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Razer Blade (2018) review

OUR VERDICT

The 2018 Razer Blade is an incredibly slick and good-feeling laptop, but it’s held back by some flaws that are tough to ignore. Razer is clearly at the top of its game with the latest Blade, but the rest of the gaming laptop world is clearly catching up.

The 2018 Razer Blade marked a huge revolution for Razer’s thin and light device, already one of the best gaming laptops. Razer abandoned the 14-inch model for, well, another 14-inch Razer Blade this time around, technically speaking.

With the new Razer Blade, the green manufacturer shoved a 15.6-inch display into a 14-inch frame, like we’ve seen with the best Ultrabooks. This results in the smallest 15-inch gaming laptop ever, at least according to Razer. The Razer Blade 15 has been completely redesigned for 2018, and we have to admit – we’re impressed.

The new Razer Blade is part of a laptop scene that’s changed a lot over the last couple years. Since then, competition is made up almost entirely of similar gaming laptops, which begs the question: how will the Razer Blade stand out in 2019 – even after getting refreshed? Well, let’s dive in.

Price and availability

Razer has priced the latest Blade similarly to its previous laptops – somewhat exorbitantly. The 2018 Razer Blade starts at $1,899 (£1,699, AU$2,899), which gets you a full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display at 60Hz powered by the same processor as the other versions, though paired with an Nvidia GTX 1060 and 256GB of storage.

There’s a new ‘Base’ dual-storage model of the Razer Blade, that’s a lot like the starting model, but with both an SSD and HDD. This dual-storage Razer Blade will set you back $1,599 (£1,479, AU$2,499) with a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. You can get up to a 256GB SSD paired with a 2TB HDD for $1,799 (£1,649, AU$2,799).

To get the model that we reviewed here, you’ll have to spend a huge $2,599 (£2,329, AU$3,999). In between that is a model with the 144Hz display, the GTX 1060 and 512GB of storage for $2,199 (£1,979, AU$3,299), and one with everything you see on our spec sheet, but with less storage for $2,399 (£2,149, AU$3,699).

Comparatively, the most expensive version of the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501goes for $2,899 (about £2,199, AU$3,919), which gets you a stronger GTX 1080 inside as well as an Nvidia G-Sync display – all else being equal. The entry-level version goes for $2,299 (about £1,749, AU$3,109), giving you a GTX 1070 behind a 120Hz display. To get the same graphics card in the Razer, that will cost you another 100 bucks or quid.

Meanwhile, the MSI GS65 Stealth comes in at just $1,799 (£1,790, AU$2,599) at the entry level, with the same processor as the Razer Blade’s starting option, but with a faster 144Hz display. At the highest end, the GS65 doubles the Razer Blade’s storage and memory for $2,999 (£2,349, about AU$4,080).

It’s not hard to find the same hardware for less cash in a less flashy chassis. It’s not enough to convince this editor to cough up the extra cash, but we’re not everyone.

Design

Still, the new Razer Blade is the best looking gaming laptop we’ve seen from Razer. Still clad in an all-black, unibody aluminum shell, the Razer Blade adopts a far more angular shape this time around, while toning down the lighting to just the keyboard and Razer logo on the lid.

Simultaneously, Razer has put a lot of effort into slimming down the Razer Blade, with the manufacturer claiming to have made the ‘world’s smallest 15.6-inch gaming laptop’ at 0.66 inches (16.76mm) thin on the GTX 1060 model. It also comes in at under 14-inches wide, thanks to a new, thinner screen bezel.

Fortunately – and other laptop makers, listen up – the Razer Blade keeps the webcam to its proper position above the screen while implementing narrow bezels.

Still, even with how thin the Razer Blade is, it’s surprisingly dense – coming in at half a pound heavier than the MSI GS65 Stealth. While Razer has also managed to reduce the size of the charging brick, it’s still heavier overall than comparable thin and light gaming laptops, and it was heavier than we’d have liked.

