India has imposed restrictions on the imports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers with immediate effect. A government notice was shared not too long ago which announced the restrictions, in a bid to push local manufacturing. The notice revealed that the import of laptops, tablets, and PCs “would be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports.”
India restricts imports of laptops and more
In 2023 April-June, electronic imports including laptops, tablets, and personal computers were $19.7 billion. This was an increase of 6.25% year-on-year. As per reports, electronics imports range between 7% to 10% of the country’s total merchandising imports. The former director general at MAIT, Ali Akhtar Jafri said that “The move’s spirit is to push manufacturing to India.” Jafri also added that the move was not just a mere nudge, but a major push towards bringing manufacturing in India.
India has been working tediously to push local manufacturing by giving production-linked incentives in over two dozen sectors which also include electronics. The country also extended the deadline for companies to apply for the $2 billion manufacturing incentive scheme to attract major investments in IT hardware manufacturing. This covers products like laptops, tablets, PCs and servers. Dell, Acer, Samsung, LG Electronics, Lenovo, Apple, and HP Inc. are some of the key companies selling laptops in the Indian market, a big chunk of this portion is imported from countries like China. This restriction by India triggered a rise in shares by over 5% for Indian electronic maker Dixon Technologies. As per government reports, laptops, tablets, and personal computers makeup about 1.5% of the country’s total annual reports and nearly half of these imports are brought from China.
The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is about to kick off on 5th January 2023. However, like every year, it has already created hype as most of the world’s leading tech giants have already announced what they’re going to reveal at the show. Let’s take a quick look at the major announcements before the actual event hits the shore.
Samsung
Samsung is known to play a vital role in the event and grabs the maximum attention every year. In a recently released press conference, the company unveiled the Odyssey Neo G9, a 57-inch mini-LED display sporting a 7680 × 2160 resolution equivalent to two 4K monitors in one. The massive and immersive desktop is going to be a paradise for every gamer as it offers a 240Hz refresh rate and a 1000R curved screen.
Besides Odyssey Neo G9, Samsung also unveiled its first ultrawide QD-OLED monitor – the Odyssey G95SC, which features a more subtle 1800R curved display, 32:9 aspect ratio and 5120 x 2880 resolution. The newly revealed monitors by Samsung are one of the coolest yet, but what caught most of the attention was the Flex Hybrid – a device with a 4:3 aspect ratio that expands into a 16:10 device; it FOLDS as well as SLIDES.
LG
Samsung and LG have always made CES their home pitch, but in 2023, LG looks a little slow, at least in the initial phase. Till now, the company has unveiled the Z3, G3, and C3 OLED evo series TVs, all loaded with the new α9 AI Processor Gen6. The latest evo series TVs will offer brighter displays, greater colour accuracy, a more personalized webOS experience, virtual 9.1.2 surround sound and enhanced dynamic tone mapping.
Nvidia
Nvidia has started off CES 2023 with a bang. The company, who’s a giant in designing and manufacturing graphics processing units (GPUs), has revealed the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti along with laptop versions of the GeForce RTX 40-series, which will be a part of laptops from Asus, Alienware, MSI and more.
Intel
Intel has enormous plans for CES 2023, and it can be seen how the company is exciting the products before CES hits the world. The chip-making company is expanding its Raptor Lake desktop processor lineup, which is compatible with motherboards previously used for Alder Lake CPUs. Furthermore, Intel has a long lineup of processor launches, ranging from the high-end Core i9-13900 to the budget Core i3-13100F.
Laptops
Alienware – Already trending with a massive 18-inch gaming laptop.
Asus – Revealed the ROG Strix G18 and the ROG Strix Scar 18 laptops, featuring Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards.
Acer – Revealed new 16-inch laptops with the latest chips from Intel.
TVs
Displace – We are going to witness the world’s first wireless TV, which is set to make a debut at CES 2023.
