Reviews

Yoga-like entertainer. Lenovo’s Edge 15 notebook is a Best Buy exclusive with a sleek and sturdy aluminum build and some transformative properties that almost resemble the Yoga line of machines. It’s an interesting combination of features, but is it a practical addition to the lineup?

Maximum Flexibility. That's how Toshiba introduces a number of new convertibles on their German website. The series is supposed to merge the most important features of both notebooks and tablets into a single unit. If Toshiba succeeded we are going to determine during our review of the first model in the series, which retails for 400 Euro.

Little companion. Netbooks still have a purpose. A small, light, and portable Windows device does not have to be expensive. But what can the buyer expect for a price below 250 Euros (~$310)?

Performance alternative. HP reworked its workstation series and now offers some new features. We decided to equip the HP ZBook 15 G2 with the AMD FirePro M5100 and the high-resolution QHD+ display. We tested how well the two components suit the established working device.

GTX 980M SLI. The highly configurable Eurocom X7 returns as the X8 and instantly comes out on top on our usual benchmarks yet again. We take a closer look at this ultimate gaming machine from the Canadian reseller of the most powerful barebones available.

Business style. The business laptops of Dell's Latitude lineup are actually made for entrepreneurs. However, the slim Dell Latitude E5550 and its plastic casing also fit medium budgets. Our report clarifies whether the E5550 is just another office machine, or if it might just add a touch of elegance to the desk.

Yoga goes Windows. We're about to take a look at the Windows version of the ergonomic acrobat that is the Yoga 2. We've got a lot of questions: Did Lenovo equip this tablet with the same great IPS panel? How's the battery life compared to the Android model's? Are there any hardware updates? Read our review to find out what we discovered.

Well-equipped. Pony up 500 Euros (~$613) for this 15.6-inch device and you'll get an all-rounder capable of running some current video games. Thanks to its 1 TB hard drive, the storage space won't run out anytime soon.

Netbook, redefined. Asus sells a handy subnotebook based on Windows 8.1 Bing priced at 219 Euros (~$269). Just how much netbook can customers expect at this low price? Asus speaks of elegance, premium-feel, performance, 12 hours of browsing, and vivid colors. A one-year license for Office 365 is also included.

Surprise from the second row. Asus wants to attack the established business competition with its new 12.5-inch subnotebook. The AsusPro BU201LA can not only impress with its great Full HD display, but also with an excellent keyboard and a solid build quality – and all that for a surprisingly low price. What is the catch?

Iris on-board. Long battery life, matte FHD screen, fast SSD and a decent keyboard make the Aspire V3-371-38ZG a good laptop. Does this model have any weaknesses?

Fan-less. HP's 15.6-inch convertible wants to score with an energy-efficient processor from Intel's new Broadwell lineup, which enables a fan-less design in the Envy. A Full HD, IPS screen and good battery life are also part of the bundle.

Third Installment. The second game focused on action and provided gamers immense enjoyment. Now BioWare is making the move to reconsolidate its Dragon Age fans. Our article will focus on the performance of the Frostbite 3 Engine. Will every gamer be able to joy the world of Inquisition?

Netbook alternative? HP includes a dockable keyboard for its Pavilion so that it can be used for more than just a media and browsing station. An economic quad-core processor provides the necessary computing power, and the battery life is also decent. HP demands about 250 Euros (~$309) for the device.

Netbook, redefined. Asus sells a handy subnotebook with Windows 8.1 Bing for 219 Euros (~$272). So how much netbook do customers get for so little money? Asus refers to elegance, premium experience, performance, 12 hours of web surfing, and vibrant colors. In addition, a one-year license for Office 365 is included. Is this all too good to be true?

Expand your Horizon. The 19.5-inch Horizon 2s is Lenovo's follow-up to the 21.5-inch Horizon 2e "2-in-1 tabletop PC". The new model comes with a smaller fold-out kickstand and is much slimmer and lighter than its larger sibling. How the new AIO compares is the subject of our review.

Call to Freedom. The Ubisoft recipe has changed little for the long-awaited sequel, Far Cry 4, as the game is composed primarily of action, exploration and foraging. We tested the performance of the Kyrat special edition on various laptops and have summarized our findings in this review.

