Thunderbolt

Dell also offers the XPS 15 without a dedicated graphics card. The Core i5-11400H and the UHD Graphics Xe are not very impressive, particularly since Dell also reduces the power consumption unnecessarily. The performance is just too weak for 1600 Euros (~$1863).

Will a 130 W TGP GPU actually draw 130 W when gaming? What about a 165 W TGP GPU? The GPUs in some gaming laptops can miss their specified TGP targets by moderate margins.

The latest Vision 14 SKUs include Intel's Tiger Lake-H35 i5-11300H and i7-11370H CPUs plus an optional RTX 3050 Ti dGPU, yet still retain the same slim and light chassis from the i7-1165G7 versions. XMG-Schenker tweaked the CPUs to achieve a sustained TDP of 40 W on PL1 and the dGPU is rated for 35 +15 W TGP.

Much has been made of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max silicon and Apple’s switch from Intel’s processors. However, with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, Apple’s new MacBook Pro models still feature Intel silicon inside.

Apple's proprietary USB-C to MagSafe 3 connector is required in order to fast charge the new 16-inch MacBook Pro that comes with a 140 W charger. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the first device to adopt the recently finalized USB-C v2.1 spec that allows for up to 240 W Extended Power Range. Fast charging the MacBook Pro 16 via USB-C should be possible once USB-C to USB-C EPR cables become widely available.

The refreshed SX models are powered by the i7-1195G7 processors with PCIe 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 support. VAIO managed to retain the same thickness and weight from the previous generation, despite the addition of larger batteries, and other premium features from the Z series like the prop-up mechanism, an FHD camera with IR sensor, and fingerprint sensor integrated in the power. This is possible thanks to the forged carbon fiber plating on the upper lid.

The L21 PRO models offer significant upgrades over the early 2021 variants, including the Intel Core i7-11800H processors, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a PCIe 4.0 X16 slot for the RTX 3070/3080 dGPUs and an M.2 PCIe 4.0 X4 slot for storage solutions, plus a MUX switch for external displays. XMG removed the microSD card reader, on the other hand.

New Linux graphics kernel patches with USB4 DisplayPort Tunneling are now available from AMD. The tunneling feature allows the USB, DisplayPort and PCIe transfer protocols to operate simultaneously by sharing the available bandwidth. For now, only the DisplayPort 1.4 specs are supported with AMD's tunneling drivers. Hopefully, DisplayPort 2.0 specs could be added by the time AMD introduces its next gen embedded and laptop solutions in early 2022.

There are many different laptop designs, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. While this also applies to large, heavy laptops, there is such a thing as too big. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkPad P17 G2 is a prime example for this. For the next generation, Lenovo should update its design to something that looks more recent.

Lenovo has updated the second generation ThinkPad P15 with new Tiger Lake processors from Intel along with Thunderbolt 4, but the highlight of the mobile workstation is the new professional RTX A3000 GPU from Nvidia, which provides a huge performance boost.

The new Oryx Pro laptops are powered by the Intel Core i7-11800H processor that can be coupled with up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and up to 4 TB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. On the graphics side, we find the RTX 3070 and 3080 Max-Q dGPU options and there is a MUX switch to unleash the full potential in games and demanding applications. It also comes with a Thunderbolt 4 connector, but the prices are quite steep.

OWC has announced a new kind of USB dock, rated to split 1 Thunderbolt feed between 2 monitors of (technically) up to 8K in resolution. It does so via the newer DisplayPort 1.4 standard, and is also rated to support HDR with compatible displays. OWC asserts that this new accessory can thus boost productivity, gaming or learning for a variety of users.

The schematics posted a few days ago teased the modular port design, and the new renders now reveal that the Pocket 3 is actually a 2-in-1 laptop that includes a stylus. GPD's tweets are also suggesting that the Pocket 3 will come with Intel and AMD processor options.

Brydge is a well-known name in third-party keyboard docks for high-end tablets. As such, one of its latest products is for the freshly-launched Surface Pro 8. Alternatively, the new Stone Pro TB4 is compatible with it and any other device with at least 1 Thunderbolt 4 port.

The base version of the Mac Mini with the M1 chip is available for a maximum of 800 Euros (~$938), making it considerably cheaper than comparable iMacs or MacBooks. Nevertheless, performance is on par with the MacBook Pro.

Gigabyte has announced the U4 ultrabook featuring the latest Core i7-1195G7 processor. The Gigabyte U4 weighs just 990 g and is only 16.4 mm thick. Gigabyte offers decent upgradability options including two M.2 NVMe slots along with a good port selection, but the battery capacity seems to have suffered a compromise.

Instead of just equipping the GE 76 Raider 11UH with a new CPU, MSI has also introduced small innovations that aren't immediately noticeable.

The unannounced Galaxy Book appears to integrate an early sample of the Alder Lake-P that only runs at 2.25 GHz. There is no dGPU, but the processor does integrate an improved Iris Xe LP graphics accelerator, plus the system is equipped with 16 GB of what looks to be LPDDR5X RAM.

In addition to Thunderbolt 4 ports, the Fujitsu LifeBook U7311 also has a VGA port. However, the wide selection of ports is not the only thing that makes the Fujitsu laptop worthwhile.

Dell's 13-inch laptop comes as a powerhouse in a mini format: The laptop runs with a 35-Watt Tiger Lake-H SoC in addition to a 25-Watt GeForce MX450. Is this a 1.3-kilogram (3 lb) workstation?

Asus has made the VivoBook Pro 14, Pro 14X, 15, and Pro 16X official in the European market. The new laptops have options on OLED screens and either Intel Tiger Lake or Ryzen 5000 processors. This, of course, also means Thunderbolt 4 in some SKUs, in a series offering up to RTX 3050 Ti cards in terms of graphics.

The technical specs of the current SureView panel sound great: 1,000 nits of brightness, a matte surface, and viewing angles are narrowed at the press of a button. But the impact on image quality shouldn't be underestimated, though; the EliteBook 830 G8 would make a better overall package with a different display.

Lenovo's slim all-rounder offers a well-rounded feature set: A Core i5 processor, the GeForce MX450 GPU, 16 GB of RAM (dual-channel mode), and an NVMe SSD. This is complemented by good battery life, and a 16-inch display (2560x1600, IPS, 120 Hz) in the 16:10 format.

ZOTAC has upgraded some of its ZBOX C series mini-PCs to Intel's latest laptop processors. The ZBOX C nano will be available with up to a Core i7-1165G7, a 28 W processor cooled by a fanless chassis. Core i3 and Core i5 alternatives will also be on offer.

The EliteBook 850 G8 is the latest business laptop from HP. It features a 1000-nit screen, 5G modem, smart card reader and an NFC chip. The HP laptop looks and feels very premium.

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.

Realme has confirmed that it will launch its first-ever ultrabook in a few days from today (August 15, 2021). This PC - to be called the Book Slim in some markets - is now also said to come with some additional features and accessories that might bring it up to the level of some rival OEMs such as Xiaomi and Huawei.