Buying a 16-inch budget laptop seems to be a cynical question these days and to answer just that, ASUS has launched the 2022 variant of its most preferred series of Vivobook laptops. Starting at only ₹54,990, this is by far the most affordable 16-inch laptop in the market with more than decent specs and clearly targets a demography which prefers bigger screens but don’t want to end up spending a lot.
These new ASUS Vivobook laptops which are updated for 2022 now do pack in considerate performance while still being affordable which we feel is a great stint by the Taiwanese giant.
Powered by the last-gen AMD Ryzen 5000H processors, which even in 2022, we feel is a good one to use on budgeted Windows laptops and here it’s the 45W drawing powerful Ryzen 5 5600H variant. The model we tested is the ₹59,990 version with 16GB RAM.
Design and Formfactor
At a first glance, the Vivobook 16X will give you a premium vibe even though it’s made up of plastic. The blue color used on the surface makes it look a bit more upmarket than its price range. Even though it weighs almost 1.8Kg, it doesn’t feel bulky enough to carry along with you.
However, ASUS has made this laptop very solid from the outside and the body has very little flex even though it’s a plastic one.
It doesn’t use a metal lid but it’s better than a lot of other laptops you see on the market for the same price and the 16-inch chassis. The hinge is also strong enough to hold this big display, which can even lay flat at 180 degrees, and the body’s build quality is adequate enough to get through your entire day of work or play. Overall, considering the price range and being a 16-inch laptop, the design is clean & minimalistic while the build quality is decent, cannot ask for more honestly.
Performance
On the performance front, the ASUS Vivobook 16X is powered by the 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor that does give significant performance bumps thanks to the increased TDP. In this price range though, having this APU does help in giving out a good performance on a daily usage basis.
This AMD processor is coupled with a 16GB RAM which is undoubtedly great for light office use, educational purpose or even casual light gaming as the iGPU is capable enough to handle 720p triple-A gaming and 1080p battle royal games. The bigger screen size ensures the utilization of most of its performance.
Display
The most prominent USP of the ASUS Vivobook 16X has to be its large 16-inch display which enables a bigger & better 16:10 aspect ratio. With its ultra-slim bezels, it is more of a 15.6-inch chassis which has a 16-inch display being neatly packed into it.
Previously, at this price getting a 16-inch FHD+ display was never heard about, obviously, there are certain 14-inch and 15-inch displays to compete with but we feel this one has a special appeal for those who always prefer a larger display. The matte finish screen does eliminate a lot of reflection but again, being a budget friendly laptop you cannot ask for everything and so the ASUS Vivobook 16X’s display is not the best out there and if you are looking for a more colour-accurate one refer to the OLED displays from ASUS. However, the specs offered by this display are ok but always that 16-inch form factor along with a 16:10 aspect ratio is a highlight of the laptop.
I/O & Connectivity
Coming to the I/O and connectivity features of the Vivobook 16X, there are actually a lot of ports because of a bigger shell of the laptop which opens up the horizon to accommodate a lot of them. You get one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port on the right-hand side where you will see the maximum number of the ports. Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports – one on the left and one on the right, along with a USB 2.0 port, HDMI output, and an audio combo jack. It isn’t surprising enough to see ASUS use the latest connectivity options on the Vivobook 16X as you have both the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Connectivity is seamless and we didn’t face any trouble while connecting the laptop to the internet or connecting other devices to it.
Keyboard & Trackpad
Having a bigger chassis means you do get a bigger full-size backlit keyboard with a numeric pad which is indeed a big deal for a laptop at this price range to have. Obviously, these are plastic keycaps, but the overall rigidity is confidence inspiring to type. The tactility is on-spot with the kind of feedback it delivers while typing fast. The large trackpad provides a larger surface area for you to fiddle around with the scroller.
Audio & Webcam
ASUS boasts to have great speakers on the Vivobook 16X, however, it isn’t the best in the market. Not to complain, but the loudness is decent looking at the price point you’re getting this laptop for. While the webcam is a 720p one making it usable enough for the pricing and it’s good to see ASUS using a privacy shutter so that you can block your webcam when not in use. Something which for students is a boon.
