Reviews

Kaby Lake Upgrade. A powerful processor, IPS display and quick SSD: these are the fundamental building blocks for a good office computer, and the Inspiron provides them all. A backlit keyboard and a good battery life build on that foundation, and the built-in touchscreen can be operated with a stylus. The whole package costs just under 800 Euros (~$850).

Limited competitiveness. Despite some good approaches, an SSD and sufficient CPU performance, we cannot quite get accustomed to Acer's multimedia newcomer with an AMD basis. The engine does not work as efficiently and reliably as the Intel competition, and especially the subpar TN-panel display without any flexibility concerning viewing angles will most likely only suffice for undemanding users.

Kaby Lake gamer. Asus has refreshed its portable GL502VM series with Kaby Lake and... not much else. Don't expect any tangible benefits in gaming performance or even battery life out of this Xotic PC SKU.

Kaby Lake meets Pascal. Like all the other manufacturers of gaming notebooks, Schenker Technologies has also updated its products with Intel's latest CPU architecture. The 15-inch XMG P507 is the first model that we have reviewed, and features a 120 Hz panel as well as Nvidia's G-Sync technology for a better picture.

Tiny Tank. HP has been busy updating their Pavilion x360 line, and today we look at the smallest member, the 11t. With a solid construction, this 11.6" convertible is as strong as a tank. Unfortunately, it also feels as slow as one.

The ZenBook with a 14-inch display. Asus expands its ZenBook lineup with the 14-inch system UX3410UA and puts a 14-inch display in a 13-inch chassis. The attractive design does not change and we get a bright display as well as sufficient performance. Only the current state of the fan affects the good overall impression a bit.

Bad display. HP's 14-inch business laptop also gets the Kaby Lake update. However, as with the larger 15-inch sibling we are not convinced by the display.

Elegant companion. Acer combines the most important elements of a subnotebook and calls the result Swift 5. The refined yet familiar design is particularly impressive.

Cool but slow. Don't let the GE62 chassis fool you - the CX62 is far too weak for most games and its 768p TN display is horrid.

Handy alternative. Like its 5.5-inch sibling Nova Plus, Huawei's Nova is almost premium-range in terms of build. However, the 5-inch handset had even more to offer in the test and gives its mid-range opponents a hard time.

Better late than never. At the end of 2016, we got caught up in the excitement of Pascal, Kaby Lake and co. and entirely forgot about Civilization VI. To rectify our mistake, we are putting the latest addition to the Civilization family in the spotlight with multiple notebook and desktop PC tests.

Small Update, Big Impact? The ThinkPad E470 is the latest addition to the popular Lenovo business series. This entry-level model of the E-series uses a 7th generation Intel Core processor and promises more performance and battery life. All of this for an attractive price. Is the quality still up to par?

Gaming machine. MSI's GT72VR 7RE is a powerful 17.3-inch gaming notebook that handles modern games smoothly on the matte Full HD screen. The new Kaby Lake quad-core also leaves a good initial impression. Positive: The noise development is pretty restrained, despite the powerful hardware.

Good, basically. HP’s Pavilion x360 line provides a relatively affordable entry into the convertible market for those disinterested in the frills of typical high-end Ultrabooks but still unwilling to spring for bargain-bin fare. Today’s model even features a solid-state drive and IPS screen. Is this the ideal middle ground?

On Fire? Amazon's entry into their tablet ecosystem is inexpensive - in fact, very inexpensive. In Germany, the Fire Tablet (Late 2015) sells for 60 Euro (~$64) via Amazon's online store. What compromises the low-budget 7-inch tablet requires is the subject of our review.

The entry point into the world of Pascal-based desktop GPUs is the GTX 1050. Equipped with only 2 GB of GDDR5 RAM, it primarily competes against the - only marginally more expensive - GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB of RAM. Zotac's GeForce GTX 1050 Mini is a very compact graphics card without a fancy heatsink design.

