Performance: Overall this laptop's performance was poor, well below that of many other models and you may notice slowdowns in such things as boot-up, application launching, and video editing. Compared to other tested laptops, performance was okay but on the slow side for common tasks such as web browsing or video conferencing. You would notice this most when opening up applications. Performance was okay for light productivity but for some more demanding tasks may be very slow, particularly when calculating large data spreadsheets or using images in multiple documents, and it was slow for manipulating images, editing videos, and calculating simulations.
Portability: This laptop is a very good choice for traveling. At 12.25 hours, battery life was very long, enough for a full day's work with a little more battery life to spare. Its max screen brightness was lower than our target for battery tests, which gave it a slight advantage. At 3.2 pounds, weight was typical for a laptop this size.
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. The power button was conveniently located, but its labeling was hard to read when the laptop is off.
Display: The display quality was good overall. Colors were in the ballpark, though not completely accurate. The display was anti-reflective, so there was little or no glare when viewing in a brightly lit room or outdoors. The display had a narrow viewing angle, so you'll have limited flexibility in how to position the screen for optimal viewability for one user, and it will be difficult for more than one person to look at the screen at the same time.
Useful features and attributes on this model include: There's a 128GB solid-state hard 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 USB 3.1 ports for maximum performance. This laptop is compatible with both HDMI and DisplayPort for connecting to an HDTV.
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. The battery is not easily removable.
