The best laptops of CES 2018

CES is always a big show for laptops, as every manufacturer rolls out some new-and-improved version of their mobile workstations, and there’s usually a lot to talk about. This year is different only because there’s even more to talk about than usual. With the advent of Qualcomm’s “Always Connected” PCs, the new alliance between Nvidia and AMD, and the inclusion of brand-new mobile graphics solutions, this year’s crop of laptops is even more crowded than it was last year. Luckily, we’ve waded through the show floor to sort the best from the rest. Here they are, the best laptops of CES 2018.

Dell XPS 13

All right, it should come as no surprise to find the Dell XPS 13 on this list, given that it’s been one of our favorite laptops each year as Dell continues to refine the simple, straightforward, and elegant laptop. The new XPS 13 features an updated color scheme and refreshed internals. The exterior comes in the typical aluminum-and-black carbon-fiber design that Dell has popularized over the last couple years, but the new color scheme remixes the existing rose gold version by including a bright white interior made from Gore thermal insulation, or woven glass. The new look is accompanied by a hardware refresh including the latest 8th-generation Intel Core processors.

HP Spectre x360 15-inch

The new HP Spectre x360, a quick and capable 2-in-1, will feature some interesting new hardware. Not only does the standard model feature Nvidia’s MX150 graphics chip, but the higher-end model packs the Intel Core i7-8705G, with built-in Radeon Vega GL graphics. We have yet to see exactly how well the new onboard graphics will perform, but it’s certainly a welcome addition –and an improvement over the previously included Intel HD Graphics, which barely kept up with even the most rudimentary games. This laptop is one to watch.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1

The second XPS entry on this list is the larger, and more flexible, sibling of the XPS 13. The Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is a 15-inch laptop that can pull double duty as a tablet by just flipping the keyboard around. Inside, it features an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8705G processor with onboard Radeon Vega M GL graphics, between 8GB and 32GB of RAM, and up to a 1TB PCIe SSD. The XPS 15 2-in-1 also comes with two available display options, a plain-old 1080p display or a QHD model.

Lenovo Miix 630

Other offerings on this list might feature fully loaded 8th-generation processors with included Radeon graphics, but there’s one thing they might not have: 20 hours of battery life. That’s where the Lenovo Miix 630 comes in. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, the Always-Connected laptop is designed with mobility in mind. It’s available in configurations featuring 4GB of RAM or 8GB of RAM, and between 64GB and 256GB of SSD storage space.

Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

Don’t be fooled by the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen’s name — it’s a laptop, but the Pen is a big part of its identity. This thing is essentially an updated version of the Samsung Notebook 9 with an extra trick up its sleeve — the S pen from the Samsung Note 8 smart phone. The inclusion of the pen, which tucks away securely inside the laptop’s chassis, sets the Notebook 9 Pen apart from its competitors on this list. Inside that simple silver chassis, you’ll find an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage space.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Another intriguing 2-in-1 we saw this year at CES was the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga. It’s simple and elegant like we’d expect from a ThinkPad, but this one features a number of upgrades over the previous versions and doubles down on the 2-in-1 form factor. It features an 8th-generation Intel Core processor, up to an i7, along with up to 1TB of PCIe storage space and up to 16GB of RAM. The X1 Yoga also boasts a brand-new stylus that expands its utility as a tablet. That versatility comes at a cost though — the ThinkPad X1 Yoga will start at $1,889, making it a bit of an investment. But during our time with it, the Yoga was consistently impressive.

Oculus Go relies on an older Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, gets Chinese version

Hugo Barra from Facebook’s virtual reality team revealed a few tidbits about the upcoming Oculus Go stand-alone VR headset at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. During Qualcomm’s keynote, he revealed that the upcoming stand-alone headset will be based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor. Both companies worked together to highly optimize the design for a high-performance experience along with power efficiency so those experiences don’t drain the built-in battery in an instant. 

Barra also revealed that Oculus VR and Qualcomm partnered with Xiaomi to build and release the stand-alone headset on a global scale. Even more, Xiaomi is working on a localized version for the Chinese market. Thomas Tang, head of Xiaomi’s Mi Lab, joined Barra on stage to showcase the China-bound product dubbed as the “Mi VR Standalone” powered by Oculus. It looks nearly identical to the North America-bound Oculus Go, with subtle changes in color and the Mi logo stamped on its faceplate. 

