Gigabyte Aero 15 Review

Short Gigabyte Aero 15 Review - Purchased Retail by Author

I ordered the USA spec Aero 15 from GentechPC.com as a graduation gift for college. Their service was no less than exceptional every step of the way, from answering all my numerous questions, to throwing in some freebies to getting it here by the desired date. I highly recommend Ken @GenTechPC. My son has had it over a week now and is impressed enough that he will be keeping it, as the return period is almost over. The main upgrades are an extra 16GB memory and a Samsung 960 EVO 500GB primary SSD.

Configuration:

• GIGABYTE Aero 15W-BK4 nVidia GTX 1060, 7th Gen Intel Core i7
• [Free Gaming Bundle:For Honor or Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands]
• [Free Gaming Bundle 2:Free Roket League Game Code (Request by email)]
  
• [Spring Sale 1:Free Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra on CPU/GPU ($50 value, this promotion overrides standard options) +$.01]
• [Spring Sale 2:Free 30 Day No Dead Pixel Warranty ($35 value, this promotion overrides standard options) +$.01]
• [Spring Sale 4:Free GenTech PC Gaming T-Shirt - Medium +$.01]
• [Screen:15.6" 1920x1080 LG IPS LED Matte-Type @60Hz (Anti-Glare)]
• [Graphics Controller:nVidia GeForce Pascal GTX1060 6GB GDDR5 DX12]
• [CPU Kaby Lake:7th Gen Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ, 2.8~3.8GHz, 14nm, 6MB 45W]
• [RAM:32GB DDR4 2400MHz/PC4 19200 Dual-Channel (16G X 2) +$85]
• [PCIe SSD Slot 1:500 Samsung 960 EVO PCIe NVMe SSD 3,200MB/s + $245]
• [PCIe SSD Slot 2:512GB M.2 SSD SATA III 6Gb/s]
• [OS Drive Installation Option:OS Installation on M.2 SSD slot 1]
• [Ethernet Controller:Gigabit Ethernet Controller RJ45]
• [WiFi / Bluetooth:Intel Wireless-AC 8260 802.11 2.4Ghz/5.0Ghz Dual-Band 300/867 Mbps + Bluetooth 4.1 / WiDi]
• [USB Ports:3 USB 3.0 Ports + 1 USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 enabled]
• [AC Adapter:Add One Spare 150W AC Adapter +$75]
• [Windows Recovery USB:Help me created an factory system restore bootable USB flash drive +$15]
• [Warranty:GIGABYTE 2 Year Limited Warranty]

Comments:

It's better in basically every way than his 3-year old Gigabyte P35WV2 notebook. In particular, it’s more portable in terms of size, weight and thickness to throw into a backpack on a daily basis and has a decent Chi Mei 15.6" WVA display. I found only one partially dead (no green) pixel in the bottom left, and a little "flashlight" bleed from the backlight along the bottom edge and at the top right corner. Otherwise, uniformity and color appeared to be pretty good. It runs cooler and quieter than the larger P35, impressive given the much better gaming power.

I'm not a benchmarker, but I did check some temps and the speed of the 960 EVO NVME drive and the OEM Transcend MTS800 SATA3 SSD that shipped with it. At idle watching a Youtube video, CPU temp was around 40C. I also checked framerates in Overwatch, where it consistently runs at 65-70+ FPS on Ultra settings. CPU temp was around 70C while GPU temp was 80C after 30 mins of playing. This is with all Smart Updates applied and stock Nvidia driver. No other tweaks, other than Gentech’s CLU paste. Mine arrived with 2x16GB Kingston DDR2400 CL17 RAM sticks operating in dual-channel mode, but these may have been supplied by GentechPC.



He has played various other games with no issues, including Witcher 3, For Honor and a variety of Steam titles. He says pretty much everything he plays is very smooth with no throttling at ultra settings, even after a few hours of playing. It does get very warm and the fans do get loud when gaming.

