Voyo VBook V3 review

The laptop market has now settled down with only two main 2-in-1 designs surviving. There's the flip-to-transform model, popularised by Lenovo and its Yoga family, and the more traditional keyboard detachable range with theMicrosoft Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book being probably the two best examples in this arena.

That brings us to the Voyo VBook V3, a convertible that looks a lot like the original Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga with its orange colour scheme. We're fortunate enough to have the Yoga 2 to compare and it's evident that the VBook V3 has borrowed – nah, copied – the best bits from Lenovo's three-year-old stunner (see the pair together in the two images below).

The Voyo VBook V3 was provided to us by Geekbuying where it is on sale for £194 (about $250, AU$325) at the time of writing. This is the Wi-Fi version and a 4G variant is also available for £238 (about $310, AU$400).

(These costs are exclusive of any taxes that may be levied by HMRC or the courier companies on behalf of it. Want to buy tech from online Chinese retailers? Read this first.)

The 4G version covers FDD-LTE800/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz and other than the orange colour, there is also a grey model.

The VBook V3 comes with a thin manual that you won't use much as well as a rechargeable active stylus pen. Unfortunately, the accompanying leaflet that describes how it works was in Chinese with no English translation.

The power adaptor is a reasonably small 36W (3A, 12V) model for which you will need a converter. There's much to love about the finish of the Voyo V3 – its soft rubbery texture emulates that of the Lenovo Yoga 2 and its heft (the device weighs 1.63kg) adds to its solid feel. You wouldn't guess that it comes from a relatively unknown brand.

On one side of the V3 you've got a USB 3.0 port, HDMI, and a SIM card reader and on the other side there is a volume button, a toggle key that disables the keyboard and trackpad in tablet mode, the power button, a microSD card slot, the audio jack and a USB 2.0 port.

The keyboard and touchpad were superior to anything we have tried at this price point – remember, this is a sub-£200 laptop. The former was springy, with good feedback and the keys didn't act like scrabble tiles. Long typing sessions are perfectly possible on a keyboard of this quality.

The touchpad is a Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde peripheral. It's great when it comes to moving the cursor around thanks to a very large surface area. The downside is it lacks a palm detection mechanism – so the cursor moves as soon as your palm brushes the touchpad surface – and since it doesn't have mechanical buttons, registering physical clicks proved to be a tad more problematic than on other laptops.

The screen is a full HD IPS 10-point touchscreen model. As such you can expect it to display the significant glare commonly associated with anything that has a glossy glass layer overlaid on top. Even on maximum brightness, the colours appeared subdued but not washed out.

That said, 13.3-inch is, in our opinion, the best size for using a desktop operating system at full HD. Any bigger and you lose on mobility, and anything smaller requires compromises when it comes to the input peripherals.

As mentioned, our sample came with an active pen, one that is made of metal with a microUSB port at the top for charging, and coloured lights to indicate whether it is low on battery (turns red) or good to go (turns blue). We briefly used it with Microsoft Paint and found it to be fairly accurate. It felt pretty solid and it is a shame that Voyo didn't provide a slot on the laptop – like the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga X1 – to store the stylus. That would have helped avoid any danger of losing the thing.

Voyo chose to use one of the cheapest laptop processors available from Intel, the ubiquitous Cherry Trail-based x5-Z8300, a quad-core model that offers marginal performance gains over the previous generation (Z3735F) but with significant improvements to the graphics subsystem.

Compared to its predecessor, this model has a lower TDP and yet boasts a higher clock speed with support for 4K and 4GB of RAM, none of which are listed on Intel's website.

Other than 4GB of DDR RAM, there's 64GB of on-board storage – this is eMMC rather than an M2 model, a clear cost-cutting option but a necessary one to keep the bill of materials under control.

There's also a pair of fairly decent speakers (bearing in mind the price), two 2-megapixel cameras, plus Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n Wi-Fi and a 10,000mAh battery that Voyo claims can power the laptop for up to eight hours. In real life, expect it to be around four hours based on our short hands-on.