Battery Life
ASUS claims that the 50WHrs battery used inside this Vivobook 16X will last up to 8 hours which isn’t deceiving at all. As we noticed in the actual usage, one can expect around 6-7 hours of battery life while light working, which again is very respectable for the price and can stretch up to 8 hours with smart usage.
Verdict
This is a very well-balanced all-rounder laptop by ASUS and at a starting price point of only ₹54,990, it can be summed up to be a revolutionary product which should not be neglected while choosing one. However, the target audience for this big laptop is people who love bigger displays and do use them for work or play and even for students who love the 16-inch form factor yet aren’t willing to spend a lot.
We should learn how to balance elegance and versatility from Asus, the company that always introduces us to something extraordinary every time they launch a product, especially laptops. Recently, the brand launched a lineup of new laptops in the Indian market, Zenbook 14 Flip OLED, Vivobook S 14 Flip, and Vivobook 15 (touch).
Zenbook 14 Flip OLED
The price of the slim, light and ultra-versatile convertible Zenbook 14 Flip OLED starts from Rs 99,990, and it is equipped with a stunning 16:10 2.8K OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreen. The display of the laptop has 550 nits of brightness with a 4-sided NanoEdge design and an 88% screen-to-body ratio.
The laptop that will shine your productivity anywhere is equipped with the latest gaming-grade intel 12th Gen H-series processors and is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM on all models. It has a 360˚ ErgoLift hinge which supports a 4096-pressure-level stylus, while the ASUS NumberPad 2.0 offers efficient multitasking.
Vivobook S 14 Flip
The super-versatile convertible with a 360° hinge laptop features a 14-inch IPS panel with a Full HD+ resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. The Vivobook S 14 Flip starts from Rs 66,990 and is available for sale online and offline. The touchscreen panel of the laptop has a brightness of 300 nits and has plenty of ports, including the latest Thunderbolt™ 4. The laptop will be available in both Intel and AMD variants in India.
Vivobook 15 (touch) (X1502)
The laptop is sleek and lighter than its predecessors and is priced at Rs 49,990. It has a 15.6-inch full HD screen with slim bezels and an 82% screen-to-body ratio. The laptop comes with a better screen, a bigger battery, and improved computing capabilities; the company also claims it has better battery life.
ASUS India, Republic of Gamers (ROG) today strengthened its Zephyrus and Flow lineup with the launch of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, Zephyrus G14, and Flow X16 alongside the refreshed editions of Zephyrus G15, and Flow X13, packed with power and upgraded performance. The laptops feature AMD Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors and a MUX Switch to deliver uncompromising, powerful gaming performance. The laptops are an addition to ASUS’ extensive gaming portfolio and are designed to uplift the competitive edge of the gamers with state-of-the-art technology. Resonating the philosophy of ‘Compact is the new Impact’, the latest gaming lineup offers versatility to the gamers by bolstering the gaming experience. The product pricing for Zephyrus Duo 16 starts from INR 249,990, Zephyrus G14 – INR 146,990, and Zephyrus G15 – INR 157,990 and will go on sale online and offline. While the pricing for ROG Flow X16 starts from INR 171,990 and Flow X13 – INR 121,990 onwards and will be available online and offline.
In conjunction with the launch, ASUS ROG also introduced the #BeYouWithROG campaign, which encourages users to explore their creative side by staying true to their authentic selves. The brand’s objective with this campaign is to inspire consumers to believe in themselves, be brave and fearless, and follow their passion, no matter what!
ASUS ROG introduced the powerful Flow X16, which is a 16-inch ultra slim device with XG Mobile compatibility that fits in an ultra-compact 15-inch chassis and speeds through most demanding tasks, thanks to cutting-edge processors, with up to an AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HS. Its ultra slim frame is equipped with up to an NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070Ti Laptop GPU to let you game with complete confidence. Built on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, the latest GPU options combine new streaming multiprocessors with enhanced RT and Tensor cores to provide unparalleled realism with Ray-Traced graphics.
