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Review: Gigabyte Aero 15

by Parm Mann on 8 May 2017, 15:15

Tags: Gigabyte (TPE:2376), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadg23

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Conclusion

...the gaming laptop market is hotting up and Gigabyte has put down a marker with a contemporary solution that strikes a lot of the right notes.

When you consider how lopsided many gaming laptops tend to be, it's satisfying to see Gigabyte take a more balanced approach with the Aero 15.

Striving to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, the 15.6in machine has a CPU well suited to a variety workloads, a GPU primed for 1080p gameplay, a spacious SSD and a matte HD display that's colour-calibrated right out of the box.

The fact that all this is delivered in a sub-20mm form factor is all the more impressive, and our list of provisos is unusually short. Sure, the keyboard and trackpad aren't best-in-class, the webcam position is awkward, and the display won't suit the most demanding professionals, but such niggles are offset by a number of positives that include minimal fan noise, a good selection of I/O ports and all-day battery life.

Plenty to like, yet what's interesting about the modern gaming PC is the way in which it competes against premium laptops. The Aero 15's biggest competitor may not be the likes of the Razer Blade, but rather the XPS 15, and while Gigabyte's machine offers the more potent GPU, the Dell continues to hold sway with regards to screen quality, input devices and mainstream appeal.

Bottom line: the gaming laptop market is hotting up and Gigabyte has put down a marker with a contemporary solution that strikes a lot of the right notes.

The Good
 
The Bad
Slim and portable 15.6in gaming laptop
Core i7-7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1060
512GB SSD and 16GB DDR4 RAM
Colour-calibrated WVA HD display
Keeps fan noise down to a minimum
Good selection of I/O ports
All-day battery life
 
Pricey at £1,900
Keyboard and trackpad not the best
Awkward webcam position
No touchscreen option

 


Gigabyte Aero 15

 

HEXUS.where2buy*

The Gigabyte Aero 15 gaming laptop is available to purchase from Scan Computers.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

 

*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.



HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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I just wish Gigabyte would start selling their laptops in Norway. They look great, but that's no good if they're not available …
Valantar
I just wish Gigabyte would start selling their laptops in Norway. They look great, but that's no good if they're not available …


I literally have just spoken to Gigabyte about this - I am sure things will change.
Valantar
I just wish Gigabyte would start selling their laptops in Norway. They look great, but that's no good if they're not available …

I found a way around this. Mine is on its way to Norway. I called the sales department of scan.co.uk to place a zero-rated VAT order for export outside the EC. It took a day and a half emailing back and forth with details about the order, shipment, payment and export, but it went all right. The UK keyboard layout doesn't bother me much, I wouldn't order the Norwegian layout anyway. The power adapter is supposedly universal with a C5 plug, for which I bought an appropriate cable from elfadistrelec.no.