Laptops

Lenovo Yoga 910 review: Best Yoga yet?

Published

May 19, 2017

Marvin Velasco

Two years ago, I was one of the few people fortunate enough to have an early sample of Lenovo’s Yoga 900 convertible. Needless to say, it drew a lot of attention both here and abroad for its sharp looks. Does the Yoga 910 attract as much praise? See for yourself.

Here’s how it looks in laptop mode

For when you just want to type

This is tent mode

For watching Netflix and chilling

And I’m not sure what this is called

You can also bend it further back for a full tablet mode

Bending is made possibly by the watchband hinge

Looks and feels great!

The trackpad is spacious enough and accurate

I didn’t have any trouble with gestures here

And the keyboard has nice travel

Coming from a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, I enjoyed using these keys

You can log in using its fingerprint scanner

It hasn’t failed me so far

These are the ports and buttons on the right

Power button, 3.5mm audio port, and full-sized USB port

While these are on the left

Two USB-C ports, one of which is for charging

A pair of speakers are found underneath

They get surprisingly loud with no distortion!

But how does it perform?

What’s a pretty convertible without performance to back it up? The unit we have here is equipped with Intel’s seventh-generation Core i7 processor, and it’s a real-deal CPU — not just one of those less-capable Core M processors found in most convertibles. There’s also 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage inside.

Put all those together and you get a fast machine. It can cut through the increasingly bloated Chrome browser while handling several image files on Photoshop in the background. Startup is blitzy, too. But without a discrete graphics card, I don’t recommend using the Yoga 910 for high-resolution video editing.

How long does its battery last?

Not that long, unfortunately. A hundred percent charge provides me with enough juice to last a little over four hours of mixed use at a time. It also takes about as long to charge the Yoga 910 from zero, which isn’t great if you’re constantly on the go. The Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution of our review unit is part to blame, so I’d expect the Full HD (1920 x 1080) version to do a little better.

Are there any deal-breakers?

There are three issues I have with the Yoga 910.

One: Its bundled bloatware is such a pain at times. It’s not as bad as what I had experienced on other Windows 10 laptops, but it’s annoying nonetheless. Lenovo has a history of pre-installing software that shouldn’t be there, and the trend continues.

Two: As pretty as the 13.9-inch edge-to-edge display is to look at, the awkwardly placed webcam below as a result isn’t. It’s a clear tradeoff we’ve been seeing since the Dell XPS 13 came out, and it’s not getting any better. The only remedy is to bend the Yoga 910 into tent mode, but then you’d lose the keyboard for chatting.

Three: This convertible gets really hot. I can’t leave this thing on my lap for more than 10 minutes without sweating excessively. The combination of the high-powered processor and full-aluminum chassis makes the Yoga 910 a perfect heater for cold climates — but not for the tropical weather I’m living in right now.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

As long as you know how to uninstall bloatware, don’t care much about video chat, and have a comfortable desk to rest it on, the Yoga 910 is a solid convertible for getting work done quickly.

It’s just a little pricey. The starting SRP is $1,200 which could be more after taxes, depending on where you live. Lenovo must have anticipated consumer reaction, and is also offering a more affordable, less exciting option.

The Yoga 900S takes advantage of the cooler Core M processor we mentioned earlier, and retails for up to $200 less. You just have to give up the Yoga 910’s addictive power and three-sided narrow bezels, but everything else is still there, including the bendy body and lovely port selection.

[irp posts=”4534″ name=”Lenovo Yoga Book hands-on review”]

Gaming

The ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023) is my top choice

If I HAD TO switch to Windows

Published

November 24, 2023

Rodneil Quiteles

Where do I even begin? ASUS ROG’s Zephyrus G14 has been one of my personal favorite gaming laptops ever since it first came out. And a few years later, it just keeps on getting better.

If I absolutely had to switch to a Windows laptop, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is easily my top choice. It’s an all-eggs-in-one-basket machine that can keep up with you in play, work, and everything else in between.

In a nutshell, here are the top specs and features you’re getting, taken straight from ASUS ROG’s product page:

Up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 125W max TGP, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, and DLSS 3.
ROG Nebula HDR. Up to 16:10 Mini LED QHD 165Hz Display, Pantone® Validation, 100% DCI-P3, & Dolby Vision.
ROG Intelligent Cooling. A custom vapor chamber and liquid metal support 0dB Ambient Cooling.
Fast charging up to 50% in 30 minutes, 100W USB Type-C charging, and Wi-Fi 6E support.
Windows 11 Home. Up to an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU.
AniMe Matrix, 14,969 CNC milled holes, 1,449 LEDs, and custom animations.

Signature Zephyrus G look

Looks-wise, the ROG Zephyrus G14 hasn’t changed much. That’s great because you don’t touch perfection. The Moonlight White variant that we reviewed looks as immaculate as ever. If you’re not feeling it, it also comes in Eclipse Gray.

The Zephyrus name looks bad-ass on the back side.

