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The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i has just about everything you’d want in a Windows laptop, but falls short of perfection

1:50 am | August 27, 2025

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Two-minute review

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i may face some stiff competition from the usual excellent offerings from Apple, Dell, and the like, but it’s more than up to the challenge. In fact, I believe it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the best Ultrabooks of this generation.

It’s very slim and portable, helped by the fact that the webcam is hidden under the display in a unique and space-saving measure. And its performance is snappy and responsive, comparing well to the best laptops of this type (don’t expect it to match the power of a gaming laptop, of course). Just as important, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is a gorgeous-looking laptop with an equally gorgeous-looking OLED display.

Really, there are only two drawbacks. The first is price. It’s not anywhere near a budget offering, though that's to be expected of this type of laptop, not to mention that an OLED display always brings a price bump.

The other issue is a little more concerning. The port selection is worse than on an Apple MacBook Air, which is saying something, as that’s already very minimal. More specifically, there’s no audio jack, so hopefully, you have a good pair of Bluetooth earbuds on hand.

However, that’s a pretty short list of things to be concerned about, and one of them (price) is to be expected with a nice Ultrabook. All in all, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is a wonderful laptop that will make a solid upgrade for anyone looking for an attractive, portable, and powerful Ultrabook.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Price & availability

A Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i sitting on a picnic table outside — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

How much does it cost? Starting at $1,759.99 / £1,800.00 / AU$3,829.00
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The 10th-generation model of the Yoga Slim 9i comes in two configurations, with both available in the US, UK, and Australia. And both configurations are very similar.

The more basic configuration goes for $1,759.99 / £1,800 / AU$3,829 and comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V CPU and 16GB of RAM. The more robust configuration with Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and 32GB of RAM costs a nominally higher price tag of $1,899.99 / £1,900 / AU$4,179. There’s very little difference in performance between the CPUs – it’s just that the 258v supports 32GB of RAM. Essentially, the price difference comes down to whether you want 16 or 32GB of RAM. Everything else is the same, from the color options to the screen and the storage capacity.

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) makes for an easy comparison. Not just because they have a similar-sized screen, though the Yoga Slim 9i has better resolution, but because they have similar price points. This 14-incher from Apple starts at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, but that gets you a 512GB SSD. If you want the same amount of storage (1TB), the price goes up to $1,799 / £1,999 / AU$3,299, which is a little more than the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i. Of course, you’ll probably gravitate towards one over the other, mostly depending on whether you want macOS or Windows.

The Dell XPS 13 offers an interesting comparison, too. It comes in at a similar price – $1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998.50 – if you opt for a touchscreen like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i has, but the screen is smaller. And while the Dell XPS 13 does have an OLED display, it’s at a lower, though still pretty good, 2880 x 1800p resolution. Both laptops have limited ports, but both have plenty of power.

However, the Dell XPS 13 has an interesting design with its edgeless keyboard (meaning it stretches edge to edge) and a touchpad that just uses haptic feedback and doesn’t have a defined physical boundary. This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it design choices and will probably be a deciding factor for most.

Price: 4 / 5

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Specs

The top edge of the lid of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Of the two available configurations, there’s very little difference. You basically get to choose between two almost identical CPUs, the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V and the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which is about 0.5% better.

However, if you select the ever-so-slightly better CPU, you get 32GB of RAM instead of 16GB, since that CPU supports the higher amount of RAM.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Specs
	Base configuration	Review / Max configuration
Price:	$1,819.99 at Lenovo.com / £1,830 at Lenovo.com / AU$3,849 at Lenovo.com	$1,979.99 at Lenovo.com / £1,900.00 at Lenovo.com / AU$3,909.76 at Lenovo.com
CPU:	Intel Core Ultra 7 256V	Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
Graphics:	Intel graphics	Intel Arc graphics
RAM:	16GB LPDDR5X	32GB LPDDR5X
Screen:	14" WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), OLED, Glare, Touch, HDR 600 True Black, 100%DCI-P3, 400 nits, 120Hz, Glass, Camera Under Display	14" WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), OLED, Glare, Touch, HDR 600 True Black, 100%DCI-P3, 400 nits, 120Hz, Glass, Camera Under Display
Storage:	1TB SSD	1TB SSD
Ports:	2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4	2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 7 2x2 BE 320MHz & Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7 2x2 BE 320MHz & Bluetooth 5.4
Camera:	32MP camera-under-display with e-privacy shutter	32MP camera-under-display with e-privacy shutter
Weight:	Starting at 1.25kg / 2.76lbs	Starting at 1.25kg / 2.76lbs
Dimensions:	312.93mm x 203.5mm x as thin as 14.55mm / 12.32 x 8.01 x as thin as 0.57 inches	312.93mm x 203.5mm x as thin as 14.55mm / 12.32 x 8.01 x as thin as 0.57 inches

Outside of the internal upgrades to CPU and RAM, there are no other upgrades. Both configurations come in one color, Tidal Teal, which is admittedly beautiful.

And there’s just the one display available. Thankfully, it’s also very nice with high-resolution and responsive touchscreen capabilities.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Design

Attractive and slim
Gorgeous and impressive display
Limited ports, including a lack of an audio jack

Available in Tidal Teal, a shimmery blue with hints of green, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is a beautiful laptop even before opening it up. It’s slim and light, even for a laptop of this size, and is about as portable as it gets.

In terms of form factor, the one unusual thing I noticed is that there is a raised bar near the top of the lid. This houses the 32-megapixel webcam that’s hidden under the display and pops up near the top-middle of the screen when in use. Though there’s no physical shutter for the webcam, it does have an effective e-privacy toggle next to the right USB-C port.

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An angled view of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i sitting on a picnic table outside — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

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A Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i sitting on a picnic table outside at an angle — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

It’s also worth noting that, despite having a touchscreen, this is not a 2-in-1, so don’t expect to be able to fold it to use as a tablet. That said, the touchscreen is very responsive and very sensitive, enough so that I’ve accidentally closed my browser multiple times when lightly touching the corner of the screen without thinking.

The screen is pretty remarkable beyond its touch capabilities. This 14-inch OLED panel has a 4K or 3840 x 2400 resolution (that’s a 16:10 aspect ratio) with a 120Hz refresh rate, along with 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 color coverage, which is ideal for photo editing. It also has a Vesa Certified DisplayHDR True Black 600 rating. It even supports Dolby Vision. You get the idea – the display is pretty spectacular.

The keyboard on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

The keyboard is a bit shallow, so it's not the most comfortable one I’ve used, but that’s to be expected with a laptop this slim. It’s otherwise accurate and responsive, and I had no trouble pounding out a couple of articles on it.

The touchpad is just as snappy and accurate. While a lot of newer laptops seem to increase the size of the touchpad, that’s not the case here. If you want a really big touchpad, you’re not going to get it here.

Finally, the port selection is very, very minimal. There are just two USB-C ports, one on each side. They’re both Thunderbolt 4, so there’s plenty of throughput if you want to use a dongle. Still, it’s very limited. What I’m most upset about is the fact that Lenovo has done away with any kind of audio jack. As ubiquitous as wireless earbuds are, some of us still use wired headphones from time to time.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Performance

A Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i playing a game — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Snappy, responsive performance
Copilot+
Great audio quality with spatial audio

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is quite powerful. It can handle day-to-day work easily. Opening, scrolling, clicking links, typing, photo editing: all the sorts of things most people want from an Ultrabook. For example, I was able to open 20 browser windows very quickly, just by pressing the Plus sign in Microsoft Edge.

Each window, which opens the MSN homepage filled with different news stories and information, loaded up almost immediately. Of course, I reviewed the 32GB configuration, but the CPU and RAM still do quite a bit of heavy lifting.

Even the camera behind the screen pops up promptly. Speaking of which, the webcam performs smoothly and looks good, though it does struggle with noise in low light.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i CPU / System Benchmarks
Benchmark		Score
Geekbench 6.4 Single Core		2,755
Geekbench 6.4 Single Core		11,186
Crossmark Overall		1,689
Crossmark Productivity		1,638
Crossmark Creativity		1,934
Crossmark Responsiveness		1,234
25GB File Copy Transfer Rate (MB/s)		1,032.87

Now, it’s not a gaming laptop, but I was able to run some less demanding or older games without any trouble, like Sable and Alan Wake. For those games, the action was crisp, clear, and smooth. That gorgeous OLED screen really helps. Still, there were some games I tried to run that wouldn’t even open.

As this is a newer laptop, it comes with Copilot+. Using the app is quick and responsive, though I still don’t find it to be a game-changer in my computing experience.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i GPU / Gaming Benchmarks
Benchmark	Score
3DMark Fire Strike	9,107
3DMark Time Spy	4,436
3DMark Speed Way	6,094
3DMark Steel Nomad	823
3DMark Night Raid	35,326
Borderlands 3 (Badass, 1080p)	27fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest, 1080p)	46fps
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (Max impact, 1080p)	67fps
Total War: Warhammer III (Ultra, 1080p)	37fps

I’ve rarely been impressed by the audio from a laptop. I was when I reviewed the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, and I am here. That’s probably because there are more than two speakers in the Lenovo Yoga Slom 9i. Specifically, there are two 2-watt tweeters and two 3-watt woofers. There’s also some virtual spatial audio since the laptop supports Dolby Atmos.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i: Battery life

Decent if disappointing battery life
Doesn’t seem to do fast charging

Laptops with OLED displays aren’t always the most efficient, so the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i’s just under 10 hours of battery life in the PCMark 10 Battery benchmark is not surprising, though it is a bit disappointing. It did manage a better showing in our Web Surfing test, where it managed to get just over 11 hours of battery life.

While not the best results we've seen, this isn't terrible battery life. However, we’re seeing a few laptops, particularly ones that this one competes with, hitting up to double those numbers. To be fair, I turned off the laptop’s battery-saver feature, which makes the laptop run more efficiently when the battery is low, so you might manage to squeeze more juice from the battery depending on the settings.

On the bright side, it was very good at maintaining battery life when the lid was closed. I’ve used and tested some laptops where the battery would continue to run down when idling, and that’s not an issue here.

Battery life: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i?

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	While pricey, this laptop is thin, powerful, and comes with a wonderful OLED screen.	4 / 5
Design	It’s not only thin and light, but it is gorgeous. Too bad it lacks an audio jack and only comes with two USB-C ports.	4.5 / 5
Performance	The performance (and audio quality) is excellent, especially for productivity work.	4.5 / 5
Battery Life	The battery life is decent, but compared to the competition is lower than expected.	4 / 5
Final score	It’s gorgeous, light, and comes with robust performance. Plus, it has that OLED screen.	4.25 / 5

Buy the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i if...

You want a thin, light laptop
At under three pounds (and with a 14-inch screen), this laptop is about as portable as it gets.

You want a gorgeous screen
Not only is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i a looker, but it comes with a high-resolution OLED display that might be the centerpiece.

You want responsive performance
This might not be a gaming laptop, but its performance is snappy and responsive, exactly what one needs for most productivity work.

Don't buy it if...

You want more ports
Only two USB-C Thunderbolt ports are limiting enough. The fact that there’s no audio jack is pretty disappointing.

You have limited funds
While worth the cost, this is not a cheap machine. If you’re limited on funds, there are some great laptops out there without an OLED screen that are probably within reach.

Also consider

If my Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Dell XPS 13
Between the long-lasting battery life, strong performance, and gorgeous OLED screen, the Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen version of the Dell XPS 13 is the ideal Ultrabook. That is, if you’re game for an innovative design change that some will love and others not so much – essentially a haptic-only touch bar and touchpad.

Read our full Dell XPS 13 review

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) may not have WiFi 7 or any major physical design upgrades, but it’s an almost perfect laptop otherwise. It has powerful and incredibly efficient performance (meaning it also has a very long battery life) and comes with some unique features such as the centerstage camera and optional nano-texture screen.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) review

How I tested the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i

Tested for a month
Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
Tested its various features

I used the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i for a month, testing it for work, including this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some light gaming. I played with the webcam, the audio, and the AI features as well.

After spending time with the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i, it’s clear that this is perfect for those who want a premium experience (and can pay for it) in a gorgeous wrapping.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

First reviewed August 2025

I just spent a week with the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, and now I don’t want to give it back

6:33 pm | August 12, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: HDMI, Microsoft Surface Laptop, UK, US | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360: Two-minute review

There's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is a premium laptop. Everything about it screams 'high-end', from the sleek chassis to the fantastic performance. Is it one of the best ultrabooks? Having spent a week using it for this review, I feel confident saying so.

Of course, such premium design quality means a premium price tag to match, with even the base configuration starting at an eye-watering $1,699 / £1,599 (around AU$2,615). That's a high asking price, but the Book5 Pro 360 puts a lot of work into justifying it.

For starters, the overall performance here is strong. The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor powering this laptop performs admirably across a wide range of workloads, even capable of handling triple-A games with the help of resolution upscaling. The battery life is also truly top-notch.

In terms of build quality, the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 feels like it belongs among the best laptops, with a premium feel to the chassis and a sturdy 360-degree display hinge (making it a prime candidate for one of the best 2-in-1 laptops). With a good range of physical ports and a gorgeous AMOLED display to boot, this is one laptop I was seriously reluctant to send back once my testing was complete.

The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 photographed on a white desk. — (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 review: Price and availability

Starts at $1,699 / £1,599 (around AU$2,615)
Available now in the US and UK
Only one configuration available in the US

Starting at $1,699 / £1,599 (around AU$2,615), the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 doesn't have a wealth of configurations to choose from. In fact, US shoppers can only purchase one specific model, which features a 1TB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.

If you're in the UK, you can pick up that same configuration for £1,799, or a slightly less powerful version with 512GB of storage and a Core Ultra 5 chip for the aforementioned £1,599 price tag.

It's some pretty steep pricing, especially in the UK - although as always, it should be noted that British pricing includes tax, and there's no telling how the current tariff situation will affect the actual retail price in the States. I've seen costlier laptops, and the Book5 Pro 360 lives up to its price tag, but this isn't one for the faint of heart (or slim of wallet).

Sorry to our readers over in Australia, as it seems that Samsung hasn't seen fit to bring any of the Galaxy Book laptop series to the land down under (at least, not according to its own online store). That means you'll be looking at third-party importers if you want to get your hands on a Book5 model.

Price: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 review: Specs

Here are the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360:

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 specs
	Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 (model reviewed)
Starting Price	$1,699 / £1,799 (around AU$2,615)
CPU	Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
GPU	Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics
RAM	16GB
Storage	Up to 1TB SSD
Display	16-inch WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) AMOLED 120Hz touchscreen
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm combi audio jack, HDMI 2.1, microSD
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	3.73lbs / 1.69kg
Dimensions	14 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches / 35.5 x 25.1 x 1.37mcm

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 review: Design

Best-in-class build quality
Excellent display
Tablet functionality is merely alright

Upon first unboxing it, the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 immediately feels like a high-end piece of hardware. It's just half an inch thick, and there's not an ounce of wasted space here; the chassis is carefully sculpted around the 16-inch display, with a tiny bezel that also houses the 1080p webcam. The whole thing feels durable and well-constructed.