Performance was adequate, but limited by the processor used as we expected. The touchscreen display performed admirably, proving responsive during our interactions.

Note that the device is completely silent due to the lack of moving parts. However, it also lacks active cooling, and this means that the Voyo VBook V3 became hot when used over long periods.

Early verdict

Voyo is quietly growing a reputation for building products that are relatively cheap and are different (in a positive way) from the countless competitors on the market. Our encounter with the Voyo V3 Mini left a good impression and the VBook V3 follows that trend.

That said, sadly our verdict for the VBook V3 follows in the footsteps of its tethered brother in one negative respect – Voyo really needs to up the ante when it comes to the software installation. Everyone now expects a classic Windows 10 installation routine, and anything else will be met with suspicion, not only by reviewers like us but also by the general public.

Fortunately, this time around, Voyo has put the necessary OS and driver downloads on its website for anyone looking to refresh the installed operating system (although sadly, the instructions are in Chinese!).

Looking at the rest of the market, there's nothing that comes close at this price. A full HD convertible will cost you at least £500 albeit with a far better processor and far more RAM. What that also buys you, though, is peace of mind, should you opt for a UK-based retailer.

However, there are new products on the horizon (like the HP Stream 14) that promise to introduce similar functionality with a competitive price tag, and most importantly with a recognised badge slapped on them.

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HP Elite x3 review

Windows phones aren't in a good place, with its awfully slow rollout, limited app support and Microsoft's own underwhelming handsets. HP wants to turn the tide with its new business-focused Elite x3 phablet.

This massive phone promises to be your all-in-one device for your computing needs.

The 5.96-inch phablet comes well stocked with a 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of DDR4 RAM. That's more than enough power to drive your average smartphone, and that's because HP has designed the x3 to work in three different modes.

Like the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950XL, you can hook this handset up to an external monitor for a desktop experience. What's more, the Elite x3 can power HP's new, Wi-Fi controlled laptop, called the Mobile Extender, when you need a mobile workstation.

Design

As a standalone handset, the HP Elite x3 is just fine but it's almost too big to call it a handset, with its 5.96-inch screen. The display is one of the largest used, and it's actually bigger than that of the 5.7-inch Nexus 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Two tenths of an inch might not sound like a lot, but the Elite x3 feels as big as a Kindle. I find it nearly impossible to hold and use the device one-handed.

Although the phone is massive in-hand, it is practically all screen with minimal bezels. There are thin slivers on the side, while the top and bottom extend by roughly a centimeter to make room for the smartphone's Bang & Olufsen stereo speakers.

The bottom speaker grille also features an equalizer-like pattern that I wasn't expecting for a business-oriented device. The extra design element helps liven up this otherwise suit-and-tie-looking device.

Though the front face and edges of the HP Elite x3 are made of metal, it also has a polycarbonate backside. Combined with the smooth glass front, this is definitely one device you'll want a case for lest you end up dropping it like I did – more on that soon.

Specs

The Elite x3's 5.96-inch screen is larger than most competing phablets, but it features the same 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. By the numbers, its display should have a fewer pixels per inch than its rivals, but the drop in sharpness isn't really noticeable.

More likely, you'll be too busy appreciating the vibrant colors and sharp contrast on the AMOLED panel HP chose for the x3. The screen is also protected by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 that should endure scratches and accidental drops rather well.

Like other enterprise devices, the Elite x3 has been designed to be durable and meet the 810G military spec. I can confirm it is as durable as it claims, because I accidentally dropped the phone during a preview event onto a metal-clad Dell XPS 13. I was relieved to find that the glass screen wasn't cracked.

The phone is also waterproof up to IP67, which should protect it from rainy days and close calls with the faucet. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test these claims by also accidentally spilling a bottle of water onto it.

Waterproofing isn't anything new when it comes to smartphones. However, HP went through the trouble of installing the seals internally, ensuring the shell is smooth and seamless and free of any unsightly plastic tabs.

