Will you be reviewing the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED Laptop please? It’s a great deal @ $899 considering it comes with intel ultra 9 185H + 16gb ram and 1TB ssd which is also upgradable 😊
I had my eye on the Acer Helios 4090 and after watching your video I decided to pull the trigger! It will be delivered on Tuesday the 11th! I can't wait!
hows your experience with it? i've had mine for a bit over 2 weeks and while i havent had enough time to really test it out im still trying to work out the kinks to really get the absolute best out of it. keeping the temps low while maintaining great performance, getting the best out of the mini LED panel, and trying to do work arounds with that 14900HX. also have you tried the HDR mode on it? mine has looked god awful when testing OLED demos, lots of graphical hiccups until i went and updated everything again.
We need an 18 inch non-gaming look laptop that has good battery life, excellent keyboard, outstanding haptic trackpad, and an amazing display. Besides the razor and doesn’t break the bank.
Really cool Josh! Great that you have done here what I have not seen any other tech youtuber do yet. I have searched endlessly for a good comparison featuring all the 18 inchers to know which is the best one so that I know what to go with to be my on the go portable workstation! Thanks and cheers
because they prioritize money over customer's feedback and same goes to razer. just buy asian brand laptops like msi, acer, asus and lenovo because they truly care both money and customer's feedback
I had one since 2015 and its thermal throttling made it borderline useless for gaming, its vents filled with dust in couple of months, it was heavier than a brick. On the plus side it still works fine for my parents. But i dont see when oo what their actual peak was. New Lenovo is a dream comparably
Interesting that we had exactly the same issue with our 2020 Razer 17 Pro concerning the 'direct GPU' mode, where after sleep the screen would be blank. This has been an issue for many years, unfortunately.
This was exactly the video I was looking for. I want to replace my old gaming laptop with a new one and want to upgrade to a larger, 18 inch, screen. I was already looking at some of the models discussed in this video. I was unsure about the predator; being cheaper than the rest aroused some suspicions in me that it might be compromised in build quality. Your video, however, makes clear it has the best price/quality ratio. Which is very useful to know. Thanks
Owning an Alienware M18r1, the screen is not that bad. Sure, it's not going to work well outside in daylight, but playing BG3 at the moment, I have no issues seeing things when I'm indoors. The performance is great, and I'm only running the RTX4080 variant. There's a TON about this laptop that make it great! Price wise, it's much less than most of the others mentioned here, has more ports, is more upgradeable with 4 NVME slots (on the 4080 and 4090 variants), and the build quality is great! Everyone picks on Alienware (Dell), but I am extremely happy with my machine.
I got one too. The other brands might offer better screens but they offer inferior build quality and their designs are a little too gamery. Alienware is more low key while still looking cool.
@@justswitched8841 It's a great looking laptop! I purchased a carbon fiber skin to goes over the lid as well as across the surface in front of the keyboard. It really looks sharp!
@@justswitched8841And, best of all, onsite support. On the screen point, if we didn’t have new options over 300 no one would say a word, as if they game on the beach. Even most people in average conditions run 300 nit panels at like 50-70%…. Very few need more in reality.
The best reviewer out there. You spoke the truth, you found whats good and what not about these machines. Then you compared them with each other. And I can confirm your analysis. I have a Razer 17 and just bought the predator 18 4090. It's a mounstrocity but its all worth. It is bigger than the Blade 17 but its not huge to the point of being uncomfortable. The form factor is the same of the older 17 inch models, so it fits on an existing 17 inch sleeve. It aint that heavy an its a monster in performance - this is worth if you are an enthusiast / work-play VR games, Video editing, AI video, 3D rendering. I dont even play flat games on this, but VR, you will always need more and more The fans of the predator have a low pitch sound which does not disturb, in turbo mode its madness, but its worth it when you gonna play that unoptimized vr game or create a baking in Unity. I did had a scar 17 some years ago, and it is true it has a very annoying high pitch, so much that I returned it. The Razers have that issue as well. Could you weight the powerbricks? No video compared all of them. The Razer is so sexy and the Predator is the chunkiest. Having an 18 inch screen does feel enormous. This is especially relevant when working with video, 3d and unity. You will see tons more menus an feel more comfortable overall. With the 17 inch Razer blade you felt you needed a bit more space when the project is getting heavy.
