Showing posts with label ultrabook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ultrabook. Show all posts

HP EliteBook 745 G5 - consumer opinion after 3 years

Consumer opinion about the HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop after 3 years

HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop opinion
By modern standards I wouldn't call the HP EliteBook 745 G5 an ultrabook but it is definitely a laptop. And yes, I do have some negative impressions about this laptop after using it for almost 3 years but it is not all bad.

HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop keyboard

Consumer feedback about HP EliteBook 745 G5 keyboard

EliteBook 745 G5 keyboard
HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop keyboard

It has been almost 2 years since we started working with the HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop and we have tested in various scenarios and situations. If you are interested in the full story, feel free to check the complete HP EliteBook 745 G5 product review.

Today we will discuss just the keyboard, how it feels using it, durability, comfort and so on.

HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop - long-term review

Our first-hand consumer feedback after over a year with the HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop

HP EliteBook 745 G5 laptop

After we spent over an year of using and testing the HP EliteBook 745 G5 ultrabook, we decided it is time to make a full product review. 

To begin with, what exactly is the EliteBook 745 G5? This basically is a compact laptop with high-end components designed mostly for business users. The most controversial part of this computer is the mobile Ryzen processor. Still many critics believe that AMD is not manufacturing the optimal mobile processors for laptops and that they have some more work to do before catch up with the latest generations Intel Core processors. 

We also think that AMD and the Ryzen series are getting in the right direction if talking about mobile processors. For PC we are quite happy with the desktop versions of the Ryzen machines we are using.

Selling the Dell Latitude E7240

We are selling the Dell Latitude E7240 laptop after more than 5 years of active service

2020 Latitude E7240
Selling the Dell Latitude E7240 in 2020

The year is 2020 and we decided that it is time to change our fleet of work machines, including PC and laptops.

So it is time to put the Dell Latitude E7240 laptop for sale now, after many years of good services and very few issues with it. For the most time the Latitude E7240 has been the perfect ultrabook and workhorse on the go so we really appreciate what Dell did with this machine.

What makes Dell Latitude E7240 such a great laptop?

One of the most popular ultrabooks is still on service in 2019 - my review of the Dell Latitude E7240

my ultrabook - Dell Latitude E7240
Four years ago: my ultrabook Dell Latitude E7240
Back in the days when I bought my Dell Latitude E7240 it was the most serious investment I have made in regards to computers. It was a high-end ultrabook with sleek design and a pretty high price tag. But now after couple of years of use I can say it was all worth the price. So what makes the Latitude E7240 one of the best second hand laptops in 2019? Let's find out.

Before I continue with my user review, here are the most important features and specs of my ultrabook:
Brand: Dell
Dell Latitude E7240 features and specs
Model: Latitude E7240
Display size: 12.5-inch
Display resolution: HD 720p
Processor: Intel Core i5-4310U @ 2.00 GHz 
RAM: 8GB
ROM: 256 SSD
Graphics: Integrated Intel 


Xiaomi Notebook Air 13 Win10 i5-7200U Dual Core 8G/256GB specs

Full specifications and features of the 13 inch ultrabook Xiaomi Notebook Air 13 Win10 i5-7200U Dual Core 8G/256GB


I've said it before and I still think that the future of computing is in reliable and well equipped ultrabooks, rather than in tablets.

Today, I will be taking a closer look at the specifications of a very popular Chinese ultra-portable laptop by Xiaomi - the Notebook Air 13 with Win10 i5-7200U Dual Core 8G/256GB. Here are they:

Lenovo Thinkpad T460 ultrabook - problems and issues

Hardware and software problems and issues with the Lenovo Thinkpad T460 ultrabook

Lenovo Thinkpad T460 ultrabook issues
Working on Lenovo Thinkpad T460 could be quite stressful sometimes

Lenovo Thinkpad T460 is one of the most popular ultrabooks in 2017 but unfortunately it gained its popularity thanks to the problems and issues it can cause to its users.

