At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Functional design with a small stand base and tripod mounting Many image-quality features and adjustments 27-inch 5K panel looks extremely sharp Combo of high refresh rate, ELMB Sync, and ELMB 2 deliver on motion clarity Cons Odd VESA mount design USB-C port only provides 15 watts of power delivery Mid-tier contrast and color performance Our Verdict The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG delivers incredible sharpness both at rest and in motion thanks to the one-two punch of improved refresh rates and ELMB. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG Retailer Price $849 View Deal Asus $849 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices 5K monitors aren’t as exotic as they used to be. Once a rare option sold at prices several times higher than their 4K equivalents, 5K monitors are now available for well below $1,000. They’re also available with features that were once unthinkable, and the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is an example of that trend. It has a 5K IPS panel but also provides a refresh rate up to 180Hz at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p. That’s a big leap over the 60Hz refresh rate 5K monitors have historically stuck with, but does it really make the XG27JCG a good pick for gaming? Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best monitors for comparison. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG specs and features The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s key feature is of course the Fast IPS LCD panel. It has a maximum resolution of 5120×2880 and a maximum refresh rate of 180Hz when overclocked.And if that refresh isn’t enough, or if your GPU can’t handle gaming at 5K resolution, you can lower the resolution to 2560×1440 and enjoy a refresh rate up to 330Hz. Display size: 27-inch 16:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 5120×2880 Panel type: Fast IPS LCD Refresh rate: 165Hz/180Hz(OC) at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 600 Certified Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and up to 15 watts Power Delivery, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 upstream, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 downstream, 3.5mm audio pass-through Audio: No Extra Features: Tripod screw mount Software support: Windows 11, MacOS 12 or later Price: $849 MSRP 5K monitors with high refresh rates are new, so you might expect to pay a premium. Yet that’s not the case. The XG27JCG has a retail MSRP of $849, and while that’s not inexpensive, it’s actually towards the low end of 5K monitor pricing. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG design The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG embraces the company’s current tried-and-true design language. That means you’ll see a lot of matte-black plastic both front and back, as well as a prominent ROG logo with RGB-LED backlighting. The logo is compatible with Asus’ Aura Sync, so you can coordinate it with other devices.It’s a design that screams “I’m a gaming monitor!” at the top of its lungs, but it’s not as impressive as Asus’ ROG OLED monitors, which tend to use materials that look more impressive on the rear panel. Matthew Smith / Foundry An ergonomic stand is included with the monitor, as is typical for monitors in this price range. It has a compact, flat stand base that minimizes the monitor’s footprint on your desk. The stand adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and can pivot (rotate) 90 degrees for use in portrait orientation. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for use with third-party monitor arms and stands. However, the monitor stand’s neck is affixed from the factory. You can remove it by prying off two plastic pieces and then unscrewing four screws. This reveals a 100x100mm VESA mount, but is a bit recessed, which may not work with some third-party monitor stands and arms. Asus sells an adapter for wall mounts that can resolve this issue. It’s a bit of an unusual design, and I don’t see the logic in it, because it doesn’t seem to provide a functional benefit or look remarkably more attractive than other monitors. Like many Asus ROG monitors, the XG27JCG has a nice extra: a 1/4-inch tripod screw mount. This mount is on top of the stand neck and can be used to attach a variety of handy peripherals, like an adjustable webcam arm or a ring light. Competitors rarely offer this feature, so if you want to mount some extra gear on your monitor, the XG27JCG is a great choice. Matthew Smith / Foundry Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG connectivity Connectivity can be a sore point for Asus ROG monitors, and while the ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG manages to offer some perks, it’s not quite where I would like it to be. The issue is the USB-C port. The monitor does have one, which is good, as it’s still not a guaranteed feature on a monitor marketed to gamers. However, the USB-C power only provides 15 watts of Power Delivery, which is generally not enough to charge a connected laptop at acceptable speeds. You’ll need another power source for the laptop, which increases cable clutter. I do understand why Asus would make this choice. Most Windows gaming laptops require 100 to 240 watts of power, which would require a more expensive USB-C power delivery implementation. Asus instead keeps USB-C power delivery simple, presumably to keep the price low. However, this is a 5K monitor, so it will appeal to not only gamers but also prosumers and professionals. The latter two demographics will be disappointed by the USB-C port. It’s not all bad news, though. The monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4, plus DisplayPort over USB-C, for a total of four video inputs. Most competitors have three inputs, though four is not uncommon. The XG27JCG also has a USB-A hub with three downstream USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. That’s a good range of USB-A connectivity for a monitor marketed as a gaming display. These can be driven by the USB-C port or a USB-B port, and a KVM switch function is included. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG menus and features Though it’s sold as a gaming display, the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG doesn’t skimp on the menu system or image quality adjustments. It includes specific sRGB and DCI-P3 color modes (in addition to the unspecified “wide gamut” which is the default), plus precisely targeted color temperature and gamma modes and six-axis color saturation adjustment. These features are handy if you’re trying to tune the monitor’s image for a specific look or standard. Matthew Smith / Foundry But the XG27JCG has a phalanx of gaming features, too. These include an FPS counter, a timer and stopwatch, on-screen cross hair and sniper modes, and shadow boost modes including a dynamic shadow boost that’s meant to engage automatically when needed (though I’m honestly not good enough at competitive shooters to say just how well this mode works). There’s also a lot of options for controlling refresh rate and an Extreme Low Motion Blur mode, which I’ll explain more in the motion performance section of this review. The cherry on top is Asus’ DisplayWidget. It’s a software utility that lets you adjust most display features from inside Windows or MacOS. While some competitors (like Dell, BenQ, and Acer) have similar software, some brands (like Samsung and LG) are notably behind in this area. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG audio The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG does not have built-in speakers. This is typical for a gaming monitor. A 3.5mm audio jack is available for audio pass-through. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG SDR image quality The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG has both advantages and disadvantages compared to the average $800 monitor. On the plus side, it provides super-sharp 5K resolution and many image quality adjustments. But on the downside, it uses a Fast IPS LCD panel, a typical display panel that can tend to have downsides in contrast and color gamut. So how does the monitor stack up in SDR? Matthew Smith / Foundry First up is SDR brightness, where the XG27JCG hits a maximum of 354 nits. As the graph shows, that’s okay but not towards the high end of SDR brightness. As you’ll see in the HDR section, the monitor does have the potential to get much brighter, and I would have liked to see that available as an option in SDR, too. However, 354 nits is still just fine for most situations, and in fact I generally used it around 20 to 40 percent of its maximum brightness. You only need to consider a brighter SDR monitor if you’re in an unusually bright setting, like an office where you can’t control the lighting, or a room with large sunlit windows. Matthew Smith / Foundry As mentioned, the XG27JCG has a Fast IPS LCD panel. IPS panels tend to have a limited contrast ratio, and the XG27JCG is not an exception. I measured a maximum contrast ratio of 1230:1 at 50 percent of maximum brightness, and that value didn’t change much at other brightness settings. The issue here is the monitor’s backlight, which must shine through the LCD panel to make the display useful. The backlight often bleeds through noticeably in dark scenes, an issue known as “IPS glow.” This can make the image seem washed out in dark scenes. Matthew Smith / Foundry Color gamut performance is better, though still only respectable. I measured a color gamut that spans 100 percent of sRGB, 94 percent of DCI-P3, and 87 percent of AdobeRGB. These figures are high enough to indicate a vivid image, but they’re a few steps behind leading competitors. It’s interesting to note that the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV has a much better color gamut. So, while the XG27JCG also provides 5K resolution, the ProArt is better if creative work is your primary goal. Matthew Smith / Foundry Having said that, the XG27JCG actually did rather well in terms of color accuracy. It achieved a color error that’s highly competitive with alternatives, and which should provide realistic color in most situations. But that doesn’t mean the image is actually superior to the ProArt, or to most alternatives, because I noticed small issues in gamma and color temperature performance. At default settings, the monitor posted a gamma curve of 2.4 (off the target of 2.2) and a color temperature of 7000K (off the target of 6500K). As a result, the image looked a bit darker and cooler than it should have. I found the color temperature value was easily adjusted in the User Mode color settings, which instantly snapped it to 6500K. But the gamma value was always high. I had to lower it to a menu setting of gamma 2.0 to achieve gamma 2.2. That’s definitely not a deal breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if you are considering this monitor for creative work.Sharpness, of course, is a strength. The 27-inch 5K panel delivers a resolution of 218 pixels per inch. That’s close to the highest pixel density available (a 6K 32-inch monitor has similar pixel density). Only 8K monitors are significantly more pixel-dense, but they’re uncommon and expensive. 5K resolution is great if you work with high-resolution images or videos, of course, but it noticeably improves the readability of small fonts and is generally great if you read a lot of documents in your day-to-day workflow. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG HDR image quality The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is capable of HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified. I found that it achieved the promised level of brightness with a measured maximum of 608 nits. Unlike an OLED display, which is dimmer when large portions of the display are lit in HDR, the XG27JCG produced a maximum of 608 nits in all scenarios.It’s not all good news, however. While the XG27JCG has a high HDR brightness, it lacks the dynamic contrast required to make HDR look its best. Because of how backlit LCD displays work, a bright HDR scene will generally lead to increased brightness in both dark and bright areas of the scene. That flattens contrast and also makes it hard for the XG27JCG to deliver the luminance detail expected.The XG27JCG includes a dynamic backlight feature that is better than average. Now, let’s be clear: This is not a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display will place lighting elements directly behind the LCD panel. The XG27JCG is edge-lit, meaning the lights are placed around the edges. As a result, the dynamic backlight feature will cause distracting light uniformity issues in any scene with a mix of bright and dark content. To give credit where it’s due, though, the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight is better than average. It reacts with relative speed and appears to have more dimming zones than usual (though the exact number is not quoted, as is typical for edge-lit displays). I still don’t think it’s good enough to be of practical use, but it’s better than the norm for a dynamic backlight on an edge-lit LCD display. In addition, the XG27JCG allows HDR brightness adjustment. This is not the norm, as HDR typically locks brightness to that set by the content shown on-screen. That’s okay for a television, but annoying on a computer monitor. Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG motion performance The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s resolution is the headline feature. However, the monitor’s motion clarity is worth just as much attention, for several reasons. First, the obvious one: refresh rate. The XG27JCG can do up to 165Hz at 5K resolution, or up to 180Hz when overclocked. That’s a big deal! 5K monitors have generally had much lower refresh rates (usually 60Hz). Increasing the refresh rate to 165Hz/180Hz provides a huge leap in smoothness and responsiveness. It’s not just for games, either. The lower latency that a high-refresh display provides can also be felt on the Windows and MacOS desktop. The monitor can also deliver 1440p resolution at up to 330Hz (this mode does not have an overclock available). Personally, I tend to play strategy titles most of all, and I really like the sharpness of 5K in those games. Plus, many can hit high frame rates alongside the resolution. Still, the 1440p/330Hz mode is a nice option if you want to play a more competitive game. Asus also provides adaptive refresh rate support through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. That is typical for a high-end gaming monitor, of course. But Asus’ Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) mode is where things get interesting.ELMB is a backlight strobing mode. It strobes the backlight at high frequencies such that a blank, black frame is shown between standard frames. Due to a quirk of human persistence of vision, this has the effect of reducing motion blur. ELMB is not new, and it’s not unique. Many brands offer similar features under different names. However, Asus is a leader in this technique, and proves that leadership with features not easy to find elsewhere. The first is ELMB Sync. A standard backlight strobing is not compatible with adaptive sync. That’s because the frequency of the strobing can be at odds with the dynamic refresh rate. ELMB Sync can get them back in sync, however, so you can use variable refresh rates with ELMB turned on. That’s a big win. The second is ELMB2. This version of ELMB takes advantage of the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight to refine how the strobing works. Instead of turning the entire backlight on and off quickly, the edge-lit zones move down the display from top to bottom. It’s a bit like the scan line on an old CRT display. And, wow, is it effective. I’ve recently reviewed a number of 500Hz OLED monitors with absolutely astounding image quality. The XG27JCG isn’t quite at that level, but it’s much closer than it has any right to be. ELMB2 delivers incredibly crisp motion with a ton of detail. Even small text is readable as it zooms across the display. While ELMB Sync and ELMB2 are extremely useful, these modes come with some caveats. ELMB Sync is not compatible with dynamic dimming, aspect ratio control, and the blue light filter. ELMB2 additionally is not compatible with variable refresh rates and does not allow brightness control.Still, the XG27JCG’s overall motion performance is outstanding for a 5K monitor. Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG? The ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is yet another terrific monitor from Asus, though one with niche appeal. Most gamers will be better served by a 4K OLED monitor, and most creative professionals will prefer a 5K display built specifically for work, which is likely to have a wider color gamut and more features to control monitor image quality. But if you want a monitor that’s great for both work and play, or you have a particular craving to play games at extremely high resolution (which can be quite possible if you enjoy older or less demanding games), the 5K XG27JCG is outstanding. It delivers incredible sharpness and clarity, and it does so at a competitive price. Read...