I am a proud owner of a ALIENWARE M18 R1 (all AMD). I got it for a very discounted price so not going to complain much about it... The screen indeed is not the brightness, but feels very responsive. Has amazing colors, depth and "HDR like" image which I am not even sure how they achieved. Probably has high native contrast. I have had many gaming laptops and this screen feels the best to use. (this includes 16 inch Macbook Pro M1) I have had a Legion 7 with much brighter display, but that wasn't as pleasant as the Alienware. Colors also felt too blue. Also with the 18 inch size I don't really feel a need for an external monitor any more. It also runs pretty quiet on balanced/performance mode and just runs every game smooth and beautiful. For me, the only downside is that the Alienware is very heavy and probably the biggest M18 laptop on the market today, although mine has a small 330W charger. But I am happy for the winner. I originally wanted to buy the Helios too anyways... :)
*_I was following along with you until you said the Alienware’s screen was better than an M1 MacBook Pro’s. Like, c’mon man…. LOL Apple screens are color accurate, which is why they are used so prevalently in professional environments. I’ve owned Alienware laptops before, and you’d have to be blind to think they even come close to a MacBook screen._*
I feel that they're trying to push creators or those who want a better screen towards the Dell XPS lineup... Which is a completely different class of laptop and also awful in general. Dell needs to go back to the drawing board and learn why Apple stopped doing all of the crap Dell is now doing.
@@cameronbosch1213 I hate it when brands do this. If a company is going to sabotage a product I want to push me towards another product they sell, why wouldn't I just buy from a different brand?
I'm sure you tried this, but when you open the lid and the screen doesn't come on, try closing the lid and opening it back up. It works 100% of the time for my 2011 Asus G73.
I have been testing the Raider 18 from Costco which is $3000 for a 14900HX, QHD 240hz IPS display, 4080 mobile, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD along with a membrane keyboard and normal clickpad. The heatsink with heatpipes instead of a vapor chamber still does a good job and while the chassis is not as nice as the Titan, I like it more than the other options and the price is much more reasonable than the Titan.
I'm late...lol I really appreciate the clear, to-the-point, communication! I may never understand the 'gaming' thing, but I am a business guy shopping for high end, big, mobile work stations. Typically only buy Dell Precision. Gaming rigs always bring the performance, but usually more flash than we need. I am sort of torn but do appreciate your very clear, less windy, reviews.
I think Razer is the best Macbook replacement and it has the most similar look and also keyboard to a MacBook. So for someone who is considering switching from a Macbook Pro to a powerful Windows laptop, I think Razer 18 is the best option.
Especially because only Razer Blade 18 currently has the coveted Thunderbolt 5 port! Run 3 4K displays at once, or two 8K displays at once! All from a single gaming laptop!
I could not have clicked to watch this video faster! I've been trying to compare them online. I'm not sure if I'll get one. I really wish one had an OLED display. And all laptops of this size should have amazing speakers. Anyways, thank you for gathering this info, I really appreciate your reviews.
the acer has one issue with overheating nvme therefore massive performance drop, but it should be fixable with aftermarket cooling pad. still it could affect the warranty...
I got the G18 from asus 4080 with an i9-14900hx. I am seriously impressed! the performance is ridiculous. I can run Ultra everything, Ray Tracing everything, but the biggest surprise to me was the thermals.. so any game i've run i haven't hit 80c on either GPU or CPU. i just have the back propped up on a couple old DVD's while keeping the performance mode on and the thermals are more than okay. Also my old display just doesn't even come close to this one.
These seems like Pro gamer laptops for those that travel to tournaments. The costs are insanely high, and you can get better value with a self-made gaming desktop.
Great video Josh. I appreciate the high-density information in such a short form factor. I can tell that you spent a lot of time in editing your script and b-roll tightly in order to focus on your analysis over simple raw information. This is impressive and intelligent presentation technique - and very much appreciated!
You are spot on. My aim is to make the most of your 12 minutes of time. No fluff, telling you what you need to know as fast and as interesting as possible. Scripts like this one btw tend to take about 8 hours (thats on top of testing time)
@@JustJoshTech It absolutely shows, Josh. It's obvious that these are carefully crafted videos. I just wanted to let you know that it makes your content stand out, especially to those of us who can spot the hard work and next-level talent.
You could save your editor and the viewers a ton of work, but making the cups between transitions longer. I find myself having to pause to see the information or comparisons before they disappear. But overall great content. Ty
M18R2 here. Could the screen be brighter? Sure, but saying you need to be in a dungeon to make it usable is a little extreme, it's not THAT bad. That being said, they do need to upgrade the screens...they are falling behind in that area quite badly.
Yes that is fair. But I definitely feel the screen is a major part of the laptop, and we haven't seen screens that dim since we did our Best Laptop for $200 video. I'm not joking. It's the dimmest of 70 laptops we have (other than the
I need a big laptop screen for productivity and gaming. However I don’t necessarily need the best specs to play the latest AAA games just good enough for most games. Any suggestions on budget 18 inch laptops?
I don't need one right now but I love your videos guys, so I keep watching them. I really liked the format, so much data in such a short time, and including bits from other reviewers.
Greay review, really put me of these. I was hoping to find an 18" creator quiet laptop. I noticed MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is not on the list, hile it is very competitevly proced (so much so,makes you wonder if there is an issue with it!), uses Ultra 9 185H (may be quieter?), very portable considering, UHD 120hz MiniLED, on paper ticks many boxes. I wonder why not many meaningful reviews.
