Eve-V aka the Microsoft Surface Pro killer is the first ever crowd-funded laptop designed by a Helsinki based start-up company, Eve Technology.
This laptop clearly shows that wonders can happen if the communities and ideas come and work together.
This detachable 2-in-1 laptop was first showcased at the Computex Taipei trade show in Taiwan and it seems like the company took its inspiration from the OnePlus. But can the Eve Technology actually be the OnePlus of Laptop biz? Let’s find out!
It all started back in February 2015 when the company decided to built the first ever crowd-sourced 2 in 1 detachable laptop. The result is something like a Microsoft Surface but with more specs and features at an affordable price
• Design:
Let’s start with the design, the Eve V is an awesome looking device and it’s got this nice brushed metallic feel at the back. It has a minimal design with almost no branding at all. The chassis has curved edges for a comfortable grip and is made up of aluminum instead of VaporMg magnesium alloy used in Surface Pro. The laptop is also slightly thicker than the Surface Pro but you would not be able to notice it. The upside down triangle (the Eve V logo) at the back is almost unnoticeable. The kickstand is also very similar to the Surface Pro which pulls out from the side and opens up at the back allowing the display to be adjusted at a comfortable angle. However, the kickstand does not open quite as wide as the Surface Pro.
• Specs:
The Eve-V will be available in 3 different configurations to choose from. You can either get the Intel m3-7Y30 or i5-7Y54 or i7-7Y75 with 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB SSD storage space respectively. The RAM options available are 8 GB LPDDR3 and 16 GB LPDDR3.
The benchmark scores are not as high as the Surface Pro cause of the processors I guess, but overall the laptop performs really well in day to day tasks and you will get same or sometimes even better experience than the Microsoft Surface.
It comes with an Intel HD 615 integrated graphics card that is not meant for graphics intensive tasks like editing and gaming. But you can connect an external GPU using Razer Core or Omen External GPU dock as the Laptop has a Thunderbolt port.
Talking about the ports, the laptop has two full-size USB ports, 1 USB-C port, headphone jack with built-in amplifier and 1 thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt will really allow you to game on this device and you can also carry it around with you for productivity.
The laptop also has a power button and volume rocker on the right side. The power button is also a fingerprint scanner allowing you to quickly lock and unlock the device. You also get a front 2 megapixels camera and a back 5 megapixels camera which are just okay.
• Display:
The display on this device is extremely good, it is a 12.3 inch display with 2880 x 1080 resolution. Every single unit is individually calibrated and the display almost covers 100% RGB color gamut. There are 7 color profiles available to choose from allowing you to get the best experience with the display.
It is the brightest display by far at an average of 442 nits. The average is just 288 nits, and the Miix (361 nits) and Surface Pro (396 nits) were dimmer than the Eve V.
• The Detachable Keyboard And The Eve Active Pen:
The keyboard is one of the coolest things on this Laptop. It is very minimal looking multicolor backlit keyboard. There are 7 different RGB colors available which you can switch by pressing the FN + V key which is labeled as the companies logo. Backspace is also labeled as oops which might seem cool to some people.
The keyboard connects to the display tablet using the Pogo pins. One great thing about the keyboard is that it can also be used when it is not connected via Bluetooth. This means that you can also use this keyboard with other devices.
The Touchpad is also very good, it is smooth and has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 surface that provides good precision and is very responsive. It also supports all the Windows 10 gestures allowing you to enjoy as much as the Surface Pro’s touchpad.
You also get an active pen included in the box. The active pen is good but is not as accurate and pressure sensitive than its competition but it doesn’t mean that it is not serviceable, you can easily use it to create awesome digital drawings.
• Battery Life:
The battery life on this device is decent and it will last up to 6-7 hours of usage. This laptop lasted for 6 hours and 59 minutes on Laptop Mag Battery Test which continuously browses the web over Wi-Fi at a fixed brightness.
• Conclusion:
Overall this is a great 2-in-1 laptop for those who want something like Surface Pro with more features like a Thunderbolt port or more RAM and storage at an affordable price. This laptop does not look like it is built by a scrappy start-up company using crowd funds, it looks like it is by a more established manufacturer. The laptop has a price of $799 for the entry-level model. It will start shipping on December 4, 2017, and will be sent out to the 2500 original backer, including Intel which is backing its development with a 6 figure sum.