Reviews

We have tried and tested the Intel Optane Memory's functions as a classic storage device. Even though some users might benefit from the new technology in specific cases, we cannot really recommend it.

Now with more pixels. So far, the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017 was limited to 1080p displays, but Lenovo now offers its premium Ultrabook with a high-resolution screen as well. The waiting has been worthwhile.

French premium class. The time has come for the French manufacturer Wiko to go one step further. Formerly known for producing only rather low-priced handsets, now with the WIM, they are daring to compete on a premium level. We reviewed the smartphone to find out whether they delivered a true competitor.

Robust convertible? With the ProBook X360 11, HP has a small convertible in their offerings that scores with robustness and versatility. We have summarized in this short review, how the Education Edition presents itself in terms of performance. Update 10/6/17: added battery life results of secondary device and added the final rating accordingly.

Scrawny gaming powerhouse. The Aorus X7 v7 has plenty to offer. Besides a blazingly fast NVMe SSD, it also features more than decent gaming performance, a QHD display, upgradeability, and CPU/GPU overclocking capabilities.

Good connections. The refresh of Asus' ZenPad 10 is available in two versions and both support LTE. Since it is more expensive than last year's model, the ZenPad 10 Z301ML has to first prove that it is worth the extra money in the test.

VA, UHD, 4K, MultiView With many abbreviations, the 32-inch display from Philips tries to win customers and has to prove itself in our test. With its large surface, UHD resolution, and cheap price, it has several pros. In this article we will find out how well it performs in terms of image quality, power consumption, and temperature development.

The slim player. With the Moto Z2 Play, Lenovo refreshes its mid-range smartphone that can be expanded via modules on the rear. The predecessor offered a very good battery life and extremely slim casing. We will check whether the successor has perhaps even improved these qualities in the test.

Now with a bigger screen. Razer has updated its Ultrabook and now offers two different panel sizes in the same chassis. We have tested the new 13.3-inch model. What are the differences and which display should you get?

Samsung has introduced its T5 SSD, the latest model in a series of external high-performance SSDs. Like its predecessors, the T5 offers blazingly fast data transfer rates and in a high-quality premium package but it lacks innovation.

A 10-year old strategy shooter Despite its advanced age, TF2 remains to be one of the most popular games on Steam. This is probably due to the fair free-to-play model and the moderate system requirements. The fast-paced 3D shooter is nevertheless quite a challenge, especially for cheap entry-level laptops and Windows tablets. More often than not, it is the processor and not the graphics card that leads to a jerky reproduction and unplayable frame rates. We tested the performance on various laptops, tablets, and desktops in the following benchmark check.

Outdoor heavyweight. With the BV8000 Pro, Blackview brings an update to its outdoor smartphone series that is the successor to the BV7000. The features are remarkable: 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, Full HD display, and a 16 Megapixel camera. In addition, it is IP-68 certified and has a fingerprint sensor and some other sensors that might be helpful in an outdoor smartphone.

A Porsche with performance problems. The Book One from Porsche Design is a noble 2-in-1 system for $2,500. However, you will be disappointed if you expect maximum performance and quality. We tested the new device.

Does SLI make sense? To answer this question, we conduct an experiment with two Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Mini Graphic Cards. In our short review we'll check out the pros and cons of an SLI configuration and compare the performance to those of single GPU systems.

RGB trip. Although ultra-slim casings are the current trend, MSI presents the GT75VR, a bulky gaming laptop that combines all the advantages and disadvantages of a desktop replacement and relies on a mechanical keyboard with colorful lighting. Our test clarifies whether the total concept is still up-to-date.

The Omen's New Clothes HP has redesigned it's Omen 17 gaming series' case. Does the new chassis address our criticism from last year's device? What are the full-time gamer's improvements?

Back to the roots. A few years ago, smartphones with a removable battery were a dime a dozen. Nowadays such devices are rather rare. The new entry-level smartphone by the German manufacturer Gigaset is such a device. You can find out in our extensive test, how the GS170 model fares against the strong competition.