Imagine spending that much on a laptop which has these issues...disappointing, such issues are acceptable for budget devices that cost below $800..great video btw, personally I'll never buy a laptop for gaming which knowing that i could get better performance and customization with a desktop, yet i enjoy watching your videos ❤
While I agree with the issues, if you compare it to a desktop then you weren't the target demographic for these laptops anyways. They're targetted at people that need to be mobile. If you're just sitting here going home every day and never traveling then yeah a laptop objectively doesn't make sense to purchase.
@crshoveride I've never owned a desktop pc, and always used laptops, and i do prefer them over desktops for portability, but gaming laptops are a joke, they aren't really portable, because once you unplug the power it'll last for barely an hour or two which isn't good for gaming or any other task, so here we just have heavy, super expensive devices which aren't really portable due to the large size and will die quickly if used unplugged, but i really didn't appreciate the fact that these cost way too much but still had major flaws. That being said, when he was talking about each of them, i thought they were absolutely amazing and beautiful devices..finally, I'm too broke to even touch them inside stores lol
I remember those 17.3 inch laptops that were 21 to 23 inches in size with the bezel. I am just hoping that someone releases an zero bezel 21 or 23 laptop with a large battery.
Out of the driver issues mentioned at the end, one stuck out to me: the display not waking up from sleep. I am convinced this is a Windows issue, as I have this exact same issue with my Dell XPS 15 9530 base model (Intel Arc, not Nvidia graphics)
@@Grimmjow19872 but my model is 4060, temps cpu/gpu in demanding games about 80/70, not very intense games 70/60. What about temperatures on 4080 I don’t know, but guess it will also fine
I own the MSI Titan 18 HX and I can't replicate any of the strange issues you report. Neither is the touchpad flickering (and BOY is it comfortable to use, because your hands just learn where it is and there's no dirt on the frame or any visual indication where it is), nor did I notice any vibration, nor is it going hot while doing nothing. The keyboard is perfect for a fast typist (300+ cpm). The 4k+ screen is really good, in comparison to all the QHD laptops you praise.
Got myself a scar18, fan issue is quite negligible since i always use a headphone while gaming and with my teammates’ shouts and gibberish, I don’t really hear the fan 😅
Sounds like you guys lost the panel lottery, bummer. My m18 R2 had an exquisite screen, I see colors on that thing I don't see on my desktop monitors or my Samsung Frame tvs
Will be buying the Predator 18 for home use only. Have a Predator 17 that is a few years old, has never missed a beat, runs quiet for work and has a super comfy keyboard and mouse. Big screens are great - just a fact. Excellent review, Josh.
Despite all, Dells onsite support still tips the scale. The screen business is way oversold. People gamed contentedly on 300 nit laptops for over a decade and still do. In normal indoor lighting conditions (no one is taking these outdoors for long) the screen is more than fine. It also leads on cost here…
so basically ASUS scar 18 is better in thermals,best performance on battery,brightest display,best battery, 2nd best performance on Timespy & cinebench slightly behind 1st. sounds like a WINNER to me 😉
Just an FYI, I have a Scar 18 with a 4080 and running it with a good Coolermaster laptop cooler. GPU temp maxes out at 80 degrees C and fan noise is 45dB. GPU is overlocked by 200Mhz on Core 1000Mhz on memory. Runs like a dream and quite silent. I personally think the slightly lower spec laptop 4080 cards run very well in an 18 inch configuration. My TimeSpy GPU score is 19899 with these settings.
I just bought this yesterday with the 4080 …. Is this enough laptop to last a SOLID 2 years for a soon to be brand new TH-cam content creator, it only has 32gb of ram not 64… going to unbox tonight
Josh Sir what are your views of HP's line of Gaming Laptops - Omen and Victus? The new ones, are they competitive or any good? The 16.1-inch ones, not the 14 inches Transcend. Do they impress you and would you recommend them? They have traditionally been more affordable compared to others.
great video bro! i know this is unrelated, but you guys seem to only respond to the first comments, so… i wanted to ask how similar is the build quality of the spectre x360 14 compared to a macbook pro?
@IlyasSahnoun I haven't re checked the trackpad palm rejection though. That was a tad annoying. That's it's only downside but its not the end of the world. When you buy make sure to use one of our links if you can, it helps support the channel
Josh, I love your videos, but I didn't like the loud, harsh intro sequence. Yes, these laptops are targeted at a certain segment of the market. It shouldn't matter. Please keep your reviews honest, genuine, and graceful, which has always been what you're about.
Are you here for the laptop reviews, or are you here for audio engineering and filmmaking? Because you’ve lost the plot if you are here whining about the "¡LoUd!" intro.
