Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Review: The premium gaming laptop experience

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is a very enticing gaming laptop. It offers a high-end gaming laptop experience at a very reasonable budget. The combination of the 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX and the NVIDIA RTX 4050 is enough to handle most modern games with ease at high settings. This is paired with a bright 165 Hz WUXGA IPS display, great overall build quality, a decent keyboard, and surprisingly decent battery life as well, for a gaming laptop, that is. At Rs.1,24,990, we certainly wouldn't call this a cheap or a budget gaming laptop, but we can very confidently say that you're getting the best bang for your buck. 

 

The new Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sits in between Acer's high-end Predator lineup and the budget Nitro lineup. With the Nitro lineup, Acer usually opts for fewer features, comparatively weaker build quality and entry-level gaming hardware. On the other hand, the Predator lineup comes with all the frills, great build quality and displays, and top-end hardware. With the new Predator Helios Neo 16, Acer is hoping to fill the gap with a laptop that compromises on some of the frills but offers top-end hardware at a reasonable budget.

The variant we're reviewing comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX paired with the new NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU. There are 13th Gen Core i5 variants and variants with higher-end GPUs as well, including the RTX 4060 and 4070. Moreover, all the GPUs are configured with the highest TGP values so you're getting all the juice out of them. Considering the specs on board, at an asking price of Rs.1,24,990, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is not a bad deal on paper, but is it actually worth your money? Read the complete review to find out.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Build and Design

Let's start things off with the build and design. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 doesn't scream gamer like the Nitro does, but it definitely looks the part of a gaming laptop. Some might appreciate the more muted gamer aesthetic, especially if they use the laptop in more professional work settings.

The laptop is matte black in colour overall, with turquoise accents. The same turquoise can also be seen around the borders of the WASD, and arrow keys. In the centre of the lid, you have a glossy Predator logo. It's not lit up or anything, and it's actually pretty hard to see clearly on the matte black. Similarly, you also have a bunch of cryptic numbers and crosshairs on the side of the lid, along with a grid on the other side. This is actually a puzzle that Acer has put on the lid, which if you solve it, you can reach out to Acer for a reward apparently.

Coming to the build quality, Acer has opted for a mix of aluminium and plastic for the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16. The display lid is made out of metal and is very sturdy, while the rest of the body features plastic. The mix of plastic and metal makes sense if you consider what Acer is going for, and we honestly can't fault the build quality at all, save for the display which flexes more than we'd like. That said, the display itself remains very stable and sturdy with close-to-zero wobble.

The laptop features a 16-inch display and weighs around 2.6 kg, which is a bit on the heavier side as far as gaming laptops are concerned. Then again, you are getting a slightly larger than-usual display with this laptop as well.

The Predator Helios Neo 16 features chiclet keys, much like the kind that are present in the Nitro series of gaming laptops. We've mentioned in the past that we quite like the feel of the Nitro's keyboard, and that still stands. There's decent travel and feedback which makes for a good overall experience when using the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16's keyboard. You get 4-zone RGB lighting for the keyboard, but no per-key lighting which is reserved for higher-end Predator laptops, but RGB is a small sacrifice to make when cutting costs. The touchpad is slightly off-centre towards the left, which prevents the touchpad from getting in the way of typing too much. However, you're probably going to use a mouse while gaming and will be disabling the touchpad entirely. If you do need to use it in a pinch, the touchpad is accurate enough.

I/O options

The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a great selection of I/O port offerings. You've got two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a charging port behind the laptop's display. On the left side of the laptop, you have the RJ45 ethernet port, a USB-A port, a microSD card reader and a 3.5 mm combo port. On the right-hand side, you have two more USB-A and a Kensington lock. We couldn't have asked for a better selection of I/O offerings at this price range.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Display

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 comes with two display variants, 1920x1200 and 2560x1600  resolutions. As you can see, these are 16:10 aspect ratio displays, so you have a little more screen to work with. The variant we received came with a WUXGA or 1920x1200 display. Despite being the cheaper of the two display options, you still get around 400 nits of peak brightness which is great; we tested an average of around 382 nits. Additionally, you get close to 100 per cent sRGB coverage, we tested 99.6 per cent, and 83.2 per cent DCI-P3 coverage, which is great. That makes the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 a pretty solid laptop for your content creation needs as well.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Thermals

The Acer Predator Neo 16 performs exceptionally in the thermals department, especially if you consider this is a gaming laptop. Not only do the temps remain low, but even the noise is also lower than average as well. The highest temperature we recorded was the CPU, which peaked at around 70 degrees Celsius during the stress test. Both the CPU and GPU in the Acer Predator Neo 16 use Acer's AeroBlade 3D fans for cooling, and they both share six heat pipes. While the bottom of the laptop can get pretty warm, surface temps stay around the 25-degree mark for the most part, such as around the palm and touchpad, except for the WASD cluster which hits 32 degrees Celsius and the centre of the laptop which goes to around 36 degrees Celsius. 

