Category: Laptop

Intel Tiger Lake laptops were set to debut before the end of this month and, as promised, most OEMs have already begun shipping. Asus has just announced at least ten different models with several SKUs each all equipped with 11th gen Core i5 and Core i7 parts.

The Asus-provided table below summarizes the new Tiger Lake models. Note that all of them are merely refreshes of existing 10th gen Ice Lake laptops and so none are sporting new chassis designs. The ZenBook Flip S UX371 is particularly noteworthy as it is Asus’ first laptop to be certified under the Intel Evo platform.

We’ve already complained about the confusing naming convention of the latest laptops, but we can at least attempt to summarize it here for users interested in a new Asus. The VivoBook series is aimed at budget-conscious users while ZenBook models are more luxurious. The ZenBook S is different from the ZenBook 13 is that the former sports a 3:2 display aspect ratio while the latter is a more traditional 16:9 offering. Prices range from $700 USD for a VivoBook up to $1700 USD for a ZenBook S.

One of Lenovo’s already cheap entry-level multimedia laptops is now even cheaper this week at Office Depot down to just $470 USD. Though the 15.6-inch IdeaPad S340 deal won’t net you a luxurious Yoga experience, the specifications and size are nonetheless respectable considering the low asking price.

The configuration comes with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display, Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU, 8 GB of removable DDR4 RAM, 256 GB storage, Wi-Fi 5, SD reader, and a backlit keyboard. There is even space to add a secondary internal storage drive. In comparison, most other 15.6-inch laptops in the sub $500 range typically come with slower Core i3 Celeron CPUs, lower resolution TN displays, and no keyboard backlight.

In our full review of the IdeaPad S340 15, we found the system to be easily upgradeable and with good display quality for the price. However, the small battery and middling CPU performance for a Core i5 may turn off some power users.

See our review of the device here to learn more about the Lenovo device.

We had already tested the Yoga Slim 7 14 with the Ryzen 7 4800U processor, and we were especially surprised by the very high CPU performance. However, there are still delivery issues with this processor. Alternatively, Lenovo offers even slower Ryzen CPUs as well as Intel CPUs. This is also the case with our test device that is equipped with the Core i7-1065G7 (Ice Lake, 10 nm). The performance of the quad-core processor is decent in the Yoga Slim 7, and AMD and Intel are still about equal in single-core performance, but the Ryzen CPUs have a clear advantage in the Multi tests.

To further increase graphics performance, Lenovo combines the Intel processor with a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia. The GeForce MX350 is a low mid-range chip, and the new integrated GPUs already come quite close to this performance level. Especially the RX Vega 8 of the Ryzen 7 4800U is very fast. Overall, the Intel/Nvidia combination is better suited for gaming in this case.

However, the additional graphics card also has a negative effect on emissions, since on the one hand, the fan becomes much louder under load, and on the other hand, the surface temperatures are also significantly higher. The battery life is on par, though.

It has been a few months since Lenovo unveiled the Tab P11 Pro, and now more details about a non-Pro model have leaked. The Tab P11 Pro will be available from next month, but Lenovo has yet to confirm plans to release the Tab P11. Unsurprisingly, the Tab P11 will be a less premium version of the Tab P11 Pro.

Instead of an 11.5-inch display, the Tab P11 has a slightly smaller 11-inch panel that resolves natively at 2,000 x 1,200 pixels. According to TechnikNews, the display has a screen-to-body ratio of 85% and a peak brightness of 400 nits. The display has relatively slim bezels too, within which Lenovo has integrated an 8 MP camera. There is also a 13 MP rear-facing camera, along with an LED flash.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 will reputedly power the Tab P11, instead of the Snapdragon 730G in the Tab P11 Pro. Additionally, the tablet will have 6 GB of RAM, and a 7,700 mAh abttery. There is no word on storage options, but the Tab P11 will ship with Android 10, rather than the newer Android 11.

Lenovo will sell several accessories for the Tab P11 too, including a Precision Pen 2 active pen and a detachable type cover. The former apparently will support up to 4,096 pressure levels, tilt detection and will be charged via USB Type-C. Lenovo will sell a new Smart Charging Station, too. There is no word on pricing yet, though.

It has only been a few weeks since Dell unveiled the Tiger Lake edition of the XPS 13, so detailed reviews are thin on the ground. While we are yet to get our hands on an XPS 13 9310, Phoronix has. Unsurprisingly, the website has put the machine through its paces to see what advancements the Tiger Lake architecture offers compared to Intel’s Ice Lake series. Phoronix reviews devices in Linux, so the results are not necessarily transferable to Windows 10. However, the review offers early real-world comparison between Tiger Lake and Renoir, AMD’s Ryzen 4000 mobile processors.