About the heat issue. The 4090 is more power sufficient and runs cooler than the 4080, so in this particular case you are a bit off the mark. Cool and battery life is actually a selling pint for the 4090.
@@JustJoshTechbecause it's total trash, I don't understand how you decided on 1st place for it, very cheap plastic body that will fall apart in 3 years, awful hardware layout inside, barely usable software, very high pitched fan noise, sleep mode issues, crappy speakers ... it's just a junk
Please! What is the game on the Alienware M18 R2 that has the green looking barefoot guy with the kind of skeleton face floating in the air in some sort of dungeon? Is it one of the Witcher games? Thanks
Love your content❤ But I have to ask you why don't you test for performance on and off the battery? Other than prolonged usage in watching movies, why not consider running benchmarks and record the remaining battery life? I think this is a real use case measure. 1 round of gaming or other intense load, then the rest is for casual use on a single charge.
That is one of the 3 battery tests we do. Perhaps we didn't show the results in this video, but we do in most individual laptop reviews. Btw in the future, all our graphs will be added to our website. So that you can see these results yourself
🎉 Acer Predator Helios 18: howl.me/cmguKi1NCva
💻 Asus Strix Scar 18: howl.me/cmgxNLNQboB
👉 MSI Titan HX: amzn.to/4coHxGR
😎 Razer Blade 18: howl.me/cmhPCilgicg
🤨 Alienware m18 R2: geni.us/2jXqM
🎉 Best Gaming Laptops: www.justjosh.tech/best-tech/Best-Laptops-for-Gaming
UGreen Nexode Pro 100 Watt: bit.ly/3JGAZGs
UGreen Nexode Pro 160 Watt: bit.ly/3Wg8ZB1
Will you be reviewing the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED Laptop please?
It’s a great deal @ $899 considering it comes with intel ultra 9 185H + 16gb ram and 1TB ssd which is also upgradable 😊
I think the #1 acer predator you are sending the link is not the mini LED Display. the mini LED one cost $800 more.
The acer helios was just on sale for 2600 at bestbuy that's practically half the price of the titan!
@@JustJoshTech I m from italy :( and i buy used
Are any of these OLED?
always been looking for a top-end laptop comparison video. Thank you for that!!
I never wanted such a beast but for people with less space or no desk having to move often... They sure provide value.
I had my eye on the Acer Helios 4090 and after watching your video I decided to pull the trigger! It will be delivered on Tuesday the 11th! I can't wait!
hows your experience with it? i've had mine for a bit over 2 weeks and while i havent had enough time to really test it out im still trying to work out the kinks to really get the absolute best out of it. keeping the temps low while maintaining great performance, getting the best out of the mini LED panel, and trying to do work arounds with that 14900HX.
also have you tried the HDR mode on it? mine has looked god awful when testing OLED demos, lots of graphical hiccups until i went and updated everything again.
Any update?
Any update,, i will buy it in two days if you respond fast
Man. That's not the fan noise in scar 18. It's the coil whine. Pretty famous for that 😬
Thats too bad for others, after a few months I have had zero coil whine.
I honestly wish we could have a Lenovo Legion 18....I think they'd hit it out of the park
lenovo is crazy, do a giant legion go and doesnt make a legion 18, it would be a jackpot for them, and for us
Nah.
@@V-yy9bq also acer
Man why they both don't go 18 with max spec
I never regret owning the Scar, it’s my 4th ASUS laptop
Me watching this knowing I'll never even consider buying a computer this big
*expensive
@@hamzaaitabderrahmane3436 brokie
*big and expensive 😭
You can get a 17” Walmart asus for $1399
same
We need an 18 inch non-gaming look laptop that has good battery life, excellent keyboard, outstanding haptic trackpad, and an amazing display. Besides the razor and doesn’t break the bank.
Check out the MSI Stealth 18 2024 model with 4k screen.
+ an OLED panel
Really cool Josh! Great that you have done here what I have not seen any other tech youtuber do yet. I have searched endlessly for a good comparison featuring all the 18 inchers to know which is the best one so that I know what to go with to be my on the go portable workstation! Thanks and cheers
Great review! I like how you guys address the nuances.
Alienware's downfall needs to be studied
because they prioritize money over customer's feedback and same goes to razer. just buy asian brand laptops like msi, acer, asus and lenovo because they truly care both money and customer's feedback
I had one since 2015 and its thermal throttling made it borderline useless for gaming, its vents filled with dust in couple of months, it was heavier than a brick. On the plus side it still works fine for my parents. But i dont see when oo what their actual peak was. New Lenovo is a dream comparably
@@dontblinkoryouwillmissme Razer still makes often best laptops.
