Laptops

Dell Vostro 5370 review: An everyday business notebook

Compact yet powerful

Published

September 7, 2018

Daniel Morial

Here I am again, reviewing another laptop. Like smartphones, most laptops have little differences from each other. While the premium line of notebooks battle to have the best build and beastly specs, the mid-tier laptops try to offer the best value for your hard-earned money.

What I have here is the Dell Vostro 5370. It’s a 13-inch laptop designed for business — small businesses to be specific.

If the Latitude line of business notebooks from Dell is top-notch and great for enterprise use, the Vostro sits below it. If you’re familiar with Dell’s portfolio, the Vostro series is on par with the Inspiron family. Now, onto the review.

The Vostro 5370 is a formal-looking notebook with a two-toned chassis. At first glance, one might think it has a single-piece aluminum build, but only the inner casing gives the cold touch of metal while the outer chassis has a matte finish.

Nevertheless, it’s lightweight and pretty thin for its class. The sleek Silver with Nocturnal Blue interior combination gives off a professional vibe.

As already mentioned, the laptop has a 13-inch display with a Full HD IPS panel. I never had any issues with its viewing angles and color reproduction, but the brightness levels could be better. Good thing the anti-glare coating keeps the display viewable even on a sunny day or when you’re in a cafe surrounded by windows.

The keyboard here is not as great as the one I used on the Latitude 7390 2-in-1. The key travel is decent while the spacing and overall layout are easy to get used to.

As for the touchpad, it’s got a pretty rough surface as opposed to the smooth glass touchpad of premium notebooks. It’s fairly accurate and, most importantly, it recognizes Windows 10’s touchpad gestures. The left and right buttons are integrated to the touchpad as well, and they’re a bit shallow.

Sitting quietly on the upper-right corner is the power button which also doubles as the fingerprint reader. This makes logging in very easy with Windows Hello, just like on the more premium XPS 13.

What’s great about mid-tier notebooks is that they don’t sacrifice ports just to have a slimmer profile. The Vostro 5370 has all the ports you’ll need to get through everyday work life.

On its right are the charging port, a USB-C Gen 1 which also doubles as the DisplayPort, a full-size HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

To the right are the Noble lock slot, two full-size USB 3.1 (one with PowerShare), and the microSD card reader. It could have been great to have a full-size SD card slot so I can actually use it to quickly transfer images from cameras.

The speakers of this notebook are nothing to write home about. They’re tinny and don’t get loud enough even for indoor use. If you’re alone in a quiet room, you’ll hear what you’re playing on this laptop. But, as soon as you open the windows or when there are people talking around you, you’re better off with a pair of headphones.

As for the notebook’s specs, I was able to use the 8th-gen Intel Core i5 variant with 8GB of RAM. With this kind of power, you can do any everyday task without any hiccups. It even has more than enough power to handle Photoshop and maybe even some casual video editing. The M.2 SSD that can have up to 512GB of storage is able to read and write files very quickly.

With no discrete video card, this notebook is not a gaming machine. While it can do some light gaming like Dota 2 or League of Legends, it’ll not be enough for AAA titles even in low settings. It’ll be hard to appreciate graphics-intensive games with low frame rates and minimal quality.

There’s nothing to worry about the laptop’s fan noise. It never got loud even if I already have more than twenty tabs open in Chrome with Photoshop working in the background. Perhaps the only time I can remember hearing the fan is late at night when my surroundings were really quiet.

Since it’s a business-oriented device, the laptop’s webcam will be used a number of times. The Vostro 5370 doesn’t have thin bezels, so the webcam remains on the top where it should be. The quality is okay when under bright light and it’s perfectly usable for Skype.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

If you’re looking for a decent mid-tier notebook, the Dell Vostro 5370 will be able to provide great everyday performance and ample oomph to get all your multimedia work done. It’s not designed for gaming, but it can handle some titles when you want to have fun.

It’s not the ideal business machine for enterprise users because it lacks certain specs, but it’ll do for small businesses that need a quality laptop. It never felt cheap or lacking for what it’s designed to do.

The Dell Vostro 5370 is priced at PhP 50,800 in the Philippines.

Laptops

ASUS announces new Zenbook S 13 OLED

New product alert!

Published

April 29, 2024

GadgetMatch

ASUS Philippines has announced the availability of the new Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304MA) refresh model. This sleek and powerful laptop comes with the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and Intel AI Boost NPU, offering professionals topnotch performance and efficiency.

