Laptops
Microsoft launches Surface Pro 4 in the Emirates
Microsoft finally launched its most hotly awaited device, Surface Pro 4 in the Emirates. The Surface Pro 4, according to Microsoft is a gadget constructed for work and play and as the perfect home for Windows 10.
At just 8.4 mm thin and a simple 766g, the device includes a sensational 12.3-inch PixelSense screen, sixth-generation Intel Core processor and a multi-position kickstand, allowing a light and powerful tablet to become a full-functioned laptop computer as needed. It has a Pen with precision ink on one end and an eraser on the other, while the touchscreen utilizes palm-blocking innovation to offer users with the best possible composing experience.
The Surface Pro 4 is made to let the device-neutral Windows 10 stretch its wings. Quick and safe and secure login with Windows Hello, a slick transition in between tablet and desktop kind factors, and improved touch and pen user interfaces, all come together to provide not simply a gadget, but a buddy for users, whatever their way of life.
“The Surface Pro 4 is an era-defining gadget in the period of devices. Consumers now live their lives quite along with their smartphones, tablets and laptops. So Microsoft has actually delivered a product, in the Surface Pro 4, that is whatever you need it to be, on demand. This is computing at its most individual, and with the power and ease of use brought by Windows 10, we are confident the Surface will be welcomed by UAE customers as an indispensable life companion. Compose documents, watch movies, make art, stay connected – live your life, and do more.” said Mohammed Arif, Windows and Devices Director, Microsoft Gulf.
The brand-new Surface is supported by a multitude of accessories, such as the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover, which comes in both English and Arabic. This is a completely revamped mechanical keyboard with a big trackpad, developed for optimum comfort, and optimum crucial spacing allows for a quick and fluid typing experience.
The Surface Pro 4 will be offered in stores nationwide, through Microsoft’s licensed retail partners, Sharaf DG and Emax, as well as online, at surface.ae.
Gadgets
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Review: A Refined Classic
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is a testament to Microsoft’s commitment to crafting premium laptops that blend style with substance. This latest iteration builds upon the strengths of its predecessors, offering a sleek design, powerful performance, and a user-friendly experience.
Design and Build Quality
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition impresses with its minimalist yet sophisticated design. Wrapped in a sleek aluminium chassis, this laptop is both lightweight and sturdy, offering a premium feel that differentiates it from the competition. Its clean lines and smooth curves elevate its aesthetic appeal, making it a stylish addition to any professional environment.
The build quality is top-notch; Microsoft has meticulously crafted the laptop to be both beautiful and durable. The hinge mechanism is robust, ensuring the lid opens and closes smoothly without wobbling. Overall, the laptop feels solid with no flexing or creaking even under pressure.
The finish on the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is exceptional. The anodised aluminium surface resists scratches and fingerprints, keeping the laptop looking pristine over time. The matte finish adds sophistication, giving it an elegant, professional appearance. Smooth edges and seamless transitions between parts showcase the high-quality craftsmanship involved in its design.
Display
The display is a highlight of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition. Featuring a 15-inch touchscreen PixelSense Flow Display with a resolution of 2304-by-1536 pixels, it delivers vibrant colours and sharp details. You get a pixel density of 201-PPI, an aspect ratio of 3:2, a contrast ratio of 1400:1, and support for Dolby Vision IQ. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The 120Hz refresh rate enhances smooth scrolling and overall visual quality, whether you’re watching videos, browsing, or working on documents. Impressive colour accuracy and brightness levels make it ideal for professional photo and video editing. The thin bezels also contribute to a more immersive viewing experience, maximizing screen real estate.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Typing on the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is enjoyable. The keyboard has well-spaced keys with a comfortable travel distance, ensuring a responsive and tactile typing experience. The backlit keys make it easy to type in low-light conditions. However, some users may find the keyboard a bit shallow, which might take some getting used to.
