Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED full laptop review

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The new Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 is the latest addition to the brand’s line of high-performance laptops. It features a sleek and refined design in the same silver gray color as its predecessor, along with new hardware including the Intel i7-13700H CPU and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU with 105W TGP, promising top-notch gaming performance.

However, this series is primarily aimed at content creators, thanks to its 16″ UHD+ AMOLED screen calibrated by Pantone with a 60 Hz refresh rate. We’ll take a closer look at this device to see if it lives up to our expectations compared to the 2022 model.

Design features

Design-wise, the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 is slightly larger than its predecessor, measuring 255 mm in depth compared to 249 mm before, partly due to the hinge placement. Despite this, it remains impressively slim at 22mm and relatively lightweight for its size, making it a comfortable device to carry around. We recommend using a suitcase to transport it.

The manufacturing process of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 is centered around aeronautical-grade aluminum, which is precisely cut using CNC tools in multiple steps to achieve its impeccable finish. The laptop maintains its silver gray color, which has a metallic finish and does an excellent job of hiding fingerprints when touched, unlike matte black models. The side and front edges are cut diagonally inward, creating an illusion of slimness.

On the screen lid, the AERO logo is centrally located, with integrated lighting that creates a rainbow-like light reflection, giving it a unique appearance. The design of the laptop is visually appealing, with rounded corners and edges gently curved downward on a single block of aluminum. The screen is rigid and torsion-resistant, despite the absence of Gorilla Glass protection. The inner border of the screen frame is designed with two steps, allowing for comfortable opening.

Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED full laptop review

The back of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 has undergone significant modifications. The hinges at each end of the screen lid are now part of the lid itself, which keeps the screen elevated above the body instead of hiding the lower frame behind the device, as seen on laptops like the Razer Blade or Asus Zephyrus. Two double grilles expel air from the device, and some ports are placed in the center.

Moving to the bottom area of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023, we can see that the lid has undergone some cosmetic changes, although it is still made of plastic to accommodate holding tabs on the edges. The bottom area has two large air inlets with grilles and dust filters, along with rubber feet shaped like corners. The speaker openings are unique, as they are not the typical superficial grilles, and they are placed facing the sides.

Upon opening the laptop, we can see that the screen frames are very well adjusted, with a thickness of only 4mm for the sides, 9mm for the top edge where the webcam is located, and 22mm for the bottom edge. Around the keyboard, we have two side grilles and one upper grille, which we will test later to see if they act as cooling elements.

The white-colored keyboard is a significant change from the previous generation and looks very sleek, although the characters may not be very visible during the day with white backlighting enabled. The laptop maintains its Tenkeyless (TKL) format without a numeric panel and with an additional key column on the right. Just below it, there is a touchpad that could have been larger if more space was available.

Ports and connectivity

Let’s take a look at the connectivity of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 and the location of its ports, which are distributed on the sides and back.

On the right side, we have:

1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
HDMI 2.1
Power Jack
1x Charging LED indicator
On the left side, we have:
2x Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
And on the back, we have:
USB 3.2Gen2 Type-C
MicroSD UHS-II card reader
3.5mm combo jack for audio and microphone.

Having just one USB-A port on a laptop like the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 may seem limiting, even though we have double Thunderbolt 4 and an additional USB-C port. Ideally, having at least five ports would allow for standard peripheral connections without the need for USB-C adapters. The side ventilation grilles and speaker openings take up a significant amount of space, but it would have been helpful if they were moved slightly further back to free up some space in the area.

Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED ports and connectivity

The laptop features an Intel WI-Fi 6E AX210 wireless card, which has Triple Band capacity with 2.4 Gbps for 5 and 6 GHz, and 574 Mbps for 2.4 GHz. It supports 1024QAM and 160 MHz, and also includes Bluetooth 5.2 for extra connectivity.

AMOLED UHD screen for content creators and designers

The Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023’s screen remains one of its main distinguishing features. The laptop features a Samsung ATNA60YV09-0 panel that has been updated for the new generation, offering a UHD resolution of 3840x2400p in a 16:10 format on a 16-inch screen.

For gamers, the panel’s 60 Hz refresh rate may be a drawback. However, the AERO series is not primarily designed for gamers, and the AORUS series caters to this market. The screen is DisplayHDR 600 True Black certified, TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe 2.0 certified for blue light reduction, and has Flicker-Free technology to prevent flickering. The exterior finish is glossy, which may cause many reflections on the screen, particularly outdoors. Personally, I prefer matte finishes.

On the other hand, the color capabilities are exceptional thanks to its 100% DCI-P3 color coverage and Pantone X-Rite calibration in the Adobe RGB, sRGB, DCI-P3, and Rec.709 color spaces, offering a Delta E<1. Additionally, Gigabyte is the only manufacturer to extend this certification by implementing the X-Rite application, which includes all the color profiles of the different spaces, along with a report for the panel showing the actual results.

Sound

The sound system of the AERO series has never been its strongest point, and even after the update, it seems to remain so. We believe that it has not been improved enough to match the sound quality of MSI, Asus, or Razer. The laptop features a configuration of only two rectangular 2W speakers, while the competition is fitting four or even six units in their laptops. The maximum volume and output quality have improved, but the bass is still weak, and there is a predominance of treble when the volume is raised to the maximum.