Like:

• Smaller footprint and reasonably thin for a 15.6" gaming laptop
• Fully programmable RGB lighted keyboard with numpad
• Lots of ports including ethernet, Thunderbolt 3 & SD card reader
• 7700HQ + GTX1060 plenty of power, usually 60+ FPS on ultra
• Expandable with extra m.2 SSD bay and a second memory slot
• Display is fairly bright with decent viewing angles & small bezels
• Compact power supply with extra USB charging port
• Quiet and cool at idle or when surfing, Office, etc.
• Reported battery life 6-7 hours, but I haven't tested this
• Black version is understated compared to some gaming laptops
  
• Design has minimal keyboard/chassis flex and build quality is more solid than other gaming notebooks this size like the MSI GS63VR, but not as nice as Razer Blade or Macbook Pro.

Tolerable:

• OEM SSD is SATA3 in USA, even though NVME is supported
• Touchpad nothing special, but he uses a mouse anyway
• Keyboard feel is OK, but cramped. Large keys a little loud, odd font
• Some report keyboard doesn't register certain left-shift 3-key combos
• Mediocre speakers are about what you'd expect at this size
• No touchscreen or 4K yet, but 1080p ideal for gaming w/1060 GPU
• Lid a bit flimsy when shut or nearly shut; a little wobble when open
• Edge grooves and awkward hinge design. A seamless, flat edge when closed would look and feel much better.
• Still very warm and pretty loud when gaming, but likely no worse than any other gaming notebook similar in size and weight. Honestly, it's better than I expected. Using headset while gaming makes this and the mediocre speakers a non-issue.
• X-rite pantone certification only really useful for professionals, as it is a software calibration that doesn't seem to apply when gaming

Dislike:

• Webcam is a chin cam, like the Dell XPS 15
• Noticeably heavier than the GS63VR and Blade 14. I measure 4.8 lbs. with 2nd SSD and DDR stick. Still lighter than other 15.6" similarly powered gaming rigs that weigh around 5.5 lbs. or more like his Gigabyte P35, MSI GT62VR, Asus Strix GL502VM or Acer V15 Nitro.

Accessories:

Fits almost perfectly into a Tomtoc 360 Sleeve (for 15" Macbook Pro Retina 2012-2015). Great protection including corner guards in a fairly low profile plain color zipper sleeve.



Works very well on a Bosvision folding X-Stand (at 4.5 leg adjustment setting), free airflow and no obstruction of vents. Very light and portable and no mesh or frame to keep air from getting into the fans.

Also considered:

1. MSI GS63VR: Thinner and lighter, but a larger footprint with wide bezels and a dimmer display. Mediocre battery life. Didn't have the quality look or feel of others in this class. A little less expensive.
2. Razer Blade 14: Thinner, smaller and lighter, but some NBR experts say it runs hotter and louder than others. Smaller 14" display with wide bezels. More expensive and only 1-year warranty. Green logo backlight that can't be disabled on 2017 version, otherwise sharp look and feel.
3. Dell XPS 15: About the same size and weight and probably the closest competitor. Gives you a 4K touchscreen option but only GTX1050 graphics. Gimped Thunderbolt 3 port. Seems a bit thicker on a desktop than the specs would suggest.
4. HP Spectre 360 13 or Dell XPS 13 9365 2-in-1 or Razer Blade Stealth, plus eGPU and 1060/1070 desktop graphics. More portability, but gaming limited to desktop. No ultrabooks have a quad-core i7 CPU. Combined price is more expensive.

Did not consider any options that lacked Thunderbolt 3 (like Aero 14, Aorus x3 v6, HP Omen 15t) or were significantly larger or heavier (like Aorus x5, MSI GT62VR, Asus GL502VM, Acer V15 Nitro, Alienware 13, Dell Inspiron 15 7000, Lenovo Legion Y520, etc)

Conclusion:

A very nice jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none multimedia/gaming notebook. Plenty of power with a quad-core Intel i7 Kaby Lake CPU, Nvidia GTX1060 GPU plus expandable memory and SSD slots. Relatively small for a 15.6" gaming notebook, but definitely not an ultrabook by any definition. A full array of ports, decent display, good battery size and customizable keyboard are nice bonuses. Whether it's worth the money over other options really depends on whether any of its drawbacks will affect your enjoyment. I think it has the right mix of size and features for many students and professionals who want something just light enough to lug in a backpack, but handles games and scientific/business applications as well.

