Reviews

Not without flaws. The VivoBook Flip 14 comes with a bright, contrasty IPS display, a fast SSD and a backlit keyboard. The device also offers support for the separately available input devices from Asus. However, with a price tag of some 900 Euros (~$1073), the device does not represent a bargain buy.

From the crowd to the people. It has been about a year since the Eve V project made waves on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. The financial goal was achieved within a record time and finally even exceeded by more than 1800%. Now the time has come for the devices to be ready for shipment to the supporters and to be available for interested buyers. We have already tested the device and are comparing all three CPU models available for the Eve V.

Who invented it? To recognize similarities to the Apple design language in other manufacturers has become a tradition nowadays. The inhibition threshold for this is particularly low in the Chinese brands. With the Mi Notebook Pro, Xiaomi follows Apple's MacBook Pro, at least in terms of the looks. At a price below 1000 Euros (~$1177), the device offers an attractive package with a quad-core CPU, dedicated graphics card, and pleasing aluminum case. But what is behind the exterior?

Four cores for the office. For the first time, Dell is equipping its line of compact office laptops with the brand new ULV-Hyperthreading Quad-core i5-8250U. What performance benefits will a four-core setup offer, and how well does the device do in terms of its thermals, noise emissions and power usage? The case and the input devices are convincing, but there could be up to two things that may make potential buyers think again.

Next try. Even though the basic technology has been around for a while, Virtual Reality has not achieved a sweeping success yet. With Windows Mixed Reality, Microsoft makes a new attempt, competing against the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. We are testing the VR system with the Medion Erazer X1000.

Quiet refresh. HP's large Spectre 2-in-1, the Spectre x360 15t, now comes with eighth-generation quad-core i7 processor, refreshed Nvidia graphics and a faster SSD. The striking aluminum chassis remains unchanged. How the updated hardware components affect the performance, temperature, fan noise and the battery life is the the subject of our review update.

1/6th the price, 1/6th the performance. Bluboo is capitalizing on the Galaxy S8 craze with its own copycat version for $150 USD. The Bluboo S8 would have been quite impressive if it weren't for some deep faults.

Small. Fancy. Cheap. Huawei's Y6 Pro (2017) is the manufacturer's latest Y-series model. We liked the entry-level smartphone's fancy metal case, its very decent hardware, and its compact size. Unfortunately, we also found one particular issue with lots and lots of room for improvement.

Top outside, top inside, but ... The new Dell aims to succeed with powerful and high-quality components. Will the all-rounder also convince us in the test and earn a purchase recommendation?

Revenge is sweet. The name says it all for the latest installment of the Need for Speed series. For a racing game, Payback turns out to be surprisingly story-focused. Our benchmark test will show if the technical aspects are convincing as well.

Priced to perform. The MSI GF62VR packs a punch for not a lot of change. However, users will have to deal with a fairly low quality screen and a cheaper plastic build quality. Are these tradeoffs worth the savings?

Fast, but hot and hungry. Schenker is using a new case for its Core 15 laptop and they have been keeping quiet about where they got it from. We will review whether the change was worth it and how well this 15-inch piece compares to similarly equipped gaming laptops.

Zero compromises… Today we evaluate the Tornado F5W, a high-end workstation from Eurocom. Considering that it’s decked out with an Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5 desktop CPU and NVIDIA Quadro P5000 GPU along with an NVMe SSD and 64 GB of RAM, are there any weaknesses to speak of? If so, we’ll find them.

High-grade budget smartphone. On paper, the Doogee BL5000 has everything that an entry-level smartphone could ever dream of: a big battery, a high-resolution camera, lots of storage and a reasonably fast processor all at the entry-level price-point of 130 Euros (~$151). But can it also live up to high expectations?

The convertible in the 17-inch format. Yes, you read right. A convertible in the 17-inch format is an unusual combination. However, anyone who does not want to go without the advantages of a convertible even when working stationary will really like the device. You can find out in this test whether the new update with a faster CPU and GPU can convince us. Unfortunately our complaints are all too familiar.