Disappointing screen. Acer launches a well-equipped 15.6-inch all-rounder on the market with the TravelMate P259-MG-71UU. The GeForce 940MX graphics core (GDDR5 version) allows playing many up-to-date computer games. Acer ruins the overall good impression with a poor screen and only middling battery life.

Apache is approaching! The well-known gaming notebook manufacturer MSI brings us an interesting combination. A fast quad core processor of the Skylake family and a Pascal-based GPU are at the core of the latest model. Learn how well the components fit each other in our in-depth review.

Long battery life, limited performance. Asus' ZenFone 3 Max aims to impress with its high-capacity battery and satisfy all runtime-junkies. However, they will have to make compromises in other aspects as our test shows.

Kaby Lake upgrade. HP's 14-inch laptop features a strong processor, low system noise, low temperature development, and an IPS screen. Sounds good. However, the Pavilion has some shortcomings.

Hamstrung. A powerful current-generation i7 CPU combined with a dedicated GPU - on paper, the 15.6-inch HP Pavilion 15t-au100 seems like a very desirable notebook. A slow conventional hard drive, a dim display panel and the short battery life are the most notable drawbacks.

Affordable Prime. Wiko offers its 5-inch smartphone with a fingerprint scanner, Full HD screen and dual-SIM for less than 300 Euros (~$316). Our report reveals whether the device is just cheap or it is also competitive.

Flawed. This IdeaPad is available for 500 Euros (~$526). On the plus side, the laptop offers a strong Kaby Lake processor with dual-channel RAM and lots of storage space. However, the weak case and the dark, reflective screen can cause problems.

Full HD Home Office. This new 15.6-inch model from Acer is equipped with a matte FHD screen - a rare occurrence in the low-price segment. The laptop has a lot of storage space and creates low emissions: a simple home office notebook.

It's all about the screen. Xiaomi installs a huge 6.4-inch screen in a casing that is just a bit bigger than those of conventional premium-range smartphones into its new high-end phablet. Starting at a price of around 700 Euros (~$737), it is not exactly a bargain. Is importing the innovative handset worthwhile anyway?

Dark Display. This HP convertible is on the market for 600 Euros (~$632). It offers a combination of a Kaby Lake processor, an IPS screen and a 1 TB HDD. It might be an attractive option for some users, as it supports active input styli (Active Stylus).

Core i7-7700K in a laptop. Stuff a 91 W desktop processor and a 150 W Nvidia GPU in a 15.6-inch notebook and you'll have more processing power in a portable 3 kg system than most full-size PCs.

Kaby Lake upgrade. MSI equips its most powerful 17-inch notebook, the GT73VR, with the brand-new CPU generation from Intel. The Core i7-6820HK is replaced by its direct successor, the Core i7-7820HK. Our review update will find out how that changes the performance, emissions, and the power consumption.

Entry-level Gaming. The MSI GE72 revision from 2017 is interesting because of several reasons. First of all, Intel's brand new processor architecture enters the notebook segment with the Core i7-7700HQ. On the other hand, Nvidia's brand new gaming chip GTX 1050 Ti is on board, which ranks in between mid-range and upper class. We checked the gaming capabilities of the 17-inch model.

More bang for your buck? Acer slips in a completely new device somewhere between Aspire, Nitro, and Predator. The new Aspire VX is equipped with the GTX 1050 Ti GPU as well as the new i7-7700HQ CPU and represents Acer's entry-level gaming model.

Kaby Lake quad-core meets GeForce GTX 1050. After the launch of the high-end GPUs last fall, Nvidia now releases new Pascal mainstream graphics chips together with Intel's new Kaby Lake quad-core processors. The Asus GL753VD is one of the first notebooks with the brand-new hardware.

Pleasant sounding elite of tablets . Asus' ZenPad 3s wants to be a serious competitor for Apple and aims to attract iPad owners. Thanks to a high-quality casing and hi-res sound, this might even function - were it not for some strange happenings during the test...

