Performance: Overall this laptop's performance was Excellent. Tasks like email, word processing and web browsing will be speedy and you can even accomplish tougher tasks like video editing and mid-range gaming at top speed. Compared to other tested laptops, it was among the fastest with common tasks such as web browsing and video conferencing. Applications start up almost instantly. It was fast when composing documents with images, calculating large data spreadsheets, and running other productivity tasks, and it was fast for manipulating filters on multiple images, converting and editing videos, and rendering 3D models and calculating simulations. With hybrid graphics, the laptop can dynamically switch to the dedicated graphics card when a performance boost is needed for demanding games or applications. Everyday tasks, like web browsing or playing videos, will default to the integrated graphics chip, which is more power efficient and can reduce noise and extend battery life.
Portability: This laptop is an Excellent choice for traveling. Battery life lasted 14 hours in a light load of web browsing tests, and 8.5 hours in a heavier load of 4K video playback tests. Results were notably longer than many similar laptops, under a workload of mixed use. At 4.5 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 touchscreen is smooth enough for fast swipes, and fingerprints clean off easily. A battery meter display on the case can show how much charge you have even when the laptop is turned off.
Display: The display quality was Excellent overall. Colors were near-accurate, and mostly realistic and natural looking. The laptop's display was brighter than most and it's anti-reflective, a plus for 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. Its display has better contrast than on most other tested laptops. This includes software that lets you adjust and customize the color profile used on the display. In CR tests, we adjusted the settings to use sRGB mode, which is typical for Internet use, but other available profiles can provide a wider range of colors.
Useful features and attributes on this model include: Laptop has a touchscreen. The 512GB solid-state drive uses less power and accesses data more quickly than conventional hard-disk drives. You can connect common external devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray burners using Thunderbolt 3 for maximum performance. The fingerprint reader lets you log into your computer without typing in a password. Gigabit Ethernet provides fast transfer of data over a local network. This laptop has a full-size HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV or monitor.
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.
