2021 is a great year, if only because modern laptops are as close as possible to an unattainable ideal. There is no longer a question of choosing between performance, compactness, and battery life. Today, a powerful laptop can be compact and still have 8 hours of battery life.
The AERO 15 OLED XD is exactly the representative of this new breed of notebooks. Next, let’s talk in more detail about all aspects.
The RTX Studio sticker on the GIGABYTE Aero 15 OLED XD proves that this is a professional laptop for designers and content creators of all stripes. And, of course, creative professionals will also appreciate the OLED display, distinguished by reliable color reproduction, saturation and contrast of images in any color gamut, and stunning performance of NVIDIA RTX 30-series discrete graphics.
More broadly, however, the AERO 15 OLED XD is a versatile and powerful graphics or workstation in a mobile design that perfectly copes with any task (office applications, rendering video content, graphics packages, and the latest games).
| PROS | CONS |
| Beautiful 4K OLED screen | Awkward webcam position |
| Thin bezel screen | Average speakers |
| High-end gaming performance | Short battery life |
| RGB keyboard |
General Info
| GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED XD | |
| Brand | GIGABYTE |
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Model | AERO 15 OLED XD |
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H (2.3GHz~4.6GHz) |
| Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Weight | 4.41lbs (2kg) |
| Display | 15.6-inch Samsung UHD |
| Dimensions | 356 x 250 x 19.9mm |
| Type | Laptop |
Design
Not everyone understands this point, but the design of modern laptops is largely the result of the explanatory work of NVIDIA. She opened the eyes of manufacturers that high-performance laptops are in demand not only by gamers. Recently, such laptops were often surprised by an intricate design, which, apparently, was supposed to evoke associations with your favorite games. It may be not bad, but such a notebook looked sometimes funny, sometimes ridiculous, and every time somehow undignified.
The AERO 15 OLED XD has a strict and pragmatic design—metal body with a nanocarbon coating, a minimum of decorative elements, and a maximum of rationalism.
Metal cover. Neat brand lettering. Nanocarbon coated body. Perhaps the only drawback is the noticeable fingerprints, although the surface is matte. Well, at least they wipe easily.
Display
| Display Type | AMOLED display |
| Display Size | 15.6-inch |
| Display Resolution | 3840 x 2160 |
| Display Features | 4K OLED screen, Samsung AMOLED panel, VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black, 100% DCI-P3, X-Rite Pantone color accuracy |
| Dimension | 356 x 250 x 19.9mm |
GIGABYTE Laptop’s 4K OLED screen is amazing. The AERO 15 OLED XD has an AMOLED panel from Samsung, the undoubted leader, and developer of this technology.
For a long time, OLED / AMOLED screens have been the domain of smartphones or Hi-End TVs. Two factors were the main limitation to the spread of technology. Firstly, the first OLED screens were subject to burnout, and computers, unlike smartphones and TVs, in some cases must display the same picture for hours. Accordingly, for laptops, AMOLED screens of increased reliability with intelligent protection against burnout are needed, and here the second problem immediately appears – the price. Such screens have always been too expensive, and manufacturers preferred to save money.
But over the past year, OLED solutions are gradually starting to penetrate the market, radically changing the situation. When talking about the AERO 15 OLED XD screen, let’s start with the fact that OLED screens have the best reproduction of black tones. Because, unlike other technologies, in OLED displays, cardinal black is achieved very simply – by turning off the pixels. It couldn’t be blacker. It follows from this that such screens have the highest possible contrast level for today.
The laptop may appear to be off. In fact, there is a black picture on the whole screen. Only the bottom bezel is slightly noticeable, and so the screen looks monolithic black. Side frames are not visible.
Measured Panel brightness 440 nits. That’s a decent value in itself and outperforms typical laptop brightness (280-330 nits). The highlight is that thanks to the higher contrast of the AMOLED screen, the brightness of 440 nits is perceived to be about 550 nits when talking about the conditions of a studio bathed in daylight. In a typical living room setting, an OLED screen brightness of 200 nits will feel like 400 nits on a typical LCD screen.
A useful feature of OLED screens and high color fidelity. Each AERO 15 OLED laptop display is factory calibrated with Delta E <1. This accuracy is important for color professionals. Well, while watching a movie, everyone else will be able to enjoy the film exactly in the form in which the director intended it. By the way, the display has been awarded the VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certificate.
The AERO 15 OLED XD has 100% DCI-P3 color space coverage, which is 133% sRGB. In simple terms, colors are displayed on the screen as in real life. And finally, it should be noted that AMOLED screens are much better able to filter harmful blue light and have a better response. So, the response of the AERO 15 OLED XD matrix is ​​only 1.7 ms, which is super fast. You will appreciate this moment if you decide to play on a laptop.
Are there any disadvantages to the screen? Since this is AMOLED, that is, PWM: the screen pulsates at low brightness. PWM may cause headaches in some sensitive people after prolonged use. If you don’t know if PWM affects you, then most likely not because most screens (not only AMOLED) have PWM, and you would have noticed long ago.
