Laptop Reviews – LPTPS https://www.lptps.com Best Laptop Reviews and Buying Guides! Mon, 15 Mar 2021 06:09:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.11 https://www.lptps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-logo_512-32x32.png Laptop Reviews – LPTPS https://www.lptps.com 32 32 Lenovo 11e Review – One of the best low-cost ultraportable https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-11e-review/ https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-11e-review/#respond Sun, 15 Mar 2020 05:00:10 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=2238 The Lenovo 11e is a solid ultraportable great for someone on the road that needs a small budget laptop. It has a great anti-glare 11-inch screen and performs very well thanks to its quad-core processor, 128 GB SSD hard drive and 4 GB of memory. Its build quality is better than most of its competitor, no wonder […]

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The Lenovo 11e is a solid ultraportable great for someone on the road that needs a small budget laptop. It has a great anti-glare 11-inch screen and performs very well thanks to its quad-core processor, 128 GB SSD hard drive and 4 GB of memory. Its build quality is better than most of its competitor, no wonder it’s one of the best Windows budget laptops. With its reinforced corners and rubber band around the cover, it’s really built to last. It also comes with Windows 10 Professional edition.

lenovo-11e

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Great budget ultraportable

BEST FOR
  • People working on the road
  • Students
PROS
  • Built-to-last
  • 128GB SSD Hard drive
  • Good performance
  • Battery life
CONS
  • 11.6" screen might be too small for some
  • a little bulkier than other 11.6" netbooks
90%
Performance
85%
Features
90%
Design
85%
Display
90%
Battery Life
95%
Value
89%
One of the best in its category
QUICK SPECS
  • Intel N3150 with 8GB of RAM
  • 11.6” screen (1366 x 768)
  • 128GB SSD hard drive
  • Up to 6.5 hours of battery life
  • 0.88" / 3.3 lbs
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Price range: $

Detailed Lenovo 11e Review

The Lenovo 11e is a great choice for any professional on the road or student that needs a light laptop that fits in any bag, but still has enough power for most daily tasks. The 11.6″ screen won’t please everyone, but it makes the computer light and ultraportable. The built quality is very good and it is made to last thanks to its construction.

Performance

The Lenovo 11e performs very well and has great features for a laptop of this category. With a Quad-core Celeron processor, 8GB or RAM and a 128GB SSD hard-drive, it has better specs than most in its category. It will run Windows quite smoothly.

Design

This laptop has the classic Lenovo look on a small factor, which makes it a good business laptop. Its reinforced edges and rubber band around the cover makes it stronger than all of its competitors and is built to last. Even with that, it’s pretty light at 3.3 pounds.

Graphics

The 11.6″ screen  – 1366 x 768 – is bright and non-glossy to allow you to work outside or in a bright environment.
Lenovo 11e Cover

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Hard Drive

The Lenovo 11e is equipped with a 128GB SSD hard drive, which will make Windows runs much faster. Very good for a laptop of this price.

Battery

The battery lasts quite a long time even under heavy stress and should last more than 6 hours.

Sound

Sound quality is quite good for a budget laptop and should allow you to play videos during presentations or listen to music.

Keyboard and mouse

The keyboard is surprisingly comfortable for a laptop of this size. Responsive and with full-size arrows. The touchpad is decent.

Operating System

The Lenovo 11e comes equipped with Windows 10 Pro, which makes it perfect as a business laptop for sales people on the road, and also a great laptop for school.

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Asus Zenbook UX331 Review – Elegant, Light & Powerful 13-inch https://www.lptps.com/asus-zenbook-ux331-review/ https://www.lptps.com/asus-zenbook-ux331-review/#respond Wed, 21 Nov 2018 05:00:11 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8883 Asus has been recently pushing new products in the mid-range laptops segment and the Asus ZenBook UX331 is the result of that aggressive strategy. Let me start by saying the Asus UX331 is gorgeous! (and it’s not even its best quality!) Not only does it look premium with a solid build, but the performance is […]

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Asus has been recently pushing new products in the mid-range laptops segment and the Asus ZenBook UX331 is the result of that aggressive strategy.

Let me start by saying the Asus UX331 is gorgeous! (and it’s not even its best quality!)

Not only does it look premium with a solid build, but the performance is excellent and the price tag is affordable. By affordable I don’t mean it is cheap, but it certainly offers great value for money.

If you are looking for an ultra-light quality notebook, continue reading this Asus Zenbook UX331 review.
Asus Zenbook UX331

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A Great Looking, Ultra-Light Laptop offering Good Performance

BEST FOR
  • College Students
  • Professionals
  • Casual Gamers
PROS
  • Beautiful & Light Design
  • Great Display
  • Solid Performance
  • Excellent Audio & Battery Life
CONS
  • Poor Webcam
  • Slower SSD than competition
Display 90%
Performance 85%
Design 95%
Audio 90%
Battery Life 85%
Value 87%
89% An Awesome Lightweight Notebook
QUICK SPECS
  • 13.3" HD Display with Intel 620 or NVIDIA MX150
  • Intel i5 or Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Up to 14 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.55"/ 2.47 lbs

Detailed Asus Zenbook UX331 Review

The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 is definitely among my favorite laptops on the market right now. If you are looking for a mid-range 13-inch laptop, this could possibly be your best choice.

Asus made the UX331 appealing with its lightweight shiny chassis that stands out from the crowd. It’s equipped to run any Windows applications smoothly and the battery can last you more than a day. Pretty much the only downside I found is the webcam that is not impressive, but that’s it!

Get the UX331UA if you need a lot of processing power, otherwise I recommend you choose the UX331UN since it’s a more versatile option.

Note that I make both the Asus UX331UA Review and Asus UX331UN review here. Both are very similar. The ‘UN’ version comes with a GPU for anything 3D, and the ‘UA’ version does not, but includes a more powerful processor. I’ll talk more about both variants later, but if you’re not sure which one to choose, I’d go with the ‘UN’ version.
Asus Zenbook UX331 Front View

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Design

For the design alone, Asus gets close to a perfect score. They really have nailed the design with its perfect shade of blue with marble-like finish. Not only is it solid & elegant, it’s also an ultralight 13-inch. The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 weighs around 2.47 pounds which is lighter than its closest competitor the Dell XPS 13.

As you open the lid, the brushed aluminum chassis gives it a premium feel. The laptop feels sturdy in hand and shows little to no flexes during use.

The Asus ZenBook UX331 gets Asus’ Nano-edge treatment which means the laptop gets very thin bezels, increasing the screen-to-body ratio. And the webcam has been placed on top, thankfully.

Performance

The ZenBook 13 UX331UN is powered by an Intel i5 processor, while the ZenBook 13 UX331UA is equipped with an Intel i7. Both configurations are more than enough to handle day-to-day tasks, but of course the i7 will be more powerful (but you don’t get a dedicated GPU on that version).

Both are paired with 8 GB of RAM which is more than adequate for keeping all your web browser’s tabs in memory and to run multiple applications simultaneously without sacrificing on performance. You can have as many as 20+ tabs opened on Chrome with YouTube video streaming and you still won’t face any problem whatsoever.

Screen & Graphics

The Zenbook UX331 is equipped with a 13.3" screen. It is an excellent display with great viewing angles, brightness and color rendering.

I found during this Asus Zenbook UX331 review that the display gets a high score in the test, even if on paper, it is not better than other similar devices in this segment. The screen is great for multimedia tasks and, of course, for your day to day work.

Get the ‘UN’ version if you are into anything 3D

As I said earlier, there are two variants of the Asus ZenBook 13 UX331, the ‘UA’ and ‘UN’. The biggest difference is that the ‘UA’ comes with an integrated graphics card, while the ‘UN’ comes with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX 150 GPU. So, if you are looking for light gaming sessions or any 3D related work, you are better off buying the ‘UN’ version.
Asus Zenbook UX331 Side View

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Storage

The laptop we tested during our Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 review came with 256 GB of SSD storage out of the box. The SSD did feel a little slower than the industry average, but honestly, most people won’t see the difference, especially if you’re used to an older HDD hard-drive.

