Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review

 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review

he new Surface Pro 4 is Microsoft taking a victory lap -- and a well-deserved one at that.

After three generations of pitching "a tablet that can replace your laptop" -- with mixed success -- the formula has finally clicked. The 2015 version of Microsoft's tablet adds the latest Intel processors, a slightly larger screen (perfectly sized at 12.3 inches with a just-right 3:2 aspect ratio), and a handful of hardware and software tweaks, but doesn't radically change the DNA of its predecessor, 2014's excellent Surface Pro 3 . That's a wise move, because at this point, the Surface Pro line is less about pitching the very concept of the tablet PC with a detachable keyboard to wary shoppers, and more about seeing how far it can go in refining the finished product.

Looking at the finely polished Pro 4, it's worth remembering the humble beginnings of the Surface line . Debuting in 2012, Microsoft's line of tablets were, if not outright mocked, then damned by faint praise at best: an overreach by a software-and-services company into the rough-and-tumble world of computer hardware; a Hail Mary response to the megasuccess of Apple's iPad the previous year. Any design innovations -- the snap-on keyboard, the fold-out kickstand -- felt overwhelmed by quirks and compromises. Not the least of which was the choice of operating system: either the much-maligned Windows 8, or the the severely limited (and now deservedly extinct) Windows RT . In those early days, the Surface was looking less like an Xbox-style home run for Microsoft, and more a Zune -like fiasco.

But that's all ancient history -- call it the Ballmerzoic Era. The 2014 Surface Pro 3 became what Microsoft always hoped it would be: the flagship device for touch computing on Windows, the go-to alternative for those who wanted both a tablet and a laptop without feeling shortchanged on either front. The Surface Pro 4 refines the hardware formula even further, and with Windows 10 on board rather than Windows 8, the platform's final big compromise evaporates too. Now, the Surface line is the design leader: Apple's upcoming iPad Pro and Google's Pixel C tablets are the ones aping Microsoft's design, adding snap-on keyboards and ramping up the multitasking chops of their touch-first operating systems.

But, as a very refined product, the Surface Pro 4 is not inexpensive. The wide variety of configuration options and accessories mean that its starting price of $899, £749 or AU$1,349 is not very realistic. For that entry price, you get a Surface Pro tablet with an Intel Core M3 CPU, 128GB of solid state storage and 4GB of RAM, plus a touchscreen stylus that magnetically attaches to the side of the screen.

From the handful of systems we've tested with earlier Core M processors from Intel, it's just not what you're looking for from a full-time, all-day, everyday computer. The latest versions may be better, but we have yet to benchmark them in a consumer laptop or tablet. A more suitable choice for most will be the mainstream Intel Core i5. Microsoft has updated the processors across the board in the Surface Pro 4 line to Intel's still-new sixth-generation models, sometimes referred to by the codename Skylake, and a configuration with a Core i5 jumps to $999. Double the storage to 256GB and the RAM to 8GB, and you're at $1,299 (and that is the specific configuration tested here). You could spend more than $2,000 for an even faster Core i7 processor and bigger hard drive.

But no matter how much you spend on a Surface Pro 4, when you open the box and set it up, there will be one important missing ingredient. The Type Cover, a slim keyboard and screen protector in one, is still sold separately, no matter which Surface Pro 4 configuration you buy. From the earliest days of the Surface, that keyboard cover has rightly been called out as an impressive engineering feat, and the latest version even improves on that. It now features widely spaced island-style keys (like those found on practically every laptop), and a larger touchpad with a better touch surface.

Like the previous Type Covers, it connects via a magnetic hinge along the bottom of the tablet, and folds shut over the cover for easy transport. Also like previous Type Covers, it costs an extra $129, £109 or AU$199. We rarely see a Surface in Microsoft's advertising materials or press previews without the keyboard cover attached, but for some reason, the company still won't pack the most noteworthy part of the Surface ecosystem into the box. For such a premium product, it's an omission that continues to mystify.

At least the touchscreen stylus -- improved over last year's version, and magnetically attachable to the tablet's edge -- is included by default. Likewise, the display is a tad larger (12.3 inches diagonally versus 12), without expanding the overall size of the tablet.