Plenty of ports. The LifeBook E756 is a notebook for business users. In our review, the 15-inch notebook shines with its great maintenance features; however, in other places it has some minor difficulties. What kind of overall impression the device has left on us and how it performs when compared to the competition, you can find out in our review.

Lukewarm Reception. With the previous installments in the series having drifted further and further into the realm of futuristic combat, Call of Duty is returning to its roots with its latest game, WWII. While the gameplay has changed little since the early days, the technology present has made improvements in leaps and bounds. We will test which hardware configurations are needed for the first person shooter game.

The Chromebook poster child. The most expensive Chromebook available is unsurprisingly fast and very versatile. Just be prepared to bring all your USB Type-C adapters along for the trip.

The consumer workstation. The new ZBook 14u encompasses exactly 14 inches and is for those who seek a reliable companion above all else. We are quite fond of the overall package, but the hardware choices leave a lot to be desired.

With AMD's Ryzen 3, the Zen architecture has trickled down into the entry-level market. Lacking SMT, the affordable CPUs did fairly well in our tests regardless, and are most certainly a viable alternative and worthy of a recommendation for entry-level systems.

CPU eater. While frame rates in games usually scale with the performance of the graphics card, Assassin’s Creed Origins also requires a fair bit of CPU power. We examine whether the hardware requirements of Assassin's Creed Origins are justified.

Enhanced Reality. Asus's ZenFone AR combines Augmented Reality with Virtual Reality: it is, after all, the first smartphone ever certified for Google Tango as well as Daydream. The most interesting question is whether or not its AR- and VR-features justify its high price of approximately $770.

More GPU or more CPU performance? Dell offers the popular XPS 13 with faster Intel Iris graphics, but can the cooling solution handle the additional performance, and is it a good upgrade? Or should you get the one of the new Kaby Lake-R chips instead?

Simple office computer. Acer's 15.6-inch laptop offers an AMD APU from the Stoney Ridge generation, a quick SSD, and an additional 2.5-inch hard drive. The battery life leaves something to be desired.

Gray mouse with legacy features. In Lenovo's wide lineup of 14-inch ThinkPads, the L470 finds its place in the lower midfield: below the T series, but above the E series. Why the low-priced business notebook is highly recommended and which advantages it has over the other models, you can find out in our extensive review.

Cheap and compact. The Kiicaa Mix retails for less than $150 USD but fails to carry the necessary 4G LTE bands for most users in the United States.

Bridge the Gap. With the GTX 1070 Ti, Nvidia brings out a lower-priced alternative to the GTX 1080 and, in the process, forgoes the more expensive GDDR5X video memory. In the review, the Founders Edition card shall show how well it stacks up against the in-house competition.

Sleek, slim, speedy. In addition to a powerful CPU and a potent GPU the thin Aero 15X is also equipped with a matte IPS panel, an NVMe-SSD, and Thunderbolt 3. Even battery life is pretty decent.

Daring to be imperfect. What, a TN panel in an $1800 gaming notebook? Yes, MSI has done it again and prioritized 120-Hz and quick response times. If you can work with this, you will probably be happy to overlook the few problems this otherwise well-made notebook has. Only one of MSI's decisions is rather questionable.

Compact office laptop. HP launches a 14-incher with a potent processor, a fast SSD, and a matte IPS display. Despite its ~$820 price tag, it isn't devoid of weaknesses.

Watchband-hinged 2-in-1. Lenovo's flagship consumer convertible with 13.9-inch screen now comes with Kaby Lake R hardware and a few other noteworthy updates. Our review takes a look how the Yoga 920 compares to other 2-in-1s as far as performance, battery life, and fan noise are concerned.

Dim screen. Acer stuffs lots of computing power into the compact Swift 3 and even manages to deliver long battery life. The dim, glossy screen is its weak spot.

Legendary or trashy? Like its predecessor the new Wolfenstein II combines humorous elements with a rather grave and serious suppressive regime rebel story. The underlying framework has been completely renovated though, and it is now based on the id Tech 6 engine. Our benchmark test will reveal which (mobile) GPU is going to be capable of running the first person shooter smoothly.