Keyboard, touchpad, and webcam

The keyboard, and specifically its appearance, is another significant change for the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023, as it has transitioned from black to completely white. The exterior appearance is undoubtedly stunning, as very few laptops have white keycaps. However, over time, it remains to be seen if these keys will turn yellow or if dirt will become visible on them. Hopefully, at least the former will not happen.

The design of square island-style keys of 15x15mm and its TKL format with an additional key column to the right remains unchanged from the 2022 model, as well as the F key row with double functions. Although there is no possibility of management through software, there are interesting functions like AI modes for performance profiles or fan RPM profiles.

The surface of the keys is silky, and the membrane with 1.7mm of travel is well-cushioned and very quiet. Thanks to the aluminum base, there is no sinking in the central area. The keyboard has white backlighting with two levels of brightness and an off mode, as well as the N-Key Rollover function.

We think that the keyboard is excellent for typing and work, and it features full-size direction keys and ISO distribution in perfect Spanish with a full-size Enter key. The only downside we can mention is that during the day, the characters with backlighting will barely be visible, so it is recommended to turn it off and use it only at night.

The touchpad is patented by Gigabyte with a glass that has the AERO logo screen printed on it without hindering the user experience or touch. Its measurements remain at 212mm wide and 76mm deep, which is the same as the 2022 model. However, we believe that the available space could have been better utilized. The integrated buttons require little force to actuate, but they are very noisy.

Finally, the webcam has been improved with a 1080p FHD sensor, including an IR sensor for facial recognition in Windows Hello and TPM 2.0 for hardware encryption.

Control software

The Gigabyte Control Center is the application responsible for managing the general aspects of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 laptop. The appearance and options do not seem to have changed from the previous generation. The interface is clean and clear, but it sometimes hangs while loading the interface.

From a single panel, we can modify important parameters such as screen features, keyboard, or battery charging mode. One of the standout functions is the AI Boost, which detects the type of use of the laptop through Artificial Intelligence and adapts the performance to the user’s needs. Additionally, there is a manual mode with several performance and ventilation profiles.

Hardware and internal features

To access the hardware of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023, the base must be removed, breaking the product warranty. It can be started from the rear area and followed through the sides with a flat extractor until reaching the front. The laptop is available with Intel Core i9-13900H and Intel Core i7-13700H CPU options.

The unit being analyzed is not the most powerful in the series, as it is equipped with the Intel Core i7-13700H processor with 10nm Raptor Lake architecture. It consists of 6 P-cores at a 5.0 GHz boost frequency and 8 E-cores at a 3.7 GHz boost frequency, with 24MB L3 cache and configured to a PBP of 45W expandable to 115W. However, the average power consumption under stress will be approximately 70W with PL2 at 110W, so it will not give its maximum gross performance.

It is the first laptop being tested with the new Nvidia RTX 4070 Laptop graphics card, powered by the AD106 chipset based on 4nm TSMC Ada Lovelace architecture. This GPU has 36 SMs, which add up to 4608 CUDA Cores, 144 4th Gen Tensor Cores, and 36 3rd Gen RT Cores.

The Nvidia RTX 4070 Laptop graphics card in the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023 is configured at a frequency of 1980 MHz under a 105W TGP that cannot be modified. It is accompanied by 8GB of VRAM memory on a 128-bit bus at 16Gbps, generating 256GB/s of bandwidth.

This review version has a single 16GB DDR5 RAM module at 4800MHz mounted in one of the two available SODIMM slots. The equipment supports up to 64GB of capacity using Dual Channel, but that is not the case for this unit. In one of the two available PCIe Gen4x4 slots, there is a 1TB Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI SSD installed.

The Windforce Infinity cooler has been slightly modified for this laptop in terms of heatpipe distribution, although it still has a total of 4 copper units evenly distributed between CPU (on the left) and GPU (on the right). The two 56-blade turbine fans provide high airflow, but they are quite noisy at maximum performance.

Battery life

During the usage tests of the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023, the first one conducted was the battery life test. Interestingly, its power decreased from 99Wh in the previous generation to 88.24Wh, but its capacity is expanded to 7640mAh spread over 6 cells.

The autonomy obtained in the most favorable scenario was 8.65 hours, which is a little over 8 and a half hours. It is a figure that is not bad at all for basic use of Word editing, with Wi-Fi activated, screen at 30% brightness, dGPU off, and keyboard backlight off. With discrete graphics, the figures will fall drastically depending on the processing load demanded.

Final thoughts about the Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 2023

Gigabyte’s AERO 16 OLED 2023 laptops are designed for content creators and provide both hardware and design improvements. Unlike other brands that only update the interior, the AERO series has refined its appearance, including details like the screen cover, edges, and keyboard color, creating a visually stunning product.

The 16″ AMOLED UHD display, calibrated by Pantone for 5 color spaces, remains one of the laptop’s strongest features, providing exceptional quality. However, it is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and has a glossy finish that causes glare. The peripherals are excellent, including the original white keyboard, sound, and touchpad. Only having one USB-A port may be insufficient for some users.

The laptop hardware supports high-demand multitasking, rendering or design programs, and high-performance gaming with the Nvidia RTX 4070 of 105W. Battery life is impressive, lasting over 8.5 hours in power-saving mode, despite the smaller battery.