Laptops

Lenovo IdeaPad S340 review: When both size and performance matter

For those who like it big

Published

October 27, 2019

MJ Jucutan

Life recently seemed like a dating adventure. After my laptop broke down last June, I started hopping from one laptop to another. In search of a potential GadgetMatch, I started exploring options and allowed myself to try new laptops so I can find the one.

In my quest, I stumbled upon the Lenovo IdeaPad S340.

Humongous, but also head-turner

The IdeaPad S340 is huge, despite being called “ultrathin.” It has a plastic build and an aluminum finish on the lid, which looks smooth and sleek. Despite the classy approach, this laptop is a magnet for smudge — something I really hate in every smartphone and laptop of 2019.

The unit I got came in Sand Pink. This color is a definite head-turner, especially if you’re a guy. However, there’s an adage that real men wear pink so don’t let this color halt you from flaunting it in cafes and in meetings.

If this doesn’t match your personality, the IdeaPad S340 is available in three more colors: Onyx Black, Abyss Blue, and Platinum Grey.

This laptop has a 14″ Full HD display. Despite the big screen, it has a wide bezel on its chin which is annoying to look at, unless you make your toolbar dark.

It uses an IPS panel that doesn’t present the colors accurately. I tried to fix the display settings in hopes that maybe there’s a solution to its color balance problem. After several attempts, I gave up and accepted the fact that my screen is either be bluish or orange-y.

Lots of ports to insert your cables to

Moving on to the ports and slots, the IdeaPad S340 provides what I need as an old-school guy. Unlike the Dell XPS 13 (2019) I reviewed which didn’t come with any USB 3.1 Ports, this laptop has what I’m looking for.

On the left side, it has a port for USB-C and HDMI, as well as a power connector input and a headphone jack. Sweet, right?

On the right side, you can find the two USB-A ports which made my life easy, and a 4-in-1 SD card reader, too! As a designer, my life depended on my external hard drive and a trusty, wired mouse I bought back in 2013 which comes in USB Type-A connectors.

People kept telling me to get a dongle, buy a wireless mouse, and get a new cable. However, I’m that type of person who doesn’t buy things he doesn’t need, especially when his stuff is still working. This is why this laptop is such a blessing for a slotty person like me.

Joyful to use for work

Some people don’t realize but your experience with the keyboard and a touchpad can make or break your experience.

The IdeaPad S340’s keyboard is evenly placed. It’s soft and responsive, which I find delightful to type at. For someone with little fingers, it’s joyful to type and write in big keys since I don’t encounter typos a lot. There’s also an option for a backlit keyboard, in case you need to type in dimly lit places.

When it comes to its trackpad, I’m not sure I have something good to say about it as it’s unresponsive AF. My fingers had a hard time sliding especially when it creates that cringey sound caused by friction, most likely because of its plastic build. It’s one of the reasons why I opt to use my trusty mouse, especially when I need to edit and design.

A big performer

The IdeaPad S340 presents itself as a laptop for work and productivity. Fair enough, it’s packed with an 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, and 128GB SSD storage. Additionally, it runs the latest 8th-gen Intel i7 processor.

As a designer, I was able to run Adobe Photoshop (to an extent, Adobe Premiere Pro) hiccup-free. The only thing that bugged me is its bluish tint interfering with my work. But its performance is really sweet.

For instance, while I was resizing photos, I was streaming music on Spotify, and I’m running Google Chrome as my browser with six tabs open mainly for Slack, GadgetMatch.com, Gmail, Google Drive, Facebook, and Twitter. Despite multitasking, the laptop didn’t lag one bit.

However, my usage seems to be the limit for this laptop. Anything beyond what I did made the laptop heat up and I had to cool it down. On several occasions, there’s a delay especially when I run multiple tabs (like, fifteen?) on Google Chrome (which we know takes a lot of RAM).