High-end ultrabook unreliability

Ultrabooks are usually quite expensive because of their quality parts and extreme productivity. Businesses usually spend a lot of money on such laptops in order to trust them for most daily computing activities. And here is where the Lenovo Thinkpad T460 really fails - it is unreliable.

Lenovo Thinkpad T460 laptop

On paper the T460 is really a good computer with top of the line components but in reality it is million miles away from its direct competitors like Dell.

Problems and issues

When I first tested the Thinkpad T460 couple of months ago I instantly noticed that it does't offer the smoothest experience taken right out of the box. Of course later on a lot of software need to be installed on this brand new machine and that made things really bad for the T460. It constantly lags and crashes without any obvious reason and that is a huge reliability problem, especially if this is your primary work machine.

Lenovo Legion y520-15ikbn gaming laptop


Connectivity issues is a constant and connecting to VPN through WiFi sometimes may take couple of resets before things even get going (slowly).

No matter the fact that the Lenovo I tested had more than enough RAM and processing power sometimes it surprises me how hard it is to manage simple daily tasks.

The battery performance is one of its strong characteristics but it really can't make it up for the overall bad impressions leaves most of the time.

The trackpad is another thing that frustrates many of the T460's users - it is far from accurate and it is not rare that it would miss a click.

I can keep on going and tell you about how bad and ridiculous the its display looks for $2000 laptop but I don't want to take more of your time and share my problems and issues with the Thinkpad T460. If you need good performing laptop you should definitely check something like the Dell XPS or Latitude 7450 which both I think are just amazing.

My old Dell Latitude e7240 also does a great job but it is not for sale in computer stores anymore.

Lenovo Thinkpad Ultrabook T460 user review and experience

Lenovo Thinkpad Ultrabook T460 is good but far from what Dell ultrabooks deliver these days

Lenovo Thinkpad Ultrabook T460 review
Thinkpad Ultrabook T460 performed OK but far from the best in class

After using the business laptop Lenovo Thinkpad Ultrabook T460 for almost a year, I would like to share my experience with you - the good, bad and the ugly.

I’ve received this ultrabook as a business laptop last year and since then, I have used it heavily almost every day. Below you can see the exact specifications of the laptop I am using:

HP Spectre 13-v000nu - world's thinnest laptop

The thinnest laptop in the world - HP Spectre 13-v000nu

HP Spectre 13-v000nu - world's thinnest laptop
HP Spectre 13
If years ago ultrabooks were something new, unusual and rare, today this segment of notebooks is already mass and any self-respecting brand offers in its portfolio at least several such devices. Among the various ultrabooks however, rarely distinguish genuine masterpieces such as this in my hand.  HP Spectre 13-v000nu certainly deserves due attention. Today will take a look at the design, comparing it with that of some competing models, test hardware functionality, display, peripheral and battery.

Lenovo Yoga 300 11.6 full test and review

Test and video review of the small hybrid device Lenovo Yoga 300 11.6 

Today, we are taking a look at one of the small hybrid laptop - the Lenovo Yoga 300 11.6.

360º Flip-and-Fold Design

A PC when you need it, a tablet when you want it, and more. Easily change between four modes — Laptop, Stand, Tent, and Tablet. The secret: The 11" Lenovo Yoga 300's unique design and touchscreen display. It allows the screen to flip around 360º, which means you can select the mode you use based on what you choose to Do.

Impressive Performance for Work and Play


Enjoy a PC with the new Intel Celeron processor. Experience brilliant PC performance as you multitask effortlessly – communicate with friends and family, enjoy entertainment, and get your work done. Get the impressive performance and quality you’ve come to expect with an Intel Celeron processor. That’s serious processing. Only with Intel Inside.

Ultra Thin, Light, & Portable

Starting at a mere 3.0 lbs and just 0.85" thin, the Yoga 300 is ultra portable — it's perfect for doers on the go. And with up to 8 hours on a standard battery, you can go all day without recharging.