The one design issue that Microsoft hasn't changed with the Surface Pro 4 is its "lapability" problem. When the keyboard is attached, its rear kickstand works well on a tabletop -- but typing on your lap or in a crowded airline seat remains a logistical challenge. Instead, Microsoft has addressed this problem with a whole new sister product, the Surface Book . Billed as the "ultimate laptop," it takes some of the Surface Pro's design cues (detachable screen, impressive keyboard) and folds them into a more traditional notebook-style product with a strong hinge that keeps it from tipping back. The Surface Book is cool, and available in even more powerful configurations -- but it lacks the Pro 4's lighter weight and better portability.

Just as the Surface Pro is a full-time tablet and part-time laptop, the Surface Book is a full-time laptop and part-time tablet, and may be what someone looking for a combination of laptop and tablet features is really looking for. Detached from their respective keyboards, the two screens are difficult to distinguish at even a few feet away, and it makes one wonder if the next generation of these products won't be a single high-performance tablet that combines with your choice of a clamshell laptop base or a portable keyboard cover. Now, that would be something that could truly be a no-compromise tablet and laptop at the same time.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Price as reviewed	$1,299, £1,079, AU$1,999
Display size/resolution	12.3-inch 2,736x1,824-pixel touchscreen display
CPU	2.4GHz Intel Core i5-6300U
Memory (RAM)	8GB
Graphics	128MB Intel HD Graphics 520
Storage	256GB SSD
Networking	802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)

Design and features

The Surface tablet line set out its basic design rules with the very first generation of products and has largely stuck to its guns since. What we've seen, instead of wholesale reimagining, is a steady march of improvements to the display and chassis, helping the product feel just a bit more premium with every generation.

The earliest Surface Pro models were 13mm thick, while last year's Surface Pro 3 shaved that down to 9.1mm. This year, we're down to 8.4mm, despite increasing the size of the screen. Both the Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 are 1.7 pounds (771 grams) by themselves, or 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg) with their keyboard cover and stylus pens attached.

One of the biggest improvements to last year's Surface Pro carries over here: the highly adjustable kickstand, which can be adjusted to nearly any angle between 22 and 150 degrees. The kickstand, which runs the entire width of the system, is stiff enough that it will stay where you put it, and hardly moves at all, even when using your fingers or the pen on the touchscreen.

Missing from the black bezel surrounding the screen this time around is the capacitive Windows logo touch button. In previous Surface models, this moved around from the long edge to the short edge of the system, but always served the same purpose: to take you back to the Windows 8 tile interface. As we're now operating in the Windows 10 world, having a physical home button isn't necessary, although the Windows 10 "tablet mode" is still very similar to what Window 8 looked like.

The pen, almost perfected

Also missing is the awkward plastic loop that used to tether the included stylus (Microsoft calls it a pen) to the keyboard cover. The new pen accessory is a little larger than the previous model, and has a flat edge along one side. This allows it to securely connect to the left or right edge of the tablet via a fairly strong magnetic connection. While it may seem dodgy if you plan on running around all day with your tablet, inserting and removing it from a backpack or shoulder bag, I found that the pen remained securely attached, even in my bag -- although I'd recommend doing frequent spot-checks to make sure it hasn't popped off.

Clicking the eraser-like button on the back of the pen automatically brings up OneNote, Microsoft's preferred app for pen input. If you have all your Microsoft cloud services properly setup, your OneNote files can sync to other devices such as your phone or tablet (with cross-platform support on Android and iOS devices) or laptop (Windows or Mac).

I also used the pen with a variety of other apps, including the built-in Fresh Paint, for drawing and sketching, and the New York Times crossword puzzle app, which took pen input and converted it to printed characters. You can also tap the pen on most text fields, even in a Web browser, and a pop-up box will take handwritten input and convert it to text for Web searches, filling in forms or composing email.

Microsoft says the new pen offers reduced latency, and 1,024 pressure levels. It's excellent overall, and an improvement over last year's version. Aftermarket swappable tips for the pen should appeal to artists looking for a specific feel and size.

But don't take my word for it. We were able to coax comic book writer and artist Dan Parent, best known for his work on "Archie" comics, to test drive both the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book. As an illustrator who works both on paper and in programs such as Photoshop, he was impressed by the feel of the Surface Pen and especially its eraser. You can see more of his reactions and a live drawing demo in our video.