Full reviews with benchmarks:

• http://www.techspot.com/review/1399-gigabyte-aero-15/
• https://www.notebookcheck.net/Gigabyte-Aero-15-7700HQ-GTX-1060-FHD-Laptop-Review.215364.0.html
• http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/laptop/105307-gigabyte-aero-15/
• https://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/laptops/2017/05/02/gigabyte-aero-15-review/1
• http://www.pcworld.com/article/3202691/

A big THANK YOU to all those at NotebookReview who have contributed to the various threads on the Aero 15!

 

You can see the FPS, GPU temp, video RAM usage and ping in small print in the top left corner. This is after about 30 minutes of playing Overwatch at 1080p Ultra.

 

Nice review! The tomtoc sleeve looks nice did you chose the 15" or 15-15.6" ?

 

I got the one on Amazon that says "15-15.4 Inch" for "15 Inch MacBook Pro Retina 2012-2015". The Tomtoc measurements are a bit different than the Amazon ones, but it is model A13-E01D here: https://www.tomtoc.com/products/15-inch-macbook-pro-sleeve-case-bag-cover-black-blue

The other "15 Inch" one on Amazon is a hair smaller by specs and might also fit, but I didn't try that one since the older MacBook Pro Retina model is almost the same size as the Aero 15. The new Macbook Pro is a bit smaller I think, but perhaps the smaller case has enough stretch to fit the Aero 15 very snugly.

It's a pretty nice sleeve. It's not ultra thin like a basic neoprene sleeve. It has decent padding top and bottom plus corner and edge padding.

 

Nice review mate - many thanks indeed for posting it up for others still considering this laptop.

On the topic of the edge of the chassis right where the touchpad is, this may just be me and the way I have my laptops on my living room table - but when I briefly had my Aero 15 a few weeks ago I noticed constantly that the edge of my hand would constantly get sore & reveal a red line from where I would rest it when using the touchpad. When comparing the finish / edge of the laptop to say the Aero 14 that I've been setting up for a friend for the past couple of days - the resting feeling of the Aero 14 feels more comfortable, it just striked me that it's a shame for me that the Aero 15 for me felt uncomfortable in this regard.

It may of just been my old Aero 15 but it could of been the case that the edge finish may of been a little too sharp hence it would reveal a mark on my hand after some use. I like to think that other Aero 15's out there are not the same.

Liam.

 

I did not use the touchpad much other than to check that it did the basics and responded well. And since it's not technically mine, I didn't have time to type on it, other than to create the first draft of this review and send a few emails. I generally keep my wrists up when typing due to an old wrist injury, so I didn't notice the edges. I can definitely see how that could affect some typers, though. I'm not sure how much my son uses the touchpad or has typed on it so far, but he hasn't mentioned it yet.

 

Ah that is fair enough, just keep an eye out incase your son mentions anything about it

On the subject about the keyboard as well - I found the overall typing experience with the Aero 15 difficult, it's a strange one as I type with a full layout keyboard everyday at work but the positioning and overall layout of the keyboard on the Aero 15 resulted me in making many typing mistakes and accidentally tapping other keys with my outer fingers.

I pin pointed that this was also due to the fact that I felt the keys on this keyboard required more force / pressure when typing than other laptop keyboards - this was one main negative for the Aero 15 for me sadly. However on the Aero 14 that I'm setting up for a mate and while it has a near identical keyboard design (no number pad though) the keyboard feels miles better to type on, keys don't require as much pressure when typing either.

Liam.

