Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations

Asus ROG Strix G18 G814 (image source: Notebookcheck)

The Asus ROG Strix G18 2025 with the RTX 5070 Laptop GPU is too expensive at 2300 Euros

The Asus ROG Strix G18 is a large 18-inch gaming notebook that offers a powerful AMD processor and a good IPS screen. Priced at 2300 Euros, however, you only get the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, which does not really suit t...

Andreas Osthoff, 14 Aug 2025 09:27

Subnautica Below Zero Steam screenshot showing a frozen leviathan in a cave

Deal | Steam sale cuts 75% off 90%-rated open-world survival craft game with nearly 90,000 reviews

Subnautica Below Zero, the follow-up to the wildly successful open-world survivalcraft game, has been discounted in a recent Steam sale to a new all-time-low price of just $7.49 shortly ahead of the highly anticipated launch of it...

Julian van der Merwe, 14 Aug 2025 00:42

What is more important for a gaming laptop - performance or features?

We just reviewed the two gaming laptops Asus ROG Strix G18 and the XMG Focus 17 M25, which follow a completely different approach. While the XMG wants to offer the best price-performance ratio, Asus prioritizes features. But what ...

Andreas Osthoff, 13 Aug 2025 00:06

Asus ROG Ally windows gaming handheld on a desk with a mouse, controller, and earphones

Deal | Asus ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1 Extreme matches Black Friday price in new deal with free travel case and Game Pass Ultimate for a month

As the Windows gaming handheld intensifies, and with the launch of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally just around the corner, the original Asus ROG Ally has been discounted by 23% at Best Buy, bringing it down to its Black Friday price. The R...

Julian van der Merwe, 12 Aug 2025 05:59

XMG Focus 17 M25 (image source: Notebookcheck)

XMG's Focus 17 M25 with the RTX 5070 Ti is currently the best value gaming laptop

The highest possible gaming performance for the lowest price - this is the motto of the new XMG Focus 17 M25 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU. Priced at 1849 Euros, it is cheaper than the comparable MSI Vector 16 HX,...

Andreas Osthoff, 11 Aug 2025 10:42

Stardew Valley Steam screenshot showing character holding a star in a thunder storm

Deal | Steam sale discounts genre-defining cozy RPG with 98% positive reviews, 120,000 daily players

Stardew Valley is on sale on Steam for 30% off, bringing it to $10.49 — just shy of its best-ever sale price of $7.49. The cozy RPG offers you an open-ended adventure in a quaint town quietly facing off against an outside enemy th...

Julian van der Merwe, 09 Aug 2025 01:43

InZOI Island Getaway free DLC snorkelling screenshot showing sharks and fish in shallow waters

Free DLC incoming in bid to salvage former Steam chart-topper life sim game

Once touted as a The Sims-killer, inZOI's popularity has tapered off, and Krafton is seemingly hoping to reinvigorate its life simulator with a new free FLC called Island Getaway. The free DLC will be available on 20 August, and i...

Julian van der Merwe, 08 Aug 2025 18:29

New compact wireless mechanical keyboard with 4,000-hour battery life and ZMK firmware goes on sale in-stock with launch discount

The CannonKeys Photon has is now available as an in-stock kit. The wireless mechanical keyboard kit comes with plentiful customisation options, minimalist design, and phenomenal battery life claims — despite its relatively small b...

Julian van der Merwe, 08 Aug 2025 07:36

Gatekeeper Steam teaser showing three gatekeepers with a red background

Deal | Under $10 Steam sale: New Steam Deck Verified co-op roguelike gets 1.0 launch with launch discount, immediately doubles player count and keeps positive review rating

Gatekeeper recently exited Steam Early Access with its 1.0 launch and a Steam deal offering 35% off the new co-op roguelike. In the week since launch, the game has nearly doubled its player base and continued its positive review s...

Julian van der Merwe, 08 Aug 2025 00:17

Deal | Epic Games Store gives away new games this August for PC and Mac gamers

The Epic Games Store has discounted another two games for PC gamers. Available to download and keep forever from today, the 112 Operator giveaway is exclusive to Windows users. Conversely, Road Redemption can be picked up on both ...

Alex Alderson, 07 Aug 2025 16:10

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G7 (image source: Notebookcheck)

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 & ThinkBook 14 - Business vs. prosumer in comparison

It looks like Lenovo offers two very similar and affordable laptops ThinkPad E14 series as well as the ThinkBook 14. So where are the differences between the real business laptop and the prosumer device? We compare the two current...

