KAMRUI AX18 PRO 18.5" Laptop
KAMRUI store.kamrui.com $525.98 Price as of 07/03/2026 View on AliExpress → ⓘ We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. This helps support MacSources and keeps our content free. Thank you!We benchmark the AX18 Pro across Windows 11 and Fedora 44 to see how this budget Ryzen 3 laptop performs after a clean install and real-world optimization
Over the years, I’ve tested a lot of different computer systems. Some full-size desktops, while others have been Mini PCs. Two of the companies we’ve worked with frequently on mini PC reviews have been ACEMAGIC and KAMRUI. While they are known for their mini PC systems, they also offer laptops, and I was offered the opportunity to review the Kamrui AX18Pro. Given that it’s a large format laptop, I was intrigued and eager to see what it could do.
About Kamrui AX18Pro
The KAMRUI AX18 Pro is an 18.5-inch budget laptop designed for everyday computing, offering a large Full HD display and a feature set aimed at students, home users, and office productivity. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 3 4300U processor with integrated Radeon graphics, the laptop is intended to handle common tasks such as web browsing, document editing, video streaming, and light multitasking.
The review unit includes 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 512GB solid-state drive, and a 1920 × 1080 IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Connectivity includes USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack, while wireless networking is provided by a Realtek Wi-Fi 5 adapter with Bluetooth support.
One point worth noting is that the KAMRUI AX18 Pro branding can be confusing. While KAMRUI also sells an AX18 model powered by an Intel N150 processor, the system reviewed here is based on the AMD Ryzen 3 4300U platform and shares its hardware design with a nearly identical model sold under the ACEMAGIC brand. As a result, buyers should carefully verify the processor and specifications before purchasing, as similarly named models may differ significantly in performance.
Features & Specs
ComponentSpecificationProcessorAMD Ryzen 3 4300UGraphicsAMD Radeon Vega GraphicsMemory16GB DDR4Storage512GB SSD (KY510)Display18.5-inch IPSResolution1920 × 1080Refresh Rate60HzWirelessRealtek RTL8821CE Wi-Fi 5Operating SystemWindows 11 Pro (preinstalled)Pricing & Availability
The KAMRUI AX18 Pro is available to purchase in this configuration through AliExpress for $531.48 at the time of publishing this article.
First Impressions and Setup Experience
When I took the laptop out of its box, I was surprised at the sheer size of it. I’ve become accustomed to smaller form factors when it comes to laptops so the 18.5-inch behemoth felt a little overwhelming at first. The build quality does feel solid, but it’s definitely budget-feeling. It isn’t built with aluminum like some more premium laptops.
Once I got it unboxed, the next step was to get it set up and updated. When I powered the laptop on, I was surprised to find that I wasn’t required to go through the standard Windows setup process. It didn’t ask me to sign in with a Microsoft account or even prompt me to create a local user account. Instead, Windows booted directly to the desktop.
This was not typical for a standard Windows installation. On a new Windows 11 laptop, it’s normal to be guided through Microsoft’s Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), where you’re asked to choose your region, connect to Wi-Fi, and create or sign in to an account before reaching the desktop. Skipping that process suggested the system had been preconfigured with a customized Windows image rather than a standard factory installation.
As I continued exploring the system, I discovered that Microsoft Defender was also disabled by default. While I can’t say whether these changes were intentional optimizations or simply the result of a poorly prepared factory image, the combination of bypassing the standard Windows setup process and having core security features disabled was enough for me to question the integrity of the preinstalled operating system.
Rather than continue testing on software that I couldn’t fully trust, I erased the drive and performed a clean installation of Windows 11 using Microsoft’s official installation media. Once the fresh installation was complete, Windows behaved exactly as expected, Microsoft Defender was enabled by default, and all subsequent benchmarking and testing was performed using this clean installation.
Performance and Benchmark Testing – Windows 11
After reinstalling Windows 11, I ran my standard suite of benchmarks to establish a clean performance baseline. Synthetic benchmarks are useful because they provide repeatable, objective measurements that can be compared across different systems. While they don’t always reflect everyday usage, they offer valuable insight into a laptop’s CPU, graphics, storage, and thermal capabilities.
Before diving into the benchmark results, it’s important to understand the hardware being tested. One of the things I noticed was that even though the AX18 Pro is sold as a new laptop, it is built around a platform that debuted in 2020. Its AMD Ryzen 3 4300U processor, integrated Radeon Vega graphics, and other core components are based on technology that is now several generations old. That doesn’t make the hardware obsolete, but it does help set realistic expectations. The AX18 Pro was designed for mainstream productivity workloads of its era, and while it remains capable of handling web browsing, office applications, streaming, and other everyday tasks, it isn’t intended to compete with modern laptops built around the latest processors and graphics architectures.
CPU Performance
I began by evaluating the Ryzen 3 4300U with Cinebench 2024. This benchmark stresses the processor using a real-world rendering workload, making it an excellent indicator of sustained CPU performance. It measures both single-core and multi-core performance, helping illustrate how the processor handles everything from basic office tasks to workloads that can take advantage of multiple cores.
The AX18 Pro scored 254 points in the single-core test and 942 points in the multi-core test, with an MP Ratio of 3.71x. These results are consistent with what I’d expect from a 2020-era Ryzen 3 processor with four cores and four threads. Everyday responsiveness felt good, but the limited core count means the laptop begins to show its age when handling heavier multitasking or prolonged workloads.
Next, I ran Geekbench 6, which measures overall processor performance using workloads designed to simulate common computing tasks rather than synthetic rendering alone. The laptop produced a Single-Core score of 1,291 and a Multi-Core score of 3,323, reinforcing the Cinebench results. Performance remained solid for web browsing, office productivity, and media consumption, but this is clearly an entry-level processor by today’s standards.
Geekbench AI was also included to measure machine learning performance using the ONNX runtime. The system produced a Single Precision score of 1,354, a Half Precision score of 737, and a Quantized score of 1,569. While interesting from a technical perspective, these scores have little impact on the typical workloads most buyers will perform on a laptop in this price range.
Graphics Performance
The Ryzen 3 4300U relies on integrated Radeon Vega graphics rather than a dedicated GPU, so expectations should remain realistic. I used the Blender Benchmark to evaluate rendering performance across three standard scenes.
The system completed the Monster scene with a score of 24.25, Junkshop at 17.82, and Classroom at 13.13. These numbers confirm that the integrated graphics are capable of light creative workloads such as basic photo editing or creating presentation graphics, but are not intended for demanding 3D rendering or modern gaming.
To evaluate graphics stability, I also ran FurMark, a stress test designed to place a sustained load on the GPU while monitoring temperatures and clock speeds. The AX18 Pro completed the benchmark with a score of 350 points at approximately 5 FPS, while maintaining a maximum GPU temperature of just 51°C. Although performance is understandably modest, the low operating temperature suggests the cooling system is more than adequate for the hardware inside.
Storage Performance
Storage performance was measured using CrystalDiskMark, which evaluates both sequential and random read/write speeds. Sequential tests measure how quickly the drive handles large files, while random tests better represent everyday tasks such as launching applications or loading Windows.
The included SSD consistently delivered sequential read speeds between 535 MB/s and 546 MB/s, with write speeds ranging from 436 MB/s to 471 MB/s. Random performance was more modest but remained consistent across both the 1 GiB and 8 GiB test profiles.
While these results won’t compete with premium PCIe Gen4 SSDs, they provide more than enough bandwidth for general productivity, document editing, and media playback. Application launches and Windows boot times felt responsive throughout testing.
To evaluate sustained CPU performance in a real-world workload, I also encoded the open-source Tears of Steel video using HandBrake. The encode completed in 15 minutes and 42 seconds, which aligns well with the synthetic CPU benchmark results and reinforces that this system is designed for everyday productivity rather than content creation.
Everyday Performance
Synthetic benchmarks only tell part of the story, so I also spent time using the laptop as a typical owner would.
Typing performance was comfortable, averaging between 72 and 78 words per minute across three Monkeytype tests, with accuracy consistently above 93%. The keyboard offered enough travel for extended typing sessions without feeling cramped despite the larger chassis.
The 18.5-inch Full HD display operates at 1920 × 1080 with a 60Hz refresh rate, which I confirmed using UFO Test. The panel delivered sharp text and vibrant colors for everyday use. I also tested video playback using YouTube’s 8K OLED demonstration footage. While the laptop was able to begin streaming the video at a 4K playback setting, occasional buffering and dropped frames appeared during playback. Reducing playback to 1080p eliminated these issues entirely, providing smooth, uninterrupted streaming that better matches the capabilities of both the display and the integrated graphics.
Audio performance exceeded my expectations for a budget laptop. The speakers are positioned near the front of the chassis alongside the trackpad rather than beneath the display, producing surprisingly full sound for music playback. Spoken dialogue sounded slightly hollow by comparison but remained clear and easy to understand. Volume levels were also impressive. I found 30% volume comfortable for everyday listening, while 50% was more than loud enough for most environments.
Overall Performance
Taken together, the benchmark results paint a clear picture of what the AX18 Pro is and what it isn’t. The Ryzen 3 4300U continues to provide dependable performance for web browsing, office work, streaming media, and general day-to-day computing. Thermal performance is excellent, storage is fast enough for its intended purpose, and the integrated graphics handle basic multimedia tasks without issue.
At the same time, the hardware reflects its age. The four-core processor, integrated Vega graphics, budget SSD, and Wi-Fi 5 networking all place the system firmly in the entry-level category. Buyers looking for a machine capable of video editing, modern gaming, or intensive multitasking will quickly reach its limits. Those seeking an affordable productivity laptop, however, should find its overall performance entirely adequate once the factory Windows installation has been replaced with a clean copy of Windows 11.
Performance and Benchmark Testing – Linux (Fedora 44)
After completing the initial Windows 11 testing, I installed Linux Fedora 44 and reran the same benchmark suite to evaluate how the hardware performs under a different operating system. This second round of testing helps separate hardware limitations from software overhead, giving a clearer picture of the system’s true capabilities.
Windows 11 includes a wide range of background services, security features, and OEM-level configurations that can influence performance, especially on lower-power hardware. By contrast, Fedora provides a lighter, more streamlined environment with fewer background processes and a different driver stack for graphics and system management.
Rerunning the benchmarks on Linux allows for a direct comparison of how the same CPU, GPU, storage, and memory behave under different system loads and driver implementations. It also helps determine whether performance bottlenecks are caused by the hardware itself or by the operating system.
CPU Performance
On Geekbench 6, the system produced a single-core score of 1,246 and a multi-core score of 3,693, with a Vulkan GPU compute score of 9,177.
Compared directly to Windows, single-core performance remained effectively unchanged, while multi-core performance saw a modest increase. This suggests that the Ryzen 3 4300U benefits from reduced background overhead and more efficient scheduling under Linux, allowing it to sustain multi-threaded workloads slightly more effectively.
Geekbench AI results told a different story. The system scored 779 in Single Precision, 785 in Half Precision, and 678 in Quantized workloads, which is notably lower than the Windows results. This reflects differences in AI workload optimization between operating systems rather than any change in hardware capability.
Graphics Performance
Blender Benchmark results remained very consistent with Windows testing. The system scored 24.92 in Monster, 19.29 in Junkshop, and 13.60 in Classroom.
These results confirm that Linux does not fundamentally change the limitations of the integrated Radeon Vega graphics, but it does provide slightly more consistent behavior under load thanks to the Mesa driver stack.
FurMark testing showed a score of 366 points at approximately 6 FPS, with a maximum temperature of 58°C under full GPU load. Compared to Windows, thermals were slightly higher but still well within safe operating limits, with no signs of instability or throttling.
Storage Performance
Storage testing was performed using KDiskMark on Linux as a direct equivalent to CrystalDiskMark on Windows.
Sequential read speeds averaged around 433 MB/s, with write speeds reaching approximately 436 MB/s. Random 4K performance varied slightly compared to Windows, particularly in write-heavy workloads, but remained within expected variation for a budget NVMe SSD.
Overall, storage performance across both operating systems confirms that the SSD is capable of solid entry-level NVMe performance, with differences largely attributed to benchmarking tools and caching behavior rather than hardware change.
Real-World Consistency
Across CPU, GPU, and storage testing, the Linux results closely mirrored the Windows benchmark profile. Where differences did appear, they were generally small and tied to system overhead or driver efficiency rather than any meaningful change in hardware capability.
The most noticeable real-world difference was in system responsiveness. Fedora 44 felt more fluid during general use, with improved trackpad responsiveness and smoother window handling, even when benchmark scores were similar.
Summary
Overall, the Linux testing confirms the conclusions drawn from the Windows benchmarks. However, Fedora 44 makes noticeably better use of the available hardware, resulting in a more responsive day-to-day experience despite similar benchmark results. Linux does not significantly change raw capability, but it does provide a lighter, more responsive experience that better matches the limitations of the Ryzen 3 4300U platform.
Who Should Buy this Laptop?
The AX18 Pro is best suited for users who need a budget-friendly laptop for everyday productivity tasks rather than performance-heavy workloads. It handles web browsing, email, document editing, and media streaming comfortably, and it can manage light multitasking without issue. However, performance begins to taper off under more demanding conditions such as large file transfers, extended encoding tasks, or heavy browser workloads with many open tabs. Basic gaming is possible, but only with older or less demanding titles running at reduced settings.
Even after a clean installation of Windows, several limitations remain inherent to the hardware. The Wi-Fi 5 adapter restricts modern wireless performance, the quad-core CPU limits multitasking headroom, and the integrated graphics are only suitable for light creative or media-related tasks. Storage performance is adequate for general use but remains firmly in the budget category, and there is no meaningful upgrade path that would bring the system in line with more modern performance expectations.
This is not a laptop designed for gaming, content creation, or sustained high-performance workloads. It should not be viewed as a creative workstation or a future-proof computing solution. Instead, it functions as a basic productivity machine that delivers acceptable performance once properly configured.
For users who are comfortable performing a clean operating system installation or even running Linux for a smoother experience, the AX18 Pro can be a practical low-cost option for office work, browsing, streaming, and travel use. It is less suitable for users who expect a polished out-of-box experience, long-term performance headroom, or reliable performance under heavier workloads.
Conclusion
The KAMRUI AX18 Pro ultimately delivers exactly what its hardware suggests: a large-format budget laptop built for basic productivity rather than modern performance demands. However, the limitations are just as clear as the strengths. The four-core CPU, integrated graphics, Wi-Fi 5 connectivity, and entry-level SSD all place the AX18 Pro firmly in the budget category. It is not a system designed for creative workloads, gaming, or sustained heavy use, and buyers expecting modern performance headroom will quickly reach its limits. For the right user, though, it remains a usable and affordable large-screen productivity machine.
For more information, visit store.kamrui.com
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