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Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW review

Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW review

 

What is the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW

The ZenBook UX501VW is a high-end Windows laptop for those who are after power, battery life and an impressive screen, alongside a slim and stylish chassis. Its chief rivals are the 15in MacBook Pro and the latest Dell XPS 15
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While the XPS 15 model Trusted had in March was a low-spec version with a mechanical hard disk and Full HD display, the UX501VW sent in by Asus – the only version I could find for sale in the UK – is as expensive as they come
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Along with a 15.6in, 3,840 x 2,160 screen, you get a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor that can boost up to 3.5GHz, a super-fast 512GB PCI-E SSD and 12GB of RAM. Also included is a powerful dedicated graphics chipset in the shape of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M, meaning the UX501VW should be able to handle any task – work or play – you throw at it.

Asus ZenBook UX501VW Pro – Design and Build

The UX501VW has a slightly larger footprint than both the MacBook Pro and XPS 15 and, at 21mm at the rear of the chassis, it's slightly thicker too. It’s a bit of a struggle to fit it into a regular-sized rucksack, but its 2kg weight – which is the same as the MacBook Pro and a couple of hundred grams more than the Dell – won’t trouble your shoulders too much

A huge advantage of the extra size, however, is that the laptop benefits from a full-sized numeric keypad


The bulk of the chassis appears to be made of metal, while the lid, base and keyboard surround are of a high-grade plastic. The keyboard set is identical to that found on the Asus N552VW Trusted reviewed in March. The UX501VW doesn’t feel as much of a work of art as its rivals from Dell and Apple, but it’s stylish and feels tough enough. I’d use a slip case to protect the shiny plastic lid from scratches, however.


On the right of the base are two USB 3 ports and a card reader, along with a combination headphone-mic jack. On the left you'll find a second USB 3 port, an HDMI 1.4 port – which can drive an external 4K monitor, but only at a jerky 30Hz – and a fancy USB Type-C port. This works with both Thunderbolt and USB 3.1 peripherals and displays, and will be particularly useful if you want to plug your laptop into a Thunderbolt docking station

There’s no Ethernet port, but Asus includes a USB-to-Ethernet adapter in the box. There’s also an unspectacular webcam, which provides reasonable – if fairly noisy – video shot indoors

The built-in speakers could use some work; I found them loud and they're more than capable of filling a room, but the whole experience was just a little harsh for my liking and I often felt the need to switch to headphones, which is fairly disappointing when you consider the price

Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW – Keyboard and Touchpad

The laptop’s sizeable 383 x 255mm footprint leaves plenty of room for the keyboard, and the keys are large and well spaced. As you’d hope for on a laptop at this price, there’s no flex in the keyboard tray, and there’s enough travel and feedback to the keys to make accurate typing easy. Even better, every key is backlit, so typing in the dark is easy. The one disappointment is the spacebar, which feels very spongy compared to the other keys

Asus has gone all out on the touchpad, and the result is generally excellent. Its smooth surface allows for accurate positioning of the pointer, and the definite click of the buttons meant that my presses never failed to register. In addition, the pointer also stayed perfectly still when clicking with the touchpad buttons, rather than wobbling about infuriatingly as I’ve seen on some other laptops

The touchpad has a number of gestures, which I was able to use with varying degrees of success. Two-finger scrolling works fine both vertically and horizontally; I found the Edge browser provided by far the smoothest multi-directional scrolling

 

Pinch-to-zoom is also useful, if rather sensitive, and a handful of three-finger gestures are included to switch between apps, show the desktop and bring up the Task View. I found switching to the correct app with a three-finger swipe left or right was almost impossible, but swiping up with three fingers to open the Task View was much easier

I’m a fan of Asus’ Mobile Control app, which lets you govern the laptop via your phone over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth – Bluetooth being particularly useful if you want to use your phone as a remote control for a presentation and don’t want to be reliant on someone else’s Wi-Fi network

Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW – Screen

The UX501VW’s screen is exceptional. I’m only just becoming acquainted with seeing 4K screens on desktop PC monitors, and to have one on a 15in laptop is something else entirely

Having this many pixels crammed into such a small area makes for a pixel density of 282ppi, and all text and vector graphics are super-sharp. I compared the Asus laptop side by side with a Dell laptop featuring a 13in 1,920 x 1,080 display (169ppi), and the difference in sharpness was obvious. To put this into context, the Asus screen has 60% more pixels than the 15in MacBook Pro, with its 2,880 x 1,800 Retina display

Windows is far better at scaling than it used to be, which is fortunate since here you'll need to jack up the display scaling to 250% to make icons and text a reasonable size