Andreas Osthoff, 06 Aug 2025 20:08

Windows xp crocs with bliss wallpaper design and Microsoft jibbitz charms (image source: microsoft)

Microsoft’s XP Crocs bring Bliss to your soles and Clippy to your feet for $80

Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations continue with the launch of USD 80 Windows XP-themed Crocs, available initially to employees. The release follows a year marked by significant restructuring, including over 15,000 job cuts...

Anmol Dubey, 06 Aug 2025 14:41

The Hori Street Fighter 6 Novla controller replaces the joystick with buttons. (Image source: Hori)

Hori unveils joystick-free Street Fighter 6 Nolva arcade controller for PlayStation 4 & 5 and PCs

Hori has released the Street Fighter 6 edition of its Nolva all-button arcade controller for PlayStation and PCs, featuring ten fighter-themed designs. The joystick-free unit offers customizable buttons, PS-exclusive touch control...

David Chien, 06 Aug 2025 08:38

The Alters x This War of Mine screenshots in split view

Deal | Steam deal: 2 highly rated emotionally charged narrative RPGs for the price of 1

For less than the price of The Alters alone, you can get a bundle with The Alters and This War of Mine. Both games are critically acclaimed, and both offer a unique perspective on typical game genres — namely sci-fi and war games....

Julian van der Merwe, 05 Aug 2025 23:55

The Surface Duo 'Andromeda' in one of its apparent prototype colours. (Image source: Goofish)

Microsoft Surface: Long-lost Surface Duo prototypes surface in marketplace leaks running Windows

The Microsoft Surface Duo series came and went with only two iterations. While Microsoft is unlikely to revisit the dual-display form factor any time soon, early Windows-based prototypes codenamed Andromeda have now surfaced on an...

Alex Alderson, 04 Aug 2025 23:28

8BitDo Rare 40th Anniversary controller with Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in the background. (Image Source: Official 8BitDo promotional poster)

8BitDo’s Xbox Rare 40th anniversary controller leaks early on Amazon

8BitDo’s upcoming Xbox controller, designed in collaboration with Rare, has leaked ahead of its official launch via an Amazon listing. Priced at $90, it includes features like hall effect joysticks, a golden metal D-pad, and an in...

Anmol Dubey, 04 Aug 2025 10:46

Lenovo finally offers a better 120 Hz display for the affordable ThinkPad E14

Affordable office laptops are usually equipped with pretty bad screens because the cost is a major factor and office laptops are often connected to larger external screens anyway. Lenovo now finally offers a high-resolution IPS sc...

Andreas Osthoff, 03 Aug 2025 23:59

14-inch office laptop with great maintenance options: ThinkPad E14 G7 offers 2 SSD and 2 RAM slots

It seems like manufacturers of office laptops are finally prioritizing maintainability once again. The new Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G7 can accommodate two SSDs and two RAM modules, which means that the memory can be easily upgraded to ...

Andreas Osthoff, 02 Aug 2025 19:06

The Fiio Snowsky Melody wooden DAC supports Hi-Res Audio playback with wired 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm headphones. (Image source: Fiio)

Fiio unveils Snowsky Melody wooden DAC with Hi-Res Audio certification, DSD and PCM decoding, and Switch 2 support

The Fiio Snowsky Melody DAC blends North American aged wood with dual Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI converters to deliver high-resolution audio with DSD256 and 384 kHz 32-bit PCM support. The petite DAC supports balanced and single-ende...

David Chien, 02 Aug 2025 02:39

Epic Games Store reveals new free PC games to kick off August 2025 ahead of time

Epic Games has updated its PC game giveaway page with a batch of titles that it plans to offer next week. Well-regarded, both games will be free to add to your Epic Games library in a deal aimed at racing and strategy fans.

Alex Alderson, 31 Jul 2025 23:52

Deal | Epic Games Store: Final July 2025 giveaway now on with two new free games to choose from for a short time

The Epic Games Store has updated its PC gaming giveaway service with two new titles. Available for a limited time, as always, Keylocker and Pilgrims are both well-rated indie titles for fans of turn-based rhythm JRPG and card-base...

Alex Alderson, 31 Jul 2025 16:10

The NEC VersaPro J UltraLite Type VY laptop is designed to be long-lasting and rugged for use by business people.(Image source: NEC)

NEC launches VersaPro J UltraLite Type VY business laptops with Lunar Lake, AI power management, and all-day runtimes

NEC has launched the 13.3-inch VersaPro J UltraLite Type VY Lunar Lake business laptops. These ultralight notebooks can use large user-swappable batteries coupled with AI power management to achieve runtimes of over 16 hours, base...

