to the powerful Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, the Modern 14 H offers better performance compared to several more expensive laptops.

You use a USB-C dock
The Modern 14 H runs at full performance on USB-C, and has a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 connection with DisplayPort, so is ideal for use with a dock. 

You want value for money
Despite the modest price tag, the Modern 14 H offers a mix of features that mean it is well suited to handling heavy workloads.

Don't buy it if...

You need all-day battery life
6 hours on battery is nothing to sneeze at, but it won’t get you through a full day's work without charging along the way. 

You can't live without a fancy screen
The Modern 14 H display is perfectly fine for office use and folds back through 180º, but doesn’t wow compared to much more expensive OLED or higher-resolution panels.

You need 32GB of RAM
The MSI Modern 14 H doesn’t have a configuration equipped with 32GB of RAM – though the memory is user upgradable. 

MSI Modern 14 H: Also consider

If our MSI Modern 14 H review has you considering other options, here are some other gaming laptops to consider...

How I tested the MSI Modern 14 H

  • I tested the MSI Modern 14 H for two weeks
  • I used it both on a desk with a dock, and when on the go
  • I tested it with benchmarking tools, as well as battery and power logging

I ran the MSI Modern 14 H through the usual comprehensive array of TechRadar benchmarks, as well as using it for actual day to day work.

I used the TechRadar movie test for assessing battery life during video playback, as well as running productivity-focused battery benchmarks. I also logged power use in a variety of scenarios, including when charging from USB-C, or running from a power bank. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2024

Dell XPS 13 9345 review: the best XPS 13 ever
10:15 pm | August 2, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Dell XPS 13: Two-minute review

The Dell XPS 13 is generally a pretty good series of laptops, usually scoring a four out of five stars rating, though 2022's Dell XPS 13 Plus received a lower score thanks to build quality issues. But how does the latest one stack up, equipped with the powerful Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite CPU? Quite well actually, as it's now one of the best Windows laptops and best laptops of the year, coupling its already stellar design and portability with much-improved battery life and performance.

The design is sleek and smooth as you'd come to expect from the XPS line, starting at a mere 2.59 pounds and measuring only 14.8 mm thin. Thankfully, this version also has a high build quality made from machined (CNC) aluminum, ensuring that it can withstand punishment and the daily wear and tear of commutes. It's available in Platinum or Graphite with a lovely finish that's surprisingly fingerprint-resistant.

black gaming laptop on wooden table

(Image credit: Future)

The XPS 13 has three different display types to choose from, including a 3K+ OLED touch display option, which is beyond stunning for a 13.4-inch screen. The bezels are ultra-thin and yet still able to support a 1080p FHD webcam, which sports generally good picture quality.

Sound quality is incredible, largely due to the 360-degree spatial audio with quad speakers and Dolby Atmos. You can clearly hear each instrument, separate from each other and any vocals, while heavy bass loses very little in terms of integrity even at higher volumes.

The new Dell XPS 13 is based on the Plus in terms of its keyboard, with an edge-to-edge design achieved by removing the lattice and a touchpad and wrist rest made entirely from Gorilla Glass with no visible boundaries. The touch-based toolbar also makes its return which, while visually impressive, is just as inaccessible as it's always been. Both the touchpad and toolbar use haptic feedback in order to give the feeling of pressing a button. But while it can generally work for the former, the latter makes it impossible to know if you hit the right 'button' unless you can see it.

Port selection is still absolutely abysmal as it only has two USB Type-C ports, with no combo jack to speak of (RIP if you do audio editing because only Bluetooth works here). It does come with an adapter for the Type-A port but Dell could have easily fit at least one of those and a jack on the actual laptop.

black gaming laptop on wooden table

(Image credit: Future)

Like other AI PCs, the Dell XPS 13 features AI Copilot+ integration and the infamous Copilot key that Microsoft shoehorned into all its AI laptop keyboards. This key works and automatically connects you to the general Copilot chatbot - a nice little trick but ultimately not very useful.

Dell XPS 13 9345: Benchmarks

Here's how the Dell XPS 13 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Steel Nomad: 501; Fire Strike: 5,635; Time Spy: 1,925; Wild Life Unlimited: 16,819
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 11,128
GeekBench 6.3: 2,797 (single-core); 14,635 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 5,495
25GB File Copy: 20.01 seconds
HandBrake 4k to 1080p encoding: 4:47 minutes
CrossMark Overall: 1,396; Productivity: 1,300; Creativity: 1,564; Responsiveness: 1,232
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 19:26:24
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test)
: 17 hours, 24 minutes
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Ultra): 21 fps; (1080p, Low): 22 fps

Testing out the Copilot feature on the Dell XPS 13, it works as well as other AI PCs I've tried out so far. The chatbot has three levels - creative, balanced, and precise - and all three work quite well. I used my standard testing parameters including math questions, a mock interview, and a novel outline, and each answer cited several sources and made logical sense. There are also other plugins for additional tasks like other conversation types and shopping help.

There are two other features included in Microsoft Paint, Cocreator and Image Creator, that are both powered by AI models. The former turns your drawings into an AI-generated picture, which varies based on the style you choose and the level of 'creativity' (how much the finished product is based on your own art versus AI generation). Image Creator, the standard AI image generator, uses a credit system that awards you 50 credits upon sign-up and requires you to pay for more. You're better off just using the free Cocreator as it's essentially the same.

black gaming laptop on wooden table

(Image credit: Future)

The Windows 11 AI Recall, which was set to launch along with Windows AI PCs, is still unavailable as of this writing due to being kicked back to the Windows Insider Program once the manifold security issues were exposed. 

Recall works by creating a database of information on your PC through screenshots automatically taken every few seconds, building up a library of images you can search through AI. However, the Recall database, containing all the data from those screenshots and the overall history of your PC usage, is stored in plain text (in an SQLite database).

This makes it almost effortless for hackers to obtain highly sensitive information such as finances, passwords, work data, and more. It remains to be seen whether this feature will make a comeback, but that solely depends on if Microsoft can fix these massive security issues.

The Dell XPS 13's benchmark results are very impressive, standing neck and neck with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7's own results. The Qualcomm CPU alone carries the laptop, maintaining high levels of performance regardless of the amount of tasks being carried out in the background. Each of these benchmark scores showcases the full range of this laptop in terms of handling productivity work, conference calls, streaming, and more.

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(Image credit: Future)
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Like the other AI PCs released in 2024, the Dell XPS 13 laptop I tested had a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU. It not only delivers amazing results in benchmark testing but then translates those results into performance that far outstripes that of earlier XPS 13 models.

While I personally never experienced the same level of performance issues as with the Surface series before the Laptop 7, the Del XPS 13 line did have some hiccups here and there. For example, the XPS 13 Plus I previously reviewed had severe overheating problems that resulted in some sections of the laptop reaching scalding high temperatures. This also impacted performance as it would throttle the CPU.

Thankfully, while this most recent XPS 13 does get a bit warm when pushed to its limits, it doesn't approach the extremes of before. This means that performance remains consistent no matter how long you run your laptop, perfect for handling heavier workloads.

black laptop on wooden table

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life for the Dell XPS 13 is by far the best out of the Snapdragon-powered laptops that I've tested. Under normal use, the battery lasts up to 20 hours with a 'low' of over 18 hours. 

When continuously video streaming, the battery lasts on average for 17 and a half hours. The fact that a Dell laptop can match and even surpass many of the best MacBook models in battery life is something I would have never expected, but it's clear Qualcomm has truly outdone itself.

The only downside to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite CPU is that the ARM support, while incredible compared to prior iterations, still has a few compatibility hiccups - mainly dealing with gaming. But even that improves constantly and the vast majority of users won't even notice the hiccups as it doesn't impact everyday use. 