The touchpad is also impressive. It’s large, smooth, and highly responsive, allowing for precise cursor control and multi-touch gestures. The soft surface of the touchpad enhances comfort, whether you’re scrolling through documents or navigating applications.
Internal Specifications
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition features the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, renowned for its high performance and efficiency. It comes with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage, offering plenty of memory and storage capacity for the most demanding tasks. Our review unit came with 512GB of onboard SSD storage. The powerful specifications enable smooth multitasking, fast application loading, and efficient power use, making it perfect for both work and entertainment.
Camera
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition features a Full HD front-facing Surface Studio Camera, perfect for video calls and conferences. The 1080p camera delivers clear and sharp images, even in low-light conditions. With Windows Studio Effects, you get automatic framing, creative filters such as illustrated, animated, and watercolour, eye contact adjustments, a teleprompter mode, portrait blur, and portrait lighting.
These enhancements make it ideal for professional use. The built-in microphones provide excellent audio quality, ensuring your voice is heard clearly during calls. Additionally, the laptop includes Windows Hello face authentication, adding a layer of security and convenience.
Connectivity
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition features a variety of ports, including two USB-C / USB4 ports that support charging, data transfer, DisplayPort 2.1, and are compatible with the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock and other accessories. It also supports fast charging with a minimum 65W power supply via Surface Connect or USB-C. Additionally, it includes a USB-A 3.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port. While this covers many basic needs, some professionals might miss additional USB-C ports and an SD card slot.
Operating System
The Surface Laptop 7th Edition is powered by Windows 11 Pro, delivering a seamless and intuitive user experience. Windows 11 introduces a range of new features and enhancements such as Snap Layouts, virtual desktops, and a revamped Start menu, all aimed at boosting productivity. The OS is optimised for both touch and traditional inputs, ensuring versatility and ease of use. Integration with Microsoft services such as OneDrive and Office 365 enhances productivity, creating a unified ecosystem for both work and personal use.
AI Features
A standout feature of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is its AI capabilities. It comes with Microsoft Copilot+ AI, which offers a range of productivity enhancements. These include intelligent suggestions, automated tasks, and personalised recommendations, all designed to streamline your workflow and boost efficiency. The AI can assist with tasks such as managing your schedule and providing context-aware insights, making the laptop an invaluable tool for professionals.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition shines in both everyday tasks and more demanding applications. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor and equipped with up to 32GB of RAM and fast SSD storage, this laptop handles multitasking, video editing, and even light gaming effortlessly. Applications load swiftly, and the system stays responsive, even with multiple programs running simultaneously. The cooling system is efficient, maintaining optimal temperatures without producing excessive noise.
Battery Life
Battery life is a major advantage of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition. It delivers up to 20 hours on a single charge, making it perfect for long workdays and travel. The efficient power management of the Snapdragon X Elite processor enhances this impressive battery performance. Plus, the laptop supports fast charging, enabling you to quickly recharge the battery when necessary.
Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is a well-rounded ultrabook that shines in design, performance, and battery life. Its sleek design, sturdy build, and premium finish make it an appealing choice for professionals. The laptop’s robust internal specifications, vibrant display, and comfortable keyboard and touchpad ensure top-notch performance across various scenarios.
While it has minor drawbacks, such as limited port selection and the absence of an OLED display option, these are overshadowed by its many strengths. The AI features enhance productivity, making this laptop an excellent tool for those who seek the best in their devices. Whether you’re a professional, student, or casual user, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is a reliable and stylish option. Its blend of advanced technology and thoughtful design ranks it among the best ultrabooks available today.
Price: AED 8699
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition AED 8699
Summary
A standout feature of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is its AI capabilities. It comes with Microsoft Copilot+ AI, which offers a range of productivity enhancements.
User Review
( votes)Artificial Intelligence
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q Review: Balancing Power and Portability
The HP EliteBook Ultra G1q is a sleek, lightweight laptop designed for business professionals who prioritise portability and battery life. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E78100) chip, it offers impressive performance for everyday tasks and excellent battery endurance.