For the first time, ASUS has included a revolutionary tri-fan setup called the Frost Force cooling system to achieve great cooling in such a thin and slim form factor. It is combined with Pulsar Heatsink, which redirects the airflow towards the GPU. This results in exceptional cooling and superior performance.
Another powerful addition to the Flow family is the new Flow X13. It comes with Windows 11 Home, which has never been as flexible, powerful, or portable. This Ultra slim 13” 1.3kg chassis, speed through gaming and go beyond with up to the latest Ryzen™ 9 6900HS CPU and GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti GPU. With a choice of 4K UHD or 120Hz FHD display option, go wherever your creative flow takes you. The X13 has a 360-degree hinge and a multitude of different viewing configurations. The display is touch-enabled and outfitted with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass for added durability. Set it to the clamshell mode for everyday work and play, or switch to stand mode to share your screen in small spaces easily. A low-profile design helps it slip easily into crowded bags, leaving more room for your favourite gaming gear. The side-mounted power button has an integrated fingerprint sensor, allowing you to log in 3x faster and more securely than a password.
The Zephyrus lineup is ramped up with The Zephyrus Duo 16, enabling you to experience true multitasking with a seamless dual display design. The second 14.1” touchscreen display supports resolutions of up to 4K and is equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU and up to NVIDIA RTX 3080Ti series GPUs with MUX Switch and blazing fast speeds and low boot times with 2 TB PCIe Gen 4 X4 SSDsand 32GB of Dual Channel DDR5 4800MHz RAM. To cool all the high-end hardware, there’s ROG Intelligent Cooling system with 84-blade Arc Flow fans and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal compound on the CPU for up to 15° lower temperatures compared to the traditional thermal paste.
The large 90Whr battery and USB Type-C 100W Power Delivery Fast Charging support work confidently on the go. The secondary ScreenPad Plus display is offered in 3840 x 1100 (4K) and 1920 x 550 resolutions. Both panel options offer 100% sRGB, 400 nits brightness with Touch and Stylus input. The ROG Nebula Display panel supports Dolby Vision HDR, Adaptive Sync, 500 nits max brightness, and is Pantone validated with 100% DCI-P3 coverage. An IR camera with Windows Hello support enables logging into Windows quickly and taking on any typing tasks with a comfortable 1.7mm travel distance keyboard. Furthermore, a Type-C port on the right edge of the Duo 16 will be USB4 capable with a software update that’s expected to enable the capability later this year.
The Zephyrus G14, compared to the last year’s model, has significant improvements in its overall design and performance. Not only has the platform been upgraded to the new AMD Ryzen™ 6000 Series processors for mobile, but both the up to AMD Radeon RX 6800S and Up to the latest Ryzen 9 6900HS Processor with Radeon™ Graphics offer a considerable uptick in performance compared to last year’s RTX 3060- equipped ASUS G14. Featuring a 14” slim and light chassis, the G14 has been redesigned to cover all of the users’ daily needs, from gaming to content creation, while on the move.
The Zephyrus G14 now features a 16:10 aspect ratio to accommodate more content on users’ screens. It’s super slim 4.7mm side bezels and a 91% screen-to-body ratio provide users with a truly immersive gaming and visual experience. The improved thermal design allows the new G14 to get additional thermal headroom and achieve up to 105W of total graphics power (with AMD SmartShift Max technology). S. The panel has also gone through a major update and now fulfills all the requirements to be labelled as ROG Nebula Display. It is equipped with Dolby Vision, 100% DCI-P3 color coverage with Pantone Validation for color accuracy. The Zephyrus G14 is a portable powerhouse designed to cover all of users’ daily needs, from gaming to content creation.
