Laptop

Limited to only 150 systems, this Razer Blade 16 variant combines top-tier specs like the RTX 4090 and a dual-resolution mini-LED 16-inch screen with Lamborghini's design elements borrowed from the new Revuelto supercar.

CheckMag 2017 was a heady year for Nvidia. The Pascal architecture remains fondly regarded even today, with the GTX 1080 Ti seen as one of the company's high-water marks - but it also ruled the bottom end of the market, with the MX150 the only game in town for low-power graphics in thin-and-light laptops. Six years later, the MX brand is seemingly abandoned to rot - what happened?

The HP Victus 15 is enjoying a whopping 33.33% discount at Best Buy. The laptop features a 15-inch 144 Hz FHD display, an RTX 3050 6 GB GPU, and a Core i5-13420H. Additionally, there is 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage both of which can be expanded thanks to a single M.2 and two SO-DIMM slots.

Microsoft has updated its flagship laptop and 2-in-1 machine. Available as the Surface Laptop Studio 2, the new device comes with Intel Raptor Lake-H processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs and an updated trackpad. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 starts at US$1,999.99 but US$2,399.99 for a version with a dedicated GPU.

Microsoft has refreshed its Surface Laptop Go series, which is now on its third generation. The Surface Laptop Go 3 is still missing a backlit keyboard and retains the same I/O as its predecessor. Microsoft equips the new Surface Laptop Go with an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, plus up to 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM.

Lenovo's new budget ThinkPads E14 & E16 are available with improved optional screens, which left a good impression during our reviews. The keyboards on the other hand are worse compared to previous models.

The Core series gets a new 16-inch model powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 7840HS and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 or 4060, This model combines mid-range features as well as premium ones like Cherry MX switches, a 99 Wh battery, liquid metal thermal compound for the processor and the dGPU, plus up to 96 GB DDR5 RAM.

The GIGABYTE AORUS 15 is an affordable mid-range gaming machine with decent internals, a high-refresh-rate display, and long battery life. The laptop is currently on sale at Best Buy for a decent US$150 discount. The newly reduced rate makes the already good notebook even better.

Black Shark - which started out as Xiaomi's gaming smartphone division - has heralded its "new gaming era" with the Green Ghost controller. It boasts ALPS joysticks for enhanced "durability" and "2,000-level accuracy". It has been joined by a new smartwatch, open-ear earbuds and a new MagCooler 3 Pro in the brand's updated web-store.

Topic chassis: Lenovo has mostly used various types of plastic for ThinkPads. This saves money, but the ThinkPad X13 Yoga G4 shows that magnesium would be the better choice.

Panther Lake is expected to enter production in Q1 2024, and Lunar Lake will most likely launch in Q4 2024 as the successor of Meteor Lake, while Arrow Lake will bring the Core Ultra series to desktops with the new LGA-1851 socket. Future models coming after Meteor Lake should also integrate Intel's own take on 3D-stacked cache to better compete with AMD's X3D processors that currently reign supreme when it comes to gaming.

The ASUS Zenbook 14X with a Core i5-13500H CPU, a 14.5-inch OLED display, 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory, and 512 GB of storage has been priced down by US$250 at Best Buy. The discounted notebook seems like a good deal, as it is quite well-reviewed owing to commendable construction, beautiful display, strong performance, and extended battery life.

CheckMag We have chosen a selection of 3 gaming laptops from our detailed Notebookcheck reviews: The ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PY, the Legion Pro 7 16 and the Erazer Beast X40 all sport 175 W RTX 4090 graphics and spacious, color-accurate, flicker-free displays for content creation and unrestrained gaming.

Lofree asserts that its latest product is "extremely thin" compared to the average "all aluminum" mechanical keyboard. Nevertheless, it still accommodates "highly acclaimed" Full POM switches from Kailh that are, moreover, hot-swappable and paired to custom keycap layouts. The Flow also integrates an "innovative" Gasket Mount system and can be used in wired or wireless modes.

Intel's glass substrate technology for next-generation advanced packaging is planned to make its debut in the second half of this decade. The breakthrough achievement will enable the continued scaling of transistors in a package and advance Moore’s Law to deliver faster AI, HPC and graphics applications.

The decked-out version of last year's LG Gram 17 (17Z90Q) is currently discounted to just US$1299.99 on Amazon US. For that price, users get a large 17-inch IPS display, a high-end Intel Core i7-1260P processor, 32 GB of non-user-upgradable RAM, and a 2 TB SSD.

The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 16 is currently experiencing a considerable discount of US$350 at B&H Photo. Thanks to a powerful CPU and GPU combo in the 14-core Core i9-13905H and RTX 4060, the machine should crunch through content production tasks while also being able to play modern AAA games at FHD/QHD with elevated graphics.

Ready for use on PlayStation 5 consoles, the Lexar Professional NM800 PRO NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD can hit sequential read/write speeds of 7,500/6,500 MB/s. Available earlier this year for US$279.99, the 2 TB variant of this high-end SSD is now down by 51% on Amazon, so it currently goes for US$122.99.

A considerable 76 percent discount brings the 13-inch convertible laptop down to just US$509 at Lenovo's very own online store. This affordable configuration of the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 comes with an i5-1145G7 processor, 16GB of soldered RAM as well as a Full-HD IPS display.

