Thunderbolt

The 16-inch model appears to be the same as the European one powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U APU along with 16 GB LPDDR4 and up to 1 TB NVMe SSD storage. For the Best Buy exclusive 17-inch model, LG is offering an Intel Core i7-1260P processor coupled with an RTX 3050 Ti DGPU and 16 GB DDR5 RAM plus 512 GB PCIe 4.0 storage.

The USB4 2.0 specs may have been approved a few weeks ago, but Intel is already demoing working Thunderbolt connectors with 80 Gbps bandwidth.

The USB Promoter Group has unveiled specifications for USB4 Version 2.0, the next-gen standard for type-C ports that might increase data-transfer speeds by 2x, even through some existing cables. It is also rated as compatible with its PCIe and DisplayPort counterparts, and may improve performance for some USB 3.2 devices.

The MSI Titan G77 is one of the most powerful laptops that you can get right now. Its Core i9-12900HX and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti can easily handle 4K gaming, video editing and rendering. The laptop has room for up to four SSDs and four RAM modules.

Offered by the Kubuntu Linux developers themselves, the new Focus NX mini PC is powered by either a Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1165G7 and comes with premium features such as 2x Thunderbolt 3 connectors plus an SDXC card reader.

XMG has announced new, mid-2022 versions of its Focus gaming laptops based on a combination of the Intel Core i7-12700H and 6GB of RTX 3060 graphics rather than the i7-11800H and RTX 3050 Ti of the 2021 versions. Their 15- and 17-inch M22 counterparts are also joined by a 16-inch model with a 165Hz refresh rate and a series-first 16:10 aspect-ratio. Their orders will go live soon with a limited-time-only introductory offer.

At IFA, Asus is introducing a few new laptops. One of those is the ExpertBook B5 B5602C. The target market for this 16 inch device are business customers. To convince them, Asus is betting on the low weight, the numpad, expandable RAM and an optionally large battery.

The Core i7-11800H CPU and the GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU bring all the latest games smoothly onto the QHD screen. This is complemented by a mechanical keyboard, good battery life and a Thunderbolt 4 slot.

The featherweight LG Gram 17 (17Z90Q) is equipped with an Alder Lake processor, Thunderbolt 4 and room for two PCIe 4 SSDs. This is complemented by excellent battery life and a matte 17-inch display in the 16:10 format (2560x1600 pixels).

Despite its Surface-Like appearance, the new HP Dragonfly Folio G3 does not come with a detachable keyboard. However, this convertible offers premium features such as powerful Intel Alder Lake vPro processors, 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors, an 8 MP webcam and a 3000 x 2000 OLED display option.

The 16:10 3K display that was a premium option on the previous generation is now the only option available. Users can opt to get an additional NVMe SSD or a bigger 99 Wh battery. Prices start at 1520 EUR.

We reviewed the Dell XPS 13 Plus with the Alder Lake P Core i5. Result: The i5 is 18% slower under sustained load, and system performance is weaker with the slow Micron 512 GB SSD.

The new Prestige 16 features a Mini-LED Display HDR1000 QHD+ screen as well as an RTX 3050 Ti dGPU, while the Prestige 16 EVO only comes with a regular FHD+ IPS screen and integrated graphics. Both variants are powered by the Intel Core i7-1280P CPU with 32 GB of soldered LPDDR5 and a PCIe 4.0 SSD. Business features include 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors, FHD webcam and fingerprint sensor.

The Asus TUF F15 is a mid-range QHD gaming laptop with a well-rounded configuration: A Core i7-12650H, a GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. The matte QHD display covers the DCI-P3 color space almost completely. The E-cores of the Alder Lake CPU can be turned off.

ORICO is a USB hub and storage accessory OEM that has just launched a new line of portable SSDs. Its MTQ-40G flagships have Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports with an up to 40 gigabit per second (Gbps) data-transmission rate, and are up to 2TB in capacity. However, they also stand out due to "durable" multi-colored exteriors styled after one of Piet Mondrian's most famous paintings.

The new Dell XPS 13 Plus is equipped with a fast CPU, but our review revealed some problems and questionable design decisions. This means the laptop is not as good as it could be and Dell might be losing touch with its competitors.

In our review process, the PrimeBook Circular made a decent impression with very good battery life and solid performance overall. However, the fundamentals are a little different than in conventional devices, for Prime Computer has installed an Intel NUC Compute Element. This houses the CPU, RAM and the Wi-Fi adapter. A successful combination, in our opinion.

With a Core i9-12900HX and a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the MSI laptop offers enough performance for 4K gaming, video editing, and rendering. In fact, it often reaches the best benchmark results we have seen from this GPU so far.

Huawei's new multimedia laptop MateBook 16s is equipped with an Intel processor, but the move away from AMD reveals some problems. The price is also much higher than before, and the new model is definitely not as good as the old MateBook 16 AMD in terms of the price performance ratio.

A Core i9-12900H CPU and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU will bring all the current games smoothly to the matte 4k display (IPS, 144 Hz). The latter also scores with a good color reproduction and high brightness.

CPU options include the Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1255U models that can be coupled with up to 40 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and up to 4 TB SSD storage via two M.2 slots. Other highlights include a Thunderbolt 4 connector, a 1080p webcam with IR sensor and a microSD card reader.

Acer's 14-inch Chromebook offers a touchscreen display (Full HD, IPS), low operating noise, good battery life, and Thunderbolt 4. The integration of the Google Play Store enables the use of countless Android apps.

As the name suggests, Schenker pitches the WORK series of laptops as all-rounders for the office. Its latest 15- and 17-inch variants now have refreshed mid-2022 (M22) models with 12th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. Therefore, they still have Thunderbolt 4 and up-to-date security features, yet are rated for "significantly" improved performance over their Tiger Lake-H35-based predecessors.

The first MacBook with Apple's new M2 SoC is the familiar MacBook Pro 13. It uses a cooling solution with a fan, but it still cannot handle the full performance of the Apple M2 for more than a couple of seconds. This worries us a bit when we think about the upcoming MacBook Air M2 redesign, which once again features a passive cooling solution.

The new PRO 15 / 17 models feature a more robust design over the previous generation, and thus can accommodate powerful components like Intel's Alder Lake-H processors and up to an RTX 3080 Ti GPU. XMG's E22 PRO models come with quite a few display options and integrate larger batteries, a Thunderbolt 4 port and FHD webcam.