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Performance

With that, we come to the performance. As we mentioned in the intro, Acer hasn't held back with the hardware in the Neo 16, so we've got the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX paired with the new NVIDIA RTX 4050. While the RTX 4050 is the lowest-end variant in the new RTX 40 series lineup, it's certainly no slouch and is comparable to the RTX 3060 Laptop GPU when it comes to gaming performance. 

Starting things off with the synthetic GPU benchmarks ala 3DMark, we're comparing the 4050 with one of our best-performing 3060 laptops from last year, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 16IAH7 which also features a 12th gen Core i7.

You can see that the 4050 beats the 3060 in just about every 3DMark benchmark save a few, where the scores are very close.

Coming to productivity, for which we use the PCMark 10 benchmark, we're once again comparing the same two laptops, this time pitting the 13th Gen Core i7-13700HX in the Predator Helios Neo 16 with the 12th Gen Core i7-12700H in the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.

No surprises here, the newer processor wins out. Coming to the Cinebench R23 benchmark, we found that the single-thread performance in both processors is very similar, however the Core i7-13700HX inches ahead of the Core i7-12700H in multi-thread performance.

The trend continues in our encryption and decryption benchmarks as well, for which we use WinRAR and 7-Zip, where the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is leagues ahead.

RAM

The Neo 16 comes with 16GB of DDR5 memory clocked at 4800 MT/s with support for up to 32GB. We tested RAM speeds using the AIDA64 memory benchmark, and it's certainly among the speedier RAMs we've tested this year.

Storage

This continues with the NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage onboard as well, which is among the fastest in the price segment. We saw read speeds close to 7000 MB/s and write speeds around the 5000 MB/s mark during the CrystalDiskMark NVMe SSD benchmark.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Gaming performance

Finally, we come to real-world gaming performance. We use a mix of both GPU and CPU-intensive games to gauge how well the Acer Predator Helio Neo 16 performs in real-world gaming. As we mentioned at the start of this section, the RTX 4050 certainly holds its own. We're once again comparing it with the RTX 3060 in the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.

 

The RTX 4050 outperforms the RTX 3060 in every single gaming benchmark. Clearly, the RTX 4050 is the new best entry-level gaming laptop GPU. Of course, this specific combination in the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is fantastic and should have no trouble handling any modern title you throw at it, at least for the coming year.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - Verdict

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 is a very enticing gaming laptop. It offers a high-end gaming laptop experience at a very reasonable budget. You may miss out on a few features here and there, but honestly, who needs per-key RGB lighting or an OLED display when you're getting top-of-the-line hardware onboard? The combination of the 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX and the NVIDIA RTX 4050 is enough to handle most modern games with ease at high settings. Both the processor and GPU scored fantastically in our benchmarks, and this is paired with a bright 165 Hz WUXGA IPS display, great overall build quality, a decent keyboard, and surprisingly decent battery life as well, for a gaming laptop, that is. At Rs.1,24,990, we certainly wouldn't call this a cheap or a budget gaming laptop, but we can very confidently say that you're getting the best bang for your buck. 

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Does The MSI Titan GT77 HX Bridges the Gap between Desktop and Laptop Gaming Heres My Review After 22 Days Review

The MSI Titan GT77, with its head-turning specs and awe-inspiring performance, asserts its place as a game-changer in the world of gaming laptops. Powered by the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 and Nvidia's RTX 4090, it virtually closes the gap between desktop and laptop gaming performance. The Mini LED 4K HDR display brings games to life with vivid visuals. The battery life may not impress those on the move, but for those who demand unrivaled performance, it's a minor caveat. The mechanical keyboard enhances the gaming and typing experience, despite its undersized numpad. If budget isn't a constraint and you're after sheer power, the MSI Titan GT77 is a compelling choice.

Redefining Power-Packed Gaming: MSI Titan GT77 Revealed

Ever since we were kids, many of us dreamed of taking our gaming desktops on the road to enjoy our favorite games anywhere. With the advent of gaming laptops, that dream is now closer to reality. However, portability often requires a trade-off in terms of power, resulting in laptops that typically lag behind their desktop counterparts. 

The interesting part about performance, though, is that it has a defined threshold. For instance, if your laptop can smoothly run games at 4K 60FPS, you probably don't need much more firepower. 

This is what makes today's review subject, the MSI Titan GT77, so noteworthy. It's recognized for its outstanding performance and at the time of writing this article, it's arguably the world's most powerful gaming laptop. The Titan GT77, fortified with the 13th Gen Intel chip, aims to pack desktop-grade power into a laptop's body. 

In the sections to follow, we'll dissect the features of this device, evaluating its design, performance, display, battery life, and overall value proposition.

