Aorus X5s v5 Camo review – hot under the collar

Sound

Provided you can hear the X5s’ 2.1 surround speakers and integrated subwoofer above the din of the fans, it sounds pretty great. Located at the top of the keyboard, they produce clear, distinct and relatively punchy audio with plenty of volume. The low-end could do with a bit of a boost, but as laptop speakers go, they’re definitely above average.

Ports and connections

The Aorus X5s has plenty of ports and connections, too, with three USB3 ports and a USB 3.1 Type-C port that lets you benefit from faster transfer speeds. It’s worth mentioning that all USB ports are oddly found on the right side of the X5s, so if you’re a leftie and want to have a device plugged in on the other side, you’ll have to put up with trailing wires round the back.

There’s also an HDMI 2.0 port here, too, so it’s primed and ready for 60Hz 4K gaming when hooked up to an external 4K monitor, along with Mini DisplayPort and DVI connections. Unlike the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501VW, the X5s comes equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired internet, but rest assured there’s also 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 support as well. Last but not least, there’s an SD card reader and separate headphone and microphone ports. There’s also plenty of space for storing your games thanks to its 1TB HDD and 256GB SSD.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Aorus X5s is almost the complete package, but sadly it’s let down slightly by the keyboard’s poor build quality. Despite the premium price, there’s a fair amount of flex to the keyboard and the laptop as a whole – made worse, no doubt, by its excessive temperatures under load.

It’s pleasant enough when typing documents, as each key has a good amount of travel and a decent enough action, but they often felt unstable while gaming, and became very hot to the touch.

Fortunately, the touchpad and palm rest area remained cool, as only the things hiding underneath are the battery and HDD. The large touchpad provides more than enough space for your fingers and swipe gestures felt perfectly responsive. However, I didn’t get on so well with its integrated buttons, as I often found it mistook right clicks for left clicks and vice-versa.

Conclusion

There’s no denying that the Aorus X5s is an absolute beast when it comes to performance, but its power does come at a significant cost, both literally and figuratively. Not only does it breach the £2,000 mark, but its noise and cooling issues are notable problems, as the fans really struggle to maintain a decent thermal temperature under load.

Of course, temperature problems aren’t unusual in gaming laptops, and I’d still happily sit down and play games on the X5s for hours at a time. At this price, though, I expect perfection, so the Aorus X5s just misses out on that elusive fifth star. Still, if you have the funds and are after one of the most distinctive and powerful gaming laptops money can buy, then the Aorus X5s Camo certainly won’t disappoint.

Buy the Aorus X5s now from Scan