Colorful EVOL X15 AT 23 Review: Impressive QHD gamer with Raptor Lake-HX and a few unmissable quirks

More popular for its range of PC motherboards and GPUs, Colorful began expanding its horizons to include Intel 12th gen Alder Lake laptops. This year, the Chinese tech giant has upgraded its lineup to offer several 13th gen Raptor Lake offerings. Apropos to this, the new Colorful EVOL X15 AT 23 recently arrived at our test labs.

Our EVOL X15 AT sample is powered by the Intel Core i7-13700HX , Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU , 16 GB DDR5-4800 memory (single stick), and a 512 GB NVMe SSD. The device offers impressive specifications, including a QHD 165 Hz display and a 73 WHr battery, and is available in select Asian markets such as China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and in Russia at Ozon for about $969. Newegg is selling this SKU in the U.

S. at a $1,759 markup. In this review, we take a look at the new Colorful EVOL X15 AT and see if it can stand up against some of its more entrenched competitors.

Colorful offers the EVOL X15 AT in three hues — Grape Purple, Pine Blue, and Mist Grey (our review unit). With a thickness of 27. 1 mm and weight of 2.

3 kg, the EVOL XT15 AT won’t be winning any slimness awards. Still, it is significantly more portable than the Dell G15 5530 and the Alienware m16 R1 . The EVOL X15 AT, being a Clevo design, primarily sports a robust plastic chassis.

The construction is largely reminiscent of the Gigabyte G5 KE , which is also a Clevo rebrand. Despite the sturdiness of the construction, we observed considerable flex in the keyboard deck. The display lid is made of metal and doesn’t wobble much.

The hinges have ideal tension, allowing the lid to be opened with a single finger without causing the base to slide Overall, the EVOL X15 AT does not aim to woo you with a suave design language but is utilitarian enough as a gaming laptop. Colorful has endowed the EVOL X15 AT with a fairly decent port selection. The left flank houses two USB-A options (USB 2.

0 and USB 3. 2 Gen 1) plus a dedicated line-in jack for analog audio input. On the right side reside a microSD slot, Thunderbolt 4, and Gigabit LAN.

On the right, we get to see a microSD card reader, Thunderbolt 4, and Gigabit LAN. Finally, the rear houses USB 3. 2 Gen2 Type-C, mini-DisplayPort-out, and HDMI-out.

The Type-C ports unfortunately only support power delivery-out, so you will have to inevitably lug around the nearly 1 kg power brick everywhere to keep the laptop fed. The EVOL X15’s microSD card reader does not break any speed records and is about 28% slower than the class average in JPG copy and AS SSD sequential read tests. The EVOL X15 AT features an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 WLAN chip.

Transfer rates are pretty much consistent in both the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands when tested with our reference Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 router. The laptop offers excellent transmit and receive throughput in the 5 GHz band. In the 6 GHz range, the EVOL X15 falls short of the Alienware m16 R1 AMD in iPerf3 transmit tests but makes up for the deficiency in receive tests with a peak throughput of 1.

7 Gbps. Given its primary focus on gaming, the EVOL X15 makes do with a conventional 720p webcam. The webcam is adequate for quick video chats but lacks in color accuracy, reproduction of details, and overall sharpness.

There are no dedicated security features such as biometric logins built in. A TPM 2. 0 module is present to meet Windows 11’s security requirements.

There are no separate accessories in the box apart from the 280 W adapter and the usual paperwork. The Colorful EVOL X15 AT ships with a two-year standard warranty. The back panel easily comes off after removing the 13 PH0 screws.

The EVOL X15 shows a busy internal layout together with an extensive all-copper cooling system for the CPU and the GPU. Our unit came with only a single 16 GB DDR5-4800 stick configured in dual-channel mode. The WLAN card, RAM, and NVMe SSD can be replaced or upgraded as necessary, and the L-shaped battery pack can be unscrewed.

The EVOL X15’s full-sized keyboard includes a number pad and room for properly sized arrow keys — a boon for racing titles. One drawback of this layout is the shortened Right Shift key, which could trip up users transitioning from a typical desktop or even a laptop keyboard. Key travel initially feels a bit mushy, but there’s enough tactility for gaming and typing.

Colorful’s (read Clevo’s) Control Center app allows keyboard and mouse macro recording, which should come in handy for MMORPG and MOBA gamers. There’s no multi-zone or per-key RGB backlighting, so you will have to contend with a limited color palette in the Control Center app. The backlight can be adjusted in four stages, but the keys filter out a good amount of light from passing through.

The 12 cm x 7 cm touchpad isn’t the largest we’ve seen in gaming laptops this year, but it offers a relatively smooth gliding experience and fully supports Windows Precision gestures. The entire touchpad surface serves as a left mouse button. However, clicks are easier and less noisy in the central and bottom regions of the touchpad compared to the top corners.

The EVOL X15 AT comes equipped with a 15. 6-inch QHD 165 Hz BOE panel. The display doesn’t exactly wow you with its 345 nits peak and 318 nits average luminance, but this is on par with most gaming laptops at this price.