Also Read: Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 13th Gen Core i7-13700HX Review: The Tesla Model 3 of Gaming Laptops

MSI Titan GT77 Design And Build Quality Review

The MSI Titan GT77 combines a strong and powerful design, mirroring its high-performance capabilities. Despite its weight of 3.30kg, it feels sturdy and built to last. The laptop sports a black exterior with various design elements and RGB lighting, adding a touch of gamer aesthetic. Users can customize or turn off the RGB lighting using the Steelseries GG app for a personalized experience.

Despite its size, the Titan GT77 features a large 17.3-inch screen packed into a relatively small frame for such a high-powered gaming laptop. MSI's experience in hardware production is evident in the laptop's superior build quality, making the Titan GT77 feel durable and reliable.

MSI Titan GT77 Display Performance Review

The laptop's 17.3-inch screen is impressive, boasting a 4K (3840x2160) resolution with an IPS panel. The thin bezels around the display enhance the viewing experience, and the HDR 1000-supported panel provides bright, vibrant colors. Brightness tests show the display peaks at 832nits, and color accuracy is high with 99.4% sRGB, 84.2% Adobe RGB, and 95.1% DCI-P3 coverage. The MSI Titan GT77 delivers great visuals for gaming or multimedia creation.

Mini LED displays use minuscule LEDs for precise backlighting, enhancing image quality. They deliver high contrast ratios, vibrant colors, and deep blacks akin to OLED displays, but without burn-in risks. Offering higher brightness and superior local dimming, Mini LEDs are excellent for displaying HDR content, creating an immersive viewing experience.

MSI Titan GT77 Performance Review

MSI Titan GT77 sports cutting-edge components, the Intel Core i9-13950HX processor (24 cores) with a max turbo frequency of 5.5GHz, and Nvidia's RTX 4090 mobile GPU. It is complemented by 64GB DDR5 RAM and a 4TB SSD, making it a behemoth in terms of tech specs.

Moving to benchmark tests, the Titan sets the bar high, with a PCMark 10 score of 11752 - the best we've ever recorded for a laptop. Even in Cinebench R23, the Titan delivered an unbeatable multicore score of 28289.

However, focusing only on the processor doesn't do justice to the Titan GT77, as its Nvidia RTX 4090 mobile GPU, with 16GB GDDR6 memory, is equally powerful.

Also Read: HP Pavilion x360 14 (2023) Review: Portable, efficient, and versatile

The new RTX 4090 mobile GPU establishes its supremacy with a phenomenal Time Spy score of 19396, leaving competitors like the RTX 3080 Ti in the dust. The RTX 4090 also performed splendidly in gaming benchmarks, displaying a significant lead in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and setting an unprecedented average score in Metro Exodus.

For a more challenging test, I fired up AC Valhalla at 4K resolution and ultra details. The Titan still delivered an impressive 79 FPS. Its ability to deliver such performance even with demanding titles proves its potential for future games, especially as ray tracing and 4k gaming gain popularity.

Battery and Mobility

The MSI Titan GT77, being a performance-driven laptop, demands a substantial power supply, provided by a substantial 330-watt power brick. Though a bit challenging to pack and certainly not ideal for coffee shop use, the laptop is armed with a robust 99-watt-hour battery for on-the-go operations.

However, due to its immense power, the Titan's battery can be rapidly depleted in under 45 minutes while doing intensive tasks like 3D gaming or video encoding at full brightness. Nevertheless, the Titan can sustain over an hour or two of work with less demanding applications, proving its versatility despite its power-hungry nature.

MSI Titan GT77 Keyboard And Trackpad Review

The MSI Titan GT77 comes with a SteelSeries mechanical keyboard boasting Cherry MX switches, delivering a stellar typing experience. The keys offer long travel and firm bottoming action, providing satisfying tactile feedback. Although the clicky sound of keystrokes is audible, it's hardly bothersome.

From a day-to-day usage perspective, it excels in both writing tasks and web browsing. Moreover, it's perfectly apt for gaming. The keyboard features per-key RGB LED backlighting, customizable via the user-friendly SteelSeries GG app, instead of an MSI proprietary one - a definite bonus. The app also allows customization of keyboard functions, handy for creating shortcuts for gaming or productivity apps.

The keyboard has an undersized numpad, featuring half-sized keys. Considering the laptop's size, a full-sized numpad could have been accommodated. But to be fair, MSI allocated the space for front-facing speakers, which I appreciate more.

The touchpad doesn't disappoint either. It's spacious (5 inches x 3.25 inches) and provides a smooth, responsive surface, facilitating easy activation of Windows' multitouch gestures. It comes with clicky left and right mouse buttons and feels smooth and precise to use.