The new Zenbook S 13 OLED model retails starting at PhP 87,995 and is available at authorized ASUS stores. This particular variant comes in gray and has a configuration of 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of PCie 4.0 SSD storage.

Slim, powerful

The Zenbook S 13 OLED is just a centimeter thin and only a kilogram light, making it an ultraportable powerhouse. The device is powered by an Intel Core ultra 7 155U processor (12 cores, 14 threads). With up to 4.8GHz of processing power, the laptop can handle even the most demanding tasks smoothly and seamlessly. It includes an assortment of ports, including 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm jack, and 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A.

Moreover, the laptop is pre-installed Windows 11 Home and Office Home & Student 2021 lifetime license. Users will also get a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key to help with their productivity. And with a long-lasting 63Wh battery for up to 15 hours of use, it suits users on the go, without having to worry about charging it when outdoors.

Vibrant colors, crisp details

The laptop also boasts of a 13.3-inch 3K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED display. That’s a little higher resolution than previous variants which display up to 2.8K content. This 16:10 panel delivers vibrant colors and crisp details for an enhanced viewing experience for both work and entertainment. It also has ample maximum brightness should you be using it outdoors or where there is lots of natural light.

Safety ensured

Lastly, customers getting this model will benefit from ASUS’ 4A Quality and Service Warranty. This package includes a standard two-year international warranty, preventive maintenance service, and one-time coverage for customer-induced damages.

Features

DUO more with the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2024

Make things easy

Published

April 25, 2024

GadgetMatch

We are fans of what ASUS did with their latest dual screen offering — the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2024. The Zenbook Duo isn’t exactly new. ASUS has been adding extra screens to their laptops whenever they can — but never quite like this.

You see, ASUS managed to put a literal second display but still make it compact enough to fit most bags with provision for 14-inch laptops. As cliché as it sounds, the Zenbook DUO 2024 is an engineering marvel.

However, it’s more than just a gimmick. In our review, we noted how the form factor lent to a slight boost in productivity despite us not maximizing the product just yet. With that, let us share with you our favorite things about the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2024.

A unique mode for every scenario

A built-in, sturdy kick-stand unlocks the many possibilities available to the Zenbook DUO 2024. Some of the modes are: Laptop, Dual Screen, Desktop, and Sharing.

Each one lends itself nicely to different work and media consumption scenarios. Don’t feel like showing off? Keep things discreet and save some battery life with laptop mode.

Need two screens? Switch to either Dual Screen or Desktop mode to take advantage of more screen real estate.

Presenting something to someone across the table? Sharing mode lays the laptop flat allowing for easier viewing.

The ability to morph to different modes depending on your needs is astounding. The best thing is that it is both functional and can serve as an ice breaker.

TWICE Momo and LE SSERAFIM Chaewon <3

Oh and we’ll never tire of sharing how the Desktop mode is perfect for watching two K-Pop fancams at the same time.

Screen Xpert for the dual displays

This form factor won’t work without the right software support backing it. To that end, ASUS made Screen Xpert. What it does is essentially let you adjust the layout of the apps according to your needs.

You can have up to four (4) apps live viewed at the same time. For our part, we usually only divided the screen to two, using one to reference a review guide or press release while writing news articles and/or reviews.

But if you’re monitoring certain things, this will be pretty helpful having multiple windows laid out right away to get a quick overview of things is a godsend.

The best thing is that a lot of these functions work intuitively. There’s a single button you can press to easily switch what’s displayed on the two screens.

If you want more granular control, you can have the Screen Xpert floating bar ready at your disposal. Here you can control the brightness level of each screen individually. You also have the ability to change the orientation of each screen to your liking.

There are also App Switcher and App Navigator functions to give you a better, more seamless way to layout the apps you use so that it’s most efficient for your needs.

AI, Copilot, and more

Something we didn’t mention much in the review is how the laptop is built with the AI age in mind. Powered by Intel Core Ultra 7 155-H, this thing is equipped with an NPU chip to aid in on-device AI tasks.

There’s stuff that happens in the background like making sure the AI-related tasks are processed with the NPU while the main CPU handles the rest. In the simplest terms, the Intel Core Ultra 7 is smart enough to delegate a task to the chip that will best execute it. That results in a more optimized overall performance.

Copilot is one of the biggest AI additions to any Windows machine. The possibilities are close to limitless. For our part, we’ve only really played around with Copilot Designer. But there’s so much more that you can do with it. Just remember to always check the results. Every AI output still needs a human touch.