Affordable Surface! Although it is already the second half of 2017, Microsoft presents the latest Surface based on a frugal Core m3 processor with connectivity that is still in need of reworking. Find out in this review whether the long battery life and the established brand name are enough to win buyers.

The HP XPS 13. The narrow bezel design from the flagship Spectre series has trickled down to the mainstream Envy series with fantastic results. Though not without some sacrifices, this is the best Envy notebook to date.

(Long-)Lasting impression. The entry-level version of the Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Notebook lacks the higher-end hardware complement of its pricier siblings. Although still hampered by a subpar display, the notebook is nonetheless a decent performer at a great price. The battery life puts many other laptops – gaming or not – to shame.

Hot worker. We are testing the Surface Pro rival and successor to Acer's Swift Alpha 12, and we will discover to what extent it can meet Windows standards. Acer tackles this feat with high performance at a low price.
Update: Lower power consumption in idle scenario

Gaming companion with stamina. Dell has equipped the Inspiron 15 7000 gaming series with cutting-edge hardware and not only convinces us in terms of performance but also surprises us with an exemplary battery life. We are impressed - but not with the display.
Update: Measurement Results of the IPS panel

Large battery with nothing behind it? The LG X power2 promises a long battery life with its high-capacity battery. But besides the battery life, there are many other aspects that make a good smartphone. In our test we will find out whether LG's mid-range device can deliver here.

Small but Galaxy. Samsung also has a 5-inch smartphone from the lower mid-range in its portfolio with the Galaxy J3 (2017) Duos. The models from last year's lineup were real top sellers and many of our readers showed interest. Thus, we are curious whether Samsung can meet the high expectations this year again.

Successful comeback. After the divorce from Microsoft, Nokia has already come back with several new smartphones. With the 5.2-inch Nokia 5 mid-range model, the manufacturer scored promptly, since there is much to like and only little not to like in its offerings.

Arduous all-rounder. Acer's brand-new multimedia all-rounder is equipped with an IPS panel, an SSD+HDD combo, and a GPU suitable for gaming. In addition, it surprised us with its very long battery life.

Security Business Smaller, slimmer, more secure – this could be the new motto of the top-range ultra-mobile business sector. The U937 is hoping to overtake its competition with a weight of 950 grams (~2.1 lb), a lot of security features and LTE support. Find out if it has succeeded in our detailed review.

The new Intel Core i7-7900X for socket 2066 proved to be the fastest CPU for desktop systems so far. However, it is disproportionately expensive and also suffers from other problems.

Good for beginners. This phone is really an ideal first smartphone: if you are not accustomed to smartphones, you will have no difficulties navigating through the home screens, switching between two SIM cards or taking notes on the smartphone. Everyone else will probably not be satisfied with the level of the LG K4's hardware.

Is affordable actually good? With the Asus VivoBook E200HA-FD0041TS, the manufacturer offers an 11.6-inch subnotebook on the market that is supposed to convince the customer in three different colors. There is also a quad-core processor under the hood. You can find out in our short review, how the little notebook fares in our test.

Less expensive… but still expensive. Today’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga configuration preserves most of the major plusses of our previous review unit while dropping the price nearly in half. Is this the true sweet spot in the convertible PC market?

Bread & Butter. These days, notebooks are considered a bulk commodity, and affordable business notebooks are a dime a dozen. Standing out of the crowd is quite tough, particularly if you are competing against established names and brands. Let us find out whether or not Acer stands a chance in the low-end business market against the ProBooks, Latitudes, and ThinkPads of this world with its TravelMate 449, shall we?

Welcome back! Nokia re-enters the ring of smartphone manufacturers and adds an entry-level device to the market, the Nokia 3. In our tests we will uncover whether it has to hide behind the good-sounding name or will boost it to new heights.

An elegant convertible! Acer has presented a new convertible in 12-inch format - the Switch 3. Thanks to its versatility, the convertible is supposed to be a great choice both for business and private use. Find out whether Acer reached its goals in our short but detailed review.

