Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
Image of Computex show floor with 'TechRadar Computex 2025' logo
Computing Next-gen laptops, bonkers PCs, and too much AI: here's what I expect to see at Computex 2025
best laptops of computex
Laptops Best laptops of Computex 2025 - meet the future of notebooks from HP, Asus, and more
Image of Computex main hall
Computing Computex 2025 live: all the latest from the world's largest computing show in Taipei
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) with screen open on blue background
Laptops The best laptops 2025 tested, reviewed and rated
Three of the best gaming laptops of Computex
Laptops Best gaming laptops of Computex 2025 - top picks from Asus, Acer, and more
Razer, MSI, and Asus laptops against a blue TechRadar-branded background
Pro These are the biggest laptop launches of 2025 so far you absolutely need to check out if you create content
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
Pro Best laptop for computer science students of 2025
  1. Computing

TechRadar's computing 2018 wishlist

News
By Kevin Lee, Joe Osborne, Matt Hanson published 26 December 2017

Our computing experts look towards the year ahead

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Matt Hanson, UK Computing Editor

Matt Hanson, UK Computing Editor

While I always eagerly await the giant strides computing technology makes with each new year, in 2018 I’m looking forward to some of the smaller revolutions, that may not be quite as flashy, but will have just as profound an effect on the way we use our computers.

Microsoft and Qualcomm’s partnership in 2017 to bring ‘always on’ laptops with much improved battery lives should really begin to bear fruit in 2018, with a number of powerful Snapdragon 835-powered devices coming throughout the year.

These laptops won’t need to connect to Wi-Fi, instead using LTE data, much like smartphones, which will make using them when not connected to your home or work network much safer, and also faster. The potential of 20 hours of battery life is also very impressive.

Other than that, I have an obscenely powerful gaming PC, and I’d really like to see 2018 bring some graphically demanding games that really puts it to the test, and will show why PC is the best platform to play video games on.

Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3
Joe Osborne, Senior Editor

Joe Osborne, Senior Editor

The most exciting bit of computing I see on the 2018 horizon is the modular, upgradeable Mac Pro computer that Apple won’t stop talking about. No, really: Apple actually mentioned it in a press release this year for the iMac Pro!

For Apple to tease this product in a press release for an entirely different one leads us to believe that it’s something worth getting hyped about. Plus, we were all enamored by the previous Mac Pro design enough to clamor for updates for the past several years.

That interest likely lies in the words ‘modular’ and ‘upgradeable’, which we rarely associate with Apple computing products these days. That said, we’re very interested in just how well this product lives up to those promises – not to mention that new display Apple is building in-house.

Beyond this, I’m also keen on seeing how Microsoft will react to this. Will we see a new Surface Studio to combat these pro-grade Apple computers? How about a new set of Surface tablets and laptops to keep ahead? Regardless, I want to see this rivalry keep up in 2018.

Page 2 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Kevin Lee, US Computing Editor

Kevin Lee, US Computing Editor

2018 is looking like the most exciting year for laptops in a long time. While Intel has almost been the only player in the mobile processor world, that’s going to change significantly with Qualcomm and AMD Rzyen entering the fray.

At the same time I feel as though 2018 could also be the most confusing year for laptops. Qualcomm, Intel Kaby Lake Refresh, Intel CPUs with Vega graphics, and AMD Ryzen will all be powering notebooks next year with varying levels of performances and graphical capability.

For one thing most standard x86 applications on a Snapdragon 835-powered laptop will have to run though a level of emulation to get them to work. We also may well see the option of buying notebooks with either Intel’s standard 8th gen processors, or their gaming-capable CPUs, and those configurations alone could further muddy the waters while buying a laptop. 

This past year was one of the busiest years for components, with a seemingly never-ending barrage of new processors and graphics cards, and I can only imagine it's going to continue into 2018.

AMD Ryzen 2 for desktops is almost guaranteed to make its debut, and Intel would likely respond in kind to with its Ice Lake family of processors.

Nvidia has already begun laying the groundwork with it’s next generation Volta graphics card architecture as well. While we’ve only seen a few enterprise components from the Volta family and the Nvidia Titan V, I expect we’ll see consumer and gaming-focused products before the next holiday season. AMD is also likely to release more Vega graphics cards as well.

  • Nvidia vs AMD: which should be your next graphics card?
Page 3 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
Social Links Navigation
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

See more Computing News
Read more
Image of Computex show floor with 'TechRadar Computex 2025' logo
Next-gen laptops, bonkers PCs, and too much AI: here's what I expect to see at Computex 2025
best laptops of computex
Best laptops of Computex 2025 - meet the future of notebooks from HP, Asus, and more
Image of Computex main hall
Computex 2025 live: all the latest from the world's largest computing show in Taipei
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) with screen open on blue background
The best laptops 2025 tested, reviewed and rated
Three of the best gaming laptops of Computex
Best gaming laptops of Computex 2025 - top picks from Asus, Acer, and more
Razer, MSI, and Asus laptops against a blue TechRadar-branded background
These are the biggest laptop launches of 2025 so far you absolutely need to check out if you create content
Latest in Computing
WD_Black SN8100 on a purple background next to a TechRadar badge reading 'Don't Miss'
The world’s fastest SSD now available for just $229.99 for 2TB, its cheapest price ever but hurry up before stocks vanish ahead of Prime Day
AMD RX 9070 GPU models
AMD's new GPUs could be a flop – and while that's good news for Nvidia, I'm worried for gamers
Android apps
Android 16’s answer to iOS Live Activities is coming soon – here are the apps it’ll support, including Google Maps
People using Windows 11 laptops
Windows 11 search just got more powerful courtesy of Copilot - and I think this is a great use of AI, even if there'll still be haters
Deal image of Samsung 990 EVO Plus
End your SSD hunt now, with Samsung's 2TB and 4TB 990 Evo Plus models heavily discounted ahead of Amazon Prime Day
Apple's Craig Federighi discusses macOS at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025.
These could be the next 17 Mac laptops and desktops that Apple launches over the next year, according to a new leak
Latest in News
AMD RX 9070 GPU models
AMD's new GPUs could be a flop – and while that's good news for Nvidia, I'm worried for gamers
Tom Holland's Peter Parker stares into the camera in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will start filming in August, and I'm desperate to have some of my biggest questions answered about the Marvel movie
Android apps
Android 16’s answer to iOS Live Activities is coming soon – here are the apps it’ll support, including Google Maps
Alibaba logo
Alibaba and Wix join forces, promise great things for SMBs
mazon logo on the facade of one of their corporate office buildings located in Silicon Valley, San Francisco bay area
Hunting for early Prime Day deals? Beware, scammers have set up thousands of fake Amazon sites - here's what to look out for
Marshall Major IV held in a woman's hands on grey background
Rock on! Marshall's great Bluetooth speakers and headphones have hit super-low prices in Amazon's early Prime Day deals
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    This is probably the best Apple Mac Mini Windows Mini PC alternative on the market right now - $378 Chuwi AuBox Mini drives four 4K monitors and has a Radeon 780M GPU
  2. 2
    There's a huge Criterion Collection 4K Blu-ray sale happening at Amazon ahead of Prime Day – here are the 5 movies I'd pick
  3. 3
    5 upgrades we want from the Google Pixel 10
  4. 4
    This powerful JBL portable speaker will liven up any 4th of July party - and it's now $100 off at Best Buy
  5. 5
    Rock on! Marshall's great Bluetooth speakers and headphones have hit super-low prices in Amazon's early Prime Day deals

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...