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Our writers use the opportunity to share their personal views concerning current events with the readers in the form of opinion articles to encourage public debate and further expand the breadth of public opinion.

Notebookcheck is an objective, independent technology publication with a main focus on data-oriented reviews, a comprehensive CPU and GPU benchmark aggregator and a daily news publication that provides readers with transparently sourced content.

The editorial team at Notebookcheck is composed of 45 authors from all over the world (as of 2019). We offer our writers an opportunity to share their views with the readers in the form of opinion articles with the goal of encouraging and shaping public debates, in which all parties are welcome to partake. This is why we have a comments section at the end of each article. Readers are not required to sign up to participate.

Opinion articles only express the individual opinion of the author, and not of that of the entire editorial team. To avoid any possible confusion, these articles are clearly labeled as „comment“ and have a distinct visual style, when compared to news articles and reviews.

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additional restrictions: Opinion
The Bluetooth Mouse, right, next to a now discontinued US$6 mouse from a much lesser-known brand, left (Image source: Own)

Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse long-term review: Smart electronics, poor haptics

CheckMag The Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse can do things that most mice can't while looking just as exquisite as similar-priced competitors. It is also a bit too large for small to medium size hands, and the clicks sound loud and "dry" to the ...
Sergey Tarasov, 25 Nov 2023 22:29
Even before the rumoured Apple Car turns up, Apple and the EV industry share a number of worrying similarities (Image Source: Vanarama)

3 unfortunate similarities between Apple and the electric car industry

CheckMag Even before rumours started circulating about Apple creating its own electric vehicle, some of Apple's business practices shared a lot in common with electric vehicle manufacturers. While not uncommon in the tech industry, they se...
David Devey, 17 Nov 2023 19:16
Oversized EVs defeat the object of electrification, and their ranks are growing. (Image source: Tesla - edited)

Tesla's Cybertruck is just another bloated EV that misses the point of green transportation

CheckMag Electric cars were conceived as a more environmentally-friendly form of transport. With the effectiveness of EVs being called into question more and more, it's time to address the elephant-sized trucks and SUVs in the room. Super-...
Julian van der Merwe, 15 Nov 2023 16:48
Why Windows on ARM is far from dead

Why Windows on ARM is far from dead

CheckMag Some people compare Windows on ARM with Windows RT, declaring its death. But such proclamations may be a tad early. Arguably, Windows on ARM is more alive now than it has ever been since the 2016 Qualcomm/Microsoft partnership ann...
Benjamin Herzig, 14 Nov 2023 19:33
This isn't the first time Microsoft has tried its luck with ARM chips (Image source: Unsplash/Microsoft/ARM - edited)

Windows on ARM is certainly more dead than it is alive

CheckMag Of the 10 ARM-powered laptops we tested in 2022 and 2023, just 1 comes with Windows on ARM - all the rest are Apple MacBooks. Apparently, laptop makers do not see much point in using ARM chips; worse still, software developers do ...
Sergey Tarasov, 13 Nov 2023 19:41
With cellular connection, the customer has no way of influencing the speeds that he or she is getting. (Image source: Unsplash)

It's time to stop taking multi-gigabit cellular modems seriously

CheckMag When getting a laptop with a Gig+ Wi-Fi card such as the AX200, consumers know they are getting at least 900 Mbps in either direction. In contrast, download/upload rates smartphone chip makers such as Qualcomm mention in media rel...
Sergey Tarasov, 30 Oct 2023 03:07
The iPhone camera may not be exactly as it seems (Image source: Apple - edited)

Apple needs to be more honest about the iPhone camera specification

CheckMag Does measuring features differently to the competition make a product better? Is Apple "Thinking Different" or hoping branding will sell more devices? There certainly seems to be some convenient favouritism shown by Apple in regar...
David Devey, 23 Oct 2023 20:07
Final Fantasy XIV is one of the biggest games still sticking to the subscription model, even 10 years in. (Image source: Square Enix)

Bringing back subscription games could be the answer to greedy microtransactions

CheckMag So, another game comes out. It’s packed with battle passes, a cosmetic store, and an intolerable grind carefully designed to inflate playtime until you give up and spend money on it. It’s not made to be fun, it’s made to drive eng...
Matthew Lee, 12 Oct 2023 18:26
The titanium credit card might even get discontinued (Image source: Unsplash - edited)

Apple Card is slowly fading into oblivion

CheckMag The titanium credit card Apple launched in 2019 was set to conquer the world, according to easy-to-excite types. The hype was so abundant that Samsung followed suit shortly out of fear of missing out. It's Q4 2023 and Apple Card's...
Sergey Tarasov, 02 Oct 2023 04:12
Steam Deck fans need to cool their jets on a next-gen model, lest they be rewarded with disappointment. (Image source: Valve)

