The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a higher-resolution OLED screen that excels in color accuracy and is paired with a more powerful graphics card, which makes it suitable for creative professionals and those who prioritize display quality. Its portability is decent, but if you're frequently on the move, the Aorus 5 is lighter and provides better heat management and fan noise. However, the Aero 16 has better overall build quality and more features like a touchscreen and facial recognition. The Aorus 5, which costs more, may appeal to gamers with its higher screen refresh rate but has lower storage capacity and a less impressive display for color work. Consider the Aero 16 for creative work and some gaming, and the Aorus 5 if gaming and portability are your top priorities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
Very good for general use
Very good for content creation
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 5
Very good speakers
Key differences
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the Gigabyte Aero 16's screen stands out due to its high resolution and brightness, offering crisp and vivid visuals for everyday tasks and media consumption. When it comes to engineering and design, the Aero 16 excels with superior color accuracy, covering a wide range of color gamuts needed for detail-oriented work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, where a high refresh rate is critical for smooth motion, both the Aero 16 and the Aorus 5 fall short, as they prioritize display quality over the fast refresh rates gamers typically seek.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has 5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Cost
$1,260
$2,359
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a price of $1,260 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers exceptional screen quality with an OLED display and superior screen resolution which, combined with a solid CPU and ample RAM, provides a sharp and smooth general-use experience; however, it has less portability and shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, while featuring the same CPU and RAM, trades screen resolution for better portability and heat management, making it a compelling option for those who prioritize a balance between performance and ease of carrying.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
7.9/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Aorus 5 are lauded for gaming and 3D applications mainly because they both come equipped with powerful GPUs and high screen refresh rates, ensuring smooth and visually striking gaming experiences. While the CPUs and screen quality are also significant contributors to their performance, enhancing overall speed and image fidelity, it is the combination of superior graphics processing and fluid display that particularly sets them apart for these uses.
Engineering and Design
8.6/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Gigabyte Aorus 5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 stands out for engineering and design due to its superior OLED screen with high resolution, which offers far better color accuracy and detail for precision tasks, alongside a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU ideal for graphics-intensive applications. Whereas the Gigabyte Aorus 5 also suits engineering and design with a high refresh-rate IPS screen and the same class of processor, yet a slightly less powerful GPU, potentially making it a more cost-effective option if top-tier screen quality isn't a priority.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to have good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Gigabyte Aorus 5 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Gigabyte Aero 16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 compare to other laptops
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 16 or the Gigabyte Aorus 5
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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