Published on 12:00 AM, September 25, 2017

Hands on Review

Walton Passion WP15703G Laptop

Finally, after using and abusing without mercy, I am writing the review of Walton's Passion WP157U3G laptop. Me and my colleague, both used it for a month or so. I focused on the aesthetics whereas he tested the performance by pushing the laptop to its limit. This is my first encounter with this locally assembled gizmo and here's my take:

AESTHETICS:

The Walton Passion WP157U3G, to be honest, doesn't look or feel like a device worth the price tag it comes with. It's bottom & front is made out of plain black plastic with a "smoky ash" hue. The logo of Walton is prominently visible on the back of the front screen. Initially, the body might feel a bit flimsy but it actually isn't. Rather it would be able to withstand any minor bumps and dents.

The keyboard reeks the budget vibe from the very moment you touch it. But does it mean it isn't any good? Absolutely not! I loved scripting and typing on this laptop. The travel time was decent. And when pressed, every key went all the way down- which was weirdly satisfying. It isn't backlit which isn't expected on this budget either so we weren't disappointed. 

PERFORMANCE:

It's a good attempt by a local brand but it would have been better if it was set at a slightly more affordable price point.

Despite that, you get a decent load of specs. The 15.6 inch HD display offers 1366 x 768 worth of pixels. It gets you through all your regular bits of work. Load up Photoshop CC 2020 and you can carry on with most of your work unless the files get really big. Even then the 4GB of DDR4 RAM will cough up enough backup to get your files processed in time. The gripe coming from anyone attempting to use these displays for graphics work will be that the pixels are far too visible. You need to go all the way to Full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels for that. Despite that, this will still serve as a pretty capable tool for your average graphics needs. It also comes with 1TB of HDD space. And if that works, your video entertainment, browsing and MS Office suite work will be well served. 

Battery under full load seemed to offer 2.5-3 hours on average. It does take a long time to fully charge though. The laptop is surprisingly light for its bulk mostly due to the plastic construction. At just a little over 2 kg, it is easy to carry around. Your connectivity is covered on all counts with USB 2.0, 3.0, Type C port along with a 9-in-1 card reader.

The IntelĀ® HD Graphics 620 is capable of running some strangely heavy games like Watchdogs 2 and GTA V but those systems require at least 8GB of RAM. The Walton isn't it then.  But, all is not lost. Coupled with the 7th gen i3 processor you CAN play DOTA II and Mafia 2 on this albeit at lower settings if you want a good frame rate. If stealing cars is your thing, try GTA IV.

VERDICT

Although the laurel of first ever proper local brand to bring out a laptop goes to DOEL, there is no doubt Walton is a close second. The laptop we reviewed here was a mid-range product of Walton that comes with a price tag of Tk. 35,990/-. For the price tag it comes in, the laptop certainly does provide some value. Is it the best configuration you can buy now within this price-range? Maybe not.  But is it a device that is still worth trying? Definitely YES!