Gigabyte U4 UD Intel i7 14″ Laptop Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The model I tested this week is the more potent i7 version, which may actually be a little more punchy than some people need. Either way, it costs a fairly reasonable £699.99 (down from the £799 MSRP). That’s not exactly loose change, but for something this light and well made, with solid performance, well I can’t really fault it. It’s certainly the sort of laptop I would buy, as I’m not really interested in the super-powerful and often super-expensive gaming laptops. Unfortunately, I can’t find the i5 in stock at the moment, but I would be it’s around £100 cheaper. Personally, I really want to try that one too, as I suspect it’ll do pretty much everything this one does and have better battery life.

Overview

This is one of my favourite notebooks that I’ve ever used. Over the 10 years or so I’ve been doing this job, most notebooks, laptops, etc, are all broadly the same thing with a different badge, so it’s hard for one to stand out. However, just for being so lightweight, Gigabyte is winning big points here. However, despite shedding all that weight, they haven’t cut the quality. It’s a nicely made system, with some powerful but also modest hardware. 8GB of RAM isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but for what I tested, it did seem to be enough. This isn’t a mobile rendering rig, but it’s got enough power to be versatile when needed. Some light video editing, photo editing, mixing, etc, shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Sights and Sound

Some pleasant bonuses are the screen and speakers. It’s “only” 1080p, which to my 4K loving brain sounds a bit basic. However, Full HD is still a solid foundation for a display. When it comes to browsing reddit and occasionally doing my job each day, it’s a nice display and has good pixel density. Everything looks crisp and clear. A lot of that clarity comes from the great contrast and colours of the panel too, which are excellent. Watching a movie, playing some games, or just using YouTube, it’s a joy. Normally I’d be reaching for my headphones, but these speakers really do get the job done well.

Gaming

Obviously, it’s not the most powerful gaming PC ever. However, the Intel Iris Xe packs a punch that can rival the latest AMD G-series APU hardware. It’ll run some modern games at low settings. However, there’s a wealth of great indie and older titles that work just fine. I played Bastion, Street Fighter 4, Stardew Valley, Cities Skylines, and a load of emulated stuff with no issue. So don’t buy it for gaming, but if you do and you want to game, it’s not as hopeless as you might think. Plus, with streaming games on Games Pass or similar, the fast WiFi meant low latency throughout all my testing.

Everything Else

The built-in webcam and microphones are decent enough. With more of us working or studying from home, or even just isolating and needing to connect with friends and family, this is a vital addition. I like that they’ve not gone overboard with the design too, it’s a smart enough laptop that you could use it in a meeting and not look like an idiot. Then again, it’s smart enough that you’ll fit in with the “I’m working in a coffee shop” crowd. It’s also not ruinously expensive, which is always nice. Obviously, you pay a premium for the i7, and again for the slim and light design, but when it delivers on what it promises, I think it’s well priced.

If you’re looking for a notebook that’s cool, light, compact and surprisingly powerful, the Gigabyte U4 UD is easily one of the best out there right now. Highly recommended. Now, I wonder how long I can keep it before Gigabyte realise I’ve still got it…