Minimal backlight bleeding is observed at the corners. The panel exhibits a decent 81% brightness distribution, but the measured 607:1 contrast ratio is on the lower end especially when compared to other BOE panels in this comparison. The EVOL X15 is not aimed at content creators, but the 97% sRGB coverage augurs well for gaming, web, and basic edits.

Creators wishing to make use of the EVOL X15’s capable hardware can use an external display to augment color performance. The display’s out-of-the-box color reproduction is serviceable for the most part, with average Grayscale and ColorChecker Delta E 2000 values of 4. 3 and 3.

08, respectively. Our calibration routine, using the X-Rite i1Basic Pro 3 spectrophotometer and Portrait Display’s Calman Ultimate software, considerably improves these corresponding values to 1 and 1. 12.

The calibrated ICC file can be downloaded from the link above. Response times are decent for most gaming needs. The EVOL X15 AT’s panel does not use overdrive and there’s no option to enable it, which would have helped to further reduce the 50% grey to 80% grey transition times.

We did not detect PWM or flickering at any of the tested brightness levels. For more information, see our article, ” Why PWM is such a headache “, and also our PWM Ranking table . Outdoor viewing is fine, but the brightness of the display may not be adequate for use in direct harsh sunlight.

Viewing angles are relatively stable with only minor loss of brightness at the extremes. The Colorful EVOL X15 AT is available with both Intel Core i5-13500HX and Core i7-13700HX options with corresponding GPU options being the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU and the RTX 4060 Laptop GPU. Colorful offers Clevo’s Control Center app for performance tuning and adjusting various RGB effects.

A total of four performance modes are offered. All benchmarks were performed in the Performance mode that allows the Core i7-13700HX to fully flex its muscles. Discrete GPU mode was used for graphics and gaming tests.

Battery tests were performed in the Quiet profile with MSHybrid enabled. Colorful caps the PL2 to 30 W in Quiet and Power Saving modes, which is a significant power reduction compared to the other modes. This is reflected in the drastic drop in Cinebench R15 scores as illustrated in the table below.

The Core i7-13700HX features 16 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of up to 5 GHz. This CPU in the EVOL X15 AT generally performs on par with its counterpart in the Alienware m16 R1, and such other laptops overall. However, it significantly lags behind the 12-core 24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX in multi-core tests.

Although rated at 162 W, the Core i7-13700HX can utilize up to 145 W in the Performance mode. Nonetheless, this only provides a minimal advantage in single-core performance over the 115 W PL2 in the HP Omen 16 . Apart from the initial gradual decrease in scores, there is no perceived throttling during the Cinebench R15 multi-core loop test.

The EVOL X15’s Core i7-13700HX can use a maximum of 145 W with boosts up to 4. 2 GHz while running the Cinebench R15 multi-core loop in Performance mode. In Entertainment mode, the Core i7-13700HX can still manage to hit 4.

2 GHz at 113 W, but the average power drops to just about 21 W during the run. Quiet mode sees the EVOL X15 hit 4 GHz peak while consuming just 30 W. However, the average clocks dip to just under 1 GHz while sipping 15 W.

Cinebench R20 scores on battery drop by 26. 5% and 54% in single-core and multi-core, respectively. More information can be found in our dedicated Intel Core i7-13700HX page.

The EVOL X15 AT performs better in PCMark 10 compared to CrossMark. AIDA64 memory scores are on the lower side owing to the single dual-channel DDR5-4800 stick in the EVOL X15 compared to the dual quad-channel implementation in its competitors. That being said, we did not face any hiccups in using the EVOL X15 for routine productivity and web browsing tasks.

High DPC latency is a known issue in laptops with Nvidia cards, and the EVOL X15 is no exception, although it fares better than its competitors. We recorded an interrupt-to-process latency of 1,330. 4 µs using LatencyMon, following a sample YouTube 4K60 playback and a 10-second Prime95 stress.

The Nvidia Windows Kernel Mode Driver Framework (nvlddmkm. sys) contributes to this high latency. Our DPC Latency Ranking page provides more LatencyMon comparisons across tested devices.

The EVOL X15’s 512 GB Western Digital SN540 NVMe SSD is no match for the Kioxia and SK Hynix drives used by its competitors. Nevertheless, 4k q1 t1 reads and 4k q1 t1 writes surpass those of the Kioxia XG8 in the Alienware m16 R1 AMD. Colorful allows you to add another PCIe Gen4 NVMe drive.

However, there is no scope for adding 2. 5-inch SATA mass storage. The drive starts throttling after the 17th loop during the DiskSpd Read Loop test at a queue depth of 8.

There is no thermal cover or padding provided on the drive. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU in the EVOL X15 AT operates at a 140 W TGP. Its overall 3DMark performance is comparable to other laptops that use the same GPU.

We also see that the RTX 4060 is within striking distance of the 140 W RTX 4070 Laptop GPU in the Uniwill GM6PX7X , but it falls short by 31% when compared to the 175 W RTX 4080 Laptop GPU that powers the Alienware m16 R1 AMD . 3DMark Time Spy graphics scores can drop by nearly 54% on battery power. The EVOL X15 manages small leads over competing laptops of similar specifications, including the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Alienware m16 R1 Intel in overall gaming performance at 1080p Ultra.