Despite featuring a full-scale keyboard that features a numpad on the right-hand side, typing on the Book5 Pro 360 never felt cramped in my testing. The individual keys are sufficiently spaced and offer a decent amount of travel for a thin-and-light ultrabook. There's a fingerprint reader for more secure logins, and you can also use Windows Hello to unlock the laptop with facial recognition.

The trackpad is very responsive with a robust click and no noticeable flex in the housing, even with firm presses - although as usual, I'd recommend connecting a third-party mouse instead. I didn't notice any issues with the palm rejection while typing, which is always a relief.

The 360-degree hinge that lets you flip into tablet mode is pleasingly sturdy (no annoying wobbles here), though I'd perhaps say that tablet functionality is the weakest feather in Samsung's cap. The Book5 Pro 360 is simply a bit too large and heavy to really work as a tablet device; don't expect this to beat any of the best tablets in that regard.

That being said, the touchscreen is fantastic; a 3K AMOLED display with excellent brightness, sharpness, and color reproduction. The Samsung S Pen comes bundled with every Book5 Pro 360, and while I'm no artist, it seems to work very well, which could be a potential boon for digital creatives. It would be nice if the S Pen could be garaged or snap magnetically to the chassis, though.

In terms of physical connectivity, the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 features a great selection of ports: two Thunderbolt 4-enabled USB-Cs, one USB-A, HDMI video output for connecting a second screen, headphone jack, and even a microSD card reader - a worthwhile inclusion for photographers. Wireless connectivity is handled by Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, exemplifying the cutting-edge nature of this laptop.

I also have to discuss the software side of things, since virtually every laptop manufacturer these days is dead set on cramming as many proprietary apps into their laptops as possible. These can range from somewhat useful to borderline malware, and are often among the first things I uninstall on a new device.

Mercifully, Samsung's integrated software is largely unobtrusive, and can be ignored entirely after the initial setup if you're so inclined. The tools on offer are best employed by users who already own another Galaxy device, with the Multi Control feature letting you access your Samsung phone or tablet directly from the laptop. You can even use a Galaxy Tab as a second screen, although I didn't have one on hand to test this myself.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 review: Performance

Strong all-round performance
Intel Core Ultra chip gives local AI functionality
Even capable of triple-A gaming (with some tweaks)

I was seriously impressed with the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor at the core of the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360. Outside of dedicated testing, I found the laptop remarkably fast and responsive, capable of handling multitasking workloads with ease.

Although the lack of a discrete GPU means that it's not best suited for seriously intensive work like video editing or 3D modeling, it can still handle a variety of daily tasks. My usual workload involves keeping a minimum of ten Chrome tabs open at once, usually with Spotify running in the background and the occasional bit of image editing in GIMP, and the Book5 Pro 360 had zero issues with that.

Samsung Galaxy Book5 360 benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 17,990; Fire Strike: 8,874; Time Spy: 3,891; Steel Nomad: 1,677
Cinebench R24: Multi-core: 588; Single-core: 124
Geekbench 6.4: Multicore: 10,630; Single-core: 2,635
Geekbench AI: Single Precision Score: 3,165; Half Precision Score: 1,412; Quantized Score: 6,286
PCMark 10: 6,767
Crossmark: Overall: 1,770; Productivity: 1,640; Creativity: 1,996; Responsiveness: 1,558
Sid Meier's Civilization VII: (1080p, Medium, No Upscaling): 34fps; (1080p, High, No Upscaling): 22fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (1080p, Low, No Upscaling): 39fps; (1080p, Ultra, No Upscaling): 23fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 20 hours, 3 minutes

Over on the test bench, the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 scored well across the board, with good performance in synthetic rendering and productivity tests. It's not world-beating performance (the best MacBooks will give this laptop a run for its money), but it's certainly on par with comparable Windows laptops.

Gaming performance is seriously impressive considering that it's all running on integrated Intel Arc graphics. Cyberpunk 2077 was just about playable at 1080p with the lowest graphical preset, but turn on upscaling (either via Intel's own XeSS tech or AMD's open-source FSR 3.0) and you can easily get a stable 30+ frames per second even on medium settings.

You might notice above that the recorded scores for Civilization VII - a less demanding title than Cyberpunk - look a bit low. Despite multiple attempts with different settings, I couldn't coax any better performance out of that game, and turning on upscaling actually made the framerate worse. Other games (including Borderlands 3 and Alan Wake 2) ran as expected, so it's possible there was a driver issue or similar obstacle I simply didn't have time to properly diagnose and resolve in my testing.

Lastly, the Book5 Pro 360 features a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) on its Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, designed to handle local AI workloads (like some of the functionality of Microsoft Copilot). The NPU performance is solid, but it's worth noting that for running more intensive AI tasks - like training your own LLM - you'll see better performance on a laptop with a discrete Nvidia GPU.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 review: Battery life

Fantastic battery lifespan
Outlasts many competing laptops
Charges quickly

Samsung makes some bold claims about the 76Wh battery of the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, suggesting that it offers up to 25 hours of continuous use. It didn't quite live up to that figure in my testing, but it still delivered a very respectable 20 hours and 3 minutes of looped video playback.

We run our battery test at 50% brightness with Windows 11's 'best efficiency' power preset enabled, so that 25-hour figure actually sounds pretty achievable if you really tried to squeeze every last drop from the battery with minimum brightness and Energy Saver turned on. Regardless, it's an impressive result that comfortably defeats many competing laptops. The only one to beat it in recent memory is the 2025 Intel Core Ultra Dell XPS 13, but that laptop crucially has a much smaller (and therefore less power-hungry) display.

Charging is also fast, with power delivery via Thunderbolt 4 taking the battery from empty to full in approximately 90 minutes. The only downside is having to sacrifice a USB-C port while charging, but with plenty of other ports available, it's a very minor concern.

Battery: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book5 360?

Samsung Galaxy Book5 360: Scorecard
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The bundled S Pen is a nice extra, but the price tag is still fairly high - though not entirely unreasonable for a premium ultrabook like this.	3.5 / 5
Design	Although the tablet mode is a bit unwieldy due to the large screen, this is a fantastically designed laptop overall.	4.5 / 5
Performance	Performance is strong across the board, with good gaming capabilities and a discrete NPU for AI workloads.	4.5 / 5
Battery	20 hours of battery life places the Book5 Pro 360 among the best of the best when it comes to laptop longevity.	5 / 5
Overall rating	If you're looking for a premium Windows device that beats out most of the competition, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is a strong choice.	4.25 / 5

Buy it if...

You want premium build quality
The Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 feels like an expertly engineered device, with a robust screen hinge and comfortable keyboard.

You want a fast and versatile laptop
With strong all-rounder performance and great responsiveness, plus a fantastic touchscreen, this Galaxy Book can handle almost anything you throw at it.

Don't buy it if...

You really want a tablet
Although the touchscreen is great, the whole laptop is slightly too large to be practical as a tablet - it's fine for occasional use, but ill-suited as a dedicated tablet device.

You're on a budget
There's no avoiding it: the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is expensive. If you want an affordable system, you'll be better off checking out our best budget laptops guide.

Samsung Galaxy Book5 360: Also consider

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
If you can make do with just a touchscreen, rather than a fully convertible laptop, the Surface 7 is an excellent choice. We found its performance very capable across multiple areas, while its design, battery life, and even sound quality are great as well. It uses an ARM processor, though, so beware of possible incompatibilities.
Check out our Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
For those who aren't too concerned about Windows and would be happy to make the switch to macOS, the 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro is the way to go - just bear in mind that it's even more expensive (and even more powerful) than the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360.
Check out our MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review

	Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360	Microsoft Surface Laptop 7	Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4, 2024)
Starting Price	From $1,699 / £1,599 (around AU$2,615)	From $999.99 / £1,049.99 / AU$1,899	From $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999
CPU	Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 256V	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite	Up to Apple M4 Max (16-core)
GPU	Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno GPU	Up to 40-core integrated GPU
RAM	16GB DDR5	Up to 32GB LPDDR5x	Up to 48GB unified memory
Storage	Up to 1TB SSD	Up to 1TB SSD	Up to 1TB SSD
Display	16-inch WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) AMOLED 120Hz touchscreen	13.8-inch 2304 x 1536, 3:2 120Hz HDR touchscreen	16-inch 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x USB-A 3.2, 1x 3.5mm combi audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x microSD card reader	2x USB 4 Type C, 1x USB Type A Gen 3.1, 1x 3.5mm combo jack, 1x Surface connect port, 1x microSD card reader	3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), 1x HDMI, 1x SDXC card slot, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4	WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	3.73lbs / 1.69kg	2.96lbs / 1.34kg	4.8 lbs / 2.2kg
Dimensions	14 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches / 35.5 x 25.1 x 1.37mcm	11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches / 30.1 x 22.0 x 1.75cm	14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches / 35.6 x 24.8 x 1.7cm

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360

Replaced my usual laptop for one week
Performed a variety of everyday tasks
Ran our usual suite of synthetic and gaming tests

As I usually do for any laptop review, I replaced my daily driver (the ever-dependable HP Spectre x360) with the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 for one week, using it for both my regular work and a bit of entertainment outside of the nine-to-five.

My day-to-day workload mostly involves editing spreadsheets and text documents, researching online in Chrome, and some light image editing (usually to produce fun pictures for spicy opinion articles). Beyond that, I also used the Book5 Pro 360 for some gaming, playing Borderlands and Stardew Valley with my partner, as well as finally catching up on Dandadan season 2 on Netflix.

I've got plenty of experience in testing laptops, as I've been professionally reviewing them (along with all other sorts of computer hardware) for more than eight years. I've learned what it takes to make a good laptop, and what potential drawbacks to keep an eye out for.

Dell 14 Premium: One-minute review

The Dell 14 Premium is finally here, and it is definitely worth the wait.

The 14 Premium is the latest Dell laptop to launch as part of its rebranding, replacing the fan-favorite Dell XPS lineup of laptops, which ranked among the best laptops year after year for as long as I've been reviewing laptops for TechRadar.

Like the Dell 16 Premium, the Dell 14 Premium essentially carries on the XPS formula with little changed beyond the branding, but that's not a bad thing at all. The Dell XPS 14 (2024) was one of the best Dell laptops I've ever reviewed, and the 14 Premium is even better still.

Starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, the 14 Premium matches the starting price of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) that it is competing with, though the 14 Premium does max out a bit cheaper than the MacBook Pro 14.

Obviously, you won't get the same kind of performance from the base-spec 14 Premium as you do if you go the discrete graphics, non-OLED route, which starts at $1,999.99 / £1,999 / AU$$3,297.8. Content creators, or those who want one of the best displays you're going to find on a laptop right now, will want to check out the RTX 4050/OLED configurations, which start at $2,199.99 / £2,199 / AU$3,598.10.

The Dell 14 Premium is on sale right now, with configurations starting as low as $1,499.99 in the US, with higher-tier configurations marked down more than $250 at Dell's website.View Deal

If performance is what you're after, the Dell 14 Premium beats out the MacBook Pro 14-inch, overall, in my testing, but it's not a total knockout. Given the performance I've seen from the MacBook Pro 14-inch base-spec, the 14 Premium really can't keep up on the low-end, and those looking to keep things within a tighter budget will likely be better off with a MacBook Pro (as much as it pains me to say it as a diehard Windows user).

If you're looking for high-end performance, however, the MacBook Pro 14-inch's M4 just can't keep up with the 14 Premium's RTX 4050 discrete graphics. It makes a huge difference in some workloads, like 3D modeling, and especially when it comes to gaming.

One other thing the 14 Premium has over the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the option for an OLED display, which looks gorgeous. The rest of the laptop is solid and has a much more premium feel to it than the 14 Plus, but there are some design quirks that keep it from truly laying out its competition on the mat.

While the discrete graphics and OLED upgrades do push the price considerably higher, there's no question that the upgrade is worth it, especially the upgrade to the RTX 4050 GPU, which unlocks a lot of power necessary for high-end applications.

This, of course, considerably impacts the device's battery life, dragging it down below nine hours in my testing. But for a laptop this compact with a high-end display and discrete graphics, it's definitely a worthwhile compromise.

So, bottom line: does the Dell 14 Premium defeat the current MacBook Pro 14-inch with M4? Yes, but it's down to the judges rather than a KO, and so your mileage may vary depending on your needs and budget. If you're going with high-end specs, the Dell 14 Premium is probably the best Windows laptop going right now, but if you're not going to go with the RTX 4050 GPU, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is probably the better bet for those looking to stay on budget.

Dell 14 Premium: Price & availability

A Dell 14 Premium sitting on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starts at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.

The Dell 14 Premium is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,499.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,798.40, respectively.

This puts it in line with the starting price of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4), and is roughly in line with where the XPS 14 (2024) launched last year, though the 14 Premium is cheaper to start in the UK and Australia than its predecessor.

Given its premium status, this isn't really that bad a price for a laptop like this, and its high-end configurations are cheaper than a comparable MacBook Pro 14-inch, which definitely can't be overlooked. Still, it's expensive, especially in an era where everyone is a bit less free with their spending than they were even a year ago.

Value: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Specs

Up to RTX 4050 GPU
Wi-Fi 7
Only Thunderbolt 4

The specs for the Dell 14 Premium are pretty much identical to the Dell XPS 14 that preceded it, with some important differences.

This is not an Intel Lunar Lake laptop; it's an Arrow Lake H laptop, so while the processor model numbers might look very similar, they are two different architectures.

This allows the Intel Core Ultra 255H chip to be paired with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, something last year's model wasn't capable of due to the limitations of the Lunar Lake chip design.

The 14 Premium is also configured with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, though it only has Thunderbolt 4 ports rather than the newer Thunderbolt 5 that the top-spec Dell 16 Premium has.

Dell 14 Premium Base Specs
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$1,499.99 at Dell.com	£1,499 at Dell.com	AU$2,798.40 at Dell.com
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GPU	Integrated Intel Arc 140T	Integrated Intel Arc 140T	Integrated Intel Arc 140T
Memory	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s
Storage	512GB PCIe NVMe	512GB PCIe NVMe	512GB PCIe NVMe
Display	14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz	14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz	14.5-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz
Ports	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery	69.5WHr	69.5WHr	69.5WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera
Weight	3.66 lbs \| 1.66kg	3.66 lbs \| 1.66kg	3.66 lbs \| 1.66kg
Dimensions	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

The base specs are fairly modest, though you do start out with at least 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is necessary if you're planning on using Windows 11's Copilot+ AI features. There's also no difference in starting configuration between the US, UK, and Australia.