Another year, another refresh. The new Asus GL503VD represents a slight aesthetic redesign of Asus' highly-revered ROG line. Some will appreciate the simpler, less "gamery" redesign, but not much else has changed. The GTX 1050 still makes for a decent (if noisy) entry-level gaming experience.

Fit primarily for work! The new Aspire 5 is based on Intel's 8th-gen Core series. On top of that, the 17-incher offers a dedicated graphics card. Unfortunately, it will only manage to impress casual gamers. In this review, you will learn how well the new CPU generation stacks up against the old guard.

Attractive and slow. Chuwi's MacBook Air clone certainly looks nice and could easily pass as an Ultrabook twice the price. Dig a little deeper, however, and the small flaws quickly begin to crack.

Room for improvement! The Asus VivoBook X751BP is an affordable entry-level office notebook with subpar performance. Our review will reveal whether or not it might be worth the purchase.

Razor's edge. The latest Blade Pro drops a lot of what made last year's Blade Pro so unique. Perhaps surprisingly, the changes and downgrades have made for an even better and more balanced gaming machine in many ways.

Gaming bolide. The Alienware 15 R3 has a matte 60-Hz IPS display that supports Nvidia's G-Sync Technology. The potent hardware displays all current games smoothly.

Linux or Windows? With the InfinityBook Pro 13 2017, Tuxedo Computers performs pure product maintenance. We explain in our short review how well the pre-production sample based on the eighth generation of the Core-i processors performs.

Frenzy effect. While the first volume was exclusive to consoles, Destiny 2 will be playable on the PC platform, as well. Our benchmark tests will shine a light on hardware requirements and we will see whether it is a convincing game.

Diamond in the rough. Although at first glance ELEX appears unpolished, beneath the tough exterior there is a suspenseful and multi-faceted role-playing game that skillfully weaves sci-fi and fantasy elements together. But how well does the mixed-genre game run on various laptop and desktop GPUs? Read on to find out.

Old school. They do not come around very often, notebooks that allow the users to replace the battery without having to tear the whole thing apart. Devices that have enough removable covers to enable the users to swap out every replaceable component. And finally the serial port, which is, nowadays, almost completely extinct. Our test device possesses all these features. The question is, though: What else does it have to offer?

Tough shell! The LG G6 marks the end of the modular smartphone from the Korean manufacturer. Instead, we get a robust chassis, new screen ratio, improved cameras, and a bigger battery. Sounds like a good combination. Update: facial recognition is now available.

The wolf in sheep's clothing? Why is there another review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop i7? Is this just a rebranding of the recently released i5-based Surface Laptop, but with an Intel Core i7-7660U instead of the i5-7200U? So it is faster and more expensive. And this is what comes to mind at a first glance, however the devil is in the details. There is one thing that we can tell you right off the bat, though: It is becoming scarce!

Thrilling. While it is rather rare that horror movies stand out due to their high quality, there are various horror games for the home computer that could be considered first-rate. In addition to "Resident Evil 7" we could also currently mention "The Evil Within 2" here, which we tested for its performance using several notebooks and desktop GPUs.

Criticism accepted. HP does not touch the chassis of the ZBook Studio G4 and focuses on the internals. Our test model shows this was a good decision. The DreamColor display is also very good, and both the temperature as well as noise development are better than before. But you should not expect long battery runtimes.

Mass slaughter. After its 2014 predecessor left a surprisingly good impression (not in the least thanks to the Nemesis System), Warner Bros. Interactive has launched its successor, “Shadow of War”, a well-made action game based upon the Lord of the Rings universe. We test out the hardware requirements for PC and notebooks.

Twin Turbo. While most manufacturers give their gaming notebooks only one dedicated graphics unit, Gigabyte has presented its brand-new 17-inch Aorus X9 with two Nvidia GPUs. We will find out whether it makes sense to use a GeForce GTX 1070 in SLI mode or if this feature has more disadvantages than advantages.

Three lenses. With the Nokia 8, HMD Global now also revives the legendary Finnish brand in the premium range. At a fair price of around 580 Euros (~$682; $565 in some US online retailers), the buyer gets a well-built and well-configured 5.3-inch handset whose dual-camera can score with a never before seen feature.