TL;DR: Get a PDF Agile PDF Editor Lifetime Subscription on sale for $40. PDF editors like Adobe Acrobat ask you to pay a monthly subscription to use one of the most common file formats in the world. If you want a cheaper alternative, PDF Agile for Windows gives you many of the same tools for life, and it’s on sale for $39.99 (reg. $119). PDF Agile lets you edit PDFs directly, even when they started as scans, so you don’t have to go back to the original Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file. For everyday reading and markup, you can switch between Read Mode, full-screen, and Slideshow, then add comments, highlights, underlines, strikethroughs, shapes, and freehand notes. If you want a little extra security, you can lock a file with a password, redact sensitive text or images so they are gone for good, and apply electronic signatures in three different ways. Extra features cover a lot of small jobs: compare two PDFs side by side, compress large files, merge or split documents, crop, reorder, or rotate pages, add page numbers and links, run OCR on scans and screenshots, search text, build bookmark structures, add a solid background, and even turn a PDF into a simple presentation view. PDF Agile is account-based, and this lifetime deal lets you use one account on two Windows devices at the same time. Right now, it’s only $39.99 to get a PDF Agile Lifetime Subscription. PDF Agile for Windows: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

James Milner will equal the Premier League appearance record if he features for Brighton on Sunday, 24 years after making his debut as a 16-year-old. Read...

It’s time to raise those monitors off your desk and enjoy all that extra space. This Huanuo dual monitor arm stand makes it easy to adjust your displays exactly how you need them, and it’ll only cost you $54.99 if you get it right now thanks to a 21% discount on Amazon. The mount is designed to hold two flat or curved screens ranging from 13 to 32 inches, which is pretty much most home office monitors excluding ultrawides (in which case you might prefer this other Huanuo monitor arm instead). This dual monitor arm stand can hold up to 19.8 pounds per arm, which should support nearly all in the supported size range. This Huanuo stand features a heavy-duty dual C-clamp and grommet base to secure to wooden desks. The monitors will be stable, and you’ll be able to adjust them exactly how you need them. The full-motion arms allow for extensive adjustments, including tilts, swivels, and full 360-degree rotations. In this way, you can bring your screens to optimal eye level (and your eyes, neck, and back will thank you). Take advantage of this fantastic limited-time deal while you can! Get the Huanuo dual monitor stand for just $54.99 on Amazon. Save 21% to put your two monitors on arms and never look backBuy now via Amazon Read...

Know what will make your home office experience so much better? A laptop docking station that’ll make it way easier to connect, disconnect, and reconnect all your accessories and peripherals at once. All it takes is a single USB-C and you’re ready to go. And what better docking station than this 12-port Baseus monster that’s now on sale for $75.99? That’s 24% off and the lowest price it’s ever been. This Baseus docking station features 12 ports: dual 4K/60Hz for monitors, four USB-A ports for peripherals and drives, dual USB-C data ports for drives, a USB-C power port with 100 watts of charging, SD and microSD card slots, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. This all-in-one hub is built to make life so much easier for laptop users who have tons of extra gadgets. You’ll be able to attach several more external displays, hook up flash drives and SSDs, move data from SD and microSD cards, and more. And when you need to leave home, just unplug the docking station from your laptop and go. When you come back, plug it in again and everything’s ready. Bam! There’s also a button on top that lets you quickly lock your laptop and enter energy-saving mode. Perfect for when you step away. Grab this 12-port Baseus docking station for $75.99 quick because this is a limited-time deal and it’s going to go soon. Score this laptop docking station for only $75.99 (24% off)Buy now via Amazon Read...