Even in my line of work, it can’t handle heavy editing for graphics and video so I’m not suggesting to push this laptop beyond its limits. If you want to go for a multimedia laptop, this is just not it.

Get entertained wherever you go

Of course, it’s not all work and no play. The IdeaPad S340 doubles as a mini TV with its humongous screen. It may only run an IPS panel, but it’s capable of producing a theatre-like sound with Dolby Audio speakers.

The experience was immersive. I watched the trailer for Weathering With You by Makoto Shinkai and I got even more excited to see it. Anyhow, it’s not as great as any other laptop with calibrated screens meant for entertainment. But for its price, the IdeaPad S340 suffices.

It has all the juice you need

What I love about the IdeaPad S340 is its long battery life. It lets you work throughout the day without worry especially if you only do basic tasks such as browsing, emails, chats, and video calls. Add some entertainment and multimedia work, then you’re gonna have to bring the charger wherever you go. Fret not, it’s equipped with rapid charging technology so you can get the juice back up if it runs out.

True to its advertisement, the IdeaPad S340 can really last up to 10 hours, albeit my usage made the laptop lasts for only six to seven hours. Nonetheless, it has all the juice that I need. If this heavy and huge laptop lasts only for a short time, I’d be pretty disappointed.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The IdeaPad S340 is an all-around laptop that gets the work done. It’s capable of running creative software and doing basic multimedia editing, providing theatre-like entertainment, and allowing its users to multitask.

For PhP 52,995, the price isn’t bad and if you’re looking for a speedy, work laptop then this might be your GadgetMatch. However, for me, this laptop is not the one. Due to my issues — and high standards — I can totally say that I need to find another one. Time to hop to another laptop — and dating — adventure.

Related Topics:Lenovo Lenovo IdeaPad S340

Gaming

ASUS brings 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo, G16, and G14 to the Philippines

New Zephyrus laptops arrive

Published

June 24, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS Republic of Gamers has announced the Philippine availability and pricing of its 2026 ROG Zephyrus lineup.

Headlining the range is the new ROG Zephyrus Duo, joined by refreshed versions of the Zephyrus G16 and Zephyrus G14. The latest models feature Intel Core Ultra processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, upgraded cooling systems, and ROG Nebula HDR OLED displays.

The lineup is available through authorized retailers starting June 24, 2026.

ROG Zephyrus Duo introduces dual-screen gaming

The 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo (GX651AX) is billed as the world’s first 16-inch dual-screen gaming laptop.

It features two 16-inch 16:10 touch displays with 120Hz refresh rates. Together, they provide up to 32 inches of combined screen space for multitasking, content creation, streaming, and gaming.

The primary display is a 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with up to 1,100 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision HDR support, and 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage.

A new 320-degree kickstand hinge enables multiple usage modes, including Laptop Mode, Dual-Screen Mode, Book Mode, Tent Mode, and Sharing Mode. ASUS ScreenXpert software manages display layouts and transitions between modes.

Powering the device are an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X memory, and 2TB SSD storage.

ROG Zephyrus Duo price in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus Duo GX651AX-SR071WSM (RTX 5090, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 559,995

The laptop comes bundled with an ASUS Pen 3.0, ROG Universal Backpack, ROG Gladius III Gaming Mouse, and ASUS warranty package.

ROG Zephyrus G16 gets RTX 5090 option

The refreshed ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU606) retains its slim aluminum chassis, measuring 1.49cm thick and weighing 1.85kg.

Configurations include up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with up to 160W TGP. ASUS says the laptop supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation technologies.

The 16-inch display uses a 2.5K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, VESA DisplayHDR True Black certification, and NVIDIA G-SYNC support.

Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours of video playback, while ROG Intelligent Cooling combines Tri-Fan Technology, liquid metal, and expanded ventilation for sustained performance.

