Laptop

Lenovo is introducing a redesigned ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 at CES 2022. The new ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 now features 12th gen Alder Lake processors, an industry-first 21:10 17.3-inch ultra-wide 3K primary display, and an 8-inch secondary display that supports pen input. Together, these two displays can allow for multi-screen interaction with content that extends from one display to the other.

Gigabyte has outdone itself with the 2022 AORUS and AERO laptop series by fixing every user complaint about their predecessors in one fell swoop. The new AORUS and AERO laptops sport 90% screen-to-body ratio, more orthodox camera placement, and all the modern bells and whistles like fast 4K 120Hz mini-LED or OLED displays, 360Hz IPS panels for gamers, plus up to RTX 3080 Ti GPU and Core-i9 Alder Lake processing specs and Thunderbolt 4 ports.

With the ThinkPad X1 Nano, the smallest and most lightweight ThinkPad laptop of the 2021 generation, Lenovo produced a successful newcomer to the ThinkPad X1 line. The ThinkPad X1 Nano G2 is supposed to continue the success-story with much faster processors.

The TCL Book 14 Go is the OEM's first-ever laptop. It has debuted with always-on LTE/4G connectivity - then again, it owes this spec to an aging Snapdragon 7c SoC. The rest of its specs are similarly underwhelming, although the company pitches it at appropriate educational or small business use-cases.

Razer took the wraps off a new Blade 14 with an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX. The machine will come equipped with either an RTX 3060, an RTX 3070 Ti, or an ultra-powerful RTX 3080 Ti. All configurations of the Blade 14 have 16GB of 4800 MHz DDR5 memory.

Razer has announced the Blade 17, a 17 inch laptop meant to replace your desktop. The Blade 17 can be configured with up to a 12th gen Intel Core i9-12900HK and an RTX 3080 Ti. The entry-level models are also no slouch either with the Intel Core i7-12800H and an RTX 3060.

AMD has shared official benchmark results for the Ryzen 6000 series, focussed mainly on the Ryzen 7 6800U and its Radeon 680M iGPU. Unsurprisingly, AMD has made gains with its Zen 3+ architecture compared to Zen 3. iGPU performance improvements set against the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 and NVIDIA GeForce MX450 and look even more impressive, though.

The Razer Blade 15 has been refreshed with new hardware, including an Intel Core i9-12900HK/Core i7-12800H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti/3070 Ti, and up to a 4K 144Hz screen. One can pre-order it on January 25 from Razer's website starting at US$2,499.

Asus has unveiled the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED: a laptop/tablet hybrid with a 17.3-inch OLED screen, Intel Core i7-1250U, 5MP webcam, two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, and a 75Wh battery. It will be available for purchase sometime in mid-2022 for an unspecified price.

OLED-based laptops are getting more affordable this year with the budget-oriented Zenbook 14 models announced by Asus. The UX / UM 3402 14-inch Zenbooks feature 2.8K 16:10 screens and are powered by Intel's Alder Lake Core i7-1260P or AMD's Barcelo Ryzen 7 5825U processors coupled with up to 16 GB of LPDDR RAM and up to 1 TB of NVMe SSD storage.

The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition features a slim chassis made of aerospace grade aluminum branded with ISS-inspired designs, plus a ZenVision 3.5-inch grayscale OLED screen on the lid. Its main display gets a 2.8K 16:10 OLED screen, and, despite the 15.9 mm profile, the system is powered by Intel's i9-12900H 14-core processor.

Asus has upgraded its TUF Gaming lineup with new offerings from Intel and AMD. This year, the TUF Dash F15 and TUF Gaming F15 and TUF Gaming F17 get Intel Alder Lake-H and RTX 30 GPUs up to 140 W while the TUF Gaming A15 and TUF Gaming A17 offer up to Ryzen 7 6800H APUs. All TUF Gaming laptops now come with a dedicated MUX switch to channel dGPU output directly to the display.

Lenovo has introduced its latest Legion gaming mice. The new peripherals come in wired and wireless options, the second of which has been equipped with lightweight, comfort-focused builds and ultra-high DPIs. The M300s and M600s also features RGB, used to illuminate their familiar branding.

Lenovo has launched an upgraded version of the Yoga 6 with a 13.3-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) touch-enabled screen, an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, 16GB RAM and a 59Wh. It will be available for purchase in Q2, 2022, starting at US$749.

The 16-inch variant of the Lenovo Yoga 7i now ships with a 16:10 screen, Intel Core i7-1270P processor, 16GB of RAM,1TB storage, and a 712Wh battery. The entry-level variant will cost US$899 and go on sale in Q2, 2022.

