Alun Taylor
Over the years, Alun has written freelance for several online publications on subjects ranging from mobile phones to digital audio equipment and PCs and from electric cars to industrial heritage. Before becoming a technology writer, he worked at Sony Music for 15 years. Quite what either occupation has to do with the degree in Early Medieval History he read at the University of Leeds is a bit of a grey area. A native of Scotland but an adopted Mancunian, Alun divides his time between writing, listening to live music, dreaming of the glens and dealing with an unhinged Norwegian Elkhound. For ITPro, Alun reviews laptops and PCs from brands such as Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Dell and HP.
Latest articles by Alun Taylor

Asus BR1402 review: Rugged modularity for the classroom and workplace
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews The BR1402 is no powerhouse, but it's versatile, rugged, and crammed with useful features

BenQ GW2790QT monitor review: A stylish Type-C monitor for the office
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews With no serious flaws, this new 27in WQHD BenQ is a capable, stylish and affordable addition to any work environment

Asus Chromebox 5 Mini PC review: A modern Chromebox with a wireless charger
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Asus' latest Chromebox is a thoroughly grown-up affair with a 15W wireless charger and a P-Series Alder Lake CPU

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: A design classic
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Dell's latest premium compact combines an outstanding OLED display with a unique keyboard design

Asus Zenbook S 13 Review: A lithe, light and lovely little laptop
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A superb 2.8K OLED display and good battery life are the standout features of this gorgeous super-compact laptop

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i OLED Review: Dual OLED displays are more a revolution than a gimmick
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A supremely versatile two-screen ultraportable, but Leonovo must deliver more optimised software

Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED Review: A strong claimant for the world’s best all-rounder
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A mightily powerful 14-in compact with a superb 120Hz OLED touchscreen

GMKtec NucBox G1 review
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews The GMKtec NucBox G1 is a cheap and cheerful small-form PC that's ideal as a thin client or an HTPC

MSI Pro MP273QP 27in monitor review: A fine value 27in WQHD monitor
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A crisp and colourful 27in display at a very agreeable price

MSI Stealth 15M review: A potent but somewhat flawed ultrabook
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Great in parts, frustrating in others but this MSI is still a worthwhile choice if the price is right

MSI Z17 Creator review: A big-screen creative powerhouse
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A superior QHD touch display and a potent CPU/GPU combination make for a top-notch workstation

Asus ExpertBook B5 16in review: A superlight 16in with a stunning WQUXGA OLED screen
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Tick the right boxes on the options list and the ExpertBook B5 is the best lightweight 16in laptop on the market

Asus ExpertBook B5 Flip review: A well-connected compact convertible
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews With a high-quality display, ports galore and tablet-form controls the B5 Flip is one of the best compact enterprise 2-in-1s

Acer Aspire 5 review: A likeable old-school 15.6in notebook
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Discrete graphics, good connectivity, and a low price make the Aspire 5 a good general-purpose laptop

LG Gram 16 2-in-1 review: A superlight 16in foldable
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews LG's new convertible squeezes a 16in screen and a large battery into a package that weighs less than most 14in laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 Gen 1 review: A thoroughbred premium laptop with flaws
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Lenovo goes gunning for Apple and Dell with this high-end 16in notebook with a 4K display and discrete graphics

MSI Prestige 15 review: A great value business workhorse
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews An affordable business laptop with excellent battery life, a discrete GPU and a very good keyboard

Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 1 review: A ThinkPad for the mainstream
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews This AMD-powered ThinkPad distils the essence of the brand into a laptop that will appeal to home and business users alike

Acer Aspire C24 review
By Alun Taylor last updated
Reviews The updated Aspire C24 holds its ground as a good value, well-specified All-in-One that doesn't delight - but doesn't disappoint either

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 review: Quite simply the best compact business laptop
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Calling the ThinkPad X1 the best laptop in its class may be a cliché but that doesn’t make it any the less true

MSI Prestige 14 A12UC 2022 review: A handsome and powerful compact business laptop
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews A superb keyboard and discrete Nvidia graphics make this a fine all-around business workhorse - but it does have weaknesses

Acer TravelMate Vero review: An eco-friendly business laptop
By Alun Taylor published
Reviews Acer’s new eco-laptop may not solve the climate emergency but it’s a decent business laptop with its heart in the right place.

Dell XPS 15 (2021) review: The best just got better
By Alun Taylor last updated
Reviews A mid-life refresh adds new Intel processors and new Nvidia discrete graphics and an OLED display to an already fine laptop
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