All they have to do is update the screens
Still rocking a M18x R2. Works great today. Upgraded the GPU and added NVME
Interesting that we had exactly the same issue with our 2020 Razer 17 Pro concerning the 'direct GPU' mode, where after sleep the screen would be blank. This has been an issue for many years, unfortunately.
This was exactly the video I was looking for. I want to replace my old gaming laptop with a new one and want to upgrade to a larger, 18 inch, screen. I was already looking at some of the models discussed in this video. I was unsure about the predator; being cheaper than the rest aroused some suspicions in me that it might be compromised in build quality. Your video, however, makes clear it has the best price/quality ratio. Which is very useful to know. Thanks
You get it man.. you get what a good laptop needs to be. Thanks for your videos!
Owning an Alienware M18r1, the screen is not that bad. Sure, it's not going to work well outside in daylight, but playing BG3 at the moment, I have no issues seeing things when I'm indoors. The performance is great, and I'm only running the RTX4080 variant. There's a TON about this laptop that make it great! Price wise, it's much less than most of the others mentioned here, has more ports, is more upgradeable with 4 NVME slots (on the 4080 and 4090 variants), and the build quality is great! Everyone picks on Alienware (Dell), but I am extremely happy with my machine.
I got one too. The other brands might offer better screens but they offer inferior build quality and their designs are a little too gamery. Alienware is more low key while still looking cool.
@@justswitched8841 I'm on my 2nd m18 and it's by far the best sub-20" laptop I've ever touched. I'd take a 4k option too though ngl
@@justswitched8841 It's a great looking laptop! I purchased a carbon fiber skin to goes over the lid as well as across the surface in front of the keyboard. It really looks sharp!
@@justswitched8841And, best of all, onsite support. On the screen point, if we didn’t have new options over 300 no one would say a word, as if they game on the beach. Even most people in average conditions run 300 nit panels at like 50-70%…. Very few need more in reality.
Thank you for this comment! You probably made my choice! ) The screen was my main concern!
I am considering an 18inch gaming laptop because of lack of space for a full size monitor. You hit the nail right out at alienware review.
Love this video format!
The best reviewer out there. You spoke the truth, you found whats good and what not about these machines. Then you compared them with each other. And I can confirm your analysis. I have a Razer 17 and just bought the predator 18 4090. It's a mounstrocity but its all worth. It is bigger than the Blade 17 but its not huge to the point of being uncomfortable. The form factor is the same of the older 17 inch models, so it fits on an existing 17 inch sleeve. It aint that heavy an its a monster in performance - this is worth if you are an enthusiast / work-play VR games, Video editing, AI video, 3D rendering. I dont even play flat games on this, but VR, you will always need more and more
The fans of the predator have a low pitch sound which does not disturb, in turbo mode its madness, but its worth it when you gonna play that unoptimized vr game or create a baking in Unity. I did had a scar 17 some years ago, and it is true it has a very annoying high pitch, so much that I returned it. The Razers have that issue as well.
Could you weight the powerbricks? No video compared all of them. The Razer is so sexy and the Predator is the chunkiest.
Having an 18 inch screen does feel enormous. This is especially relevant when working with video, 3d and unity. You will see tons more menus an feel more comfortable overall. With the 17 inch Razer blade you felt you needed a bit more space when the project is getting heavy.
Thanks for sharing.
I am a proud owner of a ALIENWARE M18 R1 (all AMD). I got it for a very discounted price so not going to complain much about it...
The screen indeed is not the brightness, but feels very responsive. Has amazing colors, depth and "HDR like" image which I am not even sure how they achieved. Probably has high native contrast. I have had many gaming laptops and this screen feels the best to use. (this includes 16 inch Macbook Pro M1) I have had a Legion 7 with much brighter display, but that wasn't as pleasant as the Alienware. Colors also felt too blue. Also with the 18 inch size I don't really feel a need for an external monitor any more. It also runs pretty quiet on balanced/performance mode and just runs every game smooth and beautiful. For me, the only downside is that the Alienware is very heavy and probably the biggest M18 laptop on the market today, although mine has a small 330W charger. But I am happy for the winner. I originally wanted to buy the Helios too anyways... :)
*_I was following along with you until you said the Alienware’s screen was better than an M1 MacBook Pro’s. Like, c’mon man…. LOL Apple screens are color accurate, which is why they are used so prevalently in professional environments. I’ve owned Alienware laptops before, and you’d have to be blind to think they even come close to a MacBook screen._*
Awesome review. I'm buying for a friend and was extremely pleased to find all of your benchmarks, measurements, and visual presentations. A+ job!
Glad we could help
its so strange that the display options on the dell are so poor, esp. when we know there are many many options available
I feel that they're trying to push creators or those who want a better screen towards the Dell XPS lineup... Which is a completely different class of laptop and also awful in general.
Dell needs to go back to the drawing board and learn why Apple stopped doing all of the crap Dell is now doing.