Port & Connectivity

The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 comes with a decent selection of ports. Asus has managed to include the latest USB Type-C port with other ports like USB 3.0, an HDMI connection and of course, the 3.5 mm audio jack. Add a fingerprint reader to that and it’s not bad for an ultra-thin laptop!

Ports on the Asus ZenBook 13 UX331

  • 1 x USB Type-C
  • 2 x USB 3.0 Port
  • 1 x HDMI Port
  • 1 x Card Reader
  • 1 x Fingerprint reader

Battery Life

The ZenBook 13 UX331 comes with an excellent battery life. The manufacturer says it can last up to 14 hours, but expect more around 9 hours on a single charge. We tested the battery life through continuous web browsing over WiFi with full brightness. The UX331 can easily last a day’s of work.

Audio

The most surprising aspect of the Asus ZenBook UX331 is its audio. The audio output on the laptop is excellent for the size and for the price. The vocals are loud & clear and watching a movie without your headphones is not a problem.
Asus Zenbook UX331 Keyboard

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Keyboard, Pen & TrackPad

Despite having a 1 millimeter of key travel, the keyboard still has a decent feel. I found out during this Asus UX331UN Review that typing continuously for 2 hours wasn’t an issue. I managed to get around 95 words per minute with just around 4% of error rate. Yes, if the keys had little more depth, it would be a better typing experience, but overall it was satisfactory.

The trackpad, on the other hand, is as good as it can get. Windows precision drivers offer precise movement of the cursor, and the touchpad offers good feedback. The gestures also worked reasonably well.

Software

The Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UA / UX331UN comes with Windows 10 installed out of the box. Some Asus tools are pre-built which is practical, including the free McAfee Security antivirus. Other apps such as Netflix, Disney magic and some other apps & games are pre-installed as well.

Other available versions

Asus Zenbook UX331 UX331UA (no GPU): 13.3" HD, Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD

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Asus Vivobook F510UA Review – Budget Ultra-portable with Great Display https://www.lptps.com/asus-vivobook-f510ua-review/ https://www.lptps.com/asus-vivobook-f510ua-review/#respond Wed, 26 Sep 2018 18:57:59 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8822 This is a laptop I’ve been warmly recommending for a while, but for no good reason I kept postponing this Asus VivoBook F510UA review… So here it is (finally!). The Asus F510UA is not your Apple MacBook or Dell XPS 15 competitor. It has its own niche and if you are looking for a decently […]

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This is a laptop I’ve been warmly recommending for a while, but for no good reason I kept postponing this Asus VivoBook F510UA review… So here it is (finally!).

The Asus F510UA is not your Apple MacBook or Dell XPS 15 competitor. It has its own niche and if you are looking for a decently powered, portable laptop that can manage your office work without any fuss, this laptop fits the bill perfectly.

The Asus VivoBook F510UA is a 15-inch laptop that looks like its more expensive Zenbook siblings, but only on the surface. While it does get a shiny back, it is not made of aluminum, but plastic. We can’t complain about the use of plastic on devices at that price though. Asus has managed to make a lightweight laptop that can handle any daily tasks while staying affordable.

Read our Asus VivoBook F510UA Review to know why it’s one of the best budget laptop by Asus.
Asus Vivobook F510UA - Cover

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Ultra-light, Affordable Laptop with Good Performance

BEST FOR
  • College Students
  • Office Work
PROS
  • Vivid HD Display
  • Clear Audio
  • Thin & Light with Good Build Quality
  • Good Performance
CONS
  • Lower than average Battery Life
  • Average keyboard & no backlighting
Display 85%
Performance 90%
Design 84%
Audio 86%
Battery Life 68%
Value 84%
83% Great Quality Budget Laptop
QUICK SPECS
  • 15.6" HD display (1920 x 1080)
  • Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 1000 GB HDD (5400 RPM)
  • Up to 5 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.8" thick / 3.7 lbs

Detailed Asus Vivobook F510UA Review

Asus has tried to make the VivoBook F510UA look like the premium Zenbook line (for example, the Asus ZenBook UX330UA) and they’ve been pretty successful at it: it’s a great looking 15-inch laptop!

Of course, it’s a budget laptop, so you don’t get the quality build you would get on high-end laptops, but for the price, it’s tough to beat its value.

The main advantages of this laptop are its low-weight, its vivid HD screen and clear audio. You’ll hardly find better on a budget laptop!

Design

The laptop gives an impression of being a unibody metal case thanks to its rounded edges and the shiny case. But that’s all the premium it gets since the body is all made of plastic. However, not only it helps to keep the cost low, but it also reduces the weight as it weighs 3.7 pounds.

The NanoEdge edge bezel means the laptop has very thin bezels, increasing the screen-to-body ratio. The hinges supporting the display works flawlessly, even if the display sometimes wobbles a little bit. But that’s not a deal-breaker. The build quality and finish are satisfactory for the price.
Asus Vivobook F510UA

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Performance

The VivoBook F510UA comes equipped with the 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. The i5 processor is faster than its predecessor, so Asus did a good job offering the latest 8th Gen chip instead of the old 7th Gen chip.

The processor provides adequate power to handle Microsoft Office and any multimedia task. I was able to run demanding applications like Photoshop CC and Adobe Premiere Pro without much of a throttling issue.

On the memory side, there are two RAM slots inside the laptop, one of them occupied by an 8 GB RAM. That’s more than enough for the great majority of users. The second slot can be used to upgrade the RAM if you use heavier programs.

Asus has also done a good job with the cooling of this VivoBook. While some thin laptops will get hot under heavy load, I noticed during this Asus F510UA review that this one still manages to keep it under control without compromising performance.

Screen and Graphics

The 15.6-inch display on the Asus VivoBook F510UA is made by LG, and it is an IPS panel with a Full HD resolution. The display has good brightness and wide viewing angles that give it an edge over the competition. And since the display comes with anti-reflective coating, your eyes won’t strain while trying to avoid reflection from lights. The display is also colorful and vivid. Definitely, this is a screen that belongs on a more expensive laptop!

As it is expected from a laptop at that price, the Asus VivoBook F510UA does not come with a discrete graphics card. What you get is an Intel graphics 620 chipset that will handle less demanding gaming titles at a playable speed. But, if you want to run the latest triple-A titles, this is not the laptop for you. In that case, go for a gaming laptop.
Asus Vivobook F510UA - Front

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Storage

The Asus VivoBook F510UA comes with two storage options. Our test unit had a huge 1 TB of storage, but, for extra bucks, you can also get 128 GB of SSD combined with 1 TB HDD.

The boot time is decent with the slower HDD, but it will be much faster on the SSD variant. So, if the boot time and reading/writing speed is something that matters to you, we recommend the SSD variant. But that definitely increase the price so in that case, you might want to go with its brother the Asus Vivobook S510.

Port and Connectivity

Asus laptops always come with a decent port selection and the Asus VivoBook F510UA is no different. For your older devices it has USB 2.0, and for the latest ones you get USB 3.0. Even the latest USB Type C has made its way into the F510UA. The laptop also comes with Bluetooth and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for your connectivity needs.

Ports on the Asus Vivobook F510UA
  • 1 x USB Type C Port
  • 3 x USB Type A Port (2 x USB 2.0 and 1 x USB 3.0)
  • 1 x HDMI Output
  • 1 x Card Reader

Battery Life

The battery life on the Asus F510UA is decent at 4 to 5 hours of moderate usage. The Intel Core i5 is said to be an energy efficient chip, and for the performance & price the battery life is acceptable, but you can definitely find better.
Asus Vivobook F510UA Side

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Audio

At that price, you often get feeble audio output, but it’s definitely not the case with this one. The VivoBook F510UA has bottom-firing speakers that produce excellent audio for the price. The speakers get adequately loud, while giving clear audio output.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard is one of the cons of this laptop since it’s of average quality. The key travel is not adequate, and the keys feel a bit stiff. If you write all day, it might not feel as comfortable as you would on more some of the competition.