The Zephyrus G15 is equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS laptop processor. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the beating heart of the G15 is built on cutting-edge 6nm technology and is paired with the top-of-the-line NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 graphics card. In addition, the new model is configurable with up to 16 GB of DDR5 RAM– 4800 MHz (expandable to 48GB), which provides the bandwidth and speed for all the multitasking you throw at it. For the ultimate visual experience, the Zephyrus G15 is configurable with either a 240Hz or 165 Hz QHD panel, combining the benefits of high-resolution displays with responsive and fast refresh rates.
The latest Lenovo Legion 5 pro has to be one of the best gaming laptops with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and a monstrous Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU. The predecessor laptops that came with the graphics card of the 2000 series were a bit of hard luck for Lenovo since Nvidia introduced its new 3000 series soon after.
This device is quite impressive in terms of its power-packed performance. It can be a suitable replacement for a gaming desktop because a gaming PC with an RTX 3070 requires a 750W of power supply meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop uses a 300W power brick. However, the desktop GPU will always remain powerful.
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
Design
The overall case design and build quality seem quite impressive to me. You can easily open the lid with a finger effort but don’t worry, the hinge is solid and won’t totter a bit. The device has a large keyboard and a trackpad. The key is plastic and doesn’t take a lot of force to press. It also has a curvature that helps you centre your keystrokes.
The logos on this laptop looks quite classy and subtle. One drawback, however, is that the screen does not fold back to 180 degrees which I think would have been better if the plastic piece wasn’t there for the backstop.
The entire unit feels premium with an aluminium exterior with durable plastic components. Starting on the left, there’s a single USB-C port, along with the headphone/microphone combo jack. On the left is a single USB-A port. Here is something remarkable – Right next to that is a small switch that physically disconnects your webcam when not in use.
Display
Gaming laptops tend to offer fast Full HD displays, and Lenovo excels in this domain. Legion 5 Pro offers fast refresh(165 Hz) and has upped the resolution to 2K in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The display is quite right and seems perfectly calibrated.
We like Apple’s iPad or Macbook’s display because it is bright and colour accurate. Lenovo seems to be catching up with that.
Performance
The Legion 5 Pro comes with a Ryzen 7 5800H, an octa-core processor with a maximum TGP of 140W. The model also bundles 16GB of RAM, clocked at 3200 Mhz. There are two other RAM modules that can be upgraded if desired. For storage, you got two 1TB SSD instead of one 2TB SSD, which is kind of weird, but whatever gets the device rolling!
What I like about Legion 5 Pro is that it utilizes a unique cooling solution. The device consists of large heatsinks, some heat pipes, and a pair of large fans. It offers a perfect balance between the quiet fans and the performance. The gaming loads were hot, as expected, but it was a lot cooler during regular use.
Legion 5 Pro also has a nice set of speakers that amplitudes as high as 80dB, which is good enough for playing games and streaming a show.
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Specs
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8 x 3.2 – 4.4 GHz, 65 W PL2 / Short Burst, 45 W PL1 / Sustained, Cezanne H (Zen 3)
There were times when spending Rs 50,000 wasn’t enough for a good laptop. With new technological innovations and price drops, times have certainly changed for the better.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, people have been working mostly from their homes and hence the demand for affordable laptops have skyrocketed.
The best of laptops have to offer a great balance between power, performance, and price. The laptops that we have compiled in this list may not be the fastest or the most powerful laptops, but they will get you through your day-to-day workloads without causing any issues.
There are also few ultrabooks in this list that can be considered a decent gaming laptop. Let’s look at the options:
HP 15 15s- gr0012AU
The HP 15s laptop comes with a 15.6-inch display and a dedicated number pad. It is powered by the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen 5 325OU processor, which is paired with 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, and a 1TB hard disk. The graphics are handled by the Radeon Vega 6 integrated graphics.
