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The Surface Laptop Studio works well in each of its three distinct modes, but this new form factor won’t please everyone looking for a hybrid laptop

Ever since the Surface range debuted a decade ago, Microsoft has specialised in hybrid devices. The original Surface Pro tablet could become a laptop of sorts thanks to an optional keyboard, but the company has experimented with different form factors in the years since.

Another new one was added to the mix in 2021 in the form of the Surface Laptop Studio. Rather than detaching the keyboard entirely, it has a flexible hinge that lets you move the display between three key positions. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a design like this, but its introduction here is a clear signal of intent from Microsoft.

But does it do enough to convince creative pros away from an iPad Pro or Mac? Or can it even tempt consumers? I spent a few weeks testing the Surface Laptop Studio to find out.

Design & Build
New 3-in-1 design works well but has its limitations
Great video calling features
Limited port selection
The Surface Laptop Studio replaces the Surface Book as Microsoft’s high-end hybrid laptop, adopting a very different form factor in the process. Instead of a laptop with fully detachable display, the screen on the Laptop Studio can be pulled forward in front of the keyboard or lay flat on top of it.

This technically makes it a 3-in-1 device, although you lose the flexibility of using the screen as a standalone tablet. You’re also limited to these three fixed positions, unlike on convertible laptops with 360° hinges. I found this particularly problematic with the display pulled forward in Stage mode, which isn’t the most natural angle for watching videos – but there’s no way to adjust it.

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Huawei is finally launching the biggest laptop in the MateBook range outside of China, with the AMD-flavoured MateBook 16 now available to buy in parts of Europe, and a UK release expected (but still unconfirmed) in the near future.

Sporting a massive 16in FullView display, the latest AMD processor and a unique aspect ratio tailored to productivity, the MateBook 16 could be a hit for remote workers, but creatives might be a little disappointed – especially given the high-end asking price.

Is the Huawei MateBook 16 worth the premium price tag? Keep reading to find out.

Design & Build
Stylish design similar to others in the MateBook range
Fairly portable for a 16in laptop, but it’s heavy at 2kg
Premium sandblasted aluminium chassis
Huawei hasn’t rewritten the rulebook when it comes to the design of the MateBook 16, looking just like every other recent MateBook – just bigger. That’s not necessarily a problem though; just like the rest of the range, the MateBook 16 looks sleek, premium and let’s be honest, faintly like a MacBook Pro.

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The Asus TUF Gaming A15 has a decent Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics core, an impressive and bold 1440p screen and a good AMD processor – combine those attributes and you’ve got a laptop that will make any game look great at an affordable price

The Asus TUF Gaming A15 has been around for several years, but Asus has never been complacent with its most affordable gaming notebook – the firm has kept refining the design and beefing up the internals.

This 2022 model has received faster components and more ambitious display options inside a case that’s lighter than the older machine.

That bodes well when the rig we’ve reviewed (the FA507RM) costs £1,499 in the UK and has a US RRP of $1,499, and the current entry-level version (FA507RE) starts at a tempting £1,199 or $1,049. We’re hoping for some cheaper SKUs to arrive soon as the Asus site lists an RTX 3050 as an option.

There’s plenty of competition at this end of the market, though, so we’ve got to find out if 2022’s Asus TUF Gaming A15 can stand up against rivals like the Acer Nitro 5.

Design & Build
Bold, military-inspired design
Mediocre build quality but a reasonably lightweight
Fine mainstream connectivity but no surprises or futuristic features
The Asus TUF range isn’t usually shy about its military-inspired design, and that remains true: the Asus TUF Gaming A15’s moulded lid looks like it’s secured with rivets, and you’ll find edges with utilitarian air vents alongside numerous TUF logos. The military design is perhaps immature, but the Asus doesn’t look awful.

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Two years after the T7 was launched Samsung delivers a more resilient design but doesn’t make it any faster

Back in 2020, Samsung launched the T7 Touch, a biometrically secure external SSD, and a few months later a cheaper no-frills T7 version that proved a very popular choice.

The Samsung T7 Touch offered a 10Gbit USB connection and could read and write files at close to 1,000MB/s, making it ideal for those looking to catch a plane, train or boat with critical files from the office secured on the drive.

Now, Samsung has revamped the T7 to bring us the T7 Shield. With the original T7 still selling, what makes the Shield the T7 that potential customers might want?

Design & Build
Samsung makes the new T7 Shield in three colours, and they sent me the one with the least aesthetically pleasing colour for review. The black and the blue aren’t exciting colours, but the beige one harks back to a bygone era when all computers came in variations on a theme of brown.

It also has a slightly odd, rubberised surface finish profiled like house-siding and not the hard metallic crisp edges of its predecessor.

One side has the Samsung logo stencilled onto the rubber, and on the other, in a tiny font, is the ‘T7 Shield’ branding. The capacity of the drive and all the other standards logos are on a narrow elliptical endplate.

The opposing end has a USB-C port and a tiny LED to show power and activity.

Along with the drive, Samsung includes in the box two USB cables that cover both USB-C and Type-A connections, though they don’t provide a fabric pouch for the drive or the cables – though you likely don’t need one anyway.

If the rubberised finish hasn’t provided a sufficient clue, the subtle change from the original T7 to the T7 Shield is that the enclosure has better protection for the SSD electronics inside, allowing the owner to exercise much less restraint when throwing it to his colleague on the other side of the office.

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Acer returns with a new ChromeOS laptop that boasts a 15.6in display, lots of ports and powerful internals. We review the Acer Chromebook 515

Larger Chromebooks seem to be making a bit of a comeback recently. While most of the ChromeOS devices you can buy tend to favour small formats, usually built around a 13in display, with many people now using them as a workhorse in the home, a bigger panel can be a real benefit.

Acer has recognised this new trend and its response is the Chromebook 515, complete with a 15.6in display. But, does bigger always mean better?

Design & Build
Plastic and metal construction
358 x 241 x 24.9mm dimensions
1.7kg weight
Those used to the lightweight, compact nature of Chromebooks might be a little taken aback when they first encounter the 515.

It’s a large device in this category, with its sizable dimensions making it something of a surfboard when compared to the likes of the HP Chromebook x360 14c, but around the same as the other recent big ChromeOS machine, the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5.

The materials used in the construction do keep the weight to manageable level, with 1.7kg feeling just about comfortable to lug around. Plastic is deployed for the base section, while the majority of the lid is made from metal with a matte finish that looks smart and reminiscent of many other Chromebooks I’ve reviewed lately.

You won’t find any of the fancy 2-in-1 style hinges on the 515, as it thinks of itself as a laptop rather than hybrid, presumably due to the lack of a touchscreen. You can push the display down flat on a table though, if that’s the sort of thing you like to do although I’m not sure who does and what for.

For the most part, it’s a stable setup, but jiggling the device a little bit did see the display tilt back, so the hinges aren’t quite as tight as they could be. That being said, I didn’t experience any problems with the angle changing by itself during my time with the device.

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