Dell 14 Premium Top Specs
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$2,399.99 at Dell.com	£2,364.59 at Dell.com	AU$4,207.50 at Dell.com
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 265H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GPU	Nvidia RTX 4050	Nvidia RTX 4050	Nvidia RTX 4050
Memory	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s
Storage	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe
Display	14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz	14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz	14.5-inch Touch 3.2K OLED, 400 nit, 120Hz
Ports	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 5, 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery	69.5WHr	69.5WHr	69.5WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera
Weight	3.79 lbs \| 1.72kg	3.79 lbs \| 1.72kg	3.79 lbs \| 1.72kg
Dimensions	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm	12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 ins \| 320 x 215.97 x 18mm

On the top-end, the Dell 14 Premium configurations are nearly identical, save that in the UK, you can opt for a slightly more powerful Core Ultra 7 265H chip rather than the Core Ultra 7 255H in every other configuration.

For this review, I tested out the top US configuration listed above.

Specs: 4.5 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Design

Gorgeous OLED display
Excellent port selection
Trackpad and function key row still controversial

From the outside, the Dell 14 Premium is identical to last year's XPS 14 (save for the new logo on the lid), and that's not a bad thing. The 14 Premium's construction and minimalist aesthetic definitely make it look like it's all business, something you'd expect from a company like Dell, renowned as it is for its business and enterprise market dominance.

That doesn't make it ugly, though. It's a good-looking laptop, somewhat undercut by its two colorways, Graphite and Platinum, which are honestly rather boring at this point.

With the new Surface Laptop 7 coming in a gorgeous Sapphire colorway and even Apple adding a Sky Blue option for this year's MacBook Air models (not to mention my beloved Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch having a Violet option), laptops are starting to finally have more personality than the design deadend that Apple pushed us all into with its MacBook Silver and Space Gray colorways in the 2010s.

In this regard, I hope Dell catches up next year, but one thing at a time, I guess. Dropping the XPS branding and introducing a splash of color in one release might have pushed some Dell fans over the edge, so steady as she goes, design-wise.

Image 1 of 3

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Image 3 of 3

I've spilled enough ink over the past couple of years about my mixed feelings when it comes to the borderless trackpad (and loss of the delightful carbon-fibery palm rests), so I'll let that critique go. Finally.

I've yet to fully embrace the solid strip beneath the keyboard, as it does take some getting used to for finding out exactly how to right click on something, but it's easy enough to pick up and soon becomes second nature. It's still an accessibility nightmare, as is the lack of physical function keys along the top of the keydeck. On the plus side, there are top-firing speakers, which isn't always a sure thing on a 14-inch laptop.

The keyboard itself is decent enough, though these aren't my favorite keys to type on. I'm very used to mechanical keyboards, so the travel and tactile responsiveness of the 14 Premium's take getting used to, and I'm not sure I ever will. If this is going to be your only or even just your primary laptop, however, you'll get used to it just fine.

Some are going to complain about the lack of USB Type-A ports on the 14 Premium, but frankly, it's 2025. At some point, older, slower interfaces will be retired, and it's time, honestly. There are plenty of adapters out there to convert USB-A to USB-C, and you can even add the option for a mini-hub dongle with USB-A and HDMI ports that can plug into one of the three Thunderbolt 4 ports on the device. All three provide power delivery and DisplayPort out, with up to 4 monitors supported overall.

You also get a microSD slot, which is great for creative pros who work with SD cards alot, and a dedicated 3.5mm combo jack. All in all, a solid port selection for a device this small.

One other knock I have to give the 14 Premium though is its webcam. The 1080p IR webcam itself is perfectly good, and gets up to 30 FPS 1080p video, which is great for video calls and meetings. My problem, though, is the lack of a privacy shutter. It's 2025, and this should be the default on a 'premium' laptop.

The overall aesthetics of the 14 Premium are as good as its XPS pedigree, but it could use some freshening up in the next couple of years, in my opinion. It's built solid and won't be embarrassing to whip out in the office in five year's time, but we are kind of coming up against this design's shelf life, and I hope we see something new next year.

Design: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Performance

Powerful creative chops
Decent 1080p gaming
Falls a good bit behind Apple's MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) on some benchmarks

So, when it comes down to it, performance really is the most important factor in a laptop like the Dell 14 Premium. It's competing against one of the best MacBooks ever made in the recent MacBook Pro 14-inch, and given its pricing, the 14 Premium has to deliver on something other than cost.

It's a bit of a mixed bag, ultimately. The CPU performance for the M4 chip outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 255H in all tests but Geekbench 6.4 multicore performance, where they are very close, with the Dell 14 Premium in the lead.

That said, the Intel Core Ultra 255H is mostly competitive with the M4 in CPU computing tasks, and the difference is such that you'd be very hard-pressed to notice the M4's faster performance in actual use. The 14 Premium falls behind quite a bit on single-core performance, which is important for running some high-impact creative apps like Adobe Photoshop or Pro Tools, but that's only part of the story.

The very strong single-core performance for the MacBook Pro 14-inch is offset quite a bit by the relatively slow SSD performance I saw in my Blackmagic Disk Speed Test benchmark. The Dell 14 Premium clocked in with an impressive 4,235 MB/s read speed to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's 2,900 MB/s. That's a nearly 50% faster read speed for the 14 Premium, and that translates directly into faster load times for programs and opening files.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch might beat the 14 Premium in single-core performance, but when it comes to system and app startup, downloads, and other file operations, that extra sluggishness on Apple's part will noticeably cut into its advantage here. That doesn't mean the 14 Premium will somehow eek out a win when it comes to video encoding or processing photos in Photoshop. What it does do, however, is help keep the 14 Premium in the hunt when its Intel chip is being outclassed by the M4's processing power (ironically, last year's Dell XPS 14 scored the highest in my storage benchmark tests).

Swing things around to GPU performance, though, and things fall apart for Apple pretty quick. There just isn't a way for an integrated GPU to compete with even a budget discrete Nvidia GPU like the RTX 4050.

There are only a few cross-platform GPU tests that I can use for both the Dell 14 Premium and the MacBook Pro 14-inch, but in all cases, the RTX 4050 just outclasses the M4 10-core GPU, especially in ray-tracing workloads like Solar Bay

Meanwhile, in areas like video and photo editing, the MacBook Pro 14-inch might have an advantage over the 14 Premium, but it's not earth-shattering.

The 14 Premium encoded a 4K video into 1080p about 22% slower than the MacBook Pro 14-inch, which is definitely something for video editors to consider (who are we kidding, we know y'all are just going to buy a MacBook Pro. Your entire industry is built around macOS). In my PugetBench for Creators-Adobe Photoshop tests, the Dell 14 Premium came in about 29% slower. For video and photography pros, this will absolutely be a dealbreaker and push you firmly back into the Apple camp, and that's understandable if that's what you're looking to use your next laptop for.

However, compare those results to the MacBook Pro 14-inch's Blender Benchmark 4.3.0 performance, which is about 60% slower, overall, than the 14 Premium's.

When it comes to machine learning workloads, the situation will be similar, since Pytorch, the software framework that drives pretty much all AI development right now, is deeply tied to Nvidia's tensor core hardware. We don't have any good cross-platform AI benchmarks right now to give quantitative numbers, so giving a percentage of which laptop is better isn't really possible yet (I'm working on it, I promise).

That said, I've spent the better part of a decade studying computer science to earn my Master's degree in the field, and I can tell you that not a single person I know uses anything other than Nvidia hardware for this kind of work, and the Dell 14 Premium will be able to run AI inference and GAN workloads far better than the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Finally, when it comes to gaming, none of these laptops are making it onto our best gaming laptop list, but the RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium I tested made it much easier to play modern AAA PC games, with reasonable adjustments made to settings.

At 1080p on the highest settings in those games where I can compare results across devices, the Dell 14 Premium averaged about 75% faster FPS on average overall compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Of course, there's also the issue with whether or not the game you want can run on a Mac, which isn't a guarantee, while Windows is the default for all PC games on major platforms like Steam or GOG. I wouldn't go out of your way to buy the 14 Premium to play games on, but it's nice to know that you can effectively game if you're on the road for work and you're tired of writing up reports or designing work presentations in your hotel room.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Dell 14 Premium: Battery Life

How long does it last on a single charge? 8 hours, 16 minutes
How long does it take to charge from empty to full? It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to charge to full with a 100W AC adapter

For battery life, the Dell 14 Premium doesn't have spectacular longevity, especially compared to something like the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch, which run about 55% longer than the 14 Premium, but there are costs involved in using discrete graphics and more power hungry OLED displays.

Overall, I think the tradeoff is worth it, but if batter life is a major concern for you, sticking with an LCD display and integrated graphics are the way to go here, and should get you a good bit more juice on a single charge.

Battery Life: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Dell 14 Premium?

Dell 14 Premium Scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	The 14 Premium is not totally out of line price-wise for its market. This is still a premium device, so budget-conscious buyers might be better off looking elsewhere. That said, for the level of performance and portability, it will likely offer a better value than a similarly specced MacBook Pro 14-inch.	4 / 5
Specs	There aren't a whole lot of configuration options available, you do get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and options for an RTX 4050 GPU and a gorgeous OLED display.	4.5 / 5
Design	The 14 Premium is a good looking device that is well-made and portable. Its 'virtual' function keys, borderless trackpad, and lack of webcam privacy shutter knocks some points off though.	4 / 5
Performance	While it doesn't dethrone the MacBook Pro 14-inch as the go-to device for creative pros, it more than holds its own against Apple's popular laptop and even outperforms it in key areas.	4.5 / 5
Battery Life	At just over 8 hours of battery life on a charge, this isn't the longest-lasting laptop going. If batter life is a concern, skip the RTX 4050 GPU and OLED display to reduce strain on the 69.5WHr battery.	3.5 / 5
Final Score	The Dell 14 Premium outperforms the MacBook Pro 14-inch when every score is averaged, but there's enough nuance here that it's not a laptop I can unconditionally recommend to everybody. Most people? Yes; but creatives will still want to look at the MacBook Pro 14-inch.	4.10 / 5

Buy the Dell 14 Premium if...

You want a high-performance 14-inch ultrabook
The highly portable form factor belies some seriously powerful hardware inside.

You need an Nvidia GPU for on-the-go work
There are some tasks that simply require an Nvidia GPU, and this is one of the most portable laptops you'll find that offers one.

You want to do some moderate PC gaming
The RTX 4050 GPU in the 14 Premium has 1080p gaming chops, just keep your graphics settings reasonable.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a tight budget
As the name suggests, the 14 Premium doesn't come cheap. You might be better off with the Dell 14 Plus if money's tight.

You plan on doing heavy-duty video editing
While the 14 Premium can handle serious video editing tasks, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is simply better suited for that workload.

You need all-day battery life
The battery life on the 14 Premium isn't terrible, but you will need to bring a charger with you in you plan on working on it all day.

Also consider

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
The Dell 14 Premium is directly competing with the MacBook Pro 14-inch, and both are pretty evenly matched in the end.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) review

Dell 14 Plus
If you're looking for a cheap Windows 11 laptop, the Dell 14 Premium is fairly pricey, so check out the 14 Plus if you're on a budget.

Read our full Dell 14 Plus review

How I tested the Dell 14 Premium

I spent about two weeks with the Dell 14 Premium
I used it for everyday work and creative tasks
I ran it through our standard battery of benchmark tests

I spent about two weeks working with the Dell 14 Premium, putting it through my typical battery of benchmark tests, and using it for everyday productivity and creative work.

I used standard benchmarking tools like 3DMark, Geekbench, PugetBench for Creators, and in-game benchmarks for PC gaming performance analysis.

I also used the laptop as my everyday device, including some light gaming in addition to working with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

I've been reviewing laptops for Techradar for more than five years, and I've tested more than a hundred laptops in that time, both for reviews and for investigative testing to support special computing features and content in that time, so I know better than most when a laptop is hitting the mark and when and where it misses.

First reviewed August 2025

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is built from a mysterious new material – but does this space-age laptop live up to the hype?

11:00 am | August 6, 2025

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

Asus Zenbook S 16: Two-minute review

The Zenbook S 16 photographed on a dark marble surface with potted plants in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

The Asus Zenbook laptop line has long been one of my favorites, sitting among the best ultrabooks alongside rivals like Dell's XPS series and the LG Gram collection. Now, Asus has given its premium laptop lineup a fresh lease on life, thanks to AMD's mighty new Ryzen AI chips and the magic of something called 'ceraluminum'.

I'll get further into that mysterious new material further down in this review, but here's the short version: the lid of the new Asus Zenbook S 16 is made from a futuristic composite of aluminum and ceramic, giving it a soft matte feel while also being more durable, lighter, and fingerprint-resistant than the traditional aluminum and plastic used in the construction of most modern laptops.

Of course, a fancy outer casing doesn't guarantee you're getting a high-quality product. But the Zenbook S 16 delivers a premium experience in other areas too, with great performance across a variety of workloads and a generally very comfortable user experience.

Although I always spend at least a full workweek using any laptop I review in lieu of my regular daily driver (the ever-faithful HP Spectre x360), I was actually forced to use this laptop for a few days. See, my boiler needed replacing, and unfortunately, it's situated in my home office - meaning that for two days, I was jettisoned from my desktop setup to the breakfast bar downstairs while the installation engineer resolved my lack of hot water.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a creature of habit, and was initially unhappy to be displaced from my usual workstation. But honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if I shouldn't drop Asus a line politely asking (read: begging) to keep this Zenbook. The 16-inch OLED touchscreen is gorgeous, and the large touchpad and keyboard make for a very comfortable user experience. It's perhaps the closest I've felt to using a MacBook Pro while actually on a Windows laptop - and while I'm a known macOS hater, I've always maintained that Apple's Mac products are very well-designed devices.

Starting at $1,599 / £1,499 / AU$2,999, the Zenbook S 16 isn't exactly cheap, but for that price tag, you're getting some pretty impressive performance and a really, really nice piece of physical hardware. I'll dig into the details more in the Price and Availability section, but the key takeaway here is that the value proposition is solid.

There's only one real drawback here, in my opinion: the battery life. It's perfectly serviceable, don't get me wrong, but it's nothing spectacular within the current market space. Still, it'll last you through a full day's work and then some - so as long as you don't mind putting it on charge overnight.

Asus Zenbook S 16: Price and availability

How much does it cost? Starts at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

With a price tag starting at $1,599 / £1,499 / AU$2,999, the Asus Zenbook S 16 certainly leans towards the premium end of the market, but you're getting plenty of bang for your buck here.

There are a few different configurations, with the main difference being the Ryzen processor model and the amount of RAM. Every model comes with the same 3K OLED display and 1TB of storage - a 2TB model would've been nice, but at least the SSD is user-upgradable. The base configuration, priced as above, comes with a Ryzen AI 7 350 chip and 24GB of RAM (an unusual amount, but still better than the more commonplace 16GB industry standard).