Verdict

The MSI Titan GT77 is a formidable gaming laptop, tailored for enthusiasts craving unrivaled performance. With a potent Intel Core i9-13950HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, and a heap of DDR5 RAM, it delivers outstanding performance in gaming and heavy-duty tasks. The 4K 17.3-inch HDR-enabled display presents vibrant visuals, immersing you in games and multimedia. While its portability and battery life may not be its strong suit, it compensates with its stellar performance and solid construction.

For those seeking a gaming laptop that marries desktop-like performance with a visually stimulating experience, the MSI Titan GT77 should be on your radar. Remember, this beast comes with a hefty price tag, making it a contender for those with a generous budget. If uncompromising performance is your anthem as a serious gamer or content creator, the MSI Titan GT77 is a worthy contender that won't disappoint.

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Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Review: The Tesla Model 3 of Gaming Laptops

The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro offers an intelligent fusion of design, functionality, and affordability. Powered by an Intel Core i7-13700HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, 16GB DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD, the laptop stands out as a potent contender in the mid-tier gaming laptop sector. Its robust CNC aluminum and PC-ABS chassis, coupled with impressive connectivity options and a 16-inch 240Hz display with superb color accuracy, sets a high bar. While its GPU might not be the most advanced, it ensures a satisfying gaming experience across most modern 3D titles, making the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro a compelling choice for mid-tier gamers in 2023.

 

The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Review: The Tesla Model 3 of Gaming Laptops

Christian Von Koenigsegg, CEO of Koenigsegg Automotive AB, called the Tesla Model 3 as the “best EV daily driver”. You must be wondering then that the Tesla Model 3 must be one really fast car, and objectively, it is. You must also think that the Tesla Model 3 must be the best-handling, the most feature loaded, or the most reliable car out there. Well, I am afraid, it isn’t so either. What it really is is a very clever mixture of performance, design, and features that feel just right for the money you have to spend in order to own one. And in the same sense, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is also just like the Tesla Model 3 of the gaming laptop world.

By now you must have gotten an idea about where the new Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2023 stands as a gaming laptop. But if you didn’t get my reference, then here’s what you need to know. The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a high-end gaming laptop that isn’t exactly “super-premium” but delivers performance to easily play games at 1440p 60FPS and even higher in most cases. So what can we concur from this? Is the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro worth the price tag? To answer that question here’s the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro (2023) review.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Specifications

Processor - Intel Core i7-13700HX 24-core CPU with 5.00GHz maximum turbo boost frequency.

Graphics - Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM (140W TGP)

Memory - 16GB DDR5

Display - 16-inch WUXGA+ IPS LCD 240Hz display with 500 nits of brightness

Storage - 1TB SSD

Battery - 80Wh

Weight - 2.55kg

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Design And Build Quality

The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro chassis uses plastic as well as metal. The lid cover is made up of CNC or Computer Numeric Control aluminium, in which metals, in this case, aluminium, are precisely cut with the help of machines. And the CNC process does not affect the strength of aluminium in any way and the lid does indeed feels very sturdy.

The rest of the laptop’s chassis meanwhile, is made up of PC-ABS, which stands for polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. These two plastics combine resulting in a material that is strong and also heat resistant. The ABS part of the “PC-ABS” also helps prevent cracking or breaking in the laptop chassis.

Also Read: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IAH7 Review: The Ideal Budget Gaming Laptop?

My Legion 5i came in a greyish colour but obviously, Lenovo being a brand has to call it something fancy. And it indeed does, my laptop’s colour name is Onyx Grey. I think all the Pokémon fans just got hit with a wave of nostalgia. Nevertheless, it looks stealthy, with no RGB lights sticking out on its lid, and with a 22.45mm thickness and 2.55kg body weight, it is also decently portable.

Both sides of the chassis and the back of the laptop feature air vents and a wide variety of I/O ports. However, one small detail that impressed me a lot was the curved corners of the laptop. I mean, they're not excessively curved but curved enough to prevent discomfort in your wrist while typing.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - I/O Ports Review

In terms of connectivity, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro earns impressive accolades. A standout feature is its USB-C port, which boasts DisplayPort Alternate Mode and Power Delivery up to 140 watts. While this doesn't match the full power the laptop requires at maximum load, as it's supplied with a 300-watt power adapter, it's ample for less intensive tasks. This versatility allows users to leave the hefty 300-watt power adapter behind when the laptop's peak performance is not a necessity.

Complementing the primary USB-C port is another USB-C port, which supports DisplayPort but lacks Power Delivery, and three USB-A ports. The combined count of five USB ports is commendable for any laptop available in 2023. These are supplemented by an HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. The strategic placement of most of these ports at the rear of the laptop enhances desk-based cable management.

