Performance: Overall this laptop's performance was Good, below that of many other models but still powerful enough for tasks such as email, word processing, web browsing, streaming movies and even some gaming.
Portability: This laptop is a Very Good choice for traveling. Battery life lasted 10 hours in a light load of web browsing tests, and 7.25 hours in a heavier load of 4K video playback tests. Results could get you through a typical workday, under a workload of mixed use. At 2.7 lbs, weight was typical for a laptop of this size category.
Ergonomics: Some features of the keyboard, touchpad, and labeling, were well-designed, and were comfortable or convenient to use. The keyboard has large keys and was comfortably sized. Its high contrast letters were easy to read, and the backlighting can be useful in dark rooms. The power button was conveniently located, but its labeling was hard to read when the laptop is off. The touchpad was among the largest of those tested, and provides ample space for different touch gestures.
Display: The display quality was Excellent overall. Colors were accurately reproduced, realistic, and natural looking. The display was anti-reflective, so there was little or no glare when viewing in a brightly lit room or outdoors. The display has a wide viewing angle, especially important if more than one person needs to see the screen at a time, say, for a video or presentation.
Useful features and attributes on this model include: There's a 128GB solid-state drive, which uses less power and accesses data more quickly. You can connect common external devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray burners to the Thunderbolt ports for maximum performance. The fingerprint reader lets you log into your computer without typing in a password.
Downsides: There's no optical drive like a CD or DVD reader, so you'll have to buy an external drive if you need one. There is no memory-card reader, so you'll need to buy an external reader or connect your digital camera directly to this laptop to transfer photos. It has a shorter-than-typical 3 months of free tech support by telephone.