My review unit is a higher-end model, featuring a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and 32GB of RAM, and it will cost you $1,799 / £1,599 - and at the time of writing, this model unfortunately isn't available in Australia. I say 'unfortunately' here because for my money, that extra $200 / £100 is well worth it for the internal hardware upgrade.

For comparison, a 16-inch MacBook Pro will cost you $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 - and that's just for the base M4 Pro model. Granted, there's no denying that Apple's pro-grade laptop can offer better performance in many areas than this Zenbook, but the point stands that the Zenbook S 16 is very good value for money.

Price score: 4.5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Specs

	Asus Zenbook S 16
CPU	Up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
GPU	Up to AMD Radeon 890M
RAM	Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Display	16-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz
Storage	Up to 1TB SSD
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x 3,5mm combi audio jack
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	1.5kg / 3.31lbs
Dimension	35.4 x 24.3 x 1.29cm / 13.9 x 9.6 x 0.51 inches

Asus Zenbook S 16: Design

Super comfortable keyboard and trackpad
Ceraluminum casing is impressive
Surprisingly lightweight

Aesthetically speaking, this is undeniably one gorgeous laptop. With the 'Scandinavian White' colorway, it feels as clean and striking as any of the best laptops. The back of the screen is not only made from Asus's fancy ceraluminum material, but it also has a kintsugi-inspired pattern of sharp lines inlaid in silver, which strikes the perfect balance between eye-catching and minimalist.

A little more about that revolutionary new material, though: you can read about my first time encountering ceraluminum right here, but I'll give you a quick breakdown in case you don't feel like reading a whole different article. It's created by electrochemically bonding aluminum with a ceramic component, producing a strong plated material with a matte surface that feels like unglazed pottery to the touch.

The best thing about this is that it brings the lightweight, durable nature of aluminum - a popular choice among manufacturers when it comes to laptop construction - while also providing a grippier surface that is more resilient against both damage and smudging from fingerprints. I've criticized more than a few laptops over the years for being 'fingerprint magnets', and happily that doesn't apply here. The whole thing feels impressively sturdy despite being very thin and light for a 16-inch laptop.

Opening up the lid, you're met with a more conventionally constructed aluminum keyboard housing, with a large glass touchpad and nicely spaced keys that make it very comfortable to type on. I also found the touchpad to be sensitive and responsive, with a firm click, although I typically prefer to connect a wireless mouse when using laptops.

Above the keyboard, a wide cooling grille sits with a subtle Asus logo in the corner. The keys are backlit with white LEDs, which can be set to three different brightness levels; it's not often I take much time to comment on keyboard backlighting, but the Zenbook S 16's is particularly vibrant.

Speaking of vibrancy, the display on this laptop is fantastic, offering rich color and sharp contrast thanks to its 3K OLED panel. While the maximum brightness isn't quite as high as I've seen on some other OLED laptops, it's certainly bright enough to use in well-lit environments, and it's also a touchscreen. Somewhat surprisingly, this display has a 120Hz refresh rate, a pleasing upgrade from the 60Hz panels you see on most non-gaming laptops.

In terms of physical connectivity, we've got a good selection of ports here, including USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and even an SD card reader - the latter of which may be a boon for photographers when combined with the excellent display. Lastly, the speakers are quite good, providing detailed audio for both music and dialogue - it's perhaps lacking a tiny bit of kick in the bass department compared to some laptops I've seen, but overall I really can't complain about the speaker quality.

Design score: 5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Performance

Solid all-rounder performance
NPU provides support for AI features in Windows
Playing games is certainly an option, though it's no gaming laptop

The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is a powerful chip backed with 32GB of RAM in my review unit, and I'm pleased to say it performs admirably. General responsiveness is great and everyday tasks run smoothly, to the point where anyone who just wants a laptop for office work could probably consider downgrading to a Ryzen AI 7 model.

When it comes to more demanding workloads, the Zenbook S 16 offers good performance across a variety of areas, including 3D rendering, AI functionality, and gaming. Sure, it's not going to beat out an actual gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU, but the AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics are surprisingly competent even in more demanding games, provided you're willing to dial back the graphical settings a bit and turn on AMD's FSR 3.0 resolution upscaling mode.

Asus Zenbook S 16 review: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Zenbook S 16 (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 34,618; Fire Strike: 8,516; Time Spy: 4,407; Steel Nomad: 889
Cinebench R23: Multi-core: 13,441; Single-core: 1,953
Geekbench 6.4: Multicore: 14,102; Single-core: 2,845
Geekbench AI: Single Precision Score: 2,359; Half Precision Score: 1,217; Quantized Score: 4,811
PCMark 10: 6,827
Crossmark: Overall: 1,744; Productivity: 1,637; Creativity: 1,940; Responsiveness: 1,537
Sid Meier's Civilization VII: (1080p, Medium, No Upscaling): 45fps; (1800p, High, No Upscaling): 16fps; (1800p, High, Balanced FSR 3 Upscaling): 22fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (1080p, Medium, No Upscaling): 22fps; (1800p, Ultra, No Upscaling): 6fps; (1800p, Ultra, Balanced FSR 3 Upscaling): 10fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 14 hours, 55 minutes

In real-world testing, I had no issues whatsoever with the performance of the Zenbook S 16. Running Spotify in the background while working across 20+ open Chrome tabs didn't cause the slightest bit of slowdown, and image editing in GIMP 3.0 was smooth and effective - a far cry from the rather sluggish experience I get when trying to edit images on my usual laptop.

AI performance is also reasonably good; again, you're ideally going to want to spring for a laptop with a dedicated Nvidia GPU if you want to be running serious AI workloads locally, like producing your own language models, but for running the local aspects of something like Microsoft's Copilot+ AI assistant, the average user will have no problems.

To dig into that gaming performance a little more (there's overlap here with other 3D rendering and modeling software), I needed to drop the resolution to FHD+ rather than the native 3K and enable AMD's FSR 3 upscaling to make most games playable - this machine isn't coming close to any of the best gaming laptops - but for anyone who just wants to play casual titles or indie games on their off-time, the Zenbook S 16 is more capable than I had expected. I used it for a spot of Stardew Valley after work on multiple occasions, which unsurprisingly ran great.

In Civilization VII, I was easily able to get a decent framerate at 1200p, while the infamously hardware-demanding Cyberpunk 2077 was completely unplayable at native 1800p but produced an fps of 35 at 1200p with Low settings and FSR 3's Performance mode enabled (and frankly, even with those settings, this game still looks bloody fantastic). It's a true testament to the power of AMD's resolution upscaling tech for integrated GPUs; I'm quietly awed by the fact that a game like Cyberpunk is playable at all on an ultrabook like this.

I will note that the fans on the Zenbook S 16 get a tad noisy when you're running more intensive software - it's nothing too onerous, and I found it ran quietly during regular tasks like web browsing, but be aware that you might want headphones to play games on it. It's worth adding that the laptop didn't get uncomfortably hot at any point (aside from directly on the vent above the keyboard), even during stress testing.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Battery

The battery life on the Zenbook S 16 is pretty good. That's almost all I can really say about it; it's not mind-blowing, beaten out by several competitors, but it's still sufficient for a full day's work (or two) without needing to plug in provided you turn off the keyboard backlight and don't work at maximum brightness.

In our battery life test, which involves running a looped video file at 50% brightness, the Zenbook S 16 ran out of juice just shy of the 15-hour mark, which for a 16-inch OLED laptop is respectable, if unspectacular. In real-world use situations, I was getting between 10 and 12 hours out of it at a time on average, and it holds its charge remarkably well when not in use.

Since it charges via USB-C, you can easily make use of other charging cables, though the supplied 65W adapter provides fast-charging capabilities that provide 50% battery charge in a little over half an hour.

Battery score: 4/5

Should you buy the Asus Zenbook S 16?

	Notes	Rating
Value	It's no budget machine, but the price-to-performance ratio here is great.	4.5/5
Design	A stylish and robust design combined with a comfortable user experience makes for a truly premium-feeling laptop.	5/5
Performance	Performance is solid across productivity, creative, and gaming workloads, with good responsiveness and fans that only kick in when you're running demanding programs.	4.5/5
Battery	The battery can comfortably run for more than an 8-hour workday, though it is beaten out by some competing laptops.	4/5
Total	While the pre-installed Asus software is a bit annoying, this is a fantastic laptop that delivers a great aesthetic and strong performance at a sensible price point.	4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a laptop that looks great
Between its sleek shell, excellent display, and pleasantly understated keyboard backlighting, the Zenbook S 16 is certainly an aesthetically pleasing laptop.

You want something thin but powerful
Despite its relatively light overall weight (for a 16-inch laptop) and thin chassis, the next-gen Ryzen chip inside this Zenbook is fantastic for productivity workloads and can even handle some light gaming.

You want to use Windows 11's AI features
Since this is a 'Copilot+ PC' with a built-in NPU and a dedicated button for summoning Microsoft's AI assistant, it's a solid pick for anyone who wants an AI laptop.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
The price tag on the Zenbook S 16 is actually very reasonable for the specs, but it's certainly not a cheap laptop.

You want the best in battery life
While this Zenbook's battery is alright, there are competitors that do a better job - and if you really want ridiculously good battery life, a smaller laptop is usually the way to go.

Also Consider

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
Beating the Zenbook S 16 in both performance and battery life, Apple's latest MacBook Pro 16-inch is a staunch competitor - though bear in mind that it'll cost you more, and macOS isn't for everyone.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch review

Dell XPS 17
If you're looking for a similar premium-feeling laptop but with an even larger screen, the Dell XPS 17 is arguably the best 17-inch laptop out there right now.

Read our full Dell XPS 17 review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook S 16

Replaced my regular laptop with the Zenbook S 16 for several weeks
Used the laptop both for day-to-day work and personal projects
Ran it through our full suite of benchmarks, plus some extra tests

As is typical for my laptop review process, I swapped out my daily driver for the Asus Zenbook S 16 - and actually ended up liking it so much that I kept using it after my usual week or two of real-world testing. Asus, if I could keep this one, that would be great...

This involved all my day-to-day work, which is mostly emailing, word processing, web research, and image editing, plus some work on personal projects and a bit of gaming in my off hours. I also ran our suite of benchmarking and battery tests to provide a clearer image of the Zenbook S 16's overall performance.

Asus Zenbook S 16: Two-minute review

Asus Zenbook S 16: Price and availability

How much does it cost? Starts at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

With a price tag starting at $1,599 / £1,499 / AU$2,999, the Asus Zenbook S 16 certainly leans towards the premium end of the market, but you're getting plenty of bang for your buck here.

Price score: 4.5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Specs

	Asus Zenbook S 16
CPU	Up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
GPU	Up to AMD Radeon 890M
RAM	Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Display	16-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz
Storage	Up to 1TB SSD
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x 3,5mm combi audio jack
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	1.5kg / 3.31lbs
Dimension	35.4 x 24.3 x 1.29cm / 13.9 x 9.6 x 0.51 inches

Asus Zenbook S 16: Design

Super comfortable keyboard and trackpad
Ceraluminum casing is impressive
Surprisingly lightweight

Design score: 5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Performance

Solid all-rounder performance
NPU provides support for AI features in Windows
Playing games is certainly an option, though it's no gaming laptop

Asus Zenbook S 16 review: Benchmarks

Performance score: 4.5/5

Asus Zenbook S 16: Battery

Battery score: 4/5

Should you buy the Asus Zenbook S 16?

	Notes	Rating
Value	It's no budget machine, but the price-to-performance ratio here is great.	4.5/5
Design	A stylish and robust design combined with a comfortable user experience makes for a truly premium-feeling laptop.	5/5
Performance	Performance is solid across productivity, creative, and gaming workloads, with good responsiveness and fans that only kick in when you're running demanding programs.	4.5/5
Battery	The battery can comfortably run for more than an 8-hour workday, though it is beaten out by some competing laptops.	4/5
Total	While the pre-installed Asus software is a bit annoying, this is a fantastic laptop that delivers a great aesthetic and strong performance at a sensible price point.	4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a laptop that looks great
Between its sleek shell, excellent display, and pleasantly understated keyboard backlighting, the Zenbook S 16 is certainly an aesthetically pleasing laptop.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
The price tag on the Zenbook S 16 is actually very reasonable for the specs, but it's certainly not a cheap laptop.

Also Consider

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch review

Dell XPS 17
If you're looking for a similar premium-feeling laptop but with an even larger screen, the Dell XPS 17 is arguably the best 17-inch laptop out there right now.

Read our full Dell XPS 17 review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook S 16

Replaced my regular laptop with the Zenbook S 16 for several weeks
Used the laptop both for day-to-day work and personal projects
Ran it through our full suite of benchmarks, plus some extra tests

Dell 16 Premium: One-minute review

The Dell 16 Premium is Dell’s newest flagship machine for professionals, creatives, and developers who demand a blend of portability, performance, and polish, and it has a pretty high bar to clear.

Its predecessor, the Dell XPS 16, was consistently one of the best laptops produced in every year it was available, and a lot of XPS fans were disappointed to hear about its rebranding. But, at the end of the day, that’s really all it is, as the 16 Premium is everything people loved about the XPS 16 in recent years along with some fancy new tricks.

Starting at $1,799.99 / £1,699 / AU$4,379.10, the Dell 16 Premium isn’t necessarily cheap, but it is fairly in line with similar creative-focused laptops like the MacBook Pro, and given how often Dell has sales on its laptops, you can often find it for much cheaper than the competition.

There are a few configuration options available, but you do start off with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU with Intel Arc 140V graphics, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 16.3-inch non-touch 2K display. From there, you can add in RTX 5050, RTX 5060, and RTX 5070 GPUs, depending on the region, and configure it up to 64GB memory and 4TB SSD storage (though these options will limit which GPU you can pick).

Right now, the Dell 16 Premium is on sale starting at $1,549.99 in the US, while the review configuration is available for $2,799.99, a $400 discount.View Deal

What truly sets it apart, though, is the outstanding 16.3-inch 4K OLED touchscreen with 120Hz refresh rate, perfect for high-res content creation, editing, and media consumption, though the OLED display will substantially cut into the device’s battery life.

With premium build quality, great speakers, and modern I/O, this laptop nails almost everything it sets out to do, though its borderless touchpad and keyless function bar design remain controversial.

All that said, chances are you’re really looking for performance with this laptop, and here, the unit I reviewed often ran circles around the competing MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro, especially in creative workloads where the MacBook Pro’s strong industry reputation does a lot of heavy lifting. In this regard, the Dell 16 Premium is easily the best laptop for creative pros who want MacBook Pro performance on a Windows 11 device.

Dell 16 Premium: Price & availability

A Dell 16 Premium on a table — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starts at $1,799.99 / £1,699 / AU$4,379.10
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.

The Dell 16 Premium is available now in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s official website and major retailers. Prices start at $1,799 in the US, £1,699 in the UK, and AU$4,379.10 in Australia.