Compact convertible! The IdeaPad Miix 320 combines versatile use in the tightest space. An LTE module is also installed and the quad-core CPU is to ensure a decent work speed. Find out in this review how the 10-inch convertible scores in the test.

Full steam ahead. HTC attempts to mix it up at the top with the new flagship smartphone U11. The company incorporates lots of high tech into an extraordinary case which not only looks different, but also features a unique and pressure-sensitive frame design. Update: HTC rolls out new firmware.

Solid and good-looking. If you do not consider "solid" as an insult, but instead connect the word with reliability and trustworthiness, then the Sony Xperia L1 might be something for you. It offers solid performance, in the best sense of the word, in many areas. No more and no less.

It's not all roses. The Samsung Galaxy J7 is the larger version of the Galaxy J5. It has similar features, but a larger, 5.5-inch display. After the redesign of the entire series, the J7, too, now has a non-removable battery. To find out about other changes, take a look at our detailed review. Update: new firmware with bug fixes released.

Early Success. Although Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (abbreviated PUBG) is still in a very early stage of development, the Battle Royale shooter is already very popular. We also plunged into the fight for survival and analyzed the game's performance for this article.

A wild ride. After the successful Aero 15, Gigabyte has now provided us with another 15-inch notebook aimed at the gaming and multimedia sector. The P56XT is equipped with a Core i7-7700HQ and a GeForce GTX 1070. Will this configuration be enough for pole position? We shall find out in our detailed review. Update: Higher rating thanks to second test model

Potent performer. The GS43VR is back and pretty much the same it was the year before. Users who can look past the excruciatingly loud fan noise will find one of the most powerful 14-inch gaming notebooks currently available.

Novice with space technology. Huawei's first laptop in the fashionable 3:2 format convinces mainly with its case and the excellent screen. The innovative cooling system is particularly interesting. Initially we had problems with the input devices, but more important is the weak battery life. Our extensive test explains while we still consider it a successful debut.

Ruggedized for Tough Work. With these words, Fujitsu advertises the industry tablet Stylistic V535. The 8.3-inch tablet comes with many communication features, large memory capacity, and a 64-bit CPU. The specification appears excellent. However, the reality is different: Passive cooling thwarts any plans.

Close, but not quite close enough. We were happy to learn that the Iris graphics card is awake and alert despite SoC-throttling. The Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) cannot be considered a "gamer" however, nor is it a full laptop replacement: Just like in the i5 version, there is significant throttling.

Looks familiar… Not a lot has changed with regard to the design of the MSI GP62 notebook over the years—but it’s what’s inside that counts, right? Today’s review unit features a Core i7-7700HQ paired with a GTX 1050 Ti. How does it compare to its peers in the budget gaming category?

Great gaming for under $1000. Gigabyte has introduced one of its best entry-level gaming laptops that start at less than a grand. Still, there are plenty of cut corners on this brand new Sabre series that potential buyers should be aware of.

Changeling. The Omen series from HP is not only known for its relatively good price-performance ratio, but also for its unique appearance. Thanks to a redesign in mid-2017, the gaming notebooks appear in a completely new light. In our test, you can find out what else has changed.

Dead quiet! In 2016, Nvidia introduced an excellent brand-new Pascal architecture, but so far, only high-end Pascal graphics cards have been available. Recently, the new architecture has started to trickle down into the low-end range of GPUs. And with the GT 1030, a low-end GPU for those of us on a budget is now finally available.

A snail's pace. Stoney Ridge is bottom of the barrel when it comes to overall performance. The AMD option may save a few bucks here and there, but the sluggish responsiveness is a very high price to pay.

Strong CPU, weak cooling. The Celsius H970 might be Fujitsu's last 17.3-inch workstation. This should be reason enough for the manufacturer to do its best. But unfortunately, Fujitsu failed in two places. You can read in our detailed test review, where these places are.

Petite. Classy. Slow. Timeless and clean design is one of Chinese manufacturer Blackview's trademarks. Next to Blackview's outdoor smartphones, the petite A9 Pro seems almost out of place. The smartphone's hardware cannot keep up with Blackview's other offerings. Still, the A9 had a few tricks up its sleeves.

