With a large screen – Asus Vivobook 17 (A712EA-AU583)
Asus Vivobook 17 (A712EA-AU583) is one of the best in its class. It is large and difficult to carry around, but the screen allows you to do without an external monitor. In its class, it has no obvious weaknesses: a good processor, a decent display, and a large and comfortable keyboard.
The 17.3-inch screen is not as clear, bright and contrasty as the flagship models – the resolution here is standard, Full HD, and the brightness does not exceed 250 nits. But it’s far from bad: it’s a large panel with natural shades for everyday work, watching TV shows and communicating online.
The Asus Vivobook 17 is not the most powerful laptop in the selection, but its performance is sufficient for any business task. The laptop has a 2021 Intel Core i5 1135G7 processor and 16 GB of RAM; there is no separate video card. The speed of loading and launching applications is positively affected by the fast 512 GB SSD . The laptop is not intended for serious video editing, but you can work in Photoshop or Lightroom. This laptop can handle fast switching between multiple browsers, large text documents and high-quality video playback. You can run undemanding old games when you want to take a break from work.
There are enough ports to connect any peripherals – you will rarely need to use a card reader or USB hub . There are three USB Type-A connectors , one Type-C , headphone and microphone output, as well as HDMI for connecting an external monitor. You can also install a memory card.
It’s comfortable to work at the laptop: when you open the lid, the keyboard rises slightly above the table, which adds comfort when typing for a long time. Since there was no need to save space, a full-fledged digital numpad was placed on the right . The keys have good responsiveness and a clear stroke. In the silver version of the laptop, the inscriptions on the keyboard are not very visible, either with or without backlighting. If you are proficient in touch typing, this will not be a problem.
The main drawback of the Asus Vivobook 17 (A712EA-AU583) is its battery life. The declared battery power is only 32 Wh , and no optimization will eliminate the need to frequently charge the laptop. At home or in the office, he is doomed to live near the outlet, and on the road he will always have to take a charger. The second disadvantage is the small color gamut of the screen. The display is quite high quality, but is not suitable for those who are seriously involved in design and photo processing.
With powerful hardware – HP Omen 16
Omen is a gaming line, but these laptops look solid. And the hardware is absolutely excellent – even demanding users will be satisfied. The model has many options with different video cards, processors and screens, you can choose an option to suit your tasks and budget.
The version with an RTX 3060 video card is optimal for work – it is enough to render 4K videos, process hundreds of RAW files in Lightroom, and run any programs and games. But for the most demanding new products like Hogwarts Legacy with high graphics settings, it is advisable to take the version with RTX 3070 so as not to worry about them for another couple of years.
All versions have good cooling with a large air intake and two coolers for heat removal – thanks to this, the laptop’s capabilities are fully revealed. True, the computer makes noise under load – colleagues in the office may not like it.
The design is devoid of unnecessary gamer kitsch. Ergonomics are good: large keyboard with deep key travel, customizable backlighting, large and responsive touchpad, high-quality build. But there is no separate block of number keys, which many users need. An important disadvantage: the laptop is much heavier than regular “business” models; it is difficult to carry it with you to the office every day.
HP Omen are equipped with different 16-inch screens. Optimal – with Full HD resolution and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. There is a more expensive version with a Quad HD display and a frequency of 165 Hz. A high frequency will not only be useful in games, but will also make the work process more comfortable: scrolling through large amounts of text in documents and the browser is more pleasant than at a frequency of 60 Hz. The colors are bright and saturated, but for accurate color reproduction you should calibrate the display yourself. You can search the Internet for a ready-made color profile for your laptop model or use a calibrator, if possible.
The peripherals are in order: there are HDMI and mini DisplayPort outputs, an Ethernet connector, several USBs and even a slot for a memory card. With this set you can work anywhere and not worry about whether you have taken an external card reader with you.
Like a MacBook, but on Windows – Huawei MateBook X Pro
A fast, light and beautiful laptop from Huawei, created as an alternative to the MacBook in everything – from the design to the consonant name. At the same time, it runs on Windows and tries to surpass the Apple laptop: for example, it has a better camera and touch screen.
The model is sold in two versions – regular and premium. In terms of equipment, they are the same, but the expensive model has a matte body made of lighter and more durable magnesium alloy, rather than aluminum. It also has an improved anti-glare screen coating and more colors.
Many laptops suffer from insufficient rigidity of the case: when pressing on the lid or during printing, it flexes slightly. But the Huawei MateBook X Pro feels solid and solid – like a MacBook. The keyboard has a soft and short stroke, making it difficult to make a mistake even when typing quickly. The only thing missing is a number pad, but for a compact laptop this is forgivable.
The screen is impressive: sharper than Retina on MacBooks, a 90 Hz refresh rate for smooth page scrolling, 500 nits of brightness, and near-perfect color calibration – you can do professional photo editing and design. It is also touch sensitive and has an oleophobic coating, thanks to which fingerprints and dirt are easily erased.
Huawei engineers fit a screen larger than 14 inches into a compact body – thanks to a non-standard aspect ratio of 3:2 instead of 16:9 or 16:10 , like other laptops. Because of this, the MateBook X Pro display is great for photo retouching and working with documents: the “square” screen has more space for lines of text and toolbars in Photoshop. But it’s not so convenient for watching movies because of the wide black margins at the top and bottom.
The Intel Core i7-1260P processor and 16 GB of RAM provide the laptop with excellent operating speed – this is modern and powerful hardware. Previously, such performance came at the cost of heavy weight and roaring fans, but modern technology allows the MateBook X Pro to run extremely quietly. It handles Lightroom and video editing, and can run some games. There is still no separate video card here , so more or less modern games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Forza Horizon 5 will only work at low settings and with a reduced rendering resolution.
Huawei, like the MacBook Air, has a complicated situation with connectors. You won’t be able to connect a flash drive, mouse or memory card without an adapter. There are only USB Type-C connectors for connecting peripherals . But they allow you to charge a laptop and support the Thunderbolt 4 standard – through an adapter you can connect an external SSD, a video card or a pair of monitors at the same time as charging.
The laptop is well suited for video calling: it has six speakers, four microphones and a webcam that can track the position of the face when shooting and place it in the center of the frame. This is a good solution if your work requires regular video conferences. The webcam itself is located in a hidden module and slides out from the keyboard – this is convenient, and it does not take up space above the screen, but during calls you will have to put the laptop on a stand, otherwise the interlocutors will look at your nose, and not at your eyes.
Huawei is actively developing its ecosystem: laptops, smartphones and tablets of this brand can interact with each other wirelessly and quickly exchange data. For example, on the MateBook X Pro you can share the screen of your Huawei smartphone to manage mobile apps and files. And the Huawei Matepad tablet can easily be turned into a second screen for your laptop, expanding your workspace.
Huawei MateBook X Pro is one of the highest quality and most enjoyable laptops in its class. But he does not pretend to be ideal. Due to the lack of connectors, you will have to carry a USB hub with you . The arrows vary in size, which is inconvenient for navigating through the text, and there is no room for a number pad in the compact case. In terms of battery life, the laptop also cannot be called a record holder: in energy saving mode it will survive a working day, but the Asus Zenbook lasts longer. The average autonomy is partly compensated for by fast charging with a power of 90 W – in half an hour, the Huawei laptop is charged by about 60%, and its power supply itself is no larger than that of a smartphone.