This laptop also lacks a backlighting feature and the weird placement of the power key sends the PC into sleep when pressed accidentally. You’ll get used to it after a while, but if it really bothers you, you can use a keyboard remapping program to manage the keys.

On the other hand, the trackpad is of decent size and it offers good feedback. The right and left click buttons are good.

Software

The VivoBook F510UA comes with Windows 10 installed out of the box. Apart from Microsoft Windows Apps, the laptop does not have much bloatware to begin with, something I always appreciate from a laptop.

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a 15-inch budget notebook that is portable and has a good screen & audio, the Asus Vivobook F510UA is definitely one of the best laptops you can buy right now!

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Lenovo Ideapad 720s Review – Lightweight & Good Value 14-inch https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-ideapad-720s-review/ https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-ideapad-720s-review/#respond Sat, 04 Aug 2018 07:20:55 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8515 The IdeaPad 720S is Lenovo’s idea of offering premium looking lightweight ultrabooks at an attractive price. The Lenovo IdeaPad 720S offers a premium looking metal body that is as light as an average ultrabook can be. You also get a bright and vivid display, solid audio, good performance and excellent keyboard for the price. Here […]

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The IdeaPad 720S is Lenovo’s idea of offering premium looking lightweight ultrabooks at an attractive price. The Lenovo IdeaPad 720S offers a premium looking metal body that is as light as an average ultrabook can be.

You also get a bright and vivid display, solid audio, good performance and excellent keyboard for the price. Here is my Lenovo Ideapad 720S review, giving the good and the bad of Lenovo’s latest laptop.
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s

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Value for Money Ultrabook with Excellent Display and Performance

Pros
  • Good Build & Design
  • Excellent Display
  • Clear Audio
  • Comfortable Keyboard
Cons
  • Battery Life Issues & lower than advertised
Display 86%
Performance 85%
Design 90%
Audio 82%
Battery Life 75%
Value 85%
84% Great Mid-Range Notebook
QUICK SPECS
  • 14-inch HD
  • Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Expect 6 to 10 hours
  • Windows 10 Home
  • 0.62" thick/ 3.4 lbs

Lenovo Ideapad 720s Review

The Lenovo IdeaPad 720s is the successor to the Lenovo IdeaPad 710s that Lenovo launched last year. While I like the 710s, its successor comes with an even better package and offers more for the price. The company has added a Thunderbolt 3 port, updated the graphic card and equipped it with an excellent display with narrow bezels.

For a mid-range laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad 720S has something for every PC user. Now if you are one of those who is yet to decide whether to buy this laptop or not, this Lenovo IdeaPad 720s review will help you choose.
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s Cover

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Design

The Lenovo IdeaPad 720s is a premium-looking, lightweight & well-built ultrabook that impressed me. The outer body of the laptop is all-aluminum and feels and looks good in the hand. The laptops weigh 3.3 pounds which lighter than the Asus VivoBook S510, but heavier than the Dell XPS 13 and the Samsung Notebook.

On the side of the laptop are many ports and connectivity features, including the latest Thunderbolt port. The Thunderbolt 3 port also serves as a charging port for the laptop. You can read more on this in the later part of the review.

Performance

The Lenovo IdeaPad 720s is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM. The configuration is more than sufficient to handle multitasking, and we did not notice any lag when testing the laptop with 1080p YouTube video streaming and multiple chrome tabs open simultaneously.

You can also run demanding applications like the Adobe Photoshop and the Adobe Premier and get decent performance out of the laptop as it also comes with NVIDIA GT MX150 graphic processor.

Screen and Graphics

The IdeaPad 720s’ 14-inch display is bright and colorful. You can see every detail of a video without straining your eyes. The red appears red, and the blacks are dark, thanks to the colorful Full-HD display. The screen on the IdeaPad 720S also offers a 180-degree leaning angle, making it perfect for your lazy Sundays on the couch.

If you need a laptop for casual gaming, then the NVIDIA GT MX150 offers decent performance for most of the basic titles. I was able to run games like Dirt 3 at 50-54 frames per second, and games like Counter-Strike Go and Minecraft ran smoothly without any problem. Another advantage of having a dedicated graphics card is that it helps you render graphics efficiently when using photo editing tools like Adobe Photoshop and illustrator.
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s Display

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Storage

Lenovo has packed the IdeaPad 720S with a 256 GB SDD. The PCIe SSD can copy files at 254 megabytes per second, which higher than the average 218- MBps standard. Though the Dell XPS 13 is much faster than this, it is faster than the Samsung Notebook 9 and the Asus VivoBook S510.

Ports

The Lenovo IdeaPad 720S comes with a good selection of ports including the latest Thunderbolt 3 port – that is also a charging port – and the USB 3.0 port. The Thunderbolt 3 port allows you to connect the laptop to multiple displays for better productivity. You can charge your smartphone or a headphone by plugging the device into the laptop’s Thunderbolt port even when the computer is completely off.

Other ports

2 x USB 3.0 Port
1 x HDMI – out
1 x SD Card Reader
1 x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3

Battery

While Lenovo claims an ‘up to’ 14 hours of battery life, they clearly overstated the battery capacity. Expect the battery life to be much lower than that, between 5 and 10 hours, depending on the way you use your laptop.

The battery especially suffers when you run demanding programs. While it’s not a bad battery life, it’s much closer to average – sometimes lower – than Lenovo advertises.

Audio

The JBL speakers placed at the bottom of the IdeaPad 720S are fairly loud and can easily fill a medium-sized room with crisp and clear audio, without any distortion. The bass is non-existent; however, that is not a deal breaker as it’s the case with most laptops.
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s Keyboard

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Keyboard and TrackPad

The IdeaPad 720S is equipped with an excellent keyboard, offering good comfort for long hours of typing. The 1.4mm key travel may not look great on paper, but works flawlessly for effortless typing. The keys are fairly large with good space in-between them. I tested the keyboard with an online typing test tool and was able to score a good 75-wpm with just 2% error, which is pretty close to my regular typing speed.

Lenovo has added a fingerprint scanner, placed on the side of palm rest and below the arrow keys. The fingerprint scanner works all the time without much of a delay. You can also use the fingerprint reader to unlock apps like Dropbox for the extra layer of security. The touchpad on the laptop is of decent size and provides accurate input while also responding to the navigation and scrolling gestures accurately.

Software

Lenovo IdeaPad 720s comes installed with Windows 10 out of the box along with a few bloatware. The Lenovo settings app allows you to control audio presets, battery management and menu. Other apps on the laptop include Phototastic Collage editor and Keeper password manager.

The collage editor is useful for adding filters on the laptop, but it costs $4.99. If you don’t want to pay for the app, then move the photos to your smartphone and use the free filters available there. Keeper Password Manager is a good app, but not as good as LastPass which is also available for free for your Chrome browser and PC.

Final Words

The Lenovo IdeaPad 720S is an excellent value for money laptop for anyone looking for a lightweight 14-inch ultrabook, with a bright and beautiful display, solid performance and sweet audio packed in a premium looking aluminum shell. If not for the average battery life, the IdeaPad 720S is second to none in this category.

Other available versions

Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 14" HD, Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 13-inch 13.3" HD, Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 15-inch 15.6" UHD, Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM, 512+ GB SSD

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Acer Aspire 7 Review – Ultra Powerful, Affordable https://www.lptps.com/acer-aspire-7-review/ https://www.lptps.com/acer-aspire-7-review/#respond Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:23:05 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8420 If you’re looking for a 15-inch laptop with a lot of power without spending too much, I really recommend you read this Acer Aspire 7 Review! It’s a great value mid-range laptop that is really powerful thanks to its high-end CPU & graphic card, while still remaining quite portable & slim. You get a well-made […]

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If you’re looking for a 15-inch laptop with a lot of power without spending too much, I really recommend you read this Acer Aspire 7 Review!

