CR
Carter Ross
Oct 16, 2026
Speakers punch way above
I was skeptical about mini-LED but the local dimming makes HDR movies look genuinely cinematic.
I was skeptical about mini-LED but the local dimming makes HDR movies look genuinely cinematic.
Keyboard layout respects the standard arrow cluster, which is a tiny thing that makes a huge difference daily. Mic clarity on calls is so good people kept asking if I was in a studio.
Boot from cold power to logged-in desktop is under ten seconds, which is a joy every morning. Response time on this panel is low enough that fast motion in sports and action games stays crisp.
Image processing on the camera handles skin tones so naturally that family photos finally look like real people. A single charge gets me through two full-length movies with a bit of light reading left over.
I appreciate the physical shutter on the webcam because it means I never have to think about privacy stickers.
A speaker driver blew within the first month at normal volumes and now plays only crackle on anything bass-heavy.
I had to buy a third-party dongle just to use the ports as advertised, which feels absurd at this price.
Even the included accessories feel like real products rather than afterthoughts stuffed in a box. I love being able to charge over the same cable I already use for my other devices around the house.
I never thought I would call charging cables premium, but the braided one included here is genuinely nice.
I love the hardware idea but the software is so broken that basic features are effectively unusable.
Game performance at native resolution is okay but you really need the upscaler to hit a stable frame rate.
Panel uniformity is awful with visible splotches in the center that make any solid color look dirty. I bought this on a sale and still feel ripped off given how little of what was advertised actually works properly.
Game performance in the launch titles the brand itself promoted is noticeably below what the trailers suggested. Charging port is wobbly out of the box and already intermittent after about a month of normal use.
Battery easily lasts a full workday with brightness cranked and I still get home with twenty percent left. Repairability is finally improving, with standard screws and clearly labeled components inside.
This replaced three separate gadgets I used to carry and does every job as well or better. Firmware had a nice option to tune fan curves manually and now the whole system runs much quieter.
Wi-Fi 7 range reaches every corner of my house including the basement where every router before has given up.
Game library loads from external storage so fast that I honestly cannot tell it is not internal. Keyboard layout respects the standard arrow cluster, which is a tiny thing that makes a huge difference daily. Charging port feels sturdy and I have zero worry about yanking the cable in a hurry.
Fingerprint reader works maybe half the time and the fallback PIN is slower than it was on my decade-old device.
Camera lens scratches so easily that daily use has already left visible rings in every photo I take.
Companion app is lightweight and actually useful instead of a bloated advertisement for other products. I replaced an aging ultrabook and the difference in boot time and app launch speed is immediately obvious. I never thought I would call charging cables premium, but the braided one included here is genuinely nice.
Audio stage from the built-in speakers is honestly surprising for a device this thin. Micro-pattern on the trackpad gives a nice tactile cue that stops my fingers from slipping during long edits.
I love that the remote has backlit buttons and I never fumble in the dark anymore. Fingerprint reader unlocks reliably in under a second and has never once failed with slightly wet fingers.
Audio drivers have real body in the low mids without turning muddy at louder volumes.
Audio imaging is sharp enough that I can hear footsteps clearly when gaming competitively online. Honestly feel like I got more than I paid for, which is not something I say often about tech.
I ordered this expecting a flagship and the overall experience feels at least two generations behind what others ship.
Software bundled on the device is bloated with ads and junk I spent hours removing on the first day. The hinge developed an audible click within months and I am waiting for the whole lid to just snap off. A whole category of advertised features turned out to be region-locked and I only discovered this after unboxing.
Haptic feedback on individual keys is subtle enough that I can type for hours without the buzz becoming annoying. Panel finally supports true blacks and watching dark movies no longer feels like staring into gray fog. Battery health reporting is actually transparent, with a real cycle count and capacity readout.
Fit and finish on the chassis is close to what you expect from devices twice this price. Multitasking between creative apps feels snappier than my previous machine that cost almost twice as much.
I expected modern software support and instead I got a stale version with no roadmap for a fix. I bought this specifically for photography and the camera is somehow worse in low light than my previous midrange device.
Running a full day of video calls and the thermal design handled it without ever hitting the fan limit.
Software is refreshingly clean with almost no preinstalled junk I had to spend an afternoon uninstalling. Setup took under five minutes and the companion app actually guided me through everything cleanly.
Hinge finally feels like it will last, holding any angle rock-steady without a hint of sag.
Panel still looks beautiful after a year of daily use with no visible wear on the coating.
Setup took under five minutes and the companion app actually guided me through everything cleanly.
Headphone drivers started rattling at any moderate volume after about two weeks of normal use. A firmware update bricked the device so badly that support told me to ship it back for replacement.
Pairing to multiple devices is seamless and switching between phone and laptop takes under a second. Companion app is lightweight and actually useful instead of a bloated advertisement for other products. A single charge gets me through two full-length movies with a bit of light reading left over.
Fast enough that I retired a desktop I was planning to upgrade and never looked back. I did a direct side-by-side with my old setup and the upgrade is dramatic across almost every metric.
Screen scratches showed up under what felt like totally normal use, including a long scratch from a soft cloth. Build looked premium in photos but in hand the plastic flexes and creaks under even moderate pressure.
Panel uniformity across the whole screen is excellent and I cannot see any backlight bleed in the corners.
Latency on wireless peripherals feels truly indistinguishable from a wired connection even in fast games. Keyboard travel is just right for long typing sessions and my wrists feel better after full days of writing.
Build looks premium but a couple of panel gaps on my unit are wider than I would like.
I bought this for gaming and it throttles so aggressively that even older titles stutter during longer sessions.
A seemingly routine update broke the battery calibration and now the device shuts off at thirty percent remaining. Controller drift showed up within the first month on a brand new, boxed, untouched-until-opening unit.
Mic clarity on calls is so good people kept asking if I was in a studio.
Panel refresh rate is high but there is noticeable overshoot that leaves fast motion looking slightly smeary. I expected a flagship experience and got about ninety percent of one, which is fine but not what I paid for. Charging port placement is fine for a desk but awkwardly placed for anyone who likes to use it while charging.
Repairability is finally improving, with standard screws and clearly labeled components inside.
I replaced an aging ultrabook and the difference in boot time and app launch speed is immediately obvious.
I was ready to send it back on day one but after a week it has completely won me over. I love that the remote has backlit buttons and I never fumble in the dark anymore.
Even at full brightness outdoors the display is readable, which is rare in this size class.
Audio latency on the Bluetooth link is so low that I can play rhythm games with no issues. Noise cancellation genuinely drowns out a plane cabin, which is honestly the only test that matters to me.