Dell XPS 13: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? starting price is $1,299 / £1,099 including VAT / AU$2,299
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The starting price for the Dell XPS 13 13.4-inch model is $1,299 / £1,099 including VAT / AU$2,299, netting you a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage in the US, UK, and Australia. Other configurations go up to 64GB/2TB in specs, which will cost $2,499.99 / £1,823.99 including VAT / AU$3,999.60.

It's far pricier than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and M3 MacBook Air 13-inch but comes with overall much better specs including a superior processor, so if you're looking for more of an Ultrabook, then this is the choice for you.

Dell XPS 13: Specs

The Dell XPS 13 13.4-inch model starts with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage with an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) touch display. The highest configuration goes up to 64GB RAM and 2TB in storage with a 3K OLED (2880 x 1800) touch display.

Should you buy the Dell XPS 13?

black gaming laptop on wooden table

(Image credit: Future)

Buy the Dell XPS 13 if...

You want solid productivity performance
This laptop handles productivity work like a champ including video calls, documents, web surfing, and more - while never sacrificing performance.

You want excellent battery life
The battery life on this laptop is astounding, lasting for up to 20 hours during normal web surfacing use and about 17 and a half hours with video streaming.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget
This is an Ultrabook priced like an Ultrabook, meaning you need to expect to pay quite a bit of money for even the base model.

Dell XPS 13: Also consider

If my Dell XPS 13 review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

How I tested the Dell XPS 13?

  • I tested the Dell XPS 13 for a week
  • I tested it using productivity and creative applications
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

First, I tested the general weight and portability of the Dell XPS 13 by carrying it around in a laptop bag. After I set it up, I ran several benchmarks to thoroughly test out the new Qualcomm processor. Finally, I used a variety of programs and applications to test out both battery life and general performance during work-like conditions.

The Dell XPS 13 is meant to be a portable laptop with a thin and light chassis. I had to spend a good amount of testing not only on performance issues but also looking for any ventilation issues. I also tested out battery life to see how long it could last off AC power.

I've tested plenty of gaming PCs and laptops, making me more than qualified to understand benchmark test results and how to properly stress test machines to see how well they perform as a work machine.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2024

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ review: beautiful laptop, half-baked AI
5:54 pm | July 4, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Two-minute review

The new Copilot+ PC edition of the Asus Vivobook S 15 is an absolutely exceptional piece of kit. The overall aesthetic and design style is extraordinary. It’s clean and crisp, with a beautiful metal finish complete with exceptionally subtle Asus branding. This is a professional device at its core, and it really does show. 

Open up the Vivobook and you’re greeted with an outstanding OLED display, with sharp vibrant colors, and a snappy 2880x1620 resolution, all hurtling along at 120 Hz. That’d be good enough, but Asus has color-calibrated this thing as well, so the contrast and vibrancy are stunning. Combine that with sound developed in conjunction with Harman/Kardon (which is honestly some of the best audio I’ve heard coming out of a laptop ever), and the Vivobook S 15 is lining itself up to be an absolute winner.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

For hardware, the most interesting element is the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. It’s an Arm-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) similar to Apple’s M3 line of chips found in the MacBook Air, and features an incredibly low 45W power draw. That’s been paired with 16GB of 8,440 MHz DDR5 memory (a phenomenally high speed even given current desktop PC standards), and a solid 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage. Combine all of that with a bevy of connectivity options, plus a relatively affordable price tag, and all of a sudden you’re looking at one of the best laptops out there for general day-to-day work.

It’s not flawless however, it still struggles in games with no dedicated GPU (although AI upscaling does help a ton here), and the general AI features are (right now at least) somewhat limited, with only Microsoft Copilot and Co-creator being the most fleshed out features of the lot. 

Still, AI aside, the Vivobook S 15 is just an utterly almost flawless thing. As traditional laptops go, it’s outstanding, easily competing with the likes of Dell’s XPS line, and far above and beyond the likes of Huawei’s MateBook D16. For the price you’re paying, there’s little not to love.

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Price and availability

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? $1,299.99 / £1,299.99 / AU$2,699
  • When is it out? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available now in the US and the UK

When it comes to the price, the Asus Vivobook S 15 is impressively affordable for what you’re getting. Rolling in at $1,299.99 (£1,299.99 / AU$2,699), it packs in some serious hardware for that cash. There's also a variant with the slightly less powerful Snapdragon X Plus chip for $1,099.99 in the US, although the availability of that model in other regions is unclear at the time of writing.

Not only do you get a decent processor for day-to-day work and streaming, plus 16GB of ridiculously high spec memory, and a TB of PCIe 4.0 storage, but it also features one hell of an OLED display, with a 3K resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, and enough color accuracy (and vibrancy) to keep even the most eagle-eyed of graphic designer happy.

This is one of the first Snapdragon X laptops out there, and as such it is a little unproven mind you. It does lag behind in more traditional PC benchmarks, such as GeekBench and CineBench, but for general office work, web browsing, and daily activities it’s far more than capable. Just don’t expect a super seamless experience all the time.

There are very few laptops out there, that pack in so much hardware for such little outlay. There’s AI capacity here too, of course, being one of the main selling points of the S 15 (more on that in a bit), but even without it, the S 15 is absolutely outstanding.

  • Value: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Specs

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ comes in one main configuration with the 12-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, although a model featuring the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC is also available for a slightly lower price in some regions.

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Design and Features

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Outstanding Screen
  • Material choice is stunning
  • Broad range of ports

As you’ve likely guessed by this point, the Asus Vivobook S 15 is an absolutely beautiful professional laptop or workbook. The satin metallic gray chassis is crisp and sharp, with nice smooth rounded edges. The Asus branding, what little there is, is a simple sans serif typeface, either just below the screen or engraved gracefully into the rear lid. The bezel on the screen is slim and almost nonexistent. Similarly, the keyboard, which is chiclet by design, provides a sublime typing experience, and the trackpad likewise does its job admirably too.

The I/O certainly isn’t lacking either. For your money, you get two USB 4 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a Micro-SD card reader, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and an HDMI out as well. It also comes with a fairly admirably built-in microphone, along with a decent built-in FHD webcam as well.

In general, it’s actually just a very well-built laptop. There’s no gimmicky folding display, or 2-in-1 design here for you to get used to, no touch-screen capability, or pens, just a simple, clean design. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, seems to be the motto.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Under the hood, you of course get that Arm-based Snapdragon processor. This is the X Elite X1E 78 100 chip (catchy), running at 3.4 GHz, and it features 12 cores, no hyperthreading, and a 42 MB cache as standard. Asus touts that this thing has a total AI processing power of around 75 TOPs to help with the on-board AI capabilities the Vivobook S 15 has, that’s paired with a dedicated “Neural Processor” as well (Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU) which adds an additional 45 TOPs to the equation.

That’s been paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory rated at a whopping 8,440 MT/s. That’s ridiculously quick, even by some of the best desktop PC standards, and quite a curious addition, that suggests that both AI tasks and these Snapdragon chips really do benefit from high-frequency memory, perhaps even more so than the likes of AMD and its Ryzen processors (which generally benefit from higher frequency kits thanks to their Infinity Fabric interconnect being tied to the memory speed). The only minor downside here is that the Vivobook S 15 has soldered LPDDR5X, and there are no alternative models either, so 16GB is your lot sadly.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Because at its heart, the Snapdragon is an Arm-based chip, running off a different architecture compared to traditional processors found from AMD and Intel (which typically operate on an x64 architecture design), support is a bit mixed when it comes to general application use. That generally means you are going to find a lot of programs listing the CPU as “emulated”, Windows is effectively forcing the Arm processor to emulate and behave as a traditional x64 chip in certain programs, to ensure they operate correctly. That will have a minor detrimental effect on overall performance, but it shouldn’t be that noticeable if I’m honest. Arm and Asus clearly learned from the troubles Apple encountered with its first M1 processors, and compatibility is far greater now than it was back then for Arm-based processors because of it.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

As for the less volatile storage, Asus has popped in a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and it does a pretty good job when it comes to sequential transfers, although more on that in a bit.

