Laptops

Microsoft announces ‘most balanced’ Surface Laptop

Published

May 3, 2017

Rodneil Quiteles

Setting its eyes squarely on students, Microsoft unveiled what it calls the “most balanced” notebook, the Surface Laptop.

Microsoft made some bold claims about the Surface Laptop saying it made no compromises with the device. Microsoft Devices Chief Panos Panay kept driving home the point it is balanced and seamless. It’s powered by the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and should last for 14.5 hours. Panay says it has “more battery life than any MacBook,” and is faster than a Core i7 MacBook Pro.

It has a 13.5-inch PixelSense display with a 3:2 aspect ratio — not something you’d normally see on laptops, but Panay claims it’s “the thinnest LCD touch model ever created and put into a laptop.” As for ports, it does not come with a USB-C port, but you do get a USB 3.0 port, SD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, and a headphone jack.

Seamless with Windows 10 S, peripherals

Windows 10 S is a version of Microsoft’s operating system that can only run apps that are downloaded from the Windows Store. While that may seem limited, it should also save you some much-needed battery life, which is probably how they are able to claim the 14.5-hour battery life.

Panay demonstrated how the Surface, Office, and Windows worked together on this particular product by showing how the Surface Dial — introduced along with the Surface Studio — quickly adapts to whatever app is currently active on the laptop. From scrolling through pages of Microsoft Word to adjusting the volume on Spotify (yes, it’s now on the Windows Store), the Dial knows what app is running on the laptop and adjusts its functions instantly.

If you’re worried about the laptop being locked to Windows 10 S, fret not. You have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro directly. Since this is geared toward students, if you still happen to be transitioning from high school to college, you get to upgrade for free. If not, the upgrade will cost you $49.99.

Sleek and Stylish

Part of the “no compromises” claim is how beautifully designed the Surface Laptop is. It is thin, light, and gorgeous. It comes in four colors: platinum, burgundy, cobalt blue, and graphite gold.

Its keyboard is covered with Microsoft’s Signature Alcantara fabric that looks like it’ll attract dirt real quick, but the company claims it resists spills, stains, and absorption and can be easily wiped clean.

The base model starts $999. Pre-orders begin on May 2 and it will be available on June 15.

[irp posts=”7256″ name=”Microsoft Surface Studio is the all-in-one PC of our dreams”]

Laptops

Microsoft unveils the brand new Surface Laptop Studio

A mashup of the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro?

Published

September 23, 2021

Vincenz

Simultaneously launched with the updated Surface Duo 2, Microsoft also announces an all-new product that would blow your minds off. The brand new Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is not your ordinary Surface or laptop for any matter. It’s more of a compact Surface Studio and also the successor to the Surface Book 3.

The most powerful Surface laptop yet

First and foremost, the specs are not kidding. You can choose between 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 H-Series quad-core processors and 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR4x memory. SSD storage options goes from 256GB all the way to 2TB. Unlike the current line of MacBook Pros, the SSD is user-swappable.

Other than that, its GPU won’t disappoint you. Whether it’s all about 3D rigging and animation, motion graphics rendering, and even gaming, the Surface Laptop Studio can handle all of that with ease.

The Core i7 model has NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti with 4GB GDDR6 memory. Enabling ray-traced graphics and DirectX 12 Ultimate will give you exceptional quality and incredible performance. If you opt out for the Core i5 variant, it ships with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics instead.

With all such power, you can expect components to heat up. But Microsoft has a solution to that with its passive cooling and industry-leading thermal design.

Batteries are rated to last up to 19 hours with the Core i5 model and 18 hours on the more powerful i7 variant.

But wait, it’s not just a laptop…

There are other two modes other than the laptop. There’s a tent-like mode where the hinge magnetically snaps onto place. This is beneficial when watching flicks and viewing other playable content.

Turn down the screen further. Alas! A laptop transforms into a tablet without turning the screen all the way to 360 degrees. Instead it has a hinge design similar to that of the original Surface Studio where the laptop screen can be tilted all the way down to the surface level.

Not only you can jot down notes or do some scribbling, you can also be serious with your craft as it supports the Surface Slim Pen 2.

If you’re worrying about storage and charging, it can be stored beneath the laptop and charges magnetically — just like the Apple Pencil 2 in the newer iPads.

