Unfortunately, I missed out on the same laptop for a lower price but with a previous-generation CPU, which I wouldn't have minded at all. So I quickly went for this model because it's crystal clear that prices here will also go up due to the madness with RAM and HDD. The purchase price was CZK 13,990. I wasn't bothered by the lack of a Windows licence, as there are plenty of ways to get one cheaply. You have to get used to the new keyboard, but that will probably come with time.
I'm pleased with the white backlighting, which is adjustable in 4 levels. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has completely messed up the frequently used keys like PgUp, PgDn, End, and Home – which some people use more than others – and integrated them as a dual function on the numeric keypad. The reason is quite clear: today's laptops have minimal bezels around the display and therefore a narrower body, meaning less space. The choice of CPU also has a downside, namely its heating and power consumption. According to the manufacturer's specs, this processor can draw up to 55W in turbo mode, and then the fan kicks in at full blast, which is quite audible. But for everyday work and so on, it's generally not a problem. Older laptop models, back when they weren't made so thin and there was space for a larger heatsink, took longer to heat up. Here, it's clearly the opposite: a smaller body means a smaller heatsink, so the fan has to blow hot air out more often. As for communication ports, there's nothing to complain about: 3x USB-A and 1x USB-C with power delivery support is brilliant. It had no problem with a 30W PD charger. The original power adapter has a 65W output. There's a wired LAN port, which honestly I wasn't even expecting. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has completely botched it, and the dubious mechanism that is supposed to secure the RJ45 connector after insertion (which isn't particularly smooth either) refuses to let it go at any cost when you try to remove it. You literally have scenes flashing before your eyes of the RJ45 socket being ripped off the motherboard. This was invented by a complete amateur, and in my opinion, it would have been better if it wasn't there at all. With the end of DVD drives, people got used to carrying data on USB HDDs and the like, and with the end of wired LAN, they've got used to carrying a USB network adapter with them (if they're not using Wi-Fi). It might be a helpful step from the manufacturer, but due to the problems described, it's also a pointless one for me. I personally use a USB hub that has everything, including a USB Giga LAN. The drive is average, I'd say. It won't embarrass you, but during prolonged intensive work/tests, the temperatures reached up to 67°C, though in normal use they hover around 40°C. The 16GB of RAM is a nice touch, even if it's 'only' DDR4 single channel / 3200Mhz, which doesn't matter for anything in a PC like this. The speakers are genuinely for basic use only. External speakers/headphones will be a necessity if you listen to anything daily. They really skimped far too much here. I'd rate the 1920x1080 display as very good, including the viewing angles. A key criterion for me was that it had to be matte, and that's also been met, so I'm satisfied. I'm not evaluating the battery life; in my case, the laptop will likely spend its entire life on a desk. For that, everyone can find available reviews. A big plus for me is that you can install and download drivers for Win10 from the manufacturer. Although official support has ended, as long as I can browse the web, use Office, etc., on it, I'm just going to keep it. In its final form, it's rock-stable for me and won't annoy users with some botched update that breaks more than it fixes. Would I recommend this laptop? If you can put up with the mentioned negatives, then yes.