Steam Deck 2 delay was right choice for Valve as mid-generation refresh would fare better

Valve won't be releasing a Steam Deck 2 with more performance until at least 2025. Given the broadly parallel smartphone market's reputation for disappointing incremental updates, this is the right choice. Valve should, however, t...
Julian van der Merwe, 30 Sep 2023 17:23
Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 may not feature the ground-breaking graphics capabilities we had hoped for. (Image source: Nvidia/Nintendo - edited)

No way the Nintendo Switch 2 will be a Steam Deck killer - despite alleged PS4-like prowess

Recent Nintendo Switch 2 leaks have led to much speculation about specifications. The apparent suggestion is that Nintendo's next-generation hybrid handheld console would match the PS4 in performance, but lofty performance doesn't...
Julian van der Merwe, 23 Sep 2023 17:42
The Steam Deck was launched in 2022. (Image source: Petar Vukobrat on Unsplash)

Supposed Steam Deck killers are missing the point

There are plenty of supposed Steam Deck killers available in the portable gaming space, from the Asus ROG Ally to the Lenovo Legion Go and all the Ayaneo and ONEXPLAYER devices in between. But none of them have managed to outright...
Matthew Lee, 11 Sep 2023 23:36
Will Apple silicon laptops be useable past the day Apple stops supporting them? (Image source: Notebookcheck/Unsplash - edited)

Apple silicon-based Macs and MacBooks are set to age faster than any Mac in recent history

Apple tends to support its products for six or seven years. For the Apple silicon-based MacBook Air and Mac mini released in H2 2020, this means that almost half of their useful life is now behind them, and with no Windows compati...
Sergey Tarasov, 17 Jul 2023 19:18
Microsoft is being way too agressive in trying to push its browser to the top (Image source: Microsoft/Unsplash - edited)

Microsoft Edge is getting out of control and this needs to stop

BodyCheck Microsoft just keeps adding new features to Edge, the default browser of Windows. Most of these are not only useless, they also hamper productive workflow by throwing the user into a bottomless pit filled with unwanted pop-ups, re...
Sergey Tarasov, 25 Jun 2023 18:40
There are cases where the cheaper material is the right material. (Image source: Asus)

Ditch the glass: It's time to bring back less-fragile plastic smartphones

There was once a time when smartphone design featured a healthy amount of diversity, but those days are long gone. Smartphone manufacturers have somehow convinced the average consumer that glass — one of the most fragile materials...
Julian van der Merwe, 21 Jun 2023 19:41
The PlayStation Showcase showcased some seriously disappointing hardware (image via Sony)

The PlayStation Showcase's hardware announcements were bad and Sony should feel bad

Sony's PlayStation Showcase was host to quite a few surprises. Metal Gear Solid being resurrected was nice, as was Alan Wake 2 and Dragon's Dogma 2. Unfortunately, Project Q and the PlayStation Earbuds weren't one of them.
Anil Ganti, 26 May 2023 17:17
Opinion: It’s 2023, so shouldn’t mobile computing be better than this? (Image source: Unsplash - edited)

Opinion: It’s 2023, so shouldn’t mobile computing be better than this?

Having spent the past few weeks trying to find a new laptop, I have made a few observations about the landscape of mobile computing in 2023. Am I just a crazy old man yelling at clouds? You be the judge.
Douglas Black, 11 May 2023 01:13
Tesla has thusfar led the EV charge, but wider adoption by legacy manufacturers is the key to mass adoption. (Image source: Tesla)

Electric vehicles for everyone: 3 reasons why EVs make sense more than ever in 2023

Electric vehicles have clearly boomed in popularity in the past few years, with many new companies and most established marques fighting to get a slice of the pie. With the market maturing, it seems more and more like EVs are the ...
Julian van der Merwe, 25 Apr 2023 18:34
The new M2 MacBook Pro 14 & 16 are here, but you should probably get the cheaper M1 predecessor

The new M2 MacBook Pro 14 & 16 are here, but you should probably get the cheaper M1 predecessor

Apple launched the new MacBook Pro line-up with M2 Pro and M2 Max, but we only got a short introduction video instead of a launch event. In addition to new processors, you get Wi-Fi 6E, TB4 and HDMI 2.1, but also higher prices in ...
Andreas Osthoff, 22 Jan 2023 00:25
Xiaomi Mi A1, broken but still alive thanks to multiple custom Android 13 ROMs (Source: Own)