“It shares the core hardware with Oculus Go,” Tang told the audience. “It’s based on the Xiaomi VR platform and supports the Oculus Mobile SDK. This allows existing Oculus developers to bring their VR content to Chinese users. We’ll have more details to share soon.” 

Unfortunately, that’s all the Oculus Go-focused news revealed during the keynote. The stand-alone headset was presumably based on the Snapdragon 835 processor — possibly even the newer Snapdragon 845 revealed in December. The 821 officially launched in the third quarter of 2016 and resides in devices like the original Google Pixel, the HTC U Ultra, the LG G6 phones, and more. 

Relying on an older chip is surprising, and Qualcomm’s own reference design for stand-alone VR headsets relies on its newer Snapdragon 835 chip. The kit also includes a 2,560 x 1,440 display, several cameras, 4GB of system memory, and 64GB of internal storage. The Oculus Go will sport a display with the same resolution as seen in Facebook’s official announcement in October, hence the assumption that it would rely on the Snapdragon 835, too. 

But the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 may simply boil down to cost. Facebook is keeping the price of its upcoming headset down to $199, and the older chip is simply cheaper on the manufacturing end. The stand-alone VR design also may not require the Snapdragon 835 or newer, as current experiences served up on the Gear VR run just fine on the 821 chip. The processor won’t have the overhead associated with phone-based functions either, giving its CPU and GPU cores room to breathe and deliver a high-performance experience. 

As previously reported, Oculus Go will be “binary compatible” with Samsung’s Oculus-powered Gear VR platform. That means apps and experiences developed for the Gear VR will also work on the upcoming stand-alone headset “out of the box.” The Gear VR headset depends on one of several Galaxy-class smartphones manufactured by Samsung whereas the Oculus Go will be a self-contained device. It won’t even need to be tethered to a PC. 

Developer kits for the Oculus Go shipped in November. The $199 retail version is expected to hit shelves in “early 2018.” 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google Daydream View 2 vs. Oculus Go — which will be the better VR experience?
• Everything we know about the Oculus Go virtual reality headset
• HTC may reveal its China-bound stand-alone VR headset later this month
• Lenovo’s stand-alone Daydream VR headset finally appears on FCC site, with a name
• Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon

Oculus Go relies on an older Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, gets Chinese version

Hugo Barra from Facebook’s virtual reality team revealed a few tidbits about the upcoming Oculus Go stand-alone VR headset at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. During Qualcomm’s keynote, he revealed that the upcoming stand-alone headset will be based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor. Both companies worked together to highly optimize the design for a high-performance experience along with power efficiency so those experiences don’t drain the built-in battery in an instant. 

Barra also revealed that Oculus VR and Qualcomm partnered with Xiaomi to build and release the stand-alone headset on a global scale. Even more, Xiaomi is working on a localized version for the Chinese market. Thomas Tang, head of Xiaomi’s Mi Lab, joined Barra on stage to showcase the China-bound product dubbed as the “Mi VR Standalone” powered by Oculus. It looks nearly identical to the North America-bound Oculus Go, with subtle changes in color and the Mi logo stamped on its faceplate. 

“It shares the core hardware with Oculus Go,” Tang told the audience. “It’s based on the Xiaomi VR platform and supports the Oculus Mobile SDK. This allows existing Oculus developers to bring their VR content to Chinese users. We’ll have more details to share soon.” 

Unfortunately, that’s all the Oculus Go-focused news revealed during the keynote. The stand-alone headset was presumably based on the Snapdragon 835 processor — possibly even the newer Snapdragon 845 revealed in December. The 821 officially launched in the third quarter of 2016 and resides in devices like the original Google Pixel, the HTC U Ultra, the LG G6 phones, and more. 

Relying on an older chip is surprising, and Qualcomm’s own reference design for stand-alone VR headsets relies on its newer Snapdragon 835 chip. The kit also includes a 2,560 x 1,440 display, several cameras, 4GB of system memory, and 64GB of internal storage. The Oculus Go will sport a display with the same resolution as seen in Facebook’s official announcement in October, hence the assumption that it would rely on the Snapdragon 835, too. 

But the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 may simply boil down to cost. Facebook is keeping the price of its upcoming headset down to $199, and the older chip is simply cheaper on the manufacturing end. The stand-alone VR design also may not require the Snapdragon 835 or newer, as current experiences served up on the Gear VR run just fine on the 821 chip. The processor won’t have the overhead associated with phone-based functions either, giving its CPU and GPU cores room to breathe and deliver a high-performance experience. 

