Home Reviews ,,,,, Why buy a computer? Ten years ago we would have had a lot to talk about, while answering this question in 2018 becomes difficult. Smartphones are now able to replace it for most of the operations and from them they have better portability (in fact they are always with us, even in the bathroom) which makes the purchase more convenient. It is precisely for this reason that if ten years ago hundreds of euros were spent to have the most powerful computer, today it is perhaps worth investing the same amounts in an excellent smartphone.
If you don't do jobs that require a lot of processing power or if you don't focus primarily on gaming, it doesn't really make sense to spend thousands of dollars on a computer today. Most PC users today use such a machine to write texts and reply to emails, surf the web, watch videos on YouTube and chat on Facebook, all of which can also perform very well in low-to-mid-range computers.
It is for this reason that we have decided to put Teclast F7 to the test, whose response is more than positive: large trackpad and responsive keyboard make it a perfect work machine.
How is it made
At a quick glance it is easy to confuse it with a MacBook Air: with brushed aluminum chassis, it is really thin (only 1.35 centimeters thick, while the dimensions are equal to 31.5 x 20.9 centimeters) and light (about 1.3 Kg) and the absence of embossed or colored logos in the center of the body give it an even cleaner look (the Teclast brand is printed on a corner and is difficult to notice).
On the left side there is a micro-HDMI output and a USB 3.0 port, on the right side there is a second USB 3.0 socket, a microSD slot for memory expansion, a 3.5mm audio jack input and the pin for recharging the internal battery: a pity about the absence of a USB-C port to replace the latter, a compromise that can still be accepted above all in consideration of the fact that it is probably also for this reason that the company has succeeded to keep costs low.
Data sheet
Keyboard and trackpad: the biggest selling point
We recently tried another ultrabook that, despite costing almost twice as much (but had, among others, a better processor, more RAM and a sensor for scanning fingerprints), had disappointed us precisely because of the inaccuracy of the trackpad and keyboard. Here the speech is instead completely opposite: it will not be the most performing computer you could wish for, but to work it did not make us regret our MacBook Pro (Retina 15 '' mid 2014).
The keyboard is wide and very comfortable, in comparison the keys have the same size and the same spacing, with an excursion very similar to that of the Apple keyboard. Typing is natural and this is confirmed by the typingtest.com test (Italian option), where we obtained an average score of 93 words per minute against the 107 words per minute obtained with the MacBook we have been working on for years.
Positive sensations also with the trackpad, which has the exact same dimensions as that of our MacBook. It is precisely the habit with the latter that, in the tests of other computers, we have always preferred to combine a mouse to have greater productivity. With Teclast F7 the mouse remained in the drawer: the trackpad surface is in fact sliding and the physical or touch click are always precise. We also liked to find some three or four finger gestures similar to those of macOS (4 fingers up for the Windows “Mission Control”, 4 fingers down to quickly view the desktop, 3 fingers left / right to move between the pages), which made our user experience very close to what we are used to.
Other usage impressions
The 14-inch LCD screen with Full HD resolution is more than enough to be able to work even on software that needs more workspace, such as Photoshop and Lightroom from Adobe. The brightness is good even if not ideal for working in full sunlight and the colors are perhaps a little more saturated than in reality: without a calibration it is difficult to recommend it for professional photo editing.
The processor isn't Intel's latest model, but it's powerful enough to adequately handle the operations an average user – or in our case a journalist – wants in such a machine. Maybe the 6 GB of RAM is not the best but to work on two browsers at the same time with about 15 tabs open in each the computer runs well and smoothly. Gaming side, Asphalt 8 runs well and without latencies.
The speakers are good, the volume is high enough to allow us to hear the dialogues of a film well even if the general audio is a bit muffled. The 2MP camera is great for video calling but certainly can't be recommended for selfies.
Conclusions
It doesn't have a touch screen, nor is there a fingerprint sensor for quick access, but both are features you can genuinely do without on a laptop. Video editing experts and computer video game lovers will probably have to look elsewhere but if you are among those who need a computer to perform those operations that are easier than a tablet or smartphone (multitasking, long typing texts), then Teclast F7 is the best laptop you can find in its price range.
Retail price
Teclast F7 is on sale on GearBest for 253 euros.
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