The five-year-old Xiaomi Mi A1 is still alive thanks to multiple Android 13 ROMs

Released in September 2017, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is now half a decade old and one of the few Android 7 handsets that can run Android 13. Official software support for it stopped at Android One, but this Qualcomm Snapdragon 625-powered...
Codrut Nistor, 20 Nov 2022 16:56
Starlink satellites started being launched in 2019. (Image source: Starlink)

Starlink – What it is and who it is for

Starlink provides high speed, low latency broadband download speeds of up to 250 Mbps with no data limits and no contract; and download speeds of up to 500 Mbps if you have signed up for the business plan. The Starlink order process is exemplary, it’s a breeze to install, the equipment is slick, it’s portable, and it can provide redundancy when land-based communications infrastructure is compromised.
John Stroh, 05 Jun 2022 14:39
MIUI 13.0.6 on Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro details (Source: Own)

MIUI 13.0.6 Global Stable brings the April 2022 security patch to Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro users

Although it is already June and the May security patch has been around for a while, the MIUI 13.0.6 Global Stable software update for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro only includes the April security patch. As its description shows, this 262...
Column by Codrut Nistor, 03 Jun 2022 14:10
Android 12-based MIUI 13.0.2 now available for Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro (Source: Own)

MIUI 13 finally hits the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro, but it's far from perfect

After a long wait, Android 12 arrived on the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro in Europe (and other regions, since the update is a global one) as MIUI 13.0.2. The update package has 3.3 GB in size and includes quite a few changes and fixes, but a...
Column by Codrut Nistor, 10 Apr 2022 18:48
Is this the iPhone 8, iPhone SE 2020, or iPhone SE 3? It's hard to tell. (Image via Apple)

Opinion: The new iPhone SE is a smartphone solution in search of a problem

With Apple's unveiling of the long-rumored iPhone SE 3, the iOS world has a new budget option. While it may look like a decent value on paper, the new iPhone SE has far too many trade-offs and compromises for its US $429 price tag...
Column by Sam Medley, 09 Mar 2022 00:44
Telegram has been targeted by censorship for a while now (Source: MUO)

Telegram could be banned all over the European Union

Pointing out the undeniable fact that it is being used extensively by extremist groups, Germany aims to shut down Telegram across the country, and even across the entire European Union. In addition to death threats against officia...
Column by Codrut Nistor, 14 Jan 2022 16:38
Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric compact crossover, company announces the end of combustion engine development

Hyundai might drop combustion engines, but hydrogen cars remain in the cards

Shortly after a report concerning the (unconfirmed yet) decision to cease developing combustion engines, it was rumored that Hyundai has decided to halt the development of a third-generation fuel cell stack for hydrogen cars. The ...
Column by Codrut Nistor, 29 Dec 2021 22:06
Nvidia unveiled the GeForce RTX 2050 graphics card for laptops yesterday

The GeForce RTX 2050 is Nvidia's most confusing graphics card till date

Nvidia surprised everyone by announcing the GeForce RTX 2050 via a press release. Its specifications are quite puzzling, especially for a graphics card that will hit shelves in early 2022, making it Nvidia's most questionable laun...
Column by Anil Ganti, 18 Dec 2021 11:11
Android 12-based AOSP 12.0 Stable ROM on Xiaomi Mi A1 (Source: XDA Forums)

Multiple Android 12 ROMs available for the four-year-old Xiaomi Mi A1

More than four years after it launched running Android 7, the Xiaomi Mi A1 lives on thanks to the community support it has been receiving ever since. Although it gets no more official security patches and the latest major Android ...
Column by Codrut Nistor, 08 Dec 2021 20:18
Crypto-exclusive cards like the CMP HX170 pictured here and the X080 divert limited GPU supplies away from consumers (Image source: Yahoo)

Miner exclusive cards like the Sapphire GPRO X080 and X060 aren't a solution: they're part of the global GPU supply problem

Spanish outlet El Chapuzas Informaticos recently discovered that Sapphire was selling RDNA2-based GPUs under its GPRO brand off retail channels. These are sold exclusively to high-volume crypto mining clients at a time when consum...
Column by Arjun Krishna Lal, 30 Nov 2021 19:48
The Mi 11 Ultra sports a 50 MP camera. (Source: Xiaomi)

No, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra is unlikely to feature a 200 MP camera

Recent reports seem to indicate that Xiaomi will equip its upcoming top-of-the-line flagship phone, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, with an all-new 200 MP camera. That looks to be an error in translation, however. While a Xiaomi 12 series ph...
Ricci Rox, 27 Aug 2021 13:37
The Galaxy Note 20 duo may be the last Note devices for a while. (Source: NextPit)

Samsung may not release a Galaxy Note 22 next year either

Samsung chose to take a break from the Galaxy Note series this year, eschewing the Galaxy Note 21 in favor of the Galaxy ZFold 3 and ZFlip 3. Fans of the Note series have been looking forward to a comeback with the Galaxy Note 22 ...
Ricci Rox, 22 Aug 2021 22:41
When do we finally get the Dell XPS 15 with AMD Ryzen CPUs?

