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The Aero range from Gigabyte has long been marketed as being specifically for creators. There, we’ve always been a little dubious. Gigabyte is well-known for its gaming products, and despite their name, Aero models typically don’t appear all that different from the company’s Aorus gaming lineup. Windows-based “creative laptops” are typically known to be gaming laptops in significantly smaller and less RGB-heavy chassis, outside of Dell’s XPS range.
This specific Aero makes some sense as a gadget that is best bought by employees who have a few heavier jobs on their to-do list or who might want to do a little bit of gaming every now and then. Yes, it boasts a high-end OLED display with 400 nits of brightness, 100% sRGB coverage, 98% Adobe RGB coverage, and 98% P3 coverage. Office-friendly is the modest aluminum chassis. But it also includes the top mobile GPU from Nvidia and Intel’s flagship processor, which is extremely capable for creative work. People who want the best CPU they can obtain but may not need the GPU as frequently should use that setup.
Another laptop in the relatively new category of content-creation computers is the Gigabyte Aero 16. You would initially believe that this is a gaming computer given its 4K OLED display, powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics, and the most recent Intel Core i9 processor. However, the newest game release is not compatible with this desktop replacement. Instead, it is intended for musicians, media editors, and videographers. The fact that it can play AAA games is merely an added benefit. It’s not the ideal solution for all creators because the battery life isn’t particularly good. you can check our article on Gigabyte Aero 16 review.
Gigabyte Aero 16 review: Design
The Aero 16’s design is a touch strange, but not in a bad manner. Like most computers geared for creators, this one borrows heavily from the MacBook Pro. Even though it is entirely made of metal, Gigabyte challenges this stale aesthetic. The webcam is located inside the machine, which also has a little handle to open it, and an Aero logo on the front, which illuminates when the device is operating.
It aims for a thin and light appearance, but not a feel. Although it has extremely thin bezels, it is a substantial 0.88 inches thick and weighs just over five pounds. The Aero 16 is somewhat heavier than Dell’s XPS 17, yet it is still thicker. It sits between mobile workstations like the XPS 17 and fully loaded gaming laptops like the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. The Aero 16 is an absolute tank in terms of construction quality. We were unable to create any keyboard flex, and the little bit of flex we did discover in the display needed more effort than we felt comfortable using. This laptop is pricey, and it feels that way too.
Not usually does it appear to be one. The lip above the screen is an annoyance, especially since it makes the webcam visible when the lid is closed. Although the keyboard looks terrific, the trackpad gives the interior the appearance that the designer was too eager to use the paint bucket tool. We are not fans of the harsh black-on-silver contrast with the keyboard and trackpad either.
Three USB-C ports are located on the sides of the device, two of which enable Thunderbolt 4, and one of those two supports 100 watts of power transmission. A creator’s notebook should have plenty of ports, therefore Gigabyte kindly includes a compact hub with a USB-A port, Ethernet jack, mini DisplayPort, and full-size HDMI in the box.
We appreciate the breakout box’s inclusion but not the box itself. It has a shoddy feel to it and clings shakily to the USB-C port. A careless stroke would destroy it. Not to mention the possibility that you might install it incorrectly, obstructing the necessary vents on the side. Even still, having the hub is a benefit, and Gigabyte even provides a short USB-C cable to connect it properly.
Keyboard and touch pad
The full-size chiclet-style keyboard on the Gigabyte Aero 16 is delightful to type on because of how responsive and snappy it feels. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, we typically score 57 words per minute using a desktop keyboard; however, using this keyboard only caused our score to decrease to 54 words per minute with nearly the same accuracy percentage. Since there is only one colour available for lighting in this area, it is a good thing that the white backlighting on the keyboard is likewise easy on the eyes.
The 4.7 x 3.0 inch touchpad on the Aero 16 is substantial and svelte to the touch. In Windows 11, we were able to use gestures without any issues. The trackpad does, however, have four of our fingerprint smudges on it after some use, and despite our best efforts to remove them, they remain.
