Initial verdict: NagaTech’s first gaming laptop looks very promising. Beyond a solid build that has a solid port selection, the LAKAN boasts a good set of internals for its price tag, with NagaTech looking to compete against more established laptop brands in the Philippines.

Pros

• Broad port selection
• Solid pricing for its configuration
• Aluminum build

Cons

• Numpad feels a bit cramped
• Key travel could’ve been better

New local brand NagaTech is set to make a scene in the Philippines, with its laptops being assembled locally. Aside from a productivity laptop, NagaTech also has their own gaming laptop with the LAKAN, and they’re offering it with an intriguing price-to-specs ratio. We were given the opportunity to try out the LAKAN for our first impressions on this locally-assembled laptop.

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Design

The LAKAN has a solid build with aluminum used for the lid and chassis. It has a brushed black finish, with only the Naga branding visible on the lid.The only part that’s made of plastic in the LAKAN is the bottom cover, which is not a dealbreaker considering a number of gaming laptops at the under Php 80k range are usually made of mostly plastic.

It’s a chunky gaming laptop, but we don’t mind because of its robust port selection and abundant vents to keep thermals stable even with heavy, sustained loads. The left side of the LAKAN has a Kensington security slot, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and a headphone jack. The right side has a full-sized SD card reader and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, while the back has the barrel plug charging port, Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0 port, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 port.

As we explained in a previous article, the LAKAN is based on a pre-made model from TongFang, but features NagaTech’s branding on the lid. The part where the LAKAN is locally assembled is with the RAM, SSD, and operating system–this is why NagaTech can offer a flexible set of configurations with the LAKAN as far as RAM and SSD is concerned. Beside the power button is a button for changing the performance settings from standard to Turbo.

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Display and speakers

NagaTech means serious business with the LAKAN’s display, as you’re getting a 15.3-inch IPS panel with a 2560×1600 resolution and a 240hz refresh rate. We confirmed the configuration of the display in the settings, and it appears that NagaTech is using a quality display panel with a good brightness range and a matte finish for the display itself.

The bezels are slim and helps in keeping the LAKAN as compact as possible. The colors on the display look great–and it’s stunning enough to let us enjoy watching Itzy’s latest music video in glorious 4K resolution.

You get two bottom-firing speakers with the LAKAN, and they sound decent even when we pumped the volume to 100%. While they can’t match laptops have have multi-speaker setups, the LAKAN’s speakers are good for its price point as a midrange gaming laptop.

 

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Keyboard and Trackpad

The LAKAN has a full-sized keyboard that has a separate numpad. The keys have decent spacing between one another, though we wished for better key travel–the keys are not as tactile as other laptop keyboards we’ve tried, and we find the numpad a bit cramped with its layout. It would have been better if NagaTech opted for an Apple-like approach, where they did away with the numpad and instead placed symmetrical speakers on both sides of the keyboard.

The keyboard has a single-zone RGB backlight. It may not be as flashy, but it fits with the overall subtle aesthetic of the LAKAN.

The trackpad is a bit on the small side compared to other gaming laptops, but is responsive based on the few hours we were using the LAKAN. Gamers would use an external mouse for playing games, but it’s nice to see the LAKAN have a decent trackpad for productivity use.

 

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Internals

NagaTech is promising a variety of configurations for the LAKAN, and the unit that was loaned to us comes with a Ryzen 7 8845HS processor that’s paired with 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Being a gaming laptop, this model comes with an RTX 4060 discrete GPU with a 140w TDP.

NagaTech’s decision to go for Ryzen chips is partly due to keeping their gaming laptop as affordable as possible and due to demand from others based on comments from their Reddit thread. The Ryzen 7 8845HS is a solid option for a midrange gaming laptop and is at par with the Core i7-13700H.

Here are the benchmark numbers we got with the LAKAN:

GeekBench 6

• Single Core – 1713
• Multi-Core – 9163
• Compute – 95125

CineBench R23

• Single Core – 1027
• Multi-Core – 10930

3DMark

• Time Spy – 7879
• Fire Strike – 17692

With the RAM and SSD being part of what makes the LAKAN locally assembled, NagaTech disclosed that they are using TeamGroup or Crucial for the RAM and XPG/Crucial/Western Digital for the SSD. Our review unit comes with Windows 11 preinstalled, and there’s minimal bloatware to it.

The LAKAN packs a hefty 80wH battery inside, and topping it up is done with a 240w charging brick that’s significantly smaller than charging bricks used by other gaming laptops.

 

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Wrap-up and Initial Conclusions

NagaTech has a promising offering with the LAKAN as its first gaming laptop to go head-to-head with midrange offerings from more established brands. There may be a few compromises, but the LAKAN offers a great price-to-performance ratio that can entice prospective buyers once NagaTech reveals the official selling details.

NagaTech LAKAN First Impressions: Price

The model we were loaned for this first impressions is priced at Php 74,995 on launch. NagaTech is also offering a more affordable version that has a 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM for Php 69,995.