It’s a great value mid-range laptop that is really powerful thanks to its high-end CPU & graphic card, while still remaining quite portable & slim.

You get a well-made portable laptop with good design, decent keyboard & excellent performance, for a price tag that won’t burn your pockets. Acer did have to cut some corners to keep it affordable, but they still did a good job delivering a great value laptop that will please most users.

Continue reading our Acer Aspire 7 review to know if it’s the kind of high-performance laptop you should buy.
Acer Aspire 7

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Powerful Value Laptop with Sturdy Build

BEST FOR
  • Engineering laptop
  • College Students
  • Affordable Gaming
PROS
  • Good design & Sturdy Build
  • Solid Processor and GPU
  • Good Keyboard & Trackpad
  • Affordable price tag
CONS
  • Average Brightness & Color Accuracy
  • Gets Hot under Heavy Use / Fans can get Loud
  • Average Battery Life
Display 78%
Performance 95%
Design 84%
Audio 79%
Battery Life 75%
Value 95%
84% Great Quality Budget Laptop
QUICK SPECS
  • 15-inch HD (1920 x 1080)
  • Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Up to 7 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.94" / 5.18 lbs

Detailed Acer Aspire 7 Review

Acer has revamped its Aspire line, offering excellent performance for the price. The Aspire 7 is not for you if you are looking for an ultrabook that has a slim design and is lightweight, but for casual gaming, video processing and CAD works, the Aspire 7 is a mighty beast. However, to keep the cost low, Acer had to do some cost cutting somewhere, and that is visible in the display quality and the battery life.

The Acer Aspire 7 unit we are reviewing here is the 15-inch variant that comes with a Full HD display, an Intel i7 processor and an NVIDIA 1050 graphics processor.
Acer Aspire 7 Side View

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Design

At first sight, the Acer Aspire 7 is rather compact and you’d hardly tell it’s such a beast under the hood. And it’s also lighter than its gaming siblings, making it a quite portable machine at a little more than 5 pounds.

The outer case of the laptop is mostly made of plastic with a brushed aluminum finishing for the lid and the top of the base. I do like the look but the aluminum on the back of the lid makes it a fingerprint magnet, so keep a cleaning cloth close-by! The Aspire 7 doesn’t look like a beast equipped like a gaming laptop would. It hides it incredible power under a classic, good-looking & solid design.

The hinges supporting the laptop lid are quite flexible, offering 180 degrees of leaning angle. That makes it ideal to use while you’re on your bed, keeping the laptop on your thighs.

Performance

The Acer Aspire 7 comes with the top of the line Intel Core i7 HQ 7700 processor with 8 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU.

The Intel processor is as good as it can get. And the graphic card is one of the more powerful you can get on a laptop nowadays. This configuration ensures that you won’t be left wanting for more power. You can render high-resolution videos and play the latest triple-A titles without any problem or lag issues. Add an ultra-fast 256 GB SSD drive to that and you’ve got one fast & powerful laptop!

But such a powerful configuration means the laptop will heat up fast when under load. Acer has done a good job of keeping the internal temperature under control, so no worries there, but the exterior temperature gets quite hot when under heavy load. The fans also get loud under heavy use to cool down that hardware.

Screen & Graphics

The 15.6-inch display on the Acer Aspire 7 is an IPS panel with 1080p Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080). The display is good for most users, and you won’t find any issues unless you try to use the laptop in bright sunlight since the brightness on the laptop is on the lower side.

The color accuracy too could have been better but nothing deal breaking for most users. However, it’s not an ideal choice if you are a professional graphics designer.

As for the graphics performance, the Acer Aspire 7 comes with a well capable NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU making it ideal for gaming and video rendering. If gaming is one of your priority, get the GTX 1050 Ti variant for even more power. You can run any latest triple-A titles in medium to high settings with ease.
Acer Aspire 7 Front View

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Storage

The Acer Aspire 7 gets a 256 GB SSD drive that will make it boot in no time and make sure it doesn’t slow down the rest of the components.

And if it’s not enough storage space for you, you also have an additional hard drive slot if needed.

Port & Connectivity

It comes with a decent number of ports, including the new standard USB-C port. However, this USB Type C port does not have Thunderbolt support. Other ports in the laptop include:

  • 1 x USB Type C Port
  • 3 x USB Type A Port (2 x USB 2.0 and 1 x USB 3.0)
  • 1 x HDMI Output
  • 1 x Card reader
  • 1 x Kensington Lock

Battery Life

Acer says the 4-cell battery should provide power for ‘up to’ 7 hours, but more realistically expect around 4 hours, depending on the usage. Knowing the components that laptop is equipped with, a short battery life has to be expected.

Audio

The Acer Aspire 7 comes with two bottom firing speakers. How loud the speakers are depends on the surface you put the laptop on. When put on a hard-wooden surface, they are fairly loud and the audio quality is quite good, though definitively not the best.

Overall, the Dolby audio offers a good sound quality for a laptop.
Acer Aspire 7 Keyboard

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Keyboard & Trackpad

The Acer Aspire 7 is equipped with a decent keyboard, good for day-to-day use. The keys are relatively large at 15 x 15 mm, except for the cramped number pad that may annoy people who use it often.

The keys are well finished with nice touch and give good feedback while typing. The key travel is a bit short, but it’s still not an issue once you get used to it.

Also, typing in the dark is something you won’t find difficult thanks to the backlighting the Aspire 7 offers.

The trackpad is large enough for any size hands and comes with a fingerprint reader making it a bit more secure for the user. The trackpad performs well with precise inputs. It has no major drawbacks except for the occasional misreading of gestures.

Software

The Acer Aspire 7 comes with Windows 10 Professional installed out of the box. There are a few bloatware that needs to be taken care of, but apart from that, Windows 10 performs well!

Final words

Acer really produced a great value, powerful laptop with the Aspire 7.

It’s a great choice for anyone that needs a laptop for CAD works, high-end graphic design, programming or for gaming. Also, if you are a college student that needs a powerful laptop, you should definitively consider it.

Other available versions

Acer Aspire 7 17-inch version: 17.3" HD, Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM, 256 or 1000 GB GB SSD

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Asus Transformer Mini T102HA review https://www.lptps.com/asus-transformer-mini-t102ha-review/ https://www.lptps.com/asus-transformer-mini-t102ha-review/#respond Fri, 18 May 2018 11:32:24 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8367 If you’re looking for a 10-inch laptop that is lightweight, portable and comes with great battery life, read this Asus Transformer Mini T102HA review, I think you might have found exactly what you’re looking for! There are a quite a few low-cost 2-in-1 laptops available, and the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is definitely one of […]

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If you’re looking for a 10-inch laptop that is lightweight, portable and comes with great battery life, read this Asus Transformer Mini T102HA review, I think you might have found exactly what you’re looking for!

There are a quite a few low-cost 2-in-1 laptops available, and the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is definitely one of the best. It comes with a good display, long battery life, excellent speakers and a keyboard case that can be detached from the tablet. Read our Asus Transformer Mini T102HA review to understand why we recommend it so often!
Asus Transformer Mini T102HA

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Check price on Amazon

Affordable 2-in-1 Laptop with good build quality, great battery life & speakers

BEST FOR
  • Students
  • Travelers
  • A multimedia device with excellent battery life
PROS
  • Good Display
  • Solid Build Quality
  • Long Battery Life
  • Excellent Speakers
CONS
  • Cramped Keyboard
  • Slow Performance
Display 80%
Performance 70%
Design 85%
Audio 90%
Battery Life 85%
Value 85%
83% Great Budget Mini Laptop
QUICK SPECS
  • 10.1" (1280 x 800)
  • Intel Cherry Trail with 4 GB of RAM
  • 128 GB eMMC
  • Up to 11 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.32" thick / 1.74 lbs
  • Price Range: $$

Detailed Asus Transformer Mini T102HA Review

If you can sacrifice on the performance to gain portability and a long battery life, then the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is a mini notebook that you should definitively consider. It is light, well-built, and it lasts long. The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is an ultra-portable 2-in-1 laptop running Windows 10 that looks good and that delivers on its promises.

