A laptop with a 14-inch screen generally offers a good balance between utility and portability. Machines at this screen size are large enough to keep multitaskers productive by day and film buffs entertained by night, while also being compact and light enough for daily travel. The Gateway ID47H02u balances those factors out better than most, though—especially considering it's a budget machine.
At a hair less than 4.5 pounds (4.48, to be exact), the Gateway ID47H02u weighs less than most 14-inch laptops. The competing Dell Inspiron 14R, for example, is a typical 14-inch model and weighs in at 5.3 pounds. Conversely, the 13.3-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Z370, with its smaller screen, is only barely lighter than the ID47H02u, at 4.4 pounds. And despite the differences in screen size, the IdeaPad Z370 and the ID47H02u share similar dimensions. The Gateway machine measures 13 inches wide by 8.9 inches deep, and it's only 1.1 inches thick. The IdeaPad Z370 has almost exactly the same footprint, but it's way thicker, at 1.4 inches. By contrast, the 14-inch Dell Inspiron 14R is significantly bigger in all three dimensions.
The Gateway ID47H02u is so compact, in part, because of its thin screen bezel. The LCD nearly reaches the edges of the lid, where the bezel is only three-eighths of an inch thick, and this measurement includes both the plastic frame and the black border below the display glass. Also helping the Gateway ID47H02u cut such a thin profile is its use of aluminum in places, which is thinner and stronger (and better-looking, to boot) than the plastic that dominates many under-$1,000 laptops. The competing Dell Inspiron 14R, for example, has an all-plastic chassis.
The Gateway ID47H02u features aluminum on both the lid and keyboard deck.
The bottom of the Gateway ID47H02u is made from a single piece of plastic with smooth, rounded edges. It offers a better feel than the often-uneven underside of your typical laptop, but the trade-off for this is that the battery is sealed inside. (More on that in a bit.). Also, the bottom has no panels to access the hard drive, the memory, or other components inside.
The keyboard sits in a piece of aluminum that is sunken and separate from the rest of the keyboard deck. A small gap surrounds this keyboard tray, and we weren't too keen on that; it will likely attract dust and dirt over time. Keep some canned air handy, and it shouldn't be a problem, but we still wish the keyboard deck were fashioned from a single piece of aluminum, as it is on pricier laptops such as the Apple MacBook Pro and HP Envy 14.
The keyboard features Chiclet-style keys, which are generously spaced and offer good travel. Although they are plastic, the keys are not clacky and offer a subtle, soft feel. Gateway adds a column of keys to the right of the keyboard that offer volume and mute functions along with a "social media" button. The last item launches a small, instant-messenger-like window in which you can track Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube activity. We tried it out, but we ultimately found it easier to access our social-media sites via a Web browser.
Below the keyboard is a large, buttonless touch pad that extends to the front edge of the laptop. It supports multi-finger gestures, and basic scrolling with two fingers was smooth and responsive. You'll need to get used to mousing without your thumb resting on the bottom edge of the touch pad, however. We made a bunch of accidental cursor jumps and mistaken mouse clicks before we made a conscious effort to keep our thumb clear of the pad. Also, the glossy black surface of the touch pad doesn't provide the best feel. Our fingertips tended to drag against it.
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