David Chien, 31 Jul 2025 03:14

The 2025 Lenovo ThinkPad workstation lineup (source: Lenovo/ITMedia)

Powerful Nvidia RTX Pro laptops incoming: Lenovo Japan teases ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 with RTX 5070 and 2025 ThinkPad P series

Better late than never: Lenovo is finally going to release their 2025 workstation lineup. Their Japanese branch teased the upcoming lineup, which includes the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 with the Nvidia RTX Pro 5000, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1...

Benjamin Herzig, 30 Jul 2025 22:35

The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 8 IAL, with the backcover removed (image source: Benjamin Herzig/Notebookcheck)

This Lenovo ThinkBook laptop is an upgradeability dream - and it is affordable

The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 8 does not cost a lot, starting under $1,000 - and for that low price, it has awesome an upgrade potential, as all the components apart from the CPU can be upgraded. And while the processor is not upgra...

Benjamin Herzig, 30 Jul 2025 19:39

Ayaneo's official Flip 11 teaser shows a rear-mounted physical button. (Image source: Ayaneo - edited)

Ayaneo Flip 11 teased as 'new take' on mini gaming laptops and possible GPD Win Max 2 rival

Ayaneo has begun teasing arguably its most ambitious gaming device yet. Described as a 'new take' on the mini gaming laptop, the Ayaneo Flip 11 could well line up as a GPD Win Max 2 or OneXPlayer X1 Pro alternative with a blend of...

Alex Alderson, 29 Jul 2025 20:14

Copilot Mode is an AI integrated into Microsoft Edge that can be enabled today to allow the AI to independently search the web and navigate sites to complete tasks and find answers. (Image source: Microsoft)

Microsoft Edge browser gains Copilot Mode: All-seeing AI that researches, assists, and soon shops for you

Microsoft has introduced Copilot Mode in Edge, an AI that can see all open tabs while answering prompts. Experimental Action mode lets the AI work autonomously, raising questions about accountability, while recorded screenshots ra...

David Chien, 29 Jul 2025 06:55

GameSir has also promised to offer custom Mali drivers soon. Pictured: a promo picture of the emulator. (Image source: GameHub)

GameHub update promises improved Windows game emulation on non-Snapdragon Android phones

GameSir's GameHub, an alternative to Winlator, has been updated. GameSir notes that this update improves Windows game emulation support for non-Snapdragon phones. Custom Mali GPU drivers are also said to be on the way.

Abid Ahsan Shanto, 28 Jul 2025 13:53

Brave browser blocks Windows Recall screenshotting feature

The Brave browser, a web browser focused on user privacy, claims it is able to fully block the Recall feature in Windows 11 from taking screenshots of browser windows. The new block setting is enabled by default, although users ca...

Sam Medley, 25 Jul 2025 18:06

Keychron Black Myth Wukong wireless mechanical keyboard top view showing artisan escape key and accent keycaps

Keychron Black Myth Wukong Special Edition wireless mechanical keyboard features gold accent keys, a metal artisan keycap, and 240 hours of battery

Keychron's latest wireless mechanical keyboard launch is an all-aluminium design featuring a Black Myth Wukong theme, and it includes an artisan keycap and knob and a bunch of gold accent keycaps. It is launching on the Keychron s...

Julian van der Merwe, 24 Jul 2025 17:11

Deal | Epic Games Store releases new PC free game of the week in latest limited time deal

The Epic Games Store has decided to discount another popular PC game as part of its game giveaway service. This week, the storefront has switched to Legion TD 2, a single-player and co-op tower defence title that contains over 100...

Alex Alderson, 24 Jul 2025 14:10

Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G3 (Image source: Notebookcheck)

Is the Core Ultra 7 255H worth it in the ThinkPad E16 G3? We tested it

Lenovo's affordable office laptop ThinkPad E16 G3 performed very well in our review. You can also get the more powerful Core Ultra 7 255H including the faster Arc Graphics 140T, but is it worth the additional charge? We tested it.

Andreas Osthoff, 23 Jul 2025 19:19

Winlator 10.1 is now available to download. Pictured: a promo image of the RedMagic Astra. (Image source: RedMagic and brunodev85 - edited)

Winlator 10.1 update brings key improvements to Windows game emulator for Android

After a brief hiatus in development, brunodev85 has released a new update for Winlator. Dubbed as 10.1, this latest version of the Windows game emulator for Android brings several improvements, including the updated Box64 v0.3.6.

Abid Ahsan Shanto, 22 Jul 2025 08:51

Latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build lets you output audio to many devices simultaneously. (Image source: Microsoft, edited)

Hidden Windows 11 feature finally enables audio sharing to multiple devices

Participants of the Windows Insider program have discovered a hidden Shared Audio feature in the latest test build of Windows 11 that allows simultaneous audio playback on multiple devices.