It comes with a detachable keyboard that works well. If you are a Microsoft Surface Pro fan, the design of the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA won’t disappoint you a bit. And if you are an Apple MacBook Air fan, then the battery life will impress you the most. But, the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is neither the Microsoft Surface Pro nor the MacBook Air, it is an ultra-portable Windows machine with a price that’s tough to beat!

Keep in mind that this is a budget notebook: you won’t get the quality features of a more pricey laptop, but for the price, it does offer a lot!
Asus Transformer Mini T102HA Back

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Design

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA looks good and resembles the Microsoft Surface due to the tablet + keyboard kickstand that it comes with. It features a 10.1-inch screen protected by the case – available in different colors – that protects the display and that is also used as a keyboard.

Asus is a pioneer in that kind of device and it shows. The tablet is made up of magnesium-aluminum that looks premium and is durable. You can detach the display from the case if you want to use the laptop in tablet mode. Most of the hardware in the display itself, hence the upper side of the laptop feels heavy.

The tablet itself weighs around 1.2 pounds (1.74 when you attach the keyboard case). The portability isn’t an issue as you can easily carry your laptop in your bag and forget it’s there. The tablet case feels sturdy and durable. It’s tough enough to save your laptop from accidental drops.

Performance

As I said, in the beginning, the tablet won’t impress a power junky. This is a low specification tablet and the hardware is only good for light stuff like using MS Word, Excel or watching YouTube and surfing the internet.

Asus chose to go with the Intel Atom X5-Z8350 or formerly known as the Intel Cherry Trail processor. This CPU consumes less power but is also less powerful. As a result, the T102HA may struggle with some heavy Windows Apps. But it has 4 GB of RAM, which is a plus. This will allow you to open multiple instances of Chrome and also do multitasking with other Windows apps. You may notice a slight delay while opening certain apps but it’s not a deal breaker.

Don’t expect the laptop to run any 3D games, that’s not what it’s made for. But for casual web browsing and Microsoft office, the tablet won’t disappoint you a bit.

Screen & Graphics

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is equipped with a 10.1-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The touch response is accurate, and no lag was detected. Watching 1080p full HD video is flawless, and you won’t find any jittering.

When we tested it, the colors were vibrant, and the objects moved smoothly without any stutters. The display is adequately bright in indoor conditions but not as impressive under direct sunlight.

The 3D processing on the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is nothing to brag about and the benchmark test shows why. The laptop comes with an integrated graphics chip which is severely underpowered, limiting the graphics-intensive tasks on the laptop to a bare minimum. But anyway, you don’t buy that kind of budget notebook for its graphics processing power!
Asus Transformer Mini T102HA Tablet

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Storage

One area where the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA shines is the internal storage. This small notebook comes with 128 GB that is fast and reliable. The laptop boots in a few seconds and the reading and writing speed is good too.

Ports

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is a small device. As a result, there are not many ports. But Asus managed to squeeze enough for better productivity. The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA has the following ports in it:

  • 1 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x SD Card Reader
  • 1 x Micro HDMI port
  • 1 x 3.55 mm Audio Jack

The full-size USB 3.0 port means that you can transfer the content with blazing fast speed. The Micro SD card slot allows you to expand the memory to store large media files and music.

There is also a fingerprint scanner on the tablet that allows you to unlock the tablet with your fingers and add an extra layer of security.

Battery

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA shines the most in the battery department. The low powered processor & graphics have allowed Asus to pull out an impressive ‘up to’ 12 hours of battery life, which is very good for the category. Expect it to last 8 hours with mixed usage, which means you can get a whole day of work done on a single charge.

Audio

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is small in size, but if you turn up the volume on this device, you will be surprised to see how loud the built-in front speakers get. The sound was crisp & clear, making the listening experience pleasantly good. The bass may be something you need to compromise with, but otherwise the overall sound quality is exceptional for the price. Make sure that you keep the tablet on a flat surface using the kickstand while listening to music because holding the tablet in hand will block the speaker grill completely.
Asus Transformer Mini T102HA Keyboard

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Keyboard, Pen & TrackPad

The keyboard is small due to the small size of the laptop, but still, you do get used to typing on it. The quality of the key is acceptable, but you can feel the plastic quality of the keys while typing.

If you have large hands, you may feel a bit cramped, but thanks to my smallish hands, typing on the keyboard was manageable and, I must say, pretty good for a laptop of that size. At times, you end up pressing the wrong key, but that is something you need to get used to. There is also a kickstand on the tablet that you can pull out the back to hold it on a table.

The trackpad on the keyboard case is accurate and supports a few gestures like scroll up-down and forward / backward. If you want to click using the trackpad, that will take some effort as the trackpad flexes easily.

The Asus Transformer Mini also comes with a useful pen for drawing or taking notes. While it’s not as good as the higher-end 2-in-1 notebooks that come with one, it’s still a welcomed, useful feature.

Software

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home.

There are not many pre-installed apps on the laptop making it one of the least bloatware affected laptop.

Final Words

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA is a good tablet for most of the users who want a full Windows 10 laptop that can do basic things including MS Office, writing emails, web browsing and stream content without any problem. All that, while providing a solid & portable notebook with an impressive battery life.

The Asus Transformer Mini T102HA gets the display, battery, speaker and the software boxes checked right. The only thing that may turn some users off is the low-performance processor and the keyboard that is pretty cramped for large size hands.

Other available versions

Asus Transformer Mini T102HA White & Orange 10.1" HD, Intel Cherry Trail with 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB eMMC

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Asus Vivobook S510 Review – Great Value Slim & Light 15-inch https://www.lptps.com/asus-vivobook-s510-review/ https://www.lptps.com/asus-vivobook-s510-review/#respond Mon, 14 May 2018 12:36:14 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8348 The 15-inch laptop market is growing like never before, and the laptops manufacturers offer great value laptops in this segment. The only problem with most of the laptops is that they are bulky to carry around. The ultrabooks, on the other hand, are lightweight and powerful but often costs around $1000. As you’ll see in […]

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The 15-inch laptop market is growing like never before, and the laptops manufacturers offer great value laptops in this segment. The only problem with most of the laptops is that they are bulky to carry around. The ultrabooks, on the other hand, are lightweight and powerful but often costs around $1000. As you’ll see in this Asus Vivobook S510 Review, it’s not the case with this one: the Asus S510 is a slim & light notebook that delivers a lot of value.

The Asus VivoBook S510 is a 15-inch ultrabook that comes packed with an Intel Core i5 – i3 & i7 are also available -, good storage and most importantly, it doesn’t cost a fortune.

All looks good on the paper, but, how well the Asus VivoBook S510 works in real life? We find out in this Asus VivoBook S510 review.
Asus VivoBook S510

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Affordable Ultrabook with Premium Design, Great Display and Good Audio

BEST FOR
  • Students
  • Executives
  • Casual Users
PROS
  • Excellent Display
  • Great Lightweight Design
  • Great Audio
  • Good Keyboard
CONS
  • Average Battery Life
  • Bad quality Web Cam
Display 85%
Performance 80%
Design 80%
Audio 90%
Battery Life 70%
Value 83%
81% For the Quality & Value
QUICK SPECS
  • 15.6" HD (1920 x 1080) with Intel HD 620
  • Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Expect 5 to 6 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.7" thick / 3.7 lbs

Detailed Asus Vivobook S510 Review

The Asus VivoBook S510 belongs to Asus’ mid-range laptop line. It offers ultraportable laptops that looks premium but are still affordable. The Asus VivoBook S510 impresses with its design, the sleek metallic look will fool you into believing that it is all metal shell, but it is not.