Serious Surface Competitor? Convertibles with strong performance are always a crowd favorite. Asus packs a Skylake i7 processor in a flat case and hopes for the best, but there are a few problems. In our extensive review, we will discuss the Transformer 3 Pro and its place in the competitive convertible market.

Best in class thanks to accessories? TThe One Touch Idol 4S is the new flagship smartphone from Alcatel and is shipped with many accessories. However, a closer look reveals some drawbacks.

Good employee. HP's new ProBook 430 G4 is the entry-level business model. The Kaby Lake update leaves a good initial impression, but some details reveal that you are not on the executive floor yet.

Successful. Razer's thin 14-inch is packed with powerful hardware that can handle all modern games on the matte Full HD display. You also get good input devices and Thunderbolt 3. The stamina of the small system is not bad, either.

Room for Improvement. This 17.3-inch Lenovo model offers a powerful Intel Kaby Lake processor, lots of storage space and Windows 10 Professional, but it has its weak points: the model has only one Fast Ethernet interface, the display has low brightness and contrast and the case is relatively weak.

Flip Flop. HP now offers Kaby Lake processors in their 15-inch Pavilion x360 convertibles. In addition to the upgraded 7th generation Intel chips, a few other changes have been made. Are these improvements enough to make us flip over the Pavilion, or does it fail to stick the landing?

BlackBerry's Lifeboat? With the DTEK60, BlackBerry delivers a well-equipped Android smartphone, backed with the company's renowned reputation for security. But is it enough to save the company?

Samsung Galaxy S7 replica. The current premium model of the Chinese manufacturer ElePhone S7 has been put through our test course. Its outer resemblance to Samsung's counterpart is striking. The technical specifications of ElePhone's S7 are very promising and the first impression is also positive.

Silver Award. Despite the rather high price, Lenovo's ambitious, long-lasting 14-inch convertible doesn't quite make it across the 90 percent mark. The margin is very narrow though, as the new convertible is thoroughly impressive in most areas. The whistling fan system and the lack of physical ports prevent a better score, however.

Something new from the east? The One A9s from the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC is the much more affordable successor to the One A9 we reviewed last year. We will find out what changed compared to the previous model.

Jack of all trades… The latest Envy x360 15-inch convertible is strikingly similar to the previous ones. And as before, it’s here to convince us that it can do it all: be a laptop, be a tablet, play some games, do some work, all for an affordable price… but is it really the ideal choice for these tasks?

Best Spectre convertible yet. The 13-inch Spectre x360 series has received a full-blown refresh in time for Kaby Lake and the results are nothing short of impressive.

Convertible for home use. HP's 13.3-inch convertible pleases with a high-contrast IPS display and offers plenty of storage. The battery life could be better.

Unworthy screen. HP is one of the first manufacturers to use Kaby Lake in its 400 ProBook lineup in the business sector. Why the 15.6-inch model is not convincing despite its many positive traits can be read in our in-depth report.

Bright+. BQ, a Spanish manufacturer, is launching the Aquaris X5 Plus, a mid-range device with a fingerprint sensor, dual SIM functionality and a (very) bright 5-inch FHD screen. In our review, we will find out how well the smartphone fares in the modern market.

Popular companion. High-quality materials coupled with responsive hardware leave a good impression. Even though the display luminance does not seem very up-to-date, we like the overall package of the new Acer Swift 3.

Slim, Slimmer, Acer Swift 7! The trend towards slimmer devices keeps going on. Acer has now created the slimmest notebook in the world: less than 10 mm (~0.4 in) thick. We will check to see how well the Kaby Lake dual-core SoC works in our review.

Powerful and Slim. The Asus GL502VM is a slim, 15.6-inch gaming laptop which can run games smoothly on its matte, FHD screen. The hardware needs a lot of cooling, so the laptop can become noisy.