Beyond an intense streamlining, the Razer Blade design is much of what was found before, only larger. Of course, the keyboard feels fantastic, offering some of the punchiest feedback and smooth travel we’ve experienced on an island-style keyboard.

However, the key layout is somewhat baffling, with the ‘up’ arrow key sitting between the Shift and ‘?’ keys. This has made typing out questions a major pain, as we constantly hit the up arrow in haste, adding a question mark to the line above where we are typing. We would handily take shrunken arrow keys if it meant a more sensible layout otherwise.

The trackpad finds itself in a similarly unfortunate situation. While we’re celebrating the fact that Razer has finally implemented a clickpad design, dropping those flimsy buttons like a bad habit, the tracking surface is perhaps a bit too wide. We often find ourselves accidentally moving the cursor when typing. Otherwise, it’s a smooth and accurate Microsoft Precision tracking surface.

Finally, while we appreciate the top-firing speakers for their much fuller sound than most other notebooks, we’re a little puzzled by the lack of Windows Hello secure login options. Razer even included the perfect placement: a rectangular power button now rests atop the right speaker and feels smooth to the touch. At this price, secure login should be a shoo-in.

Display

Razer knocked it out of the park when it comes to the Razer Blade’s display. With a matte coating that does well at deflecting light clare, this panel may only be 1080p, but it’s simply gorgeous.

A lot of that comes down to the 144Hz refresh rate, which makes games look extremely smooth as the refresh rate outpaces the frame rate of most games ran on the device. This allows the Razer Blade to shore up potential shortcomings of the GTX 1060 or 1070 in producing consistent frame rates at high detail settings.

The 100% sRGB color gamut also helps the display just pop with a wide variety of colors supported at impressive accuracy. The factory screen calibration that Razer gives to all of these laptops goes a long way, too.

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Apple iMac (2017) review

OUR VERDICT

The 2017 iMac is a fine update to Apple’s desktop computing platform, but suffers from a few nagging design quirks, as well as its own place amid rapidly-evolving desktop design trends. Still, for Mac fans in need of an upgrade, the 21.5-inch model presents surprisingly impressive value.

When the original iMac launched 20 years ago, Steve Jobs envisioned it as the Apple computer for everyone. He wanted to feature a playful, yet practical, unibody design – with no floppy disk or CD tray. Now, in 2019, the iMac is closer to Steve Jobs’ original vision than ever before.

It’s certainly not cheap, but the Apple iMac 2017 is one of the most value-oriented products in Apple’s stable, second only to the 2018 Mac Mini. The iMac is closer to Steve Jobs’ vision, as it does away with the unnecessary CD and mechanical hard drives.

Then, there’s the wireless keyboard and mouse, which effortlessly sync with the iMac. It’s the ideal of the all-in-one PC, which in and of itself makes the iMac one of the best PCs on the market, and worth your attention.

The Apple iMac doesn’t radically change the formula, but we’re not complaining. It takes 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake desktop processors and adapts them into the traditional iMac form factor, to great effect. The pure simplicity of the iMac’s design speaks volumes, both about Apple and Intel’s formulaic upgrade structure. The iMac just works.

Price and availability

The iMac’s price starts at a mere $1,099 (£1,049, AU$1,599), which will include both the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard in the box. That’s $178 (£178, AU$248) for just the accessories alone.

Of course, you’re getting a 21.5-inch iMac with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display and Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics, which is integrated into the 7th-generation, dual-core 2.3GHZ Intel Core i5 processor, but it’s a commendable value all the same.

As you can see from the spec sheet, the iMac we were sent for review is a step up from the entry-level model in every regard, save for the hard drive, and for just another 200 bucks at $1,299 (£1,249, AU$1,899).