@@cameronbosch1213 I hate it when brands do this. If a company is going to sabotage a product I want to push me towards another product they sell, why wouldn't I just buy from a different brand?
it's honestly not bad though...I never had an issue seeing the screen in a bright room during the day
I have had nothing but problems with Asus. Went with the AW M18R2 and haven't looked back. No Regrets.
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad it worked out!
My Alienware m18 r1 , 13900hx , rtx 4090 , qhd 165hz , 1 tb ss, 32gb ddr5 --- best laptop for my 😊
cope
I'm sure you tried this, but when you open the lid and the screen doesn't come on, try closing the lid and opening it back up. It works 100% of the time for my 2011 Asus G73.
Great video ! Just what I was looking for! Thanks a lot!
I have been testing the Raider 18 from Costco which is $3000 for a 14900HX, QHD 240hz IPS display, 4080 mobile, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD along with a membrane keyboard and normal clickpad. The heatsink with heatpipes instead of a vapor chamber still does a good job and while the chassis is not as nice as the Titan, I like it more than the other options and the price is much more reasonable than the Titan.
I'm late...lol I really appreciate the clear, to-the-point, communication! I may never understand the 'gaming' thing, but I am a business guy shopping for high end, big, mobile work stations. Typically only buy Dell Precision. Gaming rigs always bring the performance, but usually more flash than we need. I am sort of torn but do appreciate your very clear, less windy, reviews.
I'm about to pull the trigger on that Predator. I'm typing this on a Predator I purchased in 2016!
I think Razer is the best Macbook replacement and it has the most similar look and also keyboard to a MacBook. So for someone who is considering switching from a Macbook Pro to a powerful Windows laptop, I think Razer 18 is the best option.
Especially because only Razer Blade 18 currently has the coveted Thunderbolt 5 port! Run 3 4K displays at once, or two 8K displays at once! All from a single gaming laptop!
I looked at them but I'm not interested in a 17-18" laptop with no numpad. It seems like a big stretch to sell accessories.
I could not have clicked to watch this video faster! I've been trying to compare them online. I'm not sure if I'll get one. I really wish one had an OLED display. And all laptops of this size should have amazing speakers. Anyways, thank you for gathering this info, I really appreciate your reviews.
I hope the video delivered
the acer has one issue with overheating nvme therefore massive performance drop, but it should be fixable with aftermarket cooling pad. still it could affect the warranty...
It was great Josh thanks , esp. the last part of the video 👍
I got the G18 from asus 4080 with an i9-14900hx. I am seriously impressed! the performance is ridiculous. I can run Ultra everything, Ray Tracing everything, but the biggest surprise to me was the thermals.. so any game i've run i haven't hit 80c on either GPU or CPU. i just have the back propped up on a couple old DVD's while keeping the performance mode on and the thermals are more than okay. Also my old display just doesn't even come close to this one.
These seems like Pro gamer laptops for those that travel to tournaments. The costs are insanely high, and you can get better value with a self-made gaming desktop.
I was just about to get rid of my dungeon but now......
For seniors, I love this big 18-inch screen. 😄
Damn quality of the videos is really good better then linus tech tips l, love u Josh and the team❤
Great video Josh. I appreciate the high-density information in such a short form factor. I can tell that you spent a lot of time in editing your script and b-roll tightly in order to focus on your analysis over simple raw information. This is impressive and intelligent presentation technique - and very much appreciated!
You are spot on. My aim is to make the most of your 12 minutes of time. No fluff, telling you what you need to know as fast and as interesting as possible. Scripts like this one btw tend to take about 8 hours (thats on top of testing time)
@@JustJoshTech It absolutely shows, Josh. It's obvious that these are carefully crafted videos. I just wanted to let you know that it makes your content stand out, especially to those of us who can spot the hard work and next-level talent.
i have a alienware R18 and non of the mention about the alienware is tru . its a great machine no problem at all and the screen is great.
You could save your editor and the viewers a ton of work, but making the cups between transitions longer. I find myself having to pause to see the information or comparisons before they disappear. But overall great content. Ty
Yes we are trying to have the graphs on for longer. Noted
@JustJoshTech great. Awesome content
this was a really nice video, makes you become aware of factors when making buying decisions
M18R2 here. Could the screen be brighter? Sure, but saying you need to be in a dungeon to make it usable is a little extreme, it's not THAT bad. That being said, they do need to upgrade the screens...they are falling behind in that area quite badly.
Yes that is fair. But I definitely feel the screen is a major part of the laptop, and we haven't seen screens that dim since we did our Best Laptop for $200 video. I'm not joking. It's the dimmest of 70 laptops we have (other than the
I've watched multiple reviews on the Asus Scar, yours is the only one that said fan noise or pitch is a problem.
Glad I came across this channel...great video bro! You gonna do a dedicated video for the acer helios 18?