Under the hood, it comes powered by an Intel Core processor, depending on the variant you choose. For this review, we have got the Intel Core i5-8250U (1.60 GHz) 8th generation unit that can do everything that you expect from a premium ultrabook – except maybe the great battery life that premium ultrabooks are known for. Asus also offers the Asus VivoBook S510 in Intel Core i3 and Core i7 variants as well. All the variants have different storage, but all the rest is the same.
Asus Vivobook S510 Back

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Design

When I said the Asus VivoBook S510 could trick you into believing that it has an all-metal shell, I meant it. The Asus VivoBook S510 looks stunning with its metallic look, but in reality, only the display portion or the lid has metal finishes to it. Everything else is made of high-quality plastic. But still, it does look good & premium. For a 15-inch ultrabook, the Asus VivoBook S510 is sturdy and will last through the years.

The Asus VivoBook S510 has the traditional ultrabook design with a slim profile and with all the mid-range hardware stuffed in, it weighs 3.7 lbs. Which is pretty good for a laptop of this caliber.

Performance

The Asus VivoBook S510 comes in three variants of CPU. The Asus VivoBook S510 review unit we have is powered by an Intel Core i5. This has a less power-hungry chipset, providing good performance for most users. You’ll also find an i3 & i7 variants.

The Asus VivoBook S510 performs pretty well when put to the test. It can handle everyday tasks without any issues. From MS Office, Internet browsing with multiple Chrome tabs open to some casual games, it will handle all the tasks without any issues.

It will also run 1080p video files without any problem. You can even run the resource hungry software like Photoshop and the Adobe Illustrator and won’t notice any slow down or rendering issues with the laptop. The 8 GB of RAM is more than adequate for most of the tasks. In case you need more RAM, you can add another stick of 8 GB to take the total to 16 GB.

Screen & Graphics

The Asus VivoBook S510 comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD display. The display is non-touch, and it makes sense knowing that the Asus VivoBook S510 isn’t a 2-in-1 notebook. It is an ultrabook, that is light and portable.

The display looks stunning for the price as it comes with Asus’s Splendid Technology. The vividness & color accuracy are good and you will appreciate the quality in indoor situations. However, if you take the Asus VivoBook S510 out, you will be disappointed as the display don’t have enough brightness to beat the sunlight. Nevertheless, the display is excellent on this ultrabook and will make your viewing experience a treat to the eyes.

As for graphic performance, the Asus VivoBook S510 does not come with any dedicated graphics card. However, it has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip. This Intel graphic processor can handle light 3D & casual games with ease. Even games like Final Fantasy 14 runs fine when played in medium settings. You cannot expect it to run AAA titles in high settings, but most of the games should run fine in low settings.
Asus Vivobook S510 Side

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Storage

The Asus VivoBook S510 comes with 256 GB of onboard SSD storage. The SSD is blazing fast and the laptop boots in no time. The shutdown time is also impressive. The 256 GB of internal storage is more than enough for an ultrabook. If you need more storage, use the full-size USB port given in the laptop to connect to an external HDD.

The reading and writing speed is excellent too. The SSD has the reading speed of 5199.MB/s and writing speed of 154 MB/s. The Laptop performs much better than most of its competitors in this price range.

Ports

Asus has put more than enough ports on the S510. Thankfully, it gets a fully functional USB-C 3.1 port as well as 3 other USB ports. Other ports in the Asus VivoBook S510 include:

  • 2 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x 3.5 mm Audio Jack / Microphone jack
  • 1 x Micro SD card reader

Battery

The Asus VivoBook S510 won’t win an award in battery life performance. I can only get 5 to 6 hours of battery life with mixed task, including web browsing and YouTube streaming. An 8 hour of battery life is what I call good. If you work on this laptop all day, you may end up charging the laptop twice.

Audio

The speakers on the Asus VivoBook S510 are pretty loud and the sound is crisp and clear while watching movies.

It comes with front firing Sonic Master speakers. The speakers are as loud as a laptop of this size can get and the bass is adequate for laptop speakers. The Asus S510 definitively get points for the audio quality.
Asus Vivobook S510 Keyboard

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Keyboard & Touchpad & Camera

The Asus VivoBook S510 comes with a full-size keyboard without the number pad. Typing on the Asus VivoBook S510 is quite comfortable even if I’d have preferred a little more key travel. But it does make up for it thanks to the large keys and a good amount of space between them. All-in-all, an enjoyable typing experience, as Asus usually do.

The touchpad is of average size, and it doesn’t have any dedicated button. It is accurate while navigating the pointer. The gesture controls work flawlessly on the touchpad which is a good thing, and the palm rejection works well on the touchpad. Still, I feel it could have been better, more responsive.

It’s of course equipped with a webcam, but it’s a bad one. It’s ok for video-calling, but don’t expect a high-quality image.

Software

The Asus VivoBook S510 comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home 64-bit. What’s disappointing here are the bloatware. The laptop has all the bloatware you can find… You are better off uninstalling them to keep your laptop clean.

Final Words

The Asus VivoBook S510 gets a lot of things right and some bits wrong. It’s a great value, premium-looking, well-built lightweight notebook with a great display, excellent audio, good keyboard and decent performance for the price. However, it compromises on the battery life and the webcam quality.

There are plenty of options for a cheaper price that equal performance as the Asus VivoBook S510. But, those laptops are not ultrabooks, they are heavy and not as portable as the S510. If you don’t care about the cons we have listed and want a premium looking 15-inch ultrabook, then the Asus VivoBook S510 is the right choice to make.

Other available versions

Asus VivoBook S510 15.6" HD, Intel i3 with 6 GB of RAM, 1000 GB HDD
Asus VivoBook S510 15.6" HD, Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB GB SSD + HDD

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Acer Swift 5 Review – Incredibly Thin & Stunning https://www.lptps.com/acer-swift-5-review/ https://www.lptps.com/acer-swift-5-review/#respond Wed, 18 Apr 2018 04:20:04 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8289 If you’re looking for a good-looking, ultra-portable mid-range laptop, the Acer Swift 5 might be exactly what you have been looking for. This 14-inch notebook is a seriously thin & lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry around. This makes it a great choice for those who love traveling since you can carry it anywhere. Not […]

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If you’re looking for a good-looking, ultra-portable mid-range laptop, the Acer Swift 5 might be exactly what you have been looking for.

This 14-inch notebook is a seriously thin & lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry around. This makes it a great choice for those who love traveling since you can carry it anywhere. Not only that, but it has a great, premium look that is seriously attractive.

If I had to purchase a new laptop right now, the Acer Swift 5 would definitely be on my list!
Acer Swift 5

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Incredibly light with Premium Design

PROS
  • Good-looking, sturdy design
  • Ultra-light & Thin
  • Vivid HD screen
CONS
  • Less than average battery life
  • No SD card slot
Display 86%
Performance 81%
Design 90%
Audio 83%
Battery Life 78%
Value 86%
84% Ultra-thin Value
QUICK SPECS
  • 14" HD IPS screen (1920 x 1080)
  • Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Up to 8 hours of battery life
  • 0.59" thick / 2.14 lbs
  • Price range: $$$

Detailed Acer Swift 5 Review

Acer certainly hit a home-run with the design of the Swift 5. It’s solid, light and good looking. The display is great and colorful, if only a little dimmer than I’d prefer (something often happening with Acer).

Also, the overall performance of Acer swift 5 is good, on par with the rest of the market. And the visual definition is great, so you can comfortably work on it for hours.

Let go through some of the features of Acer Swift 5, one the best ultraportable laptops on the market today.
Acer Swift 5

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Design

For a mid-range laptop, the Acer Swift 5 really has a high-class, ultra-thin body that looks premium and competes with more expensive notebooks.

It’s made of a sturdy magnesium-lithium alloy that gives it an elegant appearance but also makes it sturdy. Its slim body might make it feel a little delicate, but it is durable. The hinge opens 180 degrees, so working in any position will never be a problem.