From there, you can configure the iMac with just about every component better than the last. Need discrete graphics to live out your creative aspirations? You can get a 21-inch iMac with up to AMD Radeon Pro 560 graphics. Or, if 32GB of RAM suits your fancy, you can demand that Apple install that too.

You can even bump the display up, and opt for an iMac 27-inch with virtually the same components as the iMac we reviewed here, but with Radeon Pro 570 graphics for $1,799 (£1,749, AU$2,699).

If that’s not enough, we’d have to recommend that you take a look at the iMac Pro, coming in at $4,999 (£4,899, AU$7,299), it’s an extravagant purchase for most people, but the prospect of up to 18 cores of raw power should be very enticing to the professional or power users out there.

The iMac’s price falls in line with other high-end all-in-one PCs out there, namely the iMac’s chief competitor in the original Surface Studio at $2,999 (£2,999, AU$4,699) – though it’s been replaced by the more expensive Surface Studio 2. You’ll be able to find cheaper all-in-one desktops out there, but they won’t be this well-built or include components as powerful as the iMac’s.

If you’re looking for an even more budget-friendly option, and you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse lying around, you could also go with the Mac Mini at $799 (£799, AU$1,249) for comparable power to the entry-level iMac. But, it doesn’t include any of the accessories that the iMac boasts.

You’ll be able to find all of the 2017 iMacs through Apple’s website itself, or other retailers like Amazon.

Design

The iMac looks and feels pretty much the same as it has for the last few years. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this brushed aluminum all-in-one is a pleasure to behold. However, after a few persisting design choices – not to mention its overall design in the face of new rivals – give us a bit of pause.

That iMac silhouette is still iconic, though – there’s a reason that it’s become a staple of offices, home and otherwise, in TV and films for years. The iMac’s simple yet elegant appearance manages to be both striking and avoids getting in the way while working.

Then, of course, there’s the seemingly impossible thinness of the iMac, considering exactly how much is packed into the display portion of the computer (i.e. literally everything).

However, the iMac is competing with Microsoft’s Surface Studio lineup, so we can’t ignore just how much thinner and more impressive the iMac could be if Apple just leveraged what it’s learned from developing Mac Mini computers toward crafting an iMac base that holds all the computer's guts and ports.

Looking at the Surface Studio in the TechRadar office and then back at the latest iMac, it’s frankly baffling that Apple didn't beat Microsoft to that punch years ago.

Despite this, Apple managed to cram all the ports you could ever want or need from an all-in-one computer into the back of this iMac, so kudos.

Further to the point, Apple’s pursuit of absolute thinness despite cramming all of the iMac’s innards behind the display has only led to suffering audio. A total of two stereo speakers rest within both sides of the iMac’s bottom-most edge and, while they deliver impressive volume, as a result the narrow chambers deliver highs and mids no better than your average Ultrabook can.

That’s not cool for a device that takes up as much space as an all-in-one does – no matter how impossibly thin it is.

But, we need to talk about the Magic Mouse 2 – it needs a revamp. It clicks and tracks amazingly, as you’d expect from the company that inspired everyone else to up their input game years ago. However, the fact that you can’t charge the mouse while using it, because of where the Lightning charging port is located, makes no sense.

Fortunately, the iMac’s included Magic Keyboard 2 is simply delightful to type on, and the days long battery life of both input devices are a major plus – considering that you have no other choice but to buy older wired models, if you’re not into wireless peripherals.

BENCHMARKS

Here’s how the 21.5-inch Apple iMac performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Cinebench CPU: 544 points; Graphics: 83 fps Geekbench 4 Single-Core: 4,647; Multi-Core: 13,363

Performance

Because macOS Mojave isn‘t compatible with the majority of normal benchmarks that we run at TechRadar, it’s hard to compare the Apple iMac against the Windows 10-based all-in-one PCs we’ve reviewed in a comprehensive way.

That said, it’s clear in the tests that this iMac benefits quite a bit from its 7th-generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i5 processor over the Surface Studio’s quickly-aging, 6th-generation chip.