On the wireless front, the Legion 5 Pro incorporates Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, in line with the standards set by contemporary gaming laptops. The Wi-Fi performance proves to be quite robust when linked to a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router, negating the need for a wired Ethernet connection for many gamers, though it's available if required.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Keyboard Review

The Legion Pro 5i from Lenovo is a substantial piece of machinery that doesn't bring the tactile satisfaction of a mechanical keyboard to the table but still provides an unexpectedly comfortable and pleasing typing experience. Its keys function with a level of discretion that would appeal to noise-sensitive users, while still offering the personalization of a color-customizable keyboard, separated into four unique zones.

Lenovo has incorporated a full-size keyboard which means it has a dedicated number pad. Despite the numerical keys being somewhat less expansive compared to the standard keys, they offer a streamlined way to for using programs like Google Sheets, Excel, etc. As for the touchpad, Lenovo has opted for a plastic construction that, though smaller compared to the increasingly oversized touchpads that have become somewhat standard in recent releases (the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra being a case in point), still capably handles navigation within Windows 11. That said, in the realm of gaming where precision is paramount, my preference was towards a wireless mouse when I was using the Legion Pro 5i.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Display Review

The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2023 gaming laptop features an expansive 16-inch display and a resolution of 2560 x 1600, all framed within a 16:10 aspect ratio, and enhanced by a 240Hz Hz refresh rate. The goal? To provide an excellent visual experience.

Transitioning to the more technical side of things, a comparison with the previous Gen 7 model reveals some adjustments Lenovo has made in the Gen 8 variant. According to my readings, the Legion Pro 5i achieved a peak brightness of around 540 nits, making it one of the brightest laptops in its segment. Moreover, the Legion 5i Pro maintained commendable scores in both the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, registering at 106.4% and 78.2% respectively.

The Legion 5i Pro’s display also has a very high degree of colour accuracy. During the Calman ColorChecker analysis test, the laptop’s display scored an Average Delta E value of 1.3. For context, this value is inversely proportional to the display. And the maximum Delta E value is 2.4, making the Legion 5i Pro’s display one of the best in its segment in terms of colour accuracy.

To conclude, it's clear Lenovo has successfully elevated the display capabilities in their transition from the previous generation to the Legion Pro 5i.

Also Read: Lenovo Yoga 9i Review: The 2-in-1 all-rounder

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Performance Review

Performance is one of the main reasons why you could consider buying this machine. Let me talk about some numbers - 19133 Multicore scores in Cinebench R23, 8665, and 20133 in 3d Mark’s TimeSpy and Firestrike. For reference, here are its CPU and GPU benchmarks in comparison with the MSI GL66 and HP Omen 16. The Legion 5i Pro easily beats both of them.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro flexes its robust mid-tier specifications, boasting an Intel Core i7-13700HX processor with an aggregate of 16 cores - eight Performance and eight Efficient ones - reaching a maximum clock speed of 5GHz. This powerhouse couples with 16GB of DDR5 memory and a 512GB solid-state drive, whose read and write speed you can see down below.

As you're undoubtedly aware, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is equipped with high-performance components that consume considerable power. Consequently, after extended periods of gaming, it's not unusual to observe a significant rise in the laptop's surface temperature. Moreover, with an initial PCMark 10 score of 9424, the Lenovo Legion starts on a strong footing. Though this score may not shatter records, it’s indeed commendable and situates the Legion 5 Pro amongst the top mid-tier gaming laptops, demonstrating its potential for impressive overall performance.

The performance of the RTX 4060, while not a top-of-the-line GPU, is still robust enough to tackle most modern 3D titles at high settings, ensuring a satisfying gaming experience. It is noteworthy that the laptop was able to recover and sustain high frame rates in Shadow of the Tomb Raider without Nvidia’s DLSS technology turned on. But its performance in games like Metro Exodus positions RTX 4060 as a less significant upgrade compared to last year's RTX 3060.

Overall, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro's real-world gaming performance should satisfy most mid-tier gamers. The gaming experience is generally smooth and enjoyable, especially for those who value high frame rates and are ready to make some minor concessions on the highest possible settings for the most demanding titles.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro - Verdict 

In the world of gaming laptops, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, priced at Rs 186,837, stands out as a significant player. Much like the Tesla Model 3 in the realm of electric vehicles, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a high-performance machine that presents an intelligent blend of design, functionality, and value for money. It’s a well-built, robust laptop, delivering a commendable gaming performance at 1440p 60FPS and higher. The device is powered by an Intel Core i7-13700HX processor, paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, 16GB DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD, presenting itself as a substantial contender in the mid-tier gaming laptops. Although the laptop's base model only comes with a 512GB SSD you can upgrade it to 1TB and other specifications on Lenovo's official website as well. 

