24 DECEMBER 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 382
AVITAISN’TLIKELYto be alaptop brand
you’ll have heardof,ast he HongKong-based
company has only just launched in the UK,
with its Liber 14 laptop leading the charge.
This is alower-end Windows 10
ultraportable,poweredby an eighth-
generation Intel Core i3 laptop-grade
processor,8GB of RAM, 128GBof SSD
storage andaFull HD display; hardly a
spec to get the heart racing.Still, it is truly
affordable,something that can’toften be
said of recent ultraportables.
LIVERY LAUGH LOVE
Wherethe Libe r14r eally stands out,
however,isits design, with the aluminium
chassis coming inachoice of striking finishes:
Pearl White, Angel Blue,Ornament on Gold,
and PaisleyonL ilac. The first colour is a
fairly standard white, but the light blue is
certainly vivid, while the other two finishes
add atextured designto the laptop’s lid
that sits somewhere betweenarug pattern
and an intricatetattoo.
Our Ornament on Gold model certainly
drew the gazeof colleagues, but the reaction
was mixed. While the design is appliedto a
high standard, whether you find the
ornamental pseudo-flower pattern attractive
or ostentatious will beamatter of taste. Our
personalfavouriteist he Angel Blue option,
which is cleaner and more minimalist.
What won’t divide opinion is the build
quality of the Libra 14, its metal bodywork
feeling pleasantto the touch and solidly
formed. There’s no real flex in the lid or other
surfaces, with the exceptionof the underside
panel near where it meets the hinge,although
that’s nothingto worry about in practice.
Aside from the lid design and colour
scheme,the Liber 14 isafairly standard
sub-£500 laptop; there’s no slick bezel-
slimming displaydesign or pop up webcam;
the rather meagre 720p webcam sits in the
traditional spot above the display.
At 222x333x15mm, it isn’t the thinnest
14in laptop around either,and its 1.5kg
weight is nothing special.Still, it presents
AVITA Liber14
★★★★★
£485•From http://www.ebuyer.com
WINDOWS 10 LAPTOP
aneat package that’s
no strainto carry around.
Apair of USB3 ports–one on
the le ftand one on the right–offer
connectivityto most popular peripherals,
while aUSB Type-C connectoroffers fast
chargingof the PD 2.0 standard. Thunderbolt
3ism issing, but that’s parforthe course on
budget laptops. There’s alsoastandard
barrel DC connectionforcharging and a
3.5mm headphone jack.
The ports then getalittle odd, with the
additionof aMicro HDMI and microSD card
slot, neitherof which are as widely used as
their full-size counterparts. Given that
laptopsof asimilar dimension can fit these
ports, it’salittle disappointing the Liber
only has the smaller versions.
It managesto includeafingerprint reader,
oddly locatedto the le ftoft he keyboard,
which is unusual given how such scanners
normallyfavour right-handers.
Finally,there’s apair of stereo speakers on
the underside,which are onapar with most
ultraportables in that theydeliver clear sound
that lacks real punch; fineforthe occasional
YouTubevideo,lessso forseriousfilm-watching.
The Liber 14’s backlit
island-style keyboard delivers a
pretty vanilla typing experience,with
keys that have just enough travelto
allow forspeedy touch-typing butfeel atad
spongyforatruly tactile experience.We’re
also not keen on the keys’ markings being
orientatedoff centre,ort heir slightlytextured
finish; bothfeel cheap and pointless. Also,on
our review unit, the backlighting under the ‘C’
keywas bleeding out from the keycap,thanks
to it being placedalittle askew in the
keyboard deck. It’sadecent enough keyboard,
but it certainly doesn’t punch above its class.
The trackpad puts onabetter
performance,offering alarge horizontal
footprint that’s some half the lengthof the
keyboard, with plentyof height as well.
While abit more sensitivity wouldn’t go amiss,
thanks to the useof Windows Precision
drivers the trackpad is reasonably accurate,
especially comparedto laptops that use
Synaptics drivers, such as the HP SpectreFolio
(Shopper380). The diveboard mechanism
deliversasolid, precise click as well.
GETTHE PICTURE
The 14in, 1,920x1,080 IPS displayisp retty
much the bare minimum an ultraportable
can get awaywith these days. The bezels
around that displayhaven’t been subjected
to the dietsof those on more expensive
ultraportables, but theyaren’t horribly thick
like the frames on some Chromebooks.
As forthe IPS panel’s performance,it’s
reasonable rather than stellar.Wem easured
VERDICT
Avita’sUKdebutbringsanaffordableand
surprisinglydecentultraportableto themarket
Wherethe Liber 14really stands out is its design, with the
aluminium chassiscoming inachoiceofstriking finishes
