Dan Ackerman,
Senior Editor
November 14, 2008
We tend to like our laptops either really big or really small. Hence our fascination with both tiny Netbooks and oversize 18-inch laptops. We've reviewed four 18-inch models so far, and we expect to see even more in the future, as PC makers move from 16:10 screens to 16:9 screens. These 1,920x1,080 screens have the same native resolution as a 1080p HDTV, and make for an impressive package for movie watchers when coupled with a Blu-ray drive or other HD content (most current laptop screens are 16:10, which leave you with black bars on the top and bottom of your screen when viewing HDTV programs or Blu-ray movies).
Acer's Aspire 8920-6671 was the first laptop we'd seen with an 18.4-inch display. It was pricey, at $2,499, but included a unique set of touch-sensitive media controls (which we hear are unfortunately being dropped from future models).
The HP HDX18 shows mainstream PC makers getting in on the act, and the added edge-to-edge glass on the display (similar to what's on the new MacBooks), makes for a nice cinematic experience.
Sony is known for high-end, aesthetically pleasing, but expensive, systems. Of the 18-inch laptops we've looked at so far, the fixed-configuration $1,849 Vaio AW125J/H was surprisingly the least expensive Blu-ray-equipped model, beating out the HP HDX18 and the Acer Aspire 8920 by a few hundred dollars. Sony also offers similar models (such as the Vaio AW170) that can be configured with up to 1TB of hard-drive space and cost up to $3,299.
The odd man out in our first batch of 18-inch laptops was the Toshiba Qosmio G55. It has an 18-inch display, but no Blu-ray, and even the resolution was off--a mere 1,680x945. The selling points were some Web-cam gesture controls (which hardly worked), and a second Cell processor (just like the chip powering the PlayStation 3). Toshiba calls this combo "Quad Core HD," and uses the extra horsepower for accelerated video encoding (as long as you're using the included software).
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| Price | $1,942.00 to $2,026.78 | $1,349.99 | $1,749.99 | Check Prices |
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| Review date | May 22, 2008 | September 19, 2008 | November 12, 2008 | October 08, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | With Blu-ray and a true 1080p display, the 18-inch Acer Aspire 8920 is a movie fan's dream, but we'd go for the cheaper of Acers' two preconfigured models. | HP already makes some of the best multimedia laptops, and trading up to a true 16:9 18-inch display makes for an impressive semiportable home theater in the form of the HP HDX18. | Sony's Vaio AW125J/H is an aesthetically pleasing multimedia machine, and those familiar with Sony's high-end laptops will be surprised to find out it's also the cheapest 18-inch Blu-ray-equipped laptop we've tested. | Toshiba's Qosmio G55-Q802 adds some dubiously useful gesture control gimmicks, but the real promise is in speedy video transcoding--as long as you use the right software. |
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| Features | ||||
| Networking |
- IEEE 802.11g - Bluetooth 2.0 EDR - Fast Ethernet - IEEE 802.11n (draft) - IEEE 802.11b Network adapter - Ethernet - IEEE 802.11a - Gigabit Ethernet |
Info unavailable |
- IEEE 802.11g - IEEE 802.11b - IEEE 802.11a Network adapter - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - IEEE 802.11n |
- IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - IEEE 802.11n (draft) - IEEE 802.11b Network adapter - Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR |
| Battery |
Lithium ion |
Info unavailable |
Lithium ion |
Lithium ion |
| Telecom |
Fax / modem - 56 Kbps |
Info unavailable |
Fax / modem - 56 Kbps |
None |
| Graphics Controller |
NVIDIA GeForce 9650M GS - 512 MB |
Info unavailable |
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB |
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB |
| Storage Removable |
None |
Info unavailable |
None |
None |
| Optical Storage |
DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM / BD-ROM - Integrated |
Info unavailable |
DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM / BD-ROM - Integrated |
DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM - Integrated with Labelflash Technology |
| RAM |
4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz ( 2 x 2 GB ) |
Info unavailable |
4 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC2-6400 ( 2 x 2 GB ) |
4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 800 MHz - PC2-6400 ( 2 x 2 GB ) |
| Cache Memory |
6 MB - L2 cache |
Info unavailable |
3 MB - L2 cache |
3 MB - L2 cache |
| Processor |
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 / 2.6 GHz ( Dual-Core ) |
Info unavailable |
Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 / 2.26 GHz ( Dual-Core ) |
Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 / 2 GHz ( Dual-Core ) |
| Notebook Camera |
Integrated |
Info unavailable |
Integrated - 1.3 Megapixel |
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