Budget AMD business. The AMD model starts for about $200 USD less than the Intel ProBook 450 equivalent. Unfortunately, the hit to performance and battery life when compared to your standard ULV Core ix CPU is very tangible.

Flagship 2.0. After less than six months, OnePlus has introduced the successor to its high-end smartphone OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T. We will find out what the improved version is capable of and if the upgrade is worth it.

New edition. Samsung's mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy J7, has undergone a facelift. The result is the Galaxy J7 (2016), which comes with a more stylish case, more performance and a larger battery compared to its predecessor. Our review shows whether the upgrade has been worth it.

Better by a Touch? Apple slims down the MacBook Pro 15 quite radically and reduces the weight to around 1.8 kg with a thickness of just 16 millimeters. The professional notebook, which even gained customers from the 17-inch Pro in the past, is now even a real alternative for users of the previous MBP 13.

Provoking the mid-range. HTC has often tried to score with stylish looks, hi-res sound, and decent cameras. Thus, HTC's Desire 10 Lifestyle dual-SIM handset is an interesting offer in the mid-range. Can the 720p panel and relatively slow SoC stop this wave?

Pascal upgrade. Acer now uses the latest Pascal GPUs from Nvidia for the current Predator 15. We also get some additional features that were missing with the previous models. The design of the bulky 15-inch gaming notebook is still a matter of taste though.

High contrast. Alcatel's One Touch Pop 4S "flagship" handset of the Pop 4 lineup is all set to run through our test course. The affordable mid-range smartphone offers an interesting technical configuration in conjunction with a very high-contrast IPS screen. However, its system performance cannot compete with equally priced mid-range smartphones.

MSI's version of the GeForce GTX 1080 is supposedly not only faster but also quieter than Nvidia's Founders Edition. LED effects provide visual highlights. How well the GPU handle the various benchmarks and if it managed to impress is the subject of our review.

Clear direction. Everything comes at a price. If you want super thin, you will have to waive ports – but not performance! After the throttling issues of the HP Spectre 13, the world’s thinnest notebook, Asus can pull it off: Performance like a big system, but as thin as a fanless tablet.

Clever Fox. The Wileyfox Spark+ is establishing itself in the entry-level mobile market by using classic features: removable battery, dual SIM functionality and a microSD card slot. This market segment is bristling with competitors and our test model will have to prove itself against them in our in-depth review.

Competitive. Wileyfox is launching its fifth smartphone, the Spark X. It offers dual-SIM, LTE and a large battery. For a 5.5-inch phone, it has great ambitions, as its price tag is below 200 Euros (~$211).

Average. Lenovo is trying to stand out of the crowd of cheap notebooks available for 600 Euros (~$633) or less. We will check to see what the new IdeaPad 310-15IKB has to offer in our detailed review.

Solid all-round device! With the ZenBook, Asus presents us a compact 13.3-inch device. Its Skylake processor and the dedicated GPU ensure a fast system. Our review will reveal whether the device has any disadvantages.

Slim gaming laptop. Asus packs a lot of gaming power into a slim 17.3-inch notebook. Even so, the laptop does not produce too much noise or heat. Due to the deactivated integrated GPU, the laptop consumes more power while idling than necessary.

Impressive performance. Despite the fact that Watch Dogs 2 is quite demanding on the hardware, its engine appears to be well-engineered and stable. Which graphics card and what settings are best suited to allow the user to ascend to the hacker-throne is the subject of our review. Update: we've now tested 16+ graphics cards.

Finally 4k recording! Huawei's Nova Plus leaves a premium impression in the mainstream segment and is the first smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer with Ultra-HD video recording. However, Huawei does not use its own Kirin SoC, but a chip from Qualcomm. How does the smartphone perform in the competitive segment of up to 400 Euros (~$432)?

Solid as a Rock. The new Razer Blade packs a GTX 1060 in a great aluminum case. The laptop offers reliable input devices, Thunderbolt 3 and an amazing IGZO panel. With all this on the table, what could go wrong? Besides some smaller issues, the greatest weakness was its lackluster gaming performance. However, the latter has now been fixed with an EC update.