The left side is home to the power adapter port, HDMI port, a UBS-C port, and the 3.5mm audio jack.

Meanwhile, the ride has the microUSB slot, another UBS-C port, and a pair of USB-A ports.

The ErgoLift Hinge, which has largely been an afterthought, is present and is still as sleek as ever.

And you can personalize it with the AniMe Matrix feature which we didn’t really bother with during our time with the laptop.

Beyond console-level graphics for gaming

Perhaps the biggest draw of the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023), in combination with its looks, is the beyond console-level gaming visuals.

We ran Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PC on this thing and the visual fidelity nearly looks better than the one on the PS5. Let’s face it, graphics is definitely one of the things a lot of gamers consider when choosing what to play.

We tried many other titles just to see how they would look on the laptop and everything looked absolutely divine. Starfield was immersive, Lies of P looked fantastic, and even NBA 2K22 looked amazing.

In terms of the overall gaming experience, it’s also console-level and even beyond depending on what you’re playing. Going back to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart PC, this game was made specifically for the PS5. And one of its flexes is the loading speed going from one rift to another. While the PS5 still feels faster, the ROG Zephyrus G14 wasn’t too far behind.

Peak performance

In other games that weren’t specifically optimized for console, the difference in performance is negligible. Third party titles like Lies of P, NBA 2K22, and even the recently released Like A Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name played absolutely amazing.

Take note, this is without much tweaking done on our part. One of the advantages of PC gaming is how you can have specific configurations for whatever game you’re playing. But as primarily a busy console player, tweaking settings isn’t exactly something I personally enjoy. Despite that, I absolutely enjoyed playing using my GameSir T4 Cyclone Pro controller seamlessly paired with the quick launch capabilities and steady high performance of the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023).

Audio woes

Most of my gameplay sessions were with the laptop hooked up via HDMI to my LG C2 TV. When I took it out and gamed outside of my place, that’s where the laptop showed its one weak link. The speakers just aren’t loud enough for what I’m used to with laptops (I daily drive a MacBook Pro 13” M1). It’s best used with headphones or a speaker whether connected via bluetooth or the 3.5mm audio jack.

Workhorse even for your multimedia needs

I wasn’t able to push the ROG Zephyrus G14 to the limit work-wise. I mostly did the usual stuff here like answering emails, writing parts of this review among other articles, and just casual social media browsing.

Thankfully, my colleague MJ served as photographer in one of the races he usually participates in. He used the laptop to process the hundreds of photos he took (some of which you can view here).

All of the post-processing of the photos he took, he did on the ROG Zephyrus G14. The laptop handled all of it with ease. If I’m not mistaken, I believe he used the Adobe Suite in touching up the images.

So, if you work as a creative and a AAA gamer outside of it, this laptop is built to handle your needs.

Everything else in between

Naturally, you can do more than just play and work on this machine. The display is so damn good I used it a lot to get my steady dose of K-Pop content. Everything from TWICE Ready To Be Tour fancams, MISAMO showcase videos, and LE SSERAFIM Perfect Night videos. If you’re a K-Pop enjoyer, the bursts of color is something you will definitely enjoy.

I also had fun catching up on a handful of shows using this laptop. Naturally, I did so using my Sony Headphones to get better audio.

Not perfect

Clearly, I enjoyed my time with the ROG Zephyrus G14. And while this will get a glowing recommendation from me, the laptop isn’t exactly perfect.

I’ve already mentioned the audio as a clear weak link. The laptop is best enjoyed with headphones on or paired with nice external speakers.

Another gripe I have with it, and this is true for most gaming laptops, is the HUGE power brick. It really does feel like a BRICK and adds to the already hefty weight you have to take on. The laptop is light for what you’re getting but it is by no means an easy carry.

But these are good things still. That means this laptop line still has room to grow. For instance, its first iteration didn’t even have its own webcam. But this 2023 version is now equipped with one. I’m fairly confident that over the years, we will see improvements in these areas ℅ ASUS ROG.

Is the ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023) your GadgetMatch?

I have already said this at the start of the article, but it bears repeating. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is an all-eggs-in-one-basket machine that can keep up with you in play, work, and everything else in between.

What I mean by that is if you absolutely had to invest in a single machine to handle your work, gaming, and general entertainment needs, this is a great value pick-up. I say that considering that some of its top-specced variants retail for PhP 122,000 (around US$ 2,195). That’s fantastic value considering some of the truly top-of-the-line laptops now cost north of PhP 200,000 (around US$ 3,600).

That’s a significant difference price-wise while still offering a more than competitive gaming graphics and performance, ease-of-use for work things, and considerably good entertainment presentation.

If I, a long-time Mac user, absolutely HAD TO switch to Windows, this is the laptop that I will go for.