The phone's other specs include an Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU integrated into the Snapdragon chip, paired with a massive, 4,150mAh battery you can charge through the USB-C port. You'll also get 64GB of storage with that 4GB of DDR4 RAM – a debut for this quicker-grade memory on a mobile device.

On the imaging side, the HP Elite x3 comes equipped with a 16 megapixel (MP) rear facing camera. Meanwhile, the front facing webcam sports a 8MP sensor that actually captures two images while in Skype chats and combines them to create an balanced, HDR-like image.

HP has not announced pricing for the HP Elite x3, but based on this spec sheet, you should expect it to cost a pretty penny. The Windows 10 smartphone is expected to arrive sometime later this summer.

Desktop anywhere

Already a seemingly top-notch Windows phone, the HP Elite x3 can expand into a laptop called the Mobile Extender. This is essentially a shell of a notebook featuring a 12.5-inch, 1,080p display with a working trackpad and keyboard.

In place of a processor, GPU, RAM and everything else found in a typical laptop, the Elite x3 transmits and powers the entire Windows 10 experience through Miracast and WiGig technologies. That said, you can still plug in the handset for a wired Windows 10 Continuum experience while charging your device with the Mobile Extender's massive 46W/hr battery.

The Mobile Extender feels similar to a Chromebook in that it's lightweight and almost entirely plastic without feeling chintzy at all. The keyboard's travel felt a bit short for HP's typical keyboard design, but – then again – this was a pre-production model.

At the very least, you can't say the Mobile Extender isn't lacking on the ports front. Along the sides you'll find two USB-C ports along with a mini HDMI and even a battery life indicator − an endangered feature we only see on a few select machines like the Dell XPS 13 and Google Chromebook Pixel.

The screen also rotates on an L-shaped hinge, which props the keyboard up by a few centimeters for an angled typing experience. Unfortunately, the laptop isn't a 2-in-1 device.

While the ability to transform into a Windows 10 tablet seems like a no brainer, HP's Mike Nash explains it would have added too many layers to Microsoft's Continuum.

For its last magic trick, you can slot the Elite x3 into HP's new USB-C dock to connect it to a screen, keyboard and mouse for a full desktop experience. It's quite similar to how Microsoft's own phones handle it, the only difference being a simple dock rather than a long cable to connect the phone.

Early verdict

Windows 10 Mobile is already in a slump, with almost no devices coming out. Enter the 5.96-inch HP Elite x3: one of the most intriguing, versatile and overpowered phones on any platform.

That said, good hardware doesn't fix Windows 10 Mobile's other big problem: a stagnant app store. Until I have more time with it, I'm also not 100% confident the Elite x3 can smoothly transition between its three modes.

Regardless, I have high hopes for this extreme Windows 10 smartphone.

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Workstation Specialists WS-M151 review

The mobile workstation market has evolved significantly over the last decade, as computer parts have become more commoditised and consumer components turned out to be as powerful and feature-laden as their professional counterparts.

This explains why the likes of SGI, DEC and Sun Microsystems faltered and eventually disappeared completely. It also explains recent developments in this market: unless you are Lenovo, Dell or HP, there's next to no chance that you can develop a true mobile workstation from scratch.

Instead, what is becoming increasingly common is that one base unit (commonly known as the chassis) is given a dual personality. A gaming laptop can be transformed into a workstation simply by swapping the graphics subsystem and beefing up the support and after-sales.

This is what MSI has successfully done; others, such as Schenker, Overclockers, Novatech, Scan and PC Specialist have used products from a massive Taiwanese laptop vendor called Clevo. In the US, Sager, AVADirect and Cyberpower are some of the better-known companies that use Clevo's kit.

Workstation Specialists, whose WS-M151 workstation we're checking out today, doesn't even try to hide the fact that it doesn't actually build the workstation.

You will even find the Clevo branding on the base of the laptop, together with the model number (P751DM) which corresponds to the XMG U506, a model from one competitor.

Indeed, there is no Workstation Specialists logo on the top of this laptop, only a small sticker on the palm rest.