The discounted configuration also includes 32 GB LPDDR5x-6400 RAM, 512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage, a 16-inch IPS screen with 1920x1200 resolution, 5 MP webcam and a USB4 port.

Thanks to an enormous discount of 79 percent relative to Lenovo's official price tag, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 1 becomes a great bargain for users who are looking for an ultra-portable 13-inch laptop with decent build quality and a good-looking 16:10 screen.

The launch of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is fast approaching. Based on a new report, Microsoft will bring improved I/O to its second-generation model, which its predecessor sorely lacked. This change will be joined by Intel Raptor Lake-H processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPU, plus up to 64 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD. Prices are set to start at over €2,000 without a dedicated GPU, though.

Microsoft will officially present the Surface Laptop Go 3 next week, having previously confirmed plans to host a launch event on September 21. In the meantime, an extensive leak from a reliable source has revealed various previously unknown details about the Surface Laptop Go 3, including the device's design and European prices.

Compatible with PCs, Macs, as well as PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox consoles, the Lexar SL660 Blaze portable SSD targets gamers with RGB LED lighting and sequential read/write speeds up to 2,000/1,900 MB/s. Now 31% down from its list price of US$129.99, the 1 TB SL660 Blaze can be acquired for US$89.99.

The PCIe 5.0 laptop SSD solutions are expected to integrate Silicon Motion's low-power SM2508 controller that does not require active cooling and can reach 14 GB/s speeds with only 3.5 W TDP.

It may not be the first foldable laptop in the market, but that may work to HP’s advantage. The 17-inch Spectre Fold looks poised to overcome some of the growing pains on the 2021 ThinkPad X1 Fold with its much-improved 2.5K OLED HDR touchscreen, faster Core i7-1250U CPU, and more.

The Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebook running a Core i7-12650H CPU and an RTX 4060 GPU has been priced down to less than US$1,000 on eBay. For the price, the machine seems like a very good buy as the internals on offer showcase pretty solid performance on paper. Additionally, the 15.6-inch display should also be quite good for gaming as it covers 100% of the sRGB gamut and has a fast 165 Hz refresh rate.

The LOQ 16 is Lenovo’s wallet-friendly 16-inch gaming laptop. Featuring a Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU with 8 Zen 4 cores, a 95 W TGP RTX 4050, and 16 GB of RAM, the notebook has dropped down to less than US$830 at Lenovo’s official store. The reduced price makes the LOQ 16 a compelling option thanks to its solid performance and good battery life.

Lenovo concentrates the Intel variety of the ThinkPad T14 2023 on the Raptor Lake U15 series. This leads to a better battery life and lower emissions, but the performance is not convincing.

With an all-time high price tag of US$699.99 in early August 2022, the WD Black SN850X PCIe SSD with 4 TB of storage space dropped to US$269.99 on Amazon in late July, this year. Now, it goes for US$299.99, which is roughly 30% less than the US$440 average (according to Camelcamelcamel, based on the last 32 price changes).

Dell has put the Inspiron 14 5425 on sale for only US$449.99. The laptop features an 8-core Ryzen 7 5825U Zen 3 APU with an RX Vega 8 iGPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage. Fortunately, both the RAM and storage are user-upgradable thanks to SO-DIMM and M.2 slots.

Framework is offering its first-generation Mainboards at significant discounts. Ranging from 55% to 62% in the US, the 11th Gen Intel Core Mainboard can be configured with the Core i5-1135G7, Core i7-1165G7 and Core i7-1185G7 from as little as US$199.

Laptops with secondary displays are a fast-emerging niche of the PC market, and are, according to the latest market analysis, particularly valued by gamers for their multi-tasking potential. Their demand is projected to enjoy a steady upward trajectory over the next four years, driving the worth of their segment up by over half a billion dollars in the process.

The EliteBook 1040 G10 is HP's premium business laptop, but it shows some weaknesses in the test. Overall, the package is weaker than the EliteBook 845 G10, which offers faster AMD CPUs and a better 120-Hz display.

Compatible with Xbox One, Windows laptops and desktops, as well as Macs, the 16 TB Seagate One Touch Hub external HDD features two front-facing USB ports (one 3.0 and one Type-C) and has a US$459.99 Amazon list price. However, the ongoing 24% discount takes it down to a more budget-friendly US$349.99.

Tecno has now confirmed that the Phantom V Flip will make its debut during the OEM's next major product event later this month. The device is depicted as a rival to devices such as the Motorola Razr (2023) and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, albeit at a potentially reduced price. It is slated to debut alongside a new Tecno laptop at the upcoming show.

Kingston insists it has brought "ultimate portability" to the external SSD market with the new XS1000. It has a footprint estimated at half that of a pack of cards, yet still allows the user to tote a capacity of up to 2TB in a pocket. The XS1000 is also touted as a highly trustworthy form of storage despite its small size, and to transfer files in a flash thanks to its USB interface.

The OneMix 5 is now available to order online, albeit as the One-Netbook 5. Currently orderable with just the Intel Core i7-1250U, the One-Netbook 5 has a 10.1-inch display, a 42 Wh battery, 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to a 2 TB SSD, among other features.

The on-package RAM solutions are designed for the lower TDP Core Ultra processors and could integrate capacities of at least 16 GB. Higher TDP Meteor Lake models will also come with off-package RAM solutions.