  • Design: 4.5 / 5

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Performance

  • For day-to-day usage, this is flawless
  • Priced just right for what you’re getting
  • Gaming is still nowhere near a dedicated GPU

The Vivobook S 15 might have a bit of an oddity when it comes to its processor, but it still holds its own with some of the best out there to date. In general day-to-day use, the S 15 was cool and quiet, zipping along nicely. A particularly enjoyable experience with that screen. Cooling was handled well, and noise was minimal, one of the big benefits of the super-efficient Arm chips. 

In benchmarks however, it is admittedly a bit of a different story, compared to something like Huawei’s MateBook D 16 (admittedly not available US side) with its Intel Core i9-13900H, the Vivobook did struggle in certain benchmarks, although perhaps not by as much as you’d think. GeekBench 6.2.1 provided the most intriguing results of the bunch, with the Snapdragon X landing a score of 2,444 in single core, and 9,008 in the multi-core test. Compare that to the i9-13900H, which scored 2,605 in single-core and 12,568 and you start to get a picture of just how close Arm is getting in terms of performance, particularly given it's often running an emulated version of the program on top of that.

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,444
Multi - 9,088
3DMark:
WildLife Extreme: 6,091
Solar Bay: 9,933
CrossMark:
Overall - 1,181
Productivity - 1,050
Creativity - 1,377
Responsiveness - 1,062
1080p movie playback battery life: 14 hours 18 minutes
CrystalDiskMark 8:
Read: 5,024MB/s
Write: 3,623MB/s

That multi-core difference does give Intel the edge there of course, by a healthy 28%, but you’ve got to bear in mind that it’s scoring that with 20 total threads, compared to the Snapdragon’s 12. All while consuming more power, operating at 5.4 GHz, and running at hotter temps as a result. The gap is starting to close between Arm and x64 and that’s incredibly exciting.

Graphically however Intel still has the edge, with its Iris Xe graphics performing considerably better in our benchmark results. 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme for example scored just 6,091 with the Snapdragon and its Qualcomm Adreno chip, versus a staggering 13,731 with Intel. Similarly, in games at their native resolutions, Total War Warhammer 3 on Low scored 33.9 fps on Intel’s chip, versus just 13.7 on the Adreno.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

But there’s a catch here, and that’s the AI upscaling tech that’s built natively into the Vivobook S 15. You can actually drop the resolution scaling to 50% in Total War Warhammer 3, let the notebook do its thing (it’s automatically applied to all titles), set the graphical profile to Ultra, and watch the game run at 20fps instead. Sure, that’s not playable for this kind of title, but that’s a significant improvement particularly given you’re now running the game on Ultra and not the lowest profile. Although admittedly it still doesn’t look the best, and needs significant antialiasing improvements, it’s a start.

Traditional performance aside, this is after all one of the first Copilot+ AI laptops out there, and there’s a lot to report here too. Copilot generally is very similar to any other LLM you may have used, such as Google Bard or Chat GPT. There’s a button on the keyboard to open it up, or you can click next to the Start Menu, and open up a window to chat. It’s limited to a number of queries per 24 hours, unless you sign in, and behaves like pretty much every other LLM. It doesn’t have access to your system directly, so can only suggest what you can do.

Live captioning is also heavily touted on the product page. It’s meant to be able to give you captions on any content (regardless of web browser or media format), and live translate from one language to another. I found it was generally very laggy and slow to use, even in English-to-English. Live translation was also much worse, with Japanese or Norwegian, often missing out entire sentences, or translated sentences appearing five to ten seconds after the content had occurred. It also struggled with accents and regional dialects, particularly with variants of British English. Recall (where Windows can find a file based on a description) is also not currently implemented and is “coming soon” in a Windows side update.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)

Moving away from the software side, when it came to the Display, and particularly the audio, the experience was outstanding. That screen is absolutely gorgeous, with a 15.6-inch OLED panel at 2880 x 1620, you get a 211.82 PPI density, and the colors are just phenomenal. Combine that with a buttery smooth 120 Hz refresh rate, along with adaptive sync as well as a color-calibrated profile from Asus and it’s just dreamy.

Likewise, the audio experience is exceptional too. Asus has worked with Dolby Atmos and Harman/Kardon on the built-in speakers, and they’re some of the best I’ve heard on a laptop at this price. Trebles are crystal clear, there’s plenty of mid, and a relatively well-rounded bass as well. You’re still going to get better results from some of the best headphones out there of course, or a decent speaker system, mixed with a decent subwoofer - but for a laptop? Nah, this is shockingly good.

  • Performance: 4 / 5

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Battery life

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

(Image credit: Future)
  • Can last for multiple days of work and holds charge well
  • Bundled fast-charger

Asus rates the Vivobook S 15 at 70WHrs for its battery capacity, and it comes with a fast-charging 90W AC USB Type C adapter as well. It reckons you should be able to get around 18 hours of total battery life in general day-to-day use. In my testing, it landed around the 17-hour mark or so, more than enough for several days of office work and presentations without charge.

That figure did dip a bit when I was watching content on YouTube and in video calls, but otherwise, the Vivobook S 15 fell exactly where I expected it to in that regard. There was never a moment where I was particularly concerned r.e. the battery life on this thing that’s for certain.

  • Battery life: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+: Also Consider

How I tested the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+

As usual with laptop reviews, I replaced my daily driver with the Asus Vivobook S 15 for a week, testing out all my usual work duties including web browsing, word processing, and answering emails. I also used it for a bit of leisure time too - watching Netflix and YouTube, and trying my best to play some games (though it struggled a little in that area).

I've been reviewing computers of all sorts for years, and I've used a wide variety of laptops for my own work throughout that time. To see Qualcomm push ahead with its own Arm-based chips in such a successful way is the real game-changer here - no matter what Microsoft might tell you about AI. Arm is here to stay, folks.

  • First reviewed July 2024
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) review: a great, if not mind-blowing, refresh
12:08 am | June 29, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Chromebooks Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: Five-minute review

In early 2023 I reviewed Google's first dedicated gaming Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, and it changed my mind about Chromebooks and gaming. So I was excited to get my hands on the long-awaited refresh, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024).

The Chromebook has been upgraded in every meaningful way, from the display to the specs, and even has new AI features included for those looking to double it as a productivity machine. Unfortunately, there are a few aspects that have been left in the dust in the meantime, which could impact whether this is a truly robust refresh worth reinvesting in if you already have the original model.

The screen is a 16-inch IPS display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 350 nits of brightness. The refresh rate is a lovely 120Hz, making it perfect for most video games, while the sRGB 100% color gamut pairs well with the Chromebook's AI tools for creative and editing projects. 

It's good to see that so much was invested in upgrading the display since it's the most important aspect of the gaming experience for the Chromebook Plus 516 GE.

black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)

The outer design is rather brand, identical to the original Chromebook 516 GE, though that tends to be a trait among budget gaming laptops in the first place. Despite that, it has a sturdy yet decently light chassis, especially for the screen size, which makes transportation that much easier.