 

I thought the keyboard was OK, nothing particularly good or bad stood out. I missed some keystrokes, as I'm used to a full size desktop mechanical cherry mx keyboard. My Lenovo 900s ultrabook has chicklets that are similarly cramped, but the Aero 15 has a better feel. I was similarly unimpressed with the Dell XPS 15 keyboard. It wasn't bad, either, but just lacked the right tactile feedback I thought might be found in a bigger notebook. Ditto with the Blade 14. My recollection is that the MSI GS63VR might have been a bit nicer, but still not great.

I did find it helped to position myself offset to the left a little, centered on the keyboard like I do on my desktop. My instinct on the notebook is to center my hands to the edges of the laptop, which is off a little due to the numpad that isn't separated from the rest of the keys.

 

I wanted to add that some notebooks, like the Razer Blade and Macbook Pro, have the clamshell design that is flat on the edges to give it that nice look, especially when closed. So, the bottom edge naturally has a sharper corner to make it flush with no gaps or grooves. The Aero 15 does not have that design at all. They could have easily rounded the bottom edge below the keys a bit without detracting at all from its appearance.

 

I agree with everything you put in your review, really. I agree that it would look better with a more normal hinge design. It reminds me of the old Toshiba laptops.

 

Since a few people have asked, here are a couple pictures of the X-Stand I ordered. I bought it because it is light, portable, inconspicuous and doesn't obstruct the air intakes at all. Other cooling pad designs potentially obstruct airflow with mesh surfaces under the intakes, even some lower quality designs with fans that mount underneath. I bought the Bosvision folding X-Stand on Amazon but there appear to be a number of identical ones, so I got the cheapest at the time that had decent reviews.

I have the extendable arms adjusted to the 4.5 setting. This results in the least incline, as the rear legs are just behind the Aero's rubber feet all the way back. You can shorten the stand's legs and that will result in a bit more incline. Since it's passive, it doesn't add any noise. It's only benefit is to raise the intake vents on the bottom above the surface more than the rubber pads do, and also raise the exhaust vents above any clutter on the desk. That will allow the internal cooling system to work more efficiently. It seems pretty stable with no wobble on the desk.

For those that want active cooling, I wonder if those side-mounted fan systems like OPOLAR could be combined with the X-Stand and allow for more cooling without any obstruction of the intake ducts. Some I've seen look like they might block port access, though:-( Any small AC or USB powered desk fan blowing across the notebook should provide some extra cooling when used with an X-stand. This will also circulate air across the keyboard and hot spots on top, something no bottom-mounted fan will do.

 

My take on the Aero 15...


Gigabyte is a brand that is known for computer components and gaming laptops. However this machine is more geared towards content creation. This is not to say it can't game because it can. It has a powerful NVidia 1060 (6GB) graphics card inside.

For my uses (digital design) I wanted something that covered the following points:

- Powerful
- Great screen with colour reproduction (high sRGB coverage)
- Lightweight at 2.1kg (2.3kg with power brick)
- Large selection of ports
- Small footprint
- Thin bezels
- Quiet
- Great battery life

There were a few machines that fit this spec. The Dell XPS 15 9560, Razer Blade and the Alienware R13. I did originally have the XPS 15 but after some quality control issues I decided to return it. The Razer Blade was much more expensive and had thicker bezels and limited upgrade options.

The Alienware R13 looked great. But the weight of the laptop and smaller screen with large screen bezels put me off (2.6kg to 3.2kg with powerbrick). The Gigabyte instead had ticked all of the above boxes so I settled on it.

It is an expensive machine so you'd expect it to be great and it excels in many areas.

Screen - The screen is factory calibrated to give excellent colour reproduction and helps when editing photos or doing any design work. 1920x1080 is a good balance for a 15" screen and with windows 10 scaling set to 100% with small icons on the taskbar and desktop you have enough real estate. Combined with the 5mm thin bezels it’s a delight to use.

Build Quality - The machine is put together very well. It feels quite solid haven't experienced any flex or issues. It is mostly aluminium but some parts are high grade plastic. It doesn't feel cheap and lives up to the premium. I originally had the black version of the laptop which looks professional but decided to change it for the orange. Which is even better the finish doesn’t look garish in any light and is a refreshing change from the typical silver and black laptops you see.