Anton Avdyushkin, 21 Jul 2025 18:49

A promotional image for WhatsApp on Windows 11 showing off the chat user interface against a beige colored background. (Image Source: Microsoft Store)

WhatsApp ditches native Windows 11 app in favor of Microsoft WebView2

A new update for WhatsApp Beta has replaced the native Windows 11 version of the app with a heavier, more hungry WebView2-based wrapper to bring it more in line with the default browser experience.

Rohith Bhaskar, 21 Jul 2025 14:11

Lenovo's new ThinkPad E16 G3 is currently the best budget office laptop

Lenovo further improved its budget office laptop ThinkPad E16 G3 and the result is a really good office laptop that does not break the bank. The new 120 Hz screen in particular is an excellent choice for productive tasks.

Andreas Osthoff, 20 Jul 2025 11:25

The 2025 Blade 18 (Image source: Notebookcheck)

Do you really need 440 Hz? Why the new dual-mode display of the Razer Blade 18 is a downgrade for many users

Razer equips the new Blade 18 with a so called dual-mode display, where you can change the frequency from 240 Hz in 4K to 440 Hz in Full-HD. But does that really make sense, or should this have been an optional screen?

Andreas Osthoff, 20 Jul 2025 09:34

Linux reaches 5% desktop OS market share indicating rising adoption among consumers and gamers. (Image generated via ChatGPT)

2025 could finally be the year of the Linux desktop as the OS attains 5% US desktop market share for the first time

The latest StatCounter numbers show Linux gaining 5.03% of the US desktop OS market share. This continues the trend of Linux gaining traction among desktop users and gamers, a likely side effect of cessation of Windows 10 support ...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 19 Jul 2025 16:46

Asus dumpster fire video teaser (Image source: GNCA on YouTube)

Gamers Nexus highlights Asus vulnerabilities as 2025 exploits hit routers and bloatware

Gamers Nexus reports that Asus faces multiple security issues in 2025, with active exploits targeting its routers and flaws affecting utilities like DriverHub, MyAsus, and Armory Crate. The coverage warns that persistent backdoors...

Sebastian Jankowski, 19 Jul 2025 01:03

Zen Browser updates to latest Firefox version and fixes Linux performance bugs

Zen Browser is a recent fork of Firefox that focusses on privacy, aesthetics, and workflow optimisation. With its latest Twilight beta update, Zen has improved on a bunch of features that differentiate it from Firefox and added a ...

Julian van der Merwe, 18 Jul 2025 21:19

Deal | Epic Games Store: New free PC game now available to download and keep forever

The Epic Games Store has stepped up its free game giveaway service with a new title claimed to be worth $79.99 when purchased off-sale. Available to grab for $0 until next Thursday, Civilization VI: Platinum Edition features sever...

Alex Alderson, 17 Jul 2025 14:00

Razer Blade 18 2025 (image source: Notebookcheck)

Razer's new Blade 18 is 1 kg lighter than the Alienware 18, but just as fast and even a bit quieter

The new Razer Blade 18 offers very fast components and is currently one of the fastest laptops you can get. It is even 1 kg lighter and even a bit quieter than the big rival Alienware 18. However, the Razer is also more expensive.

Andreas Osthoff, 16 Jul 2025 12:16

The Gunk screenshot showing players fighting the infection

Deal | Under $2 Steam sale: 3D puzzle platformer-meets cleaning simulator with gorgeous atmospheric world and standout narrrative gets staggering discount

The Gunk is on sale on Steam for 93% off, bringing the atmospheric sci-fi puzzle platformer down to just $1.74. The puzzle platformer has Very Positive reviews on Steam and is known for its stunning visuals, fun satisfying gamepla...

Julian van der Merwe, 15 Jul 2025 01:33

Naya Create split ergonomic keyboard with four modules

$500 base price: Ergonomic 11.2 mm-thick wireless split mechanical keyboard gets full launch after Kickstarter round

The Naya Create is a split ergonomic mechanical keyboard that offers enough flexibility to replace just about your whole input setup, with a configurable knob, dial, trackpad, and even a track ball. But it might cost about as much...

Julian van der Merwe, 14 Jul 2025 18:51

Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist Naoe looking down at a hidden blade wielded by a mystery person

Deal | 'Beautiful and intriguing' AAA open-world adventure game set in feudal Japan continues Steam sale deal less than 6 months after launch

Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's most recent Assassin's Creed game, was discounted by 25% during the Steam Summer Sale, and Ubisoft has kept up this pricing despite the end of the Summer Sale. AC Shadows has quite a positive re...

Julian van der Merwe, 13 Jul 2025 21:48

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