Laptops - Page 3

The PC hardware market is in an unprecedented state, with memory and storage prices increasing dramatically, and the biggest players all focused on serving the data center market and the AI boom. However, even in this climate, Dell has announced a new, affordable Alienware gaming laptop, the Alienware 15 for 2026.

Alienware is Dell's premium PC gaming brand, so seeing a more affordable entry is both surprising and welcome. Starting at $1,299 USD, the new Alienware 15 certainly hits the right sweet spot, price-wise, especially for a laptop with a 15.3-inch 16:10 WUXGA (1920x1200) panel that sports a 165Hz refresh rate and is built for gaming. And best of all, it has gone through the same rigorous testing as the flagship Area-51 for durability and long-term reliability.

However, as we're talking about an affordable gaming laptop in 2026, the entry-level $1,299 configuration features 16GB of DDR5 memory, the 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 220 processor, and the GeForce RTX 4050 laptop graphics card. For those wanting an Intel processor or the more powerful GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU, the price increases pretty dramatically. That said, no matter the choice, owners will have access to NVIDIA DLSS to boost performance.

Intel's new Core 300 "Wildcat Lake" platform has been making waves since its official launch, and laptops powered by the new chips are already starting to appear. Several OEMs, including Honor, ASUS, and HP, have launched Wildcat Lake models in China. The cheapest of the bunch is the CHUWI UniBook, which is priced at an estimated $449 US.

The UniBook is powered by the Intel Core 3 304, which is the entry-level chip in the Wildcat Lake lineup. Keep in mind that this is a 5-core, 5-thread CPU with 1 "Cougar Cove" P-core and 4 "Darkmont" LPE-cores, boosting up to 4.3 GHz. Importantly, the Core 3 304 is built on Intel's cutting-edge 18A process node, the same node used for the higher-end "Panther Lake" chips. The chip is not meant for heavy workloads, but it should have no trouble handling everyday tasks like web browsing, office applications, and video calls.

For the rest of the spec sheet, the UniBook sports a 14-inch IPS display with a 1920x1200 resolution and 100% sRGB coverage, paired with 8GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD. Connectivity is a notable strong suit, with two full-function USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and a TF card slot, all running Windows 11 Pro. CHUWI also claims up to 20 hours of battery life from the 53Wh cell inside.

Intel's Wildcat Lake is finally making its retail debut, with the first wave of laptops hitting shelves in China tomorrow. Honor is among the first out of the gate with its MagicBook X14 2026. Though the company is keeping the official price sticker under wraps, the storefront's installment calculator suggests a sharp ~$650 entry point for the mainstream 16GB/512GB model.

Honor's MagicBook X14 is part of its thin-and-light, affordable Windows laptop series. For now, listings remain exclusive to Honor's Chinese storefront, with sales expected to go live tomorrow, May 18th. A larger variant, the MagicBook X16, should follow in short order as well, being among the teased models at the Wildcat Lake launch.

As it stands, we've seen only one global listing for Wildcat Lake: HP's Omnibook 5 at an eye-watering $1,229. In any case, Intel has a sizeable list of partners with an international presence, including Lenovo, MSI, Acer, ASUS, and Dell. It is projected that Google's forthcoming Googlebooks may also be powered by these chips.

Google recently announced Googlebook, a series of laptops designed around the Gemini AI model. This new laptop series is supposed to fall somewhere between a Chromebook and a traditional Windows laptop. Information surrounding the Googlebook is pretty vague right now, except for a few nifty features such as the Magic Pointer, Widget Creator, and general Gemini integration.

However, now it seems like we are getting more clarity about the hardware side of Googlebook. Intel has announced that it is the official CPU partner for Googlebook, providing processors for the upcoming series of laptops from various manufacturers. The company took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that it is prepping "premium, powerful devices designed for intelligence." Google has previously confirmed that Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are the official launch partners for this laptop series.

Intel has not yet confirmed which CPU lineup will power Googlebooks, but the most optimal candidate has to be the Core 300 "Wildcat Lake" processors. These processors are a perfect match for these laptops since they are built on Intel's 18A process node, and offer 2 "Cougar Cove" P-cores and 4 "Darkmont" LPE cores, with no traditional E-cores. The models come with a 15W TDP and a maximum power package of 35W, and include an NPU 5 with 40 TOPs, as well as an Xe display and media engine.