Keyboard - You have per key RGB keyboard lighting which at first does sound gimmicky (it is to a degree) but can be useful as you can configure it to highlight shortcuts and other access you might want in your favourite applications. The keyboard is a little stiff compared to other keyboards and did find I had to hit some keys twice or harder to make it register properly but nothing major.

Performance - Is very good am able to play most games and edit videos without issues.

Quiet - The laptop comes with software that lets you control the fan profiles on the laptop when you run it in 'Silent' mode you literally can't hear it at all. It's brilliant it's as quiet as a fanless machine. This is great if you're surfing the web etc or doing light 2D work. In gaming mode though you can expect the fans to ramp up as you would in any gaming laptop.

Connectivity – Compared to the XPS 15 you’re getting a much better selection of ports:

3 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports
USB-C Gen 2 Thunderbolt 3
Ethernet LAN port
SD Card slot
Mini Displayport 1.3 (supports 5K)
HDMI 2.0 (4k @ 60Hz)

The fact you can drive 4K @ 60 Hz screens out of the box without dongles or adapters is a big bonus. The dell only had an HDMI 1.4 port and half speed Thunderbolt 3 ports. For such an expensive machine that’s a joke. No issues with this one though everything runs full speed!

Weight – For a 15” laptop in a 14” chassis I think it is very well balanced especially when you consider it’s thin (19mm) and weighs 2.3kg with it’s powerbrick. Many people forget to consider the whole package weight and this is one of the most portable 15” machines with such powerful components in it. The powerbrick is a 150W unit and comes along with a 2.1a USB port for additional device charging.

Battery Life – For someone that intends to use this machine unplugged for extended periods of time you can safely be assured this machine delivers very well. In light use (web browsing and a few videos) I’ve exceeded 7 hours easily. On average you can get 8-9 hours. If you push it a bit harder you can expect around 5 hours of moderate use. This is pretty good considering how powerful the components are.

Cons – While I personally don’t think these are major it may affect some of your purchasing decisions.

Webcam position – It’s a chin camera so like the XPS 15 is positioned at the bottom of the screen. This could be an issue but don’t feel it’s a deal breaker. If you use your laptop on a stand it won’t pose much of an issue if raised to eye level.

Keyboard – As mentioned before the keys are require much harder presses to activate. After extended typing sessions you might want to take a break. Don’t expect to be typing quietly with this laptop. While you can, but you might likely miss a few keystrokes because of the pressure required to activate the key. It’s a matter of getting used to it but found the longer I use the keyboard the less of an issue it becomes but still worth mentioning it.

Trackpad – Uses ELAN drivers which aren’t the best. The trackpad isn’t fantastic out of the box but with a few tweaks to sensitivity it’ll become lovely to use. I further enhanced it by finding Microsoft Precision drivers. This made the experience much better than the using the factory drivers.

Price – It’s an expensive machine at nearly £2k there are other machines out there that might have more RAM or HDD space etc but if you’re after something that satisfies the categories of lightweight, powerful, great screen and a small footprint your choices are limited and this machine excels in these areas very well. If you shop around though you can get better deals than seen on here. (Game bundles etc thrown in).

Overall if you’re looking for a powerful lightweight portable laptop for work and games that just works out of the box then the Gigabyte Aero 15 is one of the best choices you can make right now on the market. There are few that can compare to it’s footprint, specifications, range of ports and screen combination.

 

Wow, that stand really shows off how slim the Gigabyte Aero 15 is. It looks amazing.

 

It does look sleek when open, the bezels help a lot. When the lid is closed it looks a little chunky, but more due to the ports and grooves on the edge and the awkward way the lid aligns to the body, rather than the actual thickness that isn't too bad. It's not all that much thicker than a Razer Blade 14 or MSI GS63VR on a table, but to me it looks thicker on its own. The same is true of the XPS15, it looks thicker to me than measurements indicate.

Great review! Thanks for taking the time. For me, reading genuine owner reviews is often more helpful than many of the expert reviews on the big PC websites.