When do we finally get the Dell XPS 15 with AMD Ryzen CPUs?

We just reviewed the brand-new Dell XPS 15 9510 with Intel's Tiger Lake-H processor. The performance is not bad, but AMDs current Ryzen CPUs are just more efficient and would leave more headroom for more powerful GPUs.
Andreas Osthoff, 16 Aug 2021 10:45
The next generation Nintendo Switch absolutely needs this one feature that the Playstation 5 has yet to receive (Image source: Amazon)

The next generation Nintendo Switch absolutely needs this one feature that the Playstation 5 has yet to receive

We can't think of any reasons why Nintendo shouldn't include VRR support on its next Switch console. Performance upgrades are inevitable, but omitting FreeSync or G-Sync would be a huge oversight on their part.
Column by Allen Ngo, 06 Aug 2021 06:55
The Huawei P50 Pro brings back the monochrome camera. (Source: Huawei)

The Huawei P50 Pro and its monochrome camera debut at the top of DxOMark's charts, but things aren't always as they seem

Huawei flagships have a habit of finding themselves at the top of DxOMark's camera rankings at launch, and the new Huawei P50 Pro is no different. The Snapdragon 888-powered phone has now made the trip over to DxOMark, and slightl...
Ricci Rox, 29 Jul 2021 21:49
The new iPad Pro continues the tradition of iPad hardware outstripping its software. (Image: Apple)

Opinion | I didn’t cancel my M1 iPad Pro pre-order after WWDC, but I did downgrade it

Apple's WWDC was a mixed bag. There were a lot of updates to apps, but not a lot of apparent OS-level or UI changes. In particular, many fans of the new extremely powerful iPad Pro models were left disappointed by the seemingly little effort Apple put into fully leveraging it through its iPadOS 15 upgrades.
Sanjiv Sathiah, 11 Jun 2021 11:26
MIUI 12.5.1 on Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro details, update available in Europe in early June 2021 (Source: Own)

Android 11-based MIUI 12.5.1 brings the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro back in business

Although not perfect, MIUI 12.5.1 pushes the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro out of the red zone and irons out most of the bugs present in MIUI 12.1.5. The latest Android 11-based update for this handset makes the whole interface snappier and c...
Codrut Nistor, 07 Jun 2021 18:30
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

Why does Lenovo sabotage its flagship ThinkPad X1-series?

Flagship models are usually very expensive, but they usually offer special features or high-end components in return. This used to be the case for Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 models as well, but it seems like the priorities are starting ...
Column by Andreas Osthoff, 23 May 2021 10:59
UserBenchmark has high praise for Intel Rocket Lake but no time for the best from AMD's Ryzen 5000 series. (Image source: Nextgov/UserBenchmark - edited)

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X lags behind 12 Intel Rocket Lake and Comet Lake chips while a Coffee Lake CPU and a mobile processor outbench the Ryzen 9 5950X - UserBenchmark really doesn't like Zen 3

UserBenchmark’s current bench charts make for interesting reading, even considering the site’s checkered and much-criticized past. Rocket Lake parts dominate the top of the table, while AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X languishes in 13th posit...
Column by Daniel R Deakin, 12 May 2021 11:21
CES and iF World Design should stop giving out so many dubious design awards and start recognizing companies for outstanding warranty practices and long-term product quality (Image source: CES.tech)

CES and iF World Design should stop giving out so many dubious design awards and start recognizing companies for outstanding warranty practices and long-term product quality

It's easy to throw design awards at sexy products, but these exhibition holders need to do more to recognize companies with the best support services and fewest long-term product defects or warranty claims.
Column by Allen Ngo, 12 May 2021 08:05
External graphics docks or eGPUs will be a growing threat to gaming laptops (Image source: Razer)

External graphics docks or eGPUs will inevitably be a growing threat to gaming laptops

Opinion The current chip shortage is preventing eGPUs from becoming mainstream. Once it's over, however, we suspect that many gamers will opt for an affordable eGPU over paying 2x to 3x the price for a full-fledged gaming laptop of simila...
Column by Allen Ngo, 10 May 2021 07:04
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition, now often two times as expensive as last year (Source: eBay)

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition sold for US$2,999.99... but this is a "good" price

The latest high-end video cards from NVIDIA are priced really high and the prices of custom designs make the US$2,999.99 tag on a GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition that has just been sold on eBay look like a bargain. For example, ...
Codrut Nistor, 08 Apr 2021 11:28
Rocket Lake-S (source: Intel)

Intel is competing against itself, but why?