ROG Zephyrus G16 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AR-TB061WSM (RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 289,995
ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AX-TB084WSM (RTX 5090, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 429,995

Both variants include an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

ROG Zephyrus G14 focuses on portability

The ROG Zephyrus G14 (GU405) continues to target gamers who want a more compact machine.

It measures 1.59cm thin and weighs 1.5kg. Despite its size, ASUS equips the laptop with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU with up to 130W TGP.

The device sports a 14-inch 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA G-SYNC support, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000 certification.

ASUS also redesigned the thermal system with thicker heat pipes, additional copper fins, and improved ventilation to boost cooling performance.

ROG Zephyrus G14 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AP-SY057WSM (RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 224,995
ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AW-SY069WSM (RTX 5080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 324,995

Each model ships with an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

Warranty and launch promos

All 2026 ROG Zephyrus laptops sold locally come with ASUS’ No. 1 Quality & Service Program. This includes a three-year international and local warranty, one-year accidental damage protection, and Premium Care support.

Buyers also receive a gaming mouse, three months of PC Game Pass, an Office 2024 lifetime license, one year of Microsoft 365 Basic with 100GB cloud storage, and up to 700GB of ASUS Cloud Storage.

Meanwhile, the new ROG Slash Collection 4.0 accessories, including the Slash Backpack 4.0 and Slash Sling Bag 4.0, will arrive in select ROG stores starting July 2026.

Laptops

ROG launches 2026 Strix gaming laptop series

The pinnacle of gaming experiences

Published

June 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

The 2026 ROG Strix gaming laptops have officially arrived. They are available in the latest Strix G16 and G18 variants, as well as the Strix SCAR 18.

The latest gaming notebooks represent the pinnacle of gaming experiences, combining upgraded ROG Nebula Display technologies, refinements to ROG Intelligent Cooling, expanded high-speed connectivity, and a tool-less, upgrade-friendly chassis.

The 2026 ROG Strix G series raises the bar for mainstream gaming laptops. Both 16-inch and 18-inch models come with 2.5K Nebula Displays, now upgraded with ultra-fast 300Hz refresh rate.

Both models are capable of ultra-high framerates for the latest AAA games, thanks to the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 290HX and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080.

Their chassis can accommodate up to 32GB DDR5 memory and up to 1TB SSD storage.

The performance is complemented by advanced ROG Intelligent Cooling, featuring end-to-end vapor chambers, Tri-Fan technology, and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal.

The ROG Strix G series ranges from PhP 159,995 to PhP 319,995.

On the other hand, the 2026 ROG Strix SCAR continues ASUS ROG’s pursuit of uncompromised gaming performance.

The Strix SCAR 18 comes with the first 18-inch 4K 240Hz Mini LED laptop panel, with over 2,000 dimming zones. ROG Nebula ELMB provides up to 16x greater motion clarity. The panel also features 1,600 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3, and AGLR technology.

This laptop similarly comes with Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 290HX Plus, and up to GeForce RTX 5090 graphics. The graphics side is also enhanced by DLSS 4, Multi-Frame Generation, and GPU-accelerated technologies specially for the latest AAA titles.

New on the 2026 release is up to a 320W total system power. It also has a 20% thicker vapor chamber, as well as Upgraded Liquid Crystal Polymer fans to increase total airflow by 91%.

The ROG Strix SCAR 18 costs PhP 439,995.

Computers

Rewind: WWDC 2026

The Siri Update We’ve Been Waiting For?!

Published

June 10, 2026

GadgetMatch and Michael Josh Villanueva

At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled Siri AI, a smarter version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, with personal context, onscreen awareness, deeper app integration, and a brand-new experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

Apple also announced new Apple Intelligence features, Google Gemini-powered foundation models, smarter photo editing tools, improved parental controls, faster performance across iPhone and iPad, and the next version of macOS: Golden Gate.

In this WWDC 2026 Rewind, Michael Josh breaks down the biggest announcements, what actually matters. And, whether Apple finally delivered on the promises it made last year.