Battery life is decent for a Windows tablet, and we managed to get 6 hours and 39 minutes in PCMark 8's battery test. Real world usage also yields similar results, just as long as you stick to non-CPU-intensive tasks. The 10W charger isn't powerful enough to juice up the tablet quickly, so topping it up all the way is a long wait. As far as tablets go in general, battery life could have been better.
The Notion Ink Able 10 is available exclusively through Snapdeal at Rs. 24,990, which is not bad for the package on offer. It would have been more disruptive had they priced it the same as the Cain (around Rs. 20,000) but maybe we'll see it discounted in a couple of months.There are a few niggles you need to be aware of. The tablet is heavy, so holding it for long durations isn't very comfortable as fatigue sets in pretty quickly. The trackpad is glitchy, and often misinterprets gestures or even fails to respond. Battery life, while good for a Windows machine, is still lagging behind that of comparable tablets, and charging the Able 10 all the way is a painfully slow process. Finally, the cameras are pretty weak which is not good if you do a lot of Skype calls.
Having said that, the Able 10 trumps most other budget Windows 2-in-1s due to its compactness, ample RAM, and good amount of storage. You'll have enough room for installing more apps even a year down the line. The build quality is also good; the display is fairly vivid; you get a good set of connectors; built-in 3G; and a solid keyboard which completes the tablet-to-laptop transformation nicely.Download the Gadgets 360 app for Android and iOS to stay up to date with the latest tech news, product reviews, and exclusive deals on the popular mobiles.As the (overdue) update of Apple’s MacBook Pro tumbles into the second half of the year, there’s a Windows 10 laptop that could be a painless alternative for even diehard MacBook users.
First things first. Windows 10 is a no-no for some. But even for those with a longstanding aversion to Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 10 is a galactically big improvement over all previous versions. In fact, when I switch from one of my MacBooks to one of my Windows 10 systems (which I do regularly), it’s easy to forget that Apple’s OS is “better.”That said, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the 2016 update of the XPS 15 during the last month and it’s a scary-good machine. The Dell XPS 15 is where the next 15-inch-class MacBook Pro (or whatever Apple calls its next high-end MacBook) is headed. Here are some of my thoughts comparing the XPS 15 with what Apple will likely include on the future MacBook Pro.
Wow, that’s a big display: go bigger than Dell’s 15.6-inch display and you’d have a movable desktop. Dell, however, has managed to keep the footprint closer to some 14-inch laptops with its almost-borderless display. And an attractive carbon fiber weave wrapped around the keyboard and touchpad allows Dell to keep the weight down to 3.9 pounds (4.4 pounds with the larger battery). The upshot: the XPS 15 has a bigger display but weighs less and has a smaller chassis than the MacBook Pro. No small feat and something for Apple to keep in mind. (Well, actually, the next MacBook Pro design is probably already fully baked so let’s hope Apple has done something innovative with the chassis.)
Surprisingly, Dell has been the only top-tier manufacturer to make borderless displays a centerpiece of its laptop design (though others are now catching on). And there’s a reason that Dell crows about the XPS’ “bezel-less” border: it makes for a really cool-looking laptop in addition to keeping the weight and size down. Dell has also done this with great success on the XPS 13, essentially a smaller version of the XPS 15.If you opt for the 4K Ultra HD (3,840-by-2,160) touch display on the XPS 15, you get 3 million more pixels than the Retina display on the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The XPS 15 I’m using has the 4K Ultra HD display. At the risk of stating the obvious, you don’t want nor do you need an external display when you have a display this big and this good affixed to your keyboard. Besides, a large 4K-class external display as good as the XPS’ display would cost you a small fortune.
But a tiny connector: In addition to the usual ports (USB Type-A, HDMI), the XPS comes with one (tiny) USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps bi-directional) port but I expect Apple to include more. After all, Apple was the first computer maker to give USB-C real credibility/notoriety when it used the connector for the first time on the impossibly-thin 12-inch MacBook, introduced in April 2015. The beauty of USB-C of course is that it engenders thin designs (the XPS 15 is only 0.66 inches at its thickest point) but is still very fast.Intel INTC +1.17% Skylake (mobile 6-core in the offing?): the XPS 15 I have packs Intel’s newest i7-6700HQ 6th generation quad-core processor. This is the most glaring anachronism in the current MacBook Pro 15, which reaches back in time to the Intel Haswell processor (which first debuted in the summer of 2013). Will Apple leap-frog two Intel processor generations to Kaby Lake? Probably not but it will be refreshing to see a 6th Generation Intel Core processor in a MacBook Pro. Processor propellerheads take note: during a conversation I had recently with an executive at a top-5 global PC maker, I was told that 6-core Intel processors for laptops are on the way. When/if it happens, I expect Apple to follow suit.
Final thoughts: Dell eschews the all-aluminum chassis prevalent today. The only downside is that the carbon fiber can be a body oil magnet (be prepared to use a soft cloth moistened with soapy water every other day to keep the area around the trackpad free of oily buildup.) The rest of the laptop (top and bottom) is aluminum. Overall, a remarkably sturdy laptop considering its light weight and thickness – only 0.66 inches at its thickest point.I have to admit that I’m partial to Apple’s all-aluminum designs. So, unless Apple has come up with revolutionary new material, I’m fine with another all-aluminum MBP. I love the feel of the aluminum on my 12-inch MacBook and wouldn’t want anything else.