For example, the Apple iMac shows stronger single-core performance over the Surface Studio as well as moderately higher multi-core performance in Geekbench. Still, the Surface Studio does have a stronger GPU with more memory, which shows in the numbers – the Microsoft all-in-one scores 20fps faster in Cinebench than the iMac, despite the older chip.

At any rate, we find the latest iMac to be a strong performer regardless. It handles our normal workloads of dozens of Google Chrome tabs and the Slack chat client – both RAM and processor-hungry apps – with ease, and could likely take on a bit more. While we did bear witness to the spinning beachball more times than we’d like from a newly-opened Mac, it didn’t appear frequently enough to the point of it outright being a detraction. (No matter how new your computer is, it’s not immune to the spinning wheel regardless of color or shape.)

Our biggest takeaway from using the latest iMac is its simply stunning display. Seriously, if you can swing it, spring for the mid-range 21.5-inch model, because that 4x jump in pixel density – and the better graphics tech behind it – is well worth it.

Photos look impressive on the iMac’s panel and are expertly colored, thanks to its P3 color gamut. That’s an important point, because that improved color reproduction affects all ends of the system, regardless of the resolution of the content you’re viewing. Even videos at 1080p look drastically improved thanks to P3. Sadly, this has made going back to our usual 1080p screens with RGB color a sobering experience.

Final verdict

The iMac 2017 is a fine update to Apple’s all-in-one computing platform. For the money, at least for the 21.5-inch model, you’re getting a beautiful machine that’s more than capable of handling every task you throw at it – from web browsing to photo editing.

That said, nothing exists (for long) in a vacuum. We can’t ignore that the iMac seems to have fallen behind the trends of modern all-in-one computers, namely those spearheaded by Microsoft’s Surface Studio. Plus, we’re not fans of the audio performance and, while the Magic Mouse 2 is a wonderful mouse to use, the fact that it can’t be used while charging is an oversight.

At any rate, those seeking a 4K-ready – or even 1080p – all-in-one that’s as powerful as it is aesthetic will find what they’re looking for in the iMac 2017. Despite a few minor issues and an arguably dated design, the average Mac fan (or would-be fan) will find plenty to love about yet another iconic Apple computer.

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Apple MacBook 2018 review

OUR VERDICT

With an improved processor and trackpad, not to mention room for more RAM now, if you can get past the lofty price tag – even as an Apple fan – then prepare to enjoy what’s surprisingly the best MacBook in years – Pro or otherwise.

When the original MacBook launched way back in 2006, everyone praised it as an affordable alternative to the MacBook Pro laptops. Its role has shifted, however: the 2016 Apple MacBook transformed into a 12-inch ultra-premium and ultra-portable notebook, and the 2017 model carries out that change.

The Apple MacBook features a beautiful Retina display, which alone makes the price fall between the 2017 MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. This Retina Display signifies that there are so many pixels that they’re invisible to the naked eye, according to Steve Jobs.

It may seem like it may have been replaced by the MacBook Air 2018, and while we may still get a 2019 MacBook, the one we reviewed here is still worth your attention. Thin, light and inalterable, it’s a classic Apple design in every way – you’ll get plenty of jealous looks at the coffee shop. However, thanks to the MacBook’s svelte design, it’s still an expensive device.

Price and availability

You’ll be able to find the MacBook we reviewed here on the shelf of your local Apple Store (or Amazon) for $1,299 (£1,249, AU$1,899). That’ll get you everything found under our hot pink spec sheet.

For the time being, should your lavish taste necessitate a more powerful 12-inch MacBook, there are higher tiers to choose from.

One version of the MacBook, for instance, comes with an Intel Core i5-7Y54 and 512GB of SSD space instead of the base model’s 256GB. It’s still fanless, so we wouldn’t bank on speeds quite as fast as the cheapest MacBook Pro, but does come to a grand total of $1,599 (£1,549, AU$2,349).