Harmony


Lenovo Harmony adapts to you by intuitively optimizing settings, making app recommendations by mode, and sharing statistics about how you use your device.

Stereo Speakers


The Yoga 300's speakers deliver rich stereo sound, while Dolby Home Theater provides an immersive audio experience.

McAfee LiveSafe Free Trial


Keep your entire digital life secure with the comprehensive protection afforded by McAfee LiveSafe software. LiveSafe protects cross-device, through the cloud, and locally to ensure total security for your data and identity. Enjoy a free 30-day trial with purchase. Or, upgrade to the full version during the purchase process and enjoy peace-of-mind security from day one.

Lenovo DOit Apps


Do more with your Yoga 300 with premium Lenovo applications like SHAREit, which lets you share files quickly without network charges or a WiFi connection. In addition, SYNCit backs up and restores your contacts and SMS

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 tablet review

What makes the Dell Latitude E7240 the ultimate ultrabook?

Why I think the Dell Latitude E7240 is the ultimate business ultrabook - my consumer opinion

Dell Latitude E7240 ultrabook
Is it really the ultimate ultrabook?

I've been using the Dell Latitude E7240 as personal work computer for over a year now and meanwhile testing some of the newest ultrabook laptops released on the market. And even though the E7240 is not perfect I can confidently say that is among the top 3 ultra portable laptops ever sold.

HP Spectre X360 - video review

Full review of the compact touchscreen ultrabook HP Spectre X360

HP Spectre X360  laptop

Today we are going to take at one of the very popular ultrabooks for 2015 - the HP Spectre X360. This basically is a 13.3 inch hybrid laptop with touchscreen that can be easily adjusted to the preferred angle or just flipped back as a real notebook. HP Spectre X360 is a high-end device with pretty high price-tag of around $1100.

For more information and in-depth look of this interesting laptop please check the video review below.

Video review 2015 HP Spectre X360 ultrabook



Please also make sure to check our favorite ultrabook - the amazing Dell Latitude E7240.

Vaio Z Monster PC - is it really the ultimate laptop?

Short video with one of the most powerful laptops currently for sale in Japan - Vaio Z Monster PC

Vaio Z laptop
Vaio Z Monster laptop PC
Sony's (still considering it Sony's brand even though they sold it recently) laptop Vaio Z or the so called Monster PC has been rumored to be one of the most capable laptops on the market these days.

Dell Latitude E7240 - six months review

Review of the premium 12 inch ultrabook Dell Latitude E7240 after six months of intense use

Dell Latitude E7240 six months review

As some of you probably know Dell Latitude E7240  is my everyday companion for work related purposes and also for some multimedia and entertainment as well.

After six months of intense use I decided to share the feedback with you so lets not waste any more time and begin with the useful stuff. 

The good

Before buying the Dell Latitude E7240 I was considering Apple's MacBook Air for my next certain choice of mobile computer. Unfortunately despite the fact that it looks awesome the MacBook Air can't really match modern ultrabooks in terms of performance and versatility. I am not going to discuss this topic now as I know that plenty of you really like Apple's products and the love Mac OS interface but I am just not one of these Apple fans.

Probably the best thing about the Dell Latitude E7240 is its versatility as it has the ability to suit almost any purpose - compact mobile workstation, multimedia companion on the go, everyday PC for browsing Internet and playing games. Also, the variety of connection options and interfaces makes it really easy to pair with different devices, something that is a huge issue for some MacBook laptops. 

I also really like how compact this ultrabook is. It is really light and very comfortable and its keyboard is probably one of the best in business. The touchpad is also very precise and comfortable to use and I would also put it among the best in class. Durability is another thing that is also quite typical for the Latitude E7240. 

I am also impressed with the quality of the stereo speakers which deliver clear sound which is loud enough for listening to some music.