The main problem with such high ppi screens is that they make non-optimised applications look terrible. Text often appears blurry and smeary and, in the case of LibreOffice, icons are comically blown-up and blocky. Web browsers work fine, however, and Windows application support for ultra-high resolutions is improving all the time

The IPS display has a reflective surface, which is good for contrast at the expense of vulnerability to reflections from overhead light sources. Our test photos looked great, with vibrant colours and plenty of detail in light and dark areas

However, the results from our colorimeter tests didn’t quite live up to Asus’ claims. The company claims the display can show 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, but our equipment measured only 93%. This is still an excellent result for a laptop, if not quite as colour-perfect as I’ve seen from the best desktop displays. Viewing angles are superb, though, so you won’t have to fiddle about with the screen tilt to avoid colour shift

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Acer Aspire S 13

Hands-on with Acer's cheap Ultrabook

Acer has firmly placed itself back into the world of Ultrabooks, launching the brand-new 2016 Aspire S 13 laptop to take on the likes of Asus’ ZenBook UX305. Here are the four things I learned when I spent some time using it after its unveiling

It’s going to be cheap

And it feels it, too. With a starting price of US$699 (likely around £600 inc VAT) this is tackling a competitive market of cheap ultra-portables with high-end specifications. As a result, you’ll feel the difference between it and, say, a MacBook Pro

It’s light at just 1.36kg, although its plastic shell does an awful lot to contribute. It looks great, though, available in both black and white with a stylish, textured lid and nicely finished keyboard tray

The keyboard itself feels great. It’s backlit and has a reasonable amount of travel to it, and the tray just has a little flex when you push down on it. In this area, at least, the Aspire S 13 doesn't give away its cheapness

 There’s plenty of power

Like the just-announced Acer Switch Alpha 12, the Aspire S 13 will ship with Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors with the U suffix, meaning they’ll be low-power, dual-core chips. Don’t discount them, though, they generally have excellent performance in most modest tasks such as web browsing and document editing. They’ll also be capable of some light photo editing. I'd imagine the models in the UK will get 8GB of RAM, although a paltry 4GB might be a possibility

Battery life should be great

Acer reckons the Aspire S 13 will be capable of around 13 hours of battery life. I’m not convinced it’ll be that good in normal use, but with the screen brightness turned up, Windows 10’s fairly accurate battery indicator reckoned I had 8 hours to play with from 98% capacity. This could be very competitive if this makes its way to the final product

 The screen won’t suck

With a 13in Full HD, IPS screen, images look pin-sharp and contrast is excellent. Colours also look nice and vibrant, so I’m optimistic the Aspire S 13 won’t be let down by its screen, which many cheaper Ultrabooks do sometimes suffer from

Some models will come with a touchscreen, and based on Acer UK's fairly strong history of touchscreen laptops, I'd expect us here in Blighty to get a touch model

First Impressions

If the price in the UK is close to our estimates, the Aspire S 13 could be an extremely competitive Ultrabook to take on Asus’ ZenBooks

My only question mark hangs over its build quality, as the amount of plastic and the bendiness of the screen portion of the device is a little concerning. It’s a pre-production model, though, so these niggles might have been sorted by the time a full retail version comes around

The Acer Aspire S 13 will be released in May 2016

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Acer Switch Alpha 12

Acer Switch Alpha 12

We get hands-on with Acer's liquid-cooled tablet

Acer has launched what it hopes will be Microsoft Surface Pro 4 beater, announcing what it says is the first ever fanless 2-in-1 with high-power Intel Core i processors. A genuinely impressive feat, the new Acer Switch Alpha 12 ditches fan-powered cooling for a liquid cooling system

Unusually, the liquid cooler doesn’t have any moving parts either, as the coolant inside the laptop is pushed around the system by the heat that the processor creates, essentially making it a self-contained system. When the liquid gets hot, it vaporises, increasing the pressure in the loop, cooling off when it’s far enough away from the processor

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This technique is what Acer calls LiquidLoop, although a similar form of cooling is found inside some of Samsung’s smartphones, too. This means it should be silent. At 9.5mm thick for the tablet portion, its cooling system doesn't appear to cause any form factor problems

Away from its liquid cooling, this is a competitive piece of kit. Its €699 starting price translates very roughly to £699 including VAT, which puts it into a competitive space currently occupied by HP and Samsung’s TabPro S. It’ll also be a firm rival to the upcoming Huawei MateBook

