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Gigabyte Aero 15 review: A spunky gaming notebook with a touch of elegance

By Koh Wanzi - 25 Jun 2017
Launch SRP: S$3099

A closer look

Gigabyte comes into its own

Gigabyte Aero 15

Truth be told, the Aero 15 may be the best notebook that Gigabyte has made so far. One gripe we’ve had with some Gigabyte laptops is that they feel a little flimsy, with noticeable flexing to the chassis. Their plain designs also left a lot to be desired, and they were boring without being either tasteful or elegant.

The Aero 15 is quite a different beast. Its aluminum chassis feels very solid and well put together, and even the display hinge is smooth and fluid throughout its entire range of movement, with just the right amount of resistance. It’s the small details like this that help create a very positive impression overall, and the Aero 15 appears to signify a new and more design-conscious direction for Gigabyte.

The notebook feels modern, thanks in large part to the gorgeous edge-to-edge display and vibrant colorways with a playful carbon fiber pattern on the lid.  And although you’ll probably either love or hate the orange and green variants, it is a breath of fresh air to see a laptop that has more spunk than the vast majority of gaming notebooks that seem to take themselves way too seriously.

The best part is how compact the Aero 15 is. It’s a 15.6-inch notebook, but it’s really closer to the size of a 14-inch one because of the slim bezels, which means it’ll fit much more readily in your backpack.

However, one thing to note is that it is actually slightly heavier than some of its rivals, such as the Aftershock PRIME-15 and MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro. Those weigh in at under 2kg, but the Aero 15 weighs around 2.1kg, which is surprising given its compact frame. It is not overly burdensome, but it will clearly weigh down on you more if you carry it around for long periods.

Gigabyte Aero 15

Our review unit was the orange model, and although the color isn’t quite calculated to help you blend in at Starbucks, the notebook is otherwise an exercise in simple elegance. The unibody aluminum chassis is functional, with hardly any superfluous design elements, which makes for quite a good-looking laptop.

Gigabyte Aero 15

And if you don’t like the brighter colors, there’s always black.

The specification sheet doesn’t disappoint either, and here’s a look at what you’re getting:

  • 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel VA panel
  • Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
  • 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
  • 512GB M.2 SATA SSD
  • 356.4 x 250 x 19.9mm
  • 2.1kg
  • Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)

The above specifications will cost you S$3,099, but there’s a cheaper model with a 256GB SSD and Windows 10 Home available for S$2,899.

As far as gaming prowess goes, this is a very capable set of hardware that will run all of the latest games on its 1080p screen, even if you have to turn down some of the settings. We even managed to run Deus Ex: Mankind Divided at High settings at around 55FPS, and trust us when we say that Mankind Divided is very, very demanding.

However, the inclusion of Windows 10 Pro on the 512GB model probably has you wondering about Gigabyte’s intentions with the notebook. As it turns out, the company thinks the Aero 15 can double up as a workstation machine for content creators as well, which explains why it opted for an X-Rite Pantone-certified display.

This means that each panel has been tuned for accurate color reproduction before shipping, a guarantee that’s less important to gamers but which photographers and video editors will definitely appreciate.

The 15.6-inch edge-to-edge display is indeed quite something to look at. We’re used to such displays on ultrabooks like the Dell XPS 13, but gaming notebooks, even the more compact ones, have somehow never bothered to hack away at the display edges. The 14-inch Razer Blade is a prime example – it is beautiful, slim, and compact, but still comes framed with thick bezels.

While we can’t tell how accurate the X-Rite calibration really is without the proper equipment, we do know that the screen looks very good with rich, vibrant colors. Whites also appear as we’d expect them to, with no skew toward the cooler or warmer end of the color spectrum as we’ve observed on some notebooks.

However, one drawback of the slim bezels is the fact that the webcam has had to be relocated to the bottom bezel, which won’t give you the most flattering camera angles. That’s not a big problem for gamers, but it’s something you’ll still want to be aware of.

Gigabyte Aero 15 webcam

The Aero 15 also comes with a wide selection of ports and connectors. There are a total of three USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI 2.0 output, and a Mini DisplayPort connector, in addition to a Gigabit Ethernet jack.

If Gigabyte is hoping for content creators to pick up the Aero 15, there’s clearly strong support for external monitors here, including up to two 4K displays from the Thunderbolt 3 port.

Gigabyte Aero 15

Gigabyte Aero 15 ports

Networking is handled by a 2x2 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 module and a Realtek PCIe GBE Family controller.

All things considered, the Aero 15 represents quite an efficient use of space. Like the display, the keyboard runs right up to the edges of the notebook.

In addition, the keyboard is pleasantly springy and has nice feedback, so the overall typing experience actually feels quite good. However, there isn't as much space as on other 15.6-inch  notebooks, so some might find it a little cramped.

The RGB backlit keyboard also supports per-key customizations and individual macros using Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion software, so there are nearly limitless options available here.

Gigabyte Aero 15

There’s just a couple of points left to address – noise and cooling. These are often concerns that plague any gaming notebook that lays claim to a slim design, but the good news is that the Aero 15 navigates these treacherous waters quite well.

It relies on heat pipes and a dual-fan design for cooling the CPU and GPU, and the fans draw in cool air through the large intake vents at the bottom. The fans never get excessively loud, although you can hear them ramp up when under load. Still, they’re doing their job and keep the notebook from becoming uncomfortably warm.

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8.5
  • Design 9
  • Features 8.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Value 8
  • Mobility 9
The Good
Solid build quality
X-Rite Pantone-certified display with edge-to-edge bezels looks gorgeous
Compact size for a 15.6-inch notebook
Excellent battery life
The Bad
Keyboard can feel a little cramped
Green and orange colors not for everyone
Webcam is located on bottom bezel
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