How we test every laptop

Every laptop goes through the same protocol before we film it. The video on the laptop's page shows the exact unit you'll receive.

1. Hardware diagnostics

We run the manufacturer's diagnostics, check the SSD (health and power-on hours), the RAM and temperatures under 20 minutes of load.

We read the real capacity versus design capacity and the cycle count, and publish them exactly, not rounded.

Pixel and uniformity test, hinges, chassis. Every sign of wear is photographed up close and listed under signs of wear.

Every key and the backlight, all USB/HDMI/audio ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, speakers.

Internal cleaning, fresh thermal paste where needed, a clean OS install and secure erase of any previous data.

We film the test, assign a grade (A, B or C) using the same criteria for every laptop, and publish.