Laptop

Mini-LED backlighting is the next big thing in consumer TV sets and MSI will be the first to integrate the technology onto laptops with the upcoming 17.3-inch Creator 17 designed for professional users.

The 9.9 mm-thick convertible Chromebook houses serious specifications for its category that could easily pass as a high-end Ultrabook. It will even have a 1 MP webcam on the keyboard deck to better exploit the 2-in-1 form factor.

Reports have been warning about possible NAND memory price hikes ever since late 2018, but the actual increases could happen this year. DigiTimes reports that a minor power failure problem has set back NAND memory production by 3 days at Samsung's Hwaseong facility last week and the effect of this supply shortage could ripple throughout 2020.

Samsung and TSMC are almost on equal footing when it comes to 5 nm production nodes, yet the Taiwanese foundries are still ahead as far as orders are concerned. Still, the Korean giant intends to pull ahead with the next die shrink, as its 3 nm GAAFET technique is ready to be tested out and could be released in 2021, while TSMC's 3 nm nodes would only come online in 2022.

The company claims AI integration can "deliver better performance in almost all network environments" by scanning the area for access points and optimizing user settings automatically in the background. The technology will target gamers before inevitable making its way down to more mainstream laptops.

Asus has finally realized that the name "Asus AsusPro" is silly. The business-centric "Asus AsusPro" series will now be called the "Asus ExpertBook" series to better appeal to professional office users.

The 13.3-inch Portege X30L will offer RJ-45, full-size HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, expandable RAM, a bright 470-nit matte display, vPro, and a hexa-core CPU all for well under 1 kg when it launches in the U.S. this Summer.

Intel teased about the upcoming 10th gen Comet Lake-H CPUs at CES 2020 but did not divulge many details. Intel also showed off the Ghost Canyon NUC that will bring support for Core i9 H-series and discrete GPUs. Intel's early sneak peek points to the company being wary of AMD's announcements tomorrow.

Acer has announced upgrades to the Spin 3 and Spin 5 convertibles at CES 2020. The new Spin series are now slimmer than their predecessors and are powered by 10th gen Intel Ice Lake processor options with Iris Plus Graphics. The Spin 5 comes with a 2K display in a 3:2 aspect ratio for enhanced productivity. Both the Spin 3 and Spin 5 come bundled with the Acer Active Wacom AES stylus and offer a range of connectivity options including Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 3.

The Dragonfly gets a minor internal update with new Comet Lake-U processors, WAN options, and a "Sure View gen 3.5" display. There will be no Ice Lake version since Intel has no current plans to integrate vPro onto the Ice Lake series.

The 2020 model isn't a huge redesign, but it's not a minor one either. The minor tweaks to the CPU, keyboard, and webcam all add up to a slightly smaller package and a more powerful system when compared to the 2019 model. The unspecified Nvidia GPU is also intriguing.

Lenovo has new gaming peripherals to debut at CES 2020. The Legion K300 is an entry-level RGB keyboard, while the Legion M300 is an equally budget-friendly mouse. The M600, on the other hand, is a USB type C wireless mouse touted as having the same 1000 hertz (Hz) polling rate as its wired counterparts.

Lenovo has brought its first-gen eGPU to CES 2020. The BoostStation is part of the Legion line-up, and accomodates cards such as those of the NVIDIA GeForce 20-series and Radeon RXs. It also supports Thunderbolt 3 and 100-watt (W) power delivery for a connected PC.

At just 0.58 inches (14.9mm) in depth, the Lenovo Legion Y740S is a strikingly skinny 15.6-inch laptop. However, the OEM asserts it is rated for up to 8 hours of battery life. It can be configured with up to 10th-gen core i9 processors, supports eGPUs and has 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports.

A new year and a new ThinkPad X1 lineup. Lenovo has given the X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga a Comet Lake U refresh, along with other treats for display and keyboard fans too. The X1 Carbon Gen 8 and X1 Yoga Gen 5 will be available worldwide from US$1,499 and US$1,599.

Tipster @TUM_APISAK shared a leaked Userbenchmark GPU comparison between Renoir's iGPU and Vega 10. The benchmarks indicate that Renoir will feature substantially faster graphics performance than previous-gen APUs.

The Lavie Vega is a new 15.6-inch thin-and-light from the Lenovo sub-brand. Boasting a bright 4K OLED HDR display and two Thunderbolt 3 ports (in addition to others), the Vega is well-suited for business users. Despite the name, the Vega does not opt for AMD's Vega GPUs.