More info and where to buy links here: https://ph.rog.gg/ZephyrusG14xGadgetMatch

Laptops

New AMD chips are smaller but pack just as much power

Introducing the Ryzen 5 7545U

Published

November 7, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Chipsets are getting smaller and smaller. Now, the new architecture is more than just a flex. Making things smaller also allows companies to pack in more components into a single device. AMD is doing just that. Called the new Phoenix 2, AMD’s new chipsets are built to accomplish what more powerful processors can, but for much less space.

Like other chipsets, the new ones under the Phoenix 2 will use the regular Zen 4 CPU cores but mixed with new Zen 4c cores. The new cores will do much of what the current lineup already does. They are, however, smaller. Devices with the new chipset can save space, allowing them to have more features or have lither form factors.

More specifically, the Phoenix 2 chipsets will have two high-performance Zen 4 cores and four efficiency Zen 4c cores. AMD already has a chipset out: the Ryzen 5 7545U.

It’s not the only new kid on the block, though. Besides the full package, AMD is also releasing a lighter version of the Phoenix 2. The also-new Ryzen 3 7440U will have one Zen 4 core and three Zen 4c cores.

Technically, the new architecture isn’t new. AMD’s contemporaries have also released chipsets with similar architectures. However, AMD’s new entries should give the thin laptop market more options going forward.

Laptops

M3 chip-powered MacBook Pros now official

Comes in Space Black

Published

October 31, 2023

GadgetMatch

Apple keeps updating its MacBooks where it matters. Today, Apple just introduced MacBook Pros powered by the M3 family of chips — M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max.

The M3 family

The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max are the first chips for a personal computer built using the industry-leading 3-nanometer technology. It comes with a faster, more efficient next-generation GPU.

It features a breakthrough technology called Dynamic Caching where the GPU allocates the use of local memory in hardware in real time. This means only the exact amount of memory needed is used for each task. This dramatically increases GPU utilization and performance for the most demanding pro apps and games.

The GPU also brings new rendering features. This includes hardware-accelerated mesh shading for greater capability and efficiency with geometry processing, enabling more visually complex scenes. And hardware-accelerated ray tracing comes to the Mac for the first time. This enables games to render more accurate shadows and reflections to create more realistic environments.

14-inch MacBook Pro with M3

From students and business owners to aspiring musicians and video editors, the MacBook Pro with M3 is the ideal laptop. The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 is up to 60 percent faster than the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with M1.

Its advanced thermal system lets it unleash the full potential of M3 for sustained performance. Price starts at US$ 1,599/ SG$ 2,299.

With MacBook Pro with M3:

Render performance in Final Cut Pro is up to 7.4x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Core i7. And it’s up to 60 percent faster than the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with M1.2.
Code compilation in Xcode is up to 3.7x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Core i7. And up to 40 percent faster than the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with M1.2.
Spreadsheet performance in Microsoft Excel is up to 3.5x faster than the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with Core i7. And up to 40 percent faster than the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with M1.2.

14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro

For users with more demanding workflows like coders, creatives, and researchers. The MacBook Pro with M3 Pro provides even greater performance, supports more unified memory, and is now up to 40 percent faster than the 16‑inch model with M1 Pro.

MacBook Pro with M3 Pro:

Filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop is up to 3x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. And up to 40 percent faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro.
Basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW is up to 20x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. and up to 36 percent faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro.
Text-based editing in Adobe Premiere Pro is up to 1.7x faster than the 16-inch Intel-based MacBook Pro. And up to 30 percent faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro.

14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max

The MacBook Pro with M3 Max provides performance and capabilities for those with extreme workflows like machine learning programmers, 3D artists, and video editors. It is up to 2.5x faster than the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max. And up to 11x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro model. It also supports up to 128GB of unified memory, enabling creators to easily work on large and complex projects spanning multiple pro apps and plugins. They can also compose huge film scores where entire orchestral libraries are instantly available from memory.

MacBook Pro with M3 Max:

Simulation of dynamical systems in MathWorks MATLAB is up to 5.5x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. And up to 2x faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max.
Render performance in Maxon Redshift is up to 5.3x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. And up to 2.5x faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max.
Noise reduction in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio is up to 2.7x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. And up to 65 percent faster than the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max.

Now in Space Black

MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max are available in space black. M3 Pro and M3 Max models are also available in silver, and the 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 is available in silver and space grey.

macOS Sonoma

macOS Sonoma brings a rich set of features to the Mac for work and play. Watch our video.

Price and availability

Customers can order the new MacBook Pro starting Wednesday, November 1, on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 27 countries and regions, including the U.S.

It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Tuesday, November 7.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 starts at US$ 1,599/ SG$ 2,299 and US$ 1,499/ SG$2,159 for education.
14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro starts at US$ 1,999/ SG$ 2,899 and US$ 1,849/ SG$ 2,679 for education.
The 16‑inch MacBook Pro starts at US$ 2,499/ SG$ 3,599 and US$ 2,299/ SG$ 3,309 for education.

Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available at apple.com/mac.

With Apple Trade In, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac. Customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in to see what their device is worth.