To be improved

I think Dell did what they could to put a large enough battery in this compact laptop but the battery life is something that could be improved for the next generation Latitude ultrabooks. I managed to get an average of 3-4 hours which is about half of what the MacBook Air usually achieves. Probably we should mention here that this poor result is partly because of the Windows 7 operating system which not very energy efficient compared to the competition from Apple.

Another thing that didn't stood up to the price of  1500 Euro is the display which lacks depth of colors and delivers picture that just doesn't match the rest of the components in this top of the line computer.

So after six months of using the Dell Latitude E7240 I can say that I am really pleased with its performance and it is really worth spending the extra cash and moving away from my old (but awesome) HP EliteBook 6930p.

Disappointing battery life from Dell Latitude E7240 ultrabook

Dell Latitude E7240 scored very low in the battery life performance tests after couple of months of use

Dell Latitude E7240 battery

After several months with the high-end ultrabook Dell Latitude E7240 I have to admit that I am not really impressed with its battery life performance figures.

HP Pavilion X360 11-n010dx - a real competition for the Lenovo Yoga 11?

Quick video review of the 11.6" laptop with touchscreen HP Pavilion X360 11-n010dx


If I have to be honest I no longer like HP laptops since I had to return my brand new HP Envy X2 after just two days of using it. I think this manufacturer used to make some of the best high-end laptops but they completely failed in their attempts to make a good hybrid computers. Today we are taking a closer look at one of their latest releases in the ultra-portable laptop market - the Pavilion X360 11-n010dx.


As I previously shared with you I was very happy using my HP EliteBook 6930p for about 5 years and it is still going pretty strong. But I needed a more compact device with stronger battery life that would last for a good day on the go. Then I tried with the Enxy X2 which looked awesome and had this great built quality and uni-body  design very similar to the MacBook Air. Unfortunately here is where all the good things ended up - the detachable screen was way to uncomfortable to use as a tablet and the performance of the ultra low voltage Intel processor combined with 2GB of RAM was just terrible. That is the reason why I had to return this hybrid ultrabook/laptop and got something a bit more expensive but I am really please with my new Dell Latitude E7240 which unfortunately also had some driver issues (just like any other ultrabook offered on the market today).


But enough said about my previous experience with HP and Dell. Now lets talk about a bit more about the HP Pavilion X360 which just like the Envy X2 has a very good built quality but here we don't have the detachable screen which in my mind is a good thing. This 11.6 inch laptop is very light and compact and also has pretty good specifications for daily use. Here is a quick video review of the HP Pavilion X360 11-n010dx so you can learn about its specs and performance figures:

HP Pavilion X360 11-n010dx video review



I  hope you liked our HP Pavilion X360 11-n010dx review and if you want to explore some more interesting laptops please check the rest of our laptop reviews.

Driver and BIOS issues with Dell Latitude E7240

Driver and BIOS issues and problems with Dell Latitude E7240 - fan noise and heat

Dell Latitude E7240 issues

I have been using the 12.5-inch Dell Latitude E7240 ultrabook for more than a month now and I wanted to share few things that I think owners and future owners of this computer may find interesting.

The issues

The things that I want to cover today are related to fan noise and overheating of the laptop and what is it related to. You probably know that most ultrabooks have issues with overheating and that is why many people now prefer the ultra low voltage (ULV) equipped laptop and hybrid devices as they generate less heat and are much less intense on battery consumption even though ULV processors sacrifice on performance a little bit (well not a little but latest quad-core Intel Atom processors do just fine with most everyday computing tasks).

Drivers recommended by Dell
The issue that I recently noticed with my Latitude E7240 was caused by drivers recommended by Dell for this particular model. After re-installing OS couple of times (tried with Windows 8.1 and Windows 7) I was stuck with 32-bit Windows 7 Professional which unfortunately could only read 4GB of my preinstalled 8GB of RAM. I decided that I will use the laptop this way for a while and started downloading and installing all drivers and updates recommended for the Latitude E7240 on Dell's support page and on My Dell.

