Acer just unveiled the Aspire Vero – their first sustainability-focused laptop based on their Earthion platform!
Find out what the Acer Aspire Vero offers, and what the Earthion platform is all about!
Acer Aspire Vero : The First Earthion Laptop!
The Acer Aspire Vero is the first sustainability-focused laptop based on their new Earthion platform.
That Acer Earthion platform is part of their pledge to achieve 100% renewable energy use by the year 2035, which they undertook when they joined the RE100 initiative.
The RE100 initiative is a global corporate renewable energy intuitive that is committed to achieve 100% renewable energy use. The Acer Group has already achieve 44% renewable energy use by 2020.
As the first product from the Acer Earthion platform, the Acer Aspire Vero reimagines what the computer manufacturing process of the future will look like.
Sustainability-Focused Design
Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic is used throughout its chassis and keyboard caps. And the Aspire Vero ships in a box made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and plastic bagging is replaced by paper sleeves. Even the laptop bag is made with 100% industrial recycled plastic!
The emphasis on sustainability is carried over in the design language too. All graphics on the shipping box are printed with soy ink, and the notebook itself has no paint on its chassis, reducing its impact on the environment. The laptop is also held together by easily-accessible, standardised screws for easier disassembly.
11th Gen Intel Core Performance
The Acer Aspire Vero is powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor with Iris Xe graphics, with up to 1 TB of M.2 SSD storage.
It boasts Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, a USB Type C port, two USB 3.2 ports and a HDMI 2.0 port for video out.
Acer Aspire Vero : Specifications
Here are the specifications of the Acer Aspire Vero laptop :
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HONOR just launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models. Let’s take a closer look and see what they really offer!
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : What You Need To Know!
Together with the HONOR 50 and HONOR 50 Pro smartphones, HONOR also launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models.
These basic laptops are part of the HUAWEI 1+8+N strategy, back when HONOR was a HUAWEI subsidiary.
And these two models appear to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage. We will show you why we say that…
Legacy Of HUAWEI Ban Persists
Despite being new models, the HONOR MagicBook X 15 are still powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core processors from 2019.
This appears to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage – HUAWEI was banned from purchasing new processors from Intel since September 2020.
They had already stocked up many processors in advanced of the ban, but can no longer purchase newer Intel processors.
The new HONOR, which was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, is no longer affected by this ban. But it looks like they were not able to source for the latest Intel processors in time.
Performance
There are two HONOR MagicBook X 15 models, based on their processor and storage configurations :
10th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage
10th Gen Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
HONOR claims that they come with a Supersized Shark Fin 2.0 Fan with up to 38% higher air intake, for better cooling performance.
They use DDR4 memory and come with a PCIe NVMe SSD, but that’s standard for laptops these days.
Display
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Thanks to its narrow 5.3 mm bezels on the left and right side, this display offers a 87% screen-to-body ratio.
Battery Life
The 2021 MagicBook X 15 models come with a 42 Wh battery, which HONOR says will deliver just over 7.5 hours of 1080p video playback or just over 7 hours of web browsing.
They will come with a new compact 65 watt fast charger that weighs just 200 grams. It can recharge the battery to 53% in just 30 minutes.
Other Features
Despite its low cost, it boasts an aluminium alloy body, which allows for a thinner profile and a lighter weight at just 1.56 kg.
It also comes with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, that lets you quickly log into Windows.
Finally, it supports Multi-Screen Collaboration – another legacy of its HUAWEI heritage.
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : Price + Deal
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 is available in Malaysia starting 19 June 2021, at these price points :
The CERDIK Initiative is off to a very slow start, with just ⅓ of the laptops or tablets to be distributed by 12 June 2021!
Here are the details…
CERDIK Initiative : What Is It?
The CERDIK Initiative, which started in February 2021, aimed to provide low-income B40 families with a laptop or tablet and Internet access for a year.
This initiative is fully financed by GLCs (Government-Linked Companies) and GLICs (Government-Linked Investment Companies), with contributions of about RM 150 million (USD 37 million).
Yayasan Hasanah – the Khazanah foundation selected to be its secretariat – will manage the initiative which aims to distribute 150,000 laptops or tablets to students from B40 families across the country.
The laptop / tablet (with 1 year of Internet connectivity) will be distributed to schools, and students will retain them until they complete their education.
CERDIK Initiative : Only ⅓ Laptops Distributed By June 2021!
Even though the CERDIK Initiative kicked off in February 2021, they only managed to distribute 12,887 devices to 95 schools in 51 districts by 5 June 2021.
The Minister of Education. Dr. Radzi Jidin said that another 40,290 devices will be distributed by 12 June 2021.
He estimates that the remaining 96,823 devices will be fully distributed by end of September 2021.
As you can tell, the CERDIK Initiative is off to a very slow start, and students from low-income B40 families are going to suffer.
Students have been learning online (PdPR) since mid May 2021. Until they get these devices and Internet connectivity, students from B40 families will have trouble joining those classes and keeping up.
If these students end up getting their devices in August and September, they would only be able to learn for a few weeks before the school term ends in November!
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Qualcomm just introduced the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 – a new compute platform for entry-level laptops!
Here is what you need to know about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2!
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 For Entry-Level Laptops!
On 24 May 2021, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. launched their Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 – their second-generation entry-level compute platform!
This new computer platform will allow brands to introduce always-on, always-connected Windows PCs and Chromebooks with enhanced camera and audio capabilities, integrated LTE connectivity, AI acceleration and more!
Always On, Always Connected!
Devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 are Always On, Always Connected, just like your smartphone.
Its power-efficiency allows the device to stay in connected standby mode for weeks, keeping you connected whether for work, school or entertainment.
Improved Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 delivers up to 10% faster system performance over “most competing platforms”, with up to twice the battery life of those platforms – up to 19 or more hours of continuous use!
Built-In Artificial Intelligence
The Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 comes with the fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine built-in, to accelerate security applications and more accurate voice recognition, amongst other uses.
Enhanced Camera + Audio
This new Qualcomm compute platform is also designed to enhance camera and audio quality, with virtual surround sound, echo cancellation and noise suppression.
Enterprise-Grade Security
Windows devices powered by this new compute platform are Microsoft Secured-Core PCs, with support for Windows 10 Hypervisor.
Its always connected LTE capability also allows faster manageability for IT administrators managing enterprise and education laptops.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 : Key Specifications
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen features eight Kryo 468 CPU cores, running at up to 2.55 GHz; with support for two LPDDR4x memory channels (up to 2133 MHz).
It comes with the Qualcomm Spectra 255 image signal processor, the Qualcomm Hexagon 692 DSP, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X15 LTE modem built-in.
It supports 4G LTE, as well as 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 : Availability
Devices based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 are expected to be commercially available this summer 2021.
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GIGABYTE scrambled to issue an apology, after they were boycotted over their claims of “low quality” manufacturing in China!
Find out what’s going on between GIGABYTE and China!
GIGABYTE Trips Over Claims Of Low Quality Manufacturing In China!
This brouhaha started over the GIGABYTE’s claim that they choose to avoid “low cost” and “low quality” manufacturing in China, manufacturing their laptops instead in Taiwan.
Here is our English translation of what GIGABYTE posted :
MIT
Made In Taiwan Demanding High Quality
Strict quality control is assured by adhering to Taiwanese manufacturing. Unlike other brands that opt for low cost and low quality OEM manufacturing in China, GIGABYTE is committed to creating outstanding and powerful components and laptops.
As a local Taiwanese manufacturer of components and laptops, we guarantee that 90% of our laptops are made in Taiwan, assuring you of high quality control and high quality products.
China Boycotts GIGABYTE Over Low Quality Claims!
Once Chinese netizens discovered what GIGABYTE posted, their outrage was soon made manifest.
On 11 May 2021, the Communist Youth League of China responded with this short message on Weibo – “GIGABYTE, who gave you the courage to say this?”
They also highlighted the part that said, “Unlike other brands that opt for low cost, low quality OEM manufacturing in China…”
Chinese e-commerce companies – JD, Tmall and Suning – swiftly removed all GIGABYTE products from their platforms.
GIGABYTE Quickly Issues Apology
The official Weibo account of AORUS GIGABYTE E-Sports quickly issued a statement of apology, stating :
A few days ago, parts of the text published on our official website are seriously inconsistent with the facts. This was a result of poor internal management of our company.
We sincerely apologise for the discomfort caused to you. At the same time, we also thank gamers and consumers for their attention to our company.
GIGABYTE’s product business includes boards, laptops, computer peripherals, accessories, etc, with production lines all over mainland China, and its production capacity accounts for more than 90%. GIGABYTE is proud of the quality of Chinese production. Chinese production have helped GIGABYTE in creating excellent products and high-quality experiences for customers around the world. The product quality has withstood the test of the market and consumers for many years.
GIGABYTE has been operating in mainland China for more than 20 years, and will conduct a thorough review of the inappropriate remarks and carry out corrective actions to comply with national principles. GIGABYTE will strengthen internal management and training to ensure that all employees are aware of the problem and pay attention to it.
GIGABYTE Technology
11 May 2021
We are not sure if the Chinese authorities would consider this post an official apology, as it was posted by AORUS GIGABYTE E-Sports, which belongs to Ningbo Zhongjia Technology and Trade Co. Ltd. – a subsidiary of Taiwan Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd.
Officially, GIGABYTE Technology hasn’t issued any statement.
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Made with bioplastics from trees, the Dell Latitude 5520 is not only more powerful, it promises a longer battery life and other improvements.
Join us for a close look at the new 2021 Dell Latitude 5520 business laptop!
Dell Latitude 5520 : 15.6-inch Business Laptop
The Dell Latitude 5520 is a 15.6-inch business laptop powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor, with a longer battery life.
The first Dell laptop to be made with bioplastics from trees, it offers environmentally-conscious businesses a way to minimise their ecological footprint.
Dell Latitude 5520 : Specifications + Options
The Dell Latitude 5520 can be configured to suit your requirements.
Here are the options available in Malaysia. You may get different options in other countries.
Specifications
2021 Dell Latitude 5520
Display Size
15.6-inch
Display Options
Full HD IPS (1920 x 1200, 250 nits)
HD TN (1366 x 768, 220 nits)
Realtek Waves MaxxAudio Pro audio
2 x 2 watt speakers
Dual array microphones
3.5 mm audio jack
Wireless
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2)
Bluetooth 5.1
External Ports
2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type C) ports
– with Power Delivery and DisplayPort
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port
1 x HDMI 2.0 port
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
1 x microSD card slot
1 x (optional) micro SIM tray
1 x (optional) smart card reader
Camera
720p webcam only
720p webcam + IR camera
1080p webcam + IR camera
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Dell Latitude 5520 : A Closer Look!
15.6-inch IPS Display
The Dell Latitude 5520 comes with a large 15.6-inch IPS display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It does not have touch capability, which is not needed by most business users.
It has a maximum brightness of 250 nits, which is good enough for indoor use. However, you may have issues using it outdoors in bright sunlight.
For companies on a budget, Dell also offers a HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, and a lower brightness of 220 nits.
Built-In Privacy Shutter
Our review unit came with a high-resolution 1080p webcam, with an IR emitter and camera for Windows Hello facial authentication.
Dell also offers a cheaper 720p webcam, with and without the IR camera.