Its keyboard and trackpad have been mostly left the same as well, which is a good thing as they were already quite solid on their own and needed little tampering. The webcam is very good, with 1080p at 60fps video, which is more than what many of even the best laptops offer. And while I do appreciate the physical switch on the side that turns the webcam off and on, the camera itself should have a physical shutter for added security.

The port selection is varied and includes two USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, an ethernet port, and a combo jack. For its size, however, more USB ports as well as an SD card reader could have been added.

There's still a massive downside to its design, and that's the still abysmal sound quality. Google boasts that the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE features "cinematic sounds with DTS audio" and I can confirm that it's not the case. There's a tinny, almost muddiness to the sound, which shows through even with YouTube videos, and sounds even worse when playing games. You'll want to invest in the best PC gaming headsets if you get this Chromebook.

black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)

Like its competition, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) has plenty of AI features built into the Chrome OS. But one of the more unique traits is that they use a combination of local and cloud storage. 

The webcam, for instance, has a feature that automatically adjusts both picture quality and lighting when using the webcam. It's pretty handy for minor enhancements but don't expect any major improvements either.

There are plenty of other AI tools, which are mostly powered by Google Gemini. Help Me Write generates text based on prompts and lets you edit text based on tone and more, while Help Me Read summarizes PDFs and websites by simply right-clicking the text. 

Focus is a tool that turns on a Do Not Disturb mode once you select a window of time, a Google Task you want to finish, and a YouTube Music playlist. There's Magic Editor which uses AI to enhance and correct images on Google Photos, or you can use generative AI to create unique wallpapers and video call backgrounds.

My favorite tool is Project Gameface, an AI-powered hands-free control with face and gesture tracking. This is a major accessibility feature, as you can custom-map out ways to control the entire OS through non-hand controls. While it's still in beta, what I was able to experience is quite impressive and I truly look forward to the finished product once it launches.

black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)

Game dashboard is the new tool that pairs the best with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024). You have access to features like window resizing, screen capture, game capture, and control mapping, a great option for those who can't or don't want to invest in a game recording setup.

The game recording is fine, though naturally not as high as a premium capture card, but it does a surprisingly great job thanks to the screen quality. It's also easy, allowing you to avoid setting up a whole mess of wires. Control mapping is a standard feature but always appreciated, especially for games that don't come with it like mobile titles that rely on touchscreen controls.

Benchmarks

Here's how the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 6 hours and 57 minutes
Chromium Github Octane Benchmark: 93,523
Browserbench Jetstream Benchmark: 302
Kraken Benchmark: 415ms
WebGL Aquarium (30,000 fish): 85 fps

The upgraded specs of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) shine through in its benchmark scores, as these are some of the highest test results I've seen in any Chromebook and are solid improvements over the already excellent scores from the original Chromebook 516 GE model.

I was particularly impressed by the WebGL Aquarium, as it was able to maintain a high 85fps with the maximum amount of fish enabled.

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black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)
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black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)

The Intel Core CPU is certainly working overtime, which is great to hear from those interested in playing the best PC games through Steam or any Android titles. While you'll mainly want to game through a streaming service like Nvidia's GeForce Now or Amazon Luna, having the option to play locally is always a boon. 

Just know that the Steam Borealis is still in beta, meaning you'll have to enable it through developer mode at your own risk. But in my experience, it runs quite well with little in the way of slowdown or bugs.

The best way to use this Chromebook, however, is through GeForce Now. If you're using the most premium subscription option and you have a solid internet connection, the experience is incredibly smooth and stutter-free. I played AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3 with no issues at all. And thanks to the great display, the games look even better than in the original model and beat out most other Chromebooks.

battery closeup

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life isn't too shabby, lasting about seven hours when under heavy video use and a bit more under normal work conditions. While it's not the best for a Chromebook, it still outstrips most Windows laptops using an Intel Core CPU. The good thing is that you can play for quite a bit before running low on battery, making it way more portable-minded than other gaming laptops.

It lasts a little longer when it comes to productivity work, ensuring that you'll have a full work or school day worth of charge. And it charges pretty fact too, so you won't be stuck at an outlet for too long in case you need to juice up.

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? starting price is $649.99 (around £515 / AU$980)
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US

The price for the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) is $649.99 (around £515 / AU$980), which is the same price that the original Acer Chromebook 516 GE sold for at launch. While it's a steep price point for a Chromebook, for a gaming laptop it's a steal, especially for more casual gamers who don't require much firepower for the games they play, or those who only want to stream games instead of playing locally.

Currently, it's only available in the US through Best Buy, with no units available to purchase in the UK and Australia at the time of this writing.

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: Specs

The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE I reviewed came with an Intel Core 5 120U CPU with Intel Arc Graphics, up to 16GB of LPDDR4X SDRAM, and 256 GB PCIe storage. There aren't any options to upgrade your specs, and Chromebooks are notorious for poor self-repairability and no self-upgrade options.

Should you buy the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE?

black chromebook on wooden desk

(Image credit: Future)

Buy the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE if...

You want solid game streaming performance
This is a laptop made for game streaming and it does it well. The vibrant display also helps, as titles look clean and clear through near stutter-free gameplay.

You’re on a budget
This laptop is quite affordable compared to other gaming laptops with similar or worse performance and specs. If you're on a budget, this is an excellent choice.

Don't buy it if...

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: Also consider

If my Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

How I tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE

  • I tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE for several weeks
  • I tested its gaming capabilities
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

First, I tested the general weight and portability of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE by carrying it around in a laptop bag. After I set it up, I ran several benchmarks to thoroughly test out its upgraded specs and compare them to the original model. Finally, I used a variety of programs and applications to test out both battery life and general performance during work-like conditions.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is a gaming laptop that can also do productivity work, meaning I needed to test out both of those capabilities. I also tested out battery life to see how long it could last off AC power.

I've tested plenty of Chromebooks, making me more than qualified to understand benchmark test results and how to properly stress test machines to see how well they perform as a work machine.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2024

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review: makes me believe in the Surface series again
10:27 pm | June 26, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Two-minute review

It's no secret that I'm not fond of the Microsoft Surface Laptop series, so even with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip and all the new Copilot+ AI bells and whistles attached to the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, I wasn't expecting much of an upgrade. But to my surprise, it's quickly turning into one of the best Windows laptops and best laptops of the year thanks to a sleek design, solid battery life, and excellent performance.

One of the most consistent aspects of the Surface Laptop series is its design. The chassis is always sleek and lightweight yet sturdy, there's a nice variety of colors to choose from, and the keyboard feels snappy and responsive while typing. Thankfully, the Laptop 7 doesn't change on that front but instead embraces its positives while focusing its efforts on enacting improvements it actually needs.

black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 boasts a 13.8-inch (2304x1536) HDR-supported display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz - especially high for a non-gaming laptop. It weighs less than three pounds, ensuring its super portability - an absolute gem for any office worker or student who needs to transport it around between home and work offices or to and from school. I wish it also featured an OLED screen option but omitting it keeps the cost down, so it makes sense.

Its keyboard is also just as snappy and responsive as you'd expect, though the touchpad has minimal response issues that need to be rectified by adjusting the sensitivity settings. The webcam is the standard 1080p fare, nothing too shabby, but it lacks a physical shutter which for its price point is an oversight worth mentioning.

Port selection isn't the worst, as it comes with two USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, and a combo port. But it's certainly not well-balanced either, with it missing several important ports like ethernet, SD card reader, and an HDMI. Even worse, Microsoft still insists on that abysmal Surface Laptop connect charging port, which only serves to take up space that could have been given to literally anything else.