Performance
| Processor | 11th Gen Intel processor, 8 cores, 16 threads,5 GHz, 24MB L3 cache (11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H (2.3GHz~4.6GHz)) |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel® HM570 Express Chipset |
| Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6 Boost Clock 1290 MHz, Maximum Graphics Power 105 W NVIDIA Max-Q Technologies: Dynamic Boost 2.0, Resizable BAR, and Optimus™ Technology. |
| RAM | 2x DDR4 Slots (DDR4-3200, Max 64GB) |
| Storage | 2x M.2 SSD slots (Type 2280, supports 1x NVMe PCIe Gen3 & SATA/ 1x NVMe PCIe Gen4) |
The AERO 15 OLED XD has one of the most powerful 11th Gen Intel processors: Intel Core i7-11800H (there are also options with Intel Core i9 HK to choose from). In this case, of course, Intel has outdone itself: the 10 nm process technology, 8 cores, 16 threads, the turbo frequency under 5 GHz, and the amount of cache makes you whistle in surprise – the amount of L3 cache is 24 MB (!) And 10 MB second-level cache.
Intel has recently been accused of keeping its processors warm. The company did some work on the bugs, and the GIGABYTE engineers did not disappoint. Even under maximum load, the processor temperature does not exceed 80 ° C, and this is the merit of the proprietary WINDFORCE Infinity cooling system. The laptop has two 71-blade fans and 5 heat pipes.
At the same time, the user was allowed to control the operation of the fans, and by a combination of hotkeys, there is quick access to start cooling by 100%. The laptop is excellent and self-regulating its temperature.
By the way, the laptop has two M.2 connectors for SSD so that the user can significantly increase the disk space if necessary. But here, of course, you need to be smart and not save but choose a high-quality SSD. And finally, let’s talk about the GeForce RTX 3070 mobile discrete graphics, as well as the GeForce RTX STUDIO concept.
GeForce RTX 3070 discrete graphics for laptops show a performance boost of 1.5-2 times over previous generation solutions. In this case, we are talking about practical applications – in particular; it is video editing, rendering of three-dimensional scenes, and image processing.
If a laptop has such a powerful video subsystem and a 4K OLED display, it would be lying to say nothing about games. After all, the AERO 15 OLED XD allows you to play at high settings in all modern releases.
Multimedia
| Webcam | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | HD Camera |
| Audio | 2x 2 Watt Speaker Microphone DTS: X® Ultra |
| Network | Built-in WiFi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.2 |
| Ports | 3x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-A) 1x Thunderboltâ„¢ 4 (Type-C) 1x HDMI 2.1 1x mini DP 1.4 1x 3.5mm Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack 1x UHS-II SD Card Reader 1x DC-in Jack 1x RJ-45 |
| Keyboard Numpad | Yes |
| Keyboard Type | GIGABYTE Fusion RGB Per-Key Backlit Keyboard |
The laptop has 3 ports to connect 4K or 8K monitors. Surprisingly, they didn’t even save money on a card reader. UHS-II card readers and cards offer transfer rates of up to 300 MB / s, while typical card readers only achieve 25-50 MB / s.
There are 2 USB 3.2 and Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB Type-C connector design) on the right side. The thickness of the laptop is 19.9 mm. In fact, it is due to the size of the ports.
On the left side – HDMI 2.1, miniDP 1.4, USB 3.2 Type-A, headphone jack, and Ethernet port. Here, perhaps, it is worth noting a positive moment that the ports are at a sufficient distance from each other and will not overlap.
The laptop has a decent webcam. But the disadvantages can be written down its location on the bottom panel, next to the power button. Accordingly, a slightly unusual angle is obtained.
Keyboard
The laptop has a gorgeous keyboard. The key travel is approximately 1.4 mm deep and has excellent springiness. You can type tons of text tirelessly.
There is a full-fledged numeric block and separate arrow keys; buttons PgUp, PgDn, Home, End, Delete. In other words, the keyboard is completely suitable for office work.
Also, note that when you press the function key, the backlight of the combinations lights up.
A fingerprint scanner is neatly integrated into the touchpad. Great location; scanner works great.
Battery
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Battery Type | Li-ion |
| Battery capacity | 99 Wh |
| AC Adapter | 230W power brick |
One of the phenomenal features of the AERO 15 OLED XD is battery life. In-office productivity mode, the laptop will work quietly for about 8 hours. The laptop comes with a 230 W power supply. This is a typical brick, of a rather modest design, in contrast to the owner he serves. And he does it, and I must say frankly, very worthily. Finding a high-quality PSU of such power on the market is not an easy task.
Conclusion!
The GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED XD is a laptop that’s close to perfect. As for disadvantages, perhaps, we can note the dimensions and weight of the power supply. The webcam is not bad in terms of quality, but its location raises questions. The angle is quite unusual, however, and you can get used to it over time.
The declared sound is of cinematic quality, imitating the 7.1 scheme: there are no complaints about the volume level. However, it probably does not reach “true three-dimensionality.” No one will likely be amazed at this.
- The power of the processor and video card will be enough with a margin for several years to come.
- Great work from GIGABYTE engineers to keep the processor and graphics cool even under maximum load.
- The phenomenal speed of the PCIe Gen4 SSD.
- Microsoft’s Azure Artificial Intelligence.
- 4K AMOLED display from Samsung.
- Excellent battery life, the laptop can be taken with you to the city / trip without a power supply.
- A set of ports for all occasions for connecting peripherals.
- Webcam with a shutter.
- Fingerprint scanner as part of the touch panel.
- Modern high-speed communication interfaces: Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
- Decent prospects for modernization (RAM, disk subsystem).