Both options come with a built-in privacy shutter – a critical feature for security-conscious business users.
Performance
Our Dell Latitude 5520 is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 12 MB of cache and Iris Xe graphics.
You can also opt for the Core i5-1145G7 or the Core i5-1135G7 – both 4-core, 8-thread processors with Iris Xe graphics.
The processor and its integrated graphics are kept cool by the Dual Opposite Outlet fans, with side venting for improved airflow and cooling performance.
Our unit came with 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory running at 3200 MHz, and a 512 GB Western Digital SN730 NVMe PCIe SSD.
Ports
Despite its large 15.6-inch form factor, the Latitude 5520 is slim at just under 20 mm.
Even so, its slightly thicker chassis lets Dell fit in more ports than slimmer designs like the XPS 13.
On the left side, you will find two Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2) Type C ports, both of which support PowerDelivery and DisplayPort output.
The Latitude 5520 is charged using a USB Type C cable, so it must be plugged into one of these two USB Type C ports.
There is a large row of cooling vents, and a slot for the optional Smart Card reader.
On the right side, you will find a microSD card reader, a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports.
And next to them are a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, an RJ-45 LAN port, and a wedge security lock.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The Dell Latitude 5520 has a full-sized backlit keyboard, with a numeric keypad.
Business users will love the numeric keypad, but it may need some getting used to for those who are migrating from “regular laptops”.
The touchpad is reasonably sized, but offset to the left – something you may need to get used to.
Connectivity
Our Dell Latitude 5520 comes with the Intel AX201 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
On top of that, it comes with an RJ-45 LAN port built-in, giving you access to the best and fastest possible network connectivity.
Audio
The Dell Latitude 5520 features two front-firing speakers with 2 watts power output, powered by Realtek Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
It also comes with a 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack, and dual microphone array.
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Dell Latitude 5520 : Performance
Our Dell Latitude 5520 is powered by the 28 watt Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor, with 4 cores and 8 threads, and Iris Xe Graphics with 96 Execution Units.
This processor has 12 MB of L3 cache, a 3.0 GHz base frequency that ramps up to 4.8 GHz during intensive tasks.
Our review sample came with 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory – in dual memory channels, of course, and a 512 GB Western Digital SN730 SSD.
Work Performance : PCMark 10
The Intel Core i7-1185G7 is a 28 watt processor that can be configured to run at a lower TDP of 12 watt – to improve battery life and reduce thermal output.
Dell left it at the full 28 watt TDP for maximum performance, so it delivered PCMark 10 scores in excess of 4800.
The Dell Latitude 5520 is not meant to be a gaming system, but it has surprisingly decent gaming chops.
The Intel Core i7-1185G7 comes with integrated Iris Xe Graphics, with 96 execution units and maximum clock speed of 1.35 GHz.
That gave it a 3DMark Time Spy score just shy of 1190. That makes it about as fast as the NVIDIA GeForce MX350, and a little faster than the Radeon RX Vega 5 integrated graphics used in Ryzen 4000 Mobile processors.
Battery Life : YouTube + Modern Office
Our Dell Latitude 5520 came with a 4-cell lithium-ion battery, that has a rated capacity of 63 Whr.
To test its battery life, we locked the brightness at 50% – higher than the average of 40% – to see how it performs in these worst-case scenarios :
YouTube Streaming
The Dell Latitude 5520 lasted 8 hours 18 minutes streaming YouTube videos in the theatre mode using Wi-Fi, before its battery dropped to 10%.
PCMark 10 : Modern Office
The Dell Latitude 5520 lasted a phenomenal 11 hours before it powered off while running the Modern Office benchmark!
Battery Recharging Speed
Its 45 watt compact fast charger supports ExpressCharge Boost, which lets it deliver up to 35% charge in about 20 minutes, or up to 80% charge in an hour.
In our test, its fast charger took 29 minutes to charge from 10% to 35%, and took about 82 minutes to hit 80%. For a full charge to 100%, it took 142 minutes.
Here are our recorded recharging time from 10% :
16% – 6 minutes 36 seconds
22% – 13 minutes 38 seconds
25% – 17 minutes 25 seconds
31% – 23 minutes 53 seconds
35% – 29 minutes 15 seconds
40% – 35 minutes 12 seconds
45% – 41 minutes 19 seconds
51% – 48 minutes 18 seconds
60% – 59 minutes 34 seconds
66% – 65 minutes 22 seconds
71% – 71 minutes 19 seconds
76% – 77 minutes 19 seconds
81% – 83 minutes 14 seconds
90% – 95 minutes 16 seconds
95% – 107 minutes 18 seconds
100% – 142 minutes 10 seconds
This gives it a battery life : recharging time ratio of 3.5 : 1 for video streaming, and 4.7 : 1 for office work.
As a general rule of thumb, you will need to recharge its battery about 17 minutes for every hour of battery life.
Dell Latitude 5520 : Verdict
The Dell Latitude 5520 is not a sleek ultralight laptop like the XPS 13, it is a large, powerful business laptop.
Its large 15.6-inch display makes it a great desktop replacement, and yet is surprisingly thin and light – it is less than 2 cm thick, and weighs only 1.6 kg.
We strongly recommend the Full HD IPS panel, over the low-resolution HD TN panel option, which would look blurry / blocky on such a large display.
Built around the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor, with integrated Iris Xe Graphics, it offers more than enough processing power for business users for many years to come.
Business users will appreciate the availability of at least two USB-C and two USB-A ports, as well as an actual RJ-45 LAN port and a HDMI 2.0 port too!
If you input a lot of numbers, you will also appreciate the keyboard which comes with a numeric keypad, which is not available in most consumer laptops.
On top of that, the Latitude 5520 comes with a built-in physical shutter for the webcam – a must-have for security conscious users!
If you are a road warrior, we definitely recommend getting the 4-cell battery for extended battery life, which should last you about 11 hours!
All-in-all, this is a solid, no-nonsense business laptop that lets you get work done as quickly and efficiently as possible, no matter whether you are working from home, or on the road.
Finally, we should mention Dell’s truly excellent onsite warranty. With the Latitude 5520, you get 3 years of ProSupport and Next Business Day Onsite Service!
For people who count on their laptops to make a living, NBD onsite service is a MUST!
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The newly-refreshed 2021 HUAWEI MateBook X Pro has these key specifications
Specifications
HUAWEI MateBook X Pro
Display
13.9-inch FullView Display
– 3000 x 2000pixels, 260 ppi
– 450 nits max. brightness
– 91% screen-to-body-ratio
– 100% sRGB colour gamut
– 1500:1 contrast ratio
– 10-point touchscreen
OS
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Memory
16 GB LPDDR4x
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage
512 GB PCIe SSD
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.1
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, integrated into Power button
Ports
2 x USB Type C
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
Webcam
720p recessed camera
Speakers
2 x 2 watt speaker
Battery
56 Whr
Power Adaptor
65 W USB-C power adaptor
Dimensions
304.0 mm wide
217.0 mm deep
14.6 mm thick
Weight
1.33 kg
2021 HUAWEI MateBook X Pro : Key Features
Let’s take a look at its key features…
13.9-inch FullView Display
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook X Pro comes with a 13.9-inch FullView Display, with a 3K resolution of 3000 x 2000 pixels.
This is a premium 10-point touch display, with a maximum brightness of 450 nits; and a decent colour gamut of 100% sRGB.
It also has vey narrow bezels which give it a 91% screen-to-body ratio – hence the name, FullView Display.
Performance
It is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with integrated Intel Xe Graphics.
It comes with 16 GB of LPDDR4x memory, and a fast PCIe NVMe SSD with 512 GB of storage.
Battery + Charging
All that is powered by a large 56 Whr battery, which is paired with a compact 65 watt USB Type C fast charger.
This charger can be used to charge other USB Type C devices, and supports HUAWEI SuperCharge for certain HUAWEI smartphones.
Connectivity + Ports
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook X Pro has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity built-in, but comes with the same ports as the 2020 version.
On the left side, you will find two USB Type C ports, with a 3.5 mm audio port. The USB C ports can output to external 4K displays at up to 60 Hz.
On the right side, you will find single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A port. This is basically a USB 3.0 port.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The 2021 MateBook X Pro comes with a full-sized, ten-keyless keyboard, and a large touchpad.
Pop-Up Camera
Like the 2020 MateBook X Pro we reviewed, the 2021 MateBook 14 comes with a pop-up camera, hidden under a special camera key on the keyboard.
It pops up when you press on it, and pressing it again hides it. This is a great security measure because the camera is physically blocked until you actually need to use it – no hacker will be able to surreptitiously use it to take your photos or videos!
There is only one problem with such a design – it takes photos and videos at an unflattering upward angle. You will also always appear to look upwards on video conferences, and videos that you record.
HUAWEI Share Multi-Screen Collaboration
The 2021 MateBook X Pro supports HUAWEI Share for multi-screen collaboration.
It basically lets you connect your smartphone, and use it directly on the MateBook D 15!
You can control the apps and files on your phone directly on the laptop, even drag and drop files!
The only downside? It is limited to HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones with NFC.
HUAWEI MeeTime
The 2021 MateBook X Pro also supports HUAWEI MeeTime, which is their version of Apple FaceTime – a free, proprietary video call service.
It offers some advantages over its competitors – FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. but can only be used by HUAWEI devices.
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook 14 comes in the Emerald Green colour, with an official launch price of RM 6,899 (about US$1,679 / £1,209 / A$2,171 / S$2,228).
The first 1,500 customers to pre-order one from 20 to 23 April 2021, will receive free gifts worth RM 800 :
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The newly-refreshed 2021 HUAWEI MateBook 14 has these key specifications
Specifications
HUAWEI MateBook 14
Display
14-inch FullView Display
– 2160 x 1440 pixels, 185 ppi
– 300 nits max. brightness
– 90% screen-to-body-ratio
– 100% sRGB colour gamut
– 1500:1 contrast ratio
OS
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Memory
16 GB DDR4-3200
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage
512 GB PCIe SSD
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.1
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, integrated into Power button
Ports
1 x USB Type C
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
1 x HDMI 1.4b
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
Webcam
720p recessed camera
Speakers
2 x 2 watt speaker
Battery
56 Whr
Power Adaptor
65 W USB-C power adaptor
Dimensions
307.5 mm wide
223.8 mm deep
15.9 mm thick
Weight
1.49 kg
2021 HUAWEI MateBook 14 : Key Features
Let’s take a look at its key features…
14-inch FullView Display
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook 14 comes with a 14-inch FullView Display, with a 2K resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels.
This is not a particularly bright display, with a maximum brightness of 300 nits; but it has a decent colour gamut of 100% sRGB.
It also has vey narrow bezels which give it a 90% screen-to-body ratio – hence the name, FullView Display.
Performance
It is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with integrated Intel Xe Graphics.
It comes with 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory, and a fast PCIe NVMe SSD with 512 GB of storage.
Battery + Charging
All that is powered by a large 56 Whr battery, that HUAWEI claims will last 11 hours of non-stop 1080p video playback.
It is paired with a compact 65 watt USB Type C fast charger, that can be used to charge other USB Type C devices, and supports HUAWEI SuperCharge for certain HUAWEI smartphones.
Connectivity + Ports
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook 14 has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity built-in.