It has a solid sound quality as well, with instruments sounding clear and distinct from each other. Bass isn't too shabby as well, which is always surprising when it comes to a non-Ultrabook or gaming laptop.

black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

Another defining feature of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is its AI Copilot+ integration, including the Copilot key that Windows AI laptop keyboards are now outfitted with. As of now, however, the Copilot key simply doesn't work and there's no way to reprogram the key to make it work either.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Benchmarks

Here's how the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Steel Nomad Light: 2,018; Fire Strike: 5,792; Time Spy: 1,893; Wild Life Unlimited: 25,590
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 8,275 points
GeekBench 6.3: 2,809 (single-core); 14,426 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 5,495 points
25GB File Copy: 24.05
HandBrake: 5:02
CrossMark: Overall: 1,406; Productivity: 1,323; Creativity: 1,534; Responsiveness: 1,297
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 15:44:32
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test)
: 10 hours, 10 minutes
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Ultra): 21 fps; (1080p, Low): 21 fps

The Copilot feature does work and quite well I might add. I tested out the Copilot chatbot on all three levels - creative, balanced, and precise - and it performed quite well on all three. The answers, ranging from basic math to a mock interview to an outline for a novel, were well thought out and well sourced. You can also enable various plug-ins for more types of conversations or to help with shopping for a variety of products.

I also tried out two other features included in Microsoft Paint called Cocreator and Image Creator, both powered by AI model DALL-E. The former transforms your own drawing into an AI-generated picture, and you can choose between several styles as well as the level of 'creativity' (aka how much of the finished product is from you versus the AI). Unfortunately, Image Creator uses a credit system, in which you're awarded 50 credits when you sign up for the service and each image generation costs one credit, so you'd need to pay for additional images after you run out of credits.

black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

There was one feature that I couldn't test out, the infamous Windows 11 AI Recall. Set to launch alongside Windows AI PCs, it was kicked back to the Windows Insider Program when its numerous security issues came to light. 

Basically, Recall takes screenshots every few seconds, building up a library of images you can search via AI. But the issue is that the Recall database, which contains all the data from those screenshots and the history of your PC usage, is stored in plain text (in an SQLite database).

This makes it light work for hackers to obtain highly sensitive information like finances, passwords, work data, and more. So as of right now, Recall is not available for me to test out, and until Microsoft works out the safety issues it shouldn't be.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7's benchmark results are quite impressive, especially compared to its competition. Even without a GPU, the CPU does an incredible job of maintaining a high level of performance no matter which and how many tasks you're currently balancing. These benchmarks prove that the Laptop 7 can handle productivity work, conference calls, streaming, and more.

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black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)
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black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 I tested featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU and boy does it make all the difference. A common denominator between the past Surface Laptops is their poor performance, as they juggle a massive amount of tasks behind the scenes that result in major slow down, freezes, and even the aptly named 'Blue Screen of Death.'

But the Laptop 7's Qualcomm chip rounds out and fills in the numerous issues. It starts up and runs quickly, it's responsive when it comes to loading video websites as well as AI tools, and programs run as smoothly as they can. The latter is especially important as one of the biggest drawbacks was constant crashing when certain large programs booted up, including benchmarks like PCMark 10. But since I've been using it, there have been no performance hiccups in the slightest - in fact, I genuinely enjoyed my time with this laptop and would jump at the chance to make it my official work machine.

black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life has also been rejuvenated, with an absolutely incredible 15 hours of off-AC power when it comes to regular use and just over ten hours with the TechRadar movie test. It's rare to find a laptop with that kind of lasting power outside of MacBooks these days, and coming from a Windows laptop it's even more unbelievable.

Another improvement is the ventilation system, as I never experienced any overheating even when the Laptop 7 had been running for several hours without break. Better vents also lead to better performance and less risk of crashes, going hand in hand with its superior battery life.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Price & availability

  • How much does it cost? starting price is $999.99 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The starting price for the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch model is $999.99 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899, netting you a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. The 15-inch model starts at $1,299.99 and comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.

It's cheaper than the entry-level M3 MacBook Air 13-inch and matches the starting price of the M3 MacBook Air 15-inch, while the highest configuration roughly matches the price of the highest configuration of the MacBook Air.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Specs

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch model starts with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. The 15-inch model starts out with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.

Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7?

black laptop on white table

(Image credit: Future)

Buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 if...

You want solid productivity performance
This laptop can handle plenty of productivity work including video calls, documents, web surfing, and more while never sacrificing performance on any level.

You’re on a budget
This laptop is quite affordable, beating out other laptops with similar or worse performance and specs. If you're on a budget, this is an excellent choice.

Don't buy it if...

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Also consider

If my Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

How I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7?

  • I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 for a week
  • I tested it using productivity and creative applications
  • I stress-tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test

First, I tested the general weight and portability of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 by carrying it around in a laptop bag. After I set it up, I ran several benchmarks to thoroughly test out the new Qualcomm processor. Finally, I used a variety of programs and applications to test out both battery life and general performance during work-like conditions.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is meant to be a portable laptop with a thin and light chassis. I had to spend a good amount of testing not only on performance issues but also looking for any ventilation issues. I also tested out battery life to see how long it could last off AC power.

I've tested plenty of gaming PCs and laptops, making me more than qualified to understand benchmark test results and how to properly stress test machines to see how well they perform as a work machine.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2024

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra review: Samsung’s impressive answer to Apple’s MacBook Pro
5:43 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Two-minute review

Everything from the design to the pricing through to the market positioning of the new Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra begs comparison with Apple's MacBook Pro laptops. Even the way it integrates with Samsung's Galaxy smartphones has a whiff of Apple about it.

But we're not going to mention the iconic Apple alternative – well, not very much, anyway. As it happens, the wedge-shaped profile of the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra actually mimics the original MacBook Air more than any MacBook Pro model, though Apple never made an Air this big.

This is a 16-inch model fitted out with a glorious Samsung AMOLED display with touchscreen capability, plus one of Intel's latest top-spec mobile CPUs, a surprisingly powerful Nvidia GPU, 32GB of RAM and a beefy 2TB SSD. So, yeah, this is very much a top-tier premium laptop.

However, it's not one of those desktop replacement monsters that you'd barely ever want to take out and about. At 16.5mm thick and 1.86kg, it's relatively thin and light for a 16-inch laptop. So, think of it as a larger form-factor but still genuinely portable laptop from the luxury end of the spectrum, packing plenty of performance. Yup, a bit like the 16-inch notebook from you-know-who.

With that in mind, it's not a huge surprise that the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is priced up at the very top-end of the market, too, so along with Apple laptops, it must take on premium Windows systems from among the very best laptops including the Razer Blade and Dell XPS.

So, it needs to be very, very good, to justify its price and deliver on those unavoidable comparisons – and fortunately the new Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra manages this. It offers excellent performance levels, a top-notch OLED touchscreen, seriously impressive battery life for a 16-inch portable, and a premium build – even if there are weaknesses here that include the built-in speakers.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Price and availability

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra front angle

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? Starts from $2,999 / £3,149
  • When is it out? It's available now
  • Where can you get it? In the US and UK

For the base model, you're essentially looking at about $3,000 or £3,000 in the US and UK (Samsung doesn't officially sell its Galaxy Books in Australia). So, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is an extremely expensive laptop by any sensible measure. Of course, a similarly specified Dell XPS system comes in at a similar cost. In fact, if you match this Samsung by specifying an OLED panel and RTX 4070 graphics, the XPS is actually around 13% more expensive.

It's harder to compare directly with Apple's laptops, but a roughly equivalent MacBook Pro 16 with an M3 Pro chip and 2TB of storage is around 15% pricier. So, you can actually make an argument for the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra being a relatively good value proposition, expensive as it undoubtedly is.