Microsoft is apparently integrating System Monitor (Sysmon) directly into Windows 11. This pro-level tool allows you to detect suspicious processes caused by malware or hackers on a Windows PC. Part of the popular Sysinternals suite, it’s free to download directly from Microsoft. Developed by software engineer Mark Russinovich, Sysmon is a proven system tool for ambitious, professional users that allows you to analyze all processes running on a Windows PC for suspicious activity. It significantly outperforms the built-in Windows event log. (Learn more about why Sysinternals is the best for troubleshooting Windows issues.) Sysmon is now native to Windows 11 In recent Windows Insider blog posts, Microsoft announced that Sysmon is now natively integrated into the operating system starting with Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26300.7733 (Dev Channel) and 26220.7752 (Beta Channel). Microsoft writes: “Windows now brings Sysmon functionality natively to Windows. Sysmon functionality allows you to capture system events that can help with threat detection, and you can use custom configuration files to filter the events you want to monitor. The captured events are written on the Windows event log, enabling them to be used with security applications and a wide range of use cases.” If the standalone version of Sysmon is already installed on your Windows PC, you must uninstall it before enabling the native version. Users can enable and start using Sysmon in Windows Settings under Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows features (where Sysmon is disabled by default). Alternatively, you can enable Sysmon using the command line via either Command Prompt or PowerShell: Dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:Sysmon Afterwards, enter the following command: sysmon -i This will install the native Sysmon on your system using default configuration, start monitoring system activity, and start logging events. Further reading: I decided to reset my Windows due to these signs Read...

If I’m stuck using a single screen—which can happen on a laptop while on the go—it can take forever to get my tasks done. If you find yourself in the same predicament and wish there was a solution, have I got the deal for you: KYY’s dual-screen laptop extender conveniently adds two screens to either side of your laptop. Even better, it’s on sale! Get it now for $235.99 (was $299.99), the lowest price it’s ever been. This KYY laptop extender is portable, so you can easily take it with you anywhere, including coffee shops and libraries. It features two 15.6-inch 1080p IPS displays that attach to your laptop and turn it into a triple-screen setup for maximum productivity. It fits laptops from 12 to 17 inches, so no worries unless your laptop is an extreme outlier. A single USB-C cable is all it needs to handle both power and video, and it only weighs 4.85 pounds. The part that fits onto your laptop even comes with an adjustable kickstand, allowing you to angle the extra screens to your perfect preference. Note, however, that it’s only compatible with Windows laptops. Mac users avoid! Again, the price of this thing has never been lower. Get the KYY dual-screen laptop extender for $235.99 while this deal’s still active! Add two 15.6-inch 1080p screens to your laptop so easilyBuy now via Amazon Read...

ExpressVPN just launched a whole bunch of new products, officially expanding the popular VPN service into a full-blown security and privacy suite. The company behind one of our favorite VPNs is entering a new phase in its evolution—from a single-product VPN to an all-encompassing digital protection platform. Now with just one subscription to ExpressVPN, you’ll gain access to not only the VPN itself, but three other protections: ExpressKeys, ExpressMailGuard, and a revamped Identity Defender app. Additionally, the company has plans to roll out its own AI platform called ExpressAI to subscribers at a later date. All of these tools are available for Android and iOS users and while most of the new products are included with all subscription tiers—Basic, Advanced, and Pro—additional features for each are unlocked with the more expensive plans. ExpressKeys ExpressKeys password manager is a new standalone app for Android or iOS included with an ExpressVPN subscription. ExpressVPN ExpressVPN introduced its password manager as an extra security feature within its VPN in late 2023. But now it’s separating the two and giving ExpressKeys room to grow on its own as a dedicated app for Android and iOS.  This move signals a shift from “nice-to-have feature” to more of a core product for the company. The new ExpressKeys app is designed to allow for faster updates, deeper functionality, and more focused development. The new app delivers all of the essentials users expect from a password manager—secure password generation, password autofill, secure credential storage for payment information, biometric unlock on mobile devices, automatic syncing across devices, and password health features. These are all alongside zero-knowledge encryption meaning only the user can access their data.  