Pro as in projector? Lenovo shows its innovative side: The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro can be hung up on a wall, has an integrated subwoofer, and even a projector is installed. At a first glance, that is enough to provide a "wow" factor - but we will check whether the rest of the tablet is just as awesome.

Red temptation. The Pavilion 13 would like to spare buyers the necessity of choosing between tablet and notebook experience by combining both worlds. It is driven by an AMD APU. In addition, it delivers good battery life and plenty of storage space.

Decent computer, good price. HP demands 369 Euros (~$458) for its 355 G2. The buyer gets an office laptop with two operating systems (Windows 7 Pro (64-bit), Windows 8 Pro (64-bit)), a quad-core processor, and a dedicated Radeon graphics core for the money. Can buying a laptop for this price be a mistake?

Performance goes up, energy consumption goes down? After a several-month delay, Intel has finally released the fifth incarnation of their "Core" architecture, codenamed Broadwell. It's even coming on the market this year -- at least in a few machines. Initially, the new, extremely low-energy Core M series will only be used in the improved 14 nm manufacturing process. Is it a dream come true? Can we now expect to see high-performance, passively cooled Windows tablets?

Symbiosis. A powerful notebook does not have to be bulky and loud if it can also be dignified, subtle and quiet. Why pretentious and not understated? Asus thinks it knows what wealthy customers want and creates an Ultrabook that combines performance and elegance in a simple yet sophisticated chassis. Can this symbiosis really set new records in every category, just as Asus promises?

Time is money. Dell's new Latitude E5450 that is designed to make work efficient and be performance-enhancing has now been introduced to the business world. Will the professional domain benefit from its mobility, security, and power?

Dazzler. The concept of the Galaxy Note, a high-end smartphone with a digitizer, is still unique and well implemented by Samsung. But the device cannot utilize the promised additional performance of the Snapdragon 805. However, the Note 4 probably has the best smartphone display, which shines bright and can also convince outdoors.

Classy low-cost gadget. HP14’s exterior gives a premium-line impression. However, the price of just 350 Euros (~$435) suggests that the performance reserves will not be able to meet any special requirements. Is it a good compromise or are the looks deceiving?

Alluring. Asus aims at tech enthusiasts with its new 15-inch Zenbook generation. The flat aluminum unibody houses a standard-voltage i7 processor paired with an upper middle-class Nvidia graphics card. The highlight of this model seems to be the 4K panel. It offers high resolutions, great colors, high contrast and wide viewing angles. Is this the winner?

Cutting corners. A new day, a new notebook with Bing Windows. This low-price model has no fan and offers good battery life. On the inside, not surprisingly, the laptop has an Intel Bay Trail CPU.

You've got the power. We provide some more benchmarks and comparison numbers for our second look at the MSI GT72 with GTX 980M graphics. In short: This is performance that rivals a system with GTX 780M SLI graphics.

Agonizing. Lenovo will not win any awards with the abysmal performance of the new AMD E-6010 dual-core and the integrated R2 graphics. But then, its price is cheap. To what extent the office snail exhausted the tester's patience, and whether multimedia and gaming is even remotely possible is revealed in our report.

A netbook with Bing. The S20-30 was designed to be a little, mobile machine for writing and surfing. For around 250 Euros (~$309), you'll get a quiet netbook with a matte screen and Windows 8.1. The battery life is good, too.

Fun or an imposition? Assassin's Creed Unity is yet another entry in the never-ending list of unfinished games. High demands on the hardware combined with technical bugs are a constant source of aggravation. We'll try to determine just how powerful a notebook has to be to handle this game.

Candy lickin' good. The 64-bit version of Android 4.0 Lollipop and the matching 64-bit processor from Nvidia are certainly the big debuts in the Nexus 9. However, the new architecture apparently has some pitfalls and did not run quite smoothly in the test. Otherwise, we missed the attention to detail in HTC's tablet, which could, however, still score with a good performance and decent battery life.