The model (WS-M151) that was sent to us costs a cool £2,152 including VAT and delivery which is about the same price as the PC Specialist Octane II Pro, a notebook which sports a 17.3-inch display.

This offering is configured with a 15.6-inch full HD screen (a 4K model is available), a Core i7-6700K processor (no Xeon options are offered), 32GB of RAM (maximum is 64GB), a 512GB Samsung SM961 PCIe NVMe SSD, a 1TB HGST hard disk drive (7200RPM, 32MB cache) and an Nvidia Quadro M3000M graphics card with 4GB GDDR5, all handled by Windows 7 Pro (with a free upgrade path to Windows 10 Pro).

The SSD sported impressive numbers with rated read/write speeds of 3.2 and 1.7GBps respectively. Workstation Specialists judiciously bundled a three-year warranty (on parts and labour) with next business day engineer response.

Sadly, it is a return-to-base warranty which is standard with non-tier-1 workstation vendors and requires you to ship back the laptop. Not ideal when you are on a tight deadline and require your work machine ASAP.

This is probably the only weak point, and the obvious penalty for not being a global company with a massive tech support team. But then again, having such a workforce costs money which explains why buying a workstation from a tier-1 vendor costs more for the same configuration.

As with all Clevo models we've reviewed in the past, this one is as underwhelming as it can be. It boasts a bland chassis with a soft rubber finish and a power supply unit that weighs a ton – but that is both expected and preferred.

The massive PSU is justified by the power requirements of the GPU and the CPU, while the rubber finish suits a professional environment: subdued and self-effacing.

The constantly spinning fan underlines the fact that the device is powered by a desktop processor. The K in the 6700K model number means that this is an unlocked CPU that is clocked at 4GHz with a tiny 200MHz turbo boost.

Such high CPU speeds – especially with four cores, even on a 14nm manufacturing process – translate into a rather high TDP (91W). This explains why the fans spin so loudly even when at rest and why the keyboard and the base of the workstation were relatively warm.

The rest of the specification sheet includes: 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, one Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3 one, a card reader, and at the back, two massive air vents, two full-sized DisplayPort outputs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

It's clear that this laptop was designed first and foremost for the gaming community: the typography on the keys, the glowing lights at the front, the green-coloured strip at the top of the keyboard, plus the fact that it has a backlit keyboard with the WASD keys highlighted (and customisable keys).

Not necessarily a bad thing, more of a heads-up as to why Workstation Specialists opted for that particular design. The keyboard offers nice feedback, perhaps a bit too soft to our tastes but it's very usable.

The touchpad had a bit more friction compared to, say, the XPS 13 from Dell. It has proper large physical buttons with a fingerprint reader stuck in the middle. The matt IPS display is superb with well-rendered, vibrant colours, and it's nice and sharp. Note that there is no optical drive and no option to add one internally.

As for battery life, your mileage will vary but place this machine under a heavy load (a rendering session followed by some gaming) and you will likely drain the laptop's juice in just over an hour, even with a massive 8-cell, 82Whr battery.

There's also a pair of Onkyo-powered speakers and a full HD front-facing camera. The laptop is certified for running Solidworks, Autodesk applications and Siemens' Solid Edge.

As expected, the WS-M151 performed spectacularly well: it scored 7.8 out of 8 on Windows' own System Index, a staggering 4,294 and 13,760 points on Geekbench's single and multicore benchmarks, and 2,005 and 7,217 on CPU-Z's single and multi-thread CPU benchmark.

Benchmarks on Cinebench R15 were even more impressive with an OpenGL score of 141.6 fps and the CPU score hitting 763 cb, the highest we've ever seen.

Early verdict

The Workstation Specialists WS-M151 suffers from the same shortcomings as the PC Specialist Octane II Pro.

The lack of softer features like MIL-STD certification, onsite warranties and colour calibration technology might see bigger corporations balking at the prospect of buying a non-tier-1 workstation.

For others though, this laptop makes a compelling option as long as you can live with the fact that you may be in a bit of a pickle if your laptop gives up the ghost during an urgent assignment.

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