  • Value: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra underneath

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra comes in two configurations, a base model and upgraded version – though with both configurations, the 1TB SSD can also be upgraded to 2TB. (Note that, at least for now, the 2TB SSD upgrade is not available in the US).

Here are the specs for the two models of Samsung's Galaxy Book 4 Ultra at a glance.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Design and Features

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra rear lid

(Image credit: Future)
  • Premium all-alloy build
  • Slick wedge-shaped chassis
  • Reasonable connectivity

It's hard to imagine that this generation of Samsung Galaxy Books would look the way they do if Apple's MacBook Air had never existed. There are just too many similarities in the wedge-shaped design and the mid-grey anodized finish.

The 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, which sits right on top of the Galaxy Book range, is no exception. It looks just like the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Pro, just on a slightly larger scale.

Does Samsung do a premium laptop as well as Apple? Not quite – but by any other standard, this is an extremely well put together notebook. For the most part, it feels extremely robust and rigid, too, the only exception being the keyboard bed, which exhibits just a touch of flex.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra trackpad

(Image credit: Future)

The trackpad is huge, which is a good thing, and finished with a slick glass surface. However, it's a moving 'diving board' design and can't ultimately compete with Apple's Force Touch trackpads, which trade moving parts for haptic feedback. You might think a haptic-powered trackpad sounds like a gimmick, but once you've used one, you won't want to go back to a conventional diving board design – they just feel clunky by comparison.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra front left

(Image credit: Future)

Anyway, the large 16-inch OLED panel has fairly (but not quite) ultra-slim bezels on three sides, and the display itself has some corner pixels disabled to give the impression of curved corners, which looks pretty neat. However, there's also a fairly large bottom bezel which slightly undermines the overall aesthetic and detracts from the fashionable screen-to-body ratio.

For sure, the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra doesn't even come close to Dell's XPS laptops when it comes to minimal bezel sizes and that ultra-modern look. Still, the top bezel does at least provide enough space for a full 1080p webcam. If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you can also wirelessly connect that and use it as a high-performance webcam.

This is just one of several tightly-woven features that once again mimics the way Apple's MacBook, iPhone and iPad ecosystem is optimized for cross-device operation. For instance, you can sync files across Samsung devices wirelessly just like Apple's AirDrop feature, or use a Samsung Galaxy Tab as a secondary display. It's all pretty handy, though overall it doesn't feel quite as seamless and effortless as the Apple alternatives – and Samsung's update software is particularly clunky.

As for audio, Samsung has fitted the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's quad-speaker system as a bottom-firing setup. Ultimately, it's a disappointing sound experience. The volume levels are adequate, but the dynamic range is pretty limited and really only on par with mainstream Windows 11 laptops. Once again, the comparison with the MacBook Pro line is unflattering – Apple's laptops produce far, far better audio.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra ports

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of connectivity, you get two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, a Type-A USB 3.2 port, HDMI 2.1 and a MicroSD memory card reader. Oh, and a regular 3.5mm audio jack. That little collection should cover most bases and it's nice to have some full-sized and legacy ports. Just bear in mind that charging takes place via one of the USB-C ports, so day-to-day, you'll typically only have one spare.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra angle

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of charging, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's power supply is a fairly hefty unit – but with that comes pretty speedy charging. You can add 55% charge in just 30 minutes. The power brick is also not entirely out of keeping with what is a fairly large laptop with a 16-inch display. For sure, this is definitely a thin-and-light representative of the 16-inch breed at 16.5mm thick and 1.86kg – but equally, it's no ultraportable.

  • Design: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Performance

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra keyboard

(Image credit: Future)
  • Benefits from Intel's latest mobile CPU
  • Decent Nvidia GPU
  • Stunning OLED display

Intel's new Core Ultra chips (Meteor Lake) are arguably a little disappointing. That said, the Core i9 Ultra 185H in this Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is still all the CPU 99% of users are going to need, and then some. It's even good enough to make for a powerful portable content creation machine with tasks like video encoding.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6:
Single - 2,448
Multi - 12,465
3DMark:
Night Raid - 35,809
Fire Strike - 17,797
Time Spy - 8,025
CrossMark:
Overall - 1,865
Productivity - 1,664
Creativity - 2,232
Responsiveness - 1,582
PCMark 10 Productivity battery life: 9 hours 29 minutes
1080p movie playback battery life: 19 hours
Cyberpunk 2077:
1080p - 66fps Low ; 55fps Ultra
Total War: Three Kingdoms:
1080p - 163fps Low ; 65fps Ultra
CrystalDiskMark 8:
Read: 6.7GB/s
Write: 4.9GB/s
4K Read: 80MB/s
4K Write: 165MB/s

Then there's the Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card. Okay, Nvidia does offer more powerful mobile GPUs, but the 4070 will still blow away any integrated graphics. Indeed, while you might expect Samsung to have clocked the RTX 4070 right down thanks to the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's thin chassis, it's actually configured in an 80W spec, which is well above the 35W minimum that Nvidia dictates. Likewise, the 1,605MHz boost clock far exceeds the 1,230MHz minimum, even if it's also a fair way off the top 2,175MHz spec some mobile 4070s are capable of.

At any rate, there's decent 1080p performance on offer, though running the latest games at the screen's 2,880 x 1,800 native resolution is generally going to be a tall order, even with the help of DLSS upscaling. But there's some genuine gaming ability here, along with some GPU grunt when it comes to playing with the likes of filters and effects in video and image editing. Combined with that Intel CPU, it's a very effective partnership.

It's a similar story for the memory and storage. The 32GB of RAM will be more than enough for almost any workflow, while the 1TB SSD is an OEM version of Samsung's popular 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 drive, capable of over 6.5GB/s of peak transfer speeds (albeit at this price point we'd quite like to have seen a 2TB drive fitted).

Then there's the screen. Ah yes, that screen: it's a Samsung AMOLED 2X with the aforementioned 2,880 x 1,800 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate (it also supports dynamic switching between 60Hz and 120Hz to improve battery life).

The pixel density isn't all that – both the Dell XPS 16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 have sharper, higher resolution panels on offer. But once you've tried OLED, you won't want to go back to any LCD-based tech. With perfect lighting and contrast, no light bleed, fab viewing angles and much better response times, it's simply better. Oh, and it's a touchscreen, too, which no Apple laptop currently offers.

  • Performance: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Battery life

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra top

(Image credit: Future)
  • Genuine all-day battery life
  • Delivers on Samsung's claims for movie playback

Samsung reckons the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is good for 21 hours of video playback. That sounds like a tall order for a 16-inch laptop with powerful components. But you know what? It's actually doable, albeit in our testing it fell slightly short of 21 hours.

Okay, so you won't get that many hours with the screen set to full brightness – and we noticed some choppiness in video playback when using the dynamic refresh feature. So, the refresh rate is best set to 60Hz for viewing content on the move, but generally, color us impressed – this laptop has legs.

That impression is only bolstered by the 9 hours and 29 minutes it managed in the PCMark 10 Productivity battery life test. That's a pretty demanding workout in power consumption terms and anything near 10 hours is a good result.

  • Battery life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra: Also Consider

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra

I used the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra as my daily driver for a week. That meant everything from work duties including web browsing, document editing and a little content creation, to watching movies in bed and playing games in the evening.

In other words, pretty much every use case. Along with our formal benchmark results, I also took the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra out on the road to get a feel for real-world performance and battery life, what it's like to lug around, and how well built it is.