The laptop's chassis, built with a precise CNC aluminium lid and sturdy, heat-resistant PC-ABS body, exudes strength and durability. Coupled with its connectivity prowess, which includes two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet port, and wireless capabilities, the laptop sets a high bar for versatility. The quality continues with a pleasing keyboard experience and an expansive 16-inch 240Hz display with excellent color accuracy and brightness. Although the RTX 4060 GPU may not be the most advanced on the market, it is more than capable of providing a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience across most modern 3D titles. Despite the significant power consumption and resultant heat output, the laptop maintains impressive performance, positioning the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro as a compelling option for mid-tier gamers in 2023.

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HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 Review: Portable, efficient, and versatile

The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 is a thin and light 2-in-1 laptop that is powered by an Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1335U processor with 10 cores, 16GB DDR4 memory, and a 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. It has a 14-inch FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and multi-touch support, and it comes with an Intel Iris Xe GPU. The laptop has a manual physical shutter button, a fingerprint sensor, and Bang and Olufsen branding, and it features an ergo lift design that lifts its bottom up for airflow. The laptop is made using recycled aluminium and reclaimed ocean plastic, and it has a solid build quality with a tight hinge that allows comfortable use in different positions. The keyboard and trackpad are both of good quality, and the screen and speakers are decent and most suitable for productivity/office use.

The new HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 has finally been launched and I have a lot to talk about it. Particularly about its crystal clear 5MP camera, the manual shutter it comes with, and the overall package that is this 2-in-1 thin and light HP laptop. Firstly, the laptop is now powered by the Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1335U which now sports 10 physical cores with support for up to 12 threads.

The laptop also features DDR4 memory, which is not upgradable but you can swap it for new sticks and a bunch of useful ports too as these things are of high value, especially in a thin and light productivity laptop. Likewise, the overall build quality and the laptop’s ability to handle wear and tear are also something I will talk about. Primarily because these laptops will most likely be used very amply in an office/work-like environment. Therefore, if you’re someone with a budget of ₹90,000 to ₹1,00,000 and are looking for a thin and light 2-in-1 laptop with privacy-focused features, then this review is for you.

HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 Specifications

Processor - Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1335U featuring 10 cores (2 Performance cores and 8 Efficiency cores) with support for up to 12-threads and a boost clock speed of up to 4.60GHz

Graphics - Intel Iris Xe GPU running at 1.25GHz and 80 EUs

Memory - 16GB DDR4 running at 3400MHz clock speed

Storage - 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Display - 14-inch FHD display with 16:9 aspect ratio and multi-touch support

Battery - 43Wh

Weight - 1.41kg

HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 - Design And Build Quality

HP has gone one step ahead and has manufactured the Pavilion Plus x360 using recycled aluminium and reclaimed ocean plastic. Last year’s model was also made this way, so it’s nice to see HP continue this decision. Mainly because the resulting build quality of the Pavilion Plus x360 is top-notch. The laptop’s chassis has almost no flex and don’t judge this laptop by its small size because it feels very solid to use even if you have big solid hands.

And since most people will use this 2-in-1 laptop in the tablet mode, or the creative mode, HP has outfitted this thing with a very solid hinge. It is a good thing in my books because a tight hinge will ultimately allow you to use this laptop comfortably in different positions. Speaking of positions, the laptop does feature an ergo lift design, so it lifts its bottom up for some airflow.

The laptop’s lid is almost as thick as its base. It also features a manual physical shutter button which covers the front 5MP camera. Over the lid, you’ll see an HP logo, and near the keyboard, you will see a fingerprint sensor and Bang and Olufsen branding along with stickers from Intel. And on the other end, HP has very aesthetically labeled the word ‘PAVILION’ in all-caps, which looks quite aesthetic. The laptop I have is a ‘rose-ish’ colour and HP calls it ‘Palm Rose Gold.’ The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 is also available in Silver colour.

HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 - Keyboard And Trackpad

The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 features a 60% keyboard, which is something common in most laptops of this size. It also feels very good to type on as well, primarily because the keys have good travel to them and the deck's chassis is very solid. The keys do make some noise when you type them furiously but not too much. The surface of the keys is absolutely flat and if you’ve ever used an HP thin and light before then these keys also have similar spring action, which is to say, adequate.

I like the trackpad on this device because of its construction and layout. It is installed with very high precision and that makes it better in two ways. All its sides are at the same height and therefore, secondly, each left and right click feels very precise. And therefore, the trackpad does not wobble when you press it, making it great for everyday use.

HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 - Screen, Speakers And 5MP Camera Review

The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 comes with a 250 nits 2-in-1 display. Meaning, the display is touch-enabled and likewise the laptop also comes included with a stylus. The screen’s refresh rate is limited to 60Hz and that is enough for the kind of use case this laptop is for. Moreover, the lower refresh rate also helps with battery consumption. The screen is in the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio format and features an IPS panel. The on-screen bezels are decently thick and the 5MP front camera offers superb camera quality in all lighting conditions. It can also record at a maximum resolution of 1440p, which is great for when you want to attend online meetings.