HP XPS 13 for gaming. A compact 13.3-inch Ultrabook with GeForce MX150 graphics and a metal chassis? Sounds like a solid concept. In our comprehensive review update we'll try to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the HP Envy 13 with MX150 and Core i7-7500U.

Disappointing Screen. Lenovo's 15.6-inch device offers a powerful Kaby Lake processor, a dedicated graphics card and an SSD. The built-in screen proves to be a 100% blunder on Lenovo's part. The battery life will not take anyone's breath away either.

Blown away? MSI is once again introducing another line of gaming notebooks aimed at the consumer market. The new GF72VR brings a high refresh rate display and sheds the optical drive but changes little else. Do these changes leave us breathless, or is the GF72VR full of hot air.

Finally, a GS notebook with quieter fans. The MSI GS family has always been popular for its attractively thin design and enthusiast-level horsepower. Incorporating a Max-Q GPU is perhaps the best thing to happen to the series as it directly addresses one of its biggest and most persistent issues.

The Unfinished. Asus' multimedia-office newcomer compels with its elegant design and a particularly light and compact case, but can hardly keep up in the gaming arena with its GeForce 940MX. Despite many good attributes, we cannot give a purchase recommendation to the device, which is not just due to the modest battery life.

Simple and affordable. Lenovo has presented the IdeaPad 320S, an affordable entry-level notebook. We have tested one of the lowest configurations available and will report how much (or how little) you can expect from a notebook that costs less than $500.

How much notebook do you need? The affordable Chuwi LapBook 12.3 is designed for everyday tasks. The metal chassis, the high-resolution display, as well as the silent operation are advantages of the laptop.

Sleek & affordable gaming? The Asus ROG Strix GL703VD is a 17.3-inch entry-level to mid-range gaming notebook which tries to find the right balance between style, performance and price. Unfortunately, Asus' new notebook runs too hot and is too noisy given the comparatively modest performance of its graphics card.

Compact portable gamer. Gigabyte's 14-inch device can display all current games smoothly onto its matte IPS display. It is equipped with an NVMe-SSD, 16 GB of RAM and Thunderbolt 3. Furthermore, the device can also boast great battery runtimes.

Here comes some color! The MSI GE73VR 7RF Raider offers very good gaming performance at a weight below 3 kg (~6.6 lb). The 17-inch laptop masters even long gaming sessions. Whether there are weaknesses and if so where, you can find out in our review with a multitude of benchmarks.

Peak power. While there is a trend towards lighter and slimmer (but often also very loud and warm) gaming laptops, Gaming Guru now presents a serious desktop replacement with the Mars K, which offers all the virtues of a desktop PC. Does the 17-inch laptop stand a chance against the established rivals from Acer, MSI, and Asus?

Display from the Stone Age. Lenovo's ThinkPad E470 is an affordable ThinkPad with its largest user base among students and home office users. We have already reviewed this laptop in review earlier this year. However today we are reviewing a model with slightly worse hardware in order to explain, why you should not get this notebook in this particular configuration. Ever!

Simple office notebook. Lenovo's new IdeaPad is a 17.3-inch notebook that works silently and hardly heats up. These features are accompanied by a lot of available storage and a decent keyboard. The screen, however, is not particularly exciting.

Stylish and elegant, but still a bit buggy. The new VivoBook is supposed to be the more affordable ZenBook sibling for the mainstream. Is it a success, or has Asus cut too many corners?

Price-performance winner. Lenovo's 15.6-inch laptop comes with a Kaby Lake processor, an SSD and 8 GB of working memory. The total package costs almost 400 Euros ($400). But of course, some shortcomings should be expected at this price.

Fastest XPS 13 thus far. The jump from ULV Kaby Lake to Kaby Lake-R is the biggest performance boost the XPS 13 series has seen in years. We investigate to see if this has had any repercussions in terms of fan noise, battery life, and temperature.

Family friendly. Lenovo's Tab 4 8 is marketed as a tablet computer for the entire family, and it attempts to achieve that through optional accessories. Find out whether or not the tablet itself is worth the money in our review.