What do you get for your cash? For starters, you get a 12-inch screen and a keyboard, making it a complete laptop straight out of the box. Unlike the MateBook and the TabPro S, though, the keyboard is actually quite pleasant to type on

It has a 1.4mm actuation meaning that keypresses are instant and responsive, but there’s enough travel and feedback to make things comfortable. The keys are grippy, too. Multiple thumbs up for the keyboard dock from me

As you’d expect, the keyboard dock also acts as the cover for the device, protecting the screen when it’s in your bag. It has a fabric-like finish that’s not entirely unlike Microsoft’s Type Cover. There are no ports on the dock, and all the components are found inside the tablet portion

Specifications vary for this machine. You get either Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 chips from the latest Skylake generation, all with U suffixes that denote they are low-power, dual-core processors. These are fairly capable and proved successful in the Surface Pro 4, although how their performance is affected by the unusual cooling system remains to be seen

What I can say is that the rear of the tablet I was testing (that was labelled with a Core i5 badge but actually had a Core i3-6100U inside) felt reasonably warm all the way across. Excess heat can be a sign that battery life is going to suffer, although after craftily unplugging the tablet I found Windows 10’s battery life estimation sitting at a fairly solid 5 hours 21 minutes. For a 1.25kg device, this isn’t bad, although I’d be surprised if it could last a full day on a single charge with moderate use

On the sides of the tablet you get a full-size USB3.0 port and a Type-C USB 3.1 (gen 1) connector that will have extra power allowances for hooking up external docks

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The screen is a 2,160x1,440 IPS panel, with excellent maximum brightness and vibrant colours. It has a 4:3 aspect ratio more like an A4 sheet of paper, similar to the Surface Pro 4.

You can also buy an optional stylus with the Switch Alpha 12 that will play nicely with the Windows 10 Ink platform that’ll be coming with the Windows 10 Anniversary update. It has some handy features; if you double tap one of the buttons it’ll open up a custom Acer menu that provides shortcuts to OneNote for drawing and screenshot snipping. The stylus has a grippy nib that makes drawing comfortable, and I was reasonably impressed with its palm rejection, too

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The tablet can tilt back on its stand to almost lay flat, which makes it great for lap-based work or when you’re standing up at your desk

 

Specs will differ by retailer and region, but expect the base model to get a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. I imagine things will get very steep as you upgrade

 

All in all, the Acer Switch Alpha 12 looks like a device to watch in 2016. My only question marks will be over processor throttling and battery life


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MacBook (12-inch, 2016) review

MacBook (12-inch, 2016) review

What is the MacBook (12-inch, 2016)

Apple's flagship laptop has had a refresh, and while not huge amount has changed over last year's model , it's the same price for an improved specification. Win-win, right

Prices start at £1,049, with laptops including Skylake-generation CPUs over the Broadwell versions of last year. We take a look at whether this makes much difference.

MacBook (12-inch, 2016) – Design

Since the MacBook saw a redesign only last year, it's no surprise to find that not much has changed with the new model. The 2016 MacBook looks and feels almost exactly like its predecessor

This is a rethinking of the MacBook Air in all but name, a laptop that aims to fit as much computer into a small space as possible

The 2016 MacBook weighs 970g and is 13mm thick at its deepest point, making it thinner and lighter than most 12-inch hybrids once a keyboard is considered. As well as being extremely portable, this laptop also has a slightly more modern design than the other MacBooks. The screen surround is slimmer, and unlike the current Air models, the display’s surface is entirely flat.

It’s a luxurious but mostly practical device, and as is the case with other MacBooks, it's encased in an all-aluminium shell

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The 2016 MacBook is available in the same colours as last year's model – gold, silver and grey – as well as new-for-2016 Rose Gold option. While this colour option won’t be to everyone's taste, it's certainly more classy than the hot pink laptops we've seen over the years

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Many Windows machines at this price – such as the Lenovo Yoga 900   – now offer either “360-degree” hinges or a full hybrid style, enabling you to remove the screen and use it as a tablet. Don't expect any such features with the MacBook; this is a laptop and nothing more. There's no touchscreen, and the display won't bend back any further than is the norm on a laptop – around 135 degrees.

MacBook (12-inch, 2016) – Connectivity

Apple may one day merge its OS X and iOS worlds, but there’s no hint of such progress here. The company's vision for the future is about wireless computer use, continuing the precedent set with the MacBook 2015.

