Its per-key RGB backlighting, something no gaming laptop in this price range
can be without, is customizable from within the Aorus Control Center app. The
app allows you to change the colors of individual keys and gives you a choice of
more than a dozen lighting presets, but little else. The Razer Synapse app on the
FRPSHWLQJ%ODGH$GYDQFHGR̆HUV¿QHUFRQWUROVLQFOXGLQJWKHDELOLW\WRPDNH
OD\HUHGSDWWHUQVVDYHDQGXVHFORXGV\QFHGSUR¿OHVDQGHQMR\LQWHJUDWLRQ
into supported games. Unless you’re a serious tinkerer, though, Aorus’ app
should satisfy.
7KH¶VEXWWRQOHVVWRXFKSDGLVDQRWKHUKLJKSRLQWR̆HULQJSUHFLVHWDFWLOH
clicks that aren’t too loud. Its smooth surface is easy to swipe across and doesn’t
VKRZ¿QJHUSULQWV,QVHWDWWKHWRSOHIWLVD¿QJHUSULQWUHDGHUPDNLQJWKH
one of the few gaming notebooks to include built-in biometrics.
AN AWKWARD VIEW: RAISE THAT WEBCAM
7KH*¶VSZHEFDPFRXOGXVHVRPHUHORFDWLQJ7KLVLVQ¶WWKH¿UVWQRWHERRN
to place its camera beneath the display, but I hope it’s the last. The chin-up
pictures (which are, fortunately, clear enough in the right lighting) are
awkward. At least it has a sliding cover for privacy.
7KH*¶VSRUWORFDWLRQVFDQDOVREHGLVFRP¿WLQJGHSHQGLQJRQZKDW\RXQHHG
to plug in. Let’s start on the left, which has HDMI 2.0 and mini-DisplayPort
video outputs, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port (5Gbps), an audio combo jack
(headphone/microphone), and Ethernet. The last three are located more than
halfway toward the front (that is, close to the user), so cables that jut out from
them can intrude on external mouse space. The same is true of the USB 3.2 Gen
1 Type-A pair and the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port on the right edge.