Existing users of ExpressVPN’s Keys will be able to seamlessly switch as the integrated password manager sunsets after March 5 of this year. ExpressKeys will be available to all subscribers of either ExpressVPN’s Advanced or Pro tiers. ExpressMailGuard ExpressVPN The other new addition to ExpressVPN’s lineup is ExpressMailGuard, an email aliasing and inbox protection service. For those who aren’t familiar with an email protection system like this, they work by allowing users to generate disposable email aliases giving them much more control over spam, tracking, and unnecessary exposure online. At its core, ExpressMailGuard is about total control over your inbox. Email aliases can be used for sign-ups, subscriptions, or any other dodgy online service. Messages sent to these aliases are then forwarded from ExpressMailGuard to the user’s real inbox such as Gmail, Outlook, etc. Aliases can be blocked with the click of a button should they ever start attracting spam or suspicious traffic. A central dashboard shows which aliases are tied to which service, what’s being forwarded or blocked, and how email flows can be filtered or automated.  ExpressMailGuard allows you to create aliases that act as an extra layer of protection for your email accounts. Sam Singleton ExpressMailGuard also works with any email service and any device, making it dead simple to create and manage aliases across all of your existing email accounts. As Shay Peretz, COO of ExpressVPN states, “ExpressMailGuard is like a VPN for email. We’re making it easy for anyone to protect their real email address, reduce unwanted exposure, and manage aliases in one place, no matter which email provider they use.” ExpressMailGuard will be available to subscribers of all ExpressVPN tiers with unlimited aliases. Recipient email addresses, bandwidth limits, and alias domains are available to all tiers as well, but Advanced and Pro plans will include larger limits on all of these. Additionally, subscribers to the higher tiers will gain access to custom rule settings and other tweakable features. Identity Defender Finally, ExpressVPN is re-launching its Identity Defender security feature set as a standalone app. This will include all of the privacy and security tools it previously had such as monitoring of credit, public records, and online exposure, plus data removal services and identity theft insurance. Rather than bundling all of these into the VPN and website, users can now access them via a fully distinct app. It might now sound like a big change, and for many users this is the least impactful upgrade. But from a developer’s point-of-view, making Identity Defender a standalone app allows ExpressVPN to streamline future iterations and updates without worrying about integration with either the VPN or website. Think of it as the company taking the training wheels off and allowing Identity Defender and its developers to expand on their own. The new Identity Defender app is available now to all U.S.-based ExpressVPN subscribers. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Solid performance for Lunar Lake Speedy integrated GPU 32GB of RAM Great price for the hardware Cons Battery life doesn’t impress Not optimized for multi-threaded CPU performance Our Verdict The Acer Aspire 16 AI is seriously good value, with lots of capable hardware at a good price. But this machine trades some of Lunar Lake’s battery life for higher performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Acer Aspire 16 AI Retailer Price $1,096.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Acer Aspire 16 AI, available for $1,099 at Costco, is a 16-inch productivity laptop with generous hardware for your dollar. With an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, this machine delivers impressive single-threaded CPU performance for a Lunar Lake system and an NPU fast enough to run Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features. The integrated Intel Arc GPU punches above its weight, too. While Acer is pushing the AI angle here — and this machine does have an NPU — Acer’s marketing is underselling how good the GPU is here. On a recent walk-through Costco’s laptop section, I saw a wide variety of laptops around the $1,000 mark. But they weren’t all capable of modest gaming like this machine is.                  Acer Aspire 16 AI: Specs The Acer Aspire 16 AI we reviewed came with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V CPU. This isn’t like most Lunar Lake CPUs I’ve benchmarked in machines like the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360. This particular CPU is a higher-tier processor that cranks the TDP to 30W. This is Intel’s fastest Lunar Lake CPU, but it also uses more battery power. This has Lunar Lake’s impressive Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics and an NPU capable of delivering Copilot+ PC features on Windows 11. The single-threaded CPU performance on this Intel Core Ultra 9 processor is greater than what you’d expect from the average Lunar Lake processor, although the multithreaded CPU performance still lags older Intel processor architectures. Combine that with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB solid-state drive and, for $1,099, this machine has seriously impressive hardware for the money, especially when RAM and SSD prices are so high. Model number: A16-52MT-91B0 CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 288V Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X RAM Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V NPU: Intel AI Boost (48 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display with 30Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe 4 SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C), 2x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x MicroSD card reader, 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 65 Watt-hours Dimensions: 13.97 x 9.85 x 0.63 inches Weight: 3.4 pounds MSRP: $1,099 as tested At an MSRP of $1,099, the Acer Aspire 16 AI is excellent value for a midrange laptop. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Design and build quality Foundry / Chris Hoffman This machine, in a “Steel Gray” color, won’t win any design awards. It’s a big piece of gray plastic. Acer has chosen to allocate this laptop’s budget to the hardware, not a fancy chassis. However, plastic is fine. The chassis feels good and doesn’t have a lot of flex. It’s a solid machine that inspires confidence. The hinge is solid and doesn’t wobble as you type. At 3.4 pounds and 0.63 inches thin, it’s fairly light and compact for a 16-inch laptop. It’s quite good for a midrange laptop that opts for a plastic chassis and strong internal hardware. The display hinge will let you lie it flat, too, opening to 180 degrees for extra flexibility. The taskbar and Start menu are a little cluttered with bloat out of the box. The taskbar has a shortcut to Booking.com, for example. Even if you use Booking.com to book travel, I doubt you use it so often that you need it pinned to your taskbar! Likewise, the Start menu comes with shortcuts to free-to-play games like Forge of Empires. They’re still easy to unpin with a right-click. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Keyboard and trackpad Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a full-size keyboard complete with a number pad at the right side. Some people prefer having a number pad on a 16-inch laptop, while others find it cramped. That’s a matter of personal taste. This machine’s keyboard is fine — the keys don’t feel mushy, and there’s clear physical feedback when you hit the bottom. A more premium keyboard would feel “snappier” when you hit the bottom of the key, but again, this one’s totally fine. It also has a white backlight. This machine’s trackpad is a substantial size that’s larger than the trackpads on some competing 16-inch laptops I’ve reviewed. The surface is smooth and responsive, and the large size makes it easy to perform multi-touch gestures, like swiping up with four fingers to activate Task View and see your open windows. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Display and speakers Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display. The standout feature here is a variable refresh rate from 30Hz up to 120Hz, which is nice to see. The image quality and colors here are fine. They’re about what you’d expect from a productivity-focused 16-inch laptop — no better and no worse. If you’re looking for colors that really pop, you’ll want to hunt down a laptop with an OLED screen. If you want higher detail, you might look for one with a 4K panel. But this is a solid panel. This display delivers up to 350 nits of brightness. That’s middle of the road, but the display’s matte surface, which makes it more resistant to reflections, helps a lot. Acer managed to include a touchscreen, too. Touchscreens are normally glossy and prone to reflections, so that’s an extremely practical choice. The speakers are better than the average midrange laptop I review, with a substantial amount of volume and a clear sound. Bass is lacking, but the sound quality is better than I expected it to be. However, I’d still recommend headphones or external speakers when you really want to enjoy your media. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 1080p webcam. For a midrange laptop, the image quality here is good — maybe even better than average in this price range. And, as this is a Copilot+ PC, you get Windows Studio Effects for AI effects that tweak your webcam’s picture in real time. The webcam also has a physical privacy shutter you can close to block it. This machine’s microphone also sounds better than average for a consumer laptop in this price range, picking up clear audio. The webcam, microphone, and speakers are the little touches where a lot of laptops cut corners, and it’s nice to see Acer delivering a solid baseline here. The Acer Aspire 16 AI has an IR camera for Windows Hello, so you can quickly sign into your PC with your face. It worked well. There’s no fingerprint reader on this machine. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Connectivity Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI offers a good selection of ports. On the left side, this machine has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 Type-C) ports, a USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) port, and an HDMI 2.1 out port. On the right side, Acer included a microSD card reader, a combo audio jack, a second USB Type-A port (also USB 3.2 Gen 1), and a security lock slot. This is a good number of ports with modern specs — it’s a nice setup. This machine charges via USB-C, so you’ll be plugging into one of the ports on the left side to power it. Thanks to Intel’s Lunar Lake platform, the Acer Aspire 16 AI supports modern Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless standards, too. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Performance The Acer Aspire 16 AI is a fascinating machine performance-wise. While Intel’s Lunar Lake processors are normally slow and sip power, the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor here runs at higher power and delivers more performance with lower battery life. The machine performs well and, honestly, if you’re not looking for 24-hour battery life, this Lunar Lake CPU is probably a better choice than the other ones. We ran the Acer Aspire 16 AI through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. I set the Aspire 16 AI to “Best Performance” mode while plugged in via the Windows Settings app, as that’s how you’ll likely want to use it. Foundry / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. With a PCMark 10 score of 8,923, the performance was surprisingly high. The results here outperform what I’d expect to see any Lunar Lake system deliver. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. Unsurprisingly, the Acer Aspire 16 AI stumbles here. While this CPU runs at higher power, it’s still a Lunar Lake chip with only eight cores, four performance cores and four efficiency cores. The higher power helps single-threaded performance, but it can’t compete in multithreaded performance without more cores. (Intel’s next-generation Panther Lake hardware doesn’t have that same problem, but it’s just starting to arrive on the market.) Foundry / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended time. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The Acer Aspire 16 AI took an average of 1,405 seconds to complete the encode — that’s a bit over 23 minutes. The results here are a bit better than the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 and its Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, likely because this machine’s CPU is running a bit faster with that extra power. These benchmarks are focused on multithreaded performance. This machine’s single-threaded performance is quite impressive, as shown by the PCMark benchmark, and it’s snappy in day-to-day desktop use. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t marked as a gaming laptop, but the Intel Arc 140V GPU here can deliver decent gaming performance in many games. This isn’t the slow integrated graphics you’ll find in Intel’s Arrow Lake or Meteor Lake platforms. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 4,621, this machine delivered better 3D gaming performance than the average Intel or AMD laptop with integrated graphics. This is as good as it gets without a discrete GPU in this price range, and that’s awesome to see. Even Doom: The Dark Ages was playable on this laptop, although I would’ve had a better experience with a few more FPS. But most PC games are less demanding than that. Overall, the Acer Aspire 16 AI delivers solid performance at its price level, complete with a variety of modern features. While multithreaded performance suffers, I think a lot of PC users would rather have the strong single-threaded performance alongside the speedy GPU here than better multithreaded performance and a slow integrated GPU. This machine can play games that an Arrow Lake or Meteor Lake laptop with integrated graphics just can’t. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Battery life The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 65 watt-hour battery. It delivered okay battery life for a 16-inch laptop, but not the kind of battery life you’ll see from the average PC with a Lunar Lake CPU — and not the up to 23 hours, as Acer advertises. But our battery life rundown test is more demanding than what Acer likely uses internally. Foundry / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. In many ways, this is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The Acer Aspire 16 AI lasted an average of 702 minutes in our tests — that’s just under 12 hours. The Qualcomm Snapdragon version lasted 15 and a half hours when we benchmarked it. That was a lower-than-expected result for a Snapdragon machine, too, and this Intel-powered machine has a more power-hungry CPU. 16-inch laptops tend to have lower battery life, the large display uses more power. Plus, the Intel Lunar Lake CPU here uses more power than the average Lunar Lake configuration. But, while this is low for Lunar Lake, it’s also more than enough battery life if you want to primarily use this laptop at a desk. Just don’t count on keeping it unplugged all day long. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Conclusion The Acer Aspire 16 AI is a serious value at $1,099, combining a CPU with speedy single-core performance, a surprisingly fast GPU that can play more games than you might expect, and an NPU that lives up to Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements. Plus, you get 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It’s tempting to overlook this machine’s strengths because of Lunar Lake’s compromises. Yes, you aren’t getting the battery life you would on other Lunar Lake machines. And yes, the multithreaded performance here is low because Lunar Lake doesn’t have enough cores. However, for the average PC user picking up a 16-inch machine with integrated graphics, this is one of the absolute best options. Between the solid single-threaded CPU performance, impressive GPU, and all-around decent hardware, the average PC user would be happier with this machine than a laptop with a faster CPU and a GPU that can’t handle modern games. At an MSRP of $1,099, the Acer Aspire 16 AI is excellent value for a midrange laptop. Read...

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