Stable base. The Acer CB3-111 is one of the cheapest laptops available and it does a good job of being clean, stable and efficient within 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It runs ChromeOS and might be suitable for you. Read on for more details, performance and comparison.

Cool deal. The LG L Fino is a compact entry-level smartphone with a 4.5-inch display, Qualcomm quad-core SOC, as well as UMTS and NFC. For around 160 Euro (~$200) MSRP, the phone comes nicely equipped. We subject the LG L Fino to our battery of tests to get an idea of the performance.

Ergonomic acrobat. This tablet can literally be hung up on a nail. The most striking feature of the new, affordable Yoga scion is undoubtedly its flexible stand that proved extremely handy in the test, although it also increases the weight. Our report will, of course, closely examine the technical aspects, screen, connectivity, and battery life.

Slim and powerful. The current trend towards slim notebook cases also continues with MSI's current workstation lineup. A decent performance combined with a mobile and light case results in an interesting combination that should not be interesting for just professional users. We checked if and for whom the package works.

Broadwell, the second. Following the Yoga 3, HP's Envy x2 is one of the first devices on the market that is based on Intel's new Broadwell technology. HP has created a convertible with multimedia mannerisms, not least due to the installed Beats Audio speakers. Our test will uncover other talents of the Envy x2.

Work computer. A matte screen, good battery life, a comfortable keyboard, maintenance hatches and an unoccupied mSATA slot -- clearly, HP wants to stake their claim on the market for inexpensive office devices. With their 350-G1 line, they may very well have succeeded.

Beefed up. The L-series is the affordable entry into the world of ThinkPads. It offers typing comfort, many interfaces including a docking port, and a rigid, timeless chassis. Lenovo now ships the classic with an SSD and HD+ screen. Will that make the L440 the ultimate laptop among the budget-priced pro-books?

A sharp edge. The term "edge-to-edge" has now become a common marketing ploy to advertise most any portable with a display, but Sharp have taken the term one step further. We find out why the Aquos Crystal is the 2015 CES Innovation Awards Honoree with a closer look at its striking and alluring design.

We love? The Memo Pad 8 from Asus is also available as “Pro Sieben Entertainment Pad”. In cooperation with the media group, the buyer supposedly gets a "100 Euros (~$125) Entertainment Voucher". Read our review to find out what this means and if the device is any good.

The gentle giant. Huawei's Ascend G7 towers over many other smartphones with its 5.5-inch screen. In our tests we will clarify whether its performance and build are also outstanding in view of the affordable 299 Euros (~$372).

Tight Fit. Intel's 'cost reduced' Baytrail-T platform has resulted in a sharp drop in the price of entry level Windows tablets but with that comes restricted RAM and storage. The Point of View Mobii Wintab 800W has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. How does a low-cost Window tablet perform with these restrictions?

Cutting edge? The graphics and technology the previous game of the series was based on were no cause for celebration. Advanced Warfare aims to remedy that and supposedly offers a "next-gen" experience. In our review, we take a detailed look at the performance of the new Call of Duty offshoot.

Made to serve? Asus' F751LDV-TY178H wants to be an all-rounder and satisfy all natures to an equal extent. Will the 650-Euro (~$814) laptop accomplish this feat?

Often imitated, never duplicated. Lenovo was a first-mover in the 360-degree hinge segment, but they’re not content to rest on their laurels. Instead, the company brings us the thinnest, lightest, and most ambitiously-designed Yoga yet. Don’t miss our full review to see how the Yoga 3 Pro stacks up.

Long-lasting versatility. The Toshiba Satellite Radius P50W is a classy-looking convertible equipped with 4th-generation Core i5 processor, a generous amount of RAM and storage, and a 15.6-inch, multi-touch Full-HD IPS touchscreen. How useful is the 360-degree flip-and-fold design?

Portable gaming monster. While ultra-slim, high-end laptops were still rare in 2013, there are now quite a few slim gaming machines. Gigabyte introduces the P35X v3, an extremely high-performance model based on the GeForce 980M.

Two become one. This time the latest Google tablet is produced by HTC, replacing the models Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. It is the first product with the new Android 5.0 Lollipop, and looks pretty good. The new operating system now also supports 64-bit processors, and the Nexus 9 obviously uses one.

