Pros | Cons |
+ Great performance | - Heats up quickly |
+ Amazing OLED Display | |
+ Included AERO Hub is very useful | |
GIGABYTE AERO 16 (YE5)
RM12,999
I haven’t reviewed a laptop catered for creators in a hot minute, which is why when word got out that GIGABYTE has released the AERO 16, I knew that I had to get a review unit - and here we are.
Design
My first impression out of the box was that it was incredibly minimalistic and chic which I am sure a lot of millennials and Gen Z’s would love.
The laptop comes in a 16” body that's made out of a CNC aluminium-alloy, resulting in a laptop that stands out in comparison to laptops available in the market. On the lid, there is an AERO logo engraved which lights up, but that is pretty much it.
Aside from the design of the laptop, the bezels are also pretty impressive as it is one of the first laptops in the market to have 3mm 4-slim bezels when the majority would only have 3-slim bezels - it would not mean much to most but this allows it to have more screen-to-body ratio.
There is also a webcam located on the top and it’s super slim, so there isn’t a giant black hole on the top of the display, remaining aesthetically pleasing.
Display & Audio
The AERO 16 comes with a colourful display, and the credit goes entirely to the 4K+ OLED screen it comes with that has a 16:10 ratio screen size - allowing the working area is now maximised while offering better brightness and increased contrast. It also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.
I personally think it’s worth mentioning that each and every colour panel is colour calibrated by X-Rite calibration technology and it also has a Pantone validated certification for an accurate colour output.
Aside from that, it comes with a VESA Display HDR 500 True Black certification with a high contrast ratio of more than 1,000,000:1, reaching maximum peak brightness of 500 nits and 0.0005 nits of extreme black. There is also a 0.2ms response time.
Audio-wise, this laptop has two DTS:X Ultra Audio Technology speakers. Output is clear but it does lack some base. The speakers are also placed conveniently on the top of the laptop so my music or dramas are clear and not muffled when the laptop is in certain positions.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard on this laptop is actually comfortable to use as it’s spacious. GIGABYTE also got rid of the backlit keyboard design and changed it for a laser-engraved keyboard to mimic the starry sky at night.
The touchpad is great overall because it’s responsive and wide enough to get things done, however, the positioning of it being off-centred is actually kind of infuriating.
Ports
Now, let’s talk about the ports it comes with. On the left side of the laptop, there is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with support for DisplayPort and a 3.5mm audio jack. Whereas, on the right, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for DisplayPort and for charging.
Performance
The review unit I have comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900 HK processor and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics which makes this laptop such a killer. The 12th Gen Intel truly lives up to its name with providing over the top performance and I'm living for it.
I tried to run a benchmark test on the SSD and it has the highest score amongst all the laptops I've benchmarked.
The only complaint I have is that the laptop heats up incredibly fast. I was hoping for a stronger cooling system given that this is such a powerful laptop.
AERO Hub
With a limited number of ports, the AERO 16 comes with an accessory called the AERO HUB. It has additional ports that are super useful for creators on the go and it even has a carry case for protection.
The AERO Hub includes an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort, a USB Type-A port and an Ethernet RJ45 port. It is also suggested that the AERO Hub is plugged into the Thunderbolt 4 port located on the right of the laptop for a better experience.
Buy or no buy?
All-in-all, I am incredibly happy with the performance of this laptop and the way it looks. If this is simply an overkill for you, GIGABYTE has another available laptop which is the GIGABYTE AERO 16 (XE5) that comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
You may purchase the GIGABYTE AERO 16 on Shopee .
For more information click here .
