The Aon S1 outperforms each different laptop computer I personal.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Malibal is an organization you have in all probability by no means heard of and the Aon S1 is, almost definitely, a laptop computer that is not in your radar.
It ought to be.
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Malibal produces high-performance, customized Linux laptops for builders and content material creators. In addition they create cellular workstations for engineers, scientists, video editors, 3D modelers, and animators, in addition to cellular servers for enterprise purposes. The important thing right here is excessive efficiency. And earlier than I get into my ideas on the Aon S1, it ought to be famous that Malibal’s high-performance {hardware} comes with a high-performance value. The Aon S1 begins at a base value of $1,199.00 and the overview unit I acquired sells for $2,083.00. You will get the identical top-end CPU and GPU, which is the place a lot of the efficiency comes from, for as little as $1,573.00 (in the event you decrease the reminiscence and space for storing).
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Aon S1
The Malibal Aon S1 is a customizable Linux laptop computer (operating Ubuntu Desktop Linux 22.04) that’s highly effective sufficient to deal with almost any workload you throw at it.
Is it price it to purchase a laptop computer that prices almost twice what a MacBook Professional 13-inch? Let me share my opinion on that matter.
What’s the Aon S1?
The Aon S1 is a laptop computer that runs Linux (though, for an added value you should purchase it with Home windows) and runs it extremely effectively. The specs of the mannequin I used to be shipped seem like this:
CPU: twelfth Gen Intel Core i7-12700H with 14 cores and 20 threads.RAM: 64 GB.Show: Nvidia® GeForce® RTX™ 3050 Ti 14-inch WQXGA (2880 x 1800) 16:10; sRGB 95%.Storage: 1 TB.Ports: 1 x Thunderbolt, 1 x HDMI output, 2 x USB Sort A Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.1 type-C Gen 2, 1 x Audio Combo, 1 x DC-in.Networking: Intel Twin Band Wi-fi Wi-Fi 6E AX211.Battery: Embedded six cells polymer battery pack 99WH.OS: Ubuntu Desktop Linux 22.04.
Clearly, this laptop computer was meant for critical workloads and never simply searching social media. Not which you could’t do typical, on a regular basis duties with the Aon S1, however that will be like driving a Ferrari to the grocery retailer. To anybody who finds the standard laptop computer underpowered, the Aon S1 is highly effective sufficient for absolutely anything you throw at it.
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But it surely’s not the ability that had me smitten with this laptop computer, nor was it the truth that it shipped with Ubuntu Desktop Linux (which is all the time a plus).
Let me clarify.
The show
First, let me discuss concerning the show. Though it won’t stand as much as Apple’s Retina show for shade accuracy and sharpness, the Aon S1 isn’t any slouch. However greater than something, the minuscule bezel actually bought me. Virtually each inch of the higher chassis is devoted to show. The aspect bezel is round 1/8-inch and the highest bezel is only one/4-inch. Due to that, the 14-inch laptop computer feels extra like a 13-inch, solely with a bigger display. In reality, because the Aon S1 arrived, I a lot desire utilizing it to my MacBook Professional 13-inch.
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Though I a lot desire Linux as an OS, I used to be resigned to the concept that no producer could be able to making a laptop computer with {hardware} superior to Apple’s. And though the Aon S1 won’t have the elegant chassis of the MacBook Professional, it is each bit its rival elsewhere.
The picture does not do the tiny bezel of the Aon S1 justice.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The keyboard and touchpad
I write phrases for a residing. Due to that, I can instantly choose a keyboard after just a few fast clicks. And in step with my MacBook Professional comparability, the Aon S1 keyboard blows Apple’s out of the water. In contrast to Apple’s keys, which really feel like toys, the Aon S1 keyboard has a really strong really feel that enables me to kind at velocity with accuracy. Every press of a key feels satisfying and dependable. It is a keyboard that may face up to a number of typing and by no means miss a stroke.
It is a keyboard any skilled author will love.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
So far as the touchpad goes, it is fairly good. At roughly 5 1/8-inch X 3 5/16-inch, it is greater than giant sufficient and feels glassy and clean. Even higher, the response is incredible. There’s zero lag and the cursor strikes about with ease. Once more, that is {hardware} to rival the MacBook Professional — which is saying fairly a bit.
Efficiency
I put the Aon S1 via some less-than-typical duties to see how it will carry out. Sure, I began with the same old duties of putting in software program, operating an workplace suite, utilizing the online browser, and so forth. However then I made a decision to throw some container deployments into the combo. Given the specs of this machine, I used to be not within the least shocked at how effectively it carried out, even underneath a reasonably heavy load. The Aon S1 outperformed my beast of a desktop machine (System76 Thelio) with out blinking. I’ve not skilled a laptop computer that might pull off such a feat, however the Aon S1 actually made it occur.
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I put in Docker and MicroK8s after which deployed Portainer with each Docker and Kubernetes environments. The laptop computer did not a lot as blink on the load. After that take a look at, I felt assured the Aon S1 may deal with something the typical consumer would throw at it (after which some).
The Aon S1 ran Ubuntu Desktop Linux 22.04 like a champ.
The conclusion
Given how there are such a lot of cheap laptops accessible, dropping over two grand on a 14-inch laptop computer might sound a bit extreme. Nonetheless, in the event you’re bored with buying laptops that by no means fail to underwhelm, it is time you go the other way. Not everyone seems to be prepared to drop the additional coin on such a chunk of {hardware}. However in the event you’re in search of one thing that can blow you away with the way it seems, feels, and performs, you’ll be remiss in the event you did not think about the Malibal Aon S1.
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That is going to be one of many first overview laptops I’ve ever acquired that I’ll critically miss when it heads to the following reviewer.
You should buy the Aon S1 in numerous configurations from the official Malibal web site.