Design and Build Quality
The EliteBook Ultra G1q boasts a premium aluminium chassis that feels sturdy and well-constructed. Its thin and lightweight design, weighing just under 1.3 kg, makes it easy to carry around all day. The laptop’s 14-inch touch display has a 2.2K resolution, offering sharp visuals and good colour accuracy. While the 60Hz refresh rate might not be ideal for gamers or video editors, it’s perfectly adequate for most productivity tasks.
Hardware
As mentioned earlier, the EliteBook Ultra G1q comes packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E78100) chip and a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. Graphics is handled by the Qualcomm Adreno GPU and the laptop runs Windows 11 Pro. You also get 16 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe TLC M.2 SSD storage.
In terms of connectivity, you get one USB Type-C 40Gbps port, one USB Type-C 10Gbps port, one USB Type-A 5Gbps port, and one stereo headphone/microphone combo jack. When it comes to audio, you get dual speakers with discrete amplifiers which are powered by Audio by Poly Studio, and integrated dual array microphones.
Performance
The Snapdragon X Elite chip, built on the ARM architecture, delivers snappy performance for everyday tasks such as browsing the web, video conferencing, and running productivity apps. However, some Windows applications might not be fully optimised for ARM, leading to occasional compatibility issues or performance hiccups. The laptop’s 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of SSD storage provide ample space for your files and apps.
As an AI PC, the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q offers features to boost productivity and collaboration. Its Hexagon NPU enables the local running of AI applications, reducing latency and improving performance. Additionally, the Poly Camera Pro provides advanced video conferencing capabilities, including auto-framing, background blur, and virtual backgrounds.
Battery Life
One of the standout features of the EliteBook Ultra G1q is its exceptional battery life. With its 59Wh battery, the laptop can easily last for over 12 hours on a single charge, making it ideal for long workdays or travel. The included 65W USB-C charger provides fast charging, bringing the battery from 0 to 100% in about two hours.
Verdict
The HP EliteBook Ultra 14-inch G1q Notebook AI PC is a powerful and efficient laptop that excels in performance, battery life, and connectivity. Its advanced features and AI capabilities make it an ideal choice for professionals seeking a reliable and versatile device for their work.
Price: $1,699.99 onwards
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q $1,699.99 onwards
Summary
The Snapdragon X Elite chip, built on the ARM architecture, delivers snappy performance for everyday tasks such as browsing the web, video conferencing, and running productivity apps.
User Review
( votes)Artificial Intelligence
Acer Launches New TravelMate P6 14 AI
Today, Acer unveiled the new TravelMate P6 14 AI, leading the market with Copilot+ PCs under 1 kg, and delivering exceptional performance, mobility and AI capabilities for businesses and institutions. This new Windows 11 Pro laptop is powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) with a built-in NPU boasting up to 120 total platform TOPS AI performance in a compact, carbon fibre chassis.
“AI is evolving rapidly, requiring companies and enterprises to integrate it into the fabric of their IT infrastructure to resolve issues and improve workflow and communication quickly,” said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, Acer Inc. “With the newest Intel Core Ultra processors at the helm, the TravelMate P6 14 AI provides workers with remarkable power and has enabled us to combine the latest AI tools and software, incredible power efficiency, and built-in security protection in a convenient ultraportable form factor.”
This latest TravelMate boasts a stunning 14-inch WQXGA+ (2880×1800) 16:10 display with IPS technology or WUXGA (1920×1200) panel featuring high 400 nit brightness and 100% sRGB colour gamut, supporting outstanding picture quality. Thin bezels and a high 82% screen-to-body ratio maximise the screen area for more immersive viewing experiences.