The problem with the display and mux switch is windows HDR mode. Turn it off with windows key+alt+b and the screen turns back on, no need to restart.
Amazing video! Very useful comparisons and quick. Thanks!
Generally I never use hibernate or sleep as they never fully recover, I have the 2022 MSI Raider but this applies to any PC I used.
Even though I'm not in the market for a gaming laptop I enjoy your reviews and comparisons, they're always honest and objective.
How are the internal temps on the Helios 18? Does it reach 90°c+ when gaming or during stress tests?
Excellent review, thanks
I need a big laptop screen for productivity and gaming. However I don’t necessarily need the best specs to play the latest AAA games just good enough for most games. Any suggestions on budget 18 inch laptops?
ok but which one will run runescape no lag
I don't need one right now but I love your videos guys, so I keep watching them. I really liked the format, so much data in such a short time, and including bits from other reviewers.
Thanks. We are certainly trying hard to be entertaining, educational, and fast
That intro shocked me from this channel. Not in any negative way; it's just not something you guys typically do. I gotta say it was pretty awesome.
I'm very glad you like it. We want to make videos that are not only educational but are entertaining
this was brilliant. not my market at all but still useful and informative and slickly done
Greay review, really put me of these. I was hoping to find an 18" creator quiet laptop. I noticed MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is not on the list, hile it is very competitevly proced (so much so,makes you wonder if there is an issue with it!), uses Ultra 9 185H (may be quieter?), very portable considering, UHD 120hz MiniLED, on paper ticks many boxes. I wonder why not many meaningful reviews.
How can a laptop be powerful without fantastic heat removal?
Imagine spending that much on a laptop which has these issues...disappointing, such issues are acceptable for budget devices that cost below $800..great video btw, personally I'll never buy a laptop for gaming which knowing that i could get better performance and customization with a desktop, yet i enjoy watching your videos ❤
While I agree with the issues, if you compare it to a desktop then you weren't the target demographic for these laptops anyways. They're targetted at people that need to be mobile. If you're just sitting here going home every day and never traveling then yeah a laptop objectively doesn't make sense to purchase.
@crshoveride I've never owned a desktop pc, and always used laptops, and i do prefer them over desktops for portability, but gaming laptops are a joke, they aren't really portable, because once you unplug the power it'll last for barely an hour or two which isn't good for gaming or any other task, so here we just have heavy, super expensive devices which aren't really portable due to the large size and will die quickly if used unplugged, but i really didn't appreciate the fact that these cost way too much but still had major flaws. That being said, when he was talking about each of them, i thought they were absolutely amazing and beautiful devices..finally, I'm too broke to even touch them inside stores lol
From a fellow Josh, dope review mate! Loving your style.
I remember those 17.3 inch laptops that were 21 to 23 inches in size with the bezel. I am just hoping that someone releases an zero bezel 21 or 23 laptop with a large battery.
Out of the driver issues mentioned at the end, one stuck out to me: the display not waking up from sleep. I am convinced this is a Windows issue, as I have this exact same issue with my Dell XPS 15 9530 base model (Intel Arc, not Nvidia graphics)
i dont understand why pp make a big deal out of fan noise i mean just put on some noise canceling headphones
because they dont care for their cpu. playing in silent will kill the hardware.
Got Strix G18 and it was best buy in my life 😊
How’s the cooling on it ?
@ perfect cooling, can definitely recommend
@@Grimmjow19872 but my model is 4060, temps cpu/gpu in demanding games about 80/70, not very intense games 70/60. What about temperatures on 4080 I don’t know, but guess it will also fine
I own the MSI Titan 18 HX and I can't replicate any of the strange issues you report. Neither is the touchpad flickering (and BOY is it comfortable to use, because your hands just learn where it is and there's no dirt on the frame or any visual indication where it is), nor did I notice any vibration, nor is it going hot while doing nothing. The keyboard is perfect for a fast typist (300+ cpm). The 4k+ screen is really good, in comparison to all the QHD laptops you praise.
Got myself a scar18, fan issue is quite negligible since i always use a headphone while gaming and with my teammates’ shouts and gibberish, I don’t really hear the fan 😅
I wish they made a 18 inch version of Lenovo Legion 9i
Josh Sir thank you for the informative video. May you be happy and healthy. 😊
I’m gonna buy this laptop for my design work and a bit of gaming
Do you think it’ll be a good fit?
Or do you have any other suggestions?
Sounds like you guys lost the panel lottery, bummer. My m18 R2 had an exquisite screen, I see colors on that thing I don't see on my desktop monitors or my Samsung Frame tvs
I have the budget for the Blade but I also like the Scar.
I'd personally get the Scar unless you are really okay with the Blades keyboard
was the predator cool to the touch when gaming like the asus was?
Jarrod's sudden appearance here was epic. Cool crossover!
All????