The NEC Lavie Pro Mobile is an incredibly light laptop aimed at business professionals. The Core i7-8565U CPU is wrapped is a sleek Bordeaux case that weighs a mere 837 grams (1.85 pounds).

The QLED panel will provide OLED-like colors at a fraction of the price. Samsung is hoping that its aluminum-clad convertible will kick-start a generation of QLED laptops and tablets to better compete against the IPS and OLED laptops already in market.

Zotac will show off the new VR GO 3.0 backpack PC at CES next week. The updated wearable gaming computer can now be configured with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU, which should greatly improve the VR experience.

Much like the XPS 9000 series, the new Latitude 9000 series will prioritize sleek and lightweight form factors aimed at business users as a direct response to the ultra-thin Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and HP Elite Dragonfly.

Dell's new line-up of UltraSharp monitors are all USB type-C this year. They are headlinded by the 43-inch U4320Q, a 4K panel that can be split between up to 4 separate devices via the OEM's Picture-by-Picture (PBP) feature. There are also 27- and 25-inch models in this year's productivity-focused screen series.

It will also be a hair lighter and smaller by 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively, when compared to the last generation design while sporting the same chassis materials for that familiar look and feel.

If you thought the new XPS model names have become too confusing, you're not the only one. Dell will be returning to the XPS 9xxx naming convention again after experimenting with the XPS 7xxx to make it easier for consumers to understand.

Dell is promising further integration with its Mobile Connect application for those who have devices running on iOS. Currently, the iOS version of the service lags behind what is offered for Android users, but a free update scheduled for spring 2020 will give fans of Apple smartphones and the like an equal amount of functionality.

Dell Technologies is expanding its Dell Cinema service with the new Dell Cinema Guide application. The manufacturer describes it as a “streaming entertainment search engine” that aims to simplify the hunt for a particular television series or movie for users who have access to multiple streaming sites. The software will be offered free of charge in 2020.

Tipster @TUM_APISAK outs specs for the rumored Ryzen 7 4800H. The APU will supposedly feature eight cores, sixteen threads, and sport 2.9 GHz/4.3 GHz base/boost clocks. 3DMark Physics scores indicate that it's set to become one of the fastest laptop CPUs on the market.

SSD and RAM maker ADATA is expanding their XPG lineup with the Photon monitor, Gaia desktop, and Xenia laptop. Detailed information about the new products will be announced at CES 2020.

According to rumors out of Taiwan, Apple is eyeing the gaming PC market and plans to release a gaming-focused computer next year. The rumor claims the device will cost up to US $5000 but doesn't offer much information. The rumor doesn't even say whether the gaming computer will be a desktop or laptop.

Dell and Microsoft have the best implementation of the Core i7-1065G7 thus far with HP being near the bottom. When looking at the extremes, the fastest i7-1065G7 laptop is able to outperform the slowest by 50 percent in multi-threaded workloads.

The Zephyrus S GX701GXR is one of the slim, compact gaming laptops in the 17.3-inch format. The installed hardware allows playing all modern games smoothly on the matte 300 Hz display.

Lenovo's first attempt of an integrated privacy filter is not very convincing. The picture quality is not affected, but the privacy filter only works at low brightness levels.

Nvidia head Jensen Huang claimed that the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is faster than ninth-gen console GPUs at GTC China 2019. The claim raises questions about exactly how fast the PS5 and Xbox Series X really are.

No, the latest Ice Lake-powered Spectre x360 13 does not weigh just 930 grams despite what the HP Customer Support Knowledge Base is affirming. Our own measurements show that the convertible is actually 33 percent heavier to be closer to the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1.

With AMD's Ryzen 5 3550H, ultra-thin and mobile laptops can now maintain their performance level over a longer period of time. As our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S540-13API shows, users do not need to worry about any drawbacks caused by the CPU.

There's a huge price premium if you want the thinner and sexier looks of the GS65. But if you're only after performance, then the GE65 can save you nearly a grand while being almost as portable.

This flagship convertible houses an active stylus, 12 GB of RAM, and a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen all wrapped in a rigid aluminum chassis.

Physicality Games is a new retailer setting itself up as a platform for games in physical form. Its creators assert that its listings will not be "limited", as with some sellers in this market. It also intends to sell merchandise, gaming accessories and collectibles.

Asus is a manufacturer that has often shown risk affinity and a willingness to experiment in the past. The latest trial, the ROG Mothership, is a 17-inch gaming laptop with a detachable keyboard.

The HP Spectre series consists of ultra-thin flagship laptops and convertibles to represent the best that the manufacturer has to offer for consumers. Nonetheless, all models thus far have been lacking in one particular area.