Lenovo has launched a new version of the 2-in-1 Yoga 9i with a 14-inch OLED/LCD screen, an Intel Core i7-1260P, and a 75Wh battery. Its entry-level variant will cost US$1,399 and hit shelves in Q2, 2022.

Lenovo is updating its well-known line of X1 ThinkPad laptops. The 14 inch models ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 build upon existing designs - the new releases include OLED screen options, a 1080p webcam and Intel Alder-Lake U15 or P28.

The second generation ThinkBook 13X business notebooks from Lenovo feature the latest Intel i7 Alder Lake-P processors integrating Iris Xe graphics, up to 32 GB LPDDR5 RAM, up to 1 TB of PCIe 4 NVMe SSD storage and a best-in-class display with 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS panel. Lenovo also includes premium AI-powered business software for meetings.

Lenovo has announced upgraded Legion 5 gaming laptops at CES 2022. These include the Intel Alder Lake-H based Legion 5i and Legion 5i Pro and the AMD Ryzen 6000H-based Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro. All Legion 5 laptops offer configuration options up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 RAM and the RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU along with high-refresh rate Dolby Vision-certified displays.

The compact Lenovo Go 130 W multi-port charger provides three USB-C power delivery ports with up to 100 W, as well as a typical USB-A port with quick charging up to 18 W. The charger features intelligent power allocation and sports LED indicators for each port. It will hit the market in April starting at US$99.99, followed by the mice in June.

Epic Games is offering Tomb Raider GOTY, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration and the Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for free on PC. The Tomb Raider Trilogy should run well on most systems, but the promotion ends soon.

HP has added three new laptops to its EliteBook 800 G9 Series. These include the EliteBook 830 G9, EliteBook 840 G9, and the EliteBook 860 G9. All laptops feature similar specifications with the primary difference being with respect to the display size. The EliteBook 800 G9 is certified for Intel Evo and comes with HP's full suite of security features for businesses.

HP has taken the wraps off its Elitebook 605 G9 series of business laptops. The Elitebook 645 G9 and the Elitebook 655 G9 come with AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors, up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, and up to 1 TB of PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs.

HP has announced the HP Elitebook 805 G9 series of business laptops. The notebooks come with AMD's latest Ryzen mobile chips, 16:10 aspect ratio screens, and fast charging. While the smaller Elitebook 835 G9 has fixed memory, the Elitebook 845 G9 and the Elitebook 865 G9 has user-replaceable RAM.

HP has launched the Elite x360 1040 G9 convertible in addition to the EliteBook 1040 G9. The Elite x360 1040 G9 is powered by Intel 12th gen Alder Lake vPro processors and are certified to meet Intel Evo standards. The laptop comes with the usual suite of HP security suites and also offers optional 4G LTE or 5G WWAN connectivity.

MSI has refreshed the Raider GE76 and GE66 gaming laptops with Alder Lake processors, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti graphics cards, DDDR5 RAM and more. Prices start at US$1,599 and go all the way up to USD 4,199.

Update | The new ThinkPad Z16 G1 is a huge step for AMD processors in ThinkPads. The 16 inch ThinkPad laptop with the new Z series design is the first premium ThinkPad with a big screen and the powerful AMD Ryzen H series. It is also the first Lenovo ThinkPad in many years with a dedicated AMD GPU.

Update | With the ThinkPad Z series, Lenovo is creating a completely new product line that aims at revamping the design of the business laptop line. The compact Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 includes premium materials, a new touchpad and a better webcam as well as an exclusive AMD Ryzen chip.

HP has announced an upgraded ZBook Firefly G9 at CES 2022. The ZBook Firefly G9 will now be available in 14 and 16-inch variants with the latest 12th gen Intel Alder Lake processors and Nvidia Quadro T550 graphics options.

MSI has upgraded the Creator Z17, which now supports Alder Lake-P processors and up to an RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The machine starts at US$3,249 but costs at least US$3,999 if you want a Core i9-12900H GPU. Meanwhile, the RTX 3080 Ti will set you back US$4,599.

The MSI Stealth GS77 has received a refresh to Alder Lake-P processors and NVIDIA Ampere GPUs. The upgraded machine starts at US$1,799 and rises to US$4,199 for a configuration with a Core i9-12900H, RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

MSI's updated Crosshair 17 comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-12700H and either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or GeForce RTX 3070. The mid-range gaming laptop also features 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, 512 GB of PCIe Gen 4x4 storage, and a 17.3-inch FHD 144 Hz display.