Where is Acer 18” modell example?
Will be buying the Predator 18 for home use only.
Have a Predator 17 that is a few years old, has never missed a beat, runs quiet for work and has a super comfy keyboard and mouse.
Big screens are great - just a fact.
Excellent review, Josh.
Were you using bright Dolby vision when testing the Alienware m18 brightness?
Love 18 inch laptops ❤ thanks for the video
Only spec that matters: Noise.
Despite all, Dells onsite support still tips the scale. The screen business is way oversold. People gamed contentedly on 300 nit laptops for over a decade and still do. In normal indoor lighting conditions (no one is taking these outdoors for long) the screen is more than fine. It also leads on cost here…
so basically ASUS scar 18 is better in thermals,best performance on battery,brightest display,best battery, 2nd best performance on Timespy & cinebench slightly behind 1st. sounds like a WINNER to me 😉
Yeah, honestly the Scar and Predator were insanely close. We could have gone either way
Just an FYI, I have a Scar 18 with a 4080 and running it with a good Coolermaster laptop cooler. GPU temp maxes out at 80 degrees C and fan noise is 45dB. GPU is overlocked by 200Mhz on Core 1000Mhz on memory. Runs like a dream and quite silent. I personally think the slightly lower spec laptop 4080 cards run very well in an 18 inch configuration. My TimeSpy GPU score is 19899 with these settings.
I got the predator Helios 18 love it
Mine is on it's way.
The AW 18r2 can be customized so I'm not sure the specs of your test laptop, 2 different screens are available not to mention the GPU, CPU, RAM, etc.
I just bought this yesterday with the 4080 …. Is this enough laptop to last a SOLID 2 years for a soon to be brand new TH-cam content creator, it only has 32gb of ram not 64… going to unbox tonight
from Jan 2025, perfect reviews, detailed and informative
Enjoyed this very much.
If you have to choose, go with the AlienWare M18 R2, don't hesitate. Ask him and he will approuved while he tested them all.
Which one has the best speakers?
Razer Blade 18 has a best speaker. Then is Scar 18.
Josh Sir what are your views of HP's line of Gaming Laptops - Omen and Victus? The new ones, are they competitive or any good? The 16.1-inch ones, not the 14 inches Transcend. Do they impress you and would you recommend them? They have traditionally been more affordable compared to others.
great video bro!
i know this is unrelated, but you guys seem to only respond to the first comments, so…
i wanted to ask how similar is the build quality of the spectre x360 14 compared to a macbook pro?
If MacBook is a 10 out of 10, New Spectre is probbaly a 9. So it's close but not quite there
@@JustJoshTech I’m definitely buying it than, thank you for the response!
@IlyasSahnoun I haven't re checked the trackpad palm rejection though. That was a tad annoying. That's it's only downside but its not the end of the world. When you buy make sure to use one of our links if you can, it helps support the channel
@@JustJoshTech I'll use your links, i never type with my hand on the trackpad tho so palm rejection isn't a concern at all to me.
Great content! Love it!
Thanks mate!
Josh, I love your videos, but I didn't like the loud, harsh intro sequence. Yes, these laptops are targeted at a certain segment of the market. It shouldn't matter. Please keep your reviews honest, genuine, and graceful, which has always been what you're about.
Are you here for the laptop reviews, or are you here for audio engineering and filmmaking? Because you’ve lost the plot if you are here whining about the "¡LoUd!" intro.
Now THIS is a great video
One bag for helios 18?
man we need some 18 or 19 inch thin and lights. The lg gram 17 is awsome
About the heat issue. The 4090 is more power sufficient and runs cooler than the 4080, so in this particular case you are a bit off the mark. Cool and battery life is actually a selling pint for the 4090.
Which ones work with a major modern Linux distro? Would love a video on this. Thanks!
as someone who owns a helios 16 I would never imagine the helios 18 coming in top
good video as always josh and team
What do you not like about it?
@@JustJoshTechbecause it's total trash, I don't understand how you decided on 1st place for it, very cheap plastic body that will fall apart in 3 years, awful hardware layout inside, barely usable software, very high pitched fan noise, sleep mode issues, crappy speakers ... it's just a junk
What about the temp / thermals ?
Please! What is the game on the Alienware M18 R2 that has the green looking barefoot guy with the kind of skeleton face floating in the air in some sort of dungeon? Is it one of the Witcher games? Thanks
Love your content❤
But I have to ask you why don't you test for performance on and off the battery?
Other than prolonged usage in watching movies, why not consider running benchmarks and record the remaining battery life?
I think this is a real use case measure. 1 round of gaming or other intense load, then the rest is for casual use on a single charge.
That is one of the 3 battery tests we do. Perhaps we didn't show the results in this video, but we do in most individual laptop reviews. Btw in the future, all our graphs will be added to our website. So that you can see these results yourself