If you want to max out the Apple MacBook, it’ll set you back a whopping $1,949 (£1,864, AU$2,909) for an Intel Core i7-7Y75 CPU and 16GB of RAM backed up with a 512GB PCIe SSD.

Keep in mind that these are dated processors in 2018, with 8th-generation chips having launched in the latter half of 2017. If you want the latest fanless silicon, you’ll have to opt for the MacBook Air 2018.

The most technically comparable laptop over on the Windows end is the Acer Swift 7, an Ultrabook seemingly destined to go head-to-head with the MacBook. It starts at $1,099 or £999 (about AU$1,449) for a similar Core i5 Y-series chip with matching storage and RAM as well as a Full HD, 13.3-inch display. Or, maybe even the Asus ZenBook UX310UA, which you can find for around $699 (about £535, AU$920) for a beefier U-series processor and the same amount of storage and RAM.

On the Chrome OS side, there’s Google’s flagship Chromebook, the Pixelbook, starting at $999 (£999, AU$1,499) with a more powerful Intel Core i5 CPU and the same RAM, but half as much SSD space as the top-end MacBook.

Design

Honestly the look and feel of the 12-inch MacBook frame really hasn’t changed much since last year’s model, which isn’t totally a bad thing. Coming in space gray, silver, gold and rose gold, the brushed aluminum fells just as cool and pristine as it has on Apple laptops for years.

And, the MacBook’s thinness and feathery weight is still impressive to the point that its dimensions are one of the major selling points of the laptop.

That said, an even more narrow screen bezel or just one more USB-C port would be blessings upon the design at this point.

One major improvement the new MacBook holds over the 2015 and 2016 iterations is the refined, second-generation butterfly switches that comprise the new backlit keyboard. Travel isn’t any deeper, which we don’t love, but feedback is much more forceful, improving the typing experience drastically.

The MacBook’s wide, glass-coated trackpad remains the same since last year, meaning it’s just as pleasant to use as it’s ever been. Apple’s touch interface tech through both software and hardware remains virtually unrivaled.

We say ‘nearly’ because Google may have well caught up to Apple with its Pixelbook. Seriously, the keyboard and trackpad on that thing are ones to be imitated.

Display and sound

We all know that Apple has prided itself on its displays for years, and with good reason. The 12-inch MacBook’s screen remains unchanged since the dawn of the product in 2015, which is just fine. Editing photos and doing graphically intense work looks amazing on the Retina display, but it’s not the sharpest screen in school anymore.

Plus, the MacBook’s 16:10 aspect ratio may just be weird enough to be annoying sometimes, like when watching movies or editing images that are formatted to 16:9 in fullscreen mode.

As for how the MacBook sounds, the four stereo speakers toward its hinge can certainly pump out some loud tunes. Still, like all notebooks with mere millimeters to work with for audio chambers, the sound is a bit thin and tinny, with some channels in songs just getting lost outright.

Still, you’re not going to get much better audio from any laptop near this thin. Thank heaven that Apple hasn’t pulled the headphone jack from the MacBook.

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Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review

OUR VERDICT

Still the most robust digital drafting table around, Surface Studio 2 wasn’t meant to compare well against most computers. For the digital artist or other visually-focused content creators, Surface Studio 2 will be the one to beat – dated parts and all.

The world has waited quite some time for this one: the Surface Studio 2 is here at last, and it’s improved in almost every way. Now, those improvements may not be on par with a lot of today’s professional all-in-one computers, but they do wonders for the Surface Studio 2’s core use case.

And that use case is the most robust digital drafting table to date.

If you already have the Surface Studio, the sequel is definitely worth considering. The components inside the original Surface Studio are getting older every day, and we see what’s inside this model lasting a much longer time. If you’re new to the Surface family, just be certain of whether this computer is right for your use case (digital media artists only need apply), before dropping this much cash.