ASUS first introduced the Zenbook Duo 2026 at CES in January, and the company has now opened pre-orders for the Zenbook DUO UX8407 model. The Zenbook Duo is the company's dual-screen laptop based on Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors.

The standout feature here is the displays. Plural. The laptop comes with two 14-inch OLED touchscreen panels at 2880x1800 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 500-nit SDR brightness, and 1000-nit HDR peak brightness. The upper screen sits in the top section, while the lower screen replaces the typical keyboard location. ASUS says the new hideaway hinge reduces the gap between both panels by 70%, while the chassis is 5% smaller than the previous model.

The keyboard is detachable and can be placed on top of the bottom screen for a more traditional laptop experience. ASUS lists two configurations. The UX8407 with Intel Core Ultra 9 386H and Intel Graphics is available for pre-order now at $2,499. A $2,699 version with the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and Intel Arc Graphics is also listed, with availability expected in late Q2 2026.

OneXPlayer has released its Panther Lake-powered Super V 14-inch 2-in-1 gaming tablet that was initially unveiled at CES 2026. YouTuber ETA Prime benchmarked the tablet in several games and found performance to be excellent, achieving well over 60 FPS at the tablet's native 2880x1800 resolution in AAA games.

The Super V comes in just one configuration for now, featuring a Core Ultra X7 358H with four P-cores, eight E-cores, four LPE-cores, and a turbo boost frequency of up to 4.8GHz. The integrated Arc B390 is based on Intel's Xe3 architectures and comes with 12 EUs clocked up to 2.5GHz. Memory and storage are comprised of 48GB of LPDDR5X operating at 8533MT/s, a single internal M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 1TB SSD, and an external Mini SSD slot. The Super V is the first OneXPlayer device to pack an external Mini SSD slot. The shell of the device is made out of CNC aluminum with a thickness of 13mm. The display features a 14-inch AMOLED screen that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, with a 120Hz variable refresh rate and a resolution of 2880x1800.

ETA Prime tested the tablet in Geekbench, Cinebench R24, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 5, Black Myth: Wukong, Spider-Man 2, and an unnamed indie game. Geekbench saw the Ultra X7 358H in the SuperV achieve 2,743 points in the single-core benchmark, and 16,596 points in the multi-core benchmark. Cinebench 2024 achieved 121 points single-core and 1225 points multi-core. For most of the gaming tests, the tablet was benchmarked at its maximum 60-watt TDP.

If you were planning to get your hands on the Framework 13 Pro, you'll have to sit tight until August. With the device up for pre-order, Framework has already burned through its early stock. As demand outpaces supply, Framework is already down to Batch 8, with more users choosing Ubuntu over Windows, per the company. This certainly shows that its "MacBook Pro for Linux users" appeal is quite real.

In a tweet on X (spotted by PC Gamer), Framework highlighted how the 13 Pro is flying off shelves. While the company had slated initial batches for June-July, it has pushed the latest batch back to August. In addition, buyers are choosing pre-built configurations with Ubuntu over Windows. As the Framework 13 Pro is Ubuntu Certified, buyers can select Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or Windows 11 Pro right out of the box, and it seems the Linux crowd is leading the charge.

Framework hasn't specified whether these numbers include the DIY Edition or just the pre-built models. On the DIY side, users typically bring their own storage and OS to save money, so most users rarely purchase a Windows key. Even when looking at DIY (Windows/No OS) and pre-built (Windows/Ubuntu) models together, Framework's claim that Ubuntu is leading the charge seems like a safe bet.

Framework has announced several new upgrades for the Framework laptop 16, including a new CPU option and a more advanced touchpad module. But the biggest upgrade is the introduction of an OCuLink Dev Kit coming later this year that introduces compatibility with PCIe devices, including eGPU docks and PCIe cards.

The kit comes in three parts. The first is an OCuLink Adapter Board that sits inside the Laptop 16's expansion bay shell and routes an OCuLink connector to the back of the laptop, rated at up to 128Gbps through an x8 interface. The Graphics Module OCuLink Dock is the second module, aimed at providing OCuLink connectivity to the Framework Laptop 16's graphics module externally. Basically, this component allows users to use the graphics module as an external GPU. The third component is the PCIe OCuLink Dock that enables users to plug PCIe cards into the laptop, including network cards and video capture cards. Framework claims the PCIe OCuLink Dock provides desktop-like PCIe performance with very little overhead.