Did I say it was an ultra-portable notebook? At 0.59 inch thick and 2.14 pounds, you’ll hardly find a more portable 14-inch notebook on the market.

Performance

It has about the same specs as all its competitor, an i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM. This is more than enough for most users.

It boots fast, runs smoothly and heavy multi-tasking won’t be a problem. You can have more than 30 tabs open while playing music in the background and have other stuff going on at the same time with no trouble.

There is also a more expensive version that comes with an i7 and 16 GB of RAM if you really need a powerful laptop.
Acer Swift 5

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Screen & Graphics

Acer equipped this notebook with a 14-inch screen (resolution of 1920 x 1800). This laptop size and definition is my favorite. I think it’s the perfect balance between screen space and portability.

There’s very little to complain about this HD screen and watching movie on it will be a pleasure. As with most Acer laptops, the maximum brightness is short of being very bright, but it’s more an inconvenience than a real problem.

Also, it’s equipped with has an IPS display that offers wide viewing angle. Even when you’ll stare at your laptop for hours, this screen will be pleasing to work on. The display is vivid, colorful and clear.

They’ve put a touchscreen on it, which might be useful for some people, but also makes it glossy. Not the best to work under the sun.

Audio

Acer claims that with the Swift 5, you’ll ‘experience optimum sound’. While this might be a marketing trick, it’s not entirely false.

For a notebook that thin, it does deliver good audio, enough to fill a room with clear & quite loud sound. This is greatly helped by the Acer & Dolby Digital software provided. While you won’t get much bass out of them, they’re great for watching a movie and good enough to enjoy your music.

Storage

The Acer Swift 5 has a 256 GB SSD, offering a lot more speed than a regular hard-drive. It boots up your system, load programs and accesses your data ultra fast.

While it’s not that much hard drive space, it’s enough for most users and kind of a standard in that kind of notebook.

Port & Connectivity

Despite the small form-factor, Acer put enough ports on it. This is convenient as you don’t have to purchase adapters for your cell phone, external hard drive or mouse.

  • 2 x USB 3.0 Ports
  • 1 x USB-C
  • 1 x HDMI output

Battery Life

They sacrificed a little on this end, probably to keep the weight down. With up to 8 hours of battery life, the competition has better specs here. On heavy usage, it could go up to 5 to 6 hours, depending on how you use it during the day.

Also, you’ll see a difference between the i5 and i7 processor. Since the i7 requires more power, it’ll of course drain the battery faster.
Acer Swift 5

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Keyboard & Touchpad

The keyboard layout is comfortable and easy to type on with adequate, responsive key travel. It is backlit which makes it easier to type in a dimly lit room.

The touchpad also is also responsive, wide and comfortable to use.

Also, there’s a fingerprint security system. Useful if you often forget your password!

Software

The Acer Swift 5 runs on Windows 10. As it is often the case, it comes with a lot of bloatware, but they’re quite easy to uninstall.

Final verdict

The Acer Swift 5 provides one of the most portable, lightest notebooks you can find, without emptying your bank account. And it still has all the power for everyday tasks and work and the build-quality to last long.

Other available versions

Acer Swift 5 14" HD, Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB SSD
Acer Swift 3 back cover black (2017) 14" HD, Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD
Acer Swift 3 back cover black (2017) 14" HD, Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD

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Lenovo Miix 320 Review – Great small hybrid with good features https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-miix-320-review/ https://www.lptps.com/lenovo-miix-320-review/#respond Thu, 05 Apr 2018 07:31:47 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=8160 Lenovo is among the largest laptop manufacturers in the world and with the launch of the Lenovo Miix 320, the company is claiming to offer a low-cost hybrid 2-in-1 with good value for money. But, how well does the claim stands when the machine is put to the test? In today’s review, we find the […]

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Lenovo is among the largest laptop manufacturers in the world and with the launch of the Lenovo Miix 320, the company is claiming to offer a low-cost hybrid 2-in-1 with good value for money.

But, how well does the claim stands when the machine is put to the test? In today’s review, we find the good, bad and if the Lenovo Miix 320 is worth your money.
Lenovo Miix 320 Laptop Mode

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Affordable 10" Hybrid with Good Design, Display & Audio

BEST FOR
  • Students
  • Casual users
  • Light multitasking & video streaming
PROS
  • Good battery life
  • Good Audio
  • Full HD Screen
CONS
  • Cramped Keyboard
  • Lots of Bloatware
  • Gets Warm and Uncomfortable
Display 80%
Performance 70%
Design 75%
Audio 90%
Battery Life 90%
Value 80%
81% Great Budget Detachable
QUICK SPECS
  • 10.1" HD (1900 x 1200)
  • Intel Atom with 4 GB of RAM
  • 64 GB eMMC
  • Up to 10 hours of battery life
  • 0.7" thick / 2.2 lbs
  • Price range: $$

Detailed Lenovo Miix 320 Review

The Lenovo Miix 320 is a good value for money budget 2-in-1 laptop that offers excellent battery life and solid audio for the price. It’s equipped with full HD 10.1-inch touchscreen display that offers good visibility and decent color reproduction.

The design of the laptop is derived from a more premium Ultrabook series like the Apple’s MacBook Pro, but the cost-cutting is visible as soon as you get hold of the laptop and feel the plastic build of the device.

The keyboard of the device doesn’t offer great comfort for a seasoned writer with typing skills. However, for a casual user and as a laptop for school, the keyboard wouldn’t be a big problem.
Lenovo Miix 320

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Design

As I said earlier, the Lenovo Miix 320 looks like a premium ultrabook which is pleasing to the eyes. However, the build of the machine is half plastic and half metal.

Since this is a 2-in-1 device, the Full HD 10-inch display can be detached to be used as a tablet. One drawback of the design is that when we tried to detach the display from the keyboard, it needed more than the required force which is a bit of a bummer.

The Lenovo Miix 320 weighs around 2.20 lbs including the keyboard which isn’t very light for an Ultrabook that only offers 64 Gigabytes of eMMc storage and integrated graphics but for the day to day use the user won’t find it bulky or uncomfortable to carry around. Since most of the hardware is stuffed within the display, the upper side feels a bit heavier than usual.

Performance

Lenovo Miix 320 comes equipped with an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 1.44 GHz coupled with 4 GB of RAM. The hardware combo offers a moderate amount of multitasking power and wouldn’t lag even if you run multiple instances of chrome simultaneously.

However, we noticed a slight lag while streaming YouTube videos at 1080p along with multiple instances of Chrome running simultaneously. The processor is also capable of running Blu-ray movies with MKV format fine and you can also run Microsoft Office without any lag.

Screen & Graphics

The Lenovo Miix 320 comes packed with a 10.1-inch touchscreen IPS display with full HD resolution. The screen does a good job of displaying colors with a good black output.

Since the screen is an IPS display panel, you can expect good viewing angles. The display is also brighter than most of its competitor in this segment. However, in the bright sunlight, the display gives up on the user due to poor visibility.

Talking about the graphics performance of the Lenovo Miix 320, it has an integrated Intel HD graphics 400. The graphics card can play games like Minecraft with 20FPs and other low-end games in medium settings. Don’t expect it to run latest AAA titles since it isn’t a gaming laptop.
Lenovo Miix 320 detached

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Storage

One of the plus points of Lenovo Miix 320 is its storage. Even though it only offers 64GB of eMMC inbuilt storage, the reading and writing speed is blazing fast on this device. The laptop boots instantly and the applications open faster than you would expect from a laptop with Intel Atom processor.

The 64GB eMMC storage drive can copy a 5 GB file in 1 minute 30 seconds. You can also connect external SSD or HDD for storing your large media files.

Ports

The Lenovo Miix 320 offers a good amount of connectivity features including USB C Port and a Micro HDMI ports. You get:

  • 2 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x USB C
  • 1 x SD Card Reader
  • 1 x Micro HDMI port
  • 1 x 3.55 mm Audio Jack

One you point you may want to note is that the USB C port running USB 3.0 is only a read-only port. Which means you cannot charge your Laptop using the USB C port nor can connect any display device.