Upgrading the configuration can significantly increase the price, but even when the price is maxed out, the highest level configuration is still substantially less than a competing MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro, much less one with an M4 Max chip.

Value: 4 / 5

Dell 16 Premium: Specs

Up to RTX 5070 GPU
Up to Thunderbolt 5
Wi-Fi 7

Dell offers multiple configurations of the Dell 16 Premium laptop across different regions. The starting models include a Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 512GB SSD, and integrated Intel Arc graphics (Australia starts with an RTX 5050 GPU), as well as a 2K IPS non-touch display.

Dell 16 Premium Base Specs
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$1,799.99 at Dell.com	£1,699 at Dell.com	AU$5,353.60 at Dell.com
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GPU	Integrated Intel Arc 140T	Integrated Intel Arc 140T	Nvidia RTX 5050
Memory	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s	16GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s
Storage	512GB PCIe NVMe	512GB PCIe NVMe	512GB PCIe NVMe
Display	16.3-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz	16.3-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz	16.3-inch non-touch 2K IPS 120Hz
Ports	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery	99.5WHr	99.5WHr	99.5WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera
Weight	4.56 lbs \| 2.06kg	4.56 lbs \| 2.06kg	4.56 lbs \| 2.06kg
Dimensions	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm

The max spec on the 16 Premium vary by region, with the US topping out at an RTX 5070 GPU, which also comes with three Thunderbolt 5 ports rather than the three Thunderbolt 4 ports on RTX 5060 models and lower. In the UK and Australia, there are no RTX 5070 configurations available yet, but they do max out with a 4TB PCIe SSD. All models max out at a UHD+ (2400p) OLED panel with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage.

Dell 16 Premium Max Specs
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$3,199.99 at Dell.com	£2,899 at Dell.com	AU$7,089.50 at Dell.com
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GPU	Nvidia RTX 5070	Nvidia RTX 5060	Nvidia RTX 5060
Memory	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 7467MT/s
Storage	1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	4TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	4TB M.2 PCIe NVMe
Display	16.3-inch Touch 4K OLED 120Hz	16.3-inch Touch 4K OLED 120Hz	16.3-inch Touch 4K OLED 120Hz
Ports	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 5 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1	1 x 3.5mm combo jack, 3 x Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 (DP 2.1, Power Delivery), 1 x microSDXC 7.1
Battery	99.5WHr	99.5WHr	99.5WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4
Camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera	1080p IR camera
Weight	4.65 lbs \| 2.11kg	4.65 lbs \| 2.11kg	4.65 lbs \| 2.11kg
Dimensions	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm	14.1 x 9.4 x 0.75 ins \| 358.1 x 240 x 19mm

All configurations come with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, a substantial boost over the rival MacBook Pro 16-inch, as well as a microSDXC 7.1 slot.

The configuration I tested for review is the maximum configuration available in the US.

Specs: 5 / 5

Dell 16 Premium: Design

Gorgeous OLED display
Excellent port selection
Trackpad and function key row still controversial

Design-wise, there is little difference between the Dell 16 Premium and the Dell XPS 16 it replaces. The same borderless trackpad and keyless function bar remain from the XPS, and for the most part, the form factor is essentially unchanged.

The touchbar is definitely one of the more controversial design choices of the Dell 16 Premium, held over from the earlier XPS redesign from 2023. It's a bit of an accessibility challenge for those who struggle with low vision, as the only thing that indicates where a given function key is is a backlit label on a completely smooth and flat glossy surface.

Even if you don't have limited vision though, if there's an especially bright light (say, a sunny day outside), finding any given F-key might be challenging.

Likewise, the borderless trackpad isn't great either, and for similar reasons. It takes some time to learn and figure out where exactly the trackpad is, but once you do, it works pretty well.

The keyboard is ok. It's never been the best feature on the Dell XPS line, but it's not terrible and functions well enough.

For ports, you get at least three Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2 ports, a MicroSD card slot, and a 3.5mm combo jack. This is about as much as you can expect on a chassis this size, and while it would be nice to have a USB-A port, there is an adapter dongle that you can buy while configuring your laptop (about $35) that lets you get HDMI 2.0 and USB-A 3.0 connectivity if your have a mouse and monitor that require it.

The audio is pretty good on the 16 Premium, largely thanks to the top-firing speakers, but it's not spectacular. If you plan on working on audio projects, a headset would be advised.

The webcam is a 1080p IR camera, meaning that it's compatible with Windows Hello, and it's fairly good for video conferencing and the like. That said, it lacks a physical privacy shutter, which isn't really acceptable in 2025, so I have to take some points off for that.

While it might seem like I have a lot of complaints about the design of the 16 Premium, I only highlight the above issues because they are somewhat controversial in some corners, as is the rebranding away from XPS to Premium.

I get those concerns, but in my estimation, this is an exceptionally built laptop, and the issues I have with it don't detract that much from the overall quality of the device. If you opt for the OLED panel rather than the base IPS, pretty much every other consideration feels like nitpicking for a device that looks and feels great—better than the MacBook Pro in many ways.

Design: 4 / 5

Dell 16 Premium: Performance

Often outperforms the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro
Discrete RTX GPU embarrasses the MacBook Pro in several workloads
Not a bad gaming laptop either

Ultimately, if you're paying this much for this laptop, performance is going to be front of mind, especially since this is really targeted toward the MacBook Pro creative crowd.

In that regard, the 16 Premium might even be a better creative laptop than the MacBook Pro 16-inch, despite the strong performance of the MacBook Pro 16-inch in some areas.

In terms of synthetic CPU performance, the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro greatly outperforms the Dell 16 Premium in workloads like GeekBench 6.4.

However, once you start adding in real-world tests that actually test its performance in workloads creatives and gamers are actually interested in, the MacBook Pro only wins out in our PugetBench Photoshop benchmarks. Otherwise, the RTX 5070 GPU in the 16 Premium wrecks the MacBook Pro 16-inch just about everywhere else.

Now, the MacBook Pro 16-inch can be configured with an M4 Max chip, which might substantially change the comparative assessment, but it would add more than a grand to the price you'd pay compared to the best Dell 16 Premium.

Plus, even though the MacBook Pro 16 can now play Cyberpunk 2077 natively, Macs just aren't serious PC gaming devices. They've come a long way in recent years, but you simply don't have anything concerns about that with the Dell 16 Premium. If a game is on Steam, the Dell 16 Premium will be able to play it, something that even the best MacBook will never be able to claim.

Performance: 5 / 5

Dell 16 Premium: Battery Life

How long does it last on a single charge? 5 hours, 18 minutes

So, there is a major caveat when it comes to battery life on the 16 Premium unit I tested. OLED displays are notoriously unforgiving toward battery life. Add in the power-hungry RTX 5070 GPU, and we are really talking about battery life that is just slightly better than you'd find with the best gaming laptops.

With a max battery life of about 9 hours, according to Dell, the OLED configuration cannot keep pace with the MacBook Pro 16-inch, which can make it about 20 hours on a charge in our testing. In my testing, the Dell 16 Premium only gets about 5 hours in mixed use, and at best, about 2.5 hours under heavy load.

Of course, the MacBook Pro 16-inch isn't going to make it 20 hours if it's playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider or rendering a 4K video overnight on battery power, so the difference between the two laptops is probably closer than my tests show. But there's no getting around the fact that the MacBook Pro 16-inch is going to last far longer than the Dell 16 Premium, and that's something to consider.

Battery Life: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Dell 16 Premium?

Dell 16 Premium Scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	Premium priced, but delivers excellent performance and features	4 / 5
Specs	Lots of options, including powerful GPUs with Thunderbolt 5 and a gorgeous OLED display.	5 / 5
Design	Though it has great port selection, display, and aesthetics, there are legacy issues from its XPS heritage.	4.5 / 5
Performance	Simply outstanding performance across every workload, beating out the MacBook Pro 16-inch in all but a few cases.	5 / 5
Battery Life	Not great if you get an OLED panel, but better than other similar laptops with its specs.	3 / 5
Final Score	On balance, if the Dell 16 Premium fixed some of its design issues, it would be a true MacBook Pro killer, but it does battle Apple's best to a draw.	4.3 / 5

Buy the Dell 16 Premium if...

You want a high-performance laptop with discrete graphics
With up to an RTX 5070, the Dell 16 Premium has outstanding configuration options for top-tier performance.

You need a stunning OLED display for creative work
The OLED display option is simply gorgeous and fantastic for creative pros.

Don't buy it if...

You need long battery life
The battery life on the 16 Premium is not great, but it's in line with what you'd expect for an OLED laptop.

You're on a tight budget
The base spec for this laptop starts out expensive and only gets pricier the better you configure it.

Also consider

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch
If you're considering the Dell 16 Premium, the only other laptop worth considering is the MacBook Pro 16-inch, especially if you're a creative pro.

Read our full Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) review

How I tested the Dell 16 Premium

I spent about two weeks with the Dell 16 Premium
I used it for everyday work and creative tasks
I ran it through our standard battery of benchmark tests

I used the Dell 16 Premium for everyday work and creative tasks for about two weeks, including writing this review and editing all the photos therein on the device.

I put it through our standard battery of benchmark tests, as well as used it for everything from creative work to gaming to really push it to its limits.

I've tested several dozen laptops for TechRadar over the past several years, so I am very familiar with what makes a laptop a great value for its market, and my extensive experience gives me insight that lets me better assess its benchmark results.

First reviewed August 2025

I used the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 for all kinds of tasks, and it handles most of them well – just not at the same time

12:10 pm | June 30, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Chromebooks Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: Acer Chromebook Spin, RAM, SD | Comments: Off

Acer Chromebook Spin 312: Two-minute review

The Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is the smallest device in the brand’s line of 2-in-1 Chromebooks, measuring just 12.2 inches. Despite this, it’s not the sleekest Chromebook around, with its sharp angles and juts spoiling the otherwise elegant design, which is aided by the quality of the materials used in its construction.

It’s quite thick and heavy for its size, so it’s perhaps not ideal for using as a tablet, despite its convertible nature. But thanks to that solid hinge for the lid, it can be propped upside down and used exclusively in touchscreen mode with ease.

It’s not just the hinge mechanism that’s well made – all aspects of the Spin 312 feel as solid and sturdy as any of the best Chromebooks, including the keys and trackpad, which feel premium to the touch as well.

Port selection is reasonable, too, although I would’ve liked to have seen more than just one USB-C port, and the lack of an SD card slot might be detrimental for some. Thankfully, there are two USB-A ports to improve connectivity options, and the HDMI port and audio jack are further additions I welcome.

The review unit I had came equipped with an Intel N100 processor and 4GB of RAM. Despite these underwhelming specs, the Chromebook Spin 312 performed admirably, handling many typical Chromebook workloads quite well. However, slowdowns can occur when pushed a little too far.

Close-up of keyboard and touchpad on Acer Chromebook Spin 312, on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Such cases include gaming, where the Chromebook Spin 312 struggled to run even fairly modest mobile games on high settings during my testing. However, lowering these did improve matters to the point where games such as Asphalt Legends Unite were playable to an enjoyable extent.

More pleasing on the performance front is the display. The resolution looks especially sharp on the 12-inch screen, although colors aren’t rendered as vibrantly as they are on some rival Chromebooks. The bezels also encroach quite considerably on the allotted real estate for the screen, and the display can be quite reflective under certain conditions. In most cases, though, it makes for a pleasant viewing experience.

The touch inputs are also quite responsive, tracking well with swipes to make drawing and handwriting a realistic option, although it can be a little grabby at times. You’ll also need to provide your own stylus if you want to make the most of your creative time with the Chromebook Spin 312.

I found the touchpad disappointingly inaccurate by comparison, as it failed to track with what I was expecting from my movements, leading to a lagging and stuttering, which in turn made it imprecise.

Thankfully, I had a better time typing on the Chromebook Spin 312, thanks to the generous spacing of the keys and their satisfying dampening. Their lack of indentations and grip, however, can lead to slipping and mispresses on occasion.

Its battery life is impressive, lasting just over 11 hours in our test. This places it near the higher end of the Chromebook spectrum – the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook performs significantly better on this front, although admittedly this is somewhat of an outlier.

The Chromebook Spin 312 sits somewhere in the middle of the convertible Chromebook market. Some rivals are better performers, while others have a sleeker design. But, overall, if you won’t be demanding too much from it in terms of performance, the Chromebook Spin 312 is a good 2-in-1 Chromebook for those who prize portability and a sharp image.

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Price and availability

Starts from £329.99 (about $450 / AU$690)
Various CPU, RAM, and storage options
Middle of the market

The Chromebook Spin 312 starts from £329.99 (about $450 / AU$690). It can be configured with 64GB or 128GB of storage, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i3 or Intel N100 CPU.

This places the Chromebook Spin 312 somewhere in the middle of the market considering its spec. It’s considerably cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, which it bests in terms of performance, although its display isn’t quite as sharp or as vibrant, and lacks its premium design (although it isn’t too far behind in this regard).

However, the Chromebook Spin 312 is more expensive than the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which is one of the best budget Chromebooks in our view. This lacks the compactness of the Chromebook Spin 312 and the performance isn’t exactly impressive either, but it makes up for these deficiencies with its great build quality and enduring battery life.

Value: 3.5 / 5

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Specs

These are the specs of the particular Acer Chromebook Spin 312 I reviewed:

Price	Starting from £329.99 (about $450 / AU$690)
CPU	Intel N100 (4 threads, 3.4GHz)
Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	4GB LPDDR5
Screen	12.2-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS LCD, 16:10, 60Hz touchscreen
Storage	64GB eMMC
Ports	2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Camera	1280 x 720
Weight	2.84lbs (1.29kg)
Dimensions	11.4 x 8.1 x 0.8in (29 x 20.5 x 2cm)

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Design

Close-up of left ports on Acer Chromebook Spin 312, on desk — (Image credit: Future)

Bulky for the size
Solid lid hinge
Only one USB-C port and no SD card slot

The Chromebook Spin 312 takes a somewhat utilitarian approach to design, with its sharp angles, large vents and lid hinges appearing quite conspicuous. However, it's still a compact device, and has enough flat sides to help impart some sleekness.

This is further aided by the steely grey colorway and look of the chassis materials, which have a subtle shine to them. What’s more, the quality of these materials seems high, feeling solid and fairly premium to the touch. This extends to the lightly textured keycaps and silky smooth touchpad.

The hinge mechanism is also reassuringly solid. There’s no wobble at any angle, yet it’s smooth and easy to open and adjust. This stability also helps when tenting the Chromebook Spin 312 to use it in touchscreen mode.

However, it can’t compete with the best tablets for usability. Despite its small 12-inch size, the Chromebook Spin 312 is a relatively thick and heavy slab, which can make it awkward to hold in the hand when folded back all the way.