 

Hey Scrod, how long did it take Gentech to build your Aero? I just ordered one last week and I wanted to know about how long it's gonna take

 

I pre-ordered, so I'm not sure exactly. Based on my emails, it looks like they got their shipment in on a Tuesday and shipped mine that Thursday. I ordered right after it went up on their webpage, so I think I might have been the first or one of the first few they built on the Aero 15, so I probably didn't have to wait behind many others in the queue.

 

@scrod - What's the webcam cover you've put on your laptop looks like it's a perfect fit

 

It was swag from a trade show, but all the ones I've seen are virtually identical. I think it actually prevents the notebook from closing completely ever so slightly. Also, the opening isn't quite big enough because the light sensor is also there, which isn't ideal, either. On my ultrabook, the webcam is in the usual spot on top and the sensor is elsewhere so it works fine.

 

How do you find the sound and fan noise? Thinking of possibly picking one up later today.

 

The built-in speakers are mediocre, but pretty similar to the few other thin and light gaming notebooks I saw.

Fan noise is essentially silent on Silent mode for surfing, videos, etc. It gets reasonably loud on Gaming mode when you have a game running. Wasn't as loud as an older Gigabyte P35.

 

Does it perform better with windows precision drivers? Can you tell me how you did it please, same strange feeling with elan drivers

 

What you basically do is download the Lenovo drivers extract them to a folder. Edit the .ini file HWINFO value to 0. Install the setup.exe. once that's done go into device manager right click the ELAN device. Have disk and choose own drivers. Choose the .ini file. Once that's installed run ccleaner to clean any mess up. Reboot and you'll be done.

 

Over 6 weeks now and no issues to report. A nice notebook that has lived up to expectations so far, despite some flaws mentioned here and in the owner's thread. At Newegg there are now over 50 reviews, over 80% are 4 or 5 stars. The most common complaints seem to be black uniformity issues from backlight bleed, poor webcam placement, mediocre trackpad precision, susceptibility to fingerprints and for the keyboard not registering, mainly some 3-key combinations with left-shift.

Updated original review to add PC Mag's review with benchmarks:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3202691/

 

Hey scrod,
I miss looking to snatch up the same deal as you( free CLU repaste). Do you think it was worth it? Do you know if there a possibility of it spreading out of the gpu/cpu/heatsink over time? Also how was the backlight bleed on your device?

 

I would hope any custom retailer that offers CLU has enough experience that there is no concern about applying too much. I'd think you'd know pretty quickly if there was an issue! Since it didn't cost anything @GenTechPC on their deal, I see no drawback to CLU if the retailer has a freebie for it. It's supposed to have good longevity, so that isn't a concern, either. I wasn't able to compare before/after temps, so I can't say if it offered much improvement, though.

I characterize the backlight bleed as typical. There is some flashlighting at the corners, common in most LCD panels, and a bit more along the bottom edge. Honestly, if you get a panel with zero backlight bleed on any notebook, I'd consider that very lucky, or extremely good panel QC. I think some people are more sensitive to black screen uniformity than others. We have 4 computer monitors, 3 notebooks and two large screen TVs in the house and all have it to some degree, but I don't notice it at all while gaming or really on anything unless the room is dark and there is a black desktop background or on something with a very dark scene or between commercials when the screen goes dark. What's worse to me is white uniformity, because when a display varies in color or brightness across the screen, I notice it all the time. Fortunately, most newer panels I've seen aren't too bad in that regard, including the one on the Aero 15.

I did a basic screen test and found only one partially stuck pixel (no green) in the lower left corner. It was in an inconspicuous location so I didn't consider it worth using the dead pixel guarantee. Plus, otherwise the display seemed decent enough that a replacement would have been a crapshoot. It's reasonably bright, but probably average compared to others in the same class. Colors and uniformity looked OK. Gaming looked good. Overall, a lot better than the mediocre TN panel in the notebook it replaced, but probably no better or worse than the IPS panels in the Razer Blade 14 or MSI GS63VR that are also pretty average panels in this class. The XPS15 panels, both FHD and 4K, really stood out among those I saw, but of course, it only has a GTX1050. Still, if you get the $1999 Costco deal, you get the great 4K IGZO touch display, 32GB memory and 1TB SSD and a 4 year warranty if you use the Costco Visa. Combined with a 90 day return policy, it was a tough call, but I think the Aero 15 was a better choice for my son given the higher graphics power and the deal we got through GentechPC.