QHD 60 fps gaming is achievable in many AAA titles, and there’s potential to coax out even higher frame rates with the assistance of upscalers such as Nvidia DLSS, AMD FSR, or Intel XeSS. The cooling of the EVOL X15’s graphics subsystem appears to be quite efficient, as evidenced by the stable frame rates observed while under stress with The Witcher 3 at 1080p Ultra. Refer to our dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU page for more information and performance comparisons.

Colorful limits the EVOL X15 AT’s fan noise to under 30 db(A) in the Quiet mode. However, both the Entertainment and Performance modes see noise levels nearing the 55 db(A) mark even under average 3DMark 06 loads. The provided power profiles do have a perceivable impact on gaming performance.

For instance, we see average frame rates dropping by 33% in The Witcher 3 at 1080p Ultra when switching from the Performance mode to Quiet mode. The EVOL X15 features a robust cooling system that fully covers the CPU, GPU, and the chipset. Surface temperatures are manageable under heavy load thanks to the solid plastic construction and ample clearance of the back panel from the motherboard.

Only one hotspot at the bottom hits 51 °C. Notwithstanding its weight, the EVOL X15 can used on the lap as long as you don’t push it too hard. The touchpad and palm rest areas remain relatively cool, only getting mildly warm under extreme load.

Stressing the EVOL X15 with Prime95 in-place large FFTs sees the Core i7-13700HX attaining peak boosts up to 3. 7 GHz while utilizing 123 W. Despite comprehensive cooling, the CPU periodically drops to 2.

5 GHz at 80 W before attempting to rise back to 3. 7 GHz. Upon adding FurMark, the Core i7-13700HX can now use up to 132 W to hit 4.

2 GHz but still intermittently throttles close to the 2. 5 GHz mark. The RTX 4060 can use the power headroom and hit 2,475 MHz peak while utilizing 161 W.

With The Witcher 3 at 1080p Ultra, the Core i7-13700HX is able to hit 4. 2 GHz peak using only 76 W, while maintaining average clocks of 3. 2 GHz at 46 W.

This allows enough headroom for the RTX 4060 to attain a near-consistent boost of 2,490 MHz at 103 W. The EVOL X15’s stereo speakers are loud enough for a moderate-sized room. Colorful advertises Creative SoundBlaster Studio tuning, but the audio sounds tinny due to the lack of bass response and average mids.

Higher frequencies, on the other hand, are reproduced fairly well. Ideally, Colorful could have taken advantage of the large chassis to include more powerful passive radiators. Nevertheless, users can get better audio quality either through the 3.

5 mm combo audio jack or Bluetooth 5. 2. The EVOL X15’s idle power consumption is on the higher side compared to the competition using the Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4060.

That being said, power draws under max load are relatively lower at 224 W. The Uniwill GM6PX7X with an RTX 4070 shows 33% higher power draws under max load yet still manages to be 16% more economical overall than the EVOL X15. The supplied 280 W power brick can adequately power the laptop under stress.

Given the EVOL X15’s fairly powerful innards, the 73 WHr battery can afford only average run times. At 150 nits brightness, the laptop can last nearly 5. 5 hours in our standard Wi-Fi web browsing test and roughly 6.

5 hours during H. 264 1080p video playback. Colorful aims to offer a capable QHD gaming laptop for under $1,000 and largely succeeds with the EVOL X15 AT 23.

Primarily built with plastic Clevo construction, there is some keyboard flex; however, the EVOL X15 is remains structurally sound overall. The EVOL X15 AT has a lot of things going for it. Prospective buyers will appreciate the decent port selection, fast Wi-Fi 6E speeds, and easy access to the innards.

The combination of an Intel Core i7-13700HX desktop-class CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU enables the EVOL X15 AT to effectively compete with higher priced models such as the Alienware m16 R1 and the Acer Predator Helios 16 . The Colorful EVOL X15 AT may not offer all the bells and whistles found in the well-established competition, but it largely manages to get the basics right without any noticeable performance limitations. ” That being said, there are several areas of criticism as well.

Aspects such as the lack of power delivery-in with the Type-C ports and somewhat higher response times need addressing. Colorful also needs to focus on fine tuning fan curves with the default performance profiles and also work on improving idle power consumption. Overall, the Colorful EVOL X15 AT is a worthy consideration, provided you are able to snag one for less than $1,000 and not have to pay a markup.

That being said, laptops powered by the RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU , or even the Radeon RX 6800M , may offer a better overall package at similar prices if you don’t mind losing out on DLSS 3 frame generation and efficiency gains with Ada Lovelace. The Colorful EVOL X15 AT 23 is available directly from local distributors of Colorful products. The tested EVOL X15 AT configuration officially carries a $969 price tag, but it currently retails on Newegg at a substantially high markup of $1,759.

Alternatively, a QHD variant of the Acer Nitro 5 with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU can be purchased from Amazon US for less than $1,200. If raw CPU performance is not a priority, the Asus ROG Strix G15 featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and Radeon RX 6800M is a good choice for less than $1,300 on Amazon US and less than $1,200 on Best Buy US . .