Kaby Lake upgrade. With the IdeaPad 510S-13IKB, Lenovo offers a well-equipped subnotebook in the 13.3-inch format. The quite good impression is marred by the only average battery runtimes.

The better 13-inch Pro? The MacBook Pro 13 Touch Bar is Apple's new 13-inch flagship model. Besides the obvious OLED display above the keyboard, however, there are more differences compared to the entry-level model with function keys. Is it worth the $300 premium?

1-with-2. Android or Windows? Users of the Chuwi Hi10 Pro don't have to make that decision, since the Chinese hybrid tablet comes with both operating systems preinstalled. If the tablet is worth buying is the subject of our review.

Tango for the masses. The first consumer Tango smartphone is a bit larger than expected and doesn't always work perfectly, but it is thankfully wrapped in a solid and potent design.

Surprisingly good. The HP 15-ay116ng costs 500 Euros (~$532) - a lot of money for a simple office notebook. But the laptop has a lot to offer: a Kaby Lake processor, a Full HD display and an SSD. Added to this is very good battery life and low operating noise.

Cheap 13.3-inch laptop Acer's 13.3-inch laptop delivers good battery runtimes, a decent keyboard, and a matte display. Intel's new Apollo Lake platform makes for a significant performance gain when compared to the predecessor platform. Pro: The small computer features a maintenance hatch.

Business giant17-inch laptops are rare in the business sector. Thus, it is all the more pleasing that HP offers a particularly well-conceived model in its portfolio in the form of HP ProBook 470 G4. Our report reveals why it does not have any serious competition.

All-rounder. The CX72 is a 17.3-inch notebook destined to sit on the home-office table. The laptop has low heat and noise emissions and a powerful Kaby Lake processor, but the display is lacking. We will find out more about this model in our detailed review.

Good conscience. Fairphone's 2 promotes fair labor conditions and sustainability rather than exploitation and waste. With its unique, to the smartphone world, modular design that easily allows replacing components, the 5-inch Android takes a different approach than its rivals in all other aspects, as well.

Cheap DTR.The Aspire E5-774 works very quietly, barely heats up, offers simple upgrade options, an FHD screen and good battery life - a nice desktop replacement. The price is relatively low at 550 Euros (~$583), but the laptop does not come with a Windows OS.

Plus size, small price. Budget Chinese smartphones are looking and performing better every year. The UMI Plus is no exception at the cost of a larger form factor and subpar camera.

Imperfect. Lenovo has put a largely useless dedicated graphics card in its new 14-inch convertible. Thankfully, the other components ensure the device can do its job as a mobile office companion. In our detailed review, we will check this model and see how its limited battery life and other flaws stack up in comparison to the competition.

Is the Mini version all you need? In addition to the flagship model Axon 7, the Chinese manufacturer once again offers a Mini version of the current model. Besides the size and the features, the price was reduced as well. But can the Axon 7 Mini compete with the strong rivals?

Edge-less. The affordable mid-range model Mars by the Chinese manufacturer Vernee is furnished with a virtually edge-less design besides a very good configuration for the price range. According to the manufacturer, the lateral edges are just 1 millimeter in width. Find out in the report how the smartphone fares compared with the strong competition.

Boundless performance. Gigabyte has taken the design of their AORUS gaming notebook to the next level with the advent of the X7 DT v6. With class-leading GPU and CPU performance, speedy solid-state storage, and powerful networking and display options, can anything slow it down?

Kaby Lake, Yoga style. Lenovo updates its models and equips the noble convertible with 7th-Gen Intel Core processors. We will find out how the modern ULV processor from Intel performs.

More power, same features. The impressive overclock-ready SC17 is now officially on the Pascal train, but its continuing lack of features puts the notebook at a disadvantage in the 17-inch gaming category.