Price and availability

The Surface Studio 2 calls for a kingly sum of $3,499 or AU$5,499 (about £2,680) – and that’s just to start. (Sadly, Surface Studio 2 isn’t yet available in the UK.)

This will get you a 7th-generation – nope, not a typo – Intel Core i7 processor designed for laptops and powered by Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5) graphics, 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Yes, the hybrid drives are gone.

This all sits beneath a 28-inch, 4,500 x 3,000 resolution PixelSense touch display that’s now 38% brighter (515 nits) and offers a 22% higher contrast ratio (1,200:1).

As for upgrades, the Surface Studio 2 can support GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5) graphics, up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and as much as 2TB of SSD space. The processor option remains the same throughout.

The configuration you see listed here – one of only three available in the US – will cost you $4,199 (AU$6,599, about £3,319). This doubles the memory of the starting model and introduces the GTX 1070 graphics processor.

It’s difficult to compare this desktop against competing all-in-one PCs for creatives and otherwise, as it was designed for a very specific audience: digital artists and other creators.

However, we do know that Microsoft has upped the starting asking price by 500 bills (in the US at least) for parts that, while a major improvement over the first Surface Studio, are arguably dated by today’s standards.

All in all, it’s difficult to say what price should be put on such a niche product with such a specific use case, but this is an expensive piece of hardware no matter how you slice it.

Design and display

This may come as music to your ears or a total disappointment, but absolutely nothing has changed about the Surface Studio in its physical design over the previous model. Even the included wireless keyboard and mouse are identical to the original model.

That said, Microsoft took the opportunity to upgrade the Surface Studio display with this revision. The screen has been given quite a boost in the brightness and contrast departments by 38% (515 nits) and 22% (1,200:1), respectively.

The increased brightness and contrast ratio don’t do much for us personally, but we’re sure it should make content more visible and workable for creatives. The increased brightness can bring out enhanced detail, meanwhile, the boosted contrast will drive deeper blacks and lighter whites, and in turn produce more color depth.

Beyond these points – and USB-C in replace of a DisplayPort – there are no major design changes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the Surface Studio ‘Gravity Hinge’ doesn’t need any improvements.

However, we would have loved to see that starting price hike backed up with a full array of USB-C 3.1 ports or – even better – Thunderbolt 3, especially given this device’s potential to act as the hub of your desk. Not to mention its target audience: content creators.

Also, why couldn’t this product have received that jaw-dropping, all-black color scheme that adorns the Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 6, release alongside the Studio 2? Imagine how that would bounce off the chrome accents and just disappear behind your work – a sorely missed opportunity.

The keyboard and mouse inputs included in the box work just fine. The keyboard feels almost identical to that of the Apple Mac desktop keyboards in terms of travel and feedback. The mouse, meanwhile, has a welcome curvature to it that’s comfortable to hold. Both inputs require AA batteries. Sadly, there are no rechargeable peripherals here.

The Surface Pen stylus that’s also included will feel identical to those found on Surface Pro tablets, as it’s the very same stylus. Now, you just have a massive canvas to draw on with it, and the stylus shines when used on that much surface (get it?) area.

Of course, the Surface Pen attaches to the left side of the display magnetically.

Honestly, we’re glad to see Microsoft’s design persist in the sequel, as it was already rather brilliant. The Gravity Hinge still works here effortlessly, with all of the computer’s major components hiding within its base.

Speaking of which, the base has received a bit of an upgrade with a USB-C 3.1 port in addition to its existing USB 3.0 ports, which replaces the old model’s mini DisplayPort.

Performance

The parts inside the Surface Studio 2, on paper, look like peanuts compared to the latest processors and graphics cards available in similarly-priced desktop computers. However, none of those computers double as a high-resolution drafting table.