The laptop has average gamut coverage. It only covers 63% sRGB, 47% DCI-P3, and 47% Adobe RGB colour spectrum. It is the kind of gamut profile that’s mostly common in productivity/office use laptops. But because of this, the on-screen colours will look a bit washed out. Likewise, the average Colour Delta E value is 7.07 for the display. The culmination of all these figures makes the on-screen colours a bit washed up. And it is best to keep the screen’s usage restricted to editing documents and sheets. web browsing and other office-related work.

Just like the screen, the speakers on the HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 are also decent and most suitable for the use case. They’re decently loud at high volume but are downwards facing so will sound muffled when kept on the bed or any other soft surface. The sound profile is balanced and most every type of content sounds extensive and loud.

HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 - Performance Review

Beating at the heart of the HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 is an Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1335U a 10-core chip featuring 8 efficiency cores and 2 performance cores. It is paired with 16GB DDR4 memory instead of DDR5 sticks. It is probably a move to keep the pricing in check but HP could have increased the laptop's performance per watt by sticking with DDR5 primarily because of its lower operating voltage. Moreover, the U series Intel chip powering this laptop is geared toward power efficiency. Meaning, it is designed to deliver high battery life.

Therefore, it keeps the power consumption in check. Even when I put the laptop in ‘best performance’ mode and plugged in the power, the chip continued to sip between 15-20W during the intense Cinebench R23 benchmark. The 1335U did provide some bursts of power but it quickly reduced power consumption soon after. Likewise, the CPU Package [°C] hovered between 80-90 °C during the entire test. I think that the thick 14-inch chassis does provide a good room for the temps to be higher as I recently tested the HP Pavilion Aero 13 and its CPU Package [°C] topped out at 70 °C and sometimes touched 75 °C during the test duration.

I also ran some extensive benchmarks to put this chip through its paces starting with the Cinebench R23. And the chip’s score during the initial run was around 7500 and it dropped below 6300 points post the 10-minute throttle run. In terms of real-world usage - most tasks will run smoothly. I even tried some amateur video editing on this chip and it performed decently well. I was able to scroll through the timeline, and import and export 4k files with ease. It was only when the timeline became 10 minutes long with multiple layers of transitions that the chip started to struggle.

Consecutively, the laptop’s PC Mark 10 overall score is 4504. In the benchmark’s ‘Essentials’ test which includes App start-up, video conferencing, and web browsing, the laptop scored 10596, which is objectively a high score. Likewise, the laptop scored decently in ‘Productivity’ and ‘Digital Content Creation’ as well. It scored quite low in gaming, only 2696 points, because of the lack of a dedicated GPU.

The Intel Iris Xe GPU is best suited to play ultra-low demanding titles and other games that don’t demand a discreet GPU. The iGPU is designed for HD and 4K video playback, basic photo, and video editing, running multiple monitors setup, and other light workloads.

Verdict

The new HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 has been launched at a price of around Rs 92,500. This 2-in-1 thin and light HP laptop is powered by the Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1335U with 10 physical cores and up to 12 threads. The laptop features a 5MP ultra clear webcam and useful ports, which are high-value additions to a thin and light productivity laptop. The build quality is solid and the laptop can handle wear and tear in an office/work environment. The laptop has a 14-inch FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and touch support and comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 is designed using recycled aluminium and reclaimed ocean plastic. The laptop's chassis has almost no flex, and it has a solid hinge, which allows comfortable use in different positions. The keyboard and trackpad are of good quality, and the trackpad is installed with high precision. The laptop has a 250 nits 2-in-1 display with an IPS panel, which covers only 63% sRGB, 47% DCI-P3, and 47% Adobe RGB colour spectrum, making the on-screen colours look a bit washed out. The speakers are downwards facing and produce a balanced sound profile.

The HP Pavilion Plus x360 14 seems like a solid option for those looking for a thin and light 2-in-1 laptop with privacy features. The use of recycled aluminum and reclaimed ocean plastic is commendable, and the build quality seems sturdy. The high-precision trackpad and decent speakers are also a plus. However, the average gamut coverage and color accuracy of the display may not be suitable for professional photo and video editing. Overall, it's a good choice for office and productivity tasks.

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OMEN by HP 17 2023 Review: RTX 4080 + i9-13900HX A killer combination

The HP Omen 17 is the only high-end 40 series GPU laptop we’ve tested so far this year, it’s got a leg up on the competition, and at a price of Rs 3,03,501, it’s weirdly enough affordable for the specs on offer making it an enticing choice even for desktop gamers looking for an upgrade. Of course, with more and more 40 series laptops making their way into the market, this might change, but until then, the HP Omen 17 is certainly worth checking out.