I've not just been reviewing laptops for over 10 years, I've also used them as my primary computing devices for even longer. So, it's intriguing to see how the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra fits into that context. The answer, generally, is very well indeed.

  • First reviewed June 2024
HP Spectre Foldable 17 review: a flagship screen and hugely versatile device, but it’s fatally flawed
6:07 pm | June 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Two-minute review

HP’s Spectre Foldable 17 is, on the surface, an interesting device. If you were to look at the product page or any of the marketing material for the Foldable 17, no doubt you’d be impressed with the folding OLED panel, its crisp resolution, and the insane versatility that comes with it. 

That magnetic keyboard, shifting the display up and altering the resolution automatically, and the fact you can use it as a fully-fledged all-in-one PC, or a 17-inch tablet at the drop of a hat, is no word of a lie – and incredibly enticing. But really, that’s all a mirage, a ghostly silhouette of what – at its core – is a significantly flawed product.

Right now, there’s one spec available for the HP Spectre Foldable. It’s priced at $5,000 retail in the US (£4,850 in the UK, or AU$8,499 in Australia), and features an Intel Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM (running at 5200MHz), a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a 94.3Wh battery.

That’s honestly all there really is to say about it. You get a pen, a USB dock, along with a (fairly average) detachable Bluetooth laptop substitute keyboard-and-mouse-combo-thing, and that’s it. And it’s the hardware that really drives the nail into the coffin.

Yes, the screen is good – it’s a beautifully crisp OLED panel that recreates colors to an exceptional degree. It’s stunning to look at, bright at 500 nits, and can even shift its resolution from 1,920 x 2,560 to 1,920 x 1,820 depending on how you position that keyboard. But, here’s the thing: you’re paying effectively $5,000 for a screen with a bit of hardware attached. And that hardware doesn’t perform as well as laptops that are a fifth the cost of this HP offering. Huawei’s MateBook D 16 for example, or Dell’s XPS 13 Plus, or literally any other laptop really, will outperform this device. And that’s a problem.

If all you need is a laptop to edit documents on (and I’ll caveat that with “not large spreadsheets”), watch a bit of Netflix, and stream a touch of YouTube, then yes the HP Spectre Foldable will fit the bill. Yes, you can technically use it as an all-in-one or a tablet to do that as well, but then you’re paying $5,000 for that privilege when, to be frank, you could probably get as much, if not better, performance out of an OLED TV for half the cost.

HP Spectre Foldable 17: Price and availability

HP Spectre Foldable review

Windows still isn’t quite set up for tablets as well as it should be (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)
  • How much does it cost? $5,000 / £4,850 / AU$8,499
  • When is it out? It’s available right now
  • Where can you get it? In the US, UK, and Australia

The price for the HP Spectre Foldable 17 is eye-watering. There is only one model available, priced at $5,000, or £4,850 in the UK, or if you live in Australia, AU$8,499.

This device goes by different names dependent on the region (Foldable in the US and Australia, or just Fold in the UK), but they are effectively the same model. All of them feature that 17-inch OLED panel, 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM, and an Intel Core i7-1250U at their heart.

As to where you can buy the Spectre, the places to go are Amazon and Best Buy in the US, Amazon in the UK, and the HP store directly in Australia. There’s another big problem with the price, though, and that’s the fact that the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED exists, certainly in the UK anyway. 

On paper, and to be honest, even at a quick glance, these two products are pretty much identical. The one difference being the Zenbook 17 Fold comes in (for the exact same spec) at a much lower £3,299 as standard (although we’ve seen it as low as £2,299). You can buy the Asus Fold in the US, but only from eBay sellers at this point, for similarly low prices.

  • Value: 1.5 / 5

HP Spectre Foldable 17: Design and Features

HP Spectre Foldable review

HP’s auto-keyboard detecting tech shifts the screen resolution depending on where you place the keyboard (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)
  • Beautiful display
  • Materials are solid
  • Port selection is disappointing

So we’ve established that this is a premium product. The Foldable certainly doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to that price tag, but the same can’t quite be said for the overall design, however. 

Let’s start by addressing the good points. That OLED display is incredible. As standard it’s a 17-inch foldable screen that comes with a 2.5K resolution, 500 nits of brightness in HDR mode, and a ton of the usual features (including low blue light and brightview modes). It packs 1.07 billion colors into that array and produces a phenomenal 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio to back it up.

HP Spectre Foldable 17 specs

CPU: Intel Core i7-1250U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5-5200
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Display: 17-inch 1920 x 2560, OLED, 500 nits

It is only a 60Hz panel, however, unlike some of the OLED screens now available, so it’s not quite as buttery smooth as some of the competition with fixed-screen displays. However, we have seen bendable OLED panels go well beyond 60Hz, with Corsair’s Xeneon Flex being perhaps one of the better examples of what’s possible with the tech in terms of refresh rate at least.

The real party trick, however, is that fold, and how it incorporates into the design of the device. Namely, this isn’t technically one product. It’s a laptop, an all-in-one PC, and a tablet, depending on how you configure it. In the rear of the unit, there’s a kickstand that you can fold out to turn the Foldable into a pure 17-inch screen. You can then use the keyboard-trackpad combo to operate it like a standard desktop PC. Or alternatively, drop that kickstand, and convert it into a 17-inch tablet instead. 

Create a slight bend in the screen and place it on your desk, then attach the keyboard to it (via the power of magnetism), and you’ve turned it into a laptop. Interestingly, with laptop mode HP has some nifty software installed that detects the keyboard’s position, and adjusts the screen size and resolution accordingly, depending on where you place the keyboard, which is pretty neat. 

Rotation is supported as well: you can rotate the entire unit horizontally, one way or the other, and the display will twist to the correct orientation accordingly (although bear in mind that kickstand only works one way). In portrait mode, however, you are limited to one orientation.

That is mildly awkward, as this does place one of the only two USB-C ports on the top-left of the display. If you plug in the included USB dock on the bottom-right side of the screen, then your only option, if you want power in as well, is to have the cable trailing out of the top-left of the display, which looks pretty ghastly.

HP Spectre Foldable review

The included kickstand is great if you want to use the device as an all-in-one PC, although it does only work in one orientation (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)

And it’s the ports that are the most frustrating to deal with. As standard, HP does include a USB hub with the foldable, but otherwise, you only get two USB-C Thunderbolt ports on here and nothing else. That’d be fine on a super-thin, small form factor device, but the Foldable is quite thick at 0.85cm, as that’s necessary to house all of that internal hardware.

HP Spectre Foldable review

The Spectre Foldable is thick - seriously thick - and only has two USB-C ports as standard (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)

Then we get to the keyboard. It’s small, foldable, with fairly standard keys that feel okay touch-wise. It has a trackpad, a small amount of Spectre branding on there, and a soft-touch leather cover. It connects only via Bluetooth and has a 330-hour battery life. You can charge it wirelessly off the display (when it’s fully on the device), but otherwise you’re stuck with a proprietary charging cable instead. 

HP Spectre Foldable review

For the money, the keyboard experience isn’t great (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)

HP also reckons it should automatically pair with the Foldable 17 as well, but we consistently found that to be a weak point of the unit, particularly after restarting Windows, or letting the keyboard battery go flat. The one saving grace is you can magnetically stick the keyboard on the display, leave it there, and close the device without worry.

  • Design: 3.5 / 5

HP Spectre Foldable 17: Perfomance

HP Spectre Foldable review

The keyboard-trackpad combo has a phenomenal battery life, and wirelessly charges off the device, but connectivity can be an issue (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)
  • Fine for light usage
  • Gaming and heavy productivity isn't possible

So, the design side of the equation, except for a few minor or indeed more major pitfalls depending on your perspective, is pretty okay to be fair. There are a few foibles, particularly with the keyboard and placement of ports, but generally speaking, disregarding the price, the HP Foldable is an awesome product.

