Thunderbolt

The X1 Extreme is among the few Lenovo ThinkPads that have not been updated yet this year. The upcoming Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 seems to be a huge redesign, as a leaked video shows wide speaker grills and a taller screen.

When a manufacturer already uses one of the most powerful graphics cards in its laptops, a new CPU also needs to ensure a higher performance.

Acer's top-of-the-line Predator Helios 500 gaming notebook has received a significant upgrade. It now ships with an Intel Core i9-11980HK processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card with 16GB VRAM, and a 17.2-inch 4K 120Hz mini-LED screen. It will be available for purchase sometime in Q3 2021, starting at EUR 2,499 (US$3,042).

How did two laptops with very different names end up looking exactly the same? MSI plans to eventually merge the Modern and Prestige series under one newer Summit name to avoid consumer confusion.

The new 14-inch Linux-based business laptop from Tuxedo weighs around 2.2 lbs and is fairly thin. CPU options include the i5-1135G7 and i7-1165G7 Tiger Lake-U CPUs with Iris Xe iGPUs, which can be coupled with up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 4 TB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. This model is among the first to offer a 3K display with LTPS LCD technology that is usually seen on smartphones.

Available in a single 12 GB/512 GB memory/SSD storage configuration, the Intel Core i5-1135G7-driven MINISFORUM TL50 mini PC that features Thunderbolt 4 connectivity can be acquired for a price of US$699. The first 50 orders will get a generous discount of US$100 and shipments will begin in July.

The Intel-based Neo M21 models might slightly lag behind those equipped with the Ryzen 7 5800H as far as CPU performance is concerned, but the addition of PCIe 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 could be decisive for many users. Otherwise, the Neo 15 / 17 models powered by the i7-11800H seem to be mostly identical to the E21 AMD systems released earlier this year.

Highlights for the 2021 Dell XPS 17 9710 models include the new Tiger Lake-H mobile CPUs up to an i9-11980HK, up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, up to 4 TB PCIe 4 x4 NVMe SSD storage, Nvidia RTX 3050 / 3060 mobile GPUs, 4x Thunderbolt connectors, and 4K HDR touchscreens with 16:10 aspect ratio.

Lenovo has launched two new variants of its Legion 5i gaming laptops. One comes with a 17.3-inch 144Hz FHD screen, while the other packs a 15.6-inch 165Hz QHD panel. Other Lenovo Legion 5i specs include an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, and more.

Until 2018, Lenovo did not change a lot when it comes to the typing feel of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Since Lenovo has reduced the travel with the X1 Carbon Gen 7, it seems like Pandora's box has been opened. With the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, there are big changes yet again.

Lenovo's new ThinkPad X1 Yoga is a very good business convertible, which got a major update with Tiger-Lake CPUs and 16:10 screens. However, there are still problems with the BIOS and the performance utilization when you stress CPU and iGPU simultaneously.

The Blade 15 Advanced scores some major points with its powerful hardware and great battery life. What is more, the Blade 15 Advanced now features a second M.2-2280 slot.

Barely on the market, already in for review: The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon at the forefront of the ThinkPad brand since 2012. With the X1 Carbon Gen 9, Lenovo adopts a new design, making the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2021 the biggest redesign of the X1 Carbon series since 2017.

The ZBook Firefly 15 G7 already heated up considerably under load, but it could just about keep heat development under control. The follow-up model now shows a similar behavior.

Apple has now officially made its new 2021 24-inch iMac computers with M1 Apple Silicon available to order. There are plenty of configurations for shoppers to choose from, with prices ranging from US$1,299 for the entry-level iMac to US$3,127.98 for the model with all the hardware and software it can handle.

The TL50 mini PC is now available for pre-order on the Makuake crowdfunding platform from Japan at around $650, and it integrates an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with Iris Xe integrated graphics, 12 GB LPDDR4-3200 soldered RAM and 512 GB NVMe SSD. It also features a Thunderbolt 4 connector and supports 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes for the NVMe drives.

Schenker's latest 17.3-inch laptop is the DTR 17 E21, powered by Intel Core i9-10900K to i9-11900K CPUs and up to 16GB of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics. The OEM has also packed it with anti-glare IPS panel options of 60 or 300 hertz (Hz) and 2 Thunderbolt 4/USB type-C 4.0 ports with G-SYNC and DisplayPort 1.4a functions.

Intel has come a long way since Kaby Lake. A closer look at the evolution and differences between the Hades Canyon and Phantom Canyon NUCs shows why the blue chipmaker will unlikely pursue another partnership with its red counterpart anytime soon.

The new Sky Z7 R2 from Eurocom is among the first laptops to feature PCIe 4.0 support thanks to the inclusion of a desktop-grade Intel Z590 motherboard. This allows one of the NVMe SSD slots and the GPU to benefit from increased bandwidth. Specs for the Sky Z7 R2 include an i9-11900K CPU, up to 128 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, up to 26 TB SSD storage, max TGP+boost mobile RTX 3000 GPUs, HFD 300 Hz or 4K 60 Hz 17.3-inch displays and 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

The new Surface-like device from Dell comes with a detachable keyboard + stylus and enterprise-grade features. It is powered by Intel's Tiger Lake-U CPUs with vPro technology coupled with up to 16 GB of LPDDR4x-4266 RAM and up to 1 TB NVMe SSD or 256 NVMe SED storage. It also integrates a 13-inch touchscreen with 3:2 aspect ratio, 1080p resolution and 500 nit brightness.

Lenovo equips the second generation of the ThinkPad L13 Yoga compact business convertible with an up-to-date Tiger Lake CPU and faster connections including a Thunderbolt 4 port. The convertible's major advantage is still its extensive range of connectivity options.

The brand-new ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6 has arrived in our editorial office and it is immediately noticeable that it is better than the more expensive ThinkPad x1 Titanium Yoga in pretty much every way.

Lenovo offers numerous laptops that are suitable for office operation. With the second generation of the ThinkBook 15, there is now also an affordable Tiger Lake laptop.

On first glance, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable looks a lot like the ThinkPad X1 Tablet Gen 3. Despite the similarity, the X12 is no direct successor, as it is not an X1 ThinkPad anymore. This is not necessarily a bad thing: Since it is not a flagship model anymore, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable is much more affordable and thus more competitive.

The Legion C7 can run all current titles smoothly at 1080p. It comes with the Core i7-10875H, RTX 2070 Max-Q, 32 GB of dual-channel RAM, 1 TB NVMe SSD, and a Thunderbolt 3 port. What is so special about it is that it never becomes too hot or too loud.

The same 12-liter chassis from previous Corsair One mini ITX models can now be equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or Intel Core i9-11900K, plus a desktop-grade RTX 3080 GPU. The systems also include 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, 1 TB NVMe + 2 TB HDD storage combo and quad video outputs. The Intel models come with a Thunderbolt 3 port.

The newer S333EA option costs about the same, but it comes with a handful of useful features and even performance upgrades over the S333JA that every user can take advantage of. The USB-C port on the S333JA is far more limited in comparison.

The 2021 Inspiron 13 / 14 / 15 Intel laptops feature the Core i5-11300H and i7-11370H CPU options, up to 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM, Intel Optane Memory H20 modules (only for the 13-inch model), up to 2 TB of NVMe SSD storage, Nvidia's MX450 dGPUs and up to 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

Dell's fist 16-inch Inspiron laptop is designed for content creators and includes a stunning 3K 16:10 display, i7 Tiger Lake-H processors, RTX 3060 dGPU, up to 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, up to 2 TB NVMe SSD storage and a Thunderbolt 4 connector.