With this in mind, the 2016 MacBook features just one main connector, a single USB Type-C port used both to charge the laptop and connect any peripherals. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the other side of the device, but that's it.

This will prove a problem for many. Photographers will find that there’s no simple way to connect an SD card. I shoot and edit photos most days, and the process I follow each time is to remove the card from my FujiFilm X-T10 and pop it into my MacBook’s card slot. I don't need to mess around with cables, nor do I have to get involved with any photo-importing processes

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With the MacBook, however, you’ll either need Apple’s USB Type-C converter (£15) and a camera cable, or the converter and a USB card reader.

More native USB-C devices are appearing all the time, however one issue that can't be overcome here is that the MacBook has a one-port problem. Since its USB-C is used to charge and connect peripherals, it’s pretty useless as the brain of a desktop setup.

Apple's solution is its Multiport Adapter – but this only adds an HDMI and a single USB, it looks clunky and costs £65. It's not ideal.

Like last year’s MacBook, the port is a Gen 1-spec USB Type-C port, meaning bandwidth is 5Gbps rather than the 10Gbps the majority of USB-C connectors will eventually offer.

However, this is only worth worrying about if you’re holding out for a MacBook dock that will let you plug in a couple of monitors, an external hard drive, a keyboard and so on. My advice: it’s not what this machine is about.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260 review

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260 review

 

What is the Lenovo Yoga 260

The Yoga 260 brings together two of Lenovo's signature laptop lines. It combines the ThinkPad's business features and design with the folding touchscreen of its Yoga devices. Whether you're after a reliable workhorse or a versatile touchscreen hybrid, the Yoga 260 should be the ideal device.

Available in a few configurations that begin at £899 and rise to £1,299, the Yoga 260 is competitively priced for a ThinkPad product. But is it the ultimate business ultraportable device?

Lenovo Yoga 260 – Design

The ThinkPad design ethos has been set in stone for a couple of decades now. A utilitarian black finish; little in the way of compromise towards form at the expense of function; and a snazzy little angled ThinkPad logo in the corner

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There's no MacBook Air-like metal frame, or the fancy slim-bezelled screen of the Dell XPS 13. Instead, the Yoga 260 has relatively chunky, tough black plastic throughout and it offers a sturdy screen with thick protective bezels.

Nonetheless, it’s still a thin and light laptop, with dimensions of 309 x 220 x 17.8mm and weight of 1.32kg.

The only external metal components are the two all-important hinges that make this a Yoga machine. They allow the screen to be set at any angle, from fully closed right the way round to the screen facing outwards and the keyboard and trackpad in the same position on the other side, like a super-thick tablet

In this tablet-like form, it's possible to more easily scribble on the screen or pass the device around to show photos or presentations. Meanwhile, all the angles in between provide numerous setups that make it easier to use the device in different situations.

One of the most useful is where the base is upside down with the keyboard facing down and the screen angled up at the front. This allows you to rest the laptop on a tray table on a plane without the screen getting pushed down by the chair in front – ideal for watching video.

Lenovo Yoga 260 – Features

To make the most of these abilities the screen is, of course, touch-sensitive. It can cope with all the usual multi-touch gestures and, moreover, Lenovo has integrated a stylus into the Yoga 260 that slides out from one of the sides of the device.

Also packed into the edges of the machine is a mass of connectivity options. On the right, there's a full-size HDMI, a USB 3.0 port, microSIM and microSD slots and the headphone jack. It’s also here that Lenovo has positioned the power and volume buttons.

On the left sits the charging port, a socket for Lenovo’s OneLink+ dock, a mini-DisplayPort, a second USB 3.0 port and an optional smart card reader. All told, that’s far and away the most comprehensive selection of ports you can get on a laptop of this type.

On the inside, things are a touch more mundane; the Yoga 260 has the same sort of hardware as you’d expect of any other ultrabook-style laptop.

A variety of ultra-low voltage Intel Core I processors lead the charge (in this particular device, the i7-6500U), all of which include the Intel HD graphics 520, with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM. As standard, the Core i5 version comes with 4GB of RAM, which isn't a huge amount. It can be configured up to 8GB on Lenovo's website for an extra £28. For storage you get SSDs ranging from 240GB to 512GB. Wi-Fi (802.11ac 2x2) and Bluetooth (4.1) are also onboard.