Facelift. Lenovo once again offers a device for private and business users with the latest model of the inexpensive ThinkPad E-series. There are some visual changes compared to the predecessors – but you still get a matte panel and a good keyboard.

1080p on a budget. A 5.2-inch FullHD LG display with a higher PPI than an Apple Retina display on a Chinese smartphone for less than $150? It's a mouthful, but the bottom line is that the Focus E01 offers one of the best and brightest 1080p displays for the inexpensive asking price.

Too thirsty. AMD's new FX-7500 APU wants to show what it is capable of. The combination of a dedicated Radeon GPU, a Full HD screen and 1 TB hard drive, turns the Aspire into a game-suitable all-rounder.

No endurance. Lenovo sees its B50-70 destined to be a workhorse. A matte Full HD screen, powerful Core i5 processor, and a high-capacity hard drive let buyers prick up their ears in this direction. However, the laptop exhibits shortcomings in keyboard and battery life.

Brillant. Acer's smallest convertible is now available with a Full-HD display. The price difference is only 30 Euro (~$37) and seems to be well worth it. But is the battery life is shorter than before and how fast is the new CPU? In our review, we try to answer both questions and take a detailed look at the display as well.

Working class hero? HP advertises its new Envy as the epitome of efficiency. Is this because of the SSD-HDD combination? Because of the GTX GeForce? Or the good sound? We check if work and gaming harmonize well.

Farewell Nokia. Microsoft promises customers an affordable flagship smartphone with the Lumia 830. However, the technical specs position the device in the mid-range. A small quad-core and a screen with a low HD resolution is simply not premium range. On the other hand, the build and choice of materials will satisfy the discerning. The biggest drawback is the price.

Hexes live on. Sid Meier's successful gaming series moves on to the next round with Beyond Earth. We don't just mean content-wise -- in terms of graphics, too, the game is on the move. Thanks to Mantle support, AMD-based computers should have a noticeable advantage over Nvidia systems. We ran the tests and have laid out the results for you here.

Desk culprit. Acer's affordable 17.3-inch laptop is designed for use on the desk at home. An AMD APU provides the needed computing power, it offers a high storage capacity, and the battery life does not come too short either.

Hello Broadwell! Intel introduces the next generation of CPU technology. Lenovo’s brand-new Yoga 3 Pro Convertible is one of the first devices with the new Core-M processors. How does the new chip perform compared to Intel’s Haswell ULV processors? What can you expect from the third generation of the Lenovo Yoga? Here are our initial impressions and measurements ahead of our upcoming test.

Performance at all costs. Aorus is one of the first manufacturers to fuse two GeForce GTX 970M cards to an SLI array. Both the performance and the waste heat are correspondingly high. Can the slim 17-inch chassis deal with this load?

Pixel machine. Outsider - trailblazer? While the competition is equipping their high-definition luxury-range with Nvidia GPUs, the Japanese manufacturer relies on AMD's Radeon R9. Will the combination of a 4K screen, fast computing cores, build, and ergonomics result in a round bundle that deserves our purchase recommendation?

Decent all around. The Inspiron 15 3542 is an inexpensive allrounder-notebook. Thanks to a powerful Core i5 processor and dedicated GeForce graphics card, even gaming is not out of the question. The battery life is very decent as well.

Mini update. The changes of the new iPad Mini 3 are small: You only get a fingerprint reader. Otherwise, it is virtually identical with its predecessor. Our review shows why the iPad Mini 3 is still a very good tablet.

Fan-less. Yet another laptop wants to lure potential buyers with a low price and an outstanding performance, dubbed Lenovo G50-30. A Bay Trail Celeron paired with 2 GB of working memory is apt for office and Internet applications. Will the laptop surprise us in any of our tests?

Budgetary constraints. Detachable keyboard base? Check. IPS touchscreen, svelte metallic casing, Windows 8.1? Check, check, check. It all sounds enticing, but it’s what Toshiba had to cut that sends the Click 2 along an uphill battle.