As previously reported, Oculus Go will be “binary compatible” with Samsung’s Oculus-powered Gear VR platform. That means apps and experiences developed for the Gear VR will also work on the upcoming stand-alone headset “out of the box.” The Gear VR headset depends on one of several Galaxy-class smartphones manufactured by Samsung whereas the Oculus Go will be a self-contained device. It won’t even need to be tethered to a PC. 

Developer kits for the Oculus Go shipped in November. The $199 retail version is expected to hit shelves in “early 2018.” 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google Daydream View 2 vs. Oculus Go — which will be the better VR experience?
• Everything we know about the Oculus Go virtual reality headset
• HTC may reveal its China-bound stand-alone VR headset later this month
• Lenovo’s stand-alone Daydream VR headset finally appears on FCC site, with a name
• Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon

Republican Senator Susan Collins will support Democrats’ net neutrality vote

Net neutrality is set to become a 2018 campaign issue after Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins announced support for an effort by Democrats to force a vote. The effort, spearheaded by Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s decision in December to overturn Obama-era rules on net neutrality.

Under the Congressional Review Act, new regulations not passed through Congress can be overturned with a simple majority of both houses. In the Senate, the law provides a method to force a vote if the committee where the resolution would normally be referred to does not act within 20 days of its introduction to said committee, and without the approval of the majority, if need be.

Thirty senators must sign onto the petition to force the vote. As of Tuesday, January 9, 43 of the 49 Democratic Senators had publicly expressed support for the effort or signed the petition, and it is expected that the remaining six would also sign on or vote in the affirmative when it comes to the floor. With Collins, this would mean the effort is one vote shy of being able to pass the Senate.

In a statement by spokeswoman Annie Clark, Collins seemed to slam FCC chairman Ajit Pai‘s handling of the repeal of net neutrality rules. Pai was accused by critics of rushing through the process and bowing to pressure from companies like Verizon, which was his former employer.

“She believes that a careful, deliberative process involving experts and the public is warranted to ensure that consumers have strong protections that guarantee consumer choice, free markets, and continued growth,” Clark said in a statement.

While the news is welcome to net neutrality advocates, there still is a long road ahead. The CRA requires that the House also pass the resolution and a presidential signature. The House, at this point, appears to be a tougher challenge, although potentially possible, but it is highly unlikely that President Donald Trump would sign the resolution if it passes Congress.

In that case, a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress would be required to overturn its veto like any other piece of legislation. Democrats appear to recognize this, and in the end, the effort may be more about forcing Republicans to take a stand on a move by the FCC that is widely opposed by both Republican and Democratic voters.

“We’re going to let everyone know where we stand and they stand,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference. Schumer also said Democrats plan to make it a 2018 midterm campaign issue.

There is a bit of irony in the moves by both Democrats and Sen. Collins when it comes to net neutrality. Democrats started an effort in May to repeal the CRA after it was used 16 times to overturn Obama-era regulations (all but one succeeded). Collins also co-sponsored an effort to overturn Obama’s first attempt at open internet policies in 2010.

Those rules were later overturned in court, leading to the rewriting of net neutrality policies in 2015 to classify the internet as “common carriers.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• U.S. states gear up to take on the FCC’s net neutrality repeal
• What you need to know about net neutrality
• Here’s how tech influencers reacted to the FCC’s net neutrality repeal
• Is this why FCC chairman Ajit Pai canceled his CES appearance?
• FCC officially repeals 2015 Net Neutrality regulations by a narrow margin

Fix it in post: OverCapture is now available for the GoPro Fusion

On Tuesday, January 9, GoPro officially released OverCapture for the GoPro Fusion 360 camera — though it’s only available for iOS at the moment. The feature, which was previously teased during the Fusion’s early access rollout, allows users to “direct” the camera after the shot, outputting flattened fixed-frame video that plays like a normal video with smooth pans and zooms that look like they were done with professional video gear.

One of the great things about 360-degree video is that you don’t have to worry about where the camera is pointing, as it records an entire sphere around it. This is perfect for action sports and adventure videos, where you can’t stop to frame your shot. But not everyone wants to consume video in 360 degrees. This is where OverCapture comes in, allowing you to reframe 360-degree content as standard fixed-perspective videos that are easily shareable and digestible on social media.

