Aorus Elite 16 review: Is a premium RTX 5070 gaming laptop worth it?

In terms of quality, the Aorus Elite 16 certainly cuts a good figure. Although the case isn't completely metal, the 16-inch laptop still feels premium, especially since the input devices are mostly convincing. There is particularly high praise for the modern connectivity, including Thunderbolt 5, which is not a given in the gaming or notebook segment (not to mention the high-speed card reader). The manufacturer has also considered options for maintenance and upgrades. For example, the Elite 16 provides two RAM and SSD slots, all of which are occupied in the tested configuration.

The IPS display (165 Hz, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels) is not bad either, although professional users would probably prefer better color space coverage. On the performance side, the processor is particularly impressive: Intel's Core Ultra 9 275HX delivers a very good performance as usual - if you exclude the power requirements. The RTX 5070 laptop, despite its meager VRAM (8 GB is not a revelation in 2025), is still faster than other notebooks based on the same GPU. As expected, users have to tolerate a loud noise level under load—particularly when using the higher performance profiles. The Elite 16 stands out from the competition with its above-average speaker sound. The battery life should also meet the needs of most buyers. Overall, we would still recommend a more affordable RTX 5070 laptop to budget-conscious users.

The tested Aorus Elite 16 AE6H with Core Ultra 9 275HX and GeForce RTX 5070 is available from around €2,300 (~US$2680) from various online stores (e.g. playox.de).

The Elite 16's competitors include other mid-range gamers with Blackwell GPUs (RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti) like the Lenovo Legion 5 15, the MSI Crosshair A17 HX, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 and the MSI Vector 16. The old Aorus 16X with RTX 4070 also appears in the tables as a comparison device.

With its metal lid and plastic base unit, the Elite 16 is similar to many other gaming notebooks. The surfaces prove to be mostly stable, and only with stronger pressure do some areas give way a little. Meanwhile, lighting enthusiasts can look forward to not only an RGB keyboard but also a light strip at the rear (see photos). With a weight of 2.4 kg, the 16-incher is in the midfield, with the competition weighing between 1.9 and 2.9 kg. The height is similar: Just under 2.6 cm (without feet) is neither thick nor particularly thin. Gigabyte could imrove the lid opening angle, as a maximum of 130° is somewhat limited.

The Elite 16 offers two USB-A and two USB-C ports, the latter of which support Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 (each including DisplayPort and PowerDelivery). There is also an HDMI 2.1 output, an audio jack, a Gigabit LAN port, and a pleasingly fast MicroSD card reader. The speed of the wireless module (Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200) also has nothing to hide behind the competition when it comes to reception. The manufacturer has installed a solid Full HD model as a webcam, although it has to make do without a privacy shutter. The base plate can be removed after loosening 12 Torx screws.

Gigabyte has eliminated a numeric keypad, which benefits the size of the keys. Even the directional arrows, which are very small on many notebooks, are of a decent size. As long as you don't expect the level of a mechanical model, the typing feel also leaves little cause for complaint. The touchpad also gets a good rating; precision, gesture support, and gliding properties are inconspicuous. A surface area of 13.4 x 9 cm is more than adequate for a 16-inch device.

While some competitors rely on OLED, Gigabyte relies on a classic IPS panel for the test device, which does not allow any glaring flaws. Although the color space could be even wider, gamers will be happy with 100% sRGB. The response time and viewing angles are also typical of a good IPS model. Brightness (433 cd/m² on average), black level (0.42 cd/m²), and contrast (1,055:1) are very similar to the MSI Vector 16, which also boasts 2,560 x 1,600 pixels resolution. Fortunately, we did not notice any image flickering or noticeable screen bleeding.

In terms of drivers, the Elite 16 doesn't seem to be fully mature yet, as we often had to deal with black screens during the test (especially when closing programs) - even with the latest Nvidia driver. The problems are probably due to the graphics switching; we were spared black screens when connecting an external monitor (dGPU permanently active).

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is currently one of the most powerful notebook processors on the market. A total of 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores (24 threads) ensure very good performance. The CPU does not disappoint in the Elite 16 either and also delivers fairly consistent results - keyword Cinebench loop. The competing Ryzen 9 8940HX is only narrowly beaten.

The Elite 16 is also quite far ahead in terms of system performance, although its predecessor is on par.