ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 laptop review: An affordable office laptop with an Intel N95 processor

ACEMagician was previously known as a mini-PC manufacturer, however, with the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 we now have a 15-inch, Intel N95 -equipped office laptop on our premises. The SoC was revealed at the CES in Las Vegas at the start of the year and, meanwhile, it has made its debut in the odd mini-PC or other. Amongst other things, we were already impressed by the 4-core machine’s performance in the NiPoGi GK3 Plus N95 .

At a current price of $339, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 gets you 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of mass storage meaning the device is well-equipped for simple office-based tasks. In this review, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 will have to prove itself against the competition. Additionally, we also take a look at the CPU performance compared to the NiPoGi GK3 Plus N95.

The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is a 15-inch laptop with a solid and flawlessly built case. Although the device is relatively inexpensive, high-quality materials have been implemented. Metal surfaces ensure good stability and reduce case flexing to a minimum when localized pressure is applied.

However, they don’t help completely eliminate this, even though we have to apply a great deal of energy. Likewise, the display lid benefits from the aluminum cover and twisting is also only possible by applying a large amount of force. All of the external interfaces can be found on the sides of the laptop.

There are a total of five USB ports with one of those USB ports being reserved for the power adapter. Additionally, external monitors can be connected via HDMI or DisplayPort. The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 can also accommodate microSD cards.

The transfer rates are not very high due to USB 2. 0’s speed. We are already familiar with the Wi-Fi module as it is the same wireless module as the one found in the NiPoGi GK3 Plus N95.

When it came to the performance tests we carried out with the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, we observed almost identical performance compared to the mini-PC. The other competitors clearly set themselves apart with better transfer speeds. The results ascertained from our review model mean the laptop is most definitely suited to surfing the internet.

The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is fitted with a straightforward chiclet keyboard which lacks backlighting. The key haptics are good and the textured surfaces offer decent grip. The pressure point is tangible and is accompanied by a slightly muted strike.

Fortunately, this is not very pronounced and helps avoid a spongy typing experience. When it comes to typing noise, the input medium is quite reserved. Thankfully, the manufacturer has opted not to do without a full-sized numerical keypad.

The device also comes with rubber pads, however, the use thereof has a negative impact on the typing experience. One disadvantage for non-English native speakers could be the English keyboard layout. A mouse alternative comes in the shape of a multi-touch capable Clickpad (13 x 8.

7 cm) and does an excellent job of using the space beneath the keyboard. The entire input area is responsive and navigating the display using the mouse pointer is done quickly and precisely. At the bottom edge, the pad offers short travel for the inputs, providing the user with clear feedback via an audible click.

The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 comes with a good, 15. 6-inch FHD panel but the average brightness of 219 cd/m² had our review sample admitting defeat. Even the maximum brightness (229 cd/m²) is only enough to be able to overtake the Fujitisu LifeBook A3510 .

Despite that, however, due to the low black level, the Ace AX15 manages a relatively good contrast ratio of 1. 145:1. Likewise, our review device also has to battle with slight screen bleeding and this is something we had to take into consideration when evaluating the display score.

However, in return, we did not detect any PWM, regardless of the brightness level and this can prevent signs of fatigue during lengthy periods of use. Our measurements revealed the built-in display to have low color accuracy. But, in this respect, the competition doesn’t fare any better in this discipline with only the Lenovo V17-IIL managing to set itself apart.

Evaluated subjectively, the display quality is, however, okay and sufficient for simple tasks. However, the low color accuracy and the somewhat high DeltaE 2000 value, rule the laptop out of being suitable for professional photo or video editing. Our manual calibration resulted in only very modest changes to the DeltaE 2000 value.

The comparatively low display brightness makes outdoor use difficult but a cloudy sky could, however, help matters. In sunlight, we would advise against using the device outdoors. In normal use, the built-in IPS panel performs immaculately.

By contrast, the low and steep viewing angles are problematic, as can be seen in the image below. The Intel Pentium N95 is a native 4-core SoC and provides an adequate foundation for the device’s intended application. Similarly, with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, users are well served by the ACEMagic Ace ‎AX15.

We carried out all of the performance tests using the Balanced energy profile. Alternative energy-saving plans are not available. The Intel N95 possesses four native computational cores and can achieve a maximum boost speed of up to 3.

4 GHz. In our test, we observed much better performance than the Intel Pentium Silver N6000 und the Intel Celeron 6305 . Nevertheless, the Intel N95 doesn’t quite manage to live up to expectations.