BENCHMARKS

Here’s how the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Sky Diver: 29,418; Fire Strike: 12,956; Time Spy: 5,295 Cinebench CPU: 759 cb; Graphics: 111 fps Geekbench 4 Single-Core: 4,767; Multi-Core: 16,112 PCMark 8 Home: 3,435 points Total War: Warhammer II (1080p, Ultra): 52 fps; (1080p, Low): 111 fps ME: Shadow of War (1080p, Ultra): 63 fps; (1080p, Low): 122 fps

Microsoft’s unique positioning for Surface Studio 2 put this computer into almost a whole category unto itself, however what’s inside will be capable of basically all modern computing tasks regardless. Just don’t expect to be able to quickly encode 4K video, or drive the latest games at native resolution, with this machine.

As you can see, this model is better than the previous in every way – and by a considerable margin. This model is better at rendering 3D graphics as well as multitasking and at processor-intensive tasks, like encoding video and rendering dense, complex spreadsheets.

However, for the content creator out there that doesn’t do much with digital art generation or illustration, there will be plenty of more powerful options out there that cost less – even all-in-one PCs, like Apple’s iMac Pro. Basically, if you don’t find yourself using this 28-inch computer as a digital drafting table, at least a double-digit percentage of the time, we wouldn’t recommend it.

Now, Microsoft may have included its Xbox Wireless connectivity protocol for its Xbox One controllers, and this PC may have the capability to play many of the latest games at decent settings, but this is not a gaming PC. We wouldn’t even remotely consider gaming to be a concern in purchasing this machine.

When it comes to gaming, you can simply do far better for far less.

Still, the Surface Studio 2 is perfectly capable for its primary use case – as well as a few others – so, don’t let the arguably dated specs turn you off if you’re a digital artist seeking new tools. For folks specifically in that crowd, the Surface Studio 2 could last you several years.

Software and features

Of course, the Surface Studio 2 comes with zero pre-installed software from third parties, coming directly from Microsoft. This is definitely part of the appeal of the product, with so many other products bloating up the operating system with software that wasn’t asked for.

However, that does leave the Surface Studio 2 with little to speak for in terms of unique software and features. What we can highlight is the Windows Hello camera.

This is a 5MP (1080p) webcam that includes infrared sensors for facial recognition, and it appears to be largely unchanged from the previous. However, we couldn’t help but notice just how fast the system is a registering your face and getting you into the desktop. Honestly, it takes less time than we can utter the words ‘one second.’

Super speedy logins that are also secure should make any user happy – digital artist or not.

Final verdict

The Surface Studio 2 absolutely does what it ultimately sets out to do: improve upon the previous model in every way necessary. This version is faster, brighter and with more vibrant color than before, changing nothing that didn’t need to be changed.

That said, this computer will absolutely look like an overpriced heap when stacked up against rivals, like the Apple iMac Pro, on paper. These spec-for-spec comparisons simply cannot capture the complete value found within Surface Studio 2 … because of its unique use case as one of the world’s best digital drafting tables.

For the digital artist out there looking to upgrade from the original model, this one is a no-brainer. For newcomers, this model seems far more prepared to weather the endless silicon improvements and upgrades, with even stronger support for 4K content creation and the latest accessories via USB-C.

Surface Studio 2 isn’t going to compare well against most computers simply because it wasn’t meant to. For the digital artist or other visually-focused content creator, it’s going to be tough to beat Surface Studio 2 – dated parts and all

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Dell XPS 15 (2018) review

OUR VERDICT

The Dell XPS 15 has managed to oust much of its competition in terms of value, especially in 4K media work and in spite of yet another poor webcam position and lackluster audio, earning it TechRadar’s Great Value award.

The Dell XPS 15 2018 has shown up to put would be usurpers to its dominion over ‘prosumer’ laptops in their place. This new model is far more powerful than past Dell XPS 15 laptops, and even features longer battery life.

The Dell XPS 15 2018 does look a lot like the 2017 model. And, that does mean that the awkward camera placement and poor audio performance have been inherited by the new Dell XPS 15.

