The Schenker XMG A517 is an improvement over 2016’s XMG A516 gaming notebook. While the XMG A517 is a good makeover, the significant improvements can be found in the design and build of the newest variant.

While the XMG A517 is not the most portable gaming laptop out there, it can still be carried along. And considering the decent battery life, this laptop may be your perfect travel companion.

Design

First, we take a look at the design of the Schenker XMG A517. The laptop weighs approximately 2.5 kg and is 30 mm thick. Considering this is a gaming laptop, the A517 is fairly portable for its class.

The black chassis is made of mostly plastic and gives this system away as a mid-range device. Regardless, the XMG A517 is a decent looking laptop with a solid build.

The cooling system includes two fans and two air vents for expelling hot air. While the vent location may not be the best, they are however good for the job. That being said, the battery is removable which is rare for a laptop released in 2024.

Display

The XMG A517 is equipped with a 15.6-inch IPS display with Full HD resolution. The panel has a 60Hz refresh rate and unfortunately lacks support for G-Sync. Nonetheless, the low refresh rate and absence of G-Sync do not tell on the display as it is still good enough for smooth gameplay.

Colour reproduction on this 1080p display is great, and at about 311 nits, the brightness is well above the industry average. Asides from these, the high contrast and fast response times are highlights of the screen.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Furthermore, we take a look at the Schenker XMG A517’s input devices. The full-sized keyboard is great for typing and comes with zonal RGB backlighting and multi-level brightness. With good tactile feedback and key travel, the A517’s keyboard will suffice for gaming.

Going down we find the touchpad. This touchpad which covers a 3.9 x 2.2-inch area is precise enough with its smooth surface. It also supports multi-finger gestures like two-finger zooming and scrolling.

Performance

Intel’s Core i7-7700HQ processor is a very popular CPU as we’ve seen several manufacturers fitting it into their gaming notebooks on countless occasions. Consequently, it is no surprise that Schenker Technologies decided to use this widely-used processor in the XMG A517.

For graphics, the old but high-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 is at the heart of affairs. A 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 500GB SSD

Battery Life

Sporting a removable 62Whr Li-ion battery, the XMG A517 lasts well enough for basic tasks as it’d take you through a day on full charge. However, when using this laptop for its intended purpose – hardcore gaming – it doesn’t last as long. To put this into perspective, the laptop lasts an average of up to 7 hours on lowest settings/usage and about 1 to 2 hours while gaming [at maximum brightness].

Ports and Connectivity

Going forward, the Schenker XMG A517 is replete with ports. The system comes with an HDMI 2.0 port, two mini DisplayPorts (one v1.2 and the other v1.4). In addition to these are two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, one USB type-C port, an SD card slot, an Ethernet port, and one jack each for microphone and headphone.

Just like every other laptop in the market, the A517 comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios for wireless connections.

Price and Availability

Like many laptops, the Schenker XMG A517 comes in a few configurations. However, the base variant of this gaming laptop ships with 8GB of RAM and starts at about $1400. Adding more memory increases the cost to about $2000.

Specs at a Glance

Screen size	15.6 inches
Maximum screen resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels
RAM	8GB/16GB/32GB
Internal Storage	500GB SSD
CPU	Intel Core i7-7700HQ @2.8GHz
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions	378 x 267 x 30 mm
Weight	2.462 kg

Conclusion

Great keyboard, portable laptop, decent battery life and good display are the highlights of the Schenker XMG A517 laptop. Conversely, the plastic chassis, poor ventilation system, and 1080p resolution are the major detractors. If you don’t mind the few drawbacks, the laptop is something to try your hands on.

Where To Buy New Laptops Cheap

Jumia Ghana | starting from GHc159 – See Offers, Click Here!

Jumia Nigeria | starting from N13,995 – See Offers, Click Here!

Jumia Kenya | starting from Ksh3,530 – See Offers, Click Here!