4K vs. battery. Aorus has made several improvements since last year's model of the X5: 4K display, Thunderbolt 3 and a Kaby Lake CPU are only a few of the positive additions. Can the X5 v7 improve on its predecessor's rating (83%) or might it even reach pole position among slim gamers? We will try to find out in our review.

Deceptively lightweight… MSI’s latest 17.3-inch gaming notebook to reach our labs covers most of the bases just as we’d expect, with a little twist: it’s surprisingly light! How does this $1,600 mid-range gaming notebook stack up against its peers?

Well-designed for every day. Acer has learned to produce good and affordable laptops with an attractive design. Our review sample also proves this. However, not only the outer values are good. The Swift 3 has quite a bit to offer on the inside as well. Our tests present a balanced laptop that delivers the promised performance.

Portability vs. cooling. Ultra-slim notebook cases are becoming more and more popular due to their high portability. Gaming Guru has pushed this idea even further by presenting the Fire KS, an 18.6-mm (~0.7 in) tick 15-inch device which is equipped with a Core i7-7700HQ and a GeForce GTX 1060. Find out what this combination means for temperature development and system noise.

Cheap entry-level laptop. Lenovo's IdeaPad 110S is a small, 11-inch subnotebook. The much too high power consumption takes its toll on the battery life. We report on how the compact entry-level device fares in terms of performance in our short review.

A little bit of everything. Acer's newbie scores mainly with its compactness, versatility, and the new GeForce MX150. Small problems with the display and sound do not quite fit with its multimedia ambitions, but thanks to good input devices, security features, and the excellent endurance, it offers some extra mobility for the office.

Selfie superstar? Huawei has created an upper-mid-range phone with the 5-inch Nova 2 and given it a special feature with a 20 MP front camera. Our review will reveal whether selfie fans should go for it.

I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di! Colors are not the only interesting aspect of the new ZenBook Flip S. Asus has presented a very slim 13-inch convertible and the Intel Core i5-7200U at the heart of the device offers decent processing power. To find out how well the hardware works together and whether the stylish convertible can keep up with its competition, take a look at our detailed review.

With the new Coffee Lake CPUs, Intel brings more than four physical cores to end-user consumer computing for the first time in its history. Regardless of whether or not you want to consider this a reaction to AMD's Ryzen, Coffee Lake manages to combine high clock speeds with more cores than before and has earned our recommendation.

Disappointing screen. With the ThinkPad E570, Lenovo delivers a quiet, enduring office machine that serves with a good keyboard and lightning-fast NVMe SSD. The HD screen is a complete disappointment.

Retro rewind. What's old is new again in this special anniversary ThinkPad that throws out the AccuType keyboard in favor of the classic layout and design. Outside of the new keyboard, there isn't anything particularly new about the ThinkPad 25 that we haven't already covered on the ThinkPad T470.

Middle-class with glass. Lenovo's Tab 4 10 Plus is a mid-range tablet with high ambitions. It's aiming to attract buyers by offering a glass rear, generous memory configuration, and front-sided speakers. Find out in the test report whether the available accessory packs turn the tablet into something special.

More is always better. The HP ZBook enters its fourth round in the laptop marketplace, this time flaunting even more performance power. Genuine updates or innovations are nowhere to be found. Even so, the manufacturer demonstrates what a true mobile workstation looks like.

A well-rounded gamer. Lenovo's entry-level gamer brings all the current games to the matte Full HD display. The computer is equipped with a Kaby Lake quad-core processor, a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and a very fast NVMe SSD.

Ultrabook or workstation. The ZBook 15u G4 is a mobile workstation made by HP that - while cheaper than its brethren - still manages to meet the ZBook’s high quality standards. Unfortunately, the light and thin workstation also comes with lower performance hardware. Find out whether or not the concept works as expected in our extensive review.

Big sibling, small improvement. As with its smaller sibling, the Apple iPhone 8 Plus does not have many new features. We get a slightly revised chassis, now with a glass rear panel, as well as the new A11 chip. However, small optimizations improve the iPhone in many areas.