MI Notebook 14 XMA1901-FA is light but versatile machine and is powered by the 10th Generation Intel Core i5 – 10210U processor with 4 cores and 8 threads. The laptop offers 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
MI Notebook comes with a scissor-switch keyboard and a multi-touch trackpad and is perfect for multi-tasking. It is powered by a 46 Wh battery and can run up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge.
The ASUS Vivobook 14 features a 14 inch Full HD LED-backlit anti-glare display and is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor. The system is designed to be thin and light and is coupled with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 128 GB SSD.
The display is a matte 1920×1080 IPS panel and you get a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 and Windows 10 Home with this laptop.
The Lenovo ThinkPad E15 is a perfect laptop for multitasking. It comes equipped with the 11th Generation Intel Core i3 1115G4 processor and has a 15.6 inch Full HD display. The machine is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD.
Not on my watch. A perfect line by Nestor Carbonell creates an impact to ensure that the story of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises starts on a high note. The same line can make many hinging points when you are beginning your graduation. If you need a laptop that can cater to your requirements and resolve your budgetary constraints, this article is perfect for you. Why? Because this Exhibit blog will provide a comprehensive list of affordable laptops for students. Let’s begin.
#1 Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
A brand like Lenovo can make you LEANOver your thoughts due to the sophisticated specifications it brings through their wide range of laptops. This laptop can serve your needs properly by letting you use it during the lectures when your professor is taking the session. It is because this laptop has the capability to switch to tablet mode. Hence, you also get a stylus when you want to use it as your laptop. Apart from this, you get this laptop in two variants – ice blue and iron-grey. The RAM may bring hiccups to you as it is merely 4 GB, along with 128 GB internal memory, but care about the price too. You can order this laptop at INR 26999/-.
#2 ASUS VivoBook 14
They claim it as the world’s smallest colorful 14 inches UltraBook. You have never seen color variants for sure. Okay, if the color doesn’t matter to you, check out the processor – i5 Core. If it’s about play, track the graphics card – NVIDIA. You name it, and you will get it for sure. Even for memory ASUS VivoBook 14 can provide a dual storage system. What about ergonomics? Ahh, now you hit the bull’s eye. With this laptop, you get a better typing position due to the 2-degree keyboard tilt. But wait! considering such damn fantastic features can stop you due to its price. Order it at INR 30999/-!
#3 HP 245 G8
The Stones of Venice writer John Ruskin was right about quality. He rightly said that quality could never be an accident but a constant intelligent effort. And, with HP, you get that intelligent effort and quality as well. Why? Because the newly launched HP 245 G8 has everything that you need. A Ryzen 3 processor, 1 TB hard disk, AMD Radeon, 7 hours of standard battery life, etc., can definitely save your day when it comes to work or play. If the weight of an HP laptop is what concerns you, think again! This 1.7 kg chap is available at INR 31,490/- and is an essential contender in the list of affordable laptops for students.
#4 Acer Aspire 3 Athlon
Wimbledon 2021 has witnessed one of the finest games. The Serbian and global star Novak Djokovic showcased how to win a match in 46 seconds. 46 seconds? But how? ACES. And, Acer must be having the same ideology to deliver aces of laptops which is true for Acer Aspire 3 Athlon. This INR 25863/- laptop may feel deserted as it may not have those specifications. But that’s not the case at all. Why? The 1.9 kg laptop has an AMD Radeon graphics processor with an Athlon Dual Core processor. Security is the major top-notch slot in this slot due to the Firmware Trusted Platform Module. Think again if you feel that a hard disk drive won’t be big at such a price – 1 TB.
#5 HP Chromebook x360
Portable. Versatile. Compact and stylish design. This laptop has ChromeOS in it. The Intel Celeron processor provides a speed of 1.1 GHz. Even if you are not charging it, you can use it for at least 9 hours. This laptop allows you to go for multiple logins. If the screen size of 12 inches is worrying, consider the price again – INR 29,9990/-.
Affordable Laptops for Students
Get ready to combat your college days with the laptops that bring affordability, durability, and quality. One of these laptops will surely create wonders for you.