OverCapture isn’t the first such feature to grace a 360 cam. Garmin’s HyperFrame director, released last year for the VIRB 360, accomplishes a similar function but requires the VIRB Edit desktop software. The more consumer-friendly Rylo, one of our favorite 360 cameras to date, was built from the ground up for this type of shooting and editing, and incorporates simple phone-based controls.

OverCapture offers more control than Rylo without the complexity of desktop editing software. While playing back a video, you move your phone in space to change the angle, and all of your “camera moves” will be recorded in real time. You can redo a shot as many times as you need to. The time shift feature lets you freeze the action and pan and zoom into a single moment, a bit like bullet time, and you can even zoom all the way out into a “little planet” perspective.

This has not been the easiest week for GoPro after the company announced it was pulling out of the drone business and cutting hundreds of jobs, all while rumors loomed large that it was looking for a buyer. The Fusion, however, was reported to be exceeding sales expectations for the company, and we expect GoPro will pour even more effort into it in 2018.

OverCapture is available now for the iOS version of the GoPro App. The feature will come to Android later this month. The Fusion costs $699 and is currently only available from GoPro direct. It should begin rolling out to retailers in North America in February.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Rylo 360 camera review
• Rylo Camera takes a software-first approach to 360-degree video
• Removu K1 is the first all-in-one 4K gimbal camera with a built-in LCD screen
• Microsoft pokes fun at Apple’s panoramas with new multidirectional tool in Pix
• Turn a series of stills into a video for Instagram Stories with latest test

This phone’s fingerprint sensor is its display

The ubiquitous fingerprint sensor: it’s one of the most convenient ways to unlock your smartphone or laptop, but it’s always required its own reserved bastion of space on your device. Always, that is … until now.

Here at CES 2018 I just went hands-on with the first fingerprint sensor that lives UNDER your phone’s display. The Synaptics ClearID module is an optical sensor that sits under the glass of an OLED screen, and it’s making its public debut on a Vivo phone later this year. It’s slower and not as tactile as the fingerprint sensor on your phone, but it’s a massive engineering breakthrough – and it’s going to unlock major possibilities in the future of smartphone design. Check out the MrMobile hands-on with the under-glass fingerprint sensor at CES, and don’t miss Android Central’s roundup for more details!

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Android Auto is fantastic with the addition of Google Assistant and wireless connectivity

Android Auto didn’t get an overhaul, but these new features are fantastic.

In case you hadn’t heard, CES 2018 is Google’s platform for showing how Google Assistant can be deployed everywhere. One of the places where it makes perfect sense to have a hands-free intelligent assistant is in the car, so naturally Google added it to Android Auto. At the same time, it announced the public availability of wireless Android Auto, which was first shown off conceptually at Google I/O 2017.

Android Auto already had a basic set of voice commands available, but with the move to Google Assistant branding you’re getting feature parity with Assistant on other platforms — at least, for the features that are feasible in the car. Just start with “Hey Google” and then rattle off whatever you’d normally ask your phone or Google Home. Directions, messages, reminders, navigation-related queries and more work perfectly.

Android Auto’s voice controls simply got smarter, matching your phone or Google Home.

Here at CES Google demonstrated Android Auto controlling smart home devices as well, which it sees as a great way to make a few home adjustments — like lights, thermostat, etc. — on your way to or from the house. Because it’s effectively just using your phone, you don’t have to do any extra setup with the IoT devices, either. Assistant’s voice recognition and capabilities are so great, it’s fantastic to have it in yet another place.

Google says that multi-user voice detection isn’t available yet, but voice training for you is here just like on your phone so only the driver can activate the system. Obviously many cars with Android Auto built-in from the factory will have steering wheel controls for audio input as well.

Thank you Google, you finally figured out how to make wireless Android Auto happen. Two new head units from Pioneer are the first to offer it, though right now they’re only being shown off as prototypes and don’t have pricing or release information.

It’s simple to use, and bypasses frustrating issues with cable and USB port compatibility.

Just like we saw back at Google I/O, the system is dead simple. The head unit broadcasts a regular-looking Wi-Fi network, and your phone connects to it with a password. After that setup, every time the car is on and your Android Auto app is opened on your phone, the two will connect automatically and launch. To my eyes the speed of the head unit connected wirelessly is indistinguishable from the USB-based version, and it has the exact same capabilities. A little toggle in the home screen interface of the head unit lets you select between multiple connected devices if your passenger happens to have Android Auto, which is neat.