Bright, brighter, BQ Aquaris X. The mid-range smartphone produced by the Spanish smartphone manufacturer BQ has a captivatingly bright display - so bright, even, that it made the Top 5 of our list of brightest smartphone displays. Find out how the other features of the Aquaris X compare in our review.

Bumpy start. You might think that due to the routine, EA could not do too much wrong in the yearly FIFA update. But, you would be mistaken since the release of version 18 is creating several negative headlines. We evaluate the (technical) situation with several notebooks and desktop PCs.

Back to being best. The Note 8 shines with a big, superb Infinity screen, high performance and, for the first time, with a dual-camera. As usual, the S-Pen that can be inserted into the casing is included. Whether Samsung has developed the ideal phablet after the Note 7 disaster will be clarified in the test.
Update: new update improves security and adds new Wi-Fi features. Update: Information concerning PWM, display response times, temperatures and power consumption has been added.

Portable USB monitor. No recharging, one cable, light and slim. Asus' portable monitor is neither matte nor particularly bright. Although the poor color space will deter professionals, the very high contrast will certainly appeal to everyone.

Step by step. We already suspected that Apple would only show a slightly improved version of its smartphone this year. The eighth-generation iPhone from Cupertino gets a revised chassis and more performance, which is at least more than in the previous years.

Multi-talented. With comprehensive accessory packages, Lenovo wants to equip its affordable Tablet Tab 4 10 for all usage scenarios. We find out about the quality of the tablet itself in our test.

Mini Me(diaPad). The 8-inch variant of the MediaPad M3 Lite brings a lot of polish and panache to the Android ecosystem. Despite its mid-range specifications, the M3 Lite proves to be a capable media machine. Is this the affordable compact tablet to get?

Slim at any cost. Razer's Blade Pro is one of the most powerful and yet slimmest gaming laptops in the world. It was to be expected that this combination would lead to high temperatures and loud background noise. Just how bad is it? Our review reveals the answer.

Fitness coach for the wrist. Are you looking for a personal trainer, who is available to you anywhere at any time? Then perhaps the Huawei Band 2 Pro is right for you, since Huawei advertises its newest fitness tracker as a mobile fitness coach for the wrist. You can find out in our review how the wearable fares in everyday life.

Slim entry-level gamer. Acer's slim gaming notebook can offer an IPS display and a fast NVMe SSD as well as good battery runtimes.

Courageously new. Acer´s new ultra-slim 15-inch Predator Triton 700 gaming notebook is nothing short of innovative. Alongside its mechanical keyboard, the unusual position and design of the touchpad makes for some interesting new looks. Can the Triton 700 in its elegant case combined with a GTX 1080 Max-Q rival the Asus ROG Zephyrus?

Gaming black box. The mid-range EN51050 strikes a great performance balance between the i5-7500T CPU and GTX 1050 GPU. Still, at $700 USD, the asking price for a barebones kit is within striking distance of a full-fledged gaming notebook equipped with faster hardware.

Annoying fan. The MacBook Pro 13 without Touch Bar gets the Kaby Lake update as well. Thanks to the lower price, longer battery runtimes, and function keys, the entry-level model could potentially be the better choice for many users. However, you also get a slightly less powerful processor as well as an annoying fan.

Stylish. Asus' X510UA pleases with a slim, light casing, a narrow display bezel, and a good battery life. However, the screen is nothing to crow about.

Wallet-friendly mainstream..business? Huawei's 15.6-inch mainstream laptop surely looks the part, but while the build quality is good and the overall performance decent, the MateBook D suffers from a few significant shortcomings.

Elegant multimedia Laptop. The new Asus ZenBook Pro UX550 is a high-end multimedia notebook. You get powerful components in a great chassis, but the cooling solution struggles with the heat development of the components. Update: Second test sample, BIOS 302, SATA-3 SSD

The Elite in the business sector! The G2 now follows the G1. It is based on the meanwhile widely distributed Kaby Lake processors. A keyboard dock and active stylus still belong to the bundle. We present the elegant business companion that had to pass through our test course as usual in this report.