Core i5-1235U performance debut: Gateway Ultra Slim 14.1 GWTC51427 laptop review

Walmart has fully refreshed its 14. 1-inch subnotebook this year with both a brand new chassis design and the latest Intel 12th gen Alder Lake-U platform. Not only is it one of the first models to ship with the Core i5-1235U , but it is also one of the most affordable at only $550 USD retail.

Our unit in review includes a 1080p IPS touchscreen, 8 GB of RAM, and 512 GB SATA III SSD. Competitors to the Gateway Ultra Slim include other budget 14-inch subnotebooks like the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 , Acer Swift 3 SF314 , Honor MagicBook , or the Infinix INBook X2 . More Gateway reviews: The 2022 design is actually larger and thicker than the 2021 model.

The bigger size is due to the new glass overlay on the screen and the thicker chin bezel of the display. Chassis quality is stronger than before likely because of the size changes. The display, for example, is stiffer this time around due to the stronger edge-to-edge glass reinforcement.

The base still exhibits some flexing or creaking when twisting its sides or when applying pressure on the keyboard center. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for an ultra-budget model. Port options are surprisingly good for an inexpensive 14-inch laptop.

The USB-C port supports both DisplayPort and Power Delivery for excellent docking capabilities. There is no Thunderbolt support likely to keep costs as low as possible. Keep in mind that the ports along the left edge are packed very tightly.

If you have a thick USB-C drive or cable, for example, then expect it to block the adjacent HDMI and/or AC adapter ports. The 2 MP webcam offers sharper picture quality than on most other laptops even including some expensive models like the Zenbook Flip 15 where 1 MP is still common. Unfortunately, colors continue to be very inaccurate.

A physical slider provides webcam privacy while Windows Hello is not supported. Bottom panel is secured by 11 Philips screws for relatively easy removal. Surprisingly, the system supports up to two M.

2 drives compared to just one on most other 14-inch models. Both RAM and WLAN are soldered, however. There are no extras in the retail box beyond the paperwork and AC adapter.

The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US. The keyboard is one of the weaker aspects of the Gateway. The plastic keys feel cheap, the letters are printed instead of cut, and there is no backlight option.

The Enter key feels shallow and with weak feedback which negatively impacts the typing experience. The clickpad is slightly smaller than the clickpad on the Infinix Inbook X2 (12. 3 x 6.

5 cm vs. 12. 5 x 7 cm).

Horizontal movements feel spacious while vertical movements can feel too tight as a result. Its integrated mouse keys are shallow and with a loud click when pressed, but feedback could have been stronger. The Gateway uses the BOE CQ NV140FHM-N48 panel that’s common on many inexpensive 14-inch laptops including the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 or IdeaPad S540 .

You can tell that this is a budget display due to its very limited color range of just 62 percent of sRGB whereas most midrange or higher-end laptops normally offer >95 percent coverage. Contrast is pretty good at about 1000:1, but the low maximum brightness and noticeable glare hinder overall picture quality. The display is nonetheless decent given the introductory price.

We can at least appreciate that it is an IPS panel and not a TN panel. The display is not well calibrated out of the box as to be expected from such an inexpensive model. Color temperature, for example, is much too cool at 8084.

Average color and grayscale DeltaE values would improve significantly from 6. 97 and 6. 2 to just 2.

0 and 1. 7, respectively, after calibrating the display ourselves. However, most colors at higher saturation levels remain very inaccurate due to the narrow gamut mentioned above.

We recommend owners apply our calibrated ICM profile above to get the most out of the display. Outdoor visibility is poor as the display is not bright enough to minimize glare from the glossy overlay. Alternatives like the Infinix INBook X2 have brighter displays for easier readability.

We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows for the best possible benchmark scores. There are no pre-installed Gateway software or proprietary “control center” for users to worry about here. The 12th gen Core i5-1235U directly replaced the 11th gen Core i5-1135G7 .

While multi-thread performance is 25 to 30 percent faster than the Core i5-1135G7 in last year’s Gateway, the CPU in the 2021 model was actually underperforming. Overall performance is similar to most other laptops running on the Core i5-1135G7 for only marginal performance benefits at best. More benchmark comparisons can be seen on our analysis page here .

LatencyMon reveals extreme DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is nearly perfect with just 3 dropped frames during our minute-long test video. Our model ships with the same W800S M.

2 2280 SATA III SSD as found on last year’s Gateway model. Transfer rates may be much slower than NVMe, but the target audience of home users running light to medium workloads will likely not notice. Graphics performance is approximately 5 to 10 percent slower than the average laptop in our database equipped with the same integrated Iris Xe 80 EUs GPU.

In fact, it has not changed from last year’s Gateway GWTN141 despite the newer generation CPU. Though RAM is running in dual-channel mode, the limited 8 GB capacity is likely holding back the GPU from performing faster. Most games are nonetheless still playable albeit at very low graphics settings only.

Some tested games, such as Strange Brigade, would fail to launch. Surface temperatures are warmer on the left half of the laptop than the right due to how the cooling solution is positioned inside. Hot spots can reach 36 C on the top or 31 C on the bottom which is similar to what we observed on the Acer Swift 3 SF314 .

The system never becomes uncomfortable to the skin during typical use. When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, clock rates would boost to 2. 7 GHz and 25 W for the first 15 seconds or so until reaching a core temperature of 66 C.

Thereafter, clock rates and power draw would drop to 1. 8 GHz and and 15 W, respectively, in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 54 C. Running this same test on the 2021 Gateway would result in similar clock rates and a slightly warmer core temperature of 61 C.

Running on battery power will not limit CPU or GPU performance. Overall consumption is slightly higher than on the older 11th gen-powered Gateway GWTN141 . Perhaps most notably, running 3DMark 06 consumes about 23 percent more power which correlates closely with the 25 percent faster multi-thread performance of the Core i5-1235U versus the Core i5-1135G7.

Intel 12th gen may be faster, but it’s also more power-hungry in the process. We’re able to record a maximum draw of 45. 7 W from the small (~6.

5 x 6. 5 x 2. 9 cm) 60 W AC adapter.

If owners ever lose the proprietary adapter, generic USB-C adapters can also be used to recharge the system instead. WLAN runtimes are a couple hours shorter than what we recorded on last year’s Gateway GWTN141 model. Even so, the 6+ hours of real-world browsing usage should be enough for most light users or students.

Charging with the included AC adapter is very slow at over 3 hours compared to 1. 5 hours on most other Ultrabooks. The Gateway is ideal for budget-conscious users who want to maximize CPU performance and can utilize its dual storage solution and integrated ports.

The model is surprisingly versatile in this regard especially when considering that other subnotebooks in the same $500 USD price range are often cutting corners when it comes to performance, storage, and ports. The 2022 Gateway Ultra Slim offers a state-of-the-art Intel 12th gen CPU at a very affordable price. However, the fixed RAM and limited colors really limit the multi-tasking and graphics editing potential of the system.

Display quality and keyboard feedback hold back the system. If you don’t mind trading out some CPU performance for more vibrant colors and a better typing experience, then the Infinix Inbook X2 can be a decent alternative. The Gateway Ultra Slim 14.

1-inch is not yet available on Amazon as of this writing. We recommend that users purchase directly from Walmart instead where prices are currently at $550 USD. .