While wireless can certainly have its own set of issues, it’s hard to think that maintaining a simple Wi-Fi connection would create problems anywhere near the constant stream of complaints I see about the old wired system. By doing things wirelessly, you skip the frustration of having the wrong kind of cable or incompatibilities at the hardware level with customizations of phone USB ports.

Of course these head units still have a USB cable if you want to go that route and charge your phone while you drive, but for shorter trips it’s clearly preferable to not have to think about plugging in. Wireless was a key missing component that makes Android Auto feel so much more integrated to your car.

All About Android Auto

• Getting started with Android Auto in your car
• Using Android Auto natively on your phone
• Android Auto news
• Waze on Android Auto
• Join the Android Auto discussion!

Fingers-on with the new and weird Vital and Keyboard Moto Mods

The latest Mods for the Moto Z line bring a slide-out keyboard and blood pressure monitoring to the party.

Motorola’s not backing away from the Moto Mod ecosystem, adding a mini slide-out keyboard and a health monitor to the line-up of capability enhancing add-ons for the Moto Z. We got to try out the two newest: the Lenovo Vital Moto Mod and the Livermorium Slider Keyboard Moto Mod.

Lenovo Vital Moto Mod

More and more we’re seeing health tools integrated into the gadgets we carry, from heart rate sensors to blood oxygen sensors. They’re usually pretty good, but they’re not quite clinical level. But there’s stuff they can’t do, and that’s where the Lenovo Vital Moto Mod comes in.

It’s a very bulky number, but it has to be to include the mechanics necessary to measure blood pressure. It is, in essence, a miniature blood pressure cuff, but instead of being for your arm it is for a single finger. You slip your finger through the ring on the back (a finger on your left hand is recommended for the 99.99% of people with left-sided hearts) and into the cradle — the ring then inflates to restrict the flow of blood through your finger and the pulse and blood oxygen sensors in the cradle turn on. It takes about two minutes to complete the measurements, which are logged in the associated app.

The Vital Moto Mod also has an infrared thermometer that you can hold close to your forehead to gauge your body temperature. While the Vital Moto Mod hasn’t been FDA certified, Lenovo says their own testing has shown it was at least as accurate as the approved clinical devices.

Lenovo’s built the Vital Moto Mod as more of a separate module than a Moto Mod. In fact, it only connects to the Moto Z with the magnets and makes no use of the pin connectors, instead handling data transfer over Bluetooth. The Vital Moto Mod is entirely self-contained, with a USB-C port to charge it up for the claimed 2-month battery life. This was an intentional design choice — it allows use without having to tie the phone to the mod.

Of course, that leads to the question of why this even had to be a Moto Mod. Every phone has Bluetooth, and nobody is going to carry around this incredibly bulky block of plastic on a daily basis. There’s absolutely nothing gained by it being a Moto Mod — in fact, being a Moto Mod dramatically limits the potential addressable audience of what’s an otherwise potentially useful healthcare device.

But, if it fits your healthcare needs and you have a Moto Z to slap it onto, then by all means, go ahead. You’ll be able to pick up the Lenovo Vital Moto Mod in April 2018 for $395.

Livermorium Slider Keyboard Moto Mod

I’m a longtime keyboard phone fan, so when I heard about the Livermorium Slider Keyboard Moto Mod (hereon referred to as the Keyboard Moto Mod) I found myself somewhat excited… and apprehensive. The Keyboard Moto Mod was born from the “Transform the Smartphone Challenge” that Motorola put on with Indiegogo, winning with its slide-out full-width QWERTY tilting keyboard design.

As a $99 accessory, I had high expectations for the Keyboard Moto Mod, but I was thoroughly disappointed. The slider action is smooth though stiff, and given its width it exhibits a fair amount of wobble in the mechanism. And because this is a landscape-oriented keyboard meant for a large phone, it’s not designed with any sort of handheld use in mind — you’re supposed to tilt the phone up after sliding it out and stick it on a hard surface to type.

Adding to the pain is the weakness of the magnets that hold the Keyboard Moto Mod to the phone. About half of the times I tried to open the keyboard I instead detached the phone. Thankfully the Moto Mod system is designed with the magnets in the mod itself, so these could (and should) be upgraded before the release sometime near the first few months of 2018.

