Reviews

Portable all-rounder. Ultrabooks like the Dell XPS 13 are selling like hotcakes and every OEM wants a piece of the pie. Asus' candidate of choice is the ZenBook UX331UN, a high-quality subnotebook with a dedicated GPU. Read our extensive review to find out why it deserves a recommendation.

The boys are back in town. The mobile version of the Ryzen is here. Is this the first time that AMD is eye to eye with Intel? Overall, the answer is a definite yes, although Acer should not have cut corners with the SSD.

With the handbrake on! After testing the Inspiron 15 with Nvidia's Max-Q technology, we have now also taken a look at the entry-level model of the series. But the storage device leaves a bit of a bad taste in our mouth.

One of the last ones of its kind. With their XXL-sized smartphone Mate 10, the Chinese manufacturer Huawei bucks the current trend towards displays with a 2:1-aspect ratio. How does the high-end phablet fare and is an import worth it?

Long-lasting laborer. HP's ProBook 470 G5 is equipped with a powerful quad-core CPU, a fast NVMe SSD, and a bright IPS display with great viewing angles. It also features a great backlit keyboard and incredible battery life but lacks an optical drive.

Versatile with limited stamina. Lenovo's new compact device gets a nice aluminum case and versatile 360-degree hinges, but also works well as a conventional office subnotebook. Important advantages such as the screen and the input devices are countered by a small number of drawbacks, and most interested buyers should be fine with them – except one.

Variable mobility. Schenker promises to deliver a thin and light notebook with the highest possible mobility to the buyers of the Slim 14. In particular business users, but also students are targeted by this concept. We tested whether the Schenker Slim 14 also keeps in practice what it promises on paper.

A BlackBerry without a physical keyboard! Nothing like this has ever happened before. The BlackBerry Motion shows that it can be done, without a physical keyboard. The latest Smartphone from the brand is based on Google’s Android OS instead of the conventional BlackBerry OS. The preferred audience, however, continues to be business people.

LandingZone recently launched its new USB 3.1 Type-C Docking Station for the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and we have it on hand to review. The dock boasts 16 ports, which makes it quite unique in the docking station market. It is not, however, TB3-based.

Smart industry phone. The rugged smartphones from Caterpillar, a manufacturer of construction equipment, are entering the next round. On the outside everything stays as it is, but on the inside some improvements have been made. In our test we found out what exactly is new about the extreme outdoor smartphone Cat S31.

Disappointing display. The Pavilion 15 offers a ULV quad-core processor, a dedicated GeForce graphics core, and a solid-state disk. The greatest weakness of this device is the disappointing display.

Chic. With the Yoga 720-13IKB, Lenovo delivers a chic 13.3-inch convertible that shines with a great keyboard, a fast NVMe SSD and good battery life. The touchscreen can be used both with the fingers and the included stylus. The quad-core processor can utilize its Turbo boost only for a very short while.

No reference. The Pixel 2 XL is visually a high-end smartphone from 2017 and has a POLED display in the 2:1 format. Visually, the relation to the LG V30 cannot be denied, but it has taken a different path in terms of the camera. Furthermore, there is ample battery power.

Small, but powerful! The smallish Pixel 2 smartphone features a 5-inch 16:9 display. In addition to being slightly cheaper, this is the only difference when compared with its bigger brother. The camera has managed to impress us but battery life is a little on the short side.

A technological Swiss Army knife for the living room. Razer's Core V2 makes anything possible, transforming a slim, unprepossessing ultrabook into a serious gaming PC in seconds. With its dedicated bandwidth, the additional TI82 controller lends the graphics card even more power compared to the previous Razer graphics enclosure. But is it worth investing your hard-earned cash in this device? And how smoothly do games run on the dock? We used several benchmarks and two graphics cards to answer those questions.

12 pounds of pure power. We end the year with the most powerful consumer gaming notebook currently available. Its Core i7-8700K CPU, GTX 1080 SLI GPUs, 4K UHD screen, 1 TB NVMe RAID 0 storage, and 64 GB of DDR4 RAM are astronomical specifications regardless of form factor.

Business to Go. It took Samsung almost three years to upgrade the Galaxy Tab Active. As before, it is water- and dust-resistant and should withstand drops fairly well. LTE and support for stylus input made the predecessor very popular with outdoor fans, and our review reveals that Samsung has only improved the Galaxy Tab Active 2 ever so slightly.

Surprise! The mid-range smartphone Aquaris V from BQ surprises with its accurate GPS module and fast WLAN. However, we did not expect the comparatively low processor performance. So is it a positive or a negative surprise?

Uncertain Prospect. Lenovo has created an AMD version of the X270. It excels in terms of input devices, security and portability. However, the stability and build quality are subpar, and the display somehow does not quite seem to fit the bill.

Off beat. The Defiance IV is a stylish 17-inch gaming notebook that is equipped with a Core i7-7700HQ, a GeForce 1060 and a 120-Hz display. Find out whether the CPU's clock rate problems under higher loads impact the gaming experience in our detailed review.