Intel has officially released its Rocket Lake-S processors, but to many people’s surprise, the new chips are positioned to compete not only with Zen 3 parts but also with the older Comet Lake-S processors.
Column by Stanislav Kokhanyuk, 03 Apr 2021 13:58
Justin Long has headed ad campaigns for both Intel and Apple. (Image source: Dell/Intel/Apple - edited)

Intel's new anti-Mac adverts are hilarious - but for all the wrong reasons

The five new “Justin Gets Real” videos from Intel will likely make you laugh, but it seems unlikely that’s what Team Blue was gunning for when the company managed to snatch up "Get a Mac" veteran Justin Long to head its new anti-M...
Column by Daniel R Deakin, 21 Mar 2021 11:29
Intel could greatly benefit from spinning off its fabs in the long term. (Image Source: Extreme Tech)

Industry insiders believe Intel can spin off its fabs with a solid long-term plan that involves acquiring even more fabs

Even though certain investors continue to pressure Intel into spinning off its fabs, the new CEO is adamant that the company will continue to function as an IDM and only outsource select lineups to third-party foundries when neede...
Bogdan Solca, 03 Feb 2021 18:13
With a recent price drop and new advert, Microsoft is pushing Surface Pro 7 sales. (Image Source: Own)

New Microsoft advert claims the Surface Pro 7 is a better option than the MacBook Pro 13, including for gaming

Microsoft is heavily promoting the Surface Pro 7 with recent price drops now accompanied by a new advert comparing the Surface Pro 7 to the MacBook Pro 13 M1. The advert is done in a presentation style and shows why Microsoft thin...
Column by Craig Ward, 24 Jan 2021 06:35
The Galaxy S20 Ultra was the first disappointing phone in a year that too many of those. (Source: NextPit)

Looking back, 2020 was a pretty bad year for smartphone enthusiasts

2020 will go down as one of the worst years in history and that's a sentiment that should also be echoed by keen lovers of the smartphone world. Starting with the underwhelming Galaxy S20 Ultra, to the Galaxy Note 20 with its plas...
Column by Ricci Rox, 01 Jan 2021 09:26
Playing with RTX off is often more practical, because sacrifices in resolution and graphical fidelity are so severe as to make RT effects not worth it.

I believe in ray tracing, but I do not believe in Nvidia's RTX 3000-series GPUs

It is possible to believe in real-time ray tracing while also at the same time acknowledging that the RTX 3000-series GPUs have, basically, no place in that future.
Column by Stanislav Kokhanyuk, 13 Dec 2020 05:18
The Ryzen 5000 series "struggles" against Comet Lake in UserBenchmark's charts. (Image source: AMD/Intel - edited)

Final nail in the coffin: Bar-raising AMD Ryzen 9 5950X somehow lags behind four Intel parts including the Core i9-10900K in average bench on UserBenchmark despite higher 1-core and 4-core scores

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has been impressing many with its various appearances on synthetic benchmarks. However, it is the Intel Core i9-10900K that tops the average bench charts over at UserBenchmark, while the powerful Zen 3 Vermee...
Column by Daniel R Deakin, 10 Nov 2020 18:21
The One UI 2.5 update breaks Gcam. (Source: Trusted Reviews)

Do not install the One UI 2.5 update if you value Gcam on your Samsung Galaxy phone

The One UI 2.5 update has been sent out to a host of Galaxy smartphones across the globe. If you haven't received it, it may be a good idea to not install it even when you do get the OTA—if Google Camera support means anything to ...
Column by Ricci Rox, 08 Nov 2020 18:41
The PlayStation 5 stands out in design and size. (Image source: Sony via Reddit - u/batgamerman)

PlayStation 5 devkit and final next-gen console designs are revolutionary in comparison to previous efforts leaving high expectations for the PS6

Looking through images that compare PlayStation devkits with the final products reveals a couple of things: Both the PlayStation 5 devkit and final design PS5 console are revolutionary in comparison to their predecessors, and a lo...
Column by Daniel R Deakin, 26 Oct 2020 10:44
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Redaktion, 2020-06- 2 (Update: 2020-06- 8)