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MagyarCore i5-1235U performance debut: Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 laptop review
Walmart has fully refreshed its 14.1-inch subnotebook this year with both a brand new chassis design and the latest Intel 12th gen Alder Lake-U platform. Not only is it one of the first models to ship with the Core i5-1235U, but it is also one of the most affordable at only $550 USD retail. Our unit in review includes a 1080p IPS touchscreen, 8 GB of RAM, and 512 GB SATA III SSD.
Competitors to the Gateway Ultra Slim include other budget 14-inch subnotebooks like the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14, Acer Swift 3 SF314, Honor MagicBook, or the Infinix INBook X2.
More Gateway reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 % | 07/2022 | Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.6 kg | 20.3 mm | 14.10" | 1920x1080 | |
| 79.2 % | 09/2021 | Gateway GWTN141-10GR i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.6 kg | 19.1 mm | 14.10" | 1920x1080 | |
| 79.2 % | 06/2022 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE Celeron 6305, UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs | 1.4 kg | 19.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86 % | 03/2022 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP R5 5500U, Vega 7 | 1.3 kg | 16.5 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86.4 % | 01/2022 | Honor MagicBook View 14 i7-11390H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.5 kg | 14.5 mm | 14.20" | 2520x1680 | |
| 79.5 % | 01/2022 | Infinix INBook X2 i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.2 kg | 14.8 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case
The 2022 design is actually larger and thicker than the 2021 model. The bigger size is due to the new glass overlay on the screen and the thicker chin bezel of the display.
Chassis quality is stronger than before likely because of the size changes. The display, for example, is stiffer this time around due to the stronger edge-to-edge glass reinforcement. The base still exhibits some flexing or creaking when twisting its sides or when applying pressure on the keyboard center. It's nothing out of the ordinary for an ultra-budget model.
Connectivity
Port options are surprisingly good for an inexpensive 14-inch laptop. The USB-C port supports both DisplayPort and Power Delivery for excellent docking capabilities. There is no Thunderbolt support likely to keep costs as low as possible.
Keep in mind that the ports along the left edge are packed very tightly. If you have a thick USB-C drive or cable, for example, then expect it to block the adjacent HDMI and/or AC adapter ports.
SD Card Reader
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Infinix INBook X2 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR (AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Infinix INBook X2 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR (AV Pro V60) | |
Communication
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
Webcam
The 2 MP webcam offers sharper picture quality than on most other laptops even including some expensive models like the Zenbook Flip 15 where 1 MP is still common. Unfortunately, colors continue to be very inaccurate.
A physical slider provides webcam privacy while Windows Hello is not supported.
Maintenance
Bottom panel is secured by 11 Philips screws for relatively easy removal. Surprisingly, the system supports up to two M.2 drives compared to just one on most other 14-inch models. Both RAM and WLAN are soldered, however.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the retail box beyond the paperwork and AC adapter. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices
Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the weaker aspects of the Gateway. The plastic keys feel cheap, the letters are printed instead of cut, and there is no backlight option. The Enter key feels shallow and with weak feedback which negatively impacts the typing experience.
Touchpad
The clickpad is slightly smaller than the clickpad on the Infinix Inbook X2 (12.3 x 6.5 cm vs. 12.5 x 7 cm). Horizontal movements feel spacious while vertical movements can feel too tight as a result. Its integrated mouse keys are shallow and with a loud click when pressed, but feedback could have been stronger.