In the NiPoGi GK3 Plus N95 , the same SoC delivers better performance which is likely due to the larger cooling element. Unfortunately, the equipped RAM is the SoC’s undoing as the manufacturer has only installed a single SODIMM module with 16 GB of DDR4 2666 MT/s. However, the SoC supports up to 4,800 MT/s in the form of DDR5.

But, even as a DDR4 option, 3,200 MT/s would have been the better choice in order to achieve slightly better performance. Dual-channel operation isn’t possible with the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 anyway since there is only one SODIMM slot. Additional processor benchmarks can be found here .

In terms of the system performance-related synthetic benchmarks, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 takes its place at the back of the pack. Despite this, the system performance is acceptable. Viewed subjectively, it’s possible to work well with the review device as long as the laptop isn’t asked to carry out too many tasks simultaneously.

The ACEMagic Ace ‎AX15 displayed slight latency problems when opening multiple Edge browser tabs. Those problems increased significantly when playing our 4K test video. The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 houses a Netac 512 GB SSD.

The installed model offers SATA speed making it considerably inferior to the faster NVMe SSDs. Once again, in tests, this was only good enough to secure a bottom-of-the-table placing. Nevertheless, the equipped mass storage is much more performant than the eMMC storage found in the Acer Swift 1 SF114 .

The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 doesn’t allow for the installation of a second mass storage device. Additional comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our comparison table . The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15’s graphics solution is an Intel UHD Graphics with 16 EUs.

Competitors with a faster iGPU are significantly superior to our review sample. The NiPoGi GK3 Plus N95 is just as fast which confirms that additional 3D performance shouldn’t be expected of this configuration. As a result, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is not suitable for gaming.

The small office computer should only really be trusted to handle the most basic browser or casual games. Additional Intel UHD Graphics benchmarks can be found here . At first glance, the ACEMAGIC Ace AX15 has impressively low noise production in idle use as well as low load.

The noise level can, however, occasionally reach a good 42 dB(A) under maximum load. The high-pitched fan noise makes the recorded volume seem somewhat louder. Due to the economical processor, there is no need for the installation of a complex cooling system.

This also has a positive effect on the case temperatures which are consistently harmless. When it came to the SoC stress test, we only measured 75 °C. The PL1 (Power Limit) is 18 watts and this was reliably maintained throughout our test.

The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 comes with two speakers that can be found in the front area below the palm rest. However, both speakers only offer the bare essentials necessary to reproduce speech well. The highs and mids dominate and there’s only a hint of bass.

For a better audio experience, we would recommend using either an external speaker or a headset. Both of these can be done via USB or the 3. 5mm audio jack.

When it came to the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15’s power consumption, we didn’t observe any abnormalities. In idle usage, the power adapter has to supply between 8 and 8. 7 watts although it can sometimes reach a peak of a little over 35 watts.

The power adapter can deliver up to 40 watts which means it never gets overwhelmed. The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 has a 38 Wh battery which is a comparatively small power pack. Our review device had to admit defeat in a comparison with the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 and its identically-sized battery.

In our Wi-Fi test (loading websites with the help of a script) we measured a runtime of 5 hours and 44 minutes. Nevertheless, this is suitable for home utilization. Recharging the battery to 100 percent takes a little over two hours.

That is quite a long time considering the battery’s low capacity but after roughly half that time, the battery level already sits at 75 percent. The ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is an economical and affordable office laptop. The Intel N95 is a very modern SoC but only offers 4 cores and 4 threads which is something worth taking into consideration.

Basically, it is possible to work well with the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 as long as not too much is demanded from the laptop. This is a solid laptop for its current $340 asking price which is not too steep in terms of RAM and mass storage. The 16 GB of RAM is good although splitting this into two SODIMM modules would have been a better solution.

Dual-channel implementation would have, amongst other things, ensured more power and that’s something the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 can do with. With the Intel N95, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 offers a very economical, decently performing SoC and a surprisingly premium selection of materials. The build quality is good and we were surprised by the chosen materials which at least means the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 isn’t a pile of plastic.

For the price range, the port selection is appropriate. There are many USB interfaces and even USB-C is represented. Not a lot can be expected of the installed SSD due to the SATA connection.

In everyday life, however, this isn’t a problem. We do have some criticism reserved for the installed Wi-Fi module. A more modern Wi-Fi 6-Wi-Fi module would have been the better choice with the equipped one not managing to impress us with fast data transfer speeds during tests.

By contrast, we see the installed Intel N95’s good potential for its intended use. Currently priced at around $340, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 costs around $100 less than Fujitsu’s Lifebook A3510 which has better CPU performance on offer. On its own online store, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is currently discounted meaning it can be had for $339 .

At the time of reviewing, the ACEMAGIC Ace ‎AX15 is unavailable on Amazon US. .