On the left side, you will find a single USB Type C port, with a 3.5 mm audio port and a HDMI 1.4b port.
The HDMI 1.4b port can handle up to 4K displays, but only at up to 24 fps. To display at 4K @ 50 fps / 60 fps, you need HDMI 2.0.
On the right side, you will find two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports. These are basically USB 3.0 ports.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The 2021 MateBook 14 comes with a full-sized, ten-keyless keyboard, and a large touchpad.
Pop-Up Camera
Like the MateBook X Pro we reviewed, the 2021 MateBook 14 comes with a pop-up camera, hidden under a special camera key on the keyboard.
It pops up when you press on it, and pressing it again hides it. This is a great security measure because the camera is physically blocked until you actually need to use it – no hacker will be able to surreptitiously use it to take your photos or videos!
There is only one problem with such a design – it takes photos and videos at an unflattering upward angle. You will also always appear to look upwards on video conferences, and videos that you record.
HUAWEI Share Multi-Screen Collaboration
The 2021 MateBook 14 supports HUAWEI Share for multi-screen collaboration.
It basically lets you connect your smartphone, and use it directly on the MateBook D 15!
You can control the apps and files on your phone directly on the laptop, even drag and drop files!
The only downside? It is limited to HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones with NFC.
HUAWEI MeeTime
The 2021 MateBook 14 also supports HUAWEI MeeTime, which is their version of Apple FaceTime – a free, proprietary video call service.
It offers some advantages over its competitors – FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. but can only be used by HUAWEI devices.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The newly-refreshed 2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 14 has these key specifications
Specifications
HUAWEI MateBook D14
Display
14-inch FullView Display
– 1920 x 1080 pixels, 157 ppi
– 250 nits max. brightness
– 84% screen-to-body-ratio
– 45% NTSC colour gamut
– 800:1 contrast ratio
OS
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-10210U
Memory
8 GB / 16 GB DDR4-3200
Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB PCIe SSD
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.1
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, integrated into Power button
Ports
1 x USB Type C
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
1 x USB 2.0 Type A
1 x HDMI 1.4b
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
Webcam
720p recessed camera
Speakers
2 x 2 watt speaker
Battery
42 Whr
Power Adaptor
65 W USB-C power adaptor
Dimensions
322.5 mm wide
214.8 mm deep
15.9 mm thick
Weight
1.38 kg
2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 14 : Key Features
Let’s take a look at its key features…
14-inch FullView Display
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 14 comes with a 14-inch FullView Display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
This is not a particularly bright display, with a maximum brightness of just 250 nits; and it only has a colour gamut of 45% NTSC.
But it is large, with narrow bezels that give it an 84% screen-to-body ratio – hence the name, FullView Display.
Performance
It is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U with integrated Intel UHD Graphics.
It comes with either 8 GB or 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory, and a fast PCIe NVMe SSD with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage.
Battery + Charging
All that is powered by a decent 42 Whr battery, paired with a compact 65 watt USB Type C fast charger.
The charger can be used to charge other USB Type C devices, and supports HUAWEI SuperCharge for certain HUAWEI smartphones.
Connectivity + Ports
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 14 has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity built-in.
On the left side, you will find a single USB Type C port, with a USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A port and a HDMI 1.4b port.
The HDMI 1.4b port can handle up to 4K displays, but only at up to 24 fps. To display at 4K @ 50 fps / 60 fps, you need HDMI 2.0.
On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm audio port, and a single USB 2.0 Type A port.
We have to wonder though – why stick with super-old USB 2.0, instead of the much faster USB 3.0 port?
Keyboard + Touchpad
The 2021 MateBook D 14 comes with a full-sized, ten-keyless keyboard, and a large touchpad.
Pop-Up Camera
Like the MateBook X Pro we reviewed, the 2021 MateBook D 14 comes with a pop-up camera, hidden under a special camera key on the keyboard.
It pops up when you press on it, and pressing it again hides it. This is a great security measure because the camera is physically blocked until you actually need to use it – no hacker will be able to surreptitiously use it to take your photos or videos!
There is only one problem with such a design – it takes photos and videos at an unflattering upward angle. You will also always appear to look upwards on video conferences, and videos that you record.
HUAWEI Share Multi-Screen Collaboration
The 2021 MateBook D 14 supports HUAWEI Share for multi-screen collaboration.
It basically lets you connect your smartphone, and use it directly on the MateBook D 15!
You can control the apps and files on your phone directly on the laptop, even drag and drop files!
The only downside? It is limited to HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones with NFC.
HUAWEI MeeTime
The 2021 MateBook D 14 also supports HUAWEI MeeTime, which is their version of Apple FaceTime – a free, proprietary video call service.
It offers some advantages over its competitors – FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. but can only be used by HUAWEI devices.
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In their 2021 refresh, HUAWEI is offering the MateBook D 15 in two variants – the 11th Gen Edition, and the 10th Gen Edition.
As you can pretty much surmise, they are basically the same laptop, just powered by either the 11th Gen Core i5 processor, or the older 10th Gen Core i5 processor.
To make it easier for you to compare them, we created this table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
HUAWEI MateBook D15
11th Gen Edition
10th Gen Edition
Display
15.6-inch FullView Display
– 1920 x 1080 pixels, 141 ppi
– 250 nits max. brightness
– 87% screen-to-body-ratio
– 45% NTSC colour gamut
– 800:1 contrast ratio
OS
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Intel Core i5-10210U
Memory
8 GB / 16 GB DDR4
8 GB DDR4
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Intel UHD Graphics
Storage
512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6, 2×2 MIMO
Wi-Fi 5, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth 5.0
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, integrated into Power button
Ports
1 x USB Type C
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
2 x USB 2.0 Type A
1 x HDMI 1.4b
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
Webcam
720p recessed camera
Speakers
2 x 2 watt speaker
Battery
42 Whr
Power Adaptor
65 W USB-C power adaptor
Dimensions
357.8 mm wide
229.9 mm deep
16.9 mm thick
Weight
1.56 kg
2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 15 Laptops : Key Features
Let’s take a look at their key features…
15.6-inch FullView Display
The 2021 HUAWEI MateBook D 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch FullView Display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
This is not a particularly bright display, with a maximum brightness of just 250 nits; and it only has a colour gamut of 45% NTSC.
But it is large, with narrow bezels that give it an 87% screen-to-body ratio – hence the name, FullView Display.
Performance
HUAWEI offers two variants, with different CPU + GPU options :
11th Gen Edition : Intel Core i5-1135G7 with Intel Xe Graphics
10th Gen Edition : Intel Core i5-10210U with NVIDIA GeForce MX250
They both come with fast DDR4 memory, and a fast PCIe NVMe SSD with 512 GB of storage.
Battery + Charging
All that is powered by a decent 42 Whr battery, paired with a compact 65 watt USB Type C fast charger.
The charger can be used to charge other USB Type C devices, and supports HUAWEI SuperCharge for certain HUAWEI smartphones.
Connectivity
The 11th Gen Edition supports faster Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, while the 10th Gen Edition supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Ports
On the left side, you will find a single USB Type C port, with a USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A port and a HDMI 1.4b port.
In case you are wondering, the HDMI 1.4b port can handle up to 4K displays, but only at up to 24 fps. To display at 4K @ 50 fps / 60 fps, you need HDMI 2.0.
On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm audio port, as well as two USB 2.0 Type A ports.
We have to wonder though – why stick with super-old USB 2.0, instead of the much faster USB 3.0 ports?
Keyboard + Touchpad
The 2021 MateBook D 15 comes with a full-sized, ten-keyless keyboard, and a large touchpad.
Pop-Up Camera
Like the MateBook X Pro we reviewed, the 2021 MateBook D 15 comes with a pop-up camera, hidden under a special camera key on the keyboard.
It pops up when you press on it, and pressing it again hides it. This is a great security measure because the camera is physically blocked until you actually need to use it – no hacker will be able to surreptitiously use it to take your photos or videos!
There is only one problem with such a design – it takes photos and videos at an unflattering upward angle. You will also always appear to look upwards on video conferences, and videos that you record.
HUAWEI Share Multi-Screen Collaboration
The 2021 MateBook D 15 supports HUAWEI Share for multi-screen collaboration.
It basically lets you connect your smartphone, and use it directly on the MateBook D 15!
You can control the apps and files on your phone directly on the laptop, even drag and drop files!
The only downside? It is limited to HUAWEI and HONOR smartphones with NFC.
HUAWEI MeeTime
The 2021 MateBook D 15 also supports HUAWEI MeeTime, which is their version of Apple FaceTime – a free, proprietary video call service.
It offers some advantages over its competitors – FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. but can only be used by HUAWEI devices.
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Acer just introduced the 2021 Nitro 5 gaming laptop, powered by Ryzen 9 and GeForce RTX 3080!
Here is what you need to know about this new super-fast Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop!
2021 Acer Nitro 5 : Ryzen 9 + RTX 3080 FTW!
The 2021 Acer Nitro 5 just got a MASSIVE upgrade! You can now opt for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX mobile processor, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics!
It even comes with two DDR4-3200 slots with up to 32 GB memory, and two M.2 slots of PCIe NVMe SSDs! On top of that, it comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Killer Ethernet E2600 connectivity built-in.
The 2021 Nitro 5 boasts a 15.6-inch IPS display with a 165 Hz refresh rate with a QHD resolution, or a stupendously fast 360 Hz refresh rate with a FHD resolution. Both options offer a 3 ms response time for minimal ghosting.
To ensure the 2021 Nitro 5 can withstand even the most intense gaming sessions, it features a revamped thermal system with dual fans and four exhaust fans. On top of that, Acer CoolBoost and NitroSense lets you monitor fan speed, and increase it when you need that extra performance.
It also comes with a multitude of ports – a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with power off charging capability, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Acer is introducing six variants, in three phases, and here are their key specifications :
2021 Acer Nitro 5 : Pre-Order Deals!
As part of their Zero to Nitro campaign, Acer Malaysia is offering these pre-order deals for the 2021 Nitro 5!
27 to 29 April 2021
Get RM 200 TNG e-Wallet top-up, a Predator Hybrid Backpack, a Predator Galea 350 gaming headset and a Predator Mousepad worth RM 967 when you purchase :
Get RM 200 TNG e-Wallet top-up, a Predator Utility Backpack, a Predator Galea 350 gaming headset and a Predator Mousepad worth RM 967 when you purchase :
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The new mobile processors also uses a single, monolithic die, which eliminates the I/O latency between dies.
Placeholder : AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 tech briefing video coming soon!
In addition to its improved performance, the AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 mobile processors also come with these AMD PRO technologies :
AMD PRO security provides a multi-layered approach to security features by embedding defenses at every level, from silicon through operating system.
– AMD Memory Guard, automatically enabled on Microsoft Secured-Core PCs, helps enable data and identity protection, while
– AMD Shadow Stack helps provide hardware enabled protection against malware attacks.
AMD PRO manageability enables a full manageability feature set for simplified deployment, imaging and management that is compatible with modern IT infrastructures.
AMD Ryzen PRO processors offer full support for Microsoft Endpoint Manager to deliver a flexible and integrated cloud management solution.
AMD PRO business ready technologies bring enterprise-grade computing solutions designed for quality and reliability, in addition to platform longevity.
AMD Ryzen PRO processors feature 18-months of planned software stability and 24-months of planned availability.
AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 : Models + Specifications
AMD announced three Ryzen PRO 5000 models to replace the three Ryzen PRO 4000 models from last year.
Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U : 8C/16T | 15W | 1.9 to 4.4 GHz | 20 MB cache
Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U : 6C/12T | 15W | 2.3 to 4.2 GHz | 19 MB cache
Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U : 4C/8T | 15W | 2.6 to 4.0 GHz | 10 MB cache
For easier comparison, here is a table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
Ryzen 7
PRO
5850U
Ryzen 5
PRO
5650U
Ryzen 3
PRO
5450U
Process
7 nm
Cores / Threads
8 / 16
6 / 12
4 / 8
Base Clock
1.9 GHz
2.3 GHz
2.6 GHz
Boost Clock
4.4 GHz
4.2 GHz
4.0 GHz
L2 Cache
4 MB
3 MB
2 MB
L3 Cache
16 MB
8 MB
TDP
15 W
AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 : Availability
According to AMD, enterprise customers will be able to purchase the new Ryzen PRO 5000 laptops from top PC vendors like HP and Lenovo starting in Q2, 2021.
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HP just launched their first virtual showroom in six countries across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia!
HP Launches Virtual Showroom In Southeast Asia!
On 9 March 2021, HP officially launched their HP virtual showroom in six countries across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia!
HP created their virtual showroom in collaboration with Intel and Lazada, touring their latest PC and print innovations to customers in the comfort of their homes.
The HP virtual showroom offers HP virtual showroom, each with a 360-degree view of multimedia content, including animation and videos. This lets customers get as close to real life as possible.
The experience begins with a wide-frame scene of a lifestyle apartment building set in the city as lights from the windows illuminate the night. You can explore this virtual world whenever you want, and wherever you are.
HP Virtual Showroom Highlights
Here is a section of highlights in the new HP virtual showroom :
For Gamers
OMEN 30L Desktop PC with a powerful processor and graphics, and a large front fan to keep it cool
HP X24c Gaming Monitor, with ultra-wide viewing angles, and smooth, a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology
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The Dell XPS 13 (9300) features the first-ever InfinityEdge display with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
Find out why we think it’s an incredible ultra-light laptop worthy of our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Featuring The InfinityEdge Display
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) continues the evolution of the XPS 13 line, with an ultra-light chassis built from machined aluminium and woven glass fibre, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
With the first-ever InfinityEdge display, the XPS 13 (9300) offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor, that fits neatly on an airplane’s seat tray.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Colour Options
Our unit comes in the Frost White colour with an Arctic White woven glass fibre palm rest.
Dell also offers the Platinum Silver colour option, with a Black carbon fiber palm rest.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Specifications + Options
Specifications
XPS 13 9300
Display Size
13.4-inch
Display Options
4K touch screen (3840 x 2400)
Full HD touch screen (1920 x 1200)
Full HD non-touch (1920 x 1200)
Display Features
WLED backlight
60 Hz refresh rate
500 nits max. brightness
35 ms response time
1200:1 contrast ratio
Realtek ALC3281-CG audio chip
2 x 2.5 watt speakers
Dual microphone array
3.5 mm audio jack
Wireless
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2×2)
Bluetooth 5.1
External Ports
2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) ports
– with Power Delivery and DisplayPort
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
1 x microSD card slot
Camera
HD webcam
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, capacitive 500 dpi sensor
Keyboard
Backlit keyboard
19.05 x 18.05 mm key pitch
Touchpad
1300 x 722 pixel resolution
Battery
4-cell 52 Whr lithium-ion battery
Charger
45 watt USB Type C charger
Dimensions
296 mm wide
199 mm deep
14.8 mm thick
Weight
1.27 kg (touch screen)
1.20 kg (non-touch)
Unboxing The Dell XPS 13 (9300) Laptop
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes in a premium white cardboard box. Once you fully unbox it, you will find these items :
Dell XPS 13 (9300) laptop
Dell USB Type C to USB Type A dongle
45 watt charger with integrated USB Type C cable
Power cord with localised plug
XPS 13 9300 Quick Start Guide + Safety and Regulatory Information
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Hands-On Experience!
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an eminently thin and light laptop. It offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor that weighs only 1.27 kg, and is less than 15 mm thick.
It easily fits into the smallest laptop bag, and even a large handbag. And when you can fly again, you will love how it fits onto the airplane’s seat tray!
Once you try it out, you will find it hard to go back to regular laptops – you will find them heavy and unwieldy!
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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : A Closer Look!
13.4-inch Display In 11-Inch Form Factor
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) model comes with a 4K UHD+ touch display, with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixel, a colour gamut of 90% DCI-P3 and DisplayHDR 400 certification.
The incredibly high resolution and wide colour gamut allow your high resolution photos and HDR content to really pop.
Dell also offers a Full HD+ display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and 100% sRGB colour gamut; in both touch and non-touch options.
All three display options are 25% brighter at 500 nits, and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 against scratches and impact.
Cameras + Security
The thin bezel at the top conceals two cameras – a regular 720p webcam, and an infra-red camera for facial recognition.
So you can either unlock the XPS 13 using the IR camera and Windows Hello, or the fingerprint sensor, which integrated into the power button.
While its 720p webcam may be rather low in resolution, it uses a new 4-element lens for sharper image quality. It also supports temporal noise reduction to improve video quality in low-light conditions.
We hope that Dell would look at upgrading it to a 1080p camera, with a physical or electronics privacy shutter.
Performance
Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the Intel Core i7-1065G7 – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 8 MB of cache and built-in Iris Plus Graphics.
You can opt for a Core i5-1035G1 or the Core i3-1005G1, both of which come with integrated UHD Graphics.
A redesigned cooler keeps things cool, using a single heat pipe and evaporator design with dual condensers and GORE thermal insulation. The hot air is exhausted through the hinge at the back.
It can get a little toasty from the hot exhaust when you use it on your lap, especially if you’re doing compute-intensive tasks like rendering videos.
It also comes with 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory running at 3733 MHz. The memory is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
Our unit came with a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD, but you can opt for a smaller 512 GB SSD, or a larger 2 TB SSD.
Ports
Due to its ultra-slim profile – 14.8 mm at its thickest point, the XPS 13 has very limited ports.
On the left side, you will find a microSD card reader; as well as a single Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output
On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with a second Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which also supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output.
You can plug the USB Type C charging cable into either Thunderbolt 3 port. But unless you are using it on-the-go, you really only have one free port to use.
The good news is Dell actually bundles the XPS 13 (9300) with a free USB Type C to USB Type A dongle, so you can use your USB Type A drives and devices (including cables) with it.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The Dell XPS (9300) comes an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a 17% larger touchpad for maximum working comfort. The keyboard is backlit, and comes with larger key caps!
It definitely offers a far superior typing experience to the horrible butterfly switch keyboard used in Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
Connectivity
Our XPS 13 (9300) comes with the Killer AX1650 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
It is much too thin to support a LAN port, but you can add LAN connectivity using a USB-C dongle.
Audio
The two long stripes on both sides of the XPS 13 are not cooling vents, but ports for its 2.5 watt stereo speakers, which are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
Its 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack is also optimised with the 360-degree Waves NX 3D virtual surround sound with head tracking.
Finally, its dual microphone array is powered by Waves MaxxVoice Pro, which supports VOIP and is Cortana Farfield-capable.
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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Performance
Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the 15-watt Intel Core i7-1065G7 (Ice Lake) with 4 cores and 8 threads, and Iris Plus Graphics with 64 Execution Units.
It comes with 8 MB of cache, and has a 1.3 GHz base frequency that ramps up to 3.5 GHz during intensive tasks.
Our review sample came with 16 GB LPDDR4X-3733 dual-channel memory, and a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD.
Work Performance : PCMark 10
The Intel Core i7-1065G7 is a 25 watt processor that can be configured to run at a lower TDP of 15 watt – to improve battery life and reduce thermal output.
At the full 25 watt TDP, it should deliver PCMark 10 scores in excess of 4700. It is obvious now that Dell configured it for the cooler 15 watt TDP. This is why benchmarks are important.
The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics sounds powerful on paper – with 64 Execution Units – but it is only about as fast as the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 / GeForce 940MX.
So this is most definitely NOT a gaming laptop, although you should have no problem playing older games and games that are not 3D graphics-intensive like DOTA 2.
Battery Life : YouTube + Modern Office
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes with a 4-cell smart lithium-ion battery that is rated for 52 Whr.
Dell claims a battery life of up to 18 hours and 49 minutes with the Full HD+ display, and up to 12 hours and 13 minutes with the 4K UHD+ display.
In our general use, we have no problem working a full day on it without recharging, which makes it really convenient when travelling.
That said, we locked the brightness at 50% – higher than the average of 40% – to see how it performs in these worst-case scenarios :
YouTube Streaming
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 8 hours 15 minutes streaming YouTube videos in theatre mode using WiFi, before its battery dropped to 10%.
PCMark 10 : Modern Office
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 6 hours 36 minutes before it powered off while running the Modern Office benchmark.
Battery : Recharging Speed
Its 65 watt fast charger took about 52.5 minutes to hit the mid-point (55%), but 2 hours 23.5 minutes to fully recharge its battery from 10%.
Here are the times it takes to recharge from 10% :
15% – 5 minutes 57 seconds
20% – 11 minutes 53 seconds
25% – 17 minutes 45 seconds
30% – 23 minutes 22 seconds
35% – 29 minutes 25 seconds
40% – 35 minutes 8 seconds
45% – 41 minutes 22 seconds
50% – 46 minutes 56 seconds
55% – 52 minutes 39 seconds
60% – 58 minutes 27 seconds
65% – 64 minutes 13 seconds
70% – 70 minutes 15 seconds
75% – 76 minutes
80% – 81 minutes 58 seconds
85% – 89 minutes 41 seconds
90% – 100 minutes 50 seconds
95% – 118 minutes 45 seconds
100% – 143 minutes 20 seconds
This gives it a battery life : recharging time ratio of 3.45 : 1 for video streaming, and 2.76 : 1 for office work.
As a rule of thumb, you will need to recharge its battery about 22 minutes for every hour of battery life.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Verdict + Award
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) is a really great ultra-light laptop for people who are always on-the-go.
It packs serious processing power, memory and a huge SSD with the latest wireless connectivity built-in, in a very thin and light package.
It is less than 15 mm at its thickest point, and weighs less than 1.3 kg. But this is something you have to hold in your hand to actually get a feel of how much engineering went into the XPS 13.
Even the latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro, powered by the new Apple M1 SoC, is larger, thicker at 15.6 mm and weighs more at 1.4 kg!
The extremely thin profile offers some challenges to first time users – limited physical ports. Yet the XPS 13 (9300) managed to squeeze in an extra microSD card reader over the new 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1).
Even so, you will have to live with just two USB Type C ports – one of which is not available when you recharge its battery. Fortunately, the XPS 13 (9300) comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity.
Thankfully, Dell threw in a free USB-C to USB-A dongle, so at least you have ready access to your USB Type A drives and devices out-of-the-box.
Security-conscious users will love the fingerprint sensor and IR camera, which allows for easy and secure logins. However, the webcam lacks a physical shutter, and the lid clearance is too tight to safely use a third-party shutter.