Battery

One of the strongest points of Lenovo Miix 320 is its battery. The battery can last up to 10 hours with moderate usage, and you make through the day without having to take the charger out of your backpack.

Audio

After battery, what impressed us the most is the audio. It comes with stereo speakers that are loud enough to fill a mid-size room and clear enough to hear the audio without any distortion. The speakers are placed on the front of the display which helps in getting louder sound than speakers placed at the bottom of the keyboard.
Lenovo Miix 320 Keyboard

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Keyboard & Mouse

The Lenovo Miix 320 comes with a metallic keyboard, and the keyboard itself isn’t very great for writers who write multiple pages a day. However, for casual word processing, it will work fine. The arrow keys need to get used to so are the function keys. The keyboard offers 1.2mm of key travel which is a bit shallow in comparison to an ideal keypad which should offer key travel between 1.5mm to 2.0mm.

The keyboard also does not have backlit feature, which you don’t expect from a laptop in this budget anyways.

The trackpad, on the other hand, offers precise input and makes it easier to navigate on the screen. The two-finger scrolling and three-finger gesture swipe also work flawlessly.

Software

The Lenovo Miix 320 comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home which is more than enough for a casual and day to day use. However, Lenovo has also included set of its own software, and third-party apps which you need to uninstall as most of them are only eating up the storage space.

Final Words

The Lenovo Miix 320 is a 2-in-1 laptop that offers one of the best value for money you can get today. You get a good display, solid sound quality and an impressive 10 hours battery life. It also gets some bits wrong, including the cramped keyboard, the heating issue, a bit of bulky screen, and lots of unwanted bloatware.

If you are in the market for a well-built hybrid laptop that offers good value for money then the Lenovo Miix 320 can be a good choice.

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Asus UX330UA Review – Lightweight Value https://www.lptps.com/asus-ux330ua-review/ https://www.lptps.com/asus-ux330ua-review/#respond Thu, 07 Dec 2017 05:00:27 +0000 http://www.lptps.com/?p=7082 I’ve been postponing this Asus UX330UA review for a while now and it’s long overdue because I recommend this laptop so often. My current laptop still works perfectly, otherwise I would already have purchased this one! Why? In one sentence: it’s currently one of the best mid-range laptops you can get. Both for Quality & […]

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I’ve been postponing this Asus UX330UA review for a while now and it’s long overdue because I recommend this laptop so often. My current laptop still works perfectly, otherwise I would already have purchased this one!

Why? In one sentence: it’s currently one of the best mid-range laptops you can get. Both for Quality & Value.
Asus Zenbook ux330ua

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For the Quality, Value & Performance

PROS
  • Offers one of the best value on the market
  • Great Screen
  • Good-looking, quality & solid design
CONS
  • Stiff touchpad
Display 90%
Performance 80%
Design 90%
Sound 85%
Battery Life 80%
Value 95%
87% Great Value Laptop
QUICK SPECS
  • 13-inch QHD (3200 x 1800)
  • Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
  • Up to 12 hours
  • Windows 10
  • 0.53" thick / 2.65 lbs
  • Price Range: $$$

Detailed Asus UX330UA Review

The Asus UX330UA is the improved version of the Zenbook UX305UA, a laptop that I liked very much. It’s once again a mid-range laptop that is lighter and thinner.

It competes with mid-range & premium notebooks and is in direct competition with laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Envy 13. It’s giving the competition a hard time because it has very few flaws and Asus managed to cut down on the price without sacrificing much.
Asus ux330ua front view

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Design

One thing you can say about the Zenbook line is that Asus managed to create a beautiful & quality line of product and the Asus Zenbook UX330UA is no different.

First thing you’ll notice when you hold it in your hands is that it has a solid, elegant body. The – mostly – all-aluminium body feels sturdy and you can tell the build quality is good.

The all-aluminium lid is simply gorgeous and really makes it look like a premium laptop. It’s definitely an ultra-thin & ultra-light laptop at 0.53″ thick and only 2.65 pounds. That great’s portability!

You’ll also appreciate the fact that it’s mostly silent, unless you ask a lot from it. Also it doesn’t overheat which is nice if you often work with your laptop on your lap.

Performance

The Asus UX330UA has the same configuration that most of the competition for a reason, it’s the best performance / value ratio for most users.

With its i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM – combined with the SSD hard drive – you can’t really ask for more (and probably don’t need more).

Also, Asus has put the new generation Intel i5 processor in it. You’ll find that CPU in much more expensive laptop and the UX330UA is one of the cheapest to have it.

All that ensures great performance and you shouldn’t worry about this aspect, it will perform well in about any conditions (except if you’re gaming).

Screen & Graphics

Asus made sure to make this a selling point. After all, the display is really important on a laptop.

(The Asus UX330UA comes with two different displays, HD & QHD, both are as good, but of course the QHD has a better resolution)

This Zenbook is equipped with a 13-inch display that is vibrant, crisp, colorful, and is simply great for that price range. The brightness and color contrast are high and if you’re a graphist, you’ll appreciate the quality of the display, even for a mid-range laptop. The display is so good it could belong on a much more expensive laptop.

As someone who works often in bright rooms, I like the fact that they’ve put an anti-glare coating. No more huge shiny spot on the screen.

As for the graphic processor, an Intel HD 520, don’t expect to be able to play recent games at high-resolution, it’s simply not made for that. But it’s also the case for most of the competition, so it doesn’t lose points here.
Asus ux330ua half folded

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Storage

The fast SSD hard drive is now mandatory in any laptop in that price range and the Asus UX330UA is of course equipped with one. That ensures that Windows and applications load quickly. If you never had an SSD before, you’ll be surprised how fast they are!

If I wanted to go technical, I could say that its SSD is in fact slower than some of the competition since they use a different technology. It’s true, but that won’t make a difference for the great majority of users. So let’s just say the SSD drive is fast!

Ports & Connectivity

The Asus UX330UA is well-equipped in terms of ports. You get pretty much everything you need.

  • 2 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB-C
  • 1 x micro-HDMI
  • 1 x micro-SDXC card reader
  • 1 x audio jack
  • 1 x webcam

Battery Life

Asus pretend that the Asus Zenbook UX330UA will last up to 12 hours, but they’re overstretching it a little (as most laptop manufacturers do). Expect between 6 and 10 hours of battery life, depending on what you do with your laptop.

That’s actually pretty good, but just a tad under the competition. Not a big deal, but hey, some of them do have a longer battery life.

Audio

For a laptop that thin, the Asus UX330UA has a very good, strong audio. It’s Harmon Kardon speakers will easily fill a large room with crips, loud & clear audio. It’s still a laptop, but these are fine speakers for a notebook.

And the included audio software simply increases the audio output and make it sound even better.
Asus ux330ua keyboard

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Keyboard & Mouse

I almost always like Asus’ keyboards and I feel the same with the UX330UA. It’s a responsive keyboard where I feel comfortable typing for hours (as I often do).

Contrarily on its predecessor, they’ve added a backlit keyboard this time. The 3-levels of back-lighting will allow you to work in complete darkness without the light being annoying. It’s a nice feature to have.

It does lose some points on the touchpad thought. It’s probably the weakest feature on the Asus UX330UA since it’s a little stiff and could be more responsive. But it’s not a deal-breaker… nothing is perfect in this world!

Software

The Asus UX330UA comes with Windows 10 and has almost no bloatware (some manufacturers really like those bloatware…)

I find it interesting that in Asus’ software package, they’ve included one for blue light reduction. Something I’ve been using more and more when working late.

Final word… Asus UX330UA Review

As you could see in this Asus UX330UA review, I really like this 13-inch notebook. It’s lightweight, it looks good and delivers a lot of value. Really a good product from Asus.

Other available versions

Asus Zenbook ux330ua 13.3" HD, Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD

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