 

Hey thanks for the input, you mention that the CLU is supposed to have good longevity, do you know approximately how much time that is until it needs replacing?

Did you inquire about the warranty specifically for any problems that might arise due to the CLU job?

As silly as it may sound, I'm trying to get the aero 15 in as perfect a form as it can get. Is a panel without any backlight bleed possible? Id really not like to have a panel with excessive back light bleed after going through the thermal repaste and deadpixel warranty.

 

I was told that the warranty would cover it. I don't really have an answer for your other questions, sorry.

 

Awesome review.

How are you finding backlight bleed? Has it been a big issue?

 

hello mate in the total dark with a full black background do you have bad ips glow or backlight bleed:

this is ho wmine looks and the guy said this is how lcds are

http://s520.photobucket.com/user/ramureyho/library/?view=recent&page=1

 

have you got backlight bleed too?

 

Mine was a gift for my son, so I don't use it. When it arrived I did basic tests for pixels and black/white uniformity. As I mentioned above, I did observe bleed in the corners and more across the bottom edge, but not enough to notice on anything but the darkest content. If you're sensitive to black screen uniformity, you may be annoyed with it, but it didn't seem any worse than a typical panel I've seen and definitely not as bad as some others that have been posted here. I suspect this WVA panel technology may just have mediocre quality control that results in a wide range of backlight bleed.

 

ok then maybe im overreacting

 

Not necessarily. Some people find high pitched coil whine really annoying, others don't notice it at all. Back in the day, I returned three Louwe videophile HDTV sets because the white uniformity was atrocious. Everyone thought I was crazy, until I showed it to them and how the set that cost 1/3rd the price on display right next to it had no such issues. It's all in the eye or ear of the beholder.

 

I've yet to order mine, as I'm still trying to find the best option. However what I've seen some get really bad bleed and some are minimum(which you wont really notice)

 

This is not to bad compared to the other that ive seen. I would be okay with this amount to be honest. Thats my personal view though.

 

yh iv just looked at it again and some other ones and this seems good compared to them, in the pictures its like 40 percent more exaggearted ill keep it

 

hello mate so i am back tbh after looking at it i feel it does look abit bad but the last straw is can you take a pic of your with a full black backgorund and send it me so i can compare please?

 

Did you happen to get before and after temperatures for gaming with the Bosvision folding X stand?
Regarding the Tomtoc 360 sleeve. There is also a version for a MacBook pro 15 with spacebar or something and the dimensions appear to be closer to the Aero 15. Did you shy away from this option because it might have been to tight?

 

Sorry I didn't take any other temps and no longer have access to the notebook. I just took a guess at which Tomtoc might fit best. The previous generation Macbook looked pretty close in dimensions to the Aero 15. The other one might fit a bit better, but the one I got is very, very close.

 

No worries, thanks for the detailed review anyway, and the information on the official owner's thread. Definitely a big help. Mine should arrive in a few days.

 

Good luck! I hope you get a good display, they seem to vary a lot. My son doesn't seem to be affected by any of the common issues. That doesn't mean they don't exist on his machine, just that he doesn't notice with how he uses it;-) Overall, it's a pretty nice machine that fills a good niche. The updated Max-Q GS63VR 1070 looks compelling, except for the dismal battery life and price, of course.

 

Has anyone find a protective case or skin for Aero 15?

There are some sleeves that can fit Aero 15, but can't find cases or shells.

 

None that I know of unfortunately. I was going to make one myself but ended up leaving it as I quite liked the orange.

 

I was gonna do that too. Ask 3D shops to make a shell for me or design one myself and request for the build.