Phoronix reviewed the Core i7-1165G7 edition, which is the second most powerful chip in Intel’s Tiger Lake-U series product stack behind the Core i7-1185G7. The website tested the Tiger Lake machine on Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS with Linux 5.9 and Mesa 20.3-devel, for reference, and compared it to the Core i7-8565U, Core i7-1065G7, Ryzen 5 4500U and Ryzen 7 4700U.

Based on Phoronix’s findings, the Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96 EUs) in the Core i7-1165G7 offers a huge uplift in performance from the GPUs that Intel integrated in its Ice Lake chips. The Xe Graphics G7 even has the beating of the Vega 7 and Vega 5 GPUs in most synthetic benchmarks, which is a win for Intel. However, Phoronix has shown that Tiger Lake remains way down on Renoir when also considering CPU performance.

The XPS 13 9310 in Phoronix’s possession averaged a 17% improvement from the Core i7-1065G7, which should not be sniffed at. The Core i7-1165G7 needed to post even greater improvements to surpass the performance of the Ryzen 5 4500U or Ryzen 7 4700U, though. From Phoronix’s data, the Core i7-1165G7 averaged around 7% less than the Ryzen 5 4500U and finished 18% behind the Ryzen 7 4700U. 

Worse still, OEMs tend to equip cheaper machines with Renoir processors, further impacting on perceived value for money by picking a Tiger Lake laptop like the XPS 13 9310. The value of Dell’s latest XPS 13 is more than just processor performance, of course, as it is one of the most compact machines in its class. Equally, its near bezel-less display, excellent keyboard and solid battery life are all reasons to consider the XPS 13. A Ryzen 7 4700U or Ryzen 7 4800U-model would be a huge step up for the XPS 13 series though, and these early Tiger Lake results show just what Dell is missing by sticking with Intel.

Based on Phoronix’s findings, the Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96 EUs) in the Core i7-1165G7 offers a huge uplift in performance from the GPUs that Intel integrated in its Ice Lake chips. The Xe Graphics G7 even has the beating of the Vega 7 and Vega 5 GPUs in most synthetic benchmarks, which is a win for Intel. However, Phoronix has shown that Tiger Lake remains way down on Renoir when also considering CPU performance.

The XPS 13 9310 in Phoronix’s possession averaged a 17% improvement from the Core i7-1065G7, which should not be sniffed at. The Core i7-1165G7 needed to post even greater improvements to surpass the performance of the Ryzen 5 4500U or Ryzen 7 4700U, though. From Phoronix’s data, the Core i7-1165G7 averaged around 7% less than the Ryzen 5 4500U and finished 18% behind the Ryzen 7 4700U. 

Worse still, OEMs tend to equip cheaper machines with Renoir processors, further impacting on perceived value for money by picking a Tiger Lake laptop like the XPS 13 9310. The value of Dell’s latest XPS 13 is more than just processor performance, of course, as it is one of the most compact machines in its class. Equally, its near bezel-less display, excellent keyboard and solid battery life are all reasons to consider the XPS 13. A Ryzen 7 4700U or Ryzen 7 4800U-model would be a huge step up for the XPS 13 series though, and these early Tiger Lake results show just what Dell is missing by sticking with Intel.

The MINISFORUM X35G has reached its campaign goal on Indiegogo, having been brought to the crowdfunding platform last month. To date, the Mini-PC has received over US$21,000 in funding, although there are still 25 days left to run on the campaign.

MINISFORUM has equipped the compact machine with a Core i3-1005G1, a 15 W processor from Intel’s Ice Lake architecture. The CPU can boost to 3.4 GHz and is complemented by 16 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. However, there are two SO-DIMM slots, so the machine should be capable of running more than 16 GB. The X35G is actively cooled via two heatpipes, a heat sink and a fan. These not only have the job of keeping the processor and RAM cool, but also the M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4 and 2.5-inch drives should you choose to use both.

One of the highlights of the X35G is its Thunderbolt 3 port, which sits at the front of the device. MINISFORUM has equipped the machine with plenty of other ports though, including dual Gigabit Ethernet, two dedicated video outputs and four USB ports. There is also a microSD card reader and a 3.5 mm input.

The X35G can still be ordered from US$350, although this does not include any storage. MINISFORUM charges US$400 for 256 GB of storage and US$430 for a version with 16 GB of Intel Optane Memory and a 1 TB HDD. The company aims to begin shipping the X35G next month. CNX Software has also published a review of the device, which is well worth a read.