As far as battery life is concerned, the XPS 13 (9300) will last more than full day’s work without recharging. After a while, you will get used to leaving the office without the charger!
All-in-all, the Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an engineering marvel that must be experienced to truly understand. If you want the very best Windows 10 ultra-light laptop money can buy, this should be right at the top of the list.
That is why we wholeheartedly award it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Dell for sending us this review unit, and making us part of the #DellInsideCircle
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Lenovo just introduced four 2021 YOGA laptop models – Yoga 6 AMD, Yoga Slim 9i, Yoga 9i and Yoga Slim 7i Carbon.
Confused? Hear from Lenovo themselves, and we will give you a quick run down of all four models!
2021 Lenovo YOGA Laptop Models Revealed!
The Yoga is Lenovo’s top-of-the-line consumer sub-brand, and is designed to offer refined craftsmanship and stunning design, for “consumers with sophisticated taste”.
Lenovo Yoga 6 AMD
The 2021 Lenovo Yoga 6 AMD is their first-generation consumer convertible laptop, that uses a hybrid design of metal and soft-touch materials wrapped in blue fabric.
This 13.3-inch, 2-in-1 convertible laptop features an AMD Ryzen 4000 series mobile processor with optional AMD Radeon graphics, with up to 16 GB of DDR4 memory an 1 TB of SSD storage.
It comes with a Full HD touch screen display, with narrow bezels and a backlit keyboard. It also comes with front facing stereo speakers that support Dolby Atmos.
Weighing only 1.32 kg, the Yoga 6 AMD offers up to 18 hours of battery life with a 60 Whr battery.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i
The 2021 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i offers an exquisite Shadow Black genuine leather cover bonded to an aluminium chassis for a better feel and greater durability.
Built around the 11th Gen Intel Core processors, with Intel Xe Graphics, this 14-inch laptop is just 13.9 mm thick, and weighs just 1.29 kg.
Lenovo also offers a more powerful 15-inch option, powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 HK-series mobile processor, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti with Max-Q Design graphics.
Both models offer up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X memory and up to 2 TB of PCIe SSD storage, with three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Lenovo Yoga 9i
The 2021 Lenovo Yoga 9i offers an exquisite Shadow Black genuine leather cover bonded to an aluminium chassis, as well as an all-metal Mica option.
They both come with an edge-to-edge Glass Palm Rest with an encased Smart Sensor Touchpad with haptic feedback.
Built around the 11th Gen Intel Core processors, with Intel Xe Graphics, this 14-inch convertible laptop features thermal venting holes under the keyboard to lower its temperature by two degrees Celsius compared to the previous generation.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is an ultra-light 13.3-inch laptop, with a 16:10 display and a thickness of just 14.25 mm and a weight of just 966 grams.
This is an Intel Evo-certified laptop, with a stunning Moon White finish, and a chassis made from carbon fibre with an anti-fingerprint finish.
2021 Lenovo YOGA Models : Price + Availability
All four 2021 Lenovo Yoga laptop models are available for purchase, with immediate effect, at these starting prices :
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HP just unveiled their 2021 OMEN 15 gaming laptop, codenamed Valkyrie – powered by both AMD and NVIDIA!
2021 HP OMEN 15 (Valkyrie) Gaming Laptop
Codenamed Valkyrie, the 2021 HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop is a 15.6-inch laptop built with serious gaming in mind, with a sleek and modern minimalistic design!
15.6-inch IPS Display
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch IPS display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
You can opt for a 144 Hz refresh rate, as well as a premium 144 Hz display with 300 nits brightness and 72% NTSC colour gamut.
Gaming Performance
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, and paired with up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics!
It is kept cool by the OMEN Tempest Cooling Technology, with 3-sided venting and 5-way airflow, to ensure maximum performance even during prolonged gaming sessions!
Memory + Storage
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with up to 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory, in dual-channel mode for maximum performance.
You can equip it with up to a 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD, or up to two 256 GB SSDs in RAID 0 mode for super-fast transfers.
Connectivity
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with Gigabit LAN wired connectivity built in, and offers either Intel Wi-Fi 6 or Realtek Wi-Fi 5 wireless connectivity.
Audio
You do not have to rely on headphones for maximum gaming enjoyment. The new OMEN 15 comes with Bang & Olufsen speakers and support for DTS:X Ultra!
Gaming Keyboard
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 comes with an island-style backlit keyboard with integrated numeric keypad.
You have the option of simple dragon red backlighting, or RGB backlighting with 4 independent zones.
2021 HP OMEN 15 (Valkyrie) : Specifications + Options
The 2021 HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop comes with these specifications and configuration options :
Up to 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD
Up to 2 x 256 GB PCIe NVMe TLC SSDs
Card Reader
SD card reader
Audio
Bang & Olfusen dual speakers
DTS:X Ultra support
Networking
Gigabit LAN
Wireless Options
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.0
Realtek Wi-Fi 5 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.0
I/O Ports
1 x USB 3.0 Type C with DisplayPort 1.4
1 x USB 3.0 Type A with Sleep + Charge
2 x USB 3.0 Type A
1 x RJ45 LAN port
1 x headphone / mic combo port
1 x Mini DisplayPort
1 x HDMI 2.0a
Camera
HD camera with dual-array digital mic
IR thermal sensor
Keyboard Options
1-zone dragon red backlit keyboard
4-zone RGB backlit keyboard
Touchpad
HP Imagepad Touchpad
Battery Options
6-cell Li-Po, 70.9 Wh
3-cell Li-Po, 52.5 Wh
Charger
150 / 200 watt charger
Dimensions
357.96 mm wide
239.7 mm deep
22.5 mm thick
Weight
2.37 kg
2021 HP OMEN 15 : Price + Availability
The new HP OMEN 15 gaming laptop has a starting price of RM 3,899 (about US$965 / £684 / A$1,220 / S$1,272).
It comes with 2-years of Accidental Protection Damage warranty, and is available from the HP Online Store in Malaysia right now.
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The Dell G5 15 5500 comes in a no-frills brown cardboard box. Inside, all you will find are these items :
Dell G5 15 5500 laptop
240 watt charger + cable
Dell G5 Quick User Guide
Safety and Regulatory Information
Dell G5 15 5500 : Hands-On Experience!
The Dell G5 15 5500 is designed to offer RTX gaming, at an affordable price point. So the first thing you will notice its thick plastic chassis and heft.
This is no thin and light laptop, not at 31 mm thick and a weight of 2.65 kg… and that’s not even counting the large and heavy 240 watt charger!
Performance
Our review model was powered by the Intel Core i7-10750H, a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a clock speed that goes up to 5 GHz.
It’s paired with 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and the the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory. More than powerful enough to handle any game you throw at it.
144 Hz Display
The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with a 15.6-inch TN display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and a 144 Hz refresh rate.
Thankfully, it’s paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics, which should have no problem driving the high refresh rate for most games.
Storage
The Dell G5 15 5500 is spacious enough to support both a M.2 socket (for a PCIe SSD), as well as a 2.5-inch drive bay (for a hard disk drive).
Our review sample came with the 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD from SK hynix. Dell also offers a 512 GB Intel Optane storage option in some countries.
This is more than enough storage for a gaming laptop, but if you need more, there is a 1 TB SSD option, as well as a 2 TB hard disk drive option.
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Dell G5 15 5500 : A Closer Look!
Available Ports
One advantage of not going thin and light is the additional ports. On the left side, you will find these ports (from left to right) :
its barrel power port,
a Mini DisplayPort 1.4b port,
a HDMI 2.0 port,
a USB 3.2 Gen 1 PowerShare port,
an RJ45 LAN port, and
a Thunderbolt 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C) port.
On the right side, you will find the following (from left to right) :
an SD card reader, which supports SD, SDHX and SDXC cards,
a 3.5 mm earphone + microphone jack,
two USB 2.0 Type A ports, and
a wedge-shaped security lock slot
Keyboard + Touchpad
Thanks to its larger form factor, Dell could fit a full keyboard with a numeric keypad, and a horizontal key pitch of 18.7 mm.
The keyboard is backlit in blue by default, with WASD key highlights. But it can be programmed to support any RGB combination, in up to 4 zones.
It has a pretty small touchpad – just 105 x 65 mm, and it’s offset to the left, which makes it a little awkward to use, unless you are left-handed.
But this isn’t a big problem. This is a gaming laptop, and you will definitely be using a mouse.
RGB Lighting
Complementing the RGB keyboard lighting is an RGB LED light strip along the front edge. This is arguably the Dell team’s only concession towards pointless gaming bling.
Some gamers will argue that it will give a more immersive gaming feel. Whatever rocks your boat, my friend.
Fingerprint Sensor
Dell offers an optional fingerprint sensor integrated directly into the power button, right above the keyboard. There is no IR camera option for face recognition.
We highly recommend adding this feature, as it allows for convenient logging in and greater security especially in public – there’s no need to type in your password.
Webcam + Microphones
The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with a basic webcam, capable of recording 720p video. As well as two microphones – one on each side of the webcam.
This is hardly the ideal setup for video streaming, but it is perfectly adequate for gamers who just need to use it for video chats.
Note that it doesn’t come with a privacy cover, only a status light to let you know when the webcam is activated.
Speakers
The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with two side-firing speakers with a 2 watt output.
Powered by the Realtek ALC3254 with an integrated amplifier, they are loud and offer pretty decent sound quality.
Killer Connectivity
Our premium model comes with a Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN connectivity. Otherwise, you will receive Realtek Gigabit LAN, which isn’t bad at all.
Wireless connectivity is provided through Killer 1650i, which offers Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
The basic models though come with Qualcomm DW 1820, which offers Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) connectivity on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as well as Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.
Dell G5 15 5500 : Surface Temperatures
An important criteria that many potential buyers forget to check for in a gaming laptop is “how hot does it get?”
What’s the use of buying a powerful gaming laptop if it literally burns your hands while you game?
Take a look at the surface temperatures of the Dell G5 15 5500, with an ambient temperature of 29.8°C.
As you can see, the G5 15 5500 can get pretty toasty, with the temperature of the keyboard reaching a peak of just under 52°C.
On the underside, it peached a peak of 54.3°C in the middle. It is definitely not advisable to game with it on your lap!
We highly recommend you pair the Dell G5 15 5500 with a good laptop cooler, or play in an air-conditioned room. That will greatly reduce its contact temperature, and allow for hours of comfortable gaming.
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This is high-powered 45 watt processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, and a 2.6 GHz clock speed that ramps up to 5 GHz during intensive tasks.
The processor has Intel UHD Graphics built-in, but switches to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory) for gaming and more strenuous graphics work.
Our review sample came with 16 GB of DDR4-2933 memory, and a 512 GB SK hynix PCIe SSD. Keeping all that powered is a large 68 Whr lithium-ion battery.
That means it will not only easily handle games at the display’s native 1080p resolution, it can deliver higher frame rates to take advantage of the higher Hz refresh rates it supports.
Gaming Performance : 3DMark Time Spy Extreme
We also ran a Time Spy Extreme test for those who are thinking of hooking up this laptop to an external display.
Performing between the desktop Radeon RX 5500 XT, and the desktop GeForce RTX 2060, it can handle 1440p gaming, but at roughly half the frame rate.
Gaming Performance : Strange Brigade @ 1080p
Strange Brigade is a third-person shooter game released in August 2018. We tested it at 1080p using the Vulkan API at Ultra High settings.