AI is also present in other functions like noise cancellation and the camera. AI Noise Cancellation makes sure you can hear and be heard no matter what scenario you’re in. It’s perfect for remote workers who do not exactly have control over their immediate surroundings.

Meanwhile, AiSense Camera works not only as a Full HD IR camera. It also automatically detects the lighting levels in your environment and adjusts brightness levels accordingly. You also get functions like auto-framing and background blur. Lastly, there’s the slightly creepy Eye Contact feature that locks your gaze to the camera. It can be a bit disorienting so maybe pick the occasions when you’ll use it.

GlideX

Working beyond this dual screen laptop? ASUS also made sure to equip the Zenbook DUO 2024 with software that makes adding even more screens a no-sweat task.

With GlideX you can easily connect your Zenbook DUO 2024 with smartphones, tablets, or even another PC. Even better, it’ll give you the option to control everything from a single device.

DUO more

For a first-of-its-kind device, the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2024 is pretty darn polished. That’s thanks largely to the company experimenting with dual screens long before releasing this dual screen machine.

The Zenbook DUO 2024 literally lets you do more, providing options for flexibility that will help you optimize your workflow so you can finish your tasks more efficiently. This is more than just a gimmick device, it’s actually helpful and that’s because ASUS took the time to fit it with the proper software support.

More on the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2024 here.

This feature is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and ASUS Philippines.

Laptops

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X Series laptop processor

High performance, fast responsiveness, better power efficiency

Published

April 24, 2024

GadgetMatch

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon X Elite laptop processor in a bid to match competitors like Intel, AMD, and Apple. It is the flagship platform as part of the Snapdragon X series, which also includes the X Plus variants.

The X Elite processor focuses not only on high performance and fast responsiveness, but also power efficiency for multiple days of battery use. Additionally, it is AI-ready, harnessing the power of the Qualcomm AI Engine and integrated Qualcomm Hexagon NPU.

Game-changing performance, efficiency

The Snapdragon X Elite processor has a 4nm SoC architecture and 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU to optimize demanding workloads. The processor also features up to Dual-Core boost for fast responsiveness. Qualcomm will also integrate its Adreno GPU so laptop brands can deliver stunning graphics for immersive entertainment. Moreover, the processor also has a low-power consumption mechanism to support multi-day battery life on just a single charge.

Built for AI

Next, the Snapdragon X Elite platform is tailor-made for today’s laptops that utilize AI. The processor leverages the Qualcomm AI Engine and an integrated Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. These shall work together to deliver transformative experiences for creativity, video conferencing, and more. The processor is capable of running Generative AI LLM models over 13B parameters on-device at blazing-fast speeds. The AI Engine also supports Windows Studio Effects, and many other AI-accelerated applications to support users’ various needs.

Furthermore, an updated Micro NPU inside the Qualcomm Sensing Hub will allow for enhanced security, login experience, and privacy. It also has the ability to wake the device up when in sleep mode. Sensitive data, meanwhile, can stay on the laptop with increased security.

Smarter user experiences

To give users a better idea of how capable the processor is, here are a few benchmarks. Laptops running on the Snapdragon X Elite can seamlessly play UHD graphics at 120fps, and up to 5K content at 60fps. It will let you record yourself at 4K HDR with up to a 64MP built-in camera. It will work hand in hand with up to 64GB of DDR5 memory, and can support download and upload speeds of up to 10Gbps and 3.5Gbps, respectively.

In terms of connectivity, the platform supports Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7 with HBS Multi-Link for seamless connectivity. Snapdragon Seamless also lets users to easily switch between devices.

Snapdragon X Plus

Alternatively, Qualcomm is also soon introducing the Snapdragon X Plus processors. They have just two less cores at 10 Qualcomm Oryon CPUs, and offer up to 3.4GHz of processing power.

Much like the X Elite, Qualcomm promises the X Plus to deliver topnotch processing across CPU, GPU, NPU, and Micro NPU for the PC class that will be housing them.

Moroever, these platforms fortify AI processes to make it easier for users, whatever their computing needs may be.

Release date

There aren’t concrete reports yet about its official release date and what PC brands have already committed to use the platform. But there is an interesting Reddit thread here that connects the dots and also mentions when Windows 12 is expected to release. For now, what Qualcomm intends to do with the Snapdragon X Elite processor sure sounds promising. It’s definitely meant for higher tier, gaming and creator-level laptops.