The screen has a large bezel around it, which somewhat compromises the already limited real estate for the display. On a more positive note, it's made from Corning Gorilla Glass, so it should prove resistant to wear and tear when taking the Chromebook Spin 312 on your travels.

Port selection is reasonable for a Chromebook this small, although it’s a minor shame there’s only one USB-C port and SD card slot, as you’ll find two on many modern Chromebooks. Still, you do at least get two USB-A ports, and I also welcome the inclusion of a dedicated HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Design score: 4 / 5

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Performance

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 open upside down on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Capable of light work
Sharp but reflective display
Struggles with intensive tasks

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Acer Chromebook Spin 312:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 11 hours and 12 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 179.327
Kraken Benchmark: 1309.3ms
Speedometer 3.0: 9.52 (±0.52)

The Chromebook Spin 312 offers capable enough performance for everyday tasks, meeting the demands typically placed upon Chromebooks. Apps load fast and light productivity and general browsing are handled well. Despite its somewhat limited 4GB of RAM, it’s even capable of some degree of multitasking, coping well with multiple browser tabs open, for instance.

However, it can come a little unstuck when those tabs are running more complex activities, or when multiple apps are in play. The Chromebook Spin 312 can also generate a fair amount of heat underneath, which is bothersome when on your lap.

Gaming performance isn’t particularly impressive, either. It can handle some mobile titles, but you’ll likely have to play with modest graphics settings. When I played Asphalt Legends Unite, for instance, high settings caused stutters and considerable slow downs, rendering the game almost unplayable. However, it ran much better on lower settings, if not quite as smooth or as fast as some rivals can manage – and certainly the Chromebook Spin 312 isn’t a match for the best gaming laptops in this regard.

When it comes to video playback, the Chromebook Spin 312 can handle streaming content in 4K, although it’s not always the smoothest experience. The WUXGA display at least provides a sharp image: the 1920 x 1200 resolution might sound a little low compared to other laptops and some Chromebooks on the market today, but due to its small screen size, it looks sharper than you might imagine.

Close-up of right-hand side ports on Acer Chromebook Spin 312, on desk — (Image credit: Future)

It’s also quite bright when displaying lighter shades. However, while colors are rendered well enough, they don’t appear quite as vibrant as those on the displays equipped in the best laptops or best MacBooks, looking slightly washed-out by comparison.

The screen is also quite reflective, which, combined with its somewhat lackluster backlighting, makes darker scenes hard to view at times. However, the effect isn’t too troublesome, and compared to many other Chromebooks, the Chromebook Spin 312 is still great for viewing content.

The touchscreen capability is impressive, too. It responds well to all sorts of swipes and gestures, making for smooth doodles and handwriting, even if it's a little grabby at times. It’s also a shame no stylus is included to unleash the full potential of its functionality.

Unfortunately, the touchpad is less responsive, and I experienced issues with its tracking: many times it felt as if it was either dragging or jumping ahead, lacking the smoothness I was expecting. As a result, I struggled to use it accurately, which can really hamper productivity.

By contrast, typing with the Chromebook Spin 312 is a largely pleasant experience. The keys are satisfyingly damped and are spread surprisingly wide for a Chromebook this small. The keycaps also feel nice under the finger tips thanks to their texture, although they lack grip, which is made worse by the lack of indentation as well. This made the keyboard feel less secure in use, but overall I still found it amenable for typing quickly on.

Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Battery life

Back of Acer Chromebook Spin 312 open on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

The battery life of the Chromebook Spin 312 is quite impressive. During our tests, where we ran a movie on a continuous loop, it managed to last over 11 hours. This makes it much better than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, which could only manage six and a half hours. It also beats the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023), one of the best Chromebooks around in our view, which managed over 10 hours.

However, it can’t outlive the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which, when we tested it, endured for a remarkable 16 hours and 20 minutes. However, this is rather exceptional in the Chromebook world, and the Chromebook Spin 312 can still lay claim to having one of the best battery lives in the market.

Battery life: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Acer Chromebook Spin 312?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The Chromebook Spin 312 sits somewhere in the middle of the market given its design and spec, being cheaper than some rivals but more expensive than others.	3.5 / 5
Design	It’s solidly made and small enough to make it portable, although it’s a little bulky for tablet-style use.	4 / 5
Performance	The Chromebook Spin 312 can handle basic tasking, while the display is pleasingly sharp, if not the most vibrant and a tad too reflective.	3.5 / 5
Battery life	It may not have the very best battery life of a Chromebook, but its 11-hour performance still places it in the upper echelons.	4.5 / 5
Total Score	If you’re looking for a Chromebook you can use with touch inputs and doesn’t take up much space, you shouldn’t be disappointed with the Chromebook Spin 312 – so long as you don’t demand too much from it.	4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want something compact
The 12-inch size makes the Chromebook Spin 312 easy to travel with, and yet it doesn't feel compromised when typing or getting work done.

You want a 2-in-1 device
The 360-degree rotating touchscreen makes the Chromebook Spin 312 versatile, although it’s perhaps not best suited for full-on tablet-style use.

Don't buy it if...

You want the fastest Chromebook
Although it's surprisingly capable, those with more demanding workloads should seek more powerful models.

You want the sveltest device
Despite its small size, the Chromebook Spin 312 is fairly bulky and weighty, which impairs its tablet-style credentials.

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review: Also consider

	Acer Chromebook Spin 312	Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360	Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook
Price	Starting from £329.99 (about $450 / AU$690)	$429.99 / £419 / AU$707	$339 / £299 / AU$499
CPU	Intel N100 (4 threads, 3.4GHz)	Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz)	1.1GHz Intel Celeron N4020 (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 2.8GHz Burst)
Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM	4GB LPDDR5	4GB LPDDR4x	4GB DDR4
Screen	12.2-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS LCD, 16:10, 60Hz touchscreen	12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), touchscreen	11-inch IPS touchscreen, 1,366 x 768 pixels
Storage	64GB eMMC	64GB eMMC	64GB eMMC
Ports	2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio	1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio	2x USB-C with charging, 2x USB-A 3.1 Gen1, microSD
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2	Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1	802.11AC (2 x 2) WiFi, Bluetooth® 4.2
Camera	1280 x 720	720p / 8MP	720p
Weight	2.84lbs (1.29kg)	2.82lbs (1.28kg)	2.64lbs (1.2kg)
Dimensions	11.4 x 8.1 x 0.8in (29 x 20.5 x 2cm)	11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm)	0.7 x 11.41 x 8.18 inches (17.8 x 290 x 207.8mm)

Here are some alternatives if the Acer Chromebook Spin 312 doesn't sound right for your needs:

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is about the same size as the Chromebook Spin 312, but it has a thinner and lighter construction, as well as a more upmarket design, which is one of the best in class. The display is even sharper and more vibrant, too. It’s a shame that its performance fails to live up to its looks, but if you only have very light workloads, it’ll make a pleasant companion. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook
The IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook boasts great build quality and excellent battery life. However, it’s let down by unremarkable performance and uninspiring looks. Still, it’s powerful enough for light productivity and schoolwork, hence its inclusion on our best Chromebook guide. Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook review.

How I tested the Acer Chromebook Spin 312

Tested for two days
Used for work and for entertainment
Chromebook reviewing experience

I tested the Chromebook Spin 312 for a couple of days, during which time I used it working, gaming, and general browsing.

I used word processing and spreadsheet applications, streamed 4K content on YouTube, and played games such as Asphalt Legends Unite. I also connected various peripherals via Bluetooth.

I have been using Chromebooks for a while, and have reviewed a number of them as well, ranging in price, form factor, and spec. I have also reviewed plenty of Windows laptops.

First reviewed: June 2025
Read more about how we test

I tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 and liked its large display and fast performance – but it doesn’t have the best battery life

12:10 pm |

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

Acer Chromebook Plus 516: Two-minute review

The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 is a large device with a reasonably strong spec, making it ideal for various productivity and entertainment needs. It might not look terribly auspicious, and the color is a little dour, but it's surprisingly thin for a Chromebook this size, which helps to make it more sleek.

It’s also a well-made machine, with materials that feel durable yet light. What’s more, the lid hinges allow for easy opening and offer stability at any angle all the way up to 170 degrees.

It also has one of the best Chromebook keyboards in terms of layout, with plenty of keys included, such as a number pad, without compromising spacing. This makes typing easy, and the snappy nature of the individual keys makes them satisfying, too.

The touchpad is equally capable, providing responsive inputs and plenty of accuracy, which, combined with its large size, makes for easy navigation. It also manages to keep out of the way while typing.

Close-up of keyboard and touchpad on Acer Chromebook Plus 516, open on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Port selection on the Chromebook Plus 516 is quite good, and I was pleased to see the inclusion of two USB-C ports. However, it’s a minor shame both are on the same side, which may limit your options when plugging into an outlet. Still, the two USB-A ports, HDMI port and audio jack are all welcome additions.

In terms of performance, the Chromebook Plus 516 handles most tasks well. It loads apps quickly and multitasks very well. Even mobile gaming on high settings is viable. It also takes Ultra HD content in its stride, streaming it without a hitch for the most part. Viewing such content is made all the more enjoyable thanks to that large, crisp, and vibrant display, which also does an admirable job of keeping reflections at bay.

Unfortunately, the battery life of the Chromebook Plus 516 isn’t particularly impressive relative to its rivals. During our movie playback test, it failed to break past eight hours, a threshold many modern Chromebooks can exceed.

With a starting price of £399.99 (about $540 / AU$830), the Chromebook Plus 516 sits somewhere in the middle of the market. However, it's good value when you consider its performance, display, and productivity credentials.

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Price and availability

Starts from £399.99 (about $540 / AU$830)
Available from August in the UK
Mid-market pricing

The Chromebook Plus 516 starts from £399.99 (about $540 / AU$830) and is available in the UK from August in one colorway. Multiple storage, CPU, RAM and graphics options are configurable. A backlit keyboard can also be specified, as can a touch screen.

It’s about the same price as the equally capable but slightly smaller Acer Chromebook Plus 514. Like that model, the 516 sits somewhere in the middle of the market, but perhaps represents slightly better value owing to the larger screen size and extra keys.

However, if you still want great performance but at a lower price, the older Acer Chromebook Plus 515 remains a great pick, and its 15.6-inch measurement is still big enough to please those who prefer large displays; there’s a reason we think it’s one of the best student Chromebooks, after all.

If you’re after something cheaper still, we think the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook is the best student laptop for those on a budget. Its performance is no match for the mightier Chromebook Plus 516, and it’s also much smaller, but it has the advantage of being a 2-in-1 device, thanks to its 360-degree rotation and touchscreen.

Value: 3.5 / 5

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Specs

These specs pertain to my review unit of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516:

Price	£399.99 (about $540 / AU$830)
CPU	Intel Core 3 100U (8 threads, 4.7GHz)
Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	8GB LPDDR5
Screen	16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 16:10
Storage	128GB UFS
Ports	2x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera	HD 1080p
Weight	3.75lbs (1.7kg)
Dimensions	14.1 x 10 x 0.8 inches (359 x 253 x 19mm)

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Design

Close-up of left-side ports on Acer Chromebook Plus 516, open on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Smart and well made
Plenty of keys
Both USB-C ports on same side

The Chromebook Plus 516 adopts the fairly typical Acer aesthetic, with a sleek but understated appearance. There’s nothing particularly spectacular about its looks, but it’s at least free from too many fussy details.

Despite its large size, it’s pleasingly thin and not quite as heavy as you’d expect it to be. It’s no match for smaller Chromebooks in terms of portability, but all sides are quite flat and smooth, which helps when sliding it into your bag.

The build quality is on par with the best Chromebooks. Certain materials look more premium than others, but all feel solid and durable. The keycaps are perhaps the least impressive visually, but they’re tightly fitted.

The hinge mechanism is similarly well-engineered. The lid is easy to open and move into any position, and its maximum recline angle of 170 degrees makes it versatile for various setups. What’s more, it remains stable in any position; there’s next to no wobble, which is all the more impressive given its thinness and lightness.

The keyboard features numerous shortcut keys on the F row, all of which are quite useful. Highlights include one for taking screenshots, one for dictation, and one for opening a menu containing various accessibility functions.

Being a Chromebook Plus, you also get a Quick Insert key, used for accessing files, opening recent documents or creating new ones, inserting links, using AI tools, and other productivity-based functions.

The keyboard even includes a navigation cluster and number pad, both of which I welcome. More impressively, these don’t compromise the layout spacing, thanks to the width of the device itself. The touchpad also manages to not get in the way while typing, despite its relatively large size.

I was pleased to see the Chromebook Plus 516 features two USB-C ports, although unfortunately they’re both the same side, which somewhat limits versatility when plugging into an outlet. Still, it’s nice to have more than one, and the further ports – two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headset jack – are all welcome additions. There’s no SD card slot, though, which might be a problem for some users.

Design score: 4 / 5

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Performance

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 open wide on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

Fast and capable multitasker
Can handle light gaming
Sharp display

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Acer Chromebook Plus 516:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 7 hours and 35 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 295.772
Kraken Benchmark: 398.5ms
Speedometer 3.0: 18.8 (±1.0)

The Chromebook Plus 516 is quite a capable performer. Creating and editing documents and spreadsheets is no problem for it, while switching between apps and multiple tabs is taken in its stride.

Gaming performance is also admirable. I managed to play Asphalt Legends Unite on high graphics settings without issue, running smoothly with little stutter. This was especially impressive given that the game recommended I play on lower settings based on the specs, but you’ll still want one of the best gaming laptops if you plan on playing more intensive games.

It can stream ultra HD content with relative ease as well. During my testing, I encountered little in the way of buffering or stuttering, making for seamless viewing in the main.

Back of Acer Chromebook Plus 516 open on desk with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

The experience is made even better thanks to the surprisingly vibrant display, which also avoids the washed-out appearance that afflicts some Chromebooks. Reflections do reveal themselves somewhat in darker scenes and unfavorable lighting conditions, but generally they’re kept at bay quite well.

Moreover, the 1920 x 1200 resolution is suitably sharp for its large size, which makes the UI very clear, while the thin bezels ensure that the most is made of the allotted real estate.

Typing on the Chromebook Plus 516 is also a pleasure. Despite the inauspicious looking keys, they perform well, with their light actuation and just enough dampening to make them tactile. Despite the inclusion of a number pad and other extra keys, I didn’t find the layout cramped, which made for an accurate and comfortable typing experience.

The trackpad is brilliantly smooth and very precise, tracking perfectly with my finger movements and gestures. As with the keys, it only requires a light touch, which makes it easy to use.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Battery life

Close-up of camera on Acer Chromebook Plus 516 with pink background — (Image credit: Future)

The Chromebook Plus 516 doesn't have a terribly impressive battery life, posting a below-average score during our test. We ran a movie on a continuous loop, and it gave up the ghost after seven hours and 35 minutes.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 we tested fared better, managing to last almost an hour longer. The much smaller Chromebook Spin 312 also eclipsed it, running all the way past 11 hours before total depletion.