As you can see, the Dell G5 15 5500 has no problem exceeding 144 fps at times, with an average frame rate of 101 fps.
Gaming Performance : The Division 2 @ 1080p
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is a newer third-person shooter game released in March 2019, with much higher graphics requirements.
Even at the Extreme graphics settings, Dell G5 15 5500 was able to deliver an average frame rate of 59 fps.
We locked the display’s brightness at 50%, and ran PCMark 10’s Modern Office and Gaming tests until it powered off.
The Dell G5 15 5500 lasted about 5.5 hours running Modern Office applications, but only about 77 minutes while gaming.
You can only game on-the-go for a short time. Realistically, it should be plugged in when you game.
Battery : Recharging Speed
Dell quotes a 4 hour recharging time using the massive 240 watt charger, when the laptop is completely powered off.
We are glad to report that its real-world recharging speed is much, MUCH faster. To test it in a real world setting, we started charging at 10% with the display brightness set to 50% :
25% : 21.5 minutes
33% : 26.5 minutes
40% : 35 minutes
50% : 46 minutes
60% : 57.5 minutes
75% : 75 minutes
90% : 91.5 minutes
100% : 148 minutes
It charges really fast to about 90%, taking only just over 1.5 hours. However, the last 10% took much longer – an addition 56.5 minutes!
This gives it a battery life : recharging time ratio of 2.3:1 for office work. As a rule of thumb, you will need to recharge its battery about 26.5 minutes for every hour of battery life.
Dell G5 15 5500 : Verdict + Award
The Dell G5 15 5500 does a good job of focusing on what’s important for gamers, wasting little on pointless aesthetic bling.
Its powerful 45-watt Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics will have no problem driving its Full HD display beyond 60 Hz, no matter what game you play.
It also comes with fast networking capabilities – Killer E2500 offering Gigabit LAN, and Killer AX1650i offering Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
And we love its large number of ports – three USB Type A ports, one USB Type C port, as well as an SD card reader and both HDMI and miniDP ports.
Powering all that is a large 68 Wh battery, but here’s a reality check – you can’t really game on-the-go for more than an hour or so. All that performance comes at a price – battery life.
Realistically, the Dell G5 15 5500 should be plugged into a wall socket whenever you game.
It is also a chunky and heavy laptop, no thanks to its large battery and the much higher cooling requirements for its powerful components.
But if all you want is an affordable gaming laptop that offers powerful gaming performance and a 144 Hz display, it’s hard to beat what Dell G5 15 5500 offers.
And here is what Dell offers over other gaming laptop brands – 2 years of premium on-site service!
Whatever happens to your G5 15 5500, just call Dell Support and they will either remotely solve the problem or send a technician to wherever you are to fix it.
That’s why we have no qualms awarding it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Dell G5 15 5500 : Where To Buy?
The Dell G5 15 5500 is available in the Interstellar Dark Cover colour, with a starting price of RM 4,499 (about US$1,083 / £847 / A$1,486 / S$1,482).
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Exclusive on Tech ARP – the first look at the 2021 MacBook Pro ports, including a brand new MagSafe 3 port and an SD card slot!
Here is the first ever look at the MagSafe 3 connector, the SD card slot, and other ports that will ship with the 2021 MacBook Pro!
First Look : 2021 MacBook Pro MagSafe 3 + SD Card Slot!
Apple fans who miss the MagSafe port and the SD card reader in their MacBook laptops will have something to cheer for this year!
Apple will not only introduce a new MagSafe 3 connector in the upcoming 2021 MacBook Pro, they will also bring back the SD card slot!
New Apple MagSafe 3 Connector!
The new MagSafe 3 connector is bidirectional and has 5 pins, and will lock and detach magnetically like the previous two generations.
The MagSafe 3 connector is not compatible with older MacBook computers, and has a pill-shaped design with a thinner profile.
The MagSafe 3 port is located on the left side of the 2021 MBP, next to two Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Ports on the left side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)
Return Of The SD Card Reader!
We are also glad to report that Apple will (finally) bring back the SD card reader that many photographers LOVED, and bemoaned when Phil Schiller killed it in 2016.
Now that Schiller is out of Apple, it looks like it’s been resurrected for the 2021 MacBook Pro. Utility finally trumped cumbersome!
The SD card reader is located on the right side, together with a third Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) port and a HDMI 2.0 port.
Ports on the right side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)
2021 Apple MacBook Pro : What Else Is New?
So what else is new in the 2021 MacBook Pro, other than MagSafe 3 and the resurrected SD card reader?
14-inch + 16-inch Models
There will be two 2021 MacBook Pro models – with 14-inch and 16-inch displays.
Apple M1X SoC
There will no longer be Intel CPU options, only the Apple M1X SoC.
Nothing much is known about the Apple M1X, other than it is a more powerful version of the M1 that has stunned many with its performance.
But rumours have it that it will have 12 processor cores, split into two performance clusters :
P Cluster (Performance) : 8 x Firestorm (?) cores
E Cluster (Efficient) : 4 x Icestorm (?) cores
It will have a more powerful GPU than Apple M1‘s 8-core GPU.
Memory
The Apple M1X will use the same unified memory design as the M1, built directly onto the package for near-instantaneous access.
However, it will offer larger memory options – 24 GB and 32 GB are possible – in addition to 16 GB currently available with the M1.
External Display Support
A big limitation of the Apple M1 is its support for just one external display of up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz.
The 2021 MacBook Pro will support at least two external displays, if not more, via its Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI ports.
OLED Touch Bar Gone!
Good riddance to the pointless OLED Touch Bar. That’s gone for the 2021 MacBook Pro models.
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The Dell XPS 13 (9300) features their first-ever InfinityEdge display, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection!
Here is our hands-on preview of this magnificent ultra-light XPS 13 laptop!
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Featuring The InfinityEdge Display
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) continues the evolution of the XPS 13 line, with an ultra-light chassis built from machined aluminium and woven glass fibre, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
With the first-ever InfinityEdge display, the XPS 13 (9300) offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor, that fits neatly on an airplane’s seat tray.
Unboxing The Dell XPS 13 (9300) Laptop
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes in a premium white cardboard box. Once you fully unbox it, you will find these items :
Dell XPS 13 (9300) laptop
Dell USB Type C to USB Type A dongle
45 watt charger with integrated USB Type C cable
Power cord with localised plug
XPS 13 9300 Quick Start Guide + Safety and Regulatory Information
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Hands-On Preview
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an eminently thin and light laptop. It offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor that weighs only 1.27 kg, and is less than 15 mm thick.
It easily fits into the smallest laptop bag, and even a large handbag. And when you can fly again, you will love how it fits onto the airplane’s seat tray!
13.4-inch Display In 11-Inch Form Factor
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) model comes with a 4K UHD+ touch display, with a resolution 3840 x 2400 pixels, colour gamut of 90% DCI-P3 and DisplayHDR 400 certification.
Dell also offers a Full HD+ display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and 100% sRGB colour gamut; in both touch and non-touch options.
All three display options are 25% brighter at 500 nits, and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 against scratches and impact.
Cameras + Security
The thin bezel at the top conceals two cameras – a regular 720p webcam, and an infra-red camera for facial recognition.
So you can either unlock the XPS 13 using the IR camera and Windows Hello, or the fingerprint sensor, which integrated into the power button.
While its 720p webcam may be rather low in resolution, it uses a new 4-element lens for sharper image quality. It also supports temporal noise reduction to improve video quality in low-light conditions.
Performance
Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the Intel Core i7-1065G7 – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 8 MB of cache and built-in Iris Plus Graphics.
You can opt for a Core i5-1035G1 or the Core i3-1005G1, both of which come with integrated UHD Graphics.
A redesigned cooler keeps things cool, using a single heat pipe and evaporator design with dual condensers and GORE thermal insulation. The hot air is exhausted through the hinge at the back.
It also comes with 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory running at 3733 MHz. The memory is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
Our unit came with a 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD, but you can opt for a smaller 512 GB SSD, or a larger 2 TB SSD.
Ports
Due to its ultra-slim profile – 14.8 mm at its thickest point, the XPS 13 has very limited ports.
On the left side, you will find a microSD card reader; as well as a single Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output
On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with a second Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which also supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output.
You can plug the USB Type C charging cable into either Thunderbolt 3 port. But unless you are using it on-the-go, you really only have one free port to use.
The good news is Dell actually bundles the XPS 13 (9300) with a free USB Type C to USB Type A dongle, so you can use your USB Type A drives and devices (including cables) with it.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The Dell XPS (9300) comes an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a 17% larger touchpad for maximum working comfort. The keyboard is backlit, and comes with larger key caps!
Connectivity
Our XPS 13 (9300) comes with the Killer AX1650 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
It is much too thin to support a LAN port, but you can add LAN connectivity using a USB-C dongle.
Audio
The two long stripes on both sides of the XPS 13 are not cooling vents, but ports for its 2.5 watt stereo speakers, which are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
Its 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack is also optimised with the 360-degree Waves NX 3D virtual surround sound with head tracking.
Finally, its dual microphone array is powered by Waves MaxxVoice Pro, which supports VOIP and is Cortana Farfield-capable.
Battery + Charging
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes with a 4-cell smart lithium-ion battery that is rated for 52 Whr.
Dell claims a battery life of up to 18 hours and 49 minutes with the Full HD+ display, and up to 12 hours and 13 minutes with the 4K UHD+ display.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Colour Options
Our unit comes in the Frost White colour with an Arctic White woven glass fibre palm rest.
Dell also offers the Platinum Silver colour option, with a Black carbon fiber palm rest.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Specifications + Options
Specifications
XPS 13 9300
Display Size
13.4-inch
Display Options
4K touch screen (3840 x 2400)
Full HD touch screen (1920 x 1200)
Full HD non-touch (1920 x 1200)
Display Features
WLED backlight
60 Hz refresh rate
500 nits max. brightness
35 ms response time
1200:1 contrast ratio
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Take a look at this crypto-mining farm that could make $3.5 million a year using just 900 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptops!
Hundreds Of RTX Laptops Used In Crypto Mining Farms!
Not only gamers are affected by the limited supply of graphics cards in the market. So are cryptominers!
Chinese cryptominers now have to resort to buying up whatever GeForce RTX gaming laptops they can find, literally hundreds of them!
Instead of ASIC miners or GPU mining rigs, they are now powering their cryptomining operations with RTX gaming laptops!
We earlier highlighted the new trend of using RTX gaming laptops to mine cryptocurrency. It looks as this is more extensive that we first thought.
A Weibo blogger called 神鱼BTCer just shared even more pictures of RTX laptop-based mining operations, big and small.
Many appear to be pretty ghetto, placing the laptops in a kind of “tent mode” for better cooling, wherever there’s space – on tables, chairs or the floor.
But he also showed a seriously big crypto-mining farm being built using these GeForce RTX 30-series gaming laptops.
He even shared a short clip (part of the video we posted above), showing the cryptocurrency mining farm partially operational, with more being set-up.
There are 10 laptops per shelf, with each shelving unit capable of accommodating 60 laptops.
While not particularly large, this cryptocurrency mining farm has at least 15 visible shelving units, so that’s a total of 900 RTX gaming laptops when it’s fully operational.