Quiet and powerful. The ThinkPad P71 is Lenovo's biggest and most powerful mobile workstation. It is a powerful machine, but still pleasantly quiet in many situations. You also get a very good 4K UHD panel.

Spectre Elite. The EliteBook 1020 G2 is a great example of the merging between sleek consumer designs and feature-heavy business configurations. It's inarguably faster and thinner than the 1020 G1, but not without some cutbacks that longtime EliteBook owners may lament.

Robust. Panasonic's Toughbook is well-protected against dust, liquids, and falls. In addition to a robust case, the 12-inch detachable offers powerful hardware and many connections. The battery life is good.

New entry. PC Specialist, a hardware reseller based in the UK, has recently started selling its gaming notebooks in Germany via pczentrum.de. We have got our hands on the Proteus V, a 15-inch gaming notebook for roughly 1400 Euros (~$1660), and are putting it through its paces.

Bright prospects. With the LG V30, the Koreans now show a real high-end smartphone, which offers strong video features and an improved dual camera. LG has taken the complaints about the G6 for the German market to heart and also offers the device with wireless charging and quad-DAC audio here as well.

Durable. Acer’s 15.6-incher scores some major points with its hardware combination of a Kaby Lake CPU, an SSD and 8 GB of RAM (running in dual-channel mode). The great battery life adds more value to the package. The screen proves to be disappointing, though.

Blue, blue, blue are all my colors. It is not just because of its extreme blue tint that the display is not one of the highlights of the affordable 15-inch office notebook from Dell. Otherwise, the laptop is quite suited for its envisioned use in a small business with its workable input devices, TPM chip, Windows 10 Pro, and an optional SSD.

Deceptive Packaging. A notebook with the dimensions of an XPS 13, the latest quad-core CPUs from Intel and the MX150 - you might think this is a recipe for sure success. The IdeaPad 320s-13IKBR, which we present in this extensive test report, shows this is not necessarily true.

Good with edges. The Schenker Media 15 is exactly what it claims to be: A multimedia notebook with enough performance for many entertainment applications. The buyers will have to make certain concessions, and, because the competition is on the same level at the very least, the question here is: Why should we pick the Media 15 over other devices?

Christmas tree in UHD. A fully configurable RGB keyboard backlight is one of Razer's most distinctive features. In time for the holiday season, Razer has released a UHD variant of the Kaby Lake and GTX 1060-powered Razer Blade notebook, best to be showcased with opened lid underneath the Christmas tree.

Smaller size, bigger value. The 11-inch Lenovo Ideapad 120s carries over many of the same facets of its 14-inch brother in a more compact case. However, with half the RAM and a smaller body, can it keep up with the larger model?

The sweet spot? Dell’s revision of their 13.3-inch Latitude 7000 series introduces active cooling and brings the machine up to speed with its 12.5 and 14-inch counterparts. With a Core i7 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and a Samsung NVMe SSD, is this the business-grade XPS 13 we’ve been waiting for?

Camera evolution. The special edition of the Moto G5 is intended to add to Motorola's selection of mid-range smartphones, and there have been a number of changes to make that happen. Most notably, the camera has been significantly enhanced. In our review, we will ascertain whether this will prove a marked improvement in everyday use.

The Surface Pro alternative. Faster than the fastest Surface Pro and cheaper as well, the Lenovo tablet returns with Kaby Lake-R to boost the Miix family back on top.

More than just a convertible! Above all else, the Acer Spin 5 is a 15-inch convertible. However excitement is aplenty, because Intel’s latest Core i7-8550U and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 are what we have under the hood here. Whether this convertible laptop can function as a gaming notebook you shall learn in this extensive review.

A wolf in sheep's clothing. Housed in its little 4.6-inch case, the Sony Xperia XZ1 embraces an understated style. But underneath that unassuming exterior lurks a full-fledged, high-end smartphone that can compete with the likes of the Apple iPhone 8 and other heavyweights. It is also one of the first smartphones to run Android 8.0. Here you will find everything you need to know about this little Sony powerhouse.

New assets, old shortcomings. We already announced in January that Dell was planning to offer the Vostro 15 5568 with other processors and a dedicated graphics solution. This configuration is now available and we are going to test what this entry-level business laptop with an Intel Core i7-7500U CPU and an Nvidia GeForce 940MX can offer.

Weak chest. While the new Intel processors represent the biggest performance boost in years, the Lenovo Yoga 520-14IKB is still equipped with older Kaby Lake processors. You can find out in this extensive test, why the convertible did not receive our final recommendation.

Omen II. Our second review gaming notebook from HP's updated 15-inch Omen series features almost the same hardware as the previous system, but it's equipped with a 4K display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. How the theoretically less frugal display affects performance and the battery life is the subject of our review.

Ambitious. With the fourth generation of the ZenFone series, Asus challenges a fiercely contested submarket by not only offering competitive pricing but also by providing their latest offering with a strong camera. Moreover, ZenUI has taken a great leap forward, making it seem positively grown up!