Evolution. The successor to the MediaPad M2 of 2015 is finally here: please welcome the MediaPad M3. The new model may have almost identical measurements to the predecessor, but it is equipped with a larger, higher resolution panel, a stronger processor and a fingerprint sensor. We will check what Huawei has to offer in our detailed review.

Robust. This robust 14-inch laptop from Dell will thrive in harsh conditions. The very bright IPS screen and the whopping 97 Wh battery ensure that this laptop is ready for wherever your work takes you.

2-in-1 convertible laptop With the Yoga 510-15IKB, Lenovo delivers a convertible laptop in 15.6-inch format. Thanks to the 360° rotatable screen, this device offers several modes of operation.

USB Type-C for entry-level price. For a street price of 150 Euros (~$160), the Chinese manufacturer UMi is offering an interesting package: powerful hardware, a 4,000 mAh battery and the modern Type-C USB port are included in the Max model.

The Performance Enigma. Gaming qualities aside: the stealth-action game, Dishonored 2, is not running as smoothly as one would expect. The PC version is suffering from performance drops. In the following review, we will check how the game runs on notebooks.

Too expensive. Lenovo's 15.6-inch all-rounder scores with good equipment, a decent portion of computing power, and gaming suitability. The battery life can only be called mediocre. Furthermore, Lenovo demands an exorbitant price of 999 Euros (~$1058) for the laptop.

Let's get cracking! A word to the wise at the big gaming companies, where they routinely spend millions and put casts of thousands to work developing high-end games. Alongside all those big boys -- like Battlefield, FIFA, and Assassin's Creed -- Germans also delight in playing on a farming simulator. Here's a look at what's up with the latest version, as shown in this benchmark report.

Quiet evolution. The Kaby Lake i5-equipped version of Dell's XPS 13 subnotebook with FHD display impresses with outstanding battery live, great performance and top-notch ergonomics. The display, however, falls a tad short of our lofty expectations.

Cool Pad. The successor of the affordable mainstream model Modena can really live up to the company name Coolpad – the Chinese Modena 2 is one of the "coolest" smartphones we reviewed so far. But can the smartphone convince with more than just cool case temperatures? We will find out.

Multitalented. Would you like a tablet which is also a graphics tablet? Want a keyboard too? The Lenovo Yoga Book Android offers all this and more. We will check how well the device performs in our in-depth review.

War mechs on Speed. Every Fall, we have new versions of single and multiplayer shooter games to evaluate. Alongside the reigning leaders “Battlefield 1” and “Call of Duty Infinite Warfare”, “Titanfall 2” is also seeking to carve out its piece of the gaming pie for 2016. Here, we test its performance on a variety of (Notebook) GPUs.

Steeplechase. Asus treats its 12.5-inch Transformer Book to Intel's Skylake generation and also installs a second battery into the keyboard dock. This gives the new Transformer Book longer stamina. However, the newly gained performance cannot really be utilized.

In the shadow of Battlefield 1. Activision launches the latest part of the extremely successful Call of Duty series almost immediately after the launch of EA's excellent World War I shooter. In this benchmark test, we will check whether the graphics can keep up with the main rival or if we are dealing with another frame rate fiasco similar to the predecessor Black Ops 3.

The visionary. Sony wants a revolution: the Xperia XZ aims to change our everyday life. However, with the exception of its 23 MP camera, most of its specifications are quite ordinary. Let us find out what this Sony flagship model is capable of.

Brilliant, even without Touch? The new MacBook Pro laptops have arrived. The most striking new feature: a Touch Bar instead of function keys. Apple still offers a model without this novelty, and wants to target the "entry-level sector" – price: 1699 Euros ($1499). We already have a device in our editorial office and will share our results in this live review.

Cheap business laptop. Acer offers the TravelMate P249-M for 550 Euros (~$600). This 14-inch notebook is quiet, packs good battery life and it has a three-year warranty. In addition, this TravelMate has keyboard lighting and a free M.2 slot.