Currently, it’s only partially complete, with about 200 or so laptops running, with many boxes of laptops left to open and setup.
How Much Money Can This RTX Laptop Mining Farm Make?
We had earlier shared about how a Bilibili content creator used an RTX 3060 laptop to mine 0.00053009 ETH while she sipped her coffee at Starbucks for 2 hours.
Based on her experience, we can guesstimate that the average GeForce RTX 3060 laptop will be able to produce :
0.000265045 ETH per hour
0.00636108 ETH per day
0.1908324 ETH per month (30 days)
2.3217942 ETH per year
Chinese electricity costs about RMB 0.545 (US$0.084) per kWh. Assuming each laptop uses about 250 watts of power (including whatever external fans they may be using), that works out to about RMB 1,200 or US$186 per year.
As of 11 February 2021, Ethereum is priced at US$1740. So here’s roughly how much this cryptocurrency mining farm would make, at that price :
100 laptops : $385,392 per year
200 laptops : $770,784 per year
300 laptops : $1,156,177 per year
400 laptops : $1,541,569 per year
500 laptops : $1,926,961 per year
600 laptops : $2,312,353 per year
700 laptops : $2,697,745 per year
800 laptops : $3,083,138 per year
900 laptops : $3,468,530 per year
So there you have it – this small cryptocurrency mining operation can potentially make almost US$ 3.5 million in a single year.
But what’s the ROI, you say?
The Chinese OEM, Hasee, offers a GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptop with a starting price of just RMB 6,499 (approximately RM4,089 / US$1,005 / £732 / A$1,309 / S$1,340).
And the video shows that this mining operation is using the same, or similar, Hasee RTX gaming laptops.
Let’s say they paid a 20% scalper’s premium, and purchased all 900 Hasee RTX 3060 laptops for a cool US$1,085,400.
Let’s further round that up to US$1.1 million for miscellaneous costs – shelving units, lights, fans, etc. including US$500 per month for rental.
Based on those assumptions, their net profit for the 900-laptop mining farm would be US$2,368,530 per year, at current prices.
After recovering the cost of the entire mining farm ($1.1 million) in just over 3 months, everything else they make after that is pure profit (after deducting rental and electricity costs), unless they are stealing the electricity!
With such great ROI, you can count on cryptocurrency miners to buy up ALL the GeForce RTX 30 series laptops they can get their hands on!
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BTCer claims they are all “home-based”, but we have no idea whether they are his, or from different cryptocurrency mining operations.
But in a response to a question, he said that the best way to keep them cool is by putting them in a sort of “tent mode”.
This picture shows four stacks of GeForce RTX 3060 laptops made by Chinese OEM Hasee, powered on (you can see the green light).
Hasee offers a GeForce RTX 3060 gaming laptop that has a starting price of just RMB 6,499 (approximately RM4,089 / US$1,005 / £732 / A$1,309 / S$1,340).
These twenty Hasee GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops would cost just over US$20,000.
This seems like a waste of power – leaving their displays turned on. But leaving the display up would definitely improve cooling.
How Much Money Can RTX 3060 Laptop Mining Rigs Make?
A Bilibili content creator Fish Pond f2pool demonstrated how fast someone with a GeForce RTX 3060 laptop can “mine” cryptocurrency.
She plugged in her GeForce RTX 3060 laptop into a power socket at Starbucks, and mined 0.00053009 ETH over 2 hours while she sipped her coffee.
On 5 February 2021, Ethereum closed at US$1,680.497, so she mined enough during her coffee break to make US$0.89 or RMB 5.76.
Not quite enough to pay for her coffee (about RMB 28), but at least the electricity is FREE!
Based on her experience, we can guesstimate that the average GeForce RTX 3060 laptop will be able to produce :
0.000265045 ETH per hour
0.00636108 ETH per day
0.1908324 ETH per month (30 days)
2.3217942 ETH per year
So that mining rig with 20 Hasee laptops you saw up there could make, at current prices, about :
$8.908 per hour
$213.80 per day
$6,413.87 per month (30 days)
$78,035 per year
Chinese electricity costs about RMB 0.545 (US$0.084) per kWh.
Assuming each laptop uses about 250 watts of power (including whatever external fans he may have), that works out to about US$3,679.20 per year.
So his net profit for the 20-laptop mining rig would be US$74,356 per year, at current prices.
That’s an incredible ROI of 30.8% per month, which means he will recover the cost of the entire rig ($20,100) in just under 3.5 months!
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At CES 2021, NVIDIA announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Starting 26 January 2021, NVIDIA partner brands like MSI will begin shipping RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 gaming laptops, followed by RTX 3060 gaming laptops from 2 February 2021 onwards.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs are built on the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, giving them 2nd Gen Ray Tracing cores and 3rd Gen Tensor Cores.
New Streaming Multiprocessors : Delivering 2X the FP32 performance of NVIDIA Turing, and 30 Shader-TFLOPS of processing power
2nd Gen RT Cores : Delivering 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, plus concurrent ray tracing and compute, with 58 RT-TFLOPS of processing power.
3rd Gen Tensor Cores : Up to 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, with 238 Tensor-TFLOPS of processing power.
NVIDIA RTX IO : Enables rapid GPU-based loading and game asset decompression, accelerating I/O performance by up to 100X. When used in conjunction with Microsoft DirectStorage API, it offloads the work to the RTX GPU, improving frame rates and enabling near-instantaneous game loading.
GDDR6X Memory : Delivers close to 1 TB/s of memory bandwidth, improving gaming performance.
Custom Samsung 8N Process Technology : Delivers higher transistor density and greater efficiency.
HDMI 2.1 : Delivers single-cable connection to 8K HDR TVs and monitors for ultra-high resolution gaming.
AV1 Decode : First discrete GPUs to support hardware decoding of the new AV1 codec, allowing for up to 8K HDR videos at 50% less bandwidth.
MSI GS66 Stealth GeForce RTX 30 Gaming Laptops
MSI is introducing two GS66 Stealth gaming laptops :
a premium model powered by the Core i9-10980HK processor with GeForce RTX 3080 graphics, and
a more affordable model powered by Core i7-10870H processor with GeForce RTX 3070 graphics.
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At CES 2021, NVIDIA announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Take a look at what’s coming very soon, and how much faster they will be!
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : Ampere Goes Mobile!
Just 4 months after launching Ampere for desktop gaming, NVIDIA is bringing it to laptops.
At CES 2021, they announced the coming availability of Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops!
Starting 26 January 2021, NVIDIA partner brands will begin shipping RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 gaming laptops, followed by RTX 3060 gaming laptops from 2 February 2021 onwards.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series mobile GPUs are built on the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, giving them 2nd Gen Ray Tracing cores and 3rd Gen Tensor Cores.
New Streaming Multiprocessors : Delivering 2X the FP32 performance of NVIDIA Turing, and 30 Shader-TFLOPS of processing power
2nd Gen RT Cores : Delivering 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, plus concurrent ray tracing and compute, with 58 RT-TFLOPS of processing power.
3rd Gen Tensor Cores : Up to 2X the performance of NVIDIA Turing, with 238 Tensor-TFLOPS of processing power.
NVIDIA RTX IO : Enables rapid GPU-based loading and game asset decompression, accelerating I/O performance by up to 100X. When used in conjunction with Microsoft DirectStorage API, it offloads the work to the RTX GPU, improving frame rates and enabling near-instantaneous game loading.
GDDR6X Memory : Delivers close to 1 TB/s of memory bandwidth, improving gaming performance.
Custom Samsung 8N Process Technology : Delivers higher transistor density and greater efficiency.
HDMI 2.1 : Delivers single-cable connection to 8K HDR TVs and monitors for ultra-high resolution gaming.
AV1 Decode : First discrete GPUs to support hardware decoding of the new AV1 codec, allowing for up to 8K HDR videos at 50% less bandwidth.
NVIDIA is also introducing a 3rd Gen Max-Q Design to optimise the GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops for optimal power and performance.
They will also come with WhisperMode 2.0 – which was reengineered to dynamically manage the GPU, CPU, game settings and fan speeds to reduce fan acoustics while maintaining gaming performance.
Finally, NVIDIA will introduce Resizable BAR support in these RTX 30 gaming laptops via a driver update later.
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : Performance
So how much faster are the RTX 30 series gaming laptops?
Based on this comparison that NVIDIA shared, an RTX 3080 laptop will offer 45-55% better performance than an RTX 2080 laptop
GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops : What’s Coming?
Here is a quick summary of the GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptops that will hit the market from 26 January 2021 onwards.
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Acer just announced Enduro – their new range of rugged MIL-810G computing devices! Check them out!
Acer Enduro N3 Rugged Laptop
With MIL-STD-810G and IP53 certifications, the Acer Enduro N3 is a 14-inch rugged laptop that is just under 25 mm thick, and weighs less than 2 kg.
It features Corning Gorilla Glass protection for the display, and reinforced corners for the chassis, and water-resistant Aquafan that repels water.
It also has drainage holes for the keyboard and seals for the I/O ports to protect the Acer Enduro N3 against exposure to water.
Built around the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, it comes with 8 GB of onboard memory, 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 protection.
The Acer Enduro N3 has a rated battery life of 13 hours, which allows it to be a true off-site device.
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Acer just released new and updated Swift, Aspire and TravelMate laptops, just in time for Christmas 2020!
Take a look at the new slew of Acer Swift, Aspire and TravelMate laptops that you can buy now!
Acer Swift 3 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 3 is a 14-inch laptop designed for the young, and comes in three colour options – Blue, Pink and Silver.
It has a 14-inch slim bezel IPS LED display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, in a chassis that is just under 16 mm thick, and weighs just 1.2 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 3 model has a rated battery life of 11 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the December 2020 model of Acer Swift 3 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Swift 3X : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 3X is a 14-inch laptop designed for both games and creative apps, with its new Iris Xe Max discrete graphics.
It has a 14-inch slim bezel IPS LED display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, in a chassis that is just under 18 mm thick, and weighs just 1.37 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 3 model has a rated battery life of 17 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the Acer Swift 3X comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Swift 5 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 5 is a 14-inch ultra-light Intel Evo-certified laptop, that is just under 15 mm thick, and weighs only 1.05 kg!
It has a 14-inch IPS LED touch display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and 100% sRGB colour gamut. This touch display is protected by Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 5 model has a rated battery life of 15 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the December 2020 model of Acer Swift 5 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Aspire 5 : New December 2020 Model!
The December 2020 Acer Aspire 5 comes in 14-inch or 15.6-inch display options, with an all-metal chassis.
The 14-inch Aspire 5 is 15.6 mm thick, and weighs 1.45 kg; while the 15.6-inch Aspire 5 is 17.9 mm thick and weighs just 1.65 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, they both with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory (upgradable to 20 GB), and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Acer also offers an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 discrete graphics option for both models.
Both 14-inch and 15-inch models have a rated battery life of 13 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, they both come pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer TravelMate P2 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer TravelMate P2 is a rugged laptop designed for business executives, with handy business features and advanced connectivity options.
Built to comply with MIL-STD-810G standards, the Travelmate P2 has a spill-resistant keyboard, and shock-absorbent corners to survive bumps and drops.
It also comes with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 protection, a fingerprint reader and Windows Hello for secure authentication, to safeguard sensitive data while working away from the office.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 32 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage or a 1 TB hard disk drive.