Intel's new Core i7-7740X for the socket 2066 proves to be the fastest CPU for gaming in the test. However, it is just a weak upgrade to Intel's Core i7-7700K that lags behind the Ryzen CPUs in multitasking due to its low core count.

Continuum with Android. Samsung DeX with an Android-based desktop environment aims to replace desktop PCs and takes a similar approach as Microsoft with Continuum in 2015. Thus, the idea is not new - but perhaps better?

Choppy waters. The HP 15-bw07ax brings AMD's newest high-end APU, the A12-9720P, to the market. However, the APU may be a bit too new - the system is remarkably unstable.

Made for penny-pinchers. Amazon's latest Fire 7 Tablet generation is thinner, lighter, equipped with a better display, and supposed to offer an improved battery life. The price, however, remained largely unchanged, and the 2017 generation remains very affordable. Find out in our extensive review whether the entry-level tablet is worth it.

Provider of new technologies. Sony's high-end smartphone, the Xperia XZ Premium, offers many innovative technologies in terms of sound and display (HDR), but its case seems a little out-of-date. Find out whether you really should not judge a book by its cover in our detailed review.

With great power… comes great affordability? The HP Pavilion Power 15t is back, this time with an AMD RX 550 GPU and an even lower price tag than before. Unfortunately, we ran into some unexpected challenges with our review unit.

Surface Laptop on a tight budget. Laptops from the Far East are becoming better and better, at least in regard to their looks and features. One representative of the Chinese premium class is the Cube Thinker, which comes with an elegant-looking aluminum case and a Surface-Book screen. However, can the performance keep up with the shop-window presentation?

Appropriate performance? The EliteBook series from HP stands for business devices for the demanding customer. You will find out in this detailed review of the EliteBook 755 G4, whether this endeavor succeeds and the performance can do it justice.

Nothing new under the sun. HP's Pavilion 15z is a rather basic 15.6-inch notebook powered by an AMD APU and integrated Radeon graphics. Given its budget status, it doesn't come as a surprise that the systems falls short in many categories.

Slim with a powerful GPU. Asus has once again managed to have the slimmest device. For now. This time it is the ROG Zephyrus GX501 gaming laptop. Despite its height of just 17.9 millimeters (~0.7 in), the 15-inch notebook is shipped with an Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU and the Nvidia GTX 1080 with the brand-new "Max-Q" design. We have already had the chance to review the ultra-slim gamer. Update: Higher rating thanks to second test model.

Super slow for super cheap. If first impressions are everything, then AMD is in a lot of trouble. Our latest Bristol Ridge notebook pairs a fairly respectable GPU with a CPU that is far below average for a very imbalanced system.

A breath of fresh air. About a year and half ago, we tested the XMG A516 - a powerful high-end notebook from Schenker Technologies that was quite compact for gaming devices in those days, with a height of 2.9 cm (~1.14 in) and a weight of 2.5 kg (~5.5 lb). Now its successor, the XMG A517, shows what it can do in our detailed review.

A real steal. Amazon has updated its 8-inch tablet Fire HD 8. Depending on the configuration, it will cost you between $80 and $125 - it does not really get much cheaper than that. Our review is going to clarify whether or not the tablet is really worth the money. During this year's prime day, it was even available for as little as $49!

Slow and Steady. The HP 15-BW077AX is an entry-level laptop from HP with AMD's newest A9 APU. Despite its young age, the CPU feels years behind the competition and the notebook as a whole offers very little for prospective consumers.

Competitive thanks to Kaby Lake. The updated Apple MacBook Pro 15 gets a modern Kaby Lake processor from Intel and a more powerful GPU by default. Otherwise, however, not a lot has changed. Update: The review is now complete

Blue Chip? Asus' latest 14-inch hybrid is not only highly portable, but it comes with a dedicated GPU as well as security features such as TPM. Business or multimedia? The Zenbook's attempt to perform the splits did not turn out as expected, but at least it is very consistent in regard to mobility.