However, coming to its performance, this is where things take a turn for the worse. Now let’s be clear, you have to look at this with that price in mind: $5,000 is no small sum, particularly for a laptop like this.

I took it for a spin, benchmarking it across all manner of tests, just to see how the Foldable would perform. My test conditions were strict, and it was plugged in, and on the high-performance power plan in Windows, with all of the latest updates applied, and chipset/drivers installed. I ran a number of tests, including Crossmark, Geekbench 6.2.1, Blender, and some limited gaming benchmarks as well.

Now, Intel’s integrated Iris graphics has come a long way, but it’s still nowhere near the calibre of the Alchemist architecture found in the Arc graphics cards. It’s just not going to be one of the best gaming laptops, and that’s fine, it’s not meant to be. However, when you’re spending $5,000 you do expect a modicum of performance.

In Geekbench 6.2.1 the Foldable scored 2,210 in single-core and 6,635 in multi-core. By comparison, the Huawei Matebook D 16 scored 2,605 in single-core and 12,568 in multi-core. That’s double the multi-threaded performance in comparison, from a laptop that clocks in at 25% of the price. The Foldable did have a slight edge when it came to CrystalDiskMark clocking in at 6,739MB/s for reads and 4,524MB/s for writes (sequential), but then we came to the gaming, or lack thereof. 

No matter what I tried, not one single benchmark would complete. In 3DMark Wildlife Extreme and Extreme Unlimited (tests designed for mobile gaming), the Foldable didn’t meet the minimum requirements, and Solar Bay (mobile ray tracing) was the same. I also tried Borderlands 3 and Total War: Warhammer III, on their lowest settings, and despite making it to the main menu, neither game would load the benchmark without crashing.

HP Spectre Foldable review

Is it a tablet? A plane? No, it’s a foldable screen (Image credit: Future / Zak Storey)

Blender performance was pretty dire too, at 26.81 for scene one, 17.14 for scene two, and 11.69 for scene three – less than half the performance of our comparative Huawei Matebook D 16. Likewise, Crossmark also got a pummelling across all four results, with scores ranging anywhere between 30-40% worse than the £1,200 Huawei notebook.

Clearly, when it comes to PC games this HP device isn’t going to be as capable as any of the best gaming desktops out there right now. Something like a dedicated gaming PC packing an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super, and maybe Intel Core i9-14900K, is obviously going to run rings around the Foldable 17.

However, the problem goes beyond this, as you could literally go out right now, and spend $3,500 to pick up a PC with a Ryzen 9 7900X, RTX 4070 Super, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a 32-inch 4K OLED screen, and still have $1,500 left over to get a good laptop. Or alternatively, if all you want is a powerhouse laptop with a stunning screen, you could spend $2,500 on something like an Asus Zenbook Pro 16X OLED and save yourself a ton of cash while getting way, way better performance levels.

If all you care about is streaming content on Netflix, or doing some light document work, and browsing the web, the HP Spectre Foldable is more than capable of that. But then, so is practically every laptop at every price point, even the budget ones, and for that crazy four-figure investment, you should expect more.

  • Performance: 1.5 / 5

HP Spectre Foldable 17: Battery life

  • Solid 11-hour battery life

For battery life, the HP Spectre Foldable performed well enough and pretty much met our expectations across the board. It wasn’t phenomenal by any means, but lasted a full day of working remotely, with wireless and Bluetooth devices connected to it.

As standard, the Foldable comes with a 6-cell 94.3Wh Li-ion polymer battery and is rated in its folded mode, with keyboard attached, at around 12.5 hours, which is roughly what I saw during my time testing.

If you detach the keyboard entirely and run the Foldable as a display, that time does drop, as you’re effectively enabling more pixels to be active as you are running a higher resolution – but otherwise, it’s still fairly consistent in that regard.

HP also has fast charging support on the Foldable as well, and with any 100W USB-C charger, you’ll get around 50% charge in 40 to 45 minutes, with a full charge taking a little over two hours in my testing.

  • Battery life: 4 / 5

Should you buy the HP Spectre Foldable 17?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

HP Spectre Foldable: Also Consider

HP Spectre Foldable 17: Report card

  • First reviewed June 2024
Asus Zenbook S 16: much more than just a refresh
6:16 pm | June 5, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

Laptops from Asus's Zenbook series are always impressive-looking Ultrabooks, with a unique design that sets them apart from nearly every other laptop in the market. The Asus Zenbook S 16 is no exception, sporting the iconic lined look and benefitting from a lovely thin and light chassis.

But this year's refresh has two key updates: the first being the addition of the AI processor and the second being the newly developed material it's made of. It's clear that this year Asus isn't content to sit on its laurels but instead is breathing new life into the Zenbook series.

Asus Zenbook S 16: price and availability

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is available in the US and UK, price starting at $1,699.99 / £1,599.99 (around AU$2,550). Meanwhile, Australia has other versions of the laptop (mainly the S 13) but not the 16-inch laptop.

For an Ultrabook, the retail price isn't too shabby, even bordering on reasonable. And now that it has an AI processor, that value has increased tremendously.

Asus Zenbook S 16: specs

Here are the specs for the Asus Zenbook S 16 at a glance. 

Asus Zenbook S 16: design

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light silver and grey laptops on table

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Zenbook design is always impeccable, with those distinctive etched-in marks and unique texture that sets it apart from some of the other best Ultrabooks you can buy. And this year's Asus Zenbook S 16 is no slouch in that regard, especially when that design is paired with the white color variant. But the darker version makes the etched lines stand out more, so both versions are distinctive in their own way.

One of the biggest talking points is the new material that the Zenbook S 16 is made from, called Ceraluminum. Through a complex chemical process, aluminum oxide (essentially rust) is transformed from a brittle material into something strong, lightweight, and sturdy. And when I tried out the laptop myself, I could feel the difference in the material. It was much lighter but felt just as tough as previous models.

It features a 3K resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate, surprisingly high for a non-gaming laptop. It also comes with Lumina OLED, giving it a beautifully clear and crisp image that's perfect for creative and editing projects.

The keyboard is solid, with well-sized keys for any finger size and type, and a snappy feedback. But what really sells this laptop is its glass touchpad, which not only feels ultra smooth and responsive but has a feature called Smart Gesture. This means you can set up shortcuts for the top and sides of the pad to control various tasks like volume, video controls, and more.

Port selection isn't too shabby, with two USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A port, a combo jack, and an HDMI port. No ethernet port, unfortunately - disappointing when we're dealing with an Ultrabook that should be premium in every way.

Asus Zenbook S 16: performance

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I wasn't able to properly test out the Asus Zenbook S 16 during my hands-on period, so unfortunately its true performance levels aren't known to me at this time. However, if we're going by the potential of AI processors then it's possible that this laptop could have some exceptional benchmark scores.

The ventilation system has also been revamped, potentially lending itself to longer periods of use without overheating. It's called Airvent and it improves airflow while keeping moisture and dust out. You can see the unique design of the vent above the keyboard.

Asus Zenbook S 16: early verdict

light silver laptop on table

(Image credit: Future)

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is probably the biggest change out of all the laptops Asus showcased so far. Not only does it have the AI processor upgrade but Asus invented a whole new material just to build the laptop with. 

Coupled with useful features like the touchpad's Smart Gesture and a brand-new ventilation system, and you have an Ultrabook that could very well be one of the best laptops in the market. I look forward to test-driving the Zenbook S 16 once it releases - and very few laptops have made me feel that way this year.

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