The new December 2020 Acer TravelMate P2 model has a rated battery life of 13 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
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2 x SDRAM slots (dual channel)
Up to 32 GB DDR4-2933
Storage Options
Up to 512 GB Intel SSD + 32 GB Intel Optane
Up to 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC M.2 SSD
Up to 2 x 512 GB PCIe NVMe TLC M.2 SSDs (RAID 0)
1 x SD card reader
Networking
10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX-201 (2×2) + Bluetooth 5
I/O Ports
1 x USB Type C (GTX 1650 and 1650 Ti only)
1 x Thunderbolt 3 (all other models)
1 x USB Type A with HP Sleep and Charge
2 x USB Type A
1 x RJ-45
1 x headphone / microphone combo
1 x power port
1 x Mini DisplayPort
1 x HDMI 2.0a
Keyboard Options
Red backlit with / without numeric keypad
4-zone RGB backlit with / without numeric keypad
Touchpad
HP Imagepad with multi-touch support
Camera + Mic
HD webcam + dual-array digital microphones
Audio
Dual speakers by Bang & Olufsen
HP Audio Boost with DTS:X Ultra support
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Microsoft just announced the official price list and availability of the 2020 Surface Laptop Go in Malaysia! Check them out!
2020 Surface Laptop Go : What Is It?
The Surface Laptop Go is Microsoft’s lightest and most affordable laptop option for both business and home users.
The 2020 Surface Laptop Go boasts a 12.4-inch PixelSense touchscreen display, a large precision trackpad and a full-sized keyboard with 1.3 mm key travel.
It is built around the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, and comes with up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of SSD storage.
They also come with a built-in 720p HD camera with Studio Microphones and Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Audio support.
For a quick and secure sign-in, select 2020 Surface Laptop Go models have a Fingerprint Power Button with One Touch sign-in through Windows Hello.
They all have a long battery life of up to 13 hours, with Fast Charging capability, to let users keep working all day.
Finally, they all have both USB Type A and USB Type C ports, an 3.5 mm radio jack and the Surface connector.
2020 Surface Laptop Go : Price + Availability In Malaysia!
The 2020 Surface Laptop Go is available in Malaysia, starting 24 November 2020, at these price points :
Surface for Business devices provides specific experiences and features built especially for commercial customers including :
enterprise-grade security, and leading modern management with Autopilot,
Surface Enterprise Management Mode (SEMM) and Microsoft Intune.
Windows 10 Pro comes standard on Surface for Business devices
In addition to the standard hardware warranty, Surface for Business customers get free Advanced Exchange – a warranty service with expedited device replacement, at no additional cost.
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The new 2020 HP ENVY 13 and ENVY 15 laptops are each designed for a different purpose, but with a single mission – to help you bring your ideas to life no matter where you are.
Find out how the 2020 HP ENVY 13 and HP ENVY 15 laptops differ, and which is the best option for you!
HP ENVY 13 (2020) Laptop
Powerful and yet light and compact, the new HP ENVY 13 laptop is designed for creators on-the-go. Its long-lasting battery ensures you can work for a full day and then some, without worrying about running out of power.
And should you be on-the-road longer than expected, the HP Fast Charge feature lets you recharge 50% of its battery in just 30 minutes, so you can get right back to creating your content, after a short break!
Being light and compact, the new ENVY 13 is great for creators who need the flexibility to work wherever they are. But it does not compromise quality for mobility.
Despite weighing just 1.3 kg, the HP ENVY 13 provides the performance you need for designing and editing work, with its NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics and 10th Gen Intel Core processor.
When your workspace can be anywhere from your home to a busy café or a shooting location, security and privacy becomes a real concern. Thankfully, the new ENVY 13 comes with built-in security features like a physical camera shutter, and a microphone mute button, as well as a fingerprint reader.
When out and about, you can enjoy accurate, cinematic audio thanks to its dual speakers with HP Audio Boost, that have been custom-tuned by Bang & Olufsen.
On top of all that, the new ENVY 13 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 worth RM529 for FREE, you can get straight to creating on your new laptop.
And you never have to worry about where you create your content, thanks to its 2-year Accidental Damage Protection coverage!
HP ENVY 15 (2020) Laptop
The HP ENVY 15 is not just a larger version of the ENVY 13. It is designed to be a content creation workhorse, with serious gaming chops.
It can be equipped with the latest 10th Generation Intel Core processors and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory.
To ensure the best possible performance while designing and editing high-resolution videos, or during strenuous gaming sessions, its CPU and GPU are kept cool by HP’s custom vapour chamber cooling, with dual 12V high-performance fans and an IR thermal sensor.
They all work together to keep the CPU and GPU cool, delivering 33% more processing power during intense workloads.
Its 15.6-inch touch display also offers a better experience while working on your creative project, with greater colour accuracy thanks to its Full High Definition micro-edge display with WLED backlight, IPS technology, 100% sRGB, and anti-glare coating.
Your creative journey is also enhanced by its two built-in speakers, which are not only custom-tuned by Bang & Olufsen, but also feature HP Audio Boost for a cinematic experience.
To keep your creations under wraps until you are ready to share it with the world, the new HP ENVY 15 comes with built-in security features, such as a fingerprint reader, physical camera shutter, and a dedicated microphone mute button, which are all easily accessible from the keyboard.
Just like the smaller ENVY 13, the new ENVY 15 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 worth RM529 for FREE, as well as 2 years of Accidental Damage Protection coverage!
HP ENVY 13 vs HP ENVY 15 : Which Should You Choose?
The HP ENVY 13 and HP ENVY 15 are not just different in their sizes – they are actually very different laptops.
The HP ENVY 13 is most suited for those who want the ability to create content for ultra-long hours on-the-go.
The HP ENVY 15 is best for those who want a powerful GPU for intense content creation or gaming no matter where they are.
To make it easier for you, this table gives you a quick comparison of their key advantages :
Why Buy The ENVY 13?
Why Buy The ENVY 15?
Performance – Latest Intel 10th Gen processors
– Intel Iris Plus Graphics / NVIDIA GeForce MX350
– Up to 19.5 hours battery life – HP Fast Charge: Up to 50% in 30 mins
Performance – Latest Intel 10th Gen processors – Vapour Chamber Cooling with dual 12V fans
– Up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
– Up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory – Up to 16.5 hours battery life – HP Fast Charge : Up to 50% in 45 mins
Design – 13.3-inch micro-edge WLED display
– 88% screen-to-body ratio
Security – unhackable physical camera shutter
– microphone mute button on keyboard
– fingerprint reader
Security – unhackable physical camera shutter
– microphone mute button on keyboard
– fingerprint reader
– virtual private ExpressVPN (30 day trial)
Other Features – free Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 (worth RM 529)
– 2-year accidental damage protection coverage
But no matter which HP ENVY laptop you choose, it will come with free pre-installed Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 (worth RM 529) as well as 2 Years of Accidental Damage Protection!
Find out more about the new HP ENVY 13 and HP ENVY 15 laptops here.
HP Accidental Damage Protection (ADP)
HP Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) is designed to protect your HP ENVY laptop against any accidental damage during your use.
It will cover drops, spills, power surges, including broken parts. Even damaged or broken displays!
Here are some examples of how useful it can be to protect your investment :
You accidentally knock your HP ENVY laptop off the desk, and crack its LCD display. The ADP coverage includes a free replacement of the damaged LCD screen!
You accidentally spill your drink on the keyboard, causing the laptop to stop operating. It will be repaired for free with ADP coverage!
A power surge during a lightning storm damages the laptop. It will be repaired for free with ADP coverage!
2020 HP ENVY 13 | HP ENVY 15 : Price + Availability
The 2020 HP ENVY laptops are available with immediate effect, with these starting prices :
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Find out what’s new in the Dell XPS 13 (9310) ultra-light laptop with Intel Tiger Lake!
2020 Dell XPS 13 (9310) With Intel Tiger Lake
Earlier this year, Dell introduced their premier ultra-light laptop – the 2020 Dell XPS 13 (9300), featuring the first-ever, virtually-borderlessInfinityEdge display!
It has now been refreshed as the XPS 13 (9310) with the latest Intel Tiger Lake processor!
Like the XPS 13 (9300), the Dell XPS 13 (9310) boasts an ultra-light chassis with machined aluminium, carbon fibre or woven glass fibre and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, as well as ultra-thin bezels.
The new 9310 refresh model, though, comes with the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Xe graphics, and options for more memory and storage.
The new 2020 Dell XPS 13 (9310) with Intel Tiger Lake boasts a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor – fitting neatly on an airplane tray. Yet, it comes with a 17% larger touchpad, and edge-to-edge keyboard with larger key caps.
It also features Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and up to 32 GB of faster LPDDR4x memory running at 4267 MHz, instead of 3733 MHz.
Its InfinityEdge display supports 100% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3 colour gamut, with optional 4K UHD resolution. In addition, it is now 25% brighter at 500 nits.
It can now be configured with up to 2 TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. And it supports up to Wi-Fi6 with its Killer AX1650 Wi-Fi module.
Both the 9310 and 9300 models are visually indistinguishable, with the same form factor, build, dimensions and even weight. They only differ in certain internal components.
Specifications
XPS 13 (9310)
Tiger Lake
XPS 13 (9300)
Ice Lake
Display
13.4-inch Full HD / 4K
Processor
11th Gen Intel
Core i7/i5/i3
10th Gen Intel
Core i7/i5/i3
RAM
Up to 32 GB
LPDDR4x-4267
Up to 16 GB
LPDDR4x-3733
Graphics
Up to Intel Iris Xe
Up to Intel Iris Plus
Storage
Up to 2 TB SSD
Up to 1 TB SSD
Dimensions
296 mm wide
199 mm deep
14.8 mm thick
Weight
1.2 kg
Dell XPS 13 (9310) with Intel Tiger Lake : Colour Comparison
The refreshed Dell XPS 13 (9310) laptop with Intel Tiger Lake will come in two colour options :
Platinum Silver, with Carbon Black carbon fiber composite palm rest, or
Frost, with Arctic White woven glass fibre palm rest (with UV-resistant and stain-resistant coating)
Dell XPS 13 (9310) with Intel Tiger Lake : Price + Availability
The refreshed Dell XPS 13 (9310) with Intel Tiger Lake is available at these starting prices :
United States (1 October onwards) : $999 onwards
United Kingdom (30 September onwards) : £1399 onwards
Malaysia (October 2020) : RM6,399 onwards
Here in Malaysia, Dell will bring in the refreshed Dell XPS 13 (9310) with these specifications
11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 with Intel Iris Xe graphics
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They both come with a large 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, with NVIDIA G-SYNC support for tear-free gaming.
The Core i9 model comes with two 512 GB SSDs in RAID 0, while the Core i7 model comes a 512 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD.
They both come with Killer AX1650i for fast Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, and Killer E3100G for Gigabit LAN connectivity with Killer DoubleShot Pro capability.
2020 Acer Predator Helios 700 : Specifications
For your convenience, we compare the two 2020 Predator Helios 700 variants in this table :
Specifications
Predator Helios 700
(Intel Core i9)
Predator Helios 700
(Intel Core i7)
Model
PH717-72-944E
PH717-72-76GW
Display
17.3-inch G-SYNC IPS display (144 Hz)
– Full HD resolution
(1920 x 1080)
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