Workstation gamer. The gaming notebook in disguise is one of the first to ship with a Quadro P3000 GPU. Performance will not throttle even if under the heaviest of loads.

Untiring.Acer's 11.6-inch convertible pleases with a very long battery life and an IPS display with stable viewing angles.

Cram-packed. The Chinese smartphone presents decent figures on paper, such as 4 gigabytes of RAM, 64 gigabytes of storage, a 16-megapixel camera, and a strong battery. Is the additionally attractive smartphone also a power bundle in practice?

The Chrome Notebook. In the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work slumbers the hardware of a notebook. As an office companion it is a successful product. However, the components do not use their full potential.

Take two, action! This is the second time we have reviewed the Dell Latitude 5580. Last time, its general impression was clouded by a disappointing TN panel. This time, the 15-inch Latitude is presenting itself with a Full HD IPS panel and a pimped CPU.

An update, anyone? It has taken some time, but now HP has treated its 15-inch model of the Omen series to a performance upgrade. A Kaby Lake CPU and Pascal-generation Nvidia graphics card have put fresh wind in its sails - but has it been worth the wait?

The best GTX 1060 laptop.. almost. "Thin-and-light" without the "light". The SC15 is hefty but not bulky and fast but not noisy. It's close to being everything we're looking for in a premium gaming laptop under $2000 USD.

Wasted opportunities. This year’s Omen 17 update brings us a Pascal GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a powerful Kaby Lake CPU. Our review is going to reveal whether or not we can recommend the Omen 17 despite some drawbacks.

Upper mid-range Pascal GPU. Nvidia's Pascal generation brought many changes to the GPU segment last year. We now have an upper mid-range model with a specifically developed cooling unit from KFA². Our test sample is also equipped with 6 GB GDDR5 VRAM. Continue reading to find out how effective the cooling unit is and whether it is worth buying this graphics card.

Power play. HP is pushing the limits on how powerful a Pavilion system can be without calling it a gaming notebook. The Pavilion 15 Power is the best and potentially most expensive in the series yet.

Difficult heritage. The new Nitro has to connect to the success of its Skylake predecessor. Although it has more gaming power for this, it is not enough for a Very Good rating. Where is the shortcoming? Update 06-29-2017: 4K display

Unique mid-range. Xperia XA1 is the name of Sony's mid-range smartphone this year. With high-resolution cameras and an extravagant design, it definitely has what it takes to be a crowd-pleaser. But can the SoC deliver enough power? And what about battery life? We will answer these and other questions in the test.

Olden but golden. Without a USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3, the 2017 model of Microsoft's Surface Pro seems kind of dowdy. The fanless operation we have already seen in Acer's Alpha 12, and unfortunately the device throttles noticeably. Is the only benefit left really its decent battery life?

All good things... With the update of its attractive Galaxy J series, we have the third generation of the J5 in our test. Samsung has radically changed the design and otherwise performs meaningful fine tuning. Fans of removable batteries will be disappointed, since the battery is now also built into the J5. Update: OTA update with bug fixes released.

Blackviewberry without keyboard. Not just the name of the Chinese manufacturer Blackview seems to be inspired by the Canadian manufacturer that used to be called RIM. But the smartphone with the simple name of "P2" is not trying to impress with a keyboard, but rather with good connectivity and a large battery. The specifications look promising, but is that enough?

Early update. Apple already updates the MacBook Pro 13 after around 8 months. Modern Kaby Lake processors and faster SSDs are supposed to provide more performance. But did the manufacturer fix some issues of the predecessor?
Update: The review is now complete.

Featherweight champion? Toshiba's Portégé X30 packs tons of features in one of the lightest bodies currently available. Can the X30 compete with other thin-and-light heavyweights, or will it get knocked out?

Fast - or not really? The Huawei MediaPad T3 10 impresses with a quite high processor performance for lower mid-range tablets, but still cannot convince in terms of overall performance. How it manages to do this, you can find out in our test.