Gigabyte Aero 16 review: Display
The Pantone-validated AMOLED display on this panel will make those imaginative apps stand out. It uses the same technology as the Asus and outperforms the MacBook’s IPS hardware. The specifications are amazing as well; the 3,840 x 2,400 resolution makes it exceptionally sharp and the 16:10 aspect ratio adds extra height. Excellent quality is also present. The color temperature is 6,591K, with a Delta E of 1.87, and the contrast and vibrancy are outstanding.
They are excellent figures that guarantee sufficient precision for imaginative work. You may work on any creative project here because the panel renders 100% of the sRGB gamut, 95.8% of the Adobe RGB space, and 98.6% of the DCI-P3 spectrum with volume numbers that soar above 100%. The 397cd/m2 peak brightness level is suitable for outdoor and office applications.
There isn’t anything wrong with this panel; it matches the Asus and is superior to Apple’s screen, which has a lower resolution and a smaller color range. We would draw attention to the 60Hz refresh rate, which, although enough for daily tasks, may not be ideal for gamers. While that frame rate is acceptable for popular games, it is not ideal for esports and fast-paced shooters that require fluid action.
Audio
The Gigabyte Aero 16’s speakers are strategically positioned around the top and side edges, enabling the device to produce loud sounds and aim them toward the listener. However, in order to acquire higher sound loudness quality, we had to adjust the audio settings. The default audio at first was a tad underwhelming; everything was murky with little to no dynamic range. We played Winter Kills’ “Deep Down” when we first opened Spotify. We were struck by the song’s high treble’s murky quality. The music wasn’t as loud as it would have been on other 16-inch computers with comparable audio location, such the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.
When we entered the Windows 11 sound settings, we discovered choices to improve the sound and upgrade the format to a 24-bit, 192000Hz frequency response for more dynamic range. After we accomplished so, the track’s quality improved significantly. The track maintained the usual level of clarity, and the congestion was as high as we had anticipated. While we were viewing The Eternals, we could clearly hear the little noises that the inhabitants made while fishing and hunting as well as the heavy sound of the waves crashing on the old Mesopotamian rocks.
Graphics
With an Intel Core i7-12700H processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU, we evaluated the Gigabyte. In spite of the Aero 16’s appearance as a workplace laptop, we examined the device as a gaming laptop due to its potent specifications and aggressive marketing. However, Gigabyte’s version of this GPU, which comes with 8GB of GDDR6, has a max graphics power of just 105W, which is significantly less than some gaming laptops. This could account for some performance concerns we encountered, particularly at 4K.
We experienced significant screen tearing and slowdown while playing the Grand Theft Auto V opening sequence on Very High. The game itself appeared flawless on the screen, however it didn’t quite function perfectly with the default settings. The slowing halted even after we reduced MSAA from 6x to 4x to lessen the impact on the computer, but the stuttering persisted. Performance ranged between 40 and 50 frames per second at this configuration, where we were using 100% of my GPU and 70% VRAM.
We launched Shadow of the Tomb Raider in full screen mode, at native resolution, with HDR and VSync turned on, to confirm that there was no screen tearing. The game operated at a constant 30 frames per second without the use of DLSS. The game played considerably more smoothly and the frame rate increased to 59, never dropping below 58 and never exhibiting any evidence of screen tearing when we toggled DLSS on Performance. you will enjoy our article on Gigabyte Aero 16 review.
Gigabyte Aero 16 review: Performance
It’s hardly surprising that Intel’s Core i7-12700H keeps turning up in expensive laptops because it boasts six performance cores with multi-threading and a 4.7GHz maximum clock speed. Thanks to its 5,888 Ampere cores and 8GB of dedicated memory, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is equally stunning.
With a combined capacity of 2TB with back and write speeds of 7,085MB/sec and 5,005MB/sec, two 1TB Gigabyte SSDs are more than capable of handling any creative job. The inclusion of 16GB of DDR5 RAM is the lone specification error. For most creative workloads, it works fine, but for applications that requires more power, 32GB is preferable. The base is secured in place by twelve Torx screws, making it difficult to access the internals even though the memory is upgradeable.