Framework designed its OCuLink Dev Kit as a full package, featuring the three aforementioned components and reference 3D-printable designs, so users can build whatever they need around the PCIe devices they will be using with the laptop. As an example, Framework showed an image of a Framework Laptop 16 hooked up to its graphics module externally, mounted to a 3D printed chassis with an SFX power supply mounted at the bottom.

Unveiled at Framework's Next Gen event, the Framework 13 Pro represents the first ground-up redesign of the modular chassis since its 2021 debut. The new flagship features a rigid CNC-milled aluminum body, a custom 120Hz VRR touchscreen, and a haptic trackpad. Powered by Intel's Panther Lake and a sizeable 74 Wh battery, this is a clear shot across the bow of the MacBook Pro, starting at $1,199 for the DIY version.

The new chassis provides a unibody-like feel, similar to Apple's MacBook, and is built from 75% pre-consumer recycled 6063 aluminum. It includes a haptic trackpad, fingerprint reader, and keyboard with 1.5mm travel and a white backlight. The all-metal input cover replaces the previous metal-and-plastic construction for a better typing experience.

Framework has introduced a new Graphite finish, with Silver staying. Standalone chassis swaps start at $179. The 13.5-inch 2.8K (2880x1920) LTPS display keeps the 3:2 aspect ratio but adds 30-120Hz VRR and in-cell touch. With 700 nits peak brightness, 1800:1 contrast, 100% sRGB, and starting at $299, this is Framework's first custom panel.

Apple's $599 MacBook Neo ($499 for students) has sent shockwaves through the budget laptop segment, and Microsoft is the first to respond. The company has announced a new "Microsoft College Offer," a bundle that gives students Microsoft 365 Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a custom Xbox controller, and a discounted laptop, potentially aimed at swaying students away from Apple's highlight.

As announced in a blog post and spotted by The Verge, students can choose a qualifying Windows PC from top makers including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Surface devices, including the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, are also getting discounted, despite Microsoft recently hiking prices on those same models. The bundle includes the following for US students with an eligible PC purchase:

The laptop deals include a 15.3-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x for $499 at Best Buy, about $250 off its usual $750 price, and a 16-inch HP OmniBook 3 for $429 at Walmart, a $270 discount off its usual $699 price. Other retailers have similar deals.

MSI has unveiled its redesigned flagship 16-inch gaming laptop series, with the new MSI Raider 16 Max and Raider 16 laptops featuring up to 300W of "combined CPU and GPU power." These laptops feature the latest Intel Core Ultra 200HX Plus processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series laptop GPUs, with the top configuration pairing the Core Ultra 290HX Plus CPU with the GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU.

MSI notes that these redesigned Raider 16 Max and Raider 16 gaming laptops are some of the most powerful on the planet, with the extreme performance on offer due to the 'Cooler Boost Trinity' and 'Intra Flow' thermal system. This includes up to three fans, six heat pipes, and a five-exhaust vent system that MSI says is an industry-exclusive feature.

Of course, when it comes to powerful gaming laptops, one major concern is overall noise. For anyone who has used a powerful gaming laptop in the past decade or so, comparing the sound to a "jet engine" is not uncommon; however, with the new MSI Raider laptops, the company confirms that overall fan and cooling noise remains below 50 dBA during heavy gaming workloads.

A new study from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund, examining the repairability of 2026 laptops and smartphones, provides insight into the repairability of modern hardware. The study uses the French index to calculate results, which measures the availability of repair documentation and spare parts, the affordability of parts, tool requirements, software updates, and more.

And with that, the Failing the Fix (2026) report assigns a letter grade to companies based on the repairability of their devices. The two companies that scored the lowest are Apple, which got a C-, and then Lenovo, which scored a C. The good news for Lenovo is that this is an improvement over last year's F grade, indicating that the company's ThinkPad, Yoga, and Legion laptop lines have seen notable gains in repairability.