The new 2023 variant of the HP Omen 17 combines the powerful processing of the 13th gen Intel Core i9-13900HX with the powerhouse RTX 4080 GPU, to give us the most powerful gaming laptop we've tested to date.  It's leagues ahead of the gaming laptops we tested just last year. Of course, this package doesn't come cheap at a premium price of Rs 3,03,501, but considering the specs on board, well, even gaming desktop users might be tempted by this one.

Let’s start things off with the gaming performance!

HP OMEN 17 - RTX 4080 Gaming

The HP Omen 17 is the first laptop we've tested this year featuring an RTX 4080. This is a powerful GPU, with a TGP of 175 watts which is the highest configuration that NVIDIA allows. It’s powerful enough to comfortably play the latest AAA games at QHD resolutions. 

While it’s not the best laptop GPU NVIDIA has to offer, that would be the 4090, it handily beats our previous best-performing gaming laptop, the MSI Raider GE67HX which features a 3080Ti, in every synthetic gaming benchmark.

Comparing the two laptops shows you just how much of a difference there is in scores when it comes to synthetic GPU benchmarks. We've used 3DMark's Time Spy and Fire Strike benchmarks to test DX 12 and DX 11 performance respectively, and Port Royale to test DXR, or ray-tracing.

Coming to real-world gaming performance, we tested the laptop across various games, with a mix of popular and old titles, CPU-intensive games, and GPU-intensive titles.

While the HP Omen 17 has the highest FPS scores in the majority of the titles, it still falls slightly behind in some titles which comes as a bit of a surprise. 

HP OMEN 17 - How does the i9-13900HX perform?

Next comes the CPU, the 13th gen i9-13900HX is the fastest laptop processor we've tested to date, and comes with 16 Efficiency cores at a max clock speed of 3.9 GHz, and eight Performance cores at a max clock of 5.4 GHz for a grand total of 32 logical cores (threads). It shouldn't come as a surprise that it aces all of our CPU and productivity benchmarks.

The HP Omen 17 scores are the highest scores we've seen yet on a laptop in PCMark 10.

The same applies to the Cinebench R23, with excellent single and multithread performance across the board.

It knocks encryption and decryption out of the park as well, as can be seen in our WinRAR and 7-zip benchmarks with results nearly double our previous best gaming laptop.

HP OMEN 17 RAM and Storage

If that wasn't enough, the HP Omen 17 also features the fastest RAM we've tested to date in a gaming laptop as well. The dual-channel 32GB DDR5 RAM clocked at 5600 MHz scores crazy fast read, write, and copy speeds.

The HP Omen 17 comes with 1TB of PCIe 4 NVMe SSD storage. And while it may not be the best storage we've tested, it's still very fast. You needn't worry about slow loading or boot times with those speeds. The laptop comes with two slots for storage, so you could expand storage later as well.

HP OMEN 17 Noise and heat

The laptop can get very loud under stress. You can easily hear the whirring and even some whistling when the laptop is being pushed to its limits, such as during stress tests. The sound dies down significantly when the laptop is idle.

 

Coming to temps, the laptop ran surprisingly cool, averaging surface temps of around 29 degrees celsius under stress. The centre of the laptop was the hottest, at around 35 degrees. Clearly, the fans are doing their part, and the size of the laptop certainly helps with better airflow.

HP OMEN 17 Display - Could be better

As we mentioned earlier, you've got a massive 17.3-inch display with a QHD resolution, that's 2560x1440 pixels. This is a matte IPS panel with a refresh rate of 240 Hz, and you should easily manage to actually get those frames from most games you play on this laptop.

In our tests, we got a peak average brightness of 317 nits compared to the advertised 300 nits which is good. However, we got an sRGB coverage of 95.3% which is a little less than the advertised 100%. That being said, we should point out that most high-end gaming laptop displays in this price range offer much brighter displays.

HP OMEN 17 Build and design

You'll immediately notice that this laptop is pretty big. You've got a metallic build with a mix of brushed and matte finishes. We found the laptop to be fairly sturdy overall, with the hinges being the exception; there's a fair bit of flex and the lid tends to wobble. The laptop's also pretty heavy at around 2.8 kg which is to be expected with all that hardware on board.

You've got a nice selection of I/O port offerings as well, with the left side of the laptop featuring a Gigabit Ethernet port, a USB-A  3.2 Gen 1 port, a Mini DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, an audio combo, and a storage card reader. The right side features two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports.

HP OMEN 17 Verdict

The HP Omen 17 is the only high-end 40 series GPU laptop we’ve tested so far this year, it’s got a leg up on the competition, and at a price of Rs 3,03,501, it’s weirdly enough affordable for the specs on offer making it an enticing choice even for desktop gamers looking for an upgrade. Of course, with more and more 40 series laptops making their way into the market, this might change, but until then, the HP Omen 17 is certainly worth checking out.

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