Dancing at two weddings with one laptop. With the Blade Stealth, Razer aims to attract gamers during the night and office workers during the day. In order to gain a performance increase compared to the predecessor, the Ultrabook is equipped with an i7-8550U of the 8th Intel generation. We took a look at the Kaby Lake refresh.

Lighter, slimmer fireball. The slim MSI GS63VR 7RG can run all the modern games smoothly on its matte Full HD screen. Here, MSI goes for a 120 Hz TN panel with fast response times. The rest of the hardware is also in good order: NVMe SSD, HDD, Thunderbolt 3.

Family Matters. The XZ1 is the successor to the Sony XZ, Sony's initial high-end smartphone. As such, it seems to have inherited the latter's bias for incorporating some flaws. Nevertheless, the XZ1 is truly a member of the high-end squad.

A very rough gem. The performance-per-Dollar is easily the highlight of HP's first notebook centered around AMD's Raven Ridge platform. It's too bad that the software is still a buggy mess.

Just a compromise, again and again. Asus' Transformer 4 Pro is a product of the company's regular practice of keeping their models up-to-date. The convertible laptop is now available with a choice from various Kaby Lake processors and up to 16 GB of RAM. Those who have a penchant for high-performance tablets will not find our test device lacking in attractive features. For anyone looking for an alternative to a simple laptop, it is worth a look. In everyday use, it was not so much the hardware and connections that vexed us – but rather the little defects we encountered during our testing process.

An all-round device with some point deductions! The Acer Aspire 7 offers a good performance for an acceptable price. Thanks to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, the 15-incher also offers appropriate gaming performance. However, the case and the display lose some points.

Powerhouse performance? According to Microsoft the new Surface Book 2 combines the best of two worlds and is also the most powerful Surface device yet. The specifications look promising, thanks to the new Kaby Lake-R processor and Nvidia's Pascal GPU. Our in-depth review reveals some shortcomings – some can easily be bypassed, but others are just incomprehensible in this price range.

Chunky mainstream. Apart from the display size, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite does not have much in common with its namesake, the Mate 10 Pro. The Lite costs less than half as much as the Pro and is a very alluring mid-range smartphone. Our extensive review is going to reveal not only its strengths but also its flaws.

Budget notebook to beat. The 14-inch Lenovo Ideapad 120s is a simple and sleek Windows laptop that retails for around $250. While the device looks and feels fairly good on the outside for a budget device, the internals are a major letdown. Considering the price, though, the Ideapad 120s is one of the better bargain laptops available.

Individual and portable. The Fujitsu LifeBook E746 is a modular 14-inch business notebook. It offers a wide range of configuration options and can be easily adapted to personal needs, even after purchase. But this also affects the device's price-performance ratio. Therefore, we will take a look at how well the 14-inch notebook can compete with similar devices.

Svelte performer. The latest Zenbook Pro features an updated GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU alongside the same i7-7700HQ CPU and NVMe storage (not to mention a touchscreen). How have performance, battery life, and emissions been affected by the updated configuration?

A tad slower. The XPS 13 with Kaby Lake Refresh Core i5 trails the Core i7 in raw multi-core performance, but as far as overall system performance is concerned, the model with i7 is only marginally faster.

Multi-functional. The VivoBook Flip 15 comes with a variety of features, but it also comes with some small flaws. The screen with a 360-degree hinge offers several modes of use.

A success. The Spin 5 has a lot to offer, including a fast SSD, a backlit keyboard and a powerful quad-core ULV processor. The laptop offers a good battery life to boot. The battery can be charged via the USB Type-C port. The touchscreen can be operated with fingers or with an Acer stylus (available separately).

No revolution. Apple launches the iPhone X for the iPhone's 10th birthday, which is sold in addition to the "regular" iPhones. The highlight is obviously the OLED screen with very slim bezels. The concept works really well in practice, and we did not miss the Home button.

Difficult position. Because of loot boxes, micro transactions, gambling loans, and pay-to-win tendencies, the publisher EA has become the target of some massive complaints. In our benchmark article, we are looking more at the question of how well the game is running on various desktop and notebook GPUs.

Couch surfer. Amazon Prime customers who do not mind some advertisements will find the 10-inch seventh generation Fire HD Tablet great value for money. As expected, the tablet is no high-end product, however it definitely comes with a few high value components that make it an entertainment specialist. In our review, we will shed light onto the limitations you can expect with this device.

Max-Q done right. Nvidia's Max-Q technology launched for an absurdly high price of $3000+ USD. Not five months later, users can now own that same technology for under $900 USD. This latest Inspiron is perhaps the best example of Max-Q for the masses.

An inexpensive smartphone with a dual camera. ZTE is expanding their lower mid-range product line. Alongside the ZTE Blade V8 64 GB, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has now introduced the ZTE Blade V8 Mini to the mobile market. The ZTE Blade V8's smaller sibling costs only 179 Euros (~$215, recommended retail price; not yet available on the American market). It is equipped with a dual camera, a fingerprint scanner and Android 7.0.

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.