Jim Salter
The Ice Lake-powered GWTN156-1BL we’re reviewing at this time is certainly one of a whole line of inexpensively manufactured, Gateway-branded laptops accessible completely at Walmart. We meant to assessment it final month, alongside its $350, Ryzen-powered little sibling the GWTN141-2—however it offered out so shortly we weren’t capable of get our fingers on one till Walmart refreshed its inventory final week.
Though we’re actually solely wanting on the $500 Ice Lake model at this time, we’ll embody the specs for the $350 Ryzen-powered different as a refresher, since we count on lots of people might hesitate between the 2. In the end, each machines are not less than cheap purchases—however we predict the cheaper GWTN141-2 is extra compelling, regardless of being a wimpier machine general.
At $350, there aren’t many laptop computer choices accessible, and the GWTN141-2—regardless of its warts—comes out totally on high. However on the GWTN156-1BL’s $500, the market opens up significantly. Main producers akin to Lenovo, ASUS, and Acer all provide fairly cheap designs for $550 or much less. The refurbished market, then again, nonetheless is not very aggressive—one of the best offers at underneath $600 are likely to function sixth-generation i5 CPUs which look paltry subsequent to the Gateway’s low-end Ice Lake.
At this worth level, we’re additionally getting nearer to some compelling mainstream programs—akin to Acer’s Aspire 5, which is healthier constructed and accessible with a significantly extra highly effective Ryzen 5 4500U for $610.
| Specs at a look: as reviewed | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway GWTN156-1BL | Gateway GWTN141-2 | ||
| OS | Home windows 10 Residence | Home windows 10 Residence (S mode) | |
| Display screen | 15.6 inch IPS FHD (1920×1080, 210 nits) | 14.1 inch IPS FHD (1920×1080, 190 nits) | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-1035G1 | AMD Ryzen 3 3200U | |
| GPU | Intel UHD for tenth technology CPUs | AMD Vega 3 | |
| RAM | 16GiB DDR4 (soldered, non expandable) | 4GiB DDR4 (soldered, with one empty DIMM slot) | |
| HDD | 256GB M.2 (Foresee S345G256G) |
128GB M.2 (Netac S539N) |
|
| Networking | Intel 9461 1×1 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 |
Realtek 8821CE 1×1 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2 |
|
| Ports |
|
|
|
| Dimension | 14.8″ x 9.6″ x 0.8″ (376 x 244 x 20mm) |
13.1″ x 8.9″ x 0.8″ (333 x 226 x 21mm) |
|
| Weight | 4.3 kilos (2.0kg) | 3.5 kilos (1.6kg) | |
| Guarantee | 1 12 months restricted | 1 12 months restricted | |
| Extras | Fingerprint reader (in touchpad), 720P digital camera |
Fingerprint reader (in touchpad), 720P digital camera |
|
| Value as examined | $500 at Walmart | $350 at Walmart | |
Overview
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Left aspect: Kensington lock slot, DC barrel jack, USB 3.0 sort A, full-size HDMI, USB sort C (charging + knowledge).
Jim Salter -
Proper aspect: USB 3.0 type-A, 3.5mm audio combo jack, microSD card slot.
Jim Salter -
The 15.6″ Gateway keyboard seems fairly jammed-together and undifferentiated, however it’s pleasantly clicky and tactile.
Jim Salter -
In most gentle, the Gateway’s comparatively low cost plastic chassis seems OK. However typically an odd, refined rainbowing impact is seen.
Jim Salter
This Ice Lake-powered Gateway laptop computer is, at the start, a 15.6″ upscale of its less-expensive, 14″ Ryzen 3200U-powered cousin. It shares the identical brightly coloured however unusually gentle plastic chassis, the identical touchpad with built-in fingerprint reader, and the identical port format. The keyboard appears to be a precise repeat of the smaller laptop computer’s as effectively—however on this case, with a 10-key keypad grafted onto the aspect.
Nevertheless, the newer machine is considerably heavier, at 4.3 kilos—which is not completely loopy for a 15.6″ laptop computer, however it’s heavy sufficient you may wish to suppose twice earlier than shopping for it for an getting old mother or father or somebody with weak or injured wrists. The additional weight additionally makes the flex of the plastic chassis extra obvious than it was within the smaller, lighter model.
Though the keyboard seems like a jumbled mess, we discovered it nice to sort with—there are not any notably bizarre key placement points, the arrow keys are full measurement, and there is nothing unusual occurring with the Enter/Backslash keys. It was additionally noticeably, satisfyingly “clicky” and tactile—not essentially your best option for stealthy Internetting whereas a accomplice sleeps, however rewarding in its lack of keypress mushiness.
The general look of the Gateway is a combined bag—the branding is utilized effectively and engaging, and in most gentle, the satin-finish plastic chassis seems moderately good. However we discovered that, underneath some angles and a few gentle, a refined and barely off-putting rainbow impact was current within the end.