Display
The Gateway uses the BOE CQ NV140FHM-N48 panel that's common on many inexpensive 14-inch laptops including the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 or IdeaPad S540. You can tell that this is a budget display due to its very limited color range of just 62 percent of sRGB whereas most midrange or higher-end laptops normally offer >95 percent coverage. Contrast is pretty good at about 1000:1, but the low maximum brightness and noticeable glare hinder overall picture quality. The display is nonetheless decent given the introductory price. We can at least appreciate that it is an IPS panel and not a TN panel.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 213.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 1019:1 (Black: 0.21 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.97 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 2
ΔE Greyscale 6.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
42.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.16
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 BOE CQ NV140FHM-N48, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.10 | Gateway GWTN141-10GR Panda 1402L01, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.10 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE AU Optronics B140HAN04.E, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP Chi Mei N140HCA EAC CMN, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Honor MagicBook View 14 CSO MNE208UA1-1 (CSO140B), LTPS, 2520x1680, 14.20 | Infinix INBook X2 140PM42D1568, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 0% | -12% | 5% | 62% | 48% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 41.4 | 41.3 0% | 36.6 -12% | 43 4% | 67.5 63% | 62.7 51% |
| sRGB Coverage | 61.8 | 61.7 0% | 54.7 -11% | 65 5% | 98.6 60% | 89.2 44% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 42.8 | 42.7 0% | 37.8 -12% | 45 5% | 64.1 50% | |
| Response Times | -5% | -4% | 9% | 23% | -56% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 36.4 ? | 36.4 ? -0% | 44 ? -21% | 37 ? -2% | 33.2 ? 9% | 65.2 ? -79% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32.4 ? | 35.2 ? -9% | 28 ? 14% | 26 ? 20% | 20.8 ? 36% | 43.2 ? -33% |
| PWM Frequency | 2016 ? | 25000 ? | 10000 ? | |||
| Screen | 13% | 4% | 10% | 59% | 17% | |
| Brightness middle | 213.9 | 195.6 -9% | 368 72% | 259 21% | 418 95% | 368 72% |
| Brightness | 208 | 183 -12% | 332 60% | 229 10% | 408 96% | 331 59% |
| Brightness Distribution | 82 | 83 1% | 83 1% | 78 -5% | 91 11% | 82 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.21 | 0.2 5% | 0.47 -124% | 0.24 -14% | 0.24 -14% | 0.39 -86% |
| Contrast | 1019 | 978 -4% | 783 -23% | 1079 6% | 1742 71% | 944 -7% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.97 | 3.78 46% | 6.14 12% | 3.63 48% | 1.28 82% | 4.9 30% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 18.69 | 16.69 11% | 17.76 5% | 6.53 65% | 3.48 81% | 8.22 56% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2 | 1.95 2% | 3.83 -92% | 1.01 49% | 1.59 20% | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.2 | 1.2 81% | 4.44 28% | 2.89 53% | 2.7 56% | 5.8 6% |
| Gamma | 2.16 102% | 2.25 98% | 2.73 81% | 2.31 95% | 2.19 100% | 2.13 103% |
| CCT | 8084 80% | 6541 99% | 5979 109% | 6759 96% | 7043 92% | 7163 91% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 3% /
8% | -4% /
-1% | 8% /
9% | 48% /
53% | 3% /
13% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is not well calibrated out of the box as to be expected from such an inexpensive model. Color temperature, for example, is much too cool at 8084. Average color and grayscale DeltaE values would improve significantly from 6.97 and 6.2 to just 2.0 and 1.7, respectively, after calibrating the display ourselves. However, most colors at higher saturation levels remain very inaccurate due to the narrow gamut mentioned above.
We recommend owners apply our calibrated ICM profile above to get the most out of the display.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 12 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.8 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 36.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 20.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (34.3 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18694 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is poor as the display is not bright enough to minimize glare from the glossy overlay. Alternatives like the Infinix INBook X2 have brighter displays for easier readability.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows for the best possible benchmark scores. There are no pre-installed Gateway software or proprietary "control center" for users to worry about here.
Processor
The 12th gen Core i5-1235U directly replaced the 11th gen Core i5-1135G7. While multi-thread performance is 25 to 30 percent faster than the Core i5-1135G7 in last year's Gateway, the CPU in the 2021 model was actually underperforming. Overall performance is similar to most other laptops running on the Core i5-1135G7 for only marginal performance benefits at best.
More benchmark comparisons can be seen on our analysis page here.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U (1444 - 1698, n=7) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14X UX5400E | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1135G7 (1062 - 1373, n=53) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400 7415 2-in-1 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14 2021 AMD | |
| Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
System Performance
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (4220 - 5839, n=7) | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (983 - 1644, n=7) | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1026 - 1676, n=7) | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (1032 - 1618, n=7) | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Average Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (746 - 1867, n=7) | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 4707 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals extreme DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is nearly perfect with just 3 dropped frames during our minute-long test video.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our model ships with the same W800S M.2 2280 SATA III SSD as found on last year's Gateway model. Transfer rates may be much slower than NVMe, but the target audience of home users running light to medium workloads will likely not notice.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Honor MagicBook View 14 | |
| Infinix INBook X2 | |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ITL6 82H700CCGE | |
| Gateway GWTN141-10GR | |
| Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 | |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is approximately 5 to 10 percent slower than the average laptop in our database equipped with the same integrated Iris Xe 80 EUs GPU. In fact, it has not changed from last year's Gateway GWTN141 despite the newer generation CPU. Though RAM is running in dual-channel mode, the limited 8 GB capacity is likely holding back the GPU from performing faster. Most games are nonetheless still playable albeit at very low graphics settings only.
Some tested games, such as Strange Brigade, would fail to launch.