However, the Chromebook Plus 516 still did better than the older Chromebook Plus 515, which only managed five hours. However, if you’re after a device that can really go all day, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook is perhaps your best choice, as this lasted over 16 hours in our movie playback test.

Battery life: 2.5 / 5

Should I buy the Acer Chromebook Plus 516?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The Chromebook Plus 516 has a price you might expect for a Chromebook Plus, although its size and keyboard impart extra value.	3.5 / 5
Design	The Chromebook Plus 516 is pleasingly thin for such a large device, and the build quality is respectable. The keyboard is great for productivity, too.	4 / 5
Performance	The Chromebook Plus 516 can handle all sorts of tasks, including light gaming, while the sharp and vibrant display is great for viewing Ultra HD content.	4.5 / 5
Battery life	The Chromebook Plus 516 is far from the best in class when it comes to battery life, with many others capable of outliving it.	2.5 / 5
Total Score	The Chromebook Plus 516 is a great performer with a vibrant display and a useful keyboard. If you’re after a large Chromebook for work and play, it fits the bill quite well – so long as you don’t plan on using it unplugged all day long.	4 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a large display
At 16 inches, the Chromebook Plus 516 is one of the larger Chromebooks on the market, and the resolution is sharp enough to match.

You want fast performance
The Chromebook Plus 516 can handle most productivity tasks and even light gaming, thanks to its relatively strong spec.

Don't buy it if...

You want a convertible device
The Chromebook Plus 516 isn’t a 2-in-1 device, so it can’t be used like the best tablets.

You want the best battery life
Seven and a half hours is all you’ll get with continuous movie playback, which ranks in the lower half of the Chromebook league.

Acer Chromebook Plus 516 review: Also consider

	Acer Chromebook Plus 516	Acer Chromebook Plus 514	Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook
Price	Starts from £399.99 (about $540 / AU$830)	$399 / £399 (about AU$560)	$399.99 / £399.99 (around AU$633)
CPU	Intel Core 3 100U (8 threads, 4.7GHz)	Intel Core 3 100U (8 threads, 4.7GHz)	1.1GHz Intel Celeron N4020 (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 2.8GHz Burst)
Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics	Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM	8GB LPDDR5	8GB LPDDR5	4GB DDR4
Screen	16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 16:10	14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 16:10	11-inch IPS touchscreen, 1,366 x 768
Storage	128GB UFS	128GB UFS	64GB eMMC
Ports	2x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio	2x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio	2x USB-C with charging, 2x USB-A, microSD
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2
Camera	HD 1080p	HD 1080p	720p
Weight	3.75lbs (1.7kg)	3.15lbs (1.43kg)	2.64lbs (1.2kg)
Dimensions	14.1 x 10 x 0.8 inches (359 x 253 x 19mm)	12.9 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches (32.7 x 22.5 x 2cm)	0.7 x 11.41 x 8.18 inches (17.8 x 290 x 207.8mm)

Here are some alternatives to the Chromebook Plus 516:

Acer Chromebook Plus 514
An almost-equally large Chromebook Plus, the 514 boasts a similar performance and spec, although I would say the 516 has a slightly better display quality. The 514 also lacks the extra keys of the 516, which might deter those interested in extracting the maximum productivity from their machine. Read our Acer Chromebook Plus 514 review.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook
If you want something smaller, cheaper, and more versatile, look no further than the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook. It’s convertible, so you can use it like a tablet, and it has an excellent battery life to boot. However, it’s not the quickest performer, but it's still sufficient, which is why it makes the best student laptop for those on a budget in our view. Read our Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook review.

How I tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 516

Tested for two days
Used for a variety of tasks
Abundant Chromebook reviewing experience

I tested the Chromebook Plus 516 for a few days, during which time I used it for a variety of tasks, including productivity, gaming, and browsing.

I edited spreadsheets and documents, used multiple tabs when browsing in Chrome, and streamed 4K content. I also played Asphalt Legends Unite, and connected various peripherals via Bluetooth.

I have used various Chromebooks and other laptop devices for decades, and have reviewed a number of them too (including other Acer models), varying in their price points, form factors, and performance.

First reviewed: June 2025
Read more about how we test

I finally got the Purple MacBook I’ve been begging for, it just turned out to be the 13-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop

6:06 pm | June 13, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, HDR | Comments: Off

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Two-minute review

I have been begging Apple to release a purple MacBook for a few years now and have been repeatedly disappointed year after year, so when I found out that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch was going to sport a pastel purple colorway, it really was Microsoft's game to lose here.

And while it doesn't quite come close enough to dethroning the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch, performance-wise, it's a very solid everyday laptop that looks undeniably superior to Apple's rather boring MacBook Air design over the past couple of years.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $899.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,699 on Microsoft's website, which is roughly the same price as the MacBook Air 13-inch (which starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699), but its performance, at times, is substantially slower than Apple's best laptop, making it an iffy value proposition for those who could go either way as far as operating systems go.

Had the Surface Laptop 13-inch shipped with an Intel Lunar Lake chip rather than the underpowered Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC, this would be an entirely different review, as I'd be giving this laptop six-out-of-five stars, because in just about every other way than its performance and minor compatibility issues, this is the best ultrabook I've ever put my hands on.

Aesthetically, it's an upgrade over its larger Surface Laptop 7 sibling that launched last year, with a tighter form factor that is exceptionally lightweight and sleek. It's 3:2 display offers plenty of real estate for a laptop this small, and its keyboard and trackpad are a dream to type on.

Best of all, it comes in purple (technically 'Violet'), though you will pay slightly more for this color option than the base platinum colorway as it is only available on the higher capacity configuration.

Meanwhile, the ARM-based Snapdragon X Plus is an incredibly efficient chip, getting just over 17 hours of battery life on a single charge in my testing, which easily translates into two full workdays or more without recharging, outlasting even the latest MacBook Air 13-inch models.

If all you're looking for is a gorgeous-looking laptop that is great for everyday computing tasks, school work, and general productivity—while liberating you from having to keep a constant eye out for power outlets to recharge day after day—then the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy. It just isn't the knockout blow against the MacBook Air that Windows fans might be hoping for.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Price & availability

A Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starts at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,699
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is available now, starting at $899.99 / £899 / AU$1,699 directly from Microsoft or at retail partners. It comes in slightly cheaper than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 in the US and UK, (starting at $1,099.99 and £1,039, respectively). In Australia, however, the larger Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch starts out cheaper at AU$1,597 (and it comes with more powerful hardware to boot).

The Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch also features a more powerful Qualcomm chip, a sharper screen, and better port support (though no Violet colorway, you'll have to settle for the equally gorgeous Sapphire option).

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch starts with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, 256GB storage, and a Platinum colorway. You can increase the storage by 256GB for an additional $100, which also gives you the option of picking either the Violet or Ocean colorway.View Deal

Similarly, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is also slightly cheaper than the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 in the US (starting at $999), while being slightly more expensive in the UK (the base MacBook Air 13-inch start at £999), while there is no difference in starting price between the two in Australia.

Compare this, however, with a similar memory-and-storage-specced Dell 14 Plus, starting at $799.99 / £999 / AU$1,298, but which comes with more powerful x86 processors from AMD and Intel, meaning that you get better performance without any compatibility worries that comes with ARM-based chips.

Granted, none of these competing laptops look anywhere near as good as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, but if your main interest is performance, there are cheaper options that will get you what you want.

All that said, however, this is the best-looking laptop you're going to find at this price, in my opinion, and yes, that includes the entire MacBook lineup. If you want to look good at a cafe while reading emails, or streaming Netflix in an airport lounge while waiting for a flight, this laptop will turn heads (at least in Violet) without totally breaking the bank.

The only real knock I can point to is that the long-term value of the Surface Laptop 13-inch is lower than a MacBook Air 13-inch with M4. The latter is much more performant and it will stay 'current' for a few years longer than the Surface Laptop 13-inch, in all likelihood.

Value: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Specs

The ports on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core SoC
16GB LPDDR5x
The display could be better

There isn't a whole lot of variation in terms of spec configurations for the Surface Laptop 13-inch, with the biggest difference being some extra storage and two additional colorway options.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch Base Specs
Price:		$899.99 at Microsoft.com \| £899 at Microsoft.com\| AU$1,699 at Microsoft.com
Colorways:		Platinum
CPU:		Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core
GPU:		Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
Memory:		16GB LPDDR5X-4300
Storage:		256GB SSD
Screen:		13-inch, 3:2, 1920x1280p 60Hz, 400-nit, Touch PixelSense
Ports:		2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):		50WHr
Wireless:		WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:		1080p
Weight:		2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:		11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins \| (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)

For $100 / £100 / AU$200 more, you can upgrade the storage on the Surface Laptop 13-inch to 512GB and get additional Violet and Ocean colorway options, but otherwise the more expensive configuration (which I tested out for this review) is identical to the base configuration.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch Max Specs
Price:		$999.99 at Microsoft.com \| £999 at Microsoft.com\| AU$1,899 at Microsoft.com
Colorways:		Platinum, Violet, Ocean
CPU:		Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core
GPU:		Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
Memory:		16GB LPDDR5X-4300
Storage:		512GB SSD
Screen:		13-inch, 3:2, 1920x1280p 60Hz, 400-nit, Touch PixelSense display
Ports:		2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB Type-A 3.1, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack
Battery (WHr):		50WHr
Wireless:		WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:		1080p
Weight:		2.7 lbs (1.22 kg)
Dimensions:		11.25 x 8.43 x 0.61 ins \| (285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6mm)

There's no option to upgrade the memory or storage on any of these models beyond the configuration options at the time of purchase, which does make the longevity of the Surface Laptop 13-inch's specs more limited than laptops like the Dell 14 Plus, where you can at least upgrade the storage if you'd like.

And while the specs on the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 might not be upgradable either, they are simply better overall for a relatively small increase in price, meaning the long-term value of the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is superior overall.

Specs: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Design

A masculing hand holding the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch at an angle — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Beautiful color options and fantastic aesthetics
Light and portable
Display resolution is only 1280p with no HDR

The design of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is simply stunning. There's no other way to describe it. Starting with the exterior aesthetics, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is as close to a MacBook Air for Windows as you're going to find on the market, and in my opinion, it's even better looking thanks to the additional Violet and Ocean colorways alongside the default Platinum look of the base model. You pay extra for the splash of color, but it's a worthwhile investment. The machined aluminum finish of the laptop chassis, along with the pastel-ish hue of the chassis and the darker, more matte color of the keycaps and trackpad.

The keyboard on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The display on the Surface Laptop 13-inch is a step down from the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 from 2024, which had a maximum resolution of 2,304x1,536p (a PPI of 201, compared to the 1,920x1,280p Surface Laptop 13-inch's 178 PPI) and 120Hz refresh compared to just 60Hz for the Surface Laptop 13-inch.

It also has a lower contrast ratio of 1,000:1 compared to the larger version's 1,400:1. The Surface Laptop 7's display is also made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. In contrast, the Surface Laptop 13-inch's display is only "Strengthened glass" according to Microsoft's official spec sheet for the Surface Laptop lineup.

The display does max out at 400-nits, though, which is nice and bright enough for most people and situations, but you might struggle to see the screen properly if you're using the laptop outside on a bright sunny day.

I found that carrying the Surface Laptop 13-inch around was very easy, as it fit in pretty much any bag and was thin and compact enough that I was able to use it sitting in an airplane seat during my 15-hour flight to Computex 2025 last month with almost no issue.

Speaking of using the laptop, the key switches are quiet and have good travel and responsiveness, and everything is well-spaced, so you don't feel cramped despite the laptop's smaller size. The trackpad is likewise responsive and smooth, making navigation and clicking around the desktop a breeze.

A Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch next to a dime to show its thinness — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

One thing that's not that great is the port selection, which is limited to two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, a USB-A Gen 3.1 port, and a 3.5mm jack for a headset. It'd have been nice to get some USB4 ports in there like you get with the larger Surface Laptop 7 models, but both USB-C ports do support power delivery and DP 1.4 output (though if you're trying to connect to more than one monitor, you need one port per monitor, rather than being able to daisy-chain them to just a single port).

The webcam of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The webcam, meanwhile, is a 1080p Surface Studio Camera that is crisp enough, but unlike the larger Surface Laptop models from last year, it does not support Windows Hello authentication, and it doesn't have a physical privacy shutter, which in 2025 should be pretty much mandatory, so along with the port and display downgrades, I've got to ding what is otherwise a nearly perfect design.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Performance

A Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch on a bed — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

A performance downgrade from last year's Surface Laptop
Some compatibility issues with ARM architecture still linger
Gaming is functionally a no-go

What holds the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch from really being the fierce MacBook Air competitor that many of us hoped it would be is the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SoC.

When I reviewed the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 last year, I was genuinely impressed by the performance of the Snapdragon X Elite chip, despite the compatibility challenges that Windows-on-Arm is still working through. That was a much more powerful chip, though, and even the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC offers noticeably better performance than what the Surface Laptop 13-inch is packing.

The 8-core chip isn't awful, to be clear. It's perfectly good for general computing tasks like streaming, school work, and office productivity, and it's probably one of the best student laptops out there for those who want a little bit of style to go along with their studies.

But if you need this laptop to do anything other than writing up papers and reports, streaming movies, or using web-based cloud software, you will likely be unhappy with what you're getting here for the price.

The most direct and obvious comparisons I can make with this laptop is the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with Apple Silicon (starting with the Apple M2), the larger 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7, the recently released Dell 14 Plus, last year's Dell XPS 13 (with both Intel and Qualcomm SoCs), and the Asus Zenbook A14 with the entry-level Snapdragon X SoC.

Only the M2 MacBook Air 13-inch and Dell 14 Plus are cheaper than the Surface Laptop 13-inch (at least at the time of review), and all of these laptops start around the same price, give or take a hundred bucks or so.

The models I've tested and that TechRadar has reviewed in the past vary by spec, so it's not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison laid out in the charts above, as some of the Dell and Apple notebooks' advantages can be easily chalked up to more expensive processors.

If you go with any of those systems at the same price as the Surface Laptop 13-inch I tested, the performance difference might not be nearly as dramatic on paper, and almost certainly won't be all that noticeable.

Still, it's pretty clear that the Surface Laptop 13-inch either lands somewhere in the middle of its competition, or comes in second or third from the bottom. Add to that some performance issues stemming from Microsoft's Prism software layer that translates x86-architecture-designed programs, which is pretty much every Windows program, to be ARM-compatible.

Generally, this works rather well, but it does introduce system overhead that will slow things down. In short, unless you're running a piece of rare ARM-native software, you will almost never get as good an experience with Windows software on ARM as you would with the x86 architecture powering Intel and AMD chips.