The new Intel Core Ultra processors feature up to 48 TOPS NPU of AI performance, up to 32 GB LPDDR5X on package memory, and a 65 Wh battery, ensuring seamless multitasking and extended productivity, plus next-gen Intel Arc graphics to support cutting-edge AI creation. Offering up to high-speed PCIe Gen4 SSD, the Intel Evo edition TravelMate P6 14 AI provides ample storage and rapid data transfer to handle heavy workloads. The silent keyboard with a 1.55 mm travel distance supports quiet and comfortable typing and comes with a convenient microphone mute key.
When the NPU is utilised, the AI logo stamped on the TravelMate P6 14 AI’s touchpad illuminates to indicate activity. The Acer Experience Zone within Acer’s TravelMate Sense app houses powerful AI features for collaboration and creation. Acer Assist is an on-device AI virtual assistant that leverages large language models and local files to support technical queries, summarise documents and datasets, and troubleshoot through simple prompts without any of the data leaving the device. Acer LiveArt 2.0 can easily remove the background of a photo and generate depth maps on 2D images. In addition, GIMP and Intel’s Stable Diffusion plugin support the creation of illustrations and photos with just a few clicks and text input.
Acer QuickPanel automatically launches when the camera is activated, so camera and microphone settings can be quickly adjusted. Acer PurifiedView 2.0 creates smoother videoconferencing and live streaming while optimising power consumption through the NPU. Its AI-boosted features such as Portrait Refinement, Gentle Lighting, and Super Sharp features can subtly smoothen appearance, and improve lighting, colour contrast, and resolution while maintaining a natural look to help users appear their best in video calls. Leveraging a triple microphone array, Acer PurifiedVoice 2.0 with AI Noise Reduction and triple microphone array helps users sound their best with the ability to suppress background noise and enhance the main speaker’s voice. Plus, Copilot+ PC AI experiences will be available on the TravelMate device through free updates coming this year.
The TravelMate P6 14 AI provides advanced security and administration features with a QHD IR camera for quick and safe login without requiring passwords. It also has a privacy shutter to help safeguard against hackers. Acer User Sensing Technology uses a built-in vision-based AI sensor to accurately detect people based on range and movement. It helps secure data by locking the screen when the owner leaves, and quickly waking up when they return. Integrated Acer ProShield Plus offers multiple security and management features in a single-client console.
The new TravelMate is durable and can withstand the rigours of life on the road thanks to MIL-STD 810H military-grade compliance and Acer Dust Defender which helps minimise dust buildup that can slow performance. It also provides the latest wireless connectivity, including Wi-Fi 7 with speeds of up to 5.8 Gbps speed. Integrated Bluetooth 5.4 improves speech and audio quality and has enhanced accessibility for using hearing aids with laptops. USB 4 Type-C that supports Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports support a wide range of peripherals, monitors and devices.
Recycled materials are incorporated in the design and packaging of the TravelMate P6 14 AI, while it is also EPEAT-registered and TCO 9 certified, meeting the strictest criteria for sustainability leadership in electronics. Moreover, Intel Evo edition options guarantee premium performance. Acer’s suite of commercial solutions helps businesses manage IT functions and safeguard data. TravelMateSense software lets them optimise, tailor, and access support systems with one click of the TravelMateSense key. “Workflow” consolidates the functions they may need for different work scenarios (Meeting, Away, and Work) and can be further customised based on specific preferences.
“Secure Guard” provides a range of security-related features, including USB Device Filter, Personal Secure Drive, File Secure, and Dynamic Lock to protect the TravelMate device from potential threats. With “Checkup”, businesses can examine the health of components and it includes a guide to performing calibrations to optimise battery charging. An overview system status window provides a real-time status report on the TravelMate laptop. In addition, Acer Office Manager allows offices without dedicated IT staff to poll data, centralise resources and monitor IT assets via a single portal.
The Acer TravelMate P6 14 AI (TMP614-54/T/TCO) will be available in EMEA in January 2025, starting at $1,349.