After updates
After updating everything, including BIOS, sound and graphics drivers, networking drivers the machine was running pretty smooth. Unfortunately very soon I noticed something wrong - the laptop was often overheating and fan was running on maximum power even when processor load was less than 50%. Of course the first thing I did is to remove some of the 'useful' drivers that I had on my ultrabook - removed the HD premium sound, the Intel WiFi pro interface and couple more and magically my laptop was running much more cool and quiet.

 Of course there was a noticeable difference in sound quality and other performance figures and features but I am using this laptop mostly for work so these were not as important. 

Soon I am going to switch to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 and will update you on how the Latitude E7240 behaving under any of these operating systems. I have some worries about installing Windows 8.1 as many Latitude owners reported fan noise and heating problems due to mismatched controller settings but I will probably will give it a try and see how it will go.

Update: Never considered Windows 8 as an option, of course Windows 10 was the natural upgrade from Windows 7 Professional.

Hama Ultra Style bag for 13.3 inch ultrabooks

Price, specifications and review of the Hama Ultra Style bag for ultrabooks up to 13.3 inch

Hama Ultra Style 13.3 ultrabook
Hama Ultra Style bag for 13.3 inch ultrabooks

The Ultra Style bag from Hama that we will review today is really lightweight and comfortable and will secure your ultrabook very well. It can safely keep slim laptop computers with the size of up to 13.3 inches.

I personally wouldn't recommend using this Ultra Style bag for ultrabooks smaller than 12 inches as there is no holding mechanism in the main inner section of the bag and if you put there a smaller computer it will slide all the time and you will not feel it comfortable when carrying it around. The main compartment has dimensions of 33.5 x 23.5 x 2 so bigger laptops and notebooks just won't fit.

Dell Latitude E7240 touchpad test

Touchpad test of the premium ultrabook Dell Latitude E7240

Dell Latitude E7240 touchpad test
My Dell Latitude E7240 touchpad - tested

Dell Latitude E7240 is one of the most expensive machines in Dell's premium line of  light and portable laptops. The E7240 offers great performance on the go and is one of the preferred business ultrabooks these days. That is the reason why we decided to make an in-depth test of its touchpad which role is extremely important when doing business from your mobile computing device.

DELL XPS 13 vs Latitude E7240 ultrabook video comparison

Video comparison with two of the top ultrabooks on the market - DELL XPS 13 and Latitude E7240 Ultrabook

Latitude E7240 ultrabook
DELL XPS 13 vs Latitude E7240 ultrabooks

There are plenty of discussions in internet about the best ultrabooks offered on the market today and that's why I decided to bring to your attention at two of the best performers - the amazing  DELL XPS 13 and the business oriented Latitude E7240.

Both these machines look and performance awesome and even though they have so many things in common they are also different in many aspects. Probably the biggest difference between these two are the screens which for the XPS is a 13-inch touchscreen display while on the business oriented Latitude E7240 we have a regular TFT panel. On the other hand probably the biggest similarity between these computers is the price, which is quite high for each one of them.

My personal preference goes for the Latitude E7240 as this is my choice when I was choosing new computer for work related purposes. I can say that I am pretty much impressed, just few minor downfalls ruin the perfect score for this very capable and yet mobile.  DELL XPS 13 is probably for those looking for a better media experience and the glare touchsccreen does the job just fine. Here is the video where you can see the  DELL XPS 13 and  Latitude E7240 head to head in a battle for the crown in the expensive ultrabook segment:

 DELL XPS 13 vs Latitude E7240 ultrabook video comparison

Verdict
In my opinion both these laptops are very good ans super productive. I currently own a Latitude E7240 and I am very pleased with it (using it for more than 3 years now, exceptional ultrabook). If it was my money I would go with the Latitude even though I like the XPS a lot. But I guess when discussing such high-end mobile computing devices it is up to personal preferences and needs.

2018 Update: The Latitude E7240 one of the greatest business laptops ever :)