The clone wars. An iPhone 6 for less than $150? Certainly too good to be true, of course. However, you'd be surprised at what this Vphone I6 clone does right for such an inexpensive and ambitious device.

Ironed and strengthened. Even slimmer and faster but just as sophisticated, enduring and elegant as its predecessor. The iPad Air 2 is surrounded by many superlatives and is really the fastest iPad so far. But there are also some smaller drawbacks, and iOS 8.1 is still not working perfectly.

Portable AIO. Lenovo's Horizon 2e is a 21.5-inch All-in-One (AIO) system. Thanks to an integrated battery, the "2-in-1 tabletop PC", as Lenovo calls it, is portable enough so it can be toted from room to room as well. What else does the jumbo-sized tablet bring to the table?

It's got the basics. The HP 250 G3 is a 15.6-inch notebook currently priced at just 270 Euros (~$339). Did HP really just slim down their device where there was beef to spare, or did their frugal measures cross the line?

Second generation. In 2013 the Motorola Moto G was an inexpensive smartphone and a real competitor for mainstream smartphones with its comprehensive features. Now there is a successor, and we want to know if the Moto G2 can impress us as well. Let us find out in our in-depth review.

Alpha leader. Samsung only used plastic even for its premium line in the past. This is now different, and it launches its Galaxy Alpha smartphone with an aluminum bezel. The phone places a claim on the smartphone crown with its strong components, but that still belongs to its company brother - Galaxy S5.

Twin. The advantages of the Aspire can be quickly summarized: It is available for not much money and offers very long battery runtimes. Can you go wrong with purchasing it?

Small update, big impact. MSI now installs the brand new premium models from Nvidia's Maxwell generation. Read here to what extent the GeForce GTX 980M can outperform its precursor, and what it looks like in terms of temperatures, power consumption, and system noise.

Survival pack. Acer's Extensa 2509 focuses on the basic application scenarios - for a competitive price of just 270 Euros (~$338). But how high can the standard be for a laptop of this price?

No endurance. The highlights of the small 11.6-inch laptop are the mSATA solid state drive and empty hard-drive slot. Our report reveals whether the subnotebook has more than that to offer.

Now even cheaper. The price of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 is below 200 Euros (~$250), which is 70 Euros (~$88) cheaper than its predecessor. You still get LTE and even some improvements like a larger display. But is the Ace 4 only cheaper, or is it also better?

Apple challenger. Buyers looking for an alternative that has roughly the same size as the iPhone 6 and (only) want to spend about 500 Euros (~$635) should certainly look closer at the new, elegant, and swift Huawei phablet. Are its screen, casing, performance, and the stylish UI 3.0 a challenge for Apple's much pricier newcomer?

Touchscreen gamer. Lenovo launches the biggest IPS touchscreen Y Series model yet with the 17.3-inch Y70. Features remain largely unchanged from the Y50, including the GTX 860M GPU. For $1399, can this sleek black and red powerhouse hold its own against other 17-inch gaming notebooks?

Slimmed down. The second generation of the iPad Air got even thinner. The new Apple A8X triple-core processor is a surprise. Not only the additional core makes the iPad the new performance reference, but also the powerful GPU. Many details have been improved, but the battery is smaller. Update 10/26: Measurements for the display and the power consumption

Déjà-vu. LG's G Pad 10.1 looks a lot like its smaller brother, the G Pad 8.0. The equipment is almost identical, and the only obvious difference is the larger screen. Again LG opts for limited performance and a long battery life in this case. However, the review sample tends to dim the brightness when it gets too warm.

Windows Chromebook. HP tries to compete with Google's Chromebooks with a slim 14-inch Windows notebook. An AMD APU works inside. The concept sounds good, but is it really convincing?

Design for a small price. This was Asus' goal for the Zenfone 6, a 6-inch phablet with HD resolution, bright IPS touchscreen, a powerful Intel Atom dual-core SoC, as well as 16 GB flash storage for a fair price of 279 Euros (~$353, RRP). The combination looks promising.

Technical stagnation. You snooze, you lose: This saying goes perfectly with the Formula 1 simulation from Codemasters. Even in 2014, users crazy for motor sports have to accept second-rate graphics. Learn here what this means for performance.

Long-lasting allrounder. Lots of storage, suitable for gaming, long battery life, and a decent keyboard: the Aspire V3-572PG ticks all the check boxes for an allrounder notebook. How compelling is the overall package?

Play it again. Handy, slim, rigid, and strong. The former UX31LN/A excelled in these properties. Does its successor inherit these assets, and can it perhaps even add a few plus points?

A PC version to make you shiver. When it comes to games, the PC is often neglected; The Evil Within is a prime example. The high performance demands are particularly effective at spoiling the fun. Our article reveals which GPUs shake in their boots when they encounter this survival-horror game.

Black Nitro. Acer does not make any compromises in the configuration of its Aspire V15 Nitro. Buyers get a slim computer with very powerful hardware, an SSD, and IPS screen. The laptop is primarily aimed at gamers. However, the odd non-gamer might also take a liking to the computer.

Chicken-breasted long-distance runner. LG offers an 8-inch tablet for less than 200 Euros (~$254) that has an excellent battery life dubbed G Pad 8.0. However, the runtimes are at the expense of having a weak SoC, which is usually found in entry-level smartphones, among other things. Nevertheless, Android 4.4 KitKat and known software features from LG help make the tablet an interesting product.

On the hunt for horror. Creative Assembly, known mostly for their time-consuming epic strategy games (the Total War series), dares to take on one of the greatest film classics ever. Alien: Isolation is intended to transport the player into the atmosphere of the original movie. Your role? The hunted. Which GPU is fast enough to "outrun" Alien?

Flexible premium consumer. The high-quality, 13.3-inch laptop with a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen provides a convertible feel for around 800 Euros (~$1023). It might be the right device for users who are looking for an alternative to Lenovo's Yoga 2 or simply expect a bit more from their laptop.

Graphics vs. gameplay. While Ryse: Son of Rome turned out to be rather one-dimensional in terms of its gameplay, graphically the title is a real head-turner. Does your notebook also have to come from another planet to run this game? Our review reveals the answer.

Black box tablet. The new Asus tablet is a bit secretive because the installation of many benchmarks did not work and produced errors. We try to determine if the powerful hardware can meet expectations and how the review sample performs in terms of display, sound, connectivity and case nonetheless.

"Bello e impossibile"? LG's L Bello entry model borrows a few features from the more expensive models and can, for example, be used via buttons on the back. Whether this makes the entry into the smartphone world "bello" can be read in this report.

Long-running subnotebook. Acer blends a long battery life with a matte HD screen, a Core i5 processor, and a fast solid state-drive in its Aspire V3-371-55GS. Has Acer created the perfect subnotebook?

Affordable long-runner. The low price is not the most striking property of the EasyNote TF71BM. It primarily attracts attention with its long battery life.

Always an open ear. Motorola treats its flagship to an upgrade while maintaining the tried virtues. Speech control has been advanced even further. Besides that, a strong Snapdragon 801 and a 13 MP camera have been installed. The smartphone can be personalized over the Moto maker and even allows using exclusive materials like real wood and leather.

Full speed ahead. After the top GPUs from the last Nvidia generation were still based on the Kepler architecture, both the GeForce GTX 980M and GTX 970 finally use the Maxwell architecture. We check the performance with the Clevo P651SE Barebone.

Generational leap. The successor of the Xperia Z1 Compact is called Xperia Z3 Compact – logical, right? Read our review to find out why the small sibling of the Xperia Z3 is a great smartphone, despite the confusing designation.

Wasted potential. HP's new EliteBook 700 series, which is based on AMD quad-core APUs, promises a comparatively inexpensive entry into the world of high-quality business notebooks. What are the drawbacks of the 12.5-inch 725 G2 compared to its Intel-equipped competitors?

Catching Fire. Amazon are taking ques from Google's successful Nexus lineup by expanding their Kindle Fire series into more sizes. The Kindle Fire HD 6 may be small, but its $99 starting price is a big deal. Is this 6-inch Kindle a sign of more inexpensive phablets to come?