The only notable absence is an Ethernet port, and Lenovo doesn’t include a USB to Ethernet adapter in the box either, so that’s something you’ll have to source yourself

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HP Spectre 13

 

We go hands-on with HP's flagship laptop

When HP announced its Spectre laptop and showed it off to US journalists last month, I was on the fence about it. The grey and copper-coloured device – also the world’s thinnest laptop powered by Intel Core i processors at 10.4mm thick – looked just a little bit too full of itself, a little too glamorous

Having seen it in the flesh at an HP event last night, my initial opinions have been confirmed. This is a technically impressive laptop that’s a little let down by its high-end appeal. This laptop is of the type you'd find gleaming on the shelves in Harrods. It’s almost an impulse buy model for the super-rich. HP is quite clearly trying to reposition the Spectre line as a high-end lifestyle brand, starting with the Spectre 13

Let’s begin with the positives. Under the shiny exterior, the HP Spectre 13 is technically brilliant. It’s absurdly thin – thinner than a MacBook – and packs an Intel Core i5-6300U or i7-6500U. Both are capable, low-power dual-core chips, and they're paired with 8GB of RAM. They’re more powerful than the Core M chips in the MacBook, and the same specification as the Surface Pro 4. Most interestingly, this is the same processor choice as the Dell XPS 13, which is slightly chunkier and around 100g heavier

How has HP managed to cram so much into such little space? The company says it’s possible thanks to Intel’s Hyperbaric cooling system, which not only ejects hot air from the laptop, but actively sucks cool air in and across components that need to be cooled

It isn't yet clear exactly what voltages the processors will be running at, since Intel leaves some wiggle room when shipping these processors to manufacturers; it may be that while the core processor is the same, it may be less powerful. This is pure speculation, however, since there’s no final specification list

What was apparent in my time with this laptop, where the most challenging task I could set was to open several media-heavy web pages, is that the Spectre 13 is a speedy performer. Pages were responsive almost instantly, and the touchpad reacted without delay – and without issue – to Windows 10 gestures or more basic taps and clicks

Aside from its incredible 10.4mm thickness and 1.1kg weight, build quality is reasonable; not exceptional. There was a significant level of flex in the lid, which is expected considering the slender frame of the laptop, but the keyboard stood up well to scrutiny under my fairly harsh typing style. The keys themselves have a reasonable amount of travel, but being conventional laptop key switches, they suffer slightly due to the laptop’s thinness

HP makes plenty of noise about the piston-style hinges, and while they certainly help to achieve a thinner overall design, they didn’t feel like they had much strength. I felt nervous pulling the lid open with any force

The screen, while perhaps not best demonstrated under fairly harsh lighting, looks decent. It’s a Full HD IPS panel coated in Corning Gorilla Glass, so it should stand up well to scratches. Unusually for a Windows laptop display with a glossy finish, it isn't a touchscreen

At the rear of the Spectre 13 sit three USB Type-C ports. The HP representative on hand said that all three could be used for charging the device, and that a Type-C to standard USB adapter will be supplied in the box. There’s no USB to Ethernet adapter, however, so you’ll have to buy one separately if you prefer to have wired internet access

As an about-town sort of laptop, I can absolutely imagine the Spectre 13 being a very appealing choice. Its light weight and slim design means it can fit into even the smallest and tightest of satchels, which is something the vast majority of laptops – even many ultraportables – cannot do. It's hard to tell how easily the Spectre 13 will hold up to knocks and scrapes; while the Gorilla Glass screen is nice, this coating does not extend to any other part of the laptop, and I couldn't tell by touch how durable the aluminium coating will be

HP rates battery life at 9 hours, but since Windows 10’s battery life estimation was disabled on the Spectre 13 demonstration model, I can’t verify these claims. If it gets anywhere close, it would be very impressive given the specifications

Pricing of the laptop is steep, although with these specifications it isn't actually outrageous as it first appears. All models will include 512GB of PCI Express-based SSD storage and 8GB of RAM. A Core i5 model will set you back £1,149, which isn’t a huge amount more than a MacBook, and should be a good deal more powerful

Opening impressions

According to a company representative, the Spectre 13 should land with retailers from July, and will be available on the HP website within a month, so you've not got long to decide whether you want one or not

While the Spectre 13's design certainly won’t be to everyone's taste, the laptop is technically very impressive. If it lives up to its claims, it could be a genuinely compelling machine. Its thin and light build are by far the most appealing features, and if performance holds up this could be a serious contender for the best ultraportable this year

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