Once you’ve successfully slid it open and positioned the phone upright at the 60-degree angle (any less of an angle and the weight of the phone will tip the whole thing back), then you can type. Except the keyboard is so short and the key travel so shallow and mushy with near zero tactile feedback that you’ll immediately regret that decision. Daniel Bader described the feel as similar to the original Motorola Droid, and I’m inclined to agree. With how far design and manufacturing has advanced since 2009, it’s just not an acceptable typing experience.

You might’ve noticed that this keyboard which slides over the back of your phone doesn’t have a hole in it (as you’d expect for a keyboard). Problem is… the camera’s on the back of the phone. So if you want to take pictures, you’ll have to slide the keyboard out. Honestly, if you want a keyboard phone, get a BlackBerry KEYone.

Moto Z, Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play

• Moto Z + Z Force review!
• Moto Z Play review
• The Hasselblad True Zoom is a Mod to remember
• Moto Z specs
• Moto Mods custom backs
• The latest Moto Z news
• Discuss in our Moto Z forums

Motorola
Verizon

Tesla has finally begun manufacturing solar roof tiles

Tesla has apparently begun manufacturing its solar roof tiles at its Buffalo, New York, factory, according to Reuters. The company is also starting the process of surveying the homes of people who placed a deposit on the tiles last year for installation purposes. We’ve reached out to Tesla for confirmation.

Pre-orders for the solar roof tiles began back in May; customers paid $1,000 as a deposit on the product, and US installation was supposed to start in the summer of 2017. However, unsurprisingly, the process was delayed. But now, it looks as though most of the kinks have been worked out, and Reuters reports that the roofs will be installed in coming months.

Tesla claims that the solar roof tiles will cost less than a typical roof, around $21.85 per square foot instead of $24.50. The tiles are a solid option if you’re planning on replacing your roof in the next few years, or if you’re considering solar panels. The tiles look like regular shingles; in fact, not every shingle installed is solar, though you can’t distinguish between the two. You can customize what percentage of your roof tiles are solar in their online tool; the max is 70 percent. Obviously, the more solar panels you install, the more expensive your roof is. The company is still taking preorders with $1,000 deposits. You can sign up at their website if you’re so inclined.

Source: Reuters

Acer Swift 7 hands-on: A svelte and stylish laptop

HP, ASUS and Lenovo have all unveiled their take on Microsoft’s always connected PC, and it’s time for Acer to throw its hat into the ring. The company’s offering is not just the thinnest in the category, but is also the skinniest laptop in the world. At least, according to Acer, anyway. At 8.98mm (0.35 inches), the Swift 7 certainly cuts a striking profile that I couldn’t help but stare at.

Powering this slim machine is a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, which is slightly slower than the eighth-generation CPUs other laptops are hitting the market with. That chipset was still perfectly capable of keeping up with my random app launches and browsing webpages when I played with a Swift 7 sample at Acer’s suite, though. The only problem is, for $1,700, I expected a cutting edge chip and more than 8GB of RAM. It’s several hundred dollars more than last year’s Swift 7, although it does use an i7 chip instead of the i5 in the older model.

What you’re really paying for is the superthin, attractive aluminum chassis. Not only is this Acer’s first laptop with an embdedded eSIM, but it’s also one of the first systems to use Intel’s integrated XMM LTE radio with eSIM. Since carriers have yet to announce support for over-the-air data plans, you can use the onboard nanoSIM card slot to connect to data networks for now. The Swift 7 doesn’t use a tray like you find on a smartphone; instead, you slide the card into an uncovered socket next to the power port.

The rest of the Swift 7’s features are less noteworthy. I found the 14-inch display bright and colorful, and its Gorilla Glass covering made the lid feel sturdy. That’s especially important for a device this thin — despite its wispy profile the Swift 7 did not exhibit noticeable flex. The same goes for the keyboard — for a laptop this slim, it’s nice to see a setup with what felt like ample key travel (we don’t know the exact depth yet). I had trouble reaching for the backspace key at times, but the buttons are otherwise well-spaced.

Acer said the Swift 7 should last up to 10 hours, according to its tests on MobileMark 4, which is a few hours more than last year’s model. Those looking to connect an array of peripherals will likely be disappointed by the dearth of ports on the Swift 7, though. There are just two USB-C sockets on the left, in addition to the nanoSIM and power slots on the right.

As the connected PC ecosystem becomes more popular, we’ll surely see laptops that get smaller, thinner and easier to tote around. Meanwhile, the Swift 7 stands out as a beautifully made, razor-thin laptop that is sure to turn heads.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.