We last reviewed a 15.6-inch C-Force portable monitor earlier this year where we found its light weight and ease of use to be of value on flights or temporary offices as a secondary display. Nonetheless, it still suffered from all the drawbacks common on many inexpensive portable monitors including a limited color space, a dim display, slow response times, pulse-width modulation, and poorly calibrated colors.

The latest C-Force monitor, called the CF011C, has been redesigned with even narrower bezels while keeping the same ports and features as the CF011F (sans the MicroSD reader). The more notable updates, however, relate to the panel itself as C-Force has upped the color space (60% to 100% sRGB) and brightness (200 nits to 459 nits) significantly for a much better visual experience. Colors are no longer muted and the brighter backlight helps in brightly lit environments.

Additionally, power consumption hasn’t changed by all that much from the older CF011F despite the improved colors and brightness levels. The minimum and maximum brightness settings demand about 3.2 W and 9.2 W, respectively, compared to 5.8 W and 9.2 W on the CF011F.

One major drawback that remains is the relatively slow black-white and gray-gray response times which makes the CF011C a poor choice for fast-paced games. Gamers will therefore still want to consider spending more on other portable monitors like the Asus MB169B+ where motion blur is minimal.

The C-Force CF011C is now available through the manufacturer’s online store for $199 USD. C-Force sent us a sample unit in order for us to provide the measurements shown below.

Auzai is currently selling a 21.5-inch 1080p monitor for less than $100 USD on Amazon. The company recently sent us a unit to test and, after playing around with it for a couple of days, it may be wise to hold onto your hundred dollar bill if you value higher quality monitors.

The first major drawback of the monitor is its TN panel and subsequent limited viewing angles. Though 100 mm VESA mounting is supported, don’t expect great colors when rotated.

The second drawback is the general graininess of the overall image. It’s not an issue when sitting at a normal distance from the screen, but image quality differences are obvious when compared to something pricier like the Dell Ultrasharp U2415.

Thirdly, the next disadvantage relates to the color accuracy of the display. Though color coverage is actually pretty good at 95 percent of sRGB, color accuracy is just average at best with the color red being the most inaccurate even after calibrating the display.

Fourthly, the plastic base allows for almost no angle adjustments outside of a narrow tilt of just a few degrees. Users can remove the entire base with just a Philips screwdriver if desired.

The last noticeable disadvantage to keep in mind is the proprietary AC adapter. Not only are standard AC power cables not supported, but the included adapter is relatively short at around 3.5 to 4 feet in length.

The cheap Auzai monitor works well for web browsing, emailing, video, and other casual scenarios and the very light weight makes it easy to handle. More serious office workers or gamers are going to want to invest a little more on monitors with crisper and better calibrated displays.

Lenovo has unveiled the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, its compact Tiger Lake ultrabook. According to Liliputing, Lenovo does not have any plans to bring the machine to North America. However, it will be available in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Vietnam from this month. Pricing for these countries remains unknown, though. It is also unclear whether the device will make its way to Europe.

As expected, the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon has a 13.3-inch display with a QHD resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The 2,560 x 1,600-pixel panel corresponds to a 91% screen-to-body ratio, but Lenovo has still found space for a Windows Hello IR camera. Powering the machine is ‘up to’ a Core i7 Tiger Lake processor, although it remains unknown exactly what CPUs Lenovo will offer for the device.

However, Lenovo has confirmed that the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon will be available with up to a 1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD and 16 GB of LPDDR4X dual-channel RAM. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 support is also on board, as are two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-C port.

The Yoga Slim 7i Carbon will only be available in Moon White and weighs less than 1 kg thanks to its carbon fibre chassis. Lenovo has still included a 50 Wh battery that can charge at up to 65 W, though. The machine measures 296.9 x 208.6 mm and 14.9 mm at its thickest point, too.

Despite high-refresh-rate screens becoming increasingly commonplace even among low-cost smartphones, many applications cannot take advantage of it. In particular, several mobile games max out at 60 FPS and require direct intervention from their developers to run at higher framerates. Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ owners will be pleased to know that they can now play Fortnite at 90 FPS.

Samsung announced the update via a blog post. To get started, all one needs to do is update the game via the Galaxy Store and enable the 90 FPS mode via the game’s settings. It becomes the second Android device after the OnePlus 8 series that can run Fortnite at that framerate. The problem is, both Apple and Google have removed Fortnite from their respective platforms, making the Galaxy Tab S7 series one of the few devices that can run the game, to begin with.

Interestingly enough, both the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ come with 120Hz screens. However, it is unlikely that either device will be able to deliver 120 FPS consistently. Even the iPad Pro had to sacrifice some visual fidelity and run the game at 720p to run Fortnite at that frame rate. One can only hope that Samsung and Epic implement something similar for the future Galaxy devices running more powerful hardware.