This gives Apple the lowest score among the top eight brands, with ASUS scoring the highest at B+, followed by Acer at B. One of the main reasons Apple now scores the lowest for its MacBook range is a low disassembly score, which makes it hard for consumers to access hardware components directly.

ASUS just unveiled its Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop series to widespread praise, with the verdict on its Zenbook A16 landing as "pretty much unbeatable at $1,599." Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip proved to be a winner in areas like battery life and GPU-accelerated workloads, paired with a whopping 48GB of RAM amid a RAM shortage and a 1TB SSD, making the A16 a formidable alternative to Apple's MacBook Pro lineup.

However, the Taiwanese firm may have gotten too greedy, as many have noticed shady pricing changes across Snapdragon X2 systems. ASUS was one of the first to list laptops powered by Qualcomm's new chips before the embargo ended. Soon after reviews went live, ASUS and Best Buy appear to have quietly raised prices across parts of the Snapdragon X2 Elite lineup without explanation.

According to Hardware Canucks on X, the Zenbook A16, which offered the best bang for the buck, saw a $100 MSRP bump, going from $1,599 to $1,700. Its less powerful sibling, the A14, took an even bigger hit, with a $350 increase from $1,000 to $1,350. Hardware Canucks said its review was based on pricing communicated before publication, but the numbers changed significantly after going live. That is not a good look for a launch that was built entirely around price and positioning.

Reviews for laptops and Copilot+ PCs featuring Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 Elite processor have begun to appear online, and the second-generation Windows on Arm platform is proving to be a winner in areas like battery life and even GPU-accelerated workloads.

However, as the original Snapdragon X Elite struggled to even run games due to the Windows PRISM emulation layer required to play most titles, one of the big questions with this second generation is how gaming performance compares to the latest iGPU offerings from AMD and Intel. Right off the bat, the good news is that game compatibility appears to have dramatically improved.

The review from Hardware Canucks notes that 9 out of 12 games in its benchmark suite run fine on the new Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, with online titles like ARC Raiders, PUBG, and Battlefield 6 failing to load due to anti-cheat technologies. As for performance in games that run, it's mostly positive but also a mixed bag, with inconsistent performance and issues that go beyond FPS numbers.

A new report by industry analyst Tim Culpan confirms what we've previously reported: Apple's affordable new MacBook Neo is a success. So much so that it has apparently surpassed Apple's expectations, and the company now finds itself in a bit of a weird spot about whether to boost production or let it sell out and focus on next year's refresh.

The reason for this comes down to the MacBook Neo's unique design, in that it's powered by the same A18 Pro chip found in the previous generation's iPhone 16 Pro. According to sources close to the MacBook Neo's design, it uses leftover chips from the original A18 Pro production run, including some with defects, which is why it only features a 5-core GPU rather than the 6-core GPU in the iPhone 16 Pro.

And with that, the problem Apple is now facing is that it's going to run out of MacBook Neo laptops long before it can meet demand for the device. Tim Culpan notes that the original plan was to build around 5 to 6 million units, and if Apple wants to make more, it will need to make more A18 Pro chips, which are built on TSMC's 3nm N3E process. And yes, this popular node is basically sold out.

The new Dell XPS 14 for 2026 is now available, and with reviews popping up, one in particular has caught our attention for showcasing seriously impressive battery life. As seen in the review from Hardware Canucks, testing a model with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 'Panther Lake' processor, measuring battery life with 'simple web browsing' with a peak display brightness of 150 nits, the Dell XPS 14 managed to achieve a seriously impressive runtime of 43 hours and 3 minutes.

This is almost triple the runtime of the MacBook Air 15's 14 hours and 30 minutes running the same test, showcasing that battery life on a Windows-based laptop has come a long way in recent years. However, there is one caveat to the 43 hours: VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate. Although VRR is a common feature in many modern displays, especially those built for gaming, the Dell XPS 14's display takes this one step further by offering a 1 Hz battery-saver mode.

Yes, this means the display refreshes its image only once per second, and it's best suited to mostly static workloads, like working in a spreadsheet. This is why the Dell XPS 14 was able to run for over 43 hours; however, the overall efficiency of the new Intel Core Ultra processors also played a big role.