What is new? As well as the quietly updated Air 13, the MacBook 12 has also got a new CPU and a faster SSD. With it, Apple aims to be "years ahead". "Compared to whom or what?" you might ask. Probably in comparison to the Air 13, whose essentials are still from 2012? This could be successful; at least in part.

Big Player. The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 has been updated not only with a faster SoC but also with an improved camera and display. We haven't found much to criticize, but the giant amongst its brethren is not a full replacement for a laptop just yet.

Nothing new. MSI has given its entry-level 17-inch GL72 a hardware update. The new service package is enough to enjoy Full HD resolution adapted to the current gaming world. However, the device cannot offer any other improvements or innovations.

Barebones utilitarianism… One truly bright spot for Chromebooks has been the education sector, wherein their adoption has been disproportionately high. In recognition of this opportunity, Lenovo seizes the moment with what is arguably their most utilitarian—yet still affordable—notebook to date, specifically intended for students.

Insider tip. Anyone looking for a powerful high-end smartphone now, should take a closer look at the Xiaomi Mi6. For about 400 Euros (~$450), Xiaomi's flagship smartphone offers quite a lot, except for LTE-band-20 support. As our test shows, the sixth generation of the Mi series also cannot keep up with the high-end competition in one respect.

The predecessor of Acer's TravelMate P648-G2 managed a very good fourth place among devices by Dell, Lenovo, and HP. The present test proves that Acer remains close to its competitors thanks to regular component updates and that it continues to establish itself as a manufacturer of high-performance business laptops.

Light business companion! We recently tested the ThinkPad X1 Carbon extensively. We now tested a slightly thinned-down version based on an Intel Core i5 for you, and we can show you whether this represents an advantage compared to the otherwise identical model based on the Intel Core i7.

There's life in the old dog yet. It might be hard to believe, but Apple's MacBook Air 13 (unibody aluminum design, 1.35 kg/~3 lb, 17 mm/~0.7 in, 13.3-inch, 1440 x 900) has just turned 7 years old. Once at the very forefront of the vanguard of Ultrabooks, it has now turned into a beloved grandpa.

Balanced gaming. The MX5 R3 is one of the very few gaming notebooks with both FHD/UHD display options and a SIM slot for WWAN connectivity.

A study in what is possible. With the 18-inch GT83VR 7RF, the gaming expert MSI shows what is currently technically possible (in terms of performance) in the notebook segment. Intel's most powerful mobile Kaby Lake processor is accompanied by two Pascal GPUs. However, the price is as extreme as the speed: over 5000 Euros (~$5600) makes the GT83VR 7RF an expensive toy for enthusiasts.

More performance and a very good display. Lenovo's ThinkPad P51 is a full-fledged mobile workstation with a 15-inch display, powerful Xeon quad-core processor and a professional graphics card from Nvidia. The 4K screen in particular convinced in the review.

Convertible Powerhouse. The Lenovo Yoga line has long been the leader in the 2-in-1 notebook market. With the redesigned Yoga 720, the Chinese manufacturer looks to expand that dominance. Can the 15-inch model be flexible enough for consumers, or will it snap under pressure?

Premium convertible. Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Yoga is clearly in a league of its own - at least as far as the price is concerned. The convertible features high-end components and a very good OLED panel. How the top-of-the-line version of the X1 Yoga with Intel Core i7 CPU compares to its competitors is the subject of our comprehensive review.
Update: Battery runtime and measurements of the WQHD-IPS panel added.

Robust and stylish? Samsung aims to provide a smartphone that survives in rough environments, but also radiates elegance at the same time. The handset is, in fact, robust and not too bulky. We checked whether its everyday suitability is just as impressive.

A great tablet, but not a pro. The iPad Pro 10.5 is Apple's second generation of the Pro-series. The screen is definitely the star of the show. It has not only grown in size, but it also offers 120 Hz, HDR and claims coverage of the P3 color space. The tablet is on its way to the top with the A10X SoC, but it will still not be a satisfying notebook replacement.