The question really comes down to whether or not the performance is good enough, and I think that for most people, it will be (unless you want to load up Steam and get into PC gaming. The best gaming laptop, this is not).

A masculine hand typing on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Much like the MacBook Air 13-inch, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is more geared toward casual computing needs and productivity work, and it excels at these tasks.

So, even though the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 gets roughly twice as many FPS as the Surface Laptop 13-inch, the MacBook Air 13-inch still struggles to maintain playable frame rates unless you seriously scale back your graphics settings.

The MacBook's gaming advantage, then, only really looks intimidating as a percentage, but in practice, none of the laptops I tested were suitable for the task of playing, say, Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings and native resolution.

What it really boils down to, then, is whether you're just looking for a new laptop to keep up with friends and family, maybe do some office work, or write that Sci-Fi novel at the local coffee shop that you've been meaning to finally get around to this year.

If those are the boxes that need ticking, any of the laptops listed above will get the job done, but none will look as good as the Violet Surface Laptop 13-inch.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch: Battery Life

The battery life indicator on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How long does it last on a single charge? 17 hours and 14 minutes
How long to recharge from empty to full? With the included 45W charger, it takes about two and a half hours to charge to full.

One other key area where the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch shines is its stellar battery life. In my testing, it ran about 17 hours and 14 minutes on average in my battery test, thanks to the super efficient ARM architecture. This puts it in fourth place overall in my 10 laptop test group, but it does outlast all three MacBook Air 13-inch models in the group by an hour or more.

So even though it's not officially in the battery life winner's circle, you can't ask for much more from a laptop this thin and light.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch?

A masculine hand holding the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 Scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	While not as cheap as something like the Dell 14 Plus, it is on par or cheaper than similar offerings from Dell and Apple.	3.5 / 5
Specs	There aren't a whole lot of configuration options, and the lack of USB4 is unfortunate.	3.5 / 5
Design	It's simply gorgeous and a joy to type on. If it had a physical camera privacy shutter, better ports, and a better display, it'd be a 6 out of 5.	4.5 / 5
Performance	For a casual use notebook, it's in line with similarly specced Windows laptops, but the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 runs circles around it.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	At just over 17 hours of battery life in my testing, this is one of the longest lasting Windows laptops around.	5 / 5
Final Score	It's not perfect, and had Microsoft flexed some muscle to get a 10-core chip in this laptop without raising its price, it'd truly be the Windows MacBook Air we've been waiting for, but it'll be more than close enough for most people and looks better than anything Apple has put out in years.	4 / 5

Buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch if...

You want a truly eye-catching laptop
This is the look we should have gotten on the M2 MacBook Air redesign, rather than the dull, uninteresting colors we got. Apple's mistep is Microsoft's advantage.

You want an all-day laptop
At 17+ hours of battery life in my testing—including using it throughout an almost 15-hour flight to Taipei—this laptop has the juice.

Don't buy it if...

You want a high-performance laptop
If you want a laptop for serious professional workloads like video editing or for PC gaming, you're going to want to opt for a beefier device.

You want worry-free app compatibility
While most Windows apps will work on this device thanks to Microsoft's Prism compatibility layer, you will still occasionally run into some apps that won't work on ARM devices.

Also consider

If my Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch review has you looking at other options, here are three other laptops you should consider instead...

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
The most recent Apple MacBook Air 13-inch offers substantially better performance than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13, making it a much better value.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) review

Dell XPS 13 9350
If you don't want to hassle with the quirks of Qualcomm's ARM-based chips, the Intel Lunar Lake-powered XPS 13 is a fantastic alternative.

Read our full Dell XPS 13 9350 review

How I tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch

I spent about a month with the device
I used our standard suite of benchmarking tools and performance tests
I used it as my primary work laptop, including taking it on an international work trip

I spent about a month with the Surface Laptop 13-inch, far longer than I usually spend with a device under review. While this was mostly due to circumstance (Computex and WWDC, in particular), this did allow me to do a much deeper dive.

In addition to my normal benchmarking process, I took extra time to retest some competing laptops we had in the office to come up with a more thorough comparison against the Surface Laptop 13-inch's competitors.

First reviewed June 2025

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very affordable 2-in-1, with some compromises

12:33 pm | June 6, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, UK | Comments: Off

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: One-minute review

The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is the latest hybrid laptop from the venerable Windows laptop maker, marking its first 2-in-1 since the company's major rebranding earlier this year, which replaced the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 2-in-1.

Fortunately, as with the clamshell Dell 14 Plus, Dell's latest 2-in-1 offers very solid performance at a fantastic price. But given that this is a 2-in-1, typically a form factor where the display takes center stage, the dim, lackluster panel makes this a less attractive option as a 2-in-1 than its clamshell sibling.

Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 does earn its place among the best 2-in-1 laptops this year thanks to its affordable starting price, especially in the US and Australia where the AMD Ryzen AI 300 configurations are available. When these configurations make it to the UK, the prices there ought to be much cheaper to start as well.

Performance-wise, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 isn't much different than the standard 14 Plus, so what you're really looking for here is the versatility that comes with a 2-in-1.

Unfortunately, this versatility is undermined by the display quality, which is much more important on a 2-in-1. So while I found the rather dim FHD+ display on the 14 Plus to be an acceptable compromise to keep the price down, it's a much bigger negative on the 14 Plus 2-in-1.

That's not to say the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is necessarily bad, or even that its display is an absolute dealbreaker. Given its price and level of performance, the display doesn't keep it from being one of the best student laptops on the market right now, and it also remains one of the best Dell laptops on offer currently. Just be prepared to look past a couple of flaws if you decide to pick one up.

Dell 14 Plus: Price & availability

A Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 in clamshell mode — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starts at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Dell’s website and other retailers.

Easily the best feature of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is its excellent pricing. Starting at $649.99 / £849 / AU$1,498.20, there aren't going to be many Windows laptops with solid entry-level specs at this price point. For those who are more price-sensitive (such as students, general users, and enterprise fleet managers), the 14 Plus 2-in-1 really should be at the top of your list if you're in the market for a 2-in-1.

Even better, of course, is that Dell regularly runs sales on its products, so it should be fairly easy to find this laptop for even cheaper (especially around holidays or other major sales events like Amazon Prime Day).

Value: 5 / 5

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specs

The Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Arc Graphics badges on the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Configurations vary considerably between the US, UK, and Australia
Options for both Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors
No discrete graphics options

The starting specs for the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 feature 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD storage, and a 16:10 FHD+ (1200p) IPS touchscreen display with 300-nit max brightness. The only difference between the US, UK, and Australia is that the US and Aussies start off with an AMD Ryzen 5 AI 340 processor with Radeon 840M graphics, and the UK starting configuration comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V chip.

This also means that while the US and Australian starting configuration only has two USB-C Gen 3.2 ports, the UK swaps one of these out for a full Thunderbolt 4 port.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 Base Specs
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$649.99 at Dell.com	£849 at Dell.com	AU$1,498.20 at Dell.com
CPU:	AMD Ryzen AI 5 340	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V	AMD Ryzen AI 5 340
GPU:	AMD Radeon 840M Graphics	Intel Arc Xe2 (140V)	AMD Radeon 840M Graphics
Memory:	16GB LPDDR5X-7500	16GB LPDDR5X-8533	16GB LPDDR5X-7500
Storage:	512GB SSD	512GB SSD	512GB SSD
Screen:	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS
Ports:	2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack	1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack	2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):	64 WHr	64 WHr	64 WHr
Wireless:	WiFi 7, BT 5.4	WiFi 7, BT 5.4	WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:	1080p@30fps	1080p@30fps	1080p@30fps
Weight:	3.35 lb (1.52 kg)	3.42 lbs (1.55kg)	3.35 lbs (1.52kg)
Dimensions:	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)

For the max spec, the US and UK can configure the 14 Plus 2-in-1 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor with Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) graphics, while Australia tops out at an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with Radeon 840M graphics. The US config also maxes out at 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB storage, while the UK and Australia max out at 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB and 1TB storage, respectively.

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 Top Specs
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$1,499.99 at Dell.com	£1,299 at Dell.com	AU$1,498.20 at Dell.com
CPU:	Intel Core Ultra 9 288V	Intel Core Ultra 9 288V	AMD Ryzen AI 7 350
GPU:	Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) Graphics	Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) Graphics	AMD Radeon 840M Graphics
Memory:	32GB LPDDR5X-8533	16GB LPDDR5X-7500	16GB LPDDR5X-7500
Storage:	1TB NVMe SSD	512GB NVMe SSD	1TB NVMe SSD
Screen:	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300-nit, touch IPS
Ports:	1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack	1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack	2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 w/ DP and Power Delivery, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):	64 WHr	64 WHr	64 WHr
Wireless:	WiFi 7, BT 5.4	WiFi 7, BT 5.4	WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:	1080p@30fps	1080p@30fps	1080p@30fps
Weight:	3.42 lbs (1.55kg)	3.42 lbs (1.55kg)	3.35 lb (1.52 kg)
Dimensions:	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.65 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.39mm)

The configuration I reviewed is much more in the middle of the pack, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chip, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This specific configuration isn't available in the UK and Australia, but the UK can get close enough (though with half the storage capacity).

Dell 14 Plus Review Unit Specs
Price:	$1,099.99 / £999 / (about AU$1,650, but Intel systems not yet available in Australia)
CPU:	Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
GPU:	Intel Arc Xe2 (140V) Graphics
Memory:	16GB LPDDR5X-8533
Storage:	1TB NVMe SSD (512GB in the UK)
Screen:	14-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1200p), 300 nit, touch IPS
Ports:	1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C w/ DP 1.4 and Power Delivery, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DP 2.1 and Power Delivery, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo jack
Battery (WHr):	64 WHr
Wireless:	WiFi 7, BT 5.4
Camera:	1080p@30fps
Weight:	3.42 lbs (1.55kg)
Dimensions:	12.36 x 8.9 x 0.67 ins \| (314 x 226.15 x 16.95mm)

Specs: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design

A Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 in tent mode — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Thin and light
Trackpad can feel 'sticky'
Display isn't great for a 2-in-1

The design of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is nearly identical to the standard 14 Plus, with the major difference being its 360-degree hinge. Otherwise, it sports a functional design language that, while not premium, doesn't necessarily look or feel cheap either.

The keyboard of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The keyboard on the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is functional, if not incredible, but for most people it'll do the job just fine. The trackpad occassionally felt somewhat 'sticky' to me, however, and it's something that kind of gives away the laptop's price point, if I'm being honest. I've felt similar trackpads on much cheaper Chromebooks in the past.

A side-by-side image of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1's webcam with and without its privacy shutter engaged — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The webcam is a solid 1080p at 30 frames per second, which is pretty much standard nowadays. It does feature a physical privacy shutter though, which is excellent.

The ports on the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

For ports, you have a good mix, especially for a laptop this thin, and if you're using an Intel-based configuration, you get a Thunderbolt 4 port, which is very handy. Regardless of the processor brand, though, with USB-C Gen 3.2 ports available, you can display out using DisplayPort 1.4, and all USB-C ports support power delivery.

Where this laptop was more of a letdown than its clamshell cousin is the display. At 300 nits peak brightness and just 67.5% of the sRGB color gamut and only 47.8% DCI-P3 (according to my testing), the color quality and brightness on the display just isn't very good.

It's one thing when the display on a cheap clamshell isn't great, but if you plan on taking notes or maybe even do some sketch work on your 2-in-1, this display is not going to give you the best experience. If you plan on using this laptop for school, try to avoid using it outside on a sunny day, or else you're really going to struggle to see things clearly.

Design: 3 / 5

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance

A Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 in clamshell mode visiting TechRadar.com — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Solid performance
Can do some modest gaming
Not the best for creative work

Here's how the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6.4 (Single): 2,673; (Multi): 10,880
Crossmark (Overall): 1,708; (Productivity): 1,655; (Creativity): 1,934; (Responsiveness): 1,293
3DMark (Night Raid): 31,074; (Fire Strike): 8,462; (Time Spy): 3,896; (Steel Nomad): 601
Civilization VI Gathering Storm (1080p, Max Graphics, Avg): 53 fps
Civilization VII (1080p, Medium, Avg): 59 fps; (High): 34 fps
Web Surfing Battery Test: 15 hours, 14 minutes

The performance of the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is going to vary quite a bit depending on your configuration, but like the clamshell 14 Plus, the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid performer when it comes to everyday computing and general productivity tasks that are typical of laptops at this price point.

To be clear, this isn't a professional mobile workstation like the MacBook Pro 14, and definitely isn't one of the best gaming laptops, but if what you're looking for is a laptop that does its job, does it reasonably well, and doesn't try to do too much beyond the everyday, then the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a very solid pick (especially if you're on a budget).

Thanks to the integrated Intel Arc Xe2 or Radeon 840M graphics (depending on your configuration), you'll also be able to get some casual to moderate gaming out of this laptop, though you'll definitely want to keep things at or below 1080p and reasonable graphics settings.

In my testing, Civilization VII (one of the more graphically demanding sim games out there) managed to get close to 60 FPS on average on medium settings, which is more than enough for a thin and light laptop like this.

This is a 2-in-1, though, and the focus really is on note-taking, drawing, and the like, and for that the responsiveness of the display was good enough for the price, though nothing spectacular.

Performance: 4 / 5

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Battery Life

How long does it last on a single charge? 15 hours and 14 minutes
How long to fully charge it to 100%? 2 hours and 36 minutes

I haven't tested one of the AMD Ryzen AI 300 models of this laptop, but the Intel Core Ultra 256V in my review unit is a very energy-efficient chip, so this laptop's battery life is good enough to rival many of the best laptops of the past few years, though it's not in the top five or anything like that.

It ran for just over 15 hours in my battery test, which involves using a script and custom server to simulate typical web browsing behavior. This is more than enough for a typical work or school day, and with the included 65W charger, it took about two and a half hours to recharge the 64WHr battery to full from empty (though higher wattage chargers will likely get you there faster).

Battery Life: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1?

A Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 with its lid facing outward — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 Scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers great value for its price.	5 / 5
Specs	Available configurations are generally very good.	4 / 5
Design	The 14 Plus 2-in-1 looks good on the outside, but its display really brings its design down.	3 / 5
Performance	Everyday computing and productivity performance are solid, but it can't hold up to intense workloads like gaming at high settings.	4 / 5
Battery Life	Solid battery life capable of many hours of use on one charge.	4 / 5

Buy the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 if...

You want solid productivity and general computing performance
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 offers solid performance for most users, especially for the price.

You want a laptop that doesn’t look too cheap
While it isn't going to win any major design awards, it's still a pretty good-looking laptop for its price.

Don't buy it if...

You need a high-performance laptop
While its general performance is very good, you're not going to be able to push it much further than general use and casual PC gaming.

You need a quality display
While the clamshell 14 Plus might have been able to skate by with this display, it's not really good enough for a 2-in-1.

First reviewed June 2025

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