ASUS UK has revealed pricing for its updated family of ROG Zephyrus G14/G16 laptops with Intel's latest Panther Lake CPUs, as reported by Notebookcheck. If you were looking to get your hands on one of these laptops, be ready to pay a hefty price. ASUS UK has ballooned the price tag of the base G16 model by almost 30% as compared to last year. This is largely because the new base model now sports an RTX 5070, pushing the entry point into a higher price bracket.

It is important to note that these prices reflect the market in the United Kingdom, which is subject to VAT (Value Added Tax). That said, our comparison is within the same market, so we're likely to see a similar upward trend in the global market as well. The USD pricing provided in this article is estimated by removing the UK's standard VAT from the list price.

The floor for ASUS' 2026 lineup has shifted significantly. The most affordable G14 (GU405AP-SY004W) now starts at £2,899 (~$3,195), packed with an RTX 5070 and the Core Ultra 9 386H. If you want the larger G16 (GU606AP-TB003W) with the same specs, that entry point climbs to £3,199 (~$3,525). For context, last year's G16 with the RTX 5060 is now available for as low as £2,099 ($2,320). Whether you compare it to the base MSRP (a 30% hike) or to current retail prices (a massive 60% jump), there is a clear upward trend in pricing for these newer models.

Razer has lifted the lid on its new ultra-thin 2026 Blade 16 gaming laptop, and this refresh is set to push laptop performance to new heights. In addition to supporting the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which features 33% more cores than the previous Blade 16, it's also set to ship with up to 64GB of LPDDR5-9600 MHz memory, which Razer says is the fastest available memory for a laptop.

The 16-core Intel Core Ultra 9 386H features a max boost frequency of 4.9 GHz, which should make a notable difference to CPU-heavy gaming, creative, and productivity workloads. It also features an integrated NPU with up to 50 TOPS of AI performance for local AI workloads. And when paired with the Razer Laptop Cooling Pad, the 2026 Blade 16 can be overclocked and boosted by up to 175W for even more performance when plugged in.

On the GPU side, the Razer's 2026 Blade 16 will once again leverage NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, with full support for DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation for high-end cinematic gaming. And although the 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) OLED panel sports the same 240 Hz refresh rate as last year's model, the 2026 edition does include one notable upgrade.

Apple's MacBook Neo is a raging success and has helped the company bring in a record number of new users into the Apple ecosystem. However, one area where the Neo's designers cut corners is with the cooling solution, which allows the A18 Pro inside to thermal throttle under heavy workloads. YouTuber ETA Prime modded a MacBook Neo with a Peltier-based liquid cooling solution and found the chip performs significantly better without thermal throttling, especially in games.

The YouTuber used multiple cooling mods to make the liquid cooling mod possible. First, he applied a copper cooling mod to the Neo's A18 Pro inside, replacing the stock graphene pad with a copper shim sandwiched between the A18 Pro and thermal paste on the bottom and a thermal pad on top, connecting the copper pad to the bottom cover of the Neo. We will explain why this mod was necessary further below.

The liquid cooling system ETA Prime is using is designed for smartphones and uses a combination of electricity and coolant to cool the temperature of whatever device the system is connected to. The cooler uses a magnetic puck to attach itself to a smartphone and cool the internal components from the device's back cover. In the Neo's case, the YouTuber attached the puck right over the SoC and the copper shim above it. Using the liquid cooler this way likely wouldn't have been possible without the copper shim mod, the MacBook Neo's stock graphene pad doesn't connect to anything but the A18 Pro itself; which is why the chip thermal throttles.

Apple's recent announcement and launch of the new MacBook Neo range made headlines, marking the company's big entry into the affordable laptop market. With prices starting at $599 USD, Apple created one of its most affordable MacBooks to date by leveraging the A18 Pro processor that previously powered the iPhone 16 Pro.

And when you pair that with an impressive 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 8GB of memory, and storage options of 256GB or 512GB, the MacBook Neo instantly became as attractive as it is affordable to a large group of people. And with that, the launch has been a resounding success, because it looks like Apple has successfully appealed to the traditional affordable PC laptop market with a viable alternative.

According to a new post on social media by Apple CEO Tim Cook, "Mac just had its best launch week ever for first-time Mac customers." The takeaway here is "first-time," because it means the MacBook Neo has brought new people into the Apple ecosystem in a way not seen before.