When it comes to value, though, the Dell XPS 15 is still a star in 2019, particularly for 4K media work. This earned the Dell XPS 15 our Great Value award in addition to a higher score. Here’s how, despite the lingering weird webcam placement, the Dell XPS 15 is one of the best Ultrabooks on the market in 2019.

Price and availability

As configured to the right, you’ll pay a cool $2,099 (£1,869, AU$2,999) for the 2018 Dell XPS 15 with all of the power that a mainstream user needs. You can take the configuration even higher, with an Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD for a whopping $3,299 (£2,939, AU$4.499).

You don’t have to pay much for the Dell XPS 15. Starting at just $999 at the time of writing, you’ll get an Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD behind a 1080p display. The initial price changes a bit for the UK, with a 256GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 for £1,319. In Australia, you get the same setup as the UK, but with a different GPU for AU$1,899.

This puts the Dell XPS 15 somewhere between the luxury of the MacBook Pro and the value that Windows 10 laptops are known for. It’s an affordable Ultrabook that has a fingerprint sensor in its power button for biometric login via Windows Hello.

While the 15-inch MacBook Pro delivers a similar spec to what you see here, it does so at $2,399 (£2,349, AU$3,499) to start. This gets you the exact same processor, AMD Radeon Pro 555X graphics with 4GB of VRAM, 16GB of slower RAM and half the SSD storage space. This is all behind a display that, while a Retina panel, isn’t as sharp as the XPS 15 4K option. To match the Dell XPS 15 on all fronts, including storage, the MacBook Pro calls for $2,599 (£2,529, AU$3,819).

The Asus ZenBook Pro 15 hits the same audience as both the MacBook Pro and the Dell XPS 15, and does so for far less cash, starting out at $1,799 (£1,370, AU$2,500). This price nets you a 4K touch screen on top of a secondary touchscreen in the touchpad plus 512GB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM with the same CPU and GPU as the Dell XPS 15.

Design

Year over year, not much at all about the XPS 15 design identity has changed. The product still comes wrapped in an aluminum unibody shell with a carbon fiber keyboard deck, connected by a single, sturdy hinge.

The Dell XPS 15’s premium laptop design stands alone, thanks to the ports allowed by the greater dimensions, while other laptops commit to that USB-C dongle life. The Dell XPS 15 features a full-size SD card slot, HDMI and USB 3.1 where the MacBook Pro only has four Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Dell XPS 15 doesn’t have a lot of room for a number pad on the keyboard, though, but neither do the XPS 15’s listed competitors. Plus, the keyboard is very punchy and well spaced – just like the Dell XPS 13. All we’re left asking for is a bit more travel.

The touchpad is just good enough, though, with a matte glass tracking surface that produces a satisfying click when pressed. Using the Windows 10 UI with the XPS 15 is easy between the accurate touchpad and responsive touchscreen.

Display and audio

And, what a touchscreen it is. Our review unit came in the optional 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution, which makes colors and textures in films and photos simply pop. Of course, this also means that the XPS 15 is more than ready to power editing of 4K media content.

The MacBook Pro and Asus ZenBook Pro can certainly power the same kind of work (and play) through an external 4K display, but the XPS 15 doesn’t need that – it can handle 4K work wherever and whenever. Better yet, the display meets 100% of the Adobe RGB color gamut.

Unfortunately, the ‘chin-cam’ returns with the Dell XPS 15: the webcam is positioned beneath the screen to make way for its mega-thin left, right and top bezels. The resolution is june fine, but the placement is just no good, and could be a deal-breaker for some.

Similarly, the speakers are in an odd spot considering the size of the XPS 15 – they’re on the base toward the lip, facing down. They’re also really small given the laptop’s size, though they’re loud enough. The Dell XPS 15’s audio capabilities lack depth compared to your TV or headphones, but it gets loud, at least.