Ahead of biggest international tech trade show of the year, Gigabyte announced the launch of its ultra-thin and light gaming laptop, the Aero 14. The new notebook will be officially launched at Computex.
Gigabyte's product page leaves out a few key details, but we do know the Aero 14 will feature the Intel Core i7-6700HQ, up to 32 GB DDR4-2133, and a choice of graphics between the Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M and GTX 970M. It also features a 14-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS display with a 60 Hz refresh rate and wide viewing angles. The Aero 14 sports up to two M.2 PCIe SSDs for storage, but the maximum capacity of each drive is currently unknown. Gigabyte noted that the storage capacity will vary by country and region, so it's not surprising this specification was left out.
The Gigabyte Aero 14 is light and thin considering the hardware on board, weighing only 4.16 lbs. and coming in at just 19.9 mm thick. It’s 94.24 WH battery promises up to 10 hours of power, although it will likely fall short of that by a significant margin if you’re gaming on the go. Three USB 3.0 ports give you enough connectivity for a mouse (which is a must for gaming laptops) with room to spare, and the USB 3.1 Type-C interface offers up to 10 GB/s transfer speeds, in addition to device charging.
Another game-centric feature of the Aero 14 is a set of macro keys on the left side of the keyboard that can be programmed with Gigabyte’s proprietary Macro Hub software. The Aero 14 also comes in three different colors for a personal touch: classic black, green and orange.
Pricing and availability for the Gigabyte Aero 14 is currently unavailable. (We get that vendors don’t want to spill all the beans before Computex, but a starting MSRP would have been nice.)
| Product | Gigabyte Aero 14 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700HQ |
| Memory | Up to 32 GB DDR4-2133 |
| Graphics Options | - Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M- Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M |
| Display | 14” 2560 x 1440 QHD IPS (60 Hz) |
| Video Output | - HDMI 2.0- Mini DisplayPort |
| Storage | M.2 PCIe SSD (Up to 2) |
| Ports | - USB 3.0 x3- USB 3.1 (Gen 2, Type-C)- SD Card Reader |
| Networking | 802.11ac WiFi |
| Battery | Li-Polymer 94.24 WH (Up to 10-Hour Usage) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 335 x 250 x 19.9 mm |
| Weight | 1.89 kg (4.16 lbs.) |
Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
