GoKawiilThe Gigabyte Aero X16 delivers solid productivity performance, excellent battery life, and a few genuinely useful AI tools, but its average display and dated connectivity hold it back. Creative users and gamers alike can find better value elsewhere, especially at this price.
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Gigabyte’s Aero X16 aims to be a do-it-all machine for gamers and creators alike, pairing an AMD Ryzen AI CPU and an Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card inside a clean, professional-looking chassis. There is plenty to appreciate here, particularly its strong productivity performance and excellent battery life, though its average display and some shortcomings make it feel less modern than it should. While capable, it's quite expensive for those looking for one of the best gaming laptops .
Design of the Gigabyte Aero X16
Available in lunar white or space gray on our unit, the Aero X16 looks understated yet modern, with slim display bezels and a thin chassis. Its aluminum exterior exhibits minimal flexibility and feels strong. The quality is excellent, with minimal and consistent gaps between parts and includes luxury touches, like a display that opens one-handed. The only branding is a small highlight on the lid and Aero lettering under the screen.
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Measuring 14 x 9.9 x 0.78 inches and 4.2 pounds, the Aero X16 is shallower and significantly lighter than the Framework Laptop 16 (14.03 x 11.43 x 0.82 inches, 5.29 pounds with graphics module). The Acer Predator Trito 14 AI (12.68 x 8.84 x 0.71 inches, 3.5 pounds) is more portable, but it uses a smaller 14.5-inch display.
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Gigabyte’s port selection is adequate, starting on the left with Ethernet, HDMI, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, and USB4. On the right, you’ll find a 3.5 mm audio jack, another USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, and a USB 2.0. The barrel-style power connector and the legacy USB 2.0 port make the laptop feel less modern than it should. Internally, the Realtek 8852CE wireless card doesn’t help by only supporting previous-generation (albeit perfectly adequate for most users) Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. A modern laptop in this price-range should have Wi-Fi 7.
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