And a bit more about the XPS 15′s performance…One of the best things about big-screen laptops is the desktop-level speed. A wide chassis allows robust cooling systems and fans to keep even the speediest silicon from overheating most of the time. And, yes, fast silicon does make a big difference. There really isn’t anything that can slow down the XPS 15. Opening a browser with dozens of tabs or playing a 1080p video while crunching an Excel spreadsheet or doing photo editing…nothing will faze it. And while I don’t play games, it can also keep up with some of the faster gaming laptops, based on reviews at reputable tech sites. All of that speed can make it painful to return to less performance-oriented laptops.
Price: Pricing starts at $999 with a standard-resolution (1,920-by-1,080) display, dual-core processor, and 500GB 7200RPM hard drive + 32GB solid state drive. The price jumps into the $1,600 to $2,950 range if you go with the high-resolution display, a quad-core processor, and opt for either a 256GB or 512GB PCIe solid state drive. (My unit comes with the 512GB SSD.)Recently, Microsoft compared Microsoft Edge’s battery efficiency against Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. The company announced that Microsoft Edge consumes 70% less battery than Google Chrome. As you may expect, Microsoft Edge won the test because of the optimizations the browser includes. However, Opera then did their own test in which Opera beat Microsoft Edge. Opera’s test wasn’t exactly fair as they tested Opera with the built-in ad-blocker enabled — on the other hand, Microsoft didn’t use any ad-blockers during its own test. Now, the folks over at PCWorld did their own battery test for all of the leading browser — and unsurprisingly enough, Microsoft Edge won:
Ditto on DDR4: The XPS 15 I’m using comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, it’s a no-brainer for Apple to do the same. Greater Graphics: most of the Dell XPS 15 configurations come with an Nvidia GTX 960M graphics chip. Apple will undoubtedly update its MacBook Pro with either the latest AMD or Nvidia graphics.Battery life: my unit has Dell’s extra-large 84Whr battery so the XPS 15 can stay charged all day based on my usage pattern. But that requires turning down the display brightness to about 60 percent and not spending a lot of time watching movies or playing 1080p games (I’m not a gamer anyway). Battery life will jump if you opt for the cheaper version of the XPS 15 with a less-power-hungry, standard-resolution display. And Dell has also supplied me with a Dell Power Companion (see image at top) that can extend the battery life for hours more. I carry it in my bag wherever I go but have not needed to use it yet. Battery life is Apple’s strong suit so I expect that the next 15-inch class MacBook Pro to excel on battery run time. The question is, how will Apple perform it’s usual battery-life magic? With which Intel 6th Gen chip and with what type of new power-frugal LCD tech?
As you can see in the above results, Edge was followed by Chrome, Opera, and then Firefox. Internet Explorer 11, on the other hand, came last which isn’t really a surprise. In case you are wondering, PCWorld used EMBC BrowsingBenchmark to perform the tests on their Toshiba Radius 12 (Core i7 Skylake CPU, 8GB of RAM, an Ultra HD 4K Panel, and a 41-watt battery).Microsoft has been focusing a lot on performance and efficiency with Microsoft Edge. The company recently announced some changes that are coming with the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update that will improve the JavaScript performance on Edge. Nevertheless, tell us what you think of PCWorld’s battery test in the comment section below.
Feature-wise, this model has a sixth generation dual-core 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U processor, integrated Intel HD Graphics 520, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive, three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi support. As for the 13.3-inch screen, it benefits from in-plane switching, WLED backlighting, and a QHD+ resolution of 3200×1800.From the position of portability, this HP Envy is a good fit for heavy travelers. It weighs roughly three pounds, measures a bit over half an inch thick, has a back-lit keyboard, and the three-cell 45WHr battery can offer up to seven and a half hours between charges.Keep in mind, you’ll need to manually configure this setup on HP’s site. First, load up the product page, and press the “Customize & buy” button. On the next page, be sure to select the i7-6500U CPU, the 3200×1800 display, and the 256GB drive before adding it to your cart.
While this configuration lists for $1229.99, HP is selling it online for just $1129.99. Better yet, applying coupon code “HPBTS2016NB” during checkout will save you an additional $207.50. And since HP offers free shipping, you’re only left spending $922.49 on this incredible little notebook.Our commerce group sources the best deals and products for the ET Deals posts. We operate independently of Editorial and Advertising and may earn a percentage of the sale, if you buy something via a link on the post. If you are interested in promoting your deals, please contact us at commerce@ziffdavis.com.
As classrooms become increasingly high-tech, it's out with the old composition notebooks, and in with the chromebooks. The Asus Chromebook C202SA-YS02 ($229) is crafted with kids in mind and features a rugged design with a spill-resistant keyboard. Though it's a bit thicker than similar chromebooks, and can be a little sluggish when running multiple browser tabs, its long battery life, affordability, and modular design, make it a solid choice for use in schools. Still, the Acer Chromebook R 11 remains our top pick for its strong performance, superior local storage, and convertible design, but it will cost you more. If you're on a strict budget, the Chromebook C202SA-YS02 is worth a look.