PC Specialist Sigma Yet another hybrid that just comes up short
Hybrids – as you may have noticed noticed – are this year’s thing. They come in various forms, the common theme being that when you need a Windows laptop you’ve got one, and when you want something more like a tablet you’ve got that too.
This one, built in the UK, is of the ‘360-degree’ type, where the keyboard doesn’t actually detach from the screen but can fold all the way around to the back, so you can forget about it and just use the touchscreen. It can also serve as a stand for the screen, in a tent-style configuration. That might make more sense, because folding up the Sigma doesn’t reduce any of its 1.9kg bulk, which is more than four times the weight of an ipad Air 2.
The Sigma has a dual-core Intel Core i3, not the most powerful PC processor out there, but comfortably above bargainbasement level. 4GB of memory and a 120GB SSD are not generous, but for a tablet-oriented device rather than a fullblown laptop, they’re fine. Programs and web pages load quickly, and Windows 10 feels smooth. In our tests, the battery lasted just under four hours, which is more laptop standard than tablet, but acceptable all the same. Because PC Specialist builds systems to order, you can customise many of the specifications.
The 13.3in touchscreen is bigger than any you’ll find on a dedicated tablet and gives you a reasonably good Full HD display. Like the keyboard section, it’s finished in basic black plastic, but not unpleasantly styled and with a smart brushed aluminium outer shell. Although the keyboard doesn’t feel completely rigid, it gives plenty of feedback without being too noisy. Unfortunately, when you fold it back it remains responsive for a full three seconds, before the software takes note and turns it off, so you’ll need to be careful or you may delete your music collection or email your photos to your boss with a few inadvertent keystrokes.
It’s easy to think a keyboard and touchscreen should be enough, but in practice the natural way to use a Windows laptop is with the touchpad. Here the Sigma comes unstuck. Its touchpad lags so badly that using it is like participating in a psychological experiment. Sadly, th there’s no option to upgrade this to one th that works properly, and it means the Si Sigma, though promising, just isn’t re rewarding enough to use.
Its touchpad lags so badly that using it is like participating in a psychological experiment