However, there is enough of power available before you mess with RAM increases. The Gigabyte’s Geekbench ratings of 1722 and 11,112 are excellent and indicate that you have the necessary skills to handle creative tasks like photo editing and video rendering. It also performs exceptionally well, outperforming Apple’s M1 Pro and Max processors with a Cinebench R23 result of 12,938. Despite the power available, the Aero performed superbly in thermal tests, which is impressive. Even under the most taxing workloads, this laptop barely creaks, and the external panels get a little warm, but not uncomfortably so. It is equally as effective as the MacBook Pro.
The Aero’s superior thermal capabilities do limit the Core i7 processor’s ability to run at full speed, while this can serve to foster a quiet and focused work environment. For example, the Core i7-12700H can achieve more over 12,000 points on Geekbench, and its PCMark 10 score of 6,807 similarly falls short of this CPU’s full speed.
On the graphics front, the situation is identical. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti isn’t operating at peak performance in this environment, and its 3DMark Time Spy score of 9019 is low when compared to the GPU in other environments. But it’s not a catastrophe. Beyond the thermal advantages, the RTX 3070 Ti is a far superior GPU to the ones found inside MacBooks and has ample power for any creative task. in this article we will show you the Gigabyte Aero 16 review.
You also have respectable gaming skills, so that’s good. The Gigabyte ran Horizon Zero Dawn at 87 frames per second and Borderlands 3 at 78 frames per second at 1080p, both of which were much above competitors and sufficient for fluid play. Although the Nvidia core can’t quite handle top games at the rig’s native resolution, such games are still playable at 2560 x 1600 thanks to average frame rates of 67 and 54, respectively.
Battery life and heat
The Aero 16’s battery life is insufficient. It is advised to keep it plugged in for any significant work; only fast and easy operations should require removal from the charger. The Aero 16 comes with a 99-watt-hour battery, the biggest battery you can bring on a plane. For quick and simple tasks, it is still inferior to machines. It is still inferior to devices that use the same hardware, though.
The Raider GE76, a benchmark for 12th generation Intel CPUs, performed around 6% better in our web surfing test. It only took the Aero 16 three hours and eleven minutes. In our local video playback test, the Aero 16 did poorly, lasting only four hours, one minute. Apple is a better option if battery life is a concern. In this test, the MacBook Pro with M1 Pro lasted an astounding 23 hours. read our article on Gigabyte Aero 16 review.
Configuration options
We evaluated the Gigabyte Aero 16 XE5 in its $2,349.99 configuration, which includes an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, and 1TB of RAM. Additionally, it has a Samsung AMOLED UHD+ (3840 x 2400) 60Hz display. According to Gigabyte, this is the sole unit on the market in the US.
The Aero 16 offers the option to switch out the display for a gaming-focused QHD+ (2560×1600) 120Hz mini-LED display in some areas. The price jumps to $2,999 with that screen. The Gigabyte Aero 16 YE4 costs an incredible $4,399 and features an i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 16GB of RAM, and the same Samsung AMOLED display. read our article on Gigabyte Aero 16 review.
Conclusion
For those who require a little extra power, the Gigabyte Aero is a great productivity laptop. It also offers a light 1080p gaming capability. In office settings, it outperformed gaming computers. However, you might think about other possibilities if you plan to use this laptop mostly for gaming. Both from a gaming and a work viewpoint, the lack of ports is problematic. In addition, you’ll need to keep track of the dongle that comes in the package. However, we could not picture using the Gigabyte Aero without one, and the vents on the side that resemble USB Type-A only make matters worse.
Though good, the 4K+ AMOLED display has room for improvement. Strong reflections and glare plague it, and it struggles to handle true black. The display would also benefit from a refresh rate greater than 60 Hz. Although there is a configuration for a panel that is more geared toward gaming, you give up the greater resolution and the cost jumps from $2,199 to $2,999. This is a contender if you’re searching for a productivity notebook that can also play 1080p games. Just don’t count on being able to play games at their top settings and resolutions. There are better options in this price range if that is your main goal.