The popular Surface Dial that made its debut in the Surface Studio is also compatible especially if you’re used with that Surface-exclusive accessory.

120Hz screen on a laptop?

Yup! You’re reading it right. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has an oh-so-smooth 120Hz 14.4-inch “PixelSense Flow” display (not to confuse with Google’s line of Pixel phones) that’s also a touchscreen. Not only it’s calibrated to meet any content creator’s needs, it also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos 4 as well.

For specifics, it’s a 3:2 display with a resolution of 2400 x 1600 and a pixel density of 201 ppi. Contrast ratio is 1500:1.

As we already mentioned Dolby audio, it also features Quad Omnisonic speakers with dual invisible woofers for that richer and fuller sound. This means it’s an all-in-one multimedia device on the fly.

For online meetings, its 1080p resolution front facing camera and dual far-field Studio Mics are advantageous for clearer calls.

Great power comes with great connectivity options

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio sure is a future-proof device. Not only it has a 3.5mm audio jack and a dedicated charging port, it also has two USB-C 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4 support.

Not only the ports can connect fast external HDDs, SSDs, and newer devices, you can also hook up dual 4K-5K monitors and even an eGPU for that glamorous setup and immersive visual experience whether for work or play.

It also has the speedy Wi-Fi 6 modem as well as Bluetooth 5.1 for less latency.

Software Goodies

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio runs the latest Windows 11 Home. It’s preloaded with Microsoft 365 apps and a 30-day trial of 365 Home. It also comes with the Xbox App and a one-month trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For biometrics, the user can rely on Windows Hello face authentication system. It doesn’t have any fingerprint scanner though.

Pricing and Availability

Pre-orders for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio starts today with a base price of US$ 1,599.99. It is expected to be shipped on October 5, 2021.

Laptops

realme Book officially launches in the Philippines

Does it look familiar?

Published

September 23, 2021

Rodneil Quiteles

realme is truly being bold. After starting out with only smartphones, they have gradually expanded their portfolio. Now, they also have a laptop with the realme Book.

One look at its metal gray finish and its easy to make comparisons to Huawei’s MateBook line which drew inspiration from the MacBook line. But that’s a topic for another day. Let’s first look at what this thing is packing.

It’s powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core processor. It’s available in i3 and i5 variants. Each variant offers a different storage option: 256GB SSD storage for i3, and 512GB SSD storage for i5. For RAM, you get 8GB LPDDR4x. Sounds promising? It also has a 54Wh large battery with 65W Super-Fast Charge technology.

The display measures at 14″. It’s a 2K Full-Vision display which should be better than decent. For audio, it’s equipped with Stereo Sound by DTS (Powerful Bass Sound by HARMAN).

Price and availability

The realme Book i3 variant is available at PhP 37,990, while the i5 variant retails for PhP 47,990.

Members of the realme Squad can avail of the realme Book at PhP 8,000 OFF for the i3 (PhP 29,990) and PhP 6,000 OFF for the i5 (PhP 41,990) when they pre-order via the realme Official Store on Lazada starting September 24.

The realme Book will also be available in all Silicon Valley stores starting October 1, with freebies worth PhP 5,500 including a free one-year Microsoft Office 365 subscription, a realme laptop bag, and a mouse.

Gaming

Lenovo Legion X60 Intel gaming lineup announced

Now with better performance and optimized Lenovo software

Published

September 22, 2021

GadgetMatch

Lenovo is once again making big waves when it comes to their Legion gaming laptops. This time around, they’re not really looking at releasing anything new. Instead, they’re more on improving or upgrading their current gear with the latest hardware possible. It all starts with their new Lenovo Legion X60 Intel gaming laptops.

Basically, the Lenovo Legion X60 Intel gaming lineup features refreshed iterations of Legion laptops. At the heart of these laptops is an 11th generation Intel H-Series processor, which promises remarkable performance. Whether you’re gaming, streaming, or simply multi-tasking, these laptops will surely bring the power for whatever purpose. Along with this, these refreshed models also sport the latest NVIDIA RTX GPUs to keep up with insane gaming workloads.

Apart from these, the refreshed models will also come with Lenovo’s dedicated hardware and software technologies for any type of gamer. From Coldfront 3.0 to an improved TrueStrike keyboard, Lenovo built these laptops for either the casual or competitive type. Note that only the following models received the refresh: