• MacBook Pro OLED is rumored to be "significantly lighter"
• Leaker Mark Gurman believes it could possibly arrive later this month
• If it is thinner and lighter, Apple laptop fans are worried that it might compromise on battery, or other areas – and concerns about the price remain strong

The supposedly imminent MacBook Pro with OLED is expected to be much lighter than a traditional MacBook Pro model, according to a new leak.

This comes from Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter (via MacRumors), where the leaker tells us: "Apple has reengineered the machine's interior, miniaturizing parts and rearranging components to make the computer much easier to carry."

As a result, the MacBook Pro OLED should be "significantly lighter" as well as thinner. Other rumors include a touchscreen with a dynamic island instead of a notch, and running on Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

The theory is that we're now very close to a launch, and that this will happen either later this month or in November.

Take all of this with an appropriate quantity of seasoning, of course, but this latest nugget of info about the trim nature of the MacBook Pro OLED has received a surprising amount of negative reaction.

Analysis: resistance to change

Some of the snipers who have Apple in their sights with this latest revelation – assuming that it's true – are happy with the MacBook Pro just as it is, and they don't want Apple messing with that design too much.

This Redditor complains: "The thick chassis of the current Pro is perfect. If people want thin they have the MacBook Air."

Others just don't want any change at all, with the following comment being heavily upvoted: "The current design is genius I'm actually not ready to move on from it."

Part of the whole point of going OLED, though, is that this allows for a slimmer screen, thereby contributing to the thinness of the notebook. So this should be no surprise really, although I guess the 'significantly' addition to the wording of the rumor is what's worrying folks.

I get that Gurman's comment about "miniaturizing parts" is going to cause something of a stir, too, as people are concerned that this means the battery may be in line for a compromise, and the laptop's longevity could suffer.

Another Redditor says: "Let's hope this isn't affecting the battery capacity… the current design of the internals is packed, it's not like there's anything redundant nor do I see them changing the chassis material."

Others fear that connectivity rather than battery life will be sacrificed in the pursuit of thinness, and there'll be fewer ports on the MacBook Pro OLED.

The biggest complaint by far, though, remains the price, with worries about Apple's OLED laptop being even more exorbitantly expensive if you throw another premium design element – being a lot thinner and lighter – onto the configuration sheet.

Rather than talking about the weight, this Redditor jokes: "I think this is a misunderstanding. Your wallet will be significantly lighter."

They aren't the only person cracking that joke on Reddit, either. We'll just have to see how this incoming MacBook Pro pans out, but for now, the cynics and skeptics firing flak clearly outnumber those who are excited for the arrival of the first OLED model.

As we approach the end of the year, big sales events will begin cropping up regularly, culminating in Black Friday in November. This week, it's the Amazon Big Deals Days event, and I've just found what might just be the worst laptop deal of the year.

That's right, the worst. So why am I writing about it? Well, I think it's worth pointing out 'deals' that are actually a waste of money, and explain what makes those deals bad, to help you avoid getting stung in the future. Of course, I've also added some alternative laptop deals that are much better, and worth buying instead.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The awful laptop deal in question is for the HP 14-em0018na (what a great name for a product), that Argos is selling for £279.

Now, with prices for many devices climbing ever upwards, getting a Windows 11 laptop for under £300 might seem like fantastic value, but looking at the hardware involved, you should stay well clear.

The biggest red flag is that this laptop comes with just 4GB of RAM. That's a pitiful amount for a Windows 11 laptop in 2026 — these days I'd recommend 16GB as a minimum, with 8GB only being worth it if the laptop is really cheap.

Unlike ChromeOS, which Chromebooks run on, Windows 11 is a heavy (some might say 'bloated') operating system that needs a lot of memory to run smoothly, and 4GB just won't cut it. This laptop will be slow, unreliable and very annoying, especially if you want to run multiple apps at once.

The dual-core AMD Athlon 7120U processor is also pretty pathetic, and despite HP claiming the laptop has "plenty of storage", 128GB isn't going to last long these days, especially as most of that space will be taken up by Windows 11.

I'm annoyed at Argos selling this, as anyone buying it is likely going to feel ripped off. According to the Argos website, it seems this laptop is selling steadily as well, which is worrying. User reviews are positive, though vague (and one even admits they've not used it yet, but have still given it a high score), and I wonder if those impressions will be quite so positive after a few weeks of using the laptop.

Of course, budgets are tight at the moment, and not everyone can afford a high-end laptop packed with RAM and cutting-edge components, but there are plenty of cheap laptop deals out there that will offer much better value for money. So don't be tempted just because this laptop has a rock-bottom price tag — check out these laptop deals instead:

Today's best cheap laptop deals in the UK

There's no shortage of options to consider as far as the best laptops are concerned, particularly when you're weighing up mid-range and premium models. For many years, Chromebooks have existed as an affordable entry point to portable computing that removes the high-cost barrier for productivity and play with their web-based operating system. However, everything's changing with the recent announcement of Googlebooks, AI-powered machines aimed at the likes of the MacBook and the best ultrabooks.

It's a bold, Gemini-backed swing from the Californian company. Gemini Intelligence is the central USP here, with an Android/Linux hybrid OS replacing the likes of traditional laptop operating systems, running on powerful hardware, such as Intel Core Ultra and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors.

There's a ton of ground to cover with the design philosophies, price-to-performance, value for money, and general usability of an Android-based Googlebook when weighed up against a web-based Chromebook, let alone how the incoming Gemini-packed computers hold up against their competition.

As a result, I'm going through everything you need to know about Googlebooks vs Chromebooks, analyzing their use case, build quality, battery life, design, features, and other aspects to see if it's worth taking the plunge with Gemini Intelligence, or seeing if you're better suited to a more traditional laptop instead.

Googlebooks vs Chromebooks: Price comparison

The biggest defining characteristic of Googlebooks at this early stage of its rollout is their premium nature. Currently, there are only a handful of different models to choose from, and all carry high-end price tags. Early adopters can choose from the Acer Googlebook 14, the Asus Googlebook 14, the Dell XPS Googlebook, the HP Googlebook 14, and the Lenovo Googlebook 15. Starting configurations begin at $899 / £999 to $1,299 / £1,199, depending on the included amount of RAM, choice of processor, and onboard storage. All these models either use an Intel Core Ultra 5/7 or the Snapdragon X Elite.

In contrast, Chromebooks have (historically) always been a cost-effective way to be productive, get work done, and enjoy multimedia playback. Lightweight, fast, and affordable have always been the mantra of these devices. Popular choices in 2026 include the HP Chromebook 14 ($249 / £249), Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus ($699 / £649), Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 ($599 / £599), and the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 ($439 / £429). These web-based machines typically cater to light laptop users, and they don't require much processing power under the hood to perform their tasks, keeping the prices competitive.

While there have been relatively expensive Chromebooks in the past, they have been few and far between, and failed to properly muscle in on ultrabook territory because they rely on a web-based operating system. They can be surprisingly capable for enterprising users, and we saw this most prominently four years ago with the launch of the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. It's gone down in history as the best high-end Chromebook ever designed; however, it didn't sell well and was quietly discontinued in mid 2024. No company has attempted to make such a high-end device again since, until the new Googlebooks.

The average price of a Chromebook is between $300 and $400 (£300 to £400) for a reliable machine from a trusted manufacturer. Conversely, if we look at the freshly revealed Googlebooks (which begin at $999 to $1,299), that's a markup of 233%. Before we get into the architectural and hardware differences, we need to ask the question: are Googlebooks really good enough to spend double (or triple) what you would on a Chromebook? For some, that's going to be a tough sell. If you're tight on cash and just want a basic machine for light use, then a Chromebook will be the better buy, and if you want more processing power, then things become more nuanced.

Googlebooks vs Chromebooks: OS and App support

The second big defining trait of Googlebooks is how they openly embrace today's best laptop processors rather than cheap out on something serviceable, yet unexciting. As touched upon above, the first-generation Googlebooks use either Intel Core Ultra 5/7 or Snapdragon X Elite chips.

This is done to aid hardware-accelerated AI workloads, as the dedicated NPUs (Neural Processing Units) onboard these processors feature 47-50 TOPs (Tera of Operations Per Second), meaning the number of calculations for local machine learning. It's needed to give Gemini Intelligence the required horsepower to function, as it's a hardware-integrated operating system layer.

Standard Google Gemini is more of a prompt-based AI chatbot that has several different levels to it. The standard search and response is now called Flash (3.6), whereas you also have the options for Flash-Lite (3.5) for the fastest answers, and 3.1 Pro for "advanced reasoning". There's also the Flash Extended mode for "complex problem solving". Gemini has been available since December 2023, and it's only becoming smarter, faster, and more useful as time goes on. Google just announced Gemini 4 Argon, which is said to be for real-world coding, defense, and enterprise work, so as a platform, it's in an incredibly healthy place, showing no signs of slowing down.

Googlebooks leverage the power of Gemini Intelligence for local AI workloads. All Googlebook early adopters will receive a year of Google AI Pro (which includes Gemini Pro, Nano Banana, and Gemini in Google Drive) as well as 5TB of cloud storage with their AI-powered laptops, too. In other words, if you're looking for machines primarily geared towards AI-accelerated workloads, then there's enough under the hood, with the software that's streamlined for this exact purpose.

It's tough to weigh up Googlebooks against ultrabooks directly because, though the hardware itself is comparable, the software is very different. Googlebooks run on Googlebook OS (which was codenamed Aluminium OS), which is essentially just a fancy wrapper for Android 17. It boils down to having a cell phone UI combined with the look and feel of a laptop.

By comparison, Chromebooks are an outlier to the norm. They run ChromeOS, which is a lightweight operating system for web browsing and everyday computing tasks that utilize Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) for the likes of Gmail, Drive, Meet, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep, Notebook, etc. It also means having to rely on the Chrome Web Store rather than getting to use the Google Play Store, or downloading anything external as an executable. Google recently announced that it would be ending support for ChromeOS in mid-2034, so there are still seven years of use from a Chromebook before the device becomes a paperweight. Google has confirmed that some Chromebook devices will get to upgrade to Googlebook OS; however, no further details have been shared.

Googlebooks vs Chromebooks: Design

The design ethos when comparing Googlebooks vs Chromebooks is where you can see the manufacturing differences that are possible when you put money behind a product. As expected, given the fact that you're going to pay anywhere from double (or triple) the starting cost for a Googlebook when compared to a Chromebook, the materials used by the former are significantly better. The five initial Googlebooks all feature 16GB RAM with 512GB of storage at a starting point, and are available in either 14-inch or 15-inch display configurations.

Granular details are where Googlebooks get more exciting, particularly with the Lenovo Googlebook 15 and the HP Googlebook 14. Both of these high-end devices weigh in at 1.2kg and feature OLED touchscreens. Lenovo's model uses an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and supports up to 13 hours of battery life, whereas HP's effort utilizes the Snapdragon X Elite for up to 19 hours of battery life. The Asus Googlebook 14 is the lightest of the launch crop, weighing in at just 1kg with its 14-inch 3K OLED screen and up to 16 hours of battery playback. There's something of a rough price-to-performance range here, albeit with one strange deviation from the rule.

The Dell XPS Chromebook lacks an OLED display, but still ranks among the most expensive of the launch lineup, with a lower 2.5K resolution compared to the 2.8K or 3K screens of its competitors. Backed by the Snapdragon X Elite, it has a comparable 18-hour battery life akin to the HP Googlebook 14, coming in a touch lighter at 1.09kg, with otherwise the same configured specs.

There's far more variety in what to expect from a Chromebook's design. After all, Google's web-based laptops have been on the market for over 15 years, and as such, manufacturers have figured out every way to deliver different form factors at all price points. All-rounders include the likes of the HP Chromebook Plus 15, which you can get for around $549.99 / £449.99, running a fairly paltry Intel Core i3-N305 CPU with Intel integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, and a Full HD display.

Cheaper Chromebooks can cut this initial cost in half, such as the budget champion Asus Chromebook CX15, which starts at only $159.99 / £249.99 and features an Intel Celeron N4500 CPU, 4GB RAM, and a Full HD display. You'll find the weaker processors in almost all budget and mid-range Chromebooks, particularly the Intel Core i3, Intel Celeron, or the Intel N100. There's also been the adoption of low-powered MediaTek Kompanio processors, which are built on Arm instead; you may see these chips in the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, Lenovo Duet EDU G2, and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514, among others.

Chromebooks have always been an example of getting what you pay for. It means weaker machines with dimmer screens and modest hardware specs for an affordable price tag. Because ChromeOS is all web-based, there's no need for much processing power; however, if a machine has just 4GB or 8GB of RAM, then the overall performance could still feel slow and sluggish, depending on how many Chrome tabs or apps you're running in the background. It's a game of give and take, of compromise, and that's the space that these laptops have confidently occupied since 2011. They'll never rival what the best gaming laptops can do, naturally, but then, they're not in that market at all.

Should you buy a Googlebook or a Chromebook?

It's time to deliver a verdict on whether you should consider a Googlebook or a Chromebook, and I'll keep things as straightforward as possible. If you're a casual computer user who doesn't want to spend too much and primarily works online and has everything conducted through streaming, then an average Chromebook will be more than enough.

However, if you're already thoroughly ingrained in the Gemini ecosystem, use an Android phone, and want a premium laptop with a long battery life, then a Googlebook will likely be a great choice.

As someone who owns a Google Pixel 10 Pro and has become familiar with Gemini Intelligence, I can say firsthand that the technology works well for certain applications. If you already own Google hardware, then a laptop running an Android wrapper won't make any sense (or will be purely redundant aside from the form factor), but if you're looking to be an early adopter, ready for Gemini 4, Gemini Intelligence, and to go all in on AI, then it could be worthwhile for you. It's too early to call whether the wider computing market or the industry will embrace them, but everything revealed this early on shows promise for the right type of user.

A capable everyday laptop doesn't have to cost the earth. I've found a great deal on the 2026 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i at Best Buy. It combines a 15.3-inch touchscreen with an Intel Core 7 350 processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD in a relatively light 3.5lb chassis.

• Best for: Remote workers and students wanting a portable Windows laptop for productivity, streaming, and general everyday use without requiring a dedicated graphics card.

• The deal: The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i (2026) is now $680 (was $1300) at Best Buy.

• Why it matters: You get a Core 7 350 processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a 512GB SSD in a 3.5lb chassis, along with a 15.3-inch 120Hz touchscreen and a good selection of ports. We've reviewed previous editions of the IdeaPad 3i and appreciated its attractive design, affordability, and performance for day-to-day tasks.

Why we recommend it

The IdeaPad Slim 3i is powered by a Core 7 350 six-core processor that can reach 4.8GHz. It's accompanied by integrated Intel graphics and an NPU rated at up to 17 TOPS.

It comes with 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, which can be expanded to 32GB, alongside a 512GB SSD. The 15.3-inch touchscreen has a 120Hz refresh rate and reaches 400 nits of brightness. Lenovo claims up to 18 hours of battery life.

Connectivity includes two USB-A 3.2 ports, USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, an SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone connection. There's also a 720p webcam with a privacy shutter, Dolby Audio, and a numeric keypad.

Price context & historical value

Best Buy has cut the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i from $1,299.99 to $679.99, knocking $620 off the listed price. I've seen it selling for this amount a couple of times in the past, but not any cheaper.

At first, I suspected the list price was inflated - perhaps partly due to the component crisis that's sending prices skyrocketing - but an 8GB IdeaPad Intel Core 3 is currently listed at $900 direct from Lenovo, and $1000 for the Intel Core 5 model.

That makes this Best Buy deal the better pick by miles, with double the memory and a faster processor.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i if...

You want a thin general-purpose Windows laptop with a large touchscreen, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and enough processing power for work, study, and everyday tasks.

❌ Skip the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i if...

You perform demanding workloads that need a dedicated GPU for graphics work, or you specifically want a laptop with a backlit keyboard.

• Shop all the laptops at Best Buy

• AMD's Athlon Silver 10 is a quietly renamed 2022 Athlon Silver 7120U with two Zen 2 cores and no SMT
• Asus, HP, and Lenovo are selling it in laptops now, some with 4 GB of soldered memory to barely meet Windows 11's minimum RAM requirement
• Both the Core 3 100U and Core i5-1334U score over four times the Silver's 95-sample multi-threaded average, making laptops powered by them a no-brainer alternative

AMD's Athlon Silver 10 seems to be a new-generation CPU targeting budget-conscious consumers who want a modern, entry-level laptop with enough processing power for basic tasks.

Nothing could, however, be further from the truth here; Its own specifications page lists what is a very basic mobile chip, offering two Zen 2 cores, skipping simultaneous multithreading (SMT) and a 15W TDP to go with its 3.5 GHz boost clock, essentially establishing itself as a rebadged Athlon Silver 7120U from 2022.

While the current AI-induced memory, storage, and compute shortage continues unabated, buying an entry-level laptop with only 4GB of soldered RAM in 2026, even if it is presented as a 'new' choice by laptop manufacturers, is disingenuous when better Intel-based options exist in the same price range that offer up to four times the multi-threaded performance and twice the RAM as a de facto configuration.

Skipping a rebadged chip from 2022?

AMD's spec page lists the Athlon Silver 10 with a launch date of October 1, 2025, but no launch event accompanied it. The underlying Zen 2 cores are even older than the Athlon Silver 7120U's launch date, with the company first unveiling the architecture in 2019, and the performance numbers show it.

Its PassMark score is a low 3,543 on multithreaded workloads, at a time when Intel's competition in the same price bracket, a Core 3 100U CPU configured with 2 performance and 4 efficient cores, clocks in at nearly four times the speed, with a score of 12,308.

This isn't a new phenomenon either; the similarly positioned Intel Core i5-1334U, a 2023 chip, offers a similar 12,991 score across its 2 performance and 8 efficient-core configuration.

The performance gap hasn't stopped manufacturers such as ASUS, Lenovo, and HP from selling Athlon Silver 10 or 7120U laptops, often with as little as 4GB of soldered memory, which allows for no upgrades whatsoever.

While Windows 11 can technically work on the 4GB it prescribes as its absolute minimum, it idles at anywhere between 2.5 and 3GB of memory, leaving very little headroom for applications even as lightweight as a word processor or a browser.

Better alternatives exist in the same price range

The irony is that better alternatives exist and are being sold in the same $350-500 price range as Athlon Silver 10-based laptops currently. Dell offers at least two alternatives, including a 6-core Core 3 100U option under $500 and another just $100 above that, with 4 more cores under the hood. ASUS also offers a similarly configured and priced option in the same range, though with a smaller SSD than either Dell option.

All of these would be significantly faster than their Athlon Silver 10 alternatives and, perhaps more importantly, offer 8GB of RAM, which should be the absolute minimum, in my opinion, for a laptop, but we do have an in-depth analysis of that question here.

One could argue that calling AMD Athlon Silver 10 laptops e-waste might be a bit too extreme here, but given that more powerful and well-configured alternatives exist that do not slap on CPU cores from 2019 into a rebadged CPU from 2022 that might not even keep up with modern smartphones, it is an easily justifiable position.

These laptops would be short-lived at best and have limited utility at a time when e-waste continues to be an increasingly bigger issue for society: the UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2024 counted 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, with only 22.3% documented as properly collected and recycled, and found the world's e-waste "rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling."

Buying a laptop that is slower than a modern smartphone when better alternatives exist, despite an AI-led price gouge, and can not be upgraded is simply not only a waste of money but one that is harmful to the environment, even if you can handle the pace of a laptop that offers performance that desktops from over a decade ago would embarrass.

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Two Minute Review

Thin. Light. And a big screen. Say less. Add in a surprising amount of power for this form factor, and you have the LG Gram Pro 16. There’s a lot to like with this laptop, including some interesting LG-specific software and a very impressive battery life. The only thing that might give me pause in recommending it as one of the best laptops out there is its very high price.

Now, I should clarify that there is a version of the LG Gram Pro 16 that skips the Aerominum material of the pricier version (more on that later) and has the most basic integrated graphics instead of the Intel Arc B390 Graphics included on the configuration reviewed here. Even though the Intel Arc B390 Graphics in the review unit are also integrated, it’s surprisingly on par with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050.

So that version might be one of the best Ultrabooks out there for someone who wants that thin and light package with a big screen but doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. But that version pales in performance. Of course, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is much more expensive. I don’t want to tell you to wait for a sale, but its price is its biggest drawback.

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Price & Availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $2,699.99 (about £2,010/ AU$3,830)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US

While the LG Gram Pro 16 is available in US, UK, and Australia, the 2026 configuration, which has the model designation of 16Z90U (or 16Z95U for the AMD powered ones), is mostly just available in the US at the time of writing. It most certainly will make it to the UK, and one configuration is sold in Australia with an MSRP of AU$4,199, though it’s already discounted to AU$2,899. This configuration comes with a Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU, 32GB RAM, Intel Arc graphics, and 1TB of storage. It also features a 2560x1600 touchscreen.

For the US, there are seven configurations. The cheapest one, not accounting for any slashed prices, goes for $2,699.99, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and its integrated graphics, 32GB RAM, 512GB storage, and that same 2560x1600 touch screen. The price starts to creep up with more storage (though some models have a 1TB SSD but 16GB of RAM and are maybe fifty bucks more).

The most expensive model doesn’t have a touchscreen, but does have slightly higher resolution with a 2560x1800 screen. More importantly, it comes with an Intel Core Ultra X7 CPU, integrated Intel Arc graphics B390 Graphics which have the power of an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a good laptop to compare the LG Gram Pro 16 to. Its price tag of $2,449.99 / £2,999 (around AU$6,000) for a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU and 1TB of storage, similar CPU, and similar screen is also expensive, though less expensive than the LG Gram Pro 16 at its maxed out configuration. Or, if you look at the Dell 2026 XPS 16, you’ll find a very similarly priced and specced laptop that also comes with an OLED screen (again comparing to the max configuration).

I think there are a few reasons that LG costs more. The first is that they’re using a new material called Aerominum for the chassis, and semi-relatedly, weighs under three pounds, unlike either of the other mentioned laptops. Hopefully as LG keeps using Aerominum, the price will come down.

• Value score: 4 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: specs

The LG Gram Pro 16 has about seven different configurations at the time of writing, all with slightly different combinations of CPU (Intel Core Ultra 7, AMD Ryzen AI 7 450, Intel Core Ultra X7), RAM (16 or 32GB), storage space (512GB, 1TB, or 2TB), and graphics, with the cheapest configuration utilizing the basic integrated Intel Graphics and more substantial configurations using the Ryzen AI 7 450’s integrated AMD Radeon 860M graphics or at the top of the price range, Intel’s integrated but powerful Arc B390 GPU.

On the exterior, there are two different screen options. The less powerful models come with a 2560x1600 resolution, some of which have touchscreens including the cheapest configuration. The more powerful ones with either the Ryzen or Intel Arc graphics have a slightly sharper 2560x1800 resolution – none of them touchscreen.

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Design

• Light, thin, but with a big screen!
• Keyboard doesn’t have much travel
• Good ports, but not ideal port placement

First things first, the LG Gram Pro 16 reviewed here is like all the other LG Grams, as it manages to be light and portable while still providing a pretty large screen. Those things are typically mutually exclusive. Yet here, you get a 16-inch screen in a package that weighs under three pounds. And since the bezels are pretty thin, it’s only fourteen inches wide. Plus, it’s half an inch thick.

It’s taken me a while to figure out why the LG Gram Pro 16 comes with such a high price tag. Part of it is the robust components. Part of it is the engineering to get it so light and thin. But part of it is, in my opinion, the use of a proprietary material called Aerominum instead of the usual aluminum alloy or plastic. It feels like plastic but is a little tougher, and the LG Gram Pro 16's chassis is made from it. There is, however, a little bit of give in the bottom shell where the venting is.

Since the LG Gram Pro 16 is so thin, the keyboard doesn’t have much travel. Because of this, I don’t really enjoy typing on it for long periods of time. It’s fine. It’s accurate. And it doesn’t bother me when browsing or more casual use, but it just doesn’t have much cushion. I can feel the keys bottom out on every press. At least, it’s a full size keyboard.

The trackpad, on the other hand, is nice to use. It’s also big, though I have to be careful to not accidentally touch it when typing as it is sensitive, and I’m somewhat lazy with my hand placement. And if you use all the different gestures Windows is capable of, the trackpad will register them.

Lastly, I’m appreciative of the port selection, but less so the port placement. A laptop like this doesn’t need anything beyond the two USB-4 type C, two USB, headphone jack, and an HDMI port that it comes with, but the LG Gram Pro 16 makes the same mistake that many laptops do. If you have two USB-C ports and that’s the only way to power the laptop, put one on each side and not on the same side. The power cable it comes with is not that long, and I’ve created a few tripping hazards trying to charge just because of the port placement.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Performance

• Plenty of power for demanding tasks, though with some adjustments
• Mostly great suite of additional software
• Good audio, camera, and mic performance

Between the Intel Core Ultra X7, Intel Arc B390 Graphics, and 32GB or RAM the LG Gram Pro 16 I’m reviewing has, it’s a fairly powerful computer. Despite the fact that the Intel Arc graphics are integrated and not actually a discrete GPU, it compares favorably to an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050 (which is admittedly entry level for discrete graphics).

That means that I can take this somewhere to do a little work – maybe write this review, for instance – and then switch to a demanding video game like Starfield, South of Midnight or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for a bit of fun. While the computer struggles a little at the highest settings for these games, it’s also running at a 120Hz refresh rate.

Now, I assume that many people wanting to read about the LG Gram Pro 16 care about its gaming capabilities, but those are among the more demanding tasks you can ask from a computer. If it can run one of those games, it can handle photo and video editing (we also have benchmarks to show how they would handle those tasks). It can handle recording audio. This is a powerful computer, though, as a gaming computer, it just barely clears the bar of running those more demanding titles.

Now, since LG proudly advertises the AI capabilities of this laptop – if you look on the website, the thumbnail puts “AI” next to the computer’s name as if it’s part of it – it makes sense that AI is all over this thing.

When I open LG’s My Gram app, which is the LG Gram Pro 16’s software interface for fine-tuning its performance, I see things like AI microphone and speaker optimization settings (you can also register your voice so that the laptop only hears / recognizes it), AI cooling for the fan settings, and an AI mode for the battery settings where it adjusts battery usage based on what it’s learned about how one uses their computer and how to allocate battery based on that. The My Gram software can also turn off the screen automatically when you walk away from the laptop.

LG also includes its own LLM tool for interacting with the laptop: AI Gram Chat. Instead of letting you write prompts to generate an image or a short story, it is made as almost an interactive interface for the computer. I can ask it to summarize a document, change settings, or troubleshoot, to name just a few things it's capable of.

The unique software suite on the LG Gram Pro 16 isn’t limited to AI-focused apps. LG Gram Link is an interesting one that’s included, and lets you quickly share files with other compatible devices, like other LG Grams from 2021 and on, LG TVs and smart monitors, and mobile devices. You can download the LG Gram Link for both Android and iOS, so you’re not limited to an LG device.

The last thing worth mentioning on the software front is that, as interesting as those other apps are and as expensive as this computer can be, you’ll still be subjected to dealing with a free McAfee trial. Since I don’t use or like McAfee, it’s an annoyance with its constant pop-ups. And it’s a piece of software that makes you jump through hoops to uninstall. I don’t like it. Minus five points to LG.

For a laptop, the audio here is pretty good. There’s almost no low end to speak of, but that’s the case for most laptops. Content, whether it’s a movie or music, sounds clear without sounding harsh. If you want excellent audio, get some wireless headphones, but if you don’t have any, the speakers on this laptop are good enough.

Those who are stuck on video calls all day will be happy to know that the webcam looks pretty good. There’s some graininess in low light situations, which is to be expected, but the image is clear and smooth. Plus, you can do the auto framing where the camera zooms in on your face like a 70’s Western. The eye contact feature and background effects are also here. Just be aware that there’s no physical shutter to block the camera. And the built-in mic is similarly capable for Zoom and voice calls.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Battery life

• Very long battery life
• Has some AI features to extend battery life even longer

LG claims that the Gram Pro 16’s 77Wh battery can last for 27 hours when playing back video when using its AI Battery Efficiency feature). And it might just be able to do that. But I like to test battery life without any special features or tricks. I want to get a good sense of what the battery itself is capable of.

During use, it did in fact last quite a while. I was able to actually play computer games unplugged without running the battery completely down in an hour or two, though it did take a hit. And I would use it unplugged multiple days at a time without charging. Running the PCMark 10 battery benchmark for office use with all the settings midway between performance and battery took almost 17 hours. A chore to sit through, but a great indicator of how good the battery life is.

• Battery Life score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the LG Gram Pro 16?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

LG Gram Pro 16 review: Also Consider

If our LG Gram Pro 16 review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

How I tested the LG Gram Pro 16

• Tested for a couple weeks
• Used it for work, gaming, and streaming
• Messed with its AI capabilities

I used the LG Gram Pro 16 for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up most of this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some serious gaming. I also played around with the AI and first-party software.

After spending time with the LG Gram Pro 16, it’s clear that this is meant for those who want a large screen in a thin, light package without sacrificing power. That might be a big ask, but LG has done it for a price.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

• First reviewed: August 2026

HP OmniBook X 14: Two-minute review

HP’s new OmniBook X 14 sets out to be an ultraportable device that doesn’t skimp on performance, thanks to its slender dimensions and powerful spec.

Its steely gray colorway conveys a simple, minimalist aesthetic that hardly pushes the boat out. This is matched by the lack of accoutrements and branding.

In terms of build quality, though, the OmniBook X shines. It’s an admirable blend of solidity and portability, with its impressively thin dimensions and light weight making it easy to slip into a bag. Its overall construction easily matches up to those of the best laptops.

One disappointing aspect is the port selection. Not only are there not very many, but they have a few design and placement issues that hamper their practicality.

With the Snapdragon X Elite chip installed, my OmniBook X review unit performed well during the tasks I conducted, from working and browsing to 4K streaming and even light gaming. It stays incredibly quiet even when such high demands are made of it, too, and although certain areas heat up, temperatures are far from worrying.

The 2240 x 1400 display is, as expected, sharp and vibrant, making for a fantastic viewing experience. It can be a little reflective at times, but the brightness levels are usually sufficient to combat the worst of it. The touchscreen is impressively capable too, being responsive and surprisingly smooth to the touch compared to many other laptop examples.

The keys are very light and snappy, as well as forgivingly spaced, which makes the OmniBook X a joy to type on. However, some may bemoan the lack of dedicated navigation keys and a number pad, while the touchpad could’ve been bigger to better facilitate navigation.

Battery life is yet another area where the OmniBook X excels. It managed to last over 28 hours in our test, which is an astonishing performance and puts it top of the league, along with other esteemed endurers, such as the Asus Zenbook A14.

All this excellence comes at a cost, as you may imagine, but compared to others in its class, it represents good value, especially the base model. Naturally, the base model is a weaker machine than the one I tested, but most of the other specs remain the same, making the OmniBook X a good value pick for those after a compact do-it-all laptop.

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Price & availability

• Starts from £764 (about $1,000 / AU$1,400)
• Available now with various configurations
• Good price for the spec

The OmniBook X starts from £764 and is available now. A variety of AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm processors can be optioned, as well as various RAM and storage sizes, ranging from 16GB to 32GB for the former and 512GB to 1TB for the latter.

This is a good price considering the HP OmniBook X 14’s impressive spec. Another OmniBook, the Aero 7, costs about the same, and is similarly capable in many regards, although its display isn’t quite as sharp and lacks touchscreen functionality.

Another stern rival to the HP OmniBook X 14 is the Asus Zenbook A14, which is similarly priced yet weighs even less. However, it too has a lower resolution and lacks touch input.

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Specs

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Design

• Very thin and light
• Solid build
• Limited ports with some impractical placement

Like many in the sector, the OmniBook X has a smart but rather unremarkable appearance. The dark and dour gray finish certainly doesn’t help matters, and some edges and contours aren’t quite as smooth and sophisticated as they could be, if judged alongside the best MacBooks — the paragon of laptop forms. The rounded corners do at least help to soften this monolithic slab, though.

As with many HP laptops, the OmniBook X is built tremendously well. The materials may not feel state-of-the-art, and the base does have some flex around the keyboard area, but overall it strikes the ideal balance between sturdiness and convenience.

This is largely thanks to its ultra-thin lid and base; I don’t think I’ve seen a laptop body more slender than this. It’s also impressively light, helping the OmniBook X to rival some truly remarkable portable heroes, such as the Asus Zenbook 14.

However, physical connectivity pays the price for this leanness. There aren’t many ports on the OmniBook X: you get two USB-C ports on the left — both of which support power input external display output — and a USB-A port and a headset jack on the right.

It’s a shame that the USB-C ports aren’t split across both sides, something I usually prefer since it increases versatility for your setup and working environment. Equally impractical is the USB-A port, which utilizes a flip-down flap to fully open, as you more commonly see on laptop Ethernet ports.

I’ve rarely seen this mechanism on a USB port, though, and it merely introduces an element of needless inconvenience; other laptops as thin as the OmniBook X — such as the aforementioned Zenbook — manage to avoid such a mechanism. Also, the headset jack is quite far back, which could be a problem if your cable is on the short side.

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Performance

• Versatile performance
• Excellent but slightly reflective display
• Light and snappy keyboard

The OmniBook X is an excellent performer on many fronts, making it suitable for both work and play. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip had no problem conducting basic productivity tasks or multi-tab browsing. It also streamed video just fine, including 4K content; I didn’t encounter arduous loading times or stuttery playback.

The OmniBook X can even handle gaming, to an extent. It even managed to run Cyberpunk 2077, albeit in a far from spectacular manner: I had to use low graphics presets without Ray Tracing, which resulted in rough visuals and some stuttering here and there, but it was playable enough for a quick fix.

Under such stress, the OmniBook X is remarkably quiet. Fan noise is noticeable but very suppressed, and while the back half of the unit — including parts of the keyboard — rises in temperature, it remains entirely within comfortable bounds.

The OmniBook X features an LED display with a somewhat unusual 2240 x 1400 resolution. This means it’s sharp and vibrant, although its lack of OLED technology means it can’t match the striking contrast levels of the best monitors and laptop displays. It can also be a little too reflective at times, although the maximum brightness is usually sufficient to counter the worst offenders.

The touchscreen is competent, with the surprising smoothness of its surface making it ideal for finger swipes and gestures, which isn’t something I can say of every laptop touchscreens I’ve used. On this front, it even rivals the best tablets. It’s a shame, though, that the display can’t fold back on itself (like those on OmniBook Flip models), so you can’t turn it upside down and prop it on a desk for tablet-style use.

However, when it comes to that other crucial input, typing, the OmniBook X is far more useful. The keys are very light with little travel, making them feel effortless and snappy. At the same time, they also provide good feedback and satisfying clickiness. They’re generously spaced, too, which certainly helped me to avoid making typos. However, with this large spacing comes a compromise to layout.

Although it still has navigation keys, many of these are integrated on the arrow keys as Fn shortcuts, which is a feasible solution, although I still would’ve preferred them to be on dedicated keys, as some other laptops manage to achieve. There’s also no dedicated number pad, although not many 14-inch laptops manage to squeeze one in, but a few do.

What’s more, despite the large amount of space below the keyboard, the touchpad disappointingly fails to make full use of it. It’s smaller than those on some other 14-inch laptops, which hampers navigation. However, I had no issues with its responsiveness, and its smooth surface, while not as silky as some others, is still sufficient for performing gestures and swipes easily. Taps and clicks are also light and responsive, yet tactile at the same time.

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Battery life

• Best in class
• Real all day battery life
• Only a few rivals can match it

The OmniBook X is among the most enduring laptops in its class. When I ran a movie on a continuous loop on battery power, it managed to last over 28 hours, which is a staggering achievement.

The only other laptop I’ve tested that matches this is the Asus Zenbook A14, which logged the same time, give or take several minutes. What’s more, the OmniBook X is also quick to charge, taking about two hours to fully replenish.

Should I buy the HP OmniBook X 14?

Scorecard

Buy the HP OmniBook X 14 if…

Don't buy it if…

HP OmniBook X 14 review: Also consider

How I tested the HP OmniBook X 14

• Tested for several days
• Used for a variety of tasks
• Conducted comprehensive series of benchmarks

I tested the OmniBook X for several days, during which time I used it for working, general browsing, streaming 4K content, and gaming.

I also ran our series of benchmark tests for laptops, designed to assess every facet of performance. To test its battery life, I played a movie on a continuous loop while the laptop was unplugged until it shut down.

I’ve been using laptops for a long time, and have reviewed countless models, from small budget offerings to large gaming machines, and everything in between.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read more about how we test

• Microsoft has revealed a new Surface Pro 12-inch tablet and Surface Laptop 13-inch
• Both consumer devices are built around a 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus processor
• They go on sale on October 13, 2026, starting at $1,149.99 / AU$1,999 for the Surface Pro and $1,199 / AU$2,099 for the Surface Laptop

It seems like Microsoft might be getting its mojo back for its Surface line-up of products, with Brett Ostrum, Corporate Vice President, Surface Devices, announcing at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit that the company will be releasing a new Surface Pro 12-inch tablet and Surface Laptop 13-inch. Both will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Plus chips, which explains the venue choice. (I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the Snapdragon Summit is held in Hawaii).

According to Microsoft, the two new Surface devices with Snapdragon X2 Plus CPUs will be up to 17% faster for Office workloads, up to 18% more battery efficient, and offer over 60% faster graphics performance.

As these are Microsoft products, there is also the now-customary boasting about AI performance, with the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU offering 80 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second) resulting in a claimed 95% faster local AI performance.

The Surface Pro 12-inch (2026) is a Windows 11 tablet built around the 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, partnered with either 16GB or 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and 256GB or 512GB storage. The 12-inch LCD display has a resolution of 2196 x 1464 and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The screen of this new model is, according to Microsoft, 25% brighter than the previous model, and there’s a new black color. Microsoft estimates around 15.5 hours of local video playback and 13 hours of web use on a single charge. It’ll start at $1,149.99 / AU$1,999 (around £900) and goes on sale on October 13, 2026.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch (2026) features the same 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus chip and is available in the same memory and storage configurations as the Surface Pro. The 13-inch touchscreen has a resolution of 1920 x 1280 and a refresh rate of 60Hz, which I’m not going to lie, is a bit disappointing in a laptop these days, although Microsoft claims the 500-nit display is 25% brighter than the last model.

It also has two USB-C (USB 3.2) ports and a USB-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Microsoft claims up to 22.5 hours of battery life, which if accurate is very impressive.

The Surface Laptop will start at $1,199 / AU$2,099 (around £920) and will also go on sale on October 13, 2026.

Ready to take on the MacBook Air?

Microsoft’s announcement of two new consumer Surface devices is definitely welcome. Surface Pro tablets and Surface Laptops used to be Microsoft’s flagship products and showcases for cutting-edge Windows features. They certainly felt like Microsoft’s attempts to create a MacBook Air. The problem is, they never reached that potential, and when Apple switched to using its own Arm-based M series chips in 2020, the gap widened even further.

Surface devices also had a larger than life cheerleader in the form of Panos Panay, who had a major role at Microsoft and whose passion for the Surface line-up, that he helped create, was infectious (even if that infection didn’t translate into sales). After Panay left Microsoft for Amazon, it felt like the wind had been taken out of Surface’s sails, which wasn’t helped when Microsoft aimed recent Surface devices at commercial and business users, rather than mainstream consumers.

So, it’s good to see that these new Surface devices are firmly pitched at consumers, and the price points are around the same as the MacBook Air since Apple increased prices earlier this year. It also pits them against new Googlebooks, which are going on sale soon as well, and are priced similarly.

Will this mean Microsoft finally has a MacBook Air rival? While I’m glad it’s trying again, I’m not too sure. The Snapdragon X2 Plus is a decent mid-range chip, but the 6-core variant in the new Surface devices falls short of the 10-core CPU in the M5, especially as the M5 offers better single-core performance.

My main concern with the Surface Laptop is that the 1920 x 1280 screen just won’t compare to the display of the MacBook Air, which offers a 2560 x 1664 resolution for a much sharper image.

I’ve also seen the first five new Googlebook laptops, and they all come with higher resolution screens, and some also feature OLED.

The screen of the Surface Pro 12-inch (2026) is more promising, though if you want to use it as a laptop, you’ll need to buy a keyboard accessory, which adds to the price. However, it should still come in at under the price of Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro.

So, I’m not entirely sure that these will be the MacBook Air/iPad Pro killers Microsoft needs them to be, but I’m glad Microsoft is at least trying again, and I could be proved wrong when we get the new Surface devices in for review soon.

• XMG has announced price rises for its laptops due to the increased cost of components
• The laptop maker points out that DDR5 RAM for laptops is now close to 6x the price it was before the memory crisis
• We're also hearing that Micron has pulled the plug on its 2GB modules of GDDR7, and Nvidia's supply of VRAM could feel an impact from this

The RAM crisis sadly keeps rolling on and finding fresh pricing misery to heap on us, and that includes new laptop hikes and a hint that Nvidia GPUs could be in yet another spot of bother.

VideoCardz spotted the development with laptops, as manufacturer XMG announced on Reddit that its notebooks are subject to price hikes of either €100 or €150 for most models, or €300 in one case (that's for a Schenker portable, which is XMG's parent company, so it's all under the same umbrella).

Some laptop upgrades have got pricier, too, with a €120 premium on an RTX 5090 configuration, and as XMG observed: "The reason [for the price rises] is another increase in purchasing costs. This is no longer just about RAM and SSDs: PCBs, electronic components, CPUs, graphics cards and video memory are also contributing to the higher cost level."

In other words, everything is subject to price inflation, including the motherboard and associated chips, as well as the mentioned key components.

XMG highlighted data drawn from Geizhals (which tracks German retail prices) showing that DDR5 RAM for laptops is close to 6x the price it was before the memory shortage began (in mid-2025).

The laptop maker also made it clear that discrete GPUs and GDDR7 video memory have become more expensive, as have the prices of AMD and Intel laptop processors.

Also on the subject of GPUs, Wccftech reports that another slight worry is that Micron is no longer making 2GB modules of GDDR7 video RAM which are used in some Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs.

Uniko's Hardware flagged up this news in a post on X, noting that these chips have "reached end of life" and that this is the case for all Micron 2GB modules, with only 3GB GDDR7 chips now listed on the memory maker's website.

With Micron apparently no longer supplying Nvidia with those 2GB modules, that means more of a squeeze on the availability of video memory for RTX 5000 graphics cards, at least in theory. This could hit stock levels and put a bit more pressure on pricing (which is already climbing fast).

Analysis: yet more pressure

We need to season the claims around Micron here, as this isn't a definitive statement from the company itself, and more to the point, it's only a minor supplier for Nvidia's gaming GPUs. Team Green gets the majority of its GDDR7 from Samsung and SK Hynix, and so the impact here should be relatively slight.

However, I'd argue that any impact is bad news given the current climate which is rapidly worsening for GPUs, particularly those from Nvidia which are heading upwards at a rate of knots for some models. The RTX 5090 has got completely ridiculous, the RTX 5080 is similarly out of hand, and even the RTX 5070 is now feeling the pricing heat, with a 30% price rise compared to two months ago in the US (and a similar picture elsewhere).

So, even small extra pressures are really not going to help Nvidia's GeForce GPUs here.

As for the laptop price hikes, this is a sign of the RAM supply times, and XMG is following other makers who have had to jack up prices (like Dell for example, which just bumped up the XPS 13 in a roundabout way).

It's a commendable level of transparency from XMG here, with the company making it clear that it isn't turning any extra profit from these laptop price increases. XMG also observed that other factors are in play with increased costs for notebook makers, and that includes rising air freight costs (due to conflicts in the Middle East) and difficulties with shipping by sea, too.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Two-minute review

The new Dell XPS 13 (2026) is a shift from Dell's usual modus operandi, finally bringing the premium-quality XPS line down to a more affordable space. If that sounds familiar, it's because Apple did the exact same thing earlier this year: the arrival of the MacBook Neo has shaken up the laptop market, and evidently left other manufacturers scrambling to front their own competition to Apple's new wallet-friendly MacBook.

But before I delve into how effective a frontline soldier Dell's new effort is in the never-ending battle between Windows and Mac, it's time for a brief history lesson: the lore of XPS, if you like.

Dell's XPS brand was unceremoniously killed off last year, before being suddenly resurrected at CES 2026, presumably because their executives realised that shuttering your single most iconic and well-loved brand is a bad idea (shocker, I know). But as I mentioned above, the return of XPS has seen a paradigm shift; while the Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 are still the pricey, high-end laptops I've come to expect from the XPS lineup, the new XPS 13 is an entirely different beast.

It's still identifiably an XPS laptop, there's no denying that. From the ultra-thin chassis to the all-metal casing and minimalist logo on the lid, you'd be forgiven for thinking at first glance that this was just another premium XPS model.

But opening up the laptop betrays its more budget-conscious nature immediately; gone are the giant, edgeless touchpad and zero-spacing keyboard seen on this year's 14- and 16-inch models, replaced instead by more traditional fare. The touchpad and keyboard here wouldn't look out of place on the average Chromebook.

A peek at the spec sheet further solidifies the new XPS 13's position as a MacBook Neo rival; a lower-end hexa-core Intel Core 5 chip and only 8GB of RAM in the base model all point to this being a more sensibly priced product.

I'll dig into the performance specifics later in this review, but the good news is that the lower-spec hardware doesn't render the XPS 13 dangerously underpowered. This laptop is perfectly capable of handling everyday work, even if it's not a performant powerhouse like its bigger siblings. The battery life is also excellent, and the display is very high quality for the price point. In short, there's a lot to love here.

Unfortunately, there are a few things that hold this new breed of XPS back. The base configuration features only 8GB of RAM, which is fundamentally insufficient in the current era of Windows software, and the measly port selection may prove frustrating for some users. It's also just a bit too expensive to be considered a true rival to the MacBook Neo.

Now, it's arguable that this isn't entirely Dell's fault. The ongoing RAM crisis, spurred by skyrocketing demand for AI data center hardware, is causing the prices of all kinds of computer components to spike sharply. Shifting to 8GB of RAM in the base configuration is very likely to be a cost-saving move. Overall, I'd say that this is a pretty solid effort from Dell – just don't expect too much from it.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Price & availability

• Starts at $699 / £749 / AU$1,597.20
• Student discounts help a lot
• Available worldwide

Brace yourself: this is going to be one of the longest price sections I've written for a review in a while. There's a lot to talk about here, sorry!

Apologies to our readers outside the US: the pricing of the Dell XPS 13 beyond America is pretty damn awful, to the point where I'm worried it might have already scuppered any chance of this laptop being a genuine competitor against the MacBook Neo.

In the US, the base configuration comes with a 256GB SSD, Intel Core 5 320 processor, and 8GB of RAM. It'll cost you a very reasonable $699, or $599 with a student discount – in other words, exactly the same price as the 256GB MacBook Neo.

However, I'd generally struggle a little to recommend that version. 8GB of RAM is simply substandard for running software in Windows 11 these days, especially if you plan to run multiple programs at once. Stepping up to the safer recommended 16GB of RAM (which also mandatorily bumps up the SSD to 512GB) will cost you $899, already taking us a fair bit beyond the competing MacBook Neo. Of course, there's no 16GB version of the Neo available, but it's worth noting that the 'unified memory' used by Apple's laptops is a bit more efficient than traditional laptop RAM.

Outside the US, things start to look dicey. For starters, there's no 256GB SSD configuration available in Australia, with the cheapest available models starting at £749 / AU$1,597.20 – a far less attractive prospect after accounting for exchange rates. And if you want to bump things up to 16GB of RAM, you're looking at a fairly steep £1,099 / $1,897.50. My review unit is the 8GB UK configuration with 512GB of storage, which will cost you £899 (though at the time of writing, it's already on sale for £769)

There are higher-spec models available, too, with the RAM configurable up to 32GB and the SSD up to 1TB, as well as the option to upgrade the CPU to a significantly more powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 355. This top-spec model will cost you $1,799.99 / £1,899 / $3,698.20 – and quite frankly, at that point you might be better served by opting for the more premium XPS 14. Configurations with the Core Ultra 7 processor also benefit from an upgrade to Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports.

Overall, I'm not too impressed by the pricing of the Dell XPS 13, especially considering its market position as a Windows-toting rival to the MacBook Neo. There's certainly still an argument that it deserves a place among the best budget laptops (for buyers in the US, at least), but it's not the phenomenal value product I was really hoping to see when I first heard about it. Still, if you're a US shopper who wants a basic but effective laptop for work or school, it's not a terrible choice.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Specs

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Design

• Impressively thin and light
• Premium build quality
• Port selection is feeble

Straight off the bat, despite its aggressive redesign and shift towards more conventional aesthetics, the 2026 Dell XPS 13 still feels like a premium product. I might have complained about the pricing further up in this review, but considering that the build quality remains solid regardless of which configuration you buy, I have to admit that I'm very pleased here.

The entire chassis is machined from high-grade aluminum, making it highly durable without compromising on weight. The whole thing weighs almost exactly one kilogram, and combined with the 13.4-inch display's slim bezels, it's a very portable laptop indeed.

It's also impressively thin, measuring just half an inch thick with the lid closed. The casing has rounded corners and a smooth matte finish, which is reasonably good at resisting scratches and fingerprint marks. It's available in a few different colorways, all muted metallic tones, with availability varying between regions and configurations.

The keyboard and touchpad are totally different from what we've seen on previous XPS 13 models, now trending towards functionality over style. The LED-backlit keys are reasonably spaced, comfortable to type on even for extended periods, and have a decent amount of travel despite the laptop's ultra-thin design.

They're perhaps a little spongy on full presses for my liking, with a bit of flex in the keyboard housing; something which I consider completely forgivable in a sub-$800 laptop, but might push some users towards the more premium typing experience of the XPS 14 or 16. Similarly, the touchpad has a satisfying click, but firm presses on the bottom corners feel a tiny bit flimsy – definitely not a dealbreaker for a budget laptop, but again, it gives me pause when it comes to recommending the higher-spec models.

Thankfully, some things haven't changed from previous models. The display is once again the star of the show here: a fantastic 2.5K touch panel, boasting good maximum brightness and impressive color reproduction, especially considering that the screen is the same regardless of which internal spec you opt for. If you get the cheapest configuration, you're getting plenty of bang for your buck when it comes to the display.

Looking at the rest of the physical design, it's all good without being spectacular. The speakers are integrated under thin slots on either side of the base and are reasonably loud for such a small laptop. Don't expect thumping bass here, but the volume is good without high notes sounding tinny.

The webcam is also decent, 1080p rather than the 720p resolution you'll find on many budget-conscious laptops. I've certainly seen sharper webcam footage, and the low-light performance is merely okay, but it gets the job done well for the most part. It also supports facial recognition logins via Windows Hello. The integrated microphone array is decidedly average, though, so I'd advise getting a decent headset if you plan to make regular video calls.

Lastly, we come to connectivity, which is perhaps the most mixed part of an already mixed bag. Wireless connectivity is top-notch; Wi-Fi 7 ensures speedy, lossless internet (assuming you're connected to a network that supports it!) while Bluetooth 6.0 is an exceedingly rare sight on any laptop under $1,000.

Physical connections, though? Yeah, this one's a wash. We criticised the MacBook Neo for only having two basic USB-C ports (no Thunderbolt 4 support), and it's the same case here. Granted, these are both USB 3.2, while one of the Neo's ports is a frankly pathetic USB 2, and springing for the higher-spec CPU upgrades both ports to Thunderbolt 4, but it's still just fundamentally not enough ports.

Considering that the only way to charge the XPS 13 is to use one of the only two ports available, you're down to just a single port any time it's plugged in. Power users who want to connect multiple peripherals are going to need to spend extra on a USB-C hub, and anyone who doesn't shell out for the more powerful CPU will be dealing with slower charging and data transfer speeds.

Overall, it's a well-designed laptop that feels like it should last for years, but I will be docking a point for the sheer dearth of ports. If you prefer to connect your hardware solely via wireless means, though, you should have very little to complain about here.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Performance

• Decent everyday performance
• Gets a little warm under load
• 8GB RAM is simply not enough for heavier workloads

I'm a big believer in setting realistic expectations, so once I learned that my XPS 13 review unit was the UK standard configuration with 8GB of RAM and the decidedly low-end Core Ultra 5 320 CPU, I immediately tempered my hopes of great performance.

Despite this, this XPS 13 performed a bit better than I'd expected overall. Performance in my everyday workloads – including web browsing, word processing, and some light image editing in GIMP – was good, with virtually no slowdown even with half a dozen Chrome tabs open and Spotify running in the background. Windows 11 generally felt snappy and responsive.

The more you start to load it down with tasks, though, the more it struggles. The simple fact is that in the current age of computer software, 8GB of RAM just isn't sufficient for more complex or varied workloads.

It was a telling moment when Apple finally relented and upgraded the minimum starting memory on the best MacBooks to 16GB rather than 8GB back in 2024; the demands of modern professionals have shifted, and I was rather upset to see that the MacBook Neo has reverted back to 8GB as standard. However, this is less of a problem for Apple, since the 'unified memory' used in MacBooks is faster and more efficient than traditional DDR laptop RAM, and the company's total control of the Mac software/hardware ecosystem makes optimizing for less memory a bit easier.

So let's break down how the XPS 13's 8GB of RAM actually performed. I'll start with the bad news: some of my tests failed to complete altogether, loading up but then aborting. I've not seen this happen in quite a while, with the 16GB industry standard evidently shielding me from such failures.

In total, the XPS 13 failed eight of our standard benchmark tests, most of which were the more demanding 3DMark graphical tests. However, I also noticed some instability in other tests; Cinebench crashed several times before I was able to get stable readings, and 3DMark also crashed once before I was even able to start running tests.

The tests that did run showed decidedly lackluster performance in 3D rendering and similar creative workloads. This isn't a laptop you'll be squeezing in a few rounds of Marvel Rivals on, though I did manage to get Slay the Spire II running fine, so perhaps some 2D indie gaming is still on the table here.

Outside of regular testing, I also tried to fire up Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Both initially loaded without crashing, but were sluggish in practice, and Photoshop ended up crashing after about five minutes of use.

The Dell XPS 13 (2026) got rather warm during the more intensive tests. The thermal exhaust is a thin slot nestled into the display hinge, and while the fans remained impressively quiet throughout my testing, the underside of the laptop did get too toasty to comfortably have it actually on your lap while running resource-intensive software. It did remain cool and near-silent during regular office work, however.

The takeaway here is that while the 8GB model of the XPS 13 is perfectly capable of handling basic everyday workloads, it just doesn't have the oomph for anything more demanding than straightforward office or schoolwork. If that's all you want to do, the budget-friendly 8GB configuration should be fine; if you've got grander designs than that, you'll need to pay extra for a more powerful model.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Battery life

Intel's third-generation Core chips are clearly putting in some work here. Although the Dell XPS 13 (2026) only has a 52Wh battery (far smaller than the batteries you'll find on many ultrabooks these days), the efficiency of this chip can't be understated; our video playback battery test saw the laptop sail comfortably past the 16-hour mark.

There are laptops that can go for longer, but at this price point, that's a very respectable effort. It outstrips the MacBook Neo by nearly three hours according to our tests. I found that even at maximum brightness, with a Bluetooth mouse and headset connected and the Windows power mode set to Balanced, it could comfortably make it through an eight-hour workday without needing a charge.

The laptop also holds charge fantastically when not in use. My partner got sick, and I had to shelve this review for a couple of weeks, during which time the XPS 13 simply sat untouched on a desk in my home office. When I finally opened it up to start my review process, it was still at 90% charge. When plugged in, it charges up to full in just under an hour (though the higher-spec model with Thunderbolt 4 ports will presumably charge faster).

My only real criticism here is that it doesn't come with a power adapter in the UK and EU. Much like Apple's approach with the MacBook Neo, this is ostensibly due to local regulations that mandate consumers' ability to buy a laptop without a charger, but come on; you could include the option to add one at checkout. I've criticized Apple for this in the past, too: it's malicious compliance, and it's simply irritating for the end user.

• Battery life score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Dell XPS 13?

Scorecard

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Also consider

How I tested the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

• Tested for one week
• Used for a variety of workloads
• 8+ years of hardware testing experience

If you've read any of my other reviews, you'll already know the drill: I swapped out my daily driver (the excellent Asus Zenbook Duo 14) for the Dell XPS 13 for one full week, including the weekend.

This helps me get a proper feeling for how the laptop functions in everyday use scenarios, testing it out for a range of typical tasks including web research, writing articles, and image editing. Naturally, I also ran the laptop through our usual suite of synthetic benchmarking tests, including our looped video test for battery life.

I've been a computer hardware journalist for more than eight years, and working for TechRadar for half a decade. In that time, I've reviewed more laptops than I can remember for numerous different publications; the number is certainly in the dozens, quite likely into triple digits by now! I put every bit of experience and expertise I've gained over those years into my reviews, so you can rest assured that you're getting accurate, bias-free information.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read more about how we test

Beaming so brightly, I was tempted to measure his nits, President of Android Ecosystem at Google, Sameer Samat, grasped my hand tightly and asked, "So what do you think?"

Samat was referring to the five brand-spanking new Googlebooks arrayed around the room, all running Googlebook OS, the first hybrid lovechild of ChromeOS and Android.

A year ago in an interview with me ostensibly about Android 16, the over-sharing Samat let slip, "we’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform," and set the tech world on fire.

He said it so casually back in July 2025 that I scarcely grasped the significance. After all, there's been chatter about the idea for ages, but no one had confirmed it, and if it were true, it would mean Google was looking at the idea of an Android ecosystem in a whole new way.

Now, however, we have the fruits of that comment and all the labor in Googlebook OS and Googlebooks laptops from partners Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and HP, which go on pre-order today and start shipping October 5.

Samat told me that he wanted five partner brands and not just two because he wanted to show the breadth of options and noted that they have some points of differentiation, like some have facial recognition, and other Googlebooks include a fingerprint reader. To this point, we have ultra-lights, like the 2.2lb Asus, and workhorses, like a 15-inch Lenovo, and pen-supporting convertibles from Acer. While there's a range of CPUs, from the Intel Core Ultra line to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, and even MediaTek, they do all share some core Googlebook features.

There's the Glowbar, a thin, multi-colored bar on the top cover of all the laptops that lights up to let you know, among other things, that Gemini is at work, or to show battery status. There are even some Easter Eggs to discover. I wondered out loud if the battery status would work when the laptops weren't plugged in. Unfortunately, it's to show charge status.

Each laptop has a massive, haptic touchpad, and there's a G key for quick access to Google features, and a special Caps Lock key with instant access to text-based add-ons like emojis. They all offer the magic cursor, which you can jiggle to open screen-aware Gemini access, basically telling Gemini to do [this] with [that] on-screen element. They all also start with 16GB. Samat told me he was excited that they all start with the "right amount of RAM." 16GB means these natively Gemini-supporting portables are ready for a lot of local AI (the CPUs can reportedly handle up to 45 TOPs).

While a hybrid platform, there's no indication that this is a mobile OS in desktop clothing. Yes, there are things like customizable widgets (and ones you can create via prompts) that I, after a two-finger click on the trackpad, could endlessly resize and move, and access to all your Android Apps. But there are also desktop-level apps and services (online and offline access to Canva, Netflix, and Adobe apps), a dock, and a full file system.

One cool demo showed how you could search across files on your Googlebook and Android phone and even dig into inscrutable file names because the system can see inside files.

The Android infusion combines the Android in your hand and the Googlebook laptop on your desk. There's a single sign-on that recognizes you as one user on the phone and laptop. An email started on your Android phone can be continued seamlessly on the laptop (it does not yet let you go in the other direction). There's a small icon that appears in the dock, showing a tiny phone. You click that, and it opens the email draft on the laptop Gmail app.

The intention here is quite clear: a true Android ecosystem where, Samat told me, it all just works. "That's the dream," he said. The benchmark for such an ecosystem will always be Apple and how its laptops, desktops, phones, and wearables all work together. I asked Samat if I could expect similar levels of interoperability, zeroing in on how when I get an authentication code on my iPhone, it automatically appears on my MacBook Air. He said the unified messaging system will allow this, and added that they would've demoed it on stage that day, but wanted to keep the presentation relatively lean.

Before the event, I wondered if Googlebooks were intended to compete with Apple's new and quite popular $699 / £699 / AU$1,049 MacBook Neo. However, these systems start at $899 / £999 (around AU$1,899) , and a few were $1,199 (around £1,200 / AU$1,680) and $1,299 (around £1,300 / AU$1,800).

That was intentional. Samat, who said Neos are great but that people often find their performance limits, told me they wanted to start with premium offerings. Instead of compromises, Googlebooks offer eye-catching designs and real performance.

Googlebooks run desktop-grade apps online and offline, though App downloads appear to come exclusively through the Google Play Store, and in demos I saw, the systems have the power to do traditional coding and Agentic or Vibe Coding with Google Antigravity. It's worth mentioning, though, that to do the latter, you will need a Gemini account and tokens.

Samat, though, is excited about the power and possibilities, enthusing over the inclusion of a Linux Terminal, a fact that's not surprising since the stack includes a Linux Kernel (right below the Android Stack).

Glancing around the room, Samat asked me which Googlebook was my favorite. As I scanned the crowded demo space, I realized just how much each laptop looked like a standard Windows system, until, of course, you opened them up and saw that Googlebook OS desktop. After a moment, I told him the 2.2-lb. Asus Googlebook is quite attractive. Samat grinned and asked me if I'd checked out the aluminum-clad HP. I agreed that it looked like a premium laptop, too.

On stage, Samat said, "For so long I’ve wanted to do what we’re doing today," calling Googlebooks "a new category of laptops built for how people actually work today."

Later, Samat told me this is "just a start," and there's a lot more to come.

The Googlebooks I saw were notable for their smooth and polished operation. It may be the merging of two platforms, but each Googlebook's desktop and operations I tried felt remarkably unified, as if they'd been together all along.

Still, I had to wonder how this all fits in with Googlebook's cousin, the Chromebook, low-cost laptops that are more or less shell systems offering easy access to cloud-based apps. Schools love them. Samat claimed that 70% of all US education is using them and said it's the only system designed to be passed from one person to another (as each user signs in and out and so on).

Googlebooks and Chromebooks are not mutually exclusive. Samat said Chromebook is important, but it's for a different user and purpose. I said that Chromebook is a doorway, but the Googlebook appears to be about productivity. "Exactly," he told me, still smiling.

I spent quite a bit of this year wondering about Googlebooks. After Google announced them in May, things got a little quiet, and I noticed that when I was at the huge Computex 2026 show in Taiwan, no one seemed to be talking about them — Nvidia’s RTX Spark ARM chip, and Windows 11 competitors to the (then recently-released) MacBook Neo, were the talk of Taipei.

Computex would have been the ideal event for Google and its hardware partners to hype up Googlebooks, if only to give us a bit of a tease. Instead, the silence made me worry that they could end up being another Google product that quickly gets forgotten about.

So, when rumors of an impending Googlebook launch started cropping up a month or so ago, I was very interested. However, with information still so thin on the ground, no one was really sure what a Googlebook would be. Would they be budget laptops designed to replace Chromebooks? Or, might they be mid-rangers aimed at taking on the MacBook Neo?

Well, now that we have pricing information, and I’ve spent time with the five Googlebooks that will go on sale on October 5, I can confirm that Googlebooks are neither of those things — instead, they’re premium thin and light laptops designed to rival the MacBook Air, and Windows 11-powered Ultrabooks. And that makes them all the more interesting.

More ambitious than a Chromebook

With the cheapest Googlebook, the Acer Googlebook 14, starting at $899 / £999 (around AU$1,899), you might be disappointed that these aren’t going to be ultra-affordable Chromebook replacements, especially at a time when prices of everything, especially tech, seems to be climbing.

However, as multiple Google employees told me when I visited the company's UK headquarters in London, Googlebooks are not replacing Chromebooks. Instead, Chromebooks will remain the budget, entry-level, laptop choice running Chrome OS, while Chromebook Plus devices will remain the mid-range option.

Googlebooks, meanwhile, will be the high-end, flagship laptops that run an entirely new operating system — Googlebook OS — while still offering plenty of value for money.

The $1,000 / £1,000-plus price has allowed Google and its hardware partners to be rather ambitious with these first-generation Googlebooks. Each one (the aforementioned Acer Googlebook 14, plus the Lenovo Googlebook 15, HP Googlebook 14, Dell XPS Googlebook, and Asus Googlebook 14) has a stylish thin and light design, and, depending on the model, offers premium features such as OLED touch displays, haptic touchpads, and fingerprint sensors.

Each Googlebook also has a ‘Glowbar’, which is an LED stripe located on the back of the lid that can light up in a variety of ways depending on what you’re doing on the Googlebook. Described by John Maletis, Google’s VP Laptops and Tablets, at the launch event I attended, as a ‘distinctively Google design statement’, it adds a nice bit of color to each Googlebook, and I especially liked how it can show the battery level of the device when it’s plugged in and charging.

In the future, third-party developers will have access to the Glowbar, so that their apps can use the feature, and while I can’t see it being an essential part of the Googlebook experience (remember, the Glowbar is on the back of the laptop’s lid, so usually facing away from the user, limiting its usefulness), it’s a nice little detail that helps these laptops stand out.

Googlebooks also have premium components to complement their designs. Each one comes with at least 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, and some models will allow for higher configurations up to 32GB of RAM and larger SSDs. They're also powered by high-end chips from Intel (series 3 Core Ultra processors) and Qualcomm (Snapdragon X Elite and X1 Elite chips), and feature NPUs capable of over 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) for on-device AI — as you might expect from Google, a big focus of Googlebooks is AI.

Thanks to this combination of powerful specs and the lightweight Googlebook OS, Googlebooks feel very fast and responsive in use. While I wasn’t able to run any benchmarks during my time with the new devices, I spent a decent amount of time with each one browsing the web, using apps and even playing some games (admittedly Android games designed for mobile, but even they can be quite graphically impressive these days), and Googlebook OS was fast and fluid, with nary a pause as I opened up multiple apps.

With Google promising up to 10 years of software support, these Googlebooks could be the last laptop you buy for a long time — and that makes their higher prices slightly more palatable. A 10-year lifespan for a laptop feels very MacBook-like too.

A brand-new operating system

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Googlebooks is that they're running on an entirely new operating system, Googlebook OS, rather than simply using Google’s Chrome OS software.

While Chrome OS has come on in leaps and bounds since its inception, Google’s lightweight operating system built around its Chrome web browser has plenty of limitations. While these limitations have helped keep hardware requirements and costs down, making Chromebooks excellent budget laptops, they can also be frustrating for users. It’s the main reason why I stopped using my Google Pixelbook Go, one of my favorite laptops ever, as my daily driver some years ago.

Googlebook OS combines the best things about Chrome OS, namely its lack of bloat, with Google’s other incredibly popular operating system, Android, to create something entirely new. Built on Linux, and making use of the higher hardware specs of Googlebooks, Googlebook OS is a fully-fledged desktop operating system that really feels like it can compete with Windows 11 and macOS.

Thanks to the OS's ability to run Android apps, Googlebooks will launch on October 5 with access to millions of apps and games via Google’s Play Store, and there will be a dedicated section of the Play Store for desktop apps. These apps won’t just be mobile Android apps clumsily expanded onto a larger screen, but more complex and capable apps that have been designed for Googlebooks with keyboard and touchpad controls. I imagine at launch that this library of desktop apps will be rather limited, but will hopefully expand quickly, especially if Googlebooks turn out to be a hit.

At the launch event, I saw how Googlebook OS fixes one of my biggest issues with Chrome OS. Apps for Chrome OS are usually very limited, sometimes requiring an internet connection to run. The Chrome web browser was the mobile version, which meant you couldn’t run extensions, a deal breaker for myself, as I have several extensions I need to run for my job.

So, one of the first things I did when playing around with a Googlebook was launch Chrome, and I’m happy to report that it’s the full desktop version, so extensions are supported.

Googlebook OS also has a fast and intuitive file browser app, with built-in AI that allows you to use natural language to search your files. In the example I was shown, you could search for ‘a photo with a dog in it’, and Googlebook OS will identify any photo which includes a dog, rather than just going off file names or tags. It’s the kind of responsive and easy-to-use search that Microsoft has long promised in Windows 11, but has never managed to nail. Google has made it look easy.

While Googlebook OS is a new operating system, the aim, according to Alex Kuscher Senior Director, Laptops and Tablets at Google, is to create “a laptop that feels familiar to Android users”.

That means an interface that, despite being built for desktops, looks a lot like Android on smartphones. It uses the same Material 3 Expressive interface, and widgets, menus and settings should be recognizable to anyone who's used a modern Android device. The fact that every Googlebook comes with a touchscreen means there should only be a small learning curve for Android users.

Of course, if you use a version of Android that’s heavily modified, such as with the OneUI interface found on Samsung devices, things won’t be quite as similar, as the Googlebook OS interface is very much based on the stock Android you find on Google’s own Pixel series of devices. Still, anyone who's used an Android device should find Googlebook OS easier to pick up and use compared to Windows or macOS… or even Chrome OS.

Googlebooks and Android devices will also work seamlessly with each other, so once paired, you’ll be able to access and launch apps and files from your smartphone on a Googlebook, even allowing you to carry on where you left off on one device when switching to another.

I saw this in action with a few apps, and it looked like it worked very well. It was intuitive and slick, and finally offers the kind of interoperability between mobile device and laptop that Android users have been wanting. If you’ve ever been jealous of how well MacBooks and iPhones work with each other as an Android user, then a Googlebook is definitely worth considering.

One thing to note is that, while you’ll be able to see and reply to text messages your Android phone receives on your Googlebook, you won’t be able to make and answer calls. A Google employee told me this is for security reasons; however, iPhone users can answer their iPhone through macOS, so if Apple has found a way to do this securely, I’m sure Google will figure it out as well. I was also assured that WearOS devices, such as the Pixel Watch 5, will get some sort of compatibility with Googlebooks as well, but that feature will come in the future.

Based on my time with the first tranche of Googlebooks, I've been impressed with the Apple-like way in which they work with Android devices. If anyone has tried the rather clumsy way Windows 11 works with Android, the way Googlebook OS handles things will be a revelation. Previously, only Samsung got close to this kind of ecosystem, but that relied on using Samsung apps and devices. The Googlebook OS way of doing things feels far more natural.

It's also hard to overstate how big a deal a new operating system to challenge the dominance of Windows (and to a lesser extent, macOS) on laptops is. Many people have been growing frustrated with Windows 11’s instability and bloat, and while Googlebook OS also features heaps of AI (a common complaint of Windows 11 these days), it does so in a less obtrusive way. It certainly feels like Googlebook OS was built to incorporate AI, rather than it being bolted on, as with Windows 11 (which, to be fair to Microsoft, was launched before AI really took off).

The Magic Pointer feature, for example, brings up Google’s Gemini AI with a shake of mouse cursor, and while I don’t think this is a killer feature, it’s at least easy to ignore if you don’t need it (and just as easy to use if you do).

New Googlebooks will come with 12 months of Gemini Spark — Google's personal AI agent — which is a nice added value, though I worry how much of Googlebook OS’ AI features will suddenly become unusable when those 12 months are up and you don’t resubscribe.

Also, while Googlebook OS feels lightweight thanks to the lack of preinstalled ‘bloatware’ and speed, it offers plenty of depth as well, with full Terminal access, support for Linux containers, and access to Google’s Antigravity tool for coding your own apps. The Create My Widget feature, currently in beta, lets users make their own desktop widgets using natural-language prompts.

So, it looks like Googlebook OS could be the best example yet of a lightweight operating system that doesn’t feel limiting for more advanced users. The integration between Googlebooks and Android devices is also impressive, and perhaps the thing that both Microsoft and Apple should be most worried about, as there are a lot of Android device owners looking for a laptop that works this well with their smartphone.

There’s no doubt that Googlebooks are going to be impressive laptops, and I left the event increasingly confident that pitching Googlebooks to compete with MacBook Airs (especially after Apple has raised the price of its laptops) rather than limiting them to budget laptops, is a canny move. We’ll be getting all of the new Googlebooks in for review soon at TechRadar, but from my early time with them, I would advise any Android owner who's currently thinking about buying a new laptop to hold fire until October 5.

It's time for TechRadar's annual tech awards, and this year we're doing it differently. For the first time, we have a complete set of categories where the winners are chosen 100% by you, the TechRadar readers.

The TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards 2026 comprises nearly 100 categories, but we know that not everyone is interested in voting in every one, so on this page you can vote in just our Computing and Gaming categories.

These include laptops, PC gaming peripherals, console accessories, monitors, gaming services and more. You can vote in the survey just below — or follow the links to see other specific categories, or to vote on the full list instead.

The shortlists were chosen by TechRadar's editors based on the best products we've tested or the most popular products of the year. You'll need to vote before 00:01am PST / 03:01am EST / 08:01am BST on Wednesday October 7th 2026 for it to be counted.

• All categories
• Phones & Cameras
• TV & Audio
• Fitness & Home Tech

Once the deadline has passed at 00:01am PST / 03:01am EST / 08:01am BST on Wednesday October 7th 2026, we'll tally your votes to find the winners in each category.

We'll announce the winners in our big TechRadar Awards 2026 Week, starting Monday October 19th. We'll reveal the winners of the Reader's Choice Awards, as well as the winners of our TechRadar Product of the Year Awards, which are chosen solely by our expert judges.

How many products will do the double? We'll be curious to see — but right now, all you can do is vote for what you think should win, so vote away!

The Asus Zenbook line of laptops has consistently impressed us in tests thanks to a great blend of performance and ultra-portability. And AO just knocked £350 off the Asus Zenbook 14 touchscreen laptop.

• Best for: Business professionals and students who want a lightweight laptop they can easily carry to multiple locations, and need an OLED display without paying a premium.

• The deal: The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is reduced to £849 (was £1,199) at AO with free delivery. AO members can save another £38, bringing the total price down to £811.

• Why it matters: Combines a 14-inch WUXGA OLED touchscreen with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB SSD. It also weighs just 1.2kg and offers up to 18 hours of battery life, built for working at and away from a desk.

• The catch: There's no discrete GPU for heavy 3D rendering or gaming. While the screen is a gorgeous OLED, it's a standard WUXGA panel, not a high-resolution 2K or 4K model. I wouldn't consider this a deal-breaker for work and university tasks.

Why we recommend it

The 14-inch OLED touchscreen has a 1920 x 1200 resolution, 400-nit brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Its 16:10 aspect ratio provides a little more vertical space than a conventional 16:9 screen, which is handy when you're working on documents or browsing the web.

Intel's Core Ultra 7 255H combines 16 processor cores with integrated Intel Arc 140T graphics and can reach speeds of up to 5.1GHz. You also get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB-A and HDMI 2.1, along with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

For more top performers, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested, as well as our best student laptops.

Also consider

Price context & historical value

AO has slashed the price of the Zenbook 14 OLED laptop from £1,199 to £849, saving you £350, or around 29%. AO members get an additional £38 discount. If you're not already a member, joining costs £39.99 a year, so just £1.99 more than the saving, which might be worth it if you're thinking of buying something else from AO this year.

I haven't found this exact configuration cheaper elsewhere right now, but it has been as low as £729 in the past.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED if...

You need a portable laptop for university, commuting or regularly working away from home. The combination of a compact aluminium chassis, 16GB of memory, 1TB of storage and up to 18 hours of battery life means it offers plenty of power for everyday work.

❌ Skip the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED if...

You want a laptop primarily for gaming. The integrated Intel Arc 140T graphics can handle some games, but there's no dedicated GPU, and the OLED display is limited to 60Hz, making it better suited to productivity, streaming and creative work.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The display is OLED, but it's not one of the higher-resolution 2.8K or 3K panels found on some Zenbook models. You get a 1920 x 1200 resolution and 60Hz refresh rate, which are fairly basic specifications for a laptop originally priced at £1,199.

The memory is also LPDDR5X, which is typically soldered to the motherboard rather than installed in replaceable modules. That means you should consider 16GB as the maximum amount of RAM for this laptop.

• Shop all laptops at AO

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026): Two-minute review

The new Asus Zenbook 14 is designed to be an ultra portable device with a mid-range price that doesn’t compromise on performance.

True to other models in the line, the finish of the Zenbook 14 is different to the usual fare at this kind of price point, with its soft texture and uncommon colorways that are far more vibrant than many.

More impressive, though, is the Zenbook 14’s build, which blends strength and lightness in a way very few can match. Compared to other 14-inch laptops, this has to be one of the best laptop constructions around in terms of portability.

However, it’s not quite as thin as you might expect, and the thick feet underneath only add to the bulk. What’s more, although most of the unit is remarkably sturdy, the keyboard has a tendency to flex while typing on it, which is a little disconcerting.

As you might expect for a laptop this portable, the Zenbook 14 isn’t loaded with interfaces, but those included are wisely chosen. You get one USB-A and two USB-C ports — the latter of which support power delivery and display signals — as well as an HDMI output and a headset jack.

The Zenbook 14 performs competently at everyday tasks. It can handle basic productivity and browsing, as well as 4K streaming. It struggles with even light gaming, but that isn’t too surprising given its lack of a dedicated GPU.

Fortunately, the Zenbook 14 remains composed even when undertaking heavy workloads. The fans are audible in such circumstances, but they’re certainly more hushed than many other examples. Temperatures also remain impressively cool, with only a few hotspots appearing — and mercifully these steer clear of commonly touchable surfaces.

The 1920 x 1200p resolution is sharp enough for its 14-inch real estate, while the OLED technology provides the vividness and contrast you’d expect. Reflections are visible at times, but the maximum brightness level should keep them from disrupting your viewing experience too much.

One of the main drawbacks of the Zenbook 14, though, is its battery life. It lasted just over 12 hours when I played a movie on a loop, which is short compared to many of its competitors. In fact, the Zenbook A14, a similar machine to the 14 in many ways, more than doubled this time when I ran the same test.

What’s more, the A14 is similarly priced to the 14, so all things considered it offers the better value. The 14 is the better the choice if you want a slightly more solid body, but in all other regards, the A14 would be the better choice.

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Price & availability

• Starts from £799.99 (about $1,080 / AU$1,500)
• Preorders open now (ships September)
• Some rivals offer better value

The Zenbook 14 starts from £799.99 (about $1,080 / AU$1,500) and is available to preorder now, with shipments expected early to late September. Availability in the US and Australia is yet to be confirmed, but we'll update this section once it has.

The base model gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon X1 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 50Wh battery. More powerful AMD Ryzen AI 7 and Intel Core Ultra 9 models, both with 70Wh batteries, can also be preordered for £1,399.99 and £1,499.99 respectively. These two also get backlit keyboards, but the Snapdragon model doesn’t. Each model has three colorways to choose from: Zabriskie Beige, Arctic Blue, and Komodo Coral.

This is a reasonable price considering its spec. However, the already available Asus Zenbook A14 is slightly cheaper, yet has superior battery life and a marginally lighter build. Then there’s the HP OmniBook 7, which we’ve seen in recent sales with a similar price, and is a fantastic all-rounder that’s hard to beat at this point in the market.

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Specs

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Design

• Light and strong body
• Unique finish
• Reasonable port selection

The unique Ceraluminum body certainly sets the Zenbook 14 apart, as do the bright colorways. The beige finish of my review unit was more interesting than the usual monochromatic shades we’ve grown accustomed to, looking softer and more inviting as a result. This was further aided by the rounded corners and the odd texture of the material, which has a slight graininess that’s comfortable in the hand.

One of the major selling points of the Zenbook 14’s construction is its lightness. It weighs around 2.5 pounds (just over a kilogram), which is impressive for a 14-inch laptop. However, it’s not quite as thin as you might expect, with a bit more unexpected bulk at the rear. The two long bars that run underneath, acting as feet, don’t help matters, either.

However, some may view this a worthy sacrifice for the unit’s surprising solidity. Both the base and the lid have very little flex to them. It feels slightly sturdier than the A14 I reviewed previously, although that model is slightly lighter at 2.16 lbs / 0.98kg.

There is, though, one weak point to the Zenbook 14’s build, and unfortunately that’s the keyboard. Hammering away on the keys often depresses the whole board, which can be quite annoying and doesn't inspire much confidence. There’s also no backlighting, which is an omission I always lament.

On the plus side, there are a reasonable number of ports on the Zenbook 14. There’s one USB-A port on the right-hand side of the unit, which is the only port on this side. On the left, you’ll find two USB-C ports (both of which support external display signals and power delivery), an HDMI port, and a headset jack.

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Performance

• Fast everyday performance
• Vivid but reflective display
• Good for typing

For everyday tasking, the Zenbook 14 is a solid performer. The Snapdragon X1 chip in my review unit was fast and smooth when conducting basic productivity workloads such as word processing. It also handled multi-tab browsing and 4K streaming with plenty of composure as well.

Sadly, but somewhat expectedly, the Zenbook 14 isn't ideal for a spot of light gaming. It struggled to run Cyberpunk 2077 even on the lowest preset, blighted by rough visuals and debilitating slow downs during chaotic scenes. The A14 I tested previously, equipped with a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip, was able to handle low presets better, although it still wasn’t a flawlessly smooth experience.

Some fan noise is evident when the Zenbook 14 is under stress, but this isn’t too distracting. For such a compact laptop, the Zenbook 14 also does well to keep temperatures from soaring. I only noticed portions above the keyboard and underneath getting hot, while the commonly touchable surfaces, such as the keyboard, only became lukewarm at most.

The 1200p OLED display is crisp and sharp, with plenty of contrast and vividness. It can show reflections a little too readily, especially when deep blacks are displayed. Mostly, though, the high brightness levels do well to keep reflections at bay.

Despite that aforementioned flexing of the keyboard, the Zenbook 14 is still good for typing. It may feel a little harsh due to the lack of dampening, but the keycaps are comfortable and well spaced, while their low profile and short travel make them feel snappy and easy to glide over.

Complementing the keyboard is the super smooth touchpad that allows for easy swipes and gesturing. It’s not very large, but it maximizes its real estate commendably by extending from almost the bottom edge of the unit to the bottom of the space bar, which makes navigation less of a chore than it otherwise would be.

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Battery life

• Middling longevity compared to rivals
• Zenbook A14 massively outlasts it
• Quick to charge

The battery life of the Zenbook 14 isn’t particularly impressive. When I played a movie on a continuous loop unplugged, its 50Wh battery lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes. While this is quite long, it falls short of quite a few of its rivals.

For context, the A14 has a 70Wh battery, and the difference shows, as that laptop lasted over 28 hours in the same test, one of the best results we’ve seen. And if you’re looking for another enduring 14-inch laptop, the HP OmniBook 7 posted a time of 26 hours. Fortunately, the Zenbook 14 is at least quick to charge, just around two hours to fully top up.

Should I buy the Asus Zenbook 14 (2026)?

Scorecard

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Asus Zenbook 14 (2026) review: Also consider

How I tested the Asus Zenbook 14 (2026)

• Tested for a few days
• Used for a variety of tasks and benchmarks
• Extensive laptop reviewing experience

I tested the Zenbook 14 for a few days, during which time I used it for all manner of tasks, from basic productivity and general browsing to 4K streaming and gaming.

I also ran our series of benchmark tests for laptops, designed to assess every aspect of performance. I ran a movie on a loop to test the battery life, too.

I’ve been using laptops for decades, and have reviewed a large number of them, ranging from small budget offerings to large gaming monsters.

• First reviewed: September 2026
• Read more about how we test

The Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is a powerhouse and a semi-portable shell. It takes on the power of the beloved X1 Extreme, pairing an ultra 9 processor with quick memory, Thunderbolt 5, and decent storage. It's designed for engineers, creatives, and other power users who need a machine that can do it all while still having that hint of portability.

I think of this quite like the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It's the bigger choice in the line-up, but you would get it because you want the power and the ability, not necessarily the portability. The people who would get this laptop are the people who need the ports as well.

That's one of the reasons why I'm thrilled to see USB-A still, though it is just one, which is all that I would want. USB-C, Thunderbolt, an SD card reader, and an HDMI port. It honestly has every port I wish my MacBook Pro had, even as a guy who loves the MacBook Pro.

Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8: Price and availability

The Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is available from Lenovo in the US here, and in the UK here. Prices start at $3,632 / £5,0145.

My tested version of this laptop has an Intel Core i9-285H, an IPX5070 with 8 GB, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. It's pretty hefty, and it does the job, that's for sure. The fact that it has a dedicated GPU shows that this thing is meant to work. The screen is also WQUXGA (3840x2400) with an 800-nit IPS panel.

You can fully inspect this thing out with a loaded Ultra 9 5070 with 64 GB and 4 TB of SSD. That will run you just over $4,000. My unit is not fully spec'd. It was pretty close and comes in at about $3,400 to $3,700, depending on how I look at it. If you get a base level with an entry point of an Intel Ultra Core 7 RTX 5060 and a terabyte of SSD, you can get it for just under $1,700 at $1,688.

So, much like most of Lenovo's line-up, you can expect this thing to go up and down the price chain however far you want. What's important to recognize is that they have laptops all across the spectrum for what you're wanting.

Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8: Unboxing and First Impressions

Right off the bat, this is a super sharp machine. I'm a big fan of Lenovo laptops for how they always look uniform yet still have a little taste of differences.

When it comes to being uniform, it still has the matte black that I love, the touchpoint, a generous trackpad, a very comfortable keyboard, a great screen, a physical shutter on the camera, spectacular ports, and all-around really standard and clean branding.

The things that are different, though, are that, unlike a lot of the other models that I've tested, this doesn't have a left and right-click button at the top of the trackpad that's meant to be used with touchpoint.

It does still have a little bump, though, so that if you know that it's there, it's still accessible. I tested it, and the right-click still works just fine. It's just not a physical button; it's built into the touchpad.

Outside of that, this still looks super sharp. While it is bigger than some of the other models, it's by no means too cumbersome to carry. I would happily carry this around every day in my backpack, and it fits even at 16 inches in most standard-size or slightly bigger backpacks. It's a pretty tight fit in something like a Bellroy Daily Pack, but in my beloved Nomadic or TomToc bags, this fits without any problem.

In the box comes the standard charger and always great packaging to make sure that the laptop stays safe while in transit or in the store. Admittedly, I rarely use the chargers that come with these devices personally, but that's because I usually opt for more efficient and more useful chargers from Anker, Ugreen, or even Nomad.

For something this size, though, I'll probably continue to use one of my bigger Anker chargers that have a few ports, phenomenal output, and even Bluetooth capabilities to give me readouts. I can see where my power is going for each port on the plug.

Lenovo ThinkPad T1 Gen 8: Design & Build Quality

As previously mentioned, this is an absolutely spectacular build device. If you're more familiar with Apple products, this does feel quite a bit like the MacBook Pro. I feel bad constantly comparing it to that, but the reality is that the MacBook Pro is a little more distinguishable and more known in the popular field.

What's unlike the MacBook Pro, though, is that this also features a trackpoint, a privacy shutter, human presence detection, upgradable memory, and that USB-A port that I wish my MacBook Pro had.

It's no secret that this is a big machine. It's a 16-inch powerhouse, so don't expect it to be as light as a feather or as light as some of Lenovo's carbon models. That doesn't mean that it's wildly uncomfortable either.

Yes, it's a big laptop, but for its size, it's so barely portable and relatively thin and light. Especially when you consider that you can get this spec'd out with a tandem OLED 120 Hz screen, massive amounts of storage, 64 GB of RAM, and a dedicated graphics card. That's pretty insane all around.

Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8: In use

I've had this laptop in rotation for my team and myself for the last 163 days as I write this paragraph. Throughout the time, I've used it for virtual meetings, projects in Notion, a lot of writing, and emails.

I'm taking over the world one AI at a time, trying to teach myself things through Claude and GPT. I've taught myself how to code. I've done a lot of website work. I've sent a lot of Slack messages and even watched a fair number of tutorials on YouTube.

While working on project management, this executive screen fits a good amount of data, especially with the higher resolution. I can fit quite a bit on this screen. When it comes to basic photo editing, the screen is still pretty sharp and fairly color accurate. It may not be the best photo editing laptop I've ever used, but for most this would be just fine.

This machine is powerful enough that I can jump in and run quite a bit of my workload on it without even feeling like it's slowing down at all. I've done a ton of work building out Notion workers utilizing this laptop specifically.

I've done a lot of work in VS Code, GPT, Claude, and Notion, running some pretty heavy workflows to get the sinks working the way I wanted them to. It all happened without any problems on this machine, thanks to its robust processor, RAM, and storage.

Beyond that, typing has been an absolute dream on this. I have always said, and probably will continue to say, that Lenovo laptops, specifically the ThinkPad variant, have some of the best keyboards on the market, perhaps ever. Even throughout all their changes over the years, they continue to have a spectacular keyboard.

The best way I can describe this laptop is that it is for people who need a professional machine for workloads to match. These people aren't the ones that are just working on documents or emails or quick office tasks like that.

It's the people who need to be able to jump into any kind of work at any time. They're using a ton of processing power, and they need a lot of ports. They're the most likely to be more tech-savvy individuals who bounce in and out of what they do.

Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8: Final verdict

All in all, this laptop has been wonderful to use. I have most appreciated the parts and the reliability of this machine. Being able to plug in any device I may need without having to carry a dongle is peace of mind that I do not take for granted.

Also, having enough headroom in your powertrain to take care of all the projects in one's own busy days is a superpower that many would appreciate.

If you're the generalist or the specialist of many, if you're into systems, IT, or you're just the kind of guy who always has a thousand projects he's juggling, then this is absolutely a laptop you should consider.

For most people, this would be overkill for them. In my technical world, people I work with would absolutely benefit from this kind of machine. It has the power to run bigger programs and the storage to manage data if that's part of what they're doing.

It has ports to jump in and out of whatever they are solving, and it's portable enough to carry around from place to place (even though they're not going want to walk around holding this in their hand anytime soon). It's possible, but it's just not comfortable.

It's sharp, it's sleek, it's powerful, and it has ports. It's expandable all around. Lenovo nailed it with this laptop.

For more top picks, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested.

This has to be one of the best laptop deals I've spotted on a 16-inch machine with a high-resolution display and plenty of memory. As part of its back-to-school sale, the Asus Vivobook S 16 is now $1300 (was $1600) at Newegg.

And this one is packed with awesome specs. On top of the 16-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, it has an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

The deal also includes Intel's Gamer Days Bundle 2026 with two upcoming games valued at $119.98, plus an Intel AI Software Bundle worth more than $400.

Today's best Asus Vivobook laptop deal

Why we recommend it

The 3K OLED screen is well suited to creative work, combining a high resolution with 100% DCI-P3 coverage for working with photos, video and other visual content. The 120Hz refresh rate also provides smoother movement and scrolling than a conventional 60Hz laptop display.

There's enough processing power and memory capacity here for demanding productivity and multitasking, and the integrated Intel Arc graphics provide some welcome graphics capability.

The laptop also includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports supporting displays, power delivery and data transfers up to 40Gbps, plus two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and a microSD card reader. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are both supported.

For more top performers, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested.

Also consider

Price context & historical value

Newegg has slashed the price of the Asus Vivobook S 16 from $1,599.99 to $1,299.99, saving you $300, or almost 19%. It has been considerably cheaper in the past, however, dropping as low as $1,100 earlier this year, so this isn't the best price we've seen.

That said, it currently comes with Intel's Gamer Days Bundle 2026, which means you'll get Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis games worth a combined $119.98 for free. You also get Intel's AI Software Bundle 2026 which includes more than $400 worth of software.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Asus Vivobook S 16 if...

You want a large-screen laptop for creative work, productivity and heavy multitasking without stepping up to a bulkier workstation. The hardware on offer makes it particularly well equipped for demanding everyday tasks.

❌ Skip the Asus Vivobook S 16 if...

You primarily want a laptop for serious gaming or GPU-intensive 3D work. Intel Arc integrated graphics are considerably more capable than basic integrated graphics, but there's no discrete GPU, so a laptop with dedicated Nvidia or AMD graphics would be a better choice.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The 16-inch OLED panel has plenty going for it, but it's a glossy non-touch display, which might not be ideal if you tend to work in bright environments. Its 400-nit peak HDR brightness is also relatively modest compared with other premium OLED laptops.

The bundled games aren't available immediately, either. Star Wars: Galactic Racer will be released on October 6, 2026, and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to arrive on February 12, 2027. You'll need to redeem the Gamer Days offer by October 31, 2026.

• Shop all laptops at Newegg

Dell is running a surprisingly small Labor Day sale this year with hardly any laptop deals in it. However, there is one offer that rises above the rest and is really the only one that matters if you're shopping for a new device in today's sales: it's this Dell XPS 13 for $699.99 (was $999).

• Browse the full Dell Labor Day sale

Yep, I'm shouting about this one again, as I still don't quite believe that you can pick up one of our favorite and highly-rated laptops for such a terrific price. This particular model boasts a 3.4-inch 2.5K touchscreen display, an Intel Core 5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

That's a decent all-around mid-range spec, which will have no issues with general everyday use, college and university work such as essay writing and research, and also allow for a bit of multitasking if you enjoy a bit of streaming in your downtime.

And, better still, if you're an eligible student, you can save another $100 off the sale price, bringing it to a super-low $599. When it comes to powerful, efficient and affordable laptops in this year's sales, I truly think that this one is hard to beat.

Dell XPS 13 Labor Day deal

Our 4.5-star Dell XPS 13 review explains exactly why we think this is such a brilliant little laptop. We had lots of praise for the gorgeous display, fantastic battery life, solid overall performance, and sleek design. It hits everything you'd want from an all-purpose laptop at a stunning price in today's market.

More of today's best Labor Day sales

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
• Appliances: up to $1,200 at Samsung
• Best Buy: 60% off appliances, TVs, laptops & more
• Casper: up to 30% off mattresses
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• DreamCloud: up to 60% off mattresses, 66% off bundles
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lowe's: $1,000 off appliances, patio & tools
• Nectar: up to 50% off mattresses, deals from $349
• Saatva: up to $625 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off 4K, QLED & OLED TVs
• Target: 45% off clothing, tech & furniture
• Walmart: 58% off back-to-school, furniture, & clothing

Gaming on the go has reached fresh heights over the years, with slim laptops and compact handhelds delivering great performance. AMD and Intel have spearheaded the charge with their mobile processors, but a new player is in town.

Nvidia revealed its RTX Spark at Computex in May, an ARM-based superchip designed for Windows on ARM laptops, with AI capabilities and obvious strong suits for creators – but also gamers, too, with a powerful integrated RTX GPU. It's designed for slim laptops and compact PCs, keeping workspaces less cluttered and making creation alongside gaming much easier when travelling.

I was lucky enough to go hands-on with an RTX Spark laptop at Gamescom 2026, specifically the HP OmniBook Ultra 16, which was running Borderlands 4. Gearbox Interactive's latest entry in the franchise was notorious for its rough performance at launch.

It has significantly improved since then, and the OmniBook Ultra 16 was running the game at an incredible frame rate, one I could tell was above 60 frames per second, with the help of Nvidia's Frame Generation x2.

The mention of Frame Generation may throw some off; after all, it's been frowned upon for a long time with the 'fake frames' nickname (a criticism I disagree with). However, the input delay and overall latency weren't an issue for me on this RTX Spark system.

I didn't get the chance to put the system through its paces other than playing that particular game, but it's worth noting that the other RTX Spark laptops at Nvidia's booth were running games like 007 First Light and Arc Raiders, both of which ran at smooth, solid frame rates.

If it wasn't clear already, I think RTX Spark is great for laptops and compact PCs, and my only concern is the price. I'm hoping for something that isn't too expensive, but that's probably wishful thinking due to the nature of these devices and the ongoing RAM crisis. However, it would be a shame if RTX Spark laptops don't blossom as a result of memory shortages.

Handheld manufacturers could use RTX Spark

Speaking with Nvidia's staff at Gamescom, I asked if the RTX Spark was intended to be used with handheld gaming PCs, and it was made clear that Team Green is completely open to any handheld manufacturer reaching out to use the superchip.

Handheld territory isn't exactly foreign to Nvidia either. The Nintendo Switch 2 uses the Tegra T239 processor, with access to DLSS across multiple games — and the upscaling technology does wonders for image quality and performance.

While AMD and Intel's processors continue to provide fantastic performance on most handheld gaming PCs, especially with Intel's new G3 Extreme CPU, I told Nvidia that DLSS on something like a Legion Go or MSI Claw would be untouchable.

Of course, performance has to be balanced with battery life and power usage, as well as pricing, and I'm very aware that this could be a tricky equation to deal with.

If the RTX Spark (or any similar chip in Nvidia's plans going forward) could be the engine of a handheld gaming PC, using more aggressive upscaling wouldn't be something to avoid in terms of any easy win to boost performance. DLSS Super Resolution is great at maintaining sharp image quality, and it would work even better on the smaller screen of a handheld.

Will this ever happen, though? That's down to the manufacturers of these devices.

While the Labor Day sales are usually a bigger event for appliances, furniture, and outdoor goods to prep for fall, there are actually dozens of tech deals out there as well. And one big category is laptops, where savings of up to $900 are available at Best Buy, Amazon, Dell, HP, and more. I've searched through all of these sales and picked out the 9 best Labor Day laptop deals that are worth buying.

Best Buy is actually one of the strongest retailers when it comes to sales this week, with discounts of up to $900 off a wide selection of Chromebooks, laptops, and gaming laptops.

One of its top offers is this Acer Aspire Go 15 for $499.99 (was $699.99). It may have some older components, but you get a solid AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB of RAM, and a respectable 512GB SSD for storage. That's a set of components you don't always see for under $500, and is powerful enough to keep up with work, college, and just everyday use.

Elsewhere, Dell might not have the biggest sale, but it's going to be tough for anyone else to beat this Dell XPS 13 for $699.99 (was $899.99). Even better still, eligible students can get another $100 off on top, bringing this fantastic all-around device to a frankly ridiculous $599. It's near-unbeatable for a fast, powerful, and stylish machine.

Be sure to check out all of the best laptop deals I've found below, as well as the highlights from the Labor Day sales at various other retailers and manufacturers.

All the best Labor Day laptop sales

• Amazon: big savings on laptops
• Apple: up to $150 gift card
• Best Buy: up to $900 off laptops
• Dell: up to $700 off
• HP: up to 65% off
• Lenovo: laptops & tablets from $599.99
• Walmart: laptops from $219

9 best Labor Day laptop deals

IFA, Berlin's huge annual tech expo, is where some of the biggest tech firms unveil their latest innovations — and this year is one of the strongest we've seen in a long time for interesting new releases.

IFA is a great place to find fascinating new gadgets and devices, ranging from next-gen AR glasses to self-driving personal mobility vehicles, and from weird new kitchen appliances to armies of humanoid robots.

We've chosen the top products from those that were nominated for our IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards to produce this list of our 25 winners, based on how innovative they are, how well they serve their intended use, and the degree to which we think they'll influence their area of the tech market.

There were many more products that we really liked, of course, but we had to be ruthless — here are our top picks from IFA 2026.

Anker Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro

The best technology delivers real-world benefits, and what could be more beneficial than a good night's sleep? The Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro use in-ear PPG optical sensors to monitor your heartrate, which is more accurate than other optical tracking methods thanks to the rich capillaries and stable position of your ear canal. That monitoring delivers data to the smart-screen, phone-free SleepHub charging case.

The Sleep Earbuds Pro feature passive isolation as well as 30dB active noise cancelling, and the case-based snore monitoring system detects and masks the sound of your partner snoring using its built-in sounds. Despite the addition of multiple new components the housing is thinner than previous generations, and even more comfortable for side sleepers.

Anker's BioSync dynamic audio system monitors relaxation in real time, dynamically adjusting the audio content and structure to help you find the most effective sleep sounds. Sleep earbuds are something that can truly improve your health and happiness by improving your sleep, and these look like a really smart upgrade.

Agibot A3

Agibot is doing some amazing things with humanoid robots, and the full-sized Agibot A3 combines multiple capabilities in a lightweight, extremely dynamic model: if you're assembling a robot dance troupe or planning a big exhibition, the A3's the bot to buy.

The A3 weighs just 55kg, has a power-to-weight ratio of 0.218kW/kg, and delivers up to 12kW of instant peak power, enabling it to somersault. Its battery runs for up to 10 hours and is hot-swappable in seconds, so it's great for applications where it needs to last all day. It'll happily fit in an SUV for travel, too.

In addition to voice and app control, the A3 delivers industry-first touch sensing that adds physical interaction to its controls. It also has a 360-degree multi-array mic system for accurate voice recognition, even in noisy environments.

One of the most exciting features of the A3 is its large-scale swarm co-ordination, which uses precise UWB positioning to enable performances by up to 100 individual robots. That makes it possible to create very complex, high-impact performances for big events, as well as enabling multiple units to work smartly in environments such as factories or warehouses. The awareness and the uptime make this a great new approach to robotics.

Hypershell X Ultra S

The Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton helped mountaineer Adriana Brownlee in -30C temperatures on Mount Everest, supported athlete Aurélien Fontenoy's 4,037km Route 66 journey while recovering from injury, and is currently being trialed by search and rescue organizations worldwide.

Before Hypershell, exoskeletons cost $100,000 and above; the same capabilities are now available to consumers for less than $2,000, in a device weighing under 2kg.

The X Ultra S is an end-to-end AI motion-control system that uses an AI model to transform raw sensor data directly into motor torque, enabling faster response, smoother adaptation, and more natural human-machine synchronization.

There are 12 active modes, including walking, cycling and running, and a new Gentle Assist mode for older adults and users with short or shuffling strides. Fitness Mode adds resistance, turning a walk into a workout.

But it's the price that won us over here — this could be a game changer for getting people with limited mobility out and doing more things that they love, from hiking to just visiting the local stores.

JMGO IRIS Ultra Max

The IRIS Ultra Max is one of the world’s first true 4K 120Hz flagship smart projectors, delivering native 4K (rather than pixel-shifted) at 120Hz from input to output, all from its very compact case.

The Ultra Max's dual iris system has 6+9 blades, the highest count in its class, which promises to improve stray light suppression by 11.34% for a more accurate picture, while delivering class-leading contrast, with a quoted ration of 10,000:1. The MALC 6.0 Triple-Laser Engine delivers an impressive 6,500 ISO lumens of brightness, making it more visible in more lighting conditions, and with a promised ability to recreate 110% of the BT.2020 color space, with an astounding color accuracy of delta-E of 0.7, meaning it's truly capable of pro-level color range and accuracy.

The IRIS Ultra Max also introduces an industry-first 3-in-1 Optical System that integrates 0.88–1.7:1 Optical Zoom, Four-Way Lens Shift (V ±130%, H ±53%), and an AI-Powered Gimbal (360° H, 150° V) into a unified projection architecture. This makes it more more flexible than traditional projectors to positioning, because it has so many different options for correcting its picture. It gives small home theater setups top-tier performance without compromise.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

Designed for vloggers and movie-makers alike, the Osmo Pocket 4P is the world’s first dual-lens pocket gimbal camera. It delivers cinema-grade imaging in a pocket-friendly form, and features DJI's Academy Award-winning Ronin stabilization.

The main lens is a wide-angle 20mm equivalent with an f/2.0 aperture, and a new 1-inch CMOS sensor that offers 17 stops of dynamic range and over one billion colors via DJI's new 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile.

That's supplemented with a 60mm medium-tele portrait lens, which gives you 3x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom. Its f/1.8 aperture is particularly good for creating bokeh effects by compressing the background and pulling it closer to the subject.

The Osmo Pocket 4P also features the latest version of DJI's ActiveTrack, which uses AI algorithms to maintain tracking lock at up to 12x zoom. It can actively track up to eight people, framing groups and centering anyone new who steps into the field of view.

RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses

The RayNeo GT Max AR Glasses are the world's first AR glasses to support Dolby Vision playback as part of creating a virtual cinema experience. They deliver up to 1,200 nits of perceived brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and real-time SDR to HDR conversion for super-clear images, too. Their optical system is 29% thinner and lighter than traditional designs, and delivers an industry-leading 59-degree field of view.

One of our favorite features is the adjustable virtual screen sizes, with a choice of 227 inches, 267 inches or 307 inches. That's clever: the tighter size is ideal for spreadsheets and productivity apps if you're using them as a display for a phone or laptop, while the larger sizes deliver immersive gaming and video.

Steady, Pinned and Follow modes enable you to anchor the screen or have it move with you, and 3DoF spatial tracking maintains the screen position without straining your eyes, and keeps subtitles, taskbars and image edges within the viewing area as you move. These look like the most advanced way to take a screen with you everywhere, and they could be indispensable for long flights.

TCL P80 Ultra

If you spend as much time on your phone as we do, you'll be blown away by the screen of the TCL P80 Ultra. It's the first phone to integrate NXTPAPER eye-comfort technology, with a 1.5K sharp AMOLED display for reflection-free reading even in bright sunlight, and a button that instantly turns your P80 Ultra into an e-reader with paper-like viewing.

The P80 Ultra has nano-etched anti-glare glass, eliminating surface reflections without reducing brightness. It also features circular polarized light technology, which changes the light output to more closely replicate the characteristics of natural light, and flicker-free dimming.

The camera's pretty special too. It's a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens with a 50MP 1/1.56-inch large-format sensor, capturing more light per pixel than smaller sensors and enabling 6x lossless zoom. Image stabilization eliminates motion blur in photos and video, and TCL's MuseFilm filters promise cinematic-quality images. But it's the groundbreaking display that really won us over — a lot of people will find it much kinder on the eyes.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14x Gen 2

Lenovo's ultra-light laptop makes even ultraportables look positively porky: at just 2.18lbs / 990g and just 12.9mm thick it's one of the lightest and thinnest laptops around, making it ideal for business travelers and students alike — especially if you opt for the backlit keyboard, which is really helpful in dimly lit rooms and airplanes.

Lenovo has somehow managed to give the ThinkBook 14x the super-thin treatment without sacrificing connectivity, so in addition to its Wi-Fi 7 it features two 10Gbps USB-C ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, so there's no need to haul a hub around with you. It also has a spare M.2 slot that enables you to expand its storage, which makes this a solid long-term investment.

The ThinkBook 14x Gen 2 is also one of the most customizable ultraportables, powered by Intel Core 7 (Series 3) processors and with display options including vivid OLED and touchscreen LCD. It's good-looking too, with a choice of metallic finishes including Luna Gray, Celestial White, Mystic Violet and Veil Blue.

EarFun Wave Pro X

EarFun's headphones consistently deliver premium performance without the premium price tag, and the Wave Pro X are the brand's best yet. They feature a patented dual-driver system that places a 40mm diamond-like carbon driver and a 10mm liquid crystal polymer driver on a precisely aligned axis, creating a more natural and detailed sound than you typically get from multi-driver designs.

The Wave Pro X feature an 8-mic AI system that continuously optimizes the hybrid ANC system, even in wired AUX mode, and the Qualcomm QCC3095 chipset delivers Bluetooth 6.0, aptX Lossless, LDAC, USB Audio and Auracast. Add AI translation and up to 90 hours of battery life to the mix and you've got a truly excellent pair of headphones — EarFun has been working on these for a long time, and even delayed them in order to get the tuning just right.

Urevo CyberPad 3

The CyberPad 3 is a home/office treadmill that's designed differently to traditional models. Its WalkFree Adaptive Speed Control uses pressure sensors built into the running board, which detect your stepping motion to automatically start and stop operation; when you're walking or running it takes data from the motor to calculate speed adjustments in real time.

Its multi-user support is smart too, capturing raw weight and stride-rate data to generate a structured user profile that's directly linked to the speed-control algorithm.

The support structure is made from Q235 steel with a side frame of die-cast aluminum, and it utilizes a redesigned transmission path to deliver an exceptionally compact construction: the ultra-slim body is under 11cm thick. Despite its small size it features a 15% incline-lift mechanism and a 42cm running belt, with its size based on analysis of human shoulder widths.

Plaud One

Plaud One is a wearable AI companion that combines three key features that are usually separate: wearable conversation capture, context that builds across day-to-day conversations, and AI that can analyze data and take appropriate action. It can capture online meetings, and face-to-face discussions and phone calls, and it has built-in eSIM and 4G LTE for phone-free operation.

What makes Plaud One different is that it understands context. Instead of treating each recording as a standalone transcript, it can retain context across multiple discussions — so a conversation from one meeting can be connected to a later conversation or call.

That understanding enables the Plaud Agent to help you take action, identifying next steps and completing tasks across tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, and Slack.

Minisforum MS-S1 Max-P495

The MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers large-model AI computing from an exceptionally small footprint with a very high specification. It combines AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 with up to 192GB of unified memory to run 128B+ LLMs locally, delivering up to 126 TOPS, and its unified memory architecture eliminates VRAM bottlenecks while also reducing latency.

That power is cooled by a high-performance thermal solution featuring a copper base, six heat pipes, dual fans and phase-change cooling, and it's encased in a fully scalable design, with a slide-out chassis for easy upgrading and a rack-ready form factor.

With 4x PCIe expansion, dual 10Gb Ethernet, dual 40Gbps USB4 v2, Wi-Fi 7, and a built-in 320W PSU, the MS-S1 Max-P495 delivers future-proof power for desktop systems and scalable AI clusters alike — it's a mind-blowing beast made to meet a new kind of research and development need.

XPPen Magic Pro 13

XPPen's Magic Pro 13 is a mobile drawing pad designed for creative pros, featuring an industry-first hardware-level drawing display mode that delivers low latency, native color output and higher bandwidth video transmission over a simple one-cable connection, giving you a paper-like experience with 16K pressure sensitivity and cursor hover support.

It's the first drawing pad in its category to come with dual-USB support, enabling you to benefit from a high-speed data connection while charging your Magic Pro 13.

The Magic Pro 13 features the new Shelf digital asset management system and XPPen's Canvas software, designed to deliver a simple and intuitive sketching experience for capturing ideas when inspiration strikes. And for creatives on the move it offers two thermal management modes, balancing performance and energy efficiency based on different creative scenarios.

Strutt ev1c

Strutt's ev1c reimagines the power chair with three major advancements: Strutt's evSense sensing array, a quad-drive drivetrain, and a modular, connected design.

eVSense uses two LiDARs, 10 time-of-flight sensors, six ultrasonics and two cameras to create 3D maps in real time, powering the Co-Pilot collision avoidance for people, pets, and edges, and the Auto-Pilot, which enables you to select on-screen destinations, or use LLM-powered voice commands such as "Take me to the kitchen" — basically it's a self-driving personal mobility vehicle.

The drivetrain features four-wheel independent suspension, ABS, active steering, and an integrated electronic stability program (ESP), safely managing 13-degree slopes, cobblestones and rough terrain without slippage or tipping. And when it's time to travel, it breaks down into five modules for easy trunk storage. It looks like a genuine move forward for this kind of mobility device.

xTool M2 Color Craft Laser

The xTool M2 is the first desktop machine to combine full-color CMYK printing, laser engraving and laser cutting into one enclosed Class 1 system, delivering a full print-then-cut workflow. Simply print your full-color design onto a piece of wood, leather or acrylic, and the xTool M2 Color Craft Laser cuts or engraves the exact contour with camera-guided precision. And there's a built-in air-assist pump, an industry first for a semiconductor laser, that keeps cut edges clean by reducing carbonization and yellowing.

Having these three capabilities in a single device is a huge power-up: instead of having to print on one machine and engrave or cut on another, you can turn your raw idea into a finished, professional-looking product in a single operation. It's ideal for stickers, labels, signage, personalized gifts, and small-batch products — you could start a whole business with this one device. And because it's an enclosed system, it's also very safe.

Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount

The Perlegear AX1 Smart Adaptive Mount answers an interesting question: what if your TV mount was as smart as your TV? The AX1 is an AI-powered, motorized TV mount that can automatically adjust the height of your TV to different viewing positions, so for example you might have it low for solo TV watching, but raised for watching sports with friends, or for following an on-screen fitness app or motion-based game.

The AX1 is controllable via gesture commands, its mobile app, via remote control, or via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. It can distinguish between single- and multi-person viewing, with the latter calculating the best screen height for the group, and it's capable of moving a 200-pound / 90kg TV up to 15.7 inches / 400mm vertically, with real-time obstacle detection that stops and reverses the move if the path is blocked.

Speediance Gym Monster 3

The brilliantly named Gym Monster 3 delivers serious strength training for home workouts, combining the experience of a Smith machine, barbell, dumbbells, cable machine, rowing machine, pulley system, and squat rack into one streamlined setup with up to 200lbs / 90kg of intelligent digital resistance.

Twin 800W direct-drive motors deliver smooth, consistent resistance through every rep, and it's adjustable in one-pound / 0.45kg increments, so you can progress at your own pace, rather than make big jumps you might not be ready for.

The Gym Monster 3 is controlled via a clever Bluetooth Ring Control that enables you to make adjustments without stepping away or breaking your flow, and it features four dedicated training modes: Standard, Chain, Eccentric, and Fixed Speed. It also features a built-in AI coach that can guide you from your first session onwards.

Midea GreenApex Dishwasher

The humble dishwasher hasn't changed much since Josephine Cochrane's 1886 invention went electric in the late 1920s and gained spray arms in the 1950s. But the Midea GreenApex is very different from traditional grease-busters. It's a dual heat-pump system that uses a single coordinated heat pump platform to deliver washing, rapid drying, and dry storage in a single appliance.

The GreenApex is 50% more energy efficient than conventional dishwashers, delivers 30-minute rapid drying and 168 hours of dry storage without continued system operation, and offers gentle heat-pump drying at around 45°C, so you don't need to worry about high temperatures damaging more delicate items. It feels like a major leap forward for an appliance type that doesn't often have the phrase 'cutting-edge' associated with it.

Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra

The Reolink OMVI 2i Ultra Security Camera features an innovative, decoupled dual-lens tracking system in which the individual lenses operate fully independently of one another. Unlike in other dual-lens or hybrid zoom security cameras, the two lenses here are not mechanically linked, so the fixed 130-degree 4K wide-angle lens never moves, while the telephoto camera is free to rotate anywhere, including to cover areas outside the field of view of the main lens.

This means that when the 4K camera's on-device AI spots a person, vehicle or animal, it triggers the pan-tilt camera to lock onto and follow that subject even after they exit the wide camera's field of view — but you don't lose any recording from the wide camera's view during that time.

You can also use the wide-angle view to redirect the pan-tilt camera to a particular location by simply tapping that point in the live camera view, or have the wide camera and the pan-tilt camera monitoring two distinct locations, such as your driveway and a side gate.

Navimow H510 Pro

The Navimow H510 Pro features four key innovations: precise edge finishing, zero-turn steering, adaptive mowing intelligence, and 3D modelling.

Rather than edging with a trimmer line, which can be noisy and cause minor damage, the H510 Pro has an extendable robot arm that performs zero-gap edging quietly and safely — it's the most interesting and smart version of this technology that we've seen.

The all-wheel-drive system protects your turf too, with a zero-steering system that avoids dragging the wheels across the grass during lateral turns. And the Adaptive Mowing Intelligence feature analyzes grass growth patterns to determine the optimal mowing frequency, using the 1/3 cutting rule to preserve lawn health.

With 3D terrain modeling rather than the industry-standard 2D, and a sensor array including infrared as well as LiDAR and vision for low-light reliability, and triple-sensor avoidance to protect wildlife, the H510 is a smart solution for even the most challenging lawns.

DJI Romo 2 Series

The Romo 2 Series is a robot vacuum that won't be defeated by obstacles such as deep rugs, sliding door tracks and other barriers. That's because it has robotic legs that can step over obstacles as high as 4cm, and double-step thresholds up to an impressive 8.5cm.

It also features a built-in LiDAR-guided ultra-wide-swing robotic arm to extend the mop's reach, and its powerful suction system features an automatically lowering plate that forms a semi-seal on carpet for better extraction of dust and allergens.

The Romo 2 Series also benefits from the tech of DJI's flagship drones, with a Structured Light-Speckle projector and dual fish-eye vision sensors for full 3D depth perception. It can detect items such as cables and training pads as thin as 2mm, and its AI can distinguish between debris and liquid, as well as deal with transparent obstacles such as glass doors and mirrors.

Acer Vero 16

With so many laptops sacrificing easy maintenance and repairability for super-skinny styling, the Acer Vero 16 is a breath of fresh air. While it doesn't skimp on style or power — it's highly portable, delivers up to 180 platform TOPS with an Intel Core Ultra X9 processor 388H, and can be configured with a stunning 16-inch 3K OLED display — it's made with longevity in mind.

A tool-free latch provides easy access to the Vero's innards, and the battery and SSD are replaceable, while the system is designed to support the next two generations of processors if you want to upgrade. Fully 70% of the chassis consists of a blend of PCR (post-consumer recycled) and bio-based oyster shell material, and it meets US military standards for toughness. This is a laptop that's built to last, in a way that's rare to see — and very welcome.

Asus ProArt GR1X

The Asus ProArt GR1X is tiny, measuring just 150 x 150 x 51mm. But there's nothing small about its specification. Designed for advanced content creation and local AI workflows, it delivers data center-class compute inside a mini PC, removing the need to run LLMs remotely while eliminating cloud latency, cost, and IP protection concerns for pro creators.

The ProArt GR1X features the groundbreaking Nvidia RTX Spark 'superchip', which means you get a 20-core Grace CPU and a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, delivering up to one petaflop of FP4 AI inference performance. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory at 9,400MHz, it enables you to run up to 120B-parameter LLMs locally, and render entire 3D scenes on-device in Windows 11.

That kind of power demands highly efficient cooling, and Asus has developed an advanced precision-cooling system that delivers 1.6x more efficient thermal coverage than standard compact systems. Asus also solved the challenge of metal-enclosure signal attenuation by embedding the Wi-Fi 7 antennas behind a glass-like signal-transparent material. It's quite the design coup, and an impressive showcase for Nvidia's new elite chip.

EcoFlow STREAM 5000 / STREAM AC 5000

The EcoFlow Stream series is a plug-and-play modular system for residential solar energy generation and storage that's designed to be renter- and apartment-friendly. It can add battery storage and smart power-management to existing solar PV installations, as well as being employed to create a new home system from scratch.

The Stream Series features EcoFlow's Oasis 3.0 home energy management system, which understands dynamic energy tariffs, keeps an eye on the weather forecast, and continuously analyzes your home energy needs to optimize generation, storage and consumption.

That means you can give the EcoBot AI agent instructions such as "I need my car charged by 7am tomorrow at the lowest possible cost" and it will implement the necessary steps, or have your energy schedules reconfigured automatically when you have visitors or other instances of increased demand.

From October the EcoFlow Stream series will also get a new feature: Local Mode, which gives you uninterrupted operation and local app control even if there are cloud or connectivity outages. It's a very powerful (no pun intended) system that's been designed with the real world in mind.

Tapo D260

The Tapo D260 wired/wireless security camera is a video doorbell that delivers all the benefits of high-spec security without the potential downsides: it stores facial recognition data locally to protect privacy, and no features are locked behind a subscription. It's advanced, yet totally cost-free once you buy it.

It has 4K resolution, a wide 180-degree field of view to cover the entire doorway, and delivers sharp detail in subjects up to 30 feet away.

The D260 features multiple intelligent detection and recognition features, including radar as well as the obligatory infrared motion sensor. These enable it to discount false alerts from things such as moving branches or passing headlights, while on-device AI can recognize people, packages, vehicles, and animals.

If you wish, you can opt in to build a library of family and friends using facial recognition, and there's even a voice changer to disguise your voice when speaking to unfamiliar callers. In a world where people are sick of subscriptions, this offers a great security upgrade without the monthly fee.

• A Japanese laptop maker has come up with an innovative stand
• It folds out from underneath the notebook to give the device some clearance off the surface below
• This improves cooling the processor by up to 3C / 5.4F, the maker claims, and it could be a trick that other manufacturers adopt

A PC maker in Japan has produced a laptop with a clever twist under the hood — well, under the chassis to be precise.

VideoCardz spotted Iiyama PC's 15-inch gaming laptop on sale at PC Kobo, a Japanese retailer. It has a small stand that folds out from beneath the body of the device, effectively propping up the Level 15FX167 notebook and raising it slightly (by what looks like just under an inch at the highest point).

That clearance allows for better cooling, with more air free to circulate underneath, and Iiyama PC claims that the stand "can lower the CPU operating temperature by up to 3C" compared to when the device is flat on a surface.

The specs of the Level 15FX167 include an Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU with a 1TB SSD.

Analysis: every degree counts

A difference of 5.4F / 3C might not sound like a whole lot, but it's a useful bit of extra thermal headroom when it comes to a gaming laptop. Remember that portable devices require all sorts of head-scratching in terms of the design of the cooling system, fans, vents, heatsinks and so forth. Every fraction of a degree that can be eked here or there all adds up to better performance ultimately.

As Iiyama PC points out, the tilted angle that the built-in stand provides is also ergonomically sound for a better typing experience, too.

Of course, the idea of an integrated stand is nothing new in the world of laptops, but this implementation is a novel one, as opposed to the traditional kickstand that you see on the likes of Microsoft's Surface devices.

It's one of those ideas that, when I first set eyes on it, I thought to myself, how has this not been done before? Then I had to check that it hadn't been done before, and indeed it hasn't, as far as I can tell. (Although the Asus Ergolift design is in a similar vein, but it's built directly into the notebook's hinge).

The question is, will other laptop makers take notice, and might we see this on devices outside of Japan eventually? Perhaps, and I'll be interested to see a review of this Iiyama PC notebook. My only concern is whether the stand might be a weak point in terms of the possibility of it breaking, so a reviewer should be able to give us a good idea of any fragility therein.

And in case you were wondering, yes, Iiyama is the same brand that makes the famous monitors, sitting under the same parent company.

At IFA 2026, the huge tech show in Berlin, Germany, Nvidia announced that laptops running on its ARM-based RTX Spark chip will be available to buy from October.

The biggest names in the laptop industry, including Microsoft, Lenovo, HP, and Dell, will all have RTX Spark devices, and I got to spend a bit more time with some of them at Nvidia’s launch event.

Having already seen a lot of RTX Spark laptops at Computex 2026 earlier this year, quite a bit of what Nvidia showed at IFA was familiar. There was, again, a big emphasis on local AI performance, which is undoubtedly impressive, but a bit niche for consumers, and I can see how Nvidia tech such as DLSS upscaling and Multi Frame Gen (MFG), which RTX Spark devices can make use of, can help content creators working on complex 3D art speed up their workflows (those technologies have in the past mainly been aimed at improving the performance of PC games).

I also got to play a range of games on RTX Spark laptops, including DOOM The Dark Ages, and 007 First Light, and it remains impressive that these thin and light laptops are able to run such demanding titles with such impressive results. This is especially true when you consider that the games aren't running natively on ARM, instead they are being run via Microsoft's Prism emulation layer, which means games developed for traditional Intel or AMD (x86) hardware can run without devs having to make dedicated ARM versions. According to the Nvidia spokesperson I chatted to, the performance hit of running a game via emulation is negligible, at least with GPU-bound titles.

The spokesperson admitted, however, that CPU-intensive games (such as RTS games) could see bigger dips compared to running the game natively.

What is new at IFA is the announcement that RTX Spark laptops will go on sale in October. But, apart from that, details remain scarce - and that means it's hard to get excited about these laptops just yet.

Keeping their cards close to their chest

Despite being about a month out from going on sale, Nvidia was tightlipped about a lot of things regarding RTX Spark laptops. The biggest question mark, of course, concerns pricing.

These are powerful laptops aimed at creative professionals, and will come with up to 128GB of unified memory, so I can't imagine they are going to be anything other than very, very, expensive. The continued silence about prices doesn't bode well for anyone hoping for vaguely affordable laptops.

One spokesperson I talked to did suggest there will be multiple yet to be announced configurations that will appeal to different consumers and price points, though they looked slightly doubtful when I asked if there would be an RTX Spark laptop that students could afford.

We still don't know more about performance, either, as while there were live demos, raw performance numbers were not available, and I was not allowed to run benchmarks or change settings.

What I can say is that complex AI tools and generative AI features, all run locally on the laptops, and appear fast and smooth. Games also ran well. I was also assured by Nvidia that performance would be roughly the same if the RTX Spark laptop is plugged into a charger, or running on battery.

So, no power-conserving throttling it seems, something that Apple has long boasted about with its M-series chips.

A number of laptops from Nvidia's partners were on display, but were turned off, and journalists were asked not to even pick them up, again an odd request considering these devices are supposed to go on sale next month.

I'm certainly impressed with what I've seen, and the potential of RTX Spark is huge. I'm also glad that Windows laptops look like they could finally give Apple's modern MacBook Pros a run for their money.

But, on the topic of money, I really won't be able to ascertain just how excited we should all be with RTX Spark laptops until we know more about the price - and with an October launch, time is running out.

I've been looking through Labor Day laptop deals, and for the specs on offer, this is my favorite one for business professionals so far, with the Dell 15.6" 2K Touchscreen laptop now $650 (was $1100) at Best Buy.

With that massive $450 discount, you're getting a 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1355U processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD, which is good enough for everyday work, multitasking, browsing, and streaming.

The 15.6-inch 2K touchscreen adds even more value. And although there are some compromises, including integrated graphics, I haven't seen many Labor Day laptop deals that give you this much for under $650. For more laptop deals and WFH essentials, see our round-up of the best Labor Day home office deals.

Why we recommend it

At $649.99, you're getting a lot of laptop for your money. The 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1355U has 10 cores, 12 threads, and a maximum boost speed of 5GHz, giving it plenty of power for everyday tasks.

16GB of DDR5 is a solid plus at this price, and the 512GB PCIe SSD provides a decent amount of fast storage. You also get a 15.6-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, two USB-A ports, HDMI, an SD card reader, and a full numeric keypad.

For more top performers, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested.

Price context & historical value

Best Buy normally lists this Dell laptop at $1,099.99, but its Labor Day deal brings the price down to $649.99, putting it firmly into mid-range laptop territory.

Of the Labor Day laptop deals I've seen so far, this is one of the best for anyone who wants plenty of everyday performance without spending anywhere near to $1,000. It isn't the cheapest it's ever been though. It was priced at $599.99 at Best Buy in August this year.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Dell 15.6" laptop if...

If you want a powerful everyday Windows 11 laptop for most tasks, $649.99 is an excellent price. The Core i7 processor and 16GB of DDR5 RAM gives it considerably more staying power than a cheaper laptop with 8GB of memory.

❌ Skip the Dell 15.6" laptop if...

If you want a laptop for gaming, creative work, or anything else that depends heavily on graphics performance, I'd look elsewhere. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are the biggest limitation here, and there's no dedicated GPU.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The display is one area where Dell has clearly kept costs down. It's rated at only 220 nits of brightness with 45% NTSC color coverage, so it's better suited to indoor everyday use than working outside or doing color-sensitive work.

There are a few other omissions to be aware of, including the lack of a backlit keyboard and Ethernet port, plus the webcam is limited to 720p.

• Shop all laptops at Best Buy

• Acer has revealed two interesting new laptops at IFA 2026
• The Swift Blade 14 is a super-light notebook at just 799g, and it's the lightest mainstream laptop yet
• The Vero 16 is designed to be easily repaired, with a replaceable SSD, battery, USB ports — even the CPU can be upgraded

Acer has revealed a couple of smart new laptops over at IFA 2026, one of which is notable for its repair-friendly credentials and upgrade possibilities, while the other is remarkable because it's the lightest laptop we've seen to date.

That lightweight champ — which is Acer's Swift Blade 14 — requires a caveat, though, as technically there's a lighter notebook model which already exists. However, the Fujitsu LifeBook laptops out there are niche products targeted at the Japanese market (or other parts of Asia in some cases), so in terms of the global consumer market, the new Blade 14 takes the crown, weighing just 799 grams or 1.76lb (which isn't much more than the mentioned LifeBooks).

The Blade 14 has a chassis that's fashioned from a combination of carbon fiber and a magnesium-aluminum alloy, which Acer says means it's durable as well as incredibly light.

The premium trappings continue with a 14-inch OLED screen that has a 3K resolution (and a 16:10 aspect ratio).

The Swift Blade 14 is built around an Intel Core Series 3 CPU — Wildcat Lake models which are power-efficient and easier to keep cool in a super-trim laptop — backed with 12GB of RAM. So, the spec here is slightly pulled back, with that notable compromise of not going for 16GB of system memory to keep the price down.

As for that price, we don't have it yet, and we don't have a launch date either. However, even with a more affordable CPU and 12GB of RAM, I expect this super-slim machine will extract quite a toll on the wallet.

From lightweight hero to Vero

Also at IFA, Acer took the wraps off the new Vero 16, a notebook that majors in repairability and is backed by some substantial eco-friendly credentials.

As Acer makes clear, this is a 16-inch notebook that benefits from a "more serviceable design [that] makes key components easier to access, repair, and replace", with the aim of extending the usable life of the device. In short, avoiding obsolescence (rather than planning for it, as the accusations often run with some notebooks).

To that end, you're given tool-free access to the innards of the Vero 16, and the SSD is replaceable along with the battery. The RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so that can't be upgraded — the one fly in the ointment here — but the ports aren't, so they're removable. That means if a USB connector is broken, you can switch it out, and the hinge between the body and screen is designed so it can be replaced as well.

On top of that, the Vero 16 allows for the processor to be upgraded, as Notebookcheck.net points out, although it isn't clear how this works yet (likely via a motherboard swap, which would also allow for a RAM upgrade at the same time). This is very unusual for a laptop, and we're told upgrades will be good for at least two generations of CPU silicon.

Speaking of the CPU, the Vero 16 is built around Panther Lake, offering up to an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H chip with Arc B390 integrated graphics. When it comes to the display, there's the choice of a 3K OLED or a 2K OLED touchscreen.

In terms of its green-friendly nature, Acer says the Vero's aluminum chassis is made from a "blend of 50% post-industrial recycled aluminum and 50% low-carbon aluminum". The packaging is 100% recyclable, too.

We don't yet have a price for this laptop either, but hopefully we'll get more info on pricing, and the release dates, for both of these notebooks before long. I'm keen to see both models arrive later this year, and to learn the details of how upgrading the Vero's CPU will work.

• Dell has unveiled a new 14-inch laptop at IFA 2026
• The Dell 14S is aimed at students and comes in vibrant colors like the MacBook Neo
• Dell has yet to reveal the price tag, which is a crucial missing piece of info with a wallet-friendly laptop like this

Dell has revealed a new 14-inch laptop over at IFA 2026 — and it's clear that this is a Windows 11 take on Apple's MacBook Neo formula.

The Dell 14S is a smart-looking, compact laptop which is aimed at students, and it comes in a selection of vibrant colors. That includes a rather striking green (velvet green as it's dubbed), as well as a light pink (dusty rose), beige (linen) and light blue (washed denim).

It'll be no great surprise to learn that the 14S is powered by Intel's Core Series 3 (Wildcat Lake) CPUs, which are performant but affordable chips that do a good job on the power-efficiency front.

RAM and storage start at 8GB and 256GB, but a higher-tier model offers 16GB and a 512GB or 1TB SSD.

The pitch is essentially a lesser version of Dell's XPS 13 for 2026, so you don't get quite the same thinness or lightweight nature (though the 14S is still 13.5mm thin and 1.15kg, so pretty trim).

The screen on the Dell 14S isn't touch-enabled either — it's a more basic 1920 x 1200 resolution display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 300 nits of brightness (with the XPS 13 you get 120Hz VRR and 500 nits). There is a fancier screen, mind, on the upper-tier model of the Dell 14S, which sharpens the resolution to 2880 x 1800 and gives you 120Hz.

How much is the Dell 14S? Well, that's really the crucial question when it comes to a MacBook Neo rival like this, and the answer is: we don't know because Dell isn't saying yet.

Analysis: a growing no-price-at-launch trend

It makes me a bit nervous that no official price is forthcoming with this IFA unveiling, but we have got a hint behind the scenes of how much the Dell 14S might cost. According to The Verge, Dell reps are saying that this laptop will be "close" to the starting price of the XPS 13 – which is $700 in the US – but "slightly more accessible", which makes sense given the student target market, of course.

Indeed, based on the spec downgrades, I would hope it's cheaper, but the use of the word 'slightly' suggests that there's not going to be much difference. Although to be fair to Dell, the XPS 13 is level with the MacBook Neo's price tag (since Apple hiked the price from the launch MSRP) over in the US. That said, in other regions, the XPS 13 can be a good bit pricier than the Neo – in the UK currently it's 10% more, and it has been a heftier premium than that in the past. We'll likely see a similar scenario with the Dell 14S.

What compounds this concern is the RAM crisis, which is really kicking up a gear, and is expected to make hardware more expensive as 2026 continues (and matters are likely to worsen in 2027). Is Dell keeping quiet on the MSRP of the 14S right now because it's expecting further price pressures to exert themselves by the time it comes to this laptop's launch? I don't think we can rule that out.

Maybe I'm overthinking this, granted, and I like the look of the Dell 14S and the general pitch of this notebook. It just makes me a touch suspicious when we have a product that's built around being wallet-friendly, yet we don't get an MSRP, which, for this category of laptop, is an absolutely key consideration.

Hopefully my fears will prove unfounded, and it's worth noting that Dell isn't alone at being shy about revealing prices, with manufacturers avoiding pinning a recommended price on their offerings at launch being something of a trend of late (one that was noticeable at Computex). This is a symptom of the RAM crisis, of course, and component inflation on various fronts, all of which is predicted to get more severe as this year rolls into next.

If you're currently on the hunt for your next gaming laptop, then you'll definitely want to check out this week's early Labor Day sales. Even though we're less than a week away from the big day, major retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, HP, and others have already started their annual events.

I've been scanning through all the big sales today, and I've found some excellent price cuts. While the Labor Day sales are traditionally known for grills or the sort, there are a couple of highlights today that really stand out as good value picks.

You can check out the full list below, but I'd particularly recommend these Gigabyte A16 laptops for $1,159 (was $1,299) and $1,499 (was $1,849) at Best Buy and Walmart, respectively. If you're looking for outright bang for the buck, these are both listings that really buck the trend we've been seeing recently of inflated prices.

Another great, albeit high-end option, is this Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S for $1,899 (was $2,199) at Best Buy. While a little pricey, this is one of the better sub-$2,000 listings I've seen recently with its RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, Intel Ultra 9 chipset, and 240Hz OLED display. If I were on the lookout for a machine that can play all the latest games smoothly, this is the one I'd go for this week at this budget.

Labor Day gaming laptops - quick links

• Best Buy: gaming laptops starting at $699
• B&H Photo: up to $1,000 off Lenovo, Acer, Asus
• Dell: up to $600 off premium Alienware laptops
• HP: 34% off HP and HyperX Omen laptops
• Lenovo: 10% extra off with code GAMERDAYS10
• Walmart: up to $600 off MSI, Gigabyte, Acer

This week's best Labor Day gaming laptop deals

Announced during Computex 2026, Nvidia's RTX Spark is billed as "a new beginning" for gaming laptops, productivity laptops, and small form factor PCs. Described as a "Superchip", it's an SoC that seeks to combine the company's AI technologies and its RTX graphics utility into one unified package for work and play.

The proposed RTX Spark specs are impressive on paper. 6,144 Blackwell GPU cores combined with 20 Grace CPU cores, and a maximum of 128GB of unified memory. Or, up to 1 Petaflop of AI performance, promising an all-day battery life in a slimline chassis that's purpose-built for Team Green's bespoke tech, such as DLSS, Reflex, and G-Sync.

On this side of the announcement, RTX Spark is confirmed to be coming to the Asus ProArt P16, the Dell XPS 16, the HP OmniBook X 14, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, and the MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+. Clearly, Nvidia is targeting not only the best laptop manufacturers, but also vying for a spot against the best gaming laptops.

Can one chip really do it all, though? While these are some bold promises, I have reservations. With the way the computing landscape is now, things will change, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

Monopolization of our modern lives

Few tech companies have had the meteoric rise that Nvidia has over the last decade. While the company made its name with graphics cards for gaming, it would then innovate time and time again as GeForce matured. The GTX generations saw graphics and rendering technologies get better than ever, with playable framerates at higher and higher resolutions achievable for even entry-level components.

I'd argue that it wasn't until the launch of the RTX 20 series and the AI boom that the rest of the world really took notice of Nvidia. It's easy to forget its history now, what with it being the biggest company in the world by market cap, beating out the likes of Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, and Amazon. This (clearly) didn't happen just because people were buying graphics cards to game on. No, Team Green made its serious cash from AI, and that's also the core selling point of RTX Spark, with its gaming functionality seemingly a secondary concern.

The AI revolution was spearheaded by Nvidia, with its chips now utilized in a myriad of different ways. Nvidia was the frontrunner in how GPU architecture could be used for wider AI applications, realizing that it's far more energy efficient than using CPU for AI, which means it's able to handle far more sophisticated demands as a result. The core Nvidia ecosystem is used to scale cloud facilities with its Blackwell, Hopper, and Grace Hopper chips, and its CUDA platform and libraries remain unrivalled.

In truth, GeForce and RTX tech is just a small part of Nvidia's business now, and it's been that way for some time. You only need to look at the Nvidia Drive infrastructure, using AI for autonomous vehicles, or the Nvidia Jetson modules for edge computing and wider mainstream robotics use. Team Green is no longer concerned with being a rival to Intel, Apple, or AMD. Instead, it wants to be the sole provider of hardware for every facet of our modern lives.

How does RTX Spark perform inside of laptops for gaming?

In a video published on August 26, Nvidia claimed that RTX Spark was Game Ready. The three-minute video outlined what consumers can expect from the upcoming unified Superchip and how it compares to a traditional CPU-and-discrete-graphics (or iGPU) setup.

The language around the RTX Spark's utility states that the Superchip is designed for "creators and developers who work on large projects who also game". What we can glean from this assessment is that being "Game Ready" here appears to be a tertiary concern for Nvidia. It's backed up by the boast of "not having to choose" between the gaming laptop and the work one, because "you'll just have the one".

Exactly how good is RTX Spark for gaming, then? We know that it runs on Windows 11, so confirmed support is standard for Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox Game Pass, among others. Specifically, Alexander Mejia (Senior Product Manager) claimed that "Triple-A gaming is great on RTX Spark". Bold claims indeed. This is followed by footage of Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077, Pragmata, F1 25, Fortnite, Neverness to Everness, Doom: The Dark Ages, Naraka: Bladepoint, Apex Legends, Arc Raiders, Anno 117 Pax Romana, and The Finals, shown to be running on the platform.

Good game stack there, sure, but what is the expected performance actually like? Nvidia gives us a (somewhat) satisfying answer: "100 FPS 1440p Gaming" when using Ray Tracing and DLSS. Unfortunately, that's all we get in terms of performance info, with no quoted statistics or more granular information available. There's quite the disparity in running Fortnite in High/Epic settings compared to pushing Cyberpunk 2077 or Doom: The Dark Ages to the max of their sliders. It's vague, but at least a little encouraging.

How does RTX Spark rival other SoCs for gaming?

We only have 100 FPS in 1440p to go off with RTX Spark's projected gaming performance, so the next logical course of action is to weigh that up against the likes of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite, the Intel Arc G3 Extreme, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max series as a point of comparison.

We know that AI-powered upscaling (DLSS / XeSS / FSR 4) and AI-generated frame interpolation (Frame Generation / MFG) must be used to achieve playable framerates at target resolutions. In 1080p, with 2X MFG, Team Blue's chip can do 121 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 and 178 FPS in Naraka: Bladepoint. Doubling that to 4X MFG, the incoming chip can go as high as 199 FPS and 267 FPS, respectively. In 1080p, the Radeon 8060S iGPU baked onto the Ryzen AI Max 395+ APU could do 66 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 when rasterized and 45 FPS on average with ray tracing enabled.

This is about what can be expected from the native performance of the Qualcomm Adreno X2-90 iGPU baked onto the Snapdragon X2 Elite, which is able to achieve 43 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 (via Notebookcheck) on High settings in native (no AI-scaling) 1080p. Where this SoC shines, though, is in its power consumption, with an estimated 0.841 FPS per Watt, only lagging behind Apple's M5 chip, as found inside the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 model.

Taken as an average, the RTX Spark looks to be about on point with what those devices can do, but we won't have a full remit of the performance potential until we see the full game-by-game benchmarks closer to the proposed launch date. The real deciding factor for unifying between a CPU and a GPU for both work and play comes down to the factor that can sway people away from (or towards) a dedicated gaming laptop: the price tag.

Intergrated hardware you cannot afford

Computing components are more expensive now than ever; there's no other way to put that. Anything that utilizes memory in particular, such as graphics cards, flash storage, and RAM, has seen its street prices rise far above the usual MSRP, and they're not coming down any time soon. It's the case for price hikes of even the best phones and the best games consoles, nothing is safe from the supply-and-demand loop here, so RTX Spark-enabled laptops aren't expected to be cheap.

Ultrabooks in particular, which are the primary demographic market for RTX Spark, have never been affordable, but 2026 has meant an entirely new definition. You only need to see how the pricing has escalated from competitors to gauge how bad it could be. The Apple MacBook M5 range MSRP increased by 20%, and something similar could be observed with the likes of the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, which also shot up by 20%, just a month after launch, too.

If the prices of components that we know have historic rates are increasing month-on-month, then what about something as unproven and unknown as the RTX Spark Superchip? Nvidia has full dominion over pricing its CPU + GPU combo however it likes. As the most profitable and in-demand company on the planet, it holds all the cards here. We're at a turning point where products can almost double in price overnight, so who is to say that the cheapest RTX Spark-enabled laptop won't carry an eye-watering MSRP?

The idea behind RTX Spark is solid: a simple, unified approach built by Nvidia that combines all you need for work and play, similar to what Apple did when it started manufacturing its own silicon in 2021, albeit with more of an AI focus. RTX Spark will sink (or swim) based on its price-to-performance offering and whether consumers want an all-in-one device. One thing's for sure: Nvidia has the cash to muscle in on the market and can afford to lose face burying its competition in the process.

TechRadar reached out to Acer, Asus, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer for their takes on how Nvidia's RTX Spark could impact the computing market. A PR representative from Acer declined to comment, and despite PR representatives from each company forwarding our questions to the relevant teams and chasing the answers, none have commented on RTX Spark at this time. Team Green's Superchip stands on the precipice of change and progress, but at what cost?

Apple made headlines earlier this year with the launch of the MacBook Neo, which we called “the best budget laptop you can buy” in our review thanks to its low AU$899 launch price and premium materials — all while in the midst of RAM and storage shortages.

The RAM crisis did eventually come calling for the MacBook Neo, and the inevitable price increase saw its starting price increase for AU$1,049. Despite this, the MacBook Neo is still a great budget laptop that’s leagues ahead of its Windows and Chromebook competitors.

The price hike does sting a bit, but this discount from Amazon for the base 256GB variant brings the MacBook Neo down to AU$997 — a deal that’s hard to pass up if you missed out on the launch price.

Apple achieves the low-for-a-MacBook AU$1,049 price point by cleverly employing an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro chip found in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, instead of its M-series silicon found in higher-end MacBooks. The Neo also only comes in a base configuration of 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. You can increase storage to a 512GB SSD and gain Touch ID capabilities for AU$1,249 — Amazon currently has it discounted to AU$1,199.

What I like the most about the Neo is its repairability, which is very much an improvement over its more expensive siblings, with plenty of online content creators having demonstrated how easy the laptop is to take apart and reassemble.

Even with the price increase, I still believe the Neo is a fantastic budget laptop that will easily handle basic tasks like web browsing and media consumption, and it can even do some light gaming and video editing. Our tests have found that the 8GB RAM isn’t as much of a limitation as initially thought, with the laptop running most Mac apps with no issues.

The all-metal chassis, hi-res display and repairability still make the MacBook Neo a standout in the budget space, and the fun colours are a nice touch as well.

You can spend hours choosing the best laptop, comparing processor options with the display and wondering how long the battery will last.

Then you switch it on and discover another part of the experience that rarely enters the buying decision: the manufacturer’s preinstalled software, often billed as tools to help optimize your device.

Sometimes, they earn their right to come pre-installed. The pre-installed software might be where you change performance mode or cap the battery charge, alongside model-specific settings Windows 11 simply doesn’t offer.

The strange part? How much bigger the role of pre-installed software (sometimes called 'bloatware') has become. A simple utility can now feel like another software layer sitting on top of Windows 11, with launchers and user accounts jostling with the settings you actually want.

And because some of those controls are legitimately important, uninstalling the whole thing isn’t always an option.

Windows 11 can’t actually control everything on your Windows laptop

For all the settings tucked inside Windows 11, there are still plenty of things it can’t manage on its own.

And this isn’t just a gaming laptop quirk. On supported Asus models, MyASUS handles things such as Battery Care Mode and model-specific fan profiles that Windows 11 doesn’t offer.

Gaming laptops simply take the idea much further.

Take the Alienware 16X Aurora. Alienware Command Center offers several performance settings, and in our testing, its 'Overdrive' mode pushed the fans harder while making use of the laptop’s Cryo-Chamber cooling system.

None of that feels especially unreasonable.

Laptop makers know how their own hardware is designed to behave, and a dedicated utility gives them somewhere to offer controls that would otherwise be buried in the BIOS or unavailable altogether.

The problem starts when that useful little control panel begins acquiring ambitions of its own.

A settings menu somehow became an entire platform

Many of these apps now go well beyond looking after the laptop itself.

Armoury Crate still gives Asus ROG owners useful controls over performance and cooling, but it also has a user account system and optional content services alongside its device settings.

Lenovo’s Legion Space pushes the idea further, putting thermal controls alongside a game store and its AI-powered Gaming Zone. On supported machines, HP’s Omen Gaming Hub mixes fan and graphics controls with a game library and GeForce Now.

Taken one by one, most of this is easy to defend. Put it all in the same app, though, and the hardware settings start to feel like one part of a much larger product.

If I open software to quieten the fans, for example, I’m probably not also looking for a new game or a giveaway.

The worst part is that you actually need it

With ordinary pre-installed software, there’s an obvious solution if you don’t want it: uninstall it. Laptop software made by the manufacturers themselves is harder to shake because some settings can make a real difference in how the machine behaves.

Our MSI Raider 16 Max HX review shows why this gets awkward. The laptop comes with a fair amount of bundled software, yet MSI Center itself gives you useful access to performance presets and RGB controls.

Wiping out every manufacturer utility for a cleaner Windows 11 install can take useful features with it. However, some laptops do have alternatives.

G-Helper is an open-source option for Asus machines, offering access to performance and GPU modes, battery charge limits, and other hardware controls in a lightweight app. Its built-in performance modes use the same firmware presets as Armoury Crate.

You don’t have to be comfortable swapping official software for a community-made utility to see the appeal. G-Helper’s existence shows that granular laptop controls can live in a focused tool rather than a whole, often bloated, ecosystem.

Microsoft bears some responsibility too

Some of this starts with gaps in Windows 11 itself. Smart Charging exists on compatible devices, for example, but there’s no universal control for choosing a fixed charge limit – Microsoft says each manufacturer implements the feature differently.

Microsoft has already shown what a more standardised approach can look like.

Dynamic Lighting is a good example: compatible RGB hardware can now be controlled directly through Windows 11, rather than relying entirely on separate manufacturer utilities.

Fan tuning and firmware are much more specific to each machine, so manufacturer software isn’t going away.

But every common control Windows 11 can standardize is one less reason a laptop needs its own parallel settings software - and that would mean less bloat preinstalled on our devices.

Laptop software needs to become boring again

Maybe the real problem is that these apps have become something you even need to think about. A good pre-installed app should make the laptop easier to live with, then stay out of the way until you need it again.

MSI Center at least gets some things right: it’s modular, so you can install only the features you want rather than loading everything by default.

Switch brands, though, and even familiar jobs can move somewhere completely different. A 'quiet' fan mode that takes seconds to find on one laptop might be buried under different terminology on the next.

Software like this probably deserves more consideration in laptop reviews, too. It won’t rescue poor battery life or a bad keyboard, but if you rely on it to change how the laptop behaves, it's part of the product you bought.

I don’t want laptop makers to stop building these tools. I just want them to remember what they’re for: helping me use the laptop I already bought.

Although we're still a week away from the big day, several retailers have already started their annual Labor Day sales this week. In fact, tons of excellent laptops are on sale right now if you're looking for a new machine.

I've been scanning through the various listings at my favorite retailers, and both HP and Best Buy have excellent deals on laptops of all shapes and sizes right now. You can check out my top picks just down below.

Highlights include the excellent Acer Aspire Go for just $549.99 (was $699) at Best Buy, which is an excellent mid-range laptop for covering the basics like working from home or streaming content. While not a super high-end machine, its combination of a Ryzen 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is a real selling point at this budget range.

I also like the look of this HP Omnibook 5 at the official HP Store for $679 (was $1,149). Not only is this a great price for a machine with 16GB of RAM and a Snapdragon X chipset, but it also comes with a 2K OLED display. That's a high-end component you don't see anywhere near this price bracket usually.

Finally, if you've got flush pockets, I'd also recommend checking out this Gigabyte Aero X16 gaming laptop for $1,339 (was $1,499) at Best Buy. Gaming laptop prices have suffered terribly in recent months, but this listing is a rare deal where you can score an RTX 5070 graphics card and 32GB of RAM for well under $1,500. A great deal.

The 10 best early Labor Day laptop sales

I've spent a long time warning people to avoid cheap 8GB laptop deals. In 2026, 16Gb is the baseline for multi-tasking, while 32GB gives you considerably more breathing room. But I've found a laptop deal that's even better.

Right now, the Acer Aspire Go 15 with a huge 48GB DDR4 RAM is down to $675 (was $1000) at Newegg. That's a welcome surprise in the middle of an ongoing memory crisis.

That 48GB memory paired with an eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor and 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD. You also get a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, Wi-Fi 6 and Windows 11 Home.

Why we recommend it

In his four-star review of the Aspire Go 15, our expert Lewis called it a "snappy performer," and said it was: "very good, handling light productivity and entertainment workloads with speed."

He added that it's "quite thin and light, which makes it easier to carry around than expected. The light silver finish and minimal aesthetic also imbue the Aspire Go 15 with some style."

The standout feature here is that this laptop comes with 48GB of DDR4-3200 memory. It's made up of 16GB plus a 32GB Lexar module, giving you substantially more headroom for heavy multitasking, content creation, and other memory-intensive work than you'd normally get at this price.

The Ryzen 7 5825U is an older processor, but its eight cores still make it a capable choice for everyday workloads. There's USB-C with DisplayPort and 65W Power Delivery, three USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and Gigabit Ethernet, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

There's even a second M.2 slot so you can add additional storage which you'll need when you start nudging the limits of the 512GB SSD it comes with.

For more top picks, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested.

Price context & historical value

Newegg currently lists this particular 48GB/512GB configuration at $674.99, down from $999.99. That's a $325 saving, or 32%, which is its lowest price for the laptop in the past 30 days.

There's some useful additional context here. The same listing was $714.99 very recently, so the latest reduction takes another $40 off.

For more savings, these are the best business laptop deals we've found this week.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Acer Aspire Go 15 if...

If you want a Windows laptop with lots of memory for work, heavy multitasking or running numerous applications simultaneously, $674.99 is a really good price. The combination of 48GB RAM, Ryzen 7 processor, Full HD IPS display and upgradable storage gives you plenty to work with.

❌ Skip the Acer Aspire Go 15 if...

If GPU-heavy creative work or maximum battery efficiency are priorities, I'd look elsewhere. The integrated Radeon graphics and older Ryzen architecture make this much more of a productivity machine than a performance laptop.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

48GB RAM is excellent, but it's DDR4 rather than DDR5, the graphics are integrated rather than discrete, and the Ryzen 7 5825U dates from an older AMD generation. The 15.6-inch display is also a straightforward 1920 x 1080 non-touch IPS panel rather than a high-resolution or premium OLED screen.

At 3.92lb, it's portable enough, but there are much lighter laptops available.

• Shop all laptops on sale at Newegg

Google has barely uttered a word about its forthcoming Googlebook since its big reveal back in May, a state of affairs that doesn't inspire much confidence. It's almost as if the company has been trying to decide how best to deal with the negative reaction towards these incoming laptops, which have an OS that runs not just ChromeOS but also Android apps natively.

This silence has meant that many people have forgotten about the Googlebook. These devices weren't even mentioned at Computex 2026 (not directly, anyway) and I too had barely thought about them until leaks started popping up recently.

Now, at last, we've heard that Google is holding a press event in New York next month at which the media will be able to go hands-on with the new machines. However, this is not an official launch or announcement, and the full details of the Googlebook will be kept under wraps for a bit longer afterwards (as Chrome Unboxed reported earlier this week).

Still, it's clear that the full launch isn't too far off, and at any rate, we now know a bit more about these laptops thanks to all the recent leaks.

So, if you still find yourself wondering what the Googlebook is all about — and whether you should wait to buy one, rather than shelling out for a Chromebook right now – I can help. Read on to find out which laptop will be best suited to you, and how these devices fit together in Google's laptop landscape.

Chromebooks aren't going anywhere

Google made it clear right from the start that it isn't doing away with Chromebooks. These devices running ChromeOS will continue to be manufactured alongside Googlebooks, with the latter positioned as a higher-end offering.

This is a crucial factor to consider, because if you think that Googlebooks are going to be anything like affordable, this isn't the case. Google has said itself that these are 'premium' devices and that's a word which means one thing: they'll be pricey.

How pricey? Well, that's obviously still up for debate, but the leaks have shown some notebooks that look distinctly expensive — and with rumored pricing above the $1,000 mark (in the US) thus far. These are just rumors, of course, but the broad expectation is that this will be the kind of price tag you're looking at with a Googlebook.

So, if you want a Chromebook because it's a wallet-friendly product, then buy one now without hesitation. Especially given that based on what's happening with the RAM crisis of late, all laptops are likely to get more expensive as 2026 rolls on; you'll probably save more than a few notes by buying sooner, rather than later.

Googlebook means more heavyweight performance

Premium doesn't just mean costly, of course. A high-end laptop will also be expected to perform admirably, to be well-built, and to look good.

We certainly expect Googlebooks to pack a good deal more performance punch than Chromebooks, and they're designed to run more heavyweight apps, such as Adobe Premiere Pro (as spotted in a leaked photo) — not something that's possible on a Chromebook.

You'll also be able to natively run Android apps on the Googlebook, which gives the device a lot of versatility. (Based on rumors, there's likely to be a 'handoff' style feature to work with your Android phone, too). Gemini and AI abilities are also set to feature in the Googlebook, so you'll be able to get a lot more done in that respect compared to on a Chromebook.

If you're more of a power-user — and keen to explore AI features (though it remains to be seen exactly what Google will pull off in this department) — the Googlebook will be more your kind of laptop. Everyday users who are just after a laptop to do basic computing tasks, such as browsing, emails, and watching videos, will be fine with a Chromebook.

Two-tier system

What Google is bringing in here is essentially two different tiers of laptops. The Chromebook will remain as the baseline offering, including a few more premium models that'll drain your wallet by a little more. The Googlebook, meanwhile, will sit right at the top of the tree, with higher price tags (that could potentially be a lot higher).

If you want a solid, everyday, more affordable laptop, just get a Chromebook now. There's no need to wait for the Googlebook, because it's not going to do much more for you relative to the far higher price you'll be paying.

If you want a premium piece of more performant hardware with a more flexible OS that runs Android apps and fully-fledged software such as the likes of Adobe Premiere Pro — and, crucially, if you're willing to pay for it, then by all means hold out for the Googlebook that's coming later this year.

That said, those of you who do wait may have to suffer the possible slings and arrows of being an early adopter: namely the kind of bugs and teething troubles that new operating systems often bring with them. Google has a lot going on here, considering that its new platform will be juggling two ecosystems, both desktop and mobile.

So, for those who are diving in at the deep end with a Googlebook right from the off, bear all that in mind, and remember that some Android apps in particular may be flakier until the platform finds itself a more solid footing in time.

I remain concerned that Google hasn't really sold this new laptop category very effectively yet, and I hope that changes when the NDAs lift after that press event next month, and we all start to get a full look at the capabilities of these devices. Watch this space.

The HP OmniBook X Flip 16 gives you considerably more flexibility than a conventional laptop. Its 16-inch touchscreen can be folded all the way back for tablet use or positioned at different angles for presentations, streaming and creative work. In its 60th Anniversary Sale, the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 is now $750 (was $1200) at Best Buy.

That's a massive $450 saving, equivalent to 37.5% off the regular price. You get plenty of performance for the money too. The Core Ultra 7 256V is paired with 16GB of fast LPDDR5X memory, a spacious 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and Intel Arc 140V graphics.

Why we recommend it

The Core Ultra 7 256V is a modern Series 2 processor with a 47 TOPS NPU. Intel's Arc 140V integrated graphics add considerably more graphical capability than you'd get from a basic productivity laptop.

It also features a large 2K touchscreen that makes the OmniBook useful for everything from everyday office work and streaming to photo editing and lighter creative workloads.

Thunderbolt 4 provides a 40Gbps connection for high-speed storage, docks and external displays, and HDMI 2.1 and the additional USB-C port make it easier to build a desktop setup around the laptop.

For more top picks, see our guide to the best business laptops we've tested.

Price context & historical value

At $749.99, you're saving exactly $450 against Best Buy's regular $1,199.99 price. That's a hefty 37.5% reduction as part of the retailer's 60th Anniversary sale. This is the cheapest price we've found for a new HP OmniBook X Flip 16 with this specification, so definitely recommended if you've had your eye on it for a while.

The specification is particularly attractive as you're getting a recent Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of memory, 1TB of storage, Arc graphics and a large convertible touchscreen for below $750.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 if...

You want a big-screen laptop that can handle work during the day and transform into a more convenient machine for entertainment afterwards. The combination of a 16-inch touchscreen and 360-degree hinge gives you considerably more flexibility than a standard clamshell laptop.

The Core Ultra 7 256V and Arc 140V graphics provide plenty of everyday performance, and the 1TB SSD will be enough storage for most people's key needs.

❌ Skip the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 if...

Portability is your priority. At more than four pounds, this isn't the 2-in-1 I'd choose if I wanted something to carry around all day or regularly use as a handheld tablet.

The 16GB of LPDDR5X memory is another consideration for particularly demanding workloads. It's sufficient for most tasks, but buyers tackling heavy video editing or other memory-intensive work may prefer 32GB.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The OmniBook X Flip 16 is a large convertible, and at 4.15 pounds, it's considerably less convenient to hold in tablet mode than a smaller 13- or 14-inch 2-in-1. The flip design is better suited to occasional tablet use, presentations and watching video than carrying around for extended periods.

As mentioned before, the other limitation is the 16GB of LPDDR5X memory. That's plenty for everyday productivity, multitasking and many creative jobs, but it isn't upgradable, which is worth bearing in mind.

• Shop the full 60th anniversary sale at Best Buy

As someone who writes about tech deals for a living, I was amazed to see a deal on TikTok that claimed you could get a MacBook Neo for only $119.99. That's a shocking discount, so much so that I thought there had to be strings attached, or maybe it was just too good to be true. And it was.

The $119 MacBook Neo offer, claimed as a "back-to-school deal," was a scam. Advertised on TikTok and Instagram as a real deal at Target, but the retailer has no such discount or promotion.

When you click on the offer, it takes you to a third-party website that promises up to $750 in Target gift cards if you complete 3 to 5 partner deals that include offers, trials, and sign-ups. Generally, if you have to jump through those hoops, it's a good sign it's a scam.

This scam has become viral because who wouldn't want Apple's shiny new MacBook Neo for only $119? Ever since the price hike on Apple's MacBooks in July, you couldn't find Apple's budget MacBook for under $699.

The 13-inch Neo is Apple's cheapest MacBook on the market, yet it's packed with premium features, including a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple's powerful A18 Pro chip for speedy performance, and AI capabilities. In our MacBook Neo review, we called it 'the best budget laptop you can buy right now', praising its design, build quality, and performance for the price.

While direct discounts are sparse, I've listed today's best deals on the MacBook Neo, including a trade-in offer and a free Starbucks gift card at Best Buy, a $10 price cut from Amazon, and Apple's popular $100 education discount for students and teachers.

Today's best discounts on Apple's MacBook Neo