Liquid metal was a notable selling point for all 2021 Asus ROG laptops and a few Alienware models. MSI will finally have its own liquid metal option for some of its G series laptops beginning this year.

MSI showed off the new Crosshair 15 midrange gaming laptop, replete with either a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i9 CPU and a 30 series Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU. MSI also unveiled the Crosshair 15 Rainbow Six Extraction Edition, which bears logos from the forthcoming Ubisoft game Rainbow Six Extraction.

MSI has revealed the Creator Z16P, a 16-inch laptop with plenty of high-end hardware inside. The Creator Z16P will be configurable with up to a Core i9-12900H processor, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU and 64 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM. The laptop has a 1600p display too and starts at US$2,999.

Nvidia's fourth-generation Max-Q tech has been announced. The company claims that it can help bolster performance by making the graphics card work with the CPU. On the flip side, it can also help enhance battery life by up to 70%.

Dell has unveiled the Alienware x14 gaming laptop with an Intel Core i9-12900H, GeForce RTX 3060, a 144Hz screen, and DDR5 RAM. The laptop will be available for purchase later in 2022, starting at US$1,499.

Asus has refreshed the ROG Zephyrus G14 with the Ryzen 9 6980HX, Radeon RX 6800S and a 16:10 QHD screen. It also features a MUX switch that switches between the dGPU and iGPU in real time. It will hit shelves in Q1 2022 for EUR 1,899 (US$2,150).

Nvidia has lifted the curtain off the laptop GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti variants. However, it hasn't told us much in the way of specifications, other than the fact that the former runs 16GB of VRAM. Laptops powered by both SKUs will hit shelves on February 1.

Acer has refreshed the Predator Triton 500 SE with the Intel Core i9-12900H, 32GB of 5,200MT/s DDR5 RAM, a 16-inch 240Hz panel and more. It will go on sale in late February 2022 for UR 2,499 (US$2,830).

The Acer Predator Helios 300 has received a much-needed Alder Lake upgrade along with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Other specs include a 165Hz QHD screen (15.6-inch and 17.3-inch), 32GB of 4,800MT/s DDR5 RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E. It will go on sale in March 2022, starting at EUR 1,799 (US$2,038).

The Acer Nitro 5 gets a dose of new processors from Intel, AMD and new Nvidia graphics cards, along with a new 165Hz QHD screen, which is available in 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch flavours. Prices start at EUR 1,499 (US$1,700), and availability begins in March 2022.

The HP ProBook 440 G9 and ProBook 450 G9 get an Alder Lake Refresh at CES 2022. Other specs include an FHD LCD panel, 53Wh battery, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD and a privacy shutter for the camera. Both variants will hit shelves in March 2022 for an unspecified price.

HP has refreshed the EliteBook 1040 G9 with a WUXGA screen, new Intel Alder Lake processors, two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, and more. The laptop will hit shelves in March 2022, and HP says that it will reveal its price later

The HP EliteBook Dragonfly G3 is now available with 12th-generation Intel Alder Lake processors, 32GB of RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD, a 13.2-inch 3000 x 2000) OLED panel and two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports. HP says it will reveal the laptop's price close to its March 2022 sale date.

At CES 2022, Dell has announced the Alienware x15 R2 with upgraded internals and a design philosophy similar to last year's x15 R1. The Alienware x15 R2 can be configured in Intel Alder Lake Core i7-12700H and Core i9-12900H 14-core 20-thread options along with a choice of several Dolby Vision displays and storage tiers. The LPDDR5 RAM comes soldered on the motherboard.

At CES 2022, Dell announced the new XPS 13 Plus 9320 with a new chassis design. The XPS 13 Plus now features capacitive top row function keys, a seamless haptic Forcepad, and just two Thunderbolt 4 ports without a microSD reader or a headphone jack. Dell has upgraded the internals to Intel 28 W Alder Lake-P processors together with LPDDR5-5200 RAM and PCIe Gen 4 storage.

Dell announced the new Alienware x17 R2 at CES 2022 featuring Intel Alder Lake-H processors up to the Core i9-12900HK, Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics, and 17.3-inch UHD 120 Hz display options. The Alienware x17 R2 also offers expandable DDR5-4800 memory, 12-phase GPU VRMs, and an optional CherryMX ultra-low profile mechanical keyboard.

Dell has retrofitted the Alienware m17 R5 with AMD's newest Ryzen 6980Hx processor, Radeon RX6850MXT graphics card, a 17-inch 4K 120Hz screen and more. It will hit shelves in spring 2022, starting at US$1,599.