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HP EliteBook x360 830 G6: HP laptop does not deliver its promised LCD brightness

HP promises a brightness value of 1000 cd/m² for its EliteBooks with SureView screens. The recently reviewed HP EliteBook x260 830 G6 has an extremely bright screen – but it does not manage to hit the brightness value that the manufacturer promises.

Benjamin Herzig, 09 Oct 2019 17:00

Ice Lake-powered Razer Blade Stealth 2019 now shipping for a hefty $1800 USD (Source: Razer)

Ice Lake-powered Razer Blade Stealth now shipping for a hefty $1800 USD

Announced earlier last month at IFA 2019, Razer will now be taking orders for its latest Blade Stealth refresh and it's going to cost you quite a bit. The Base Ice Lake SKU starts at $1500 USD while the GTX 1650 Max-Q version will be $1800 to $2000 if configured with a 4K UHD touchscreen.

Allen Ngo, 08 Oct 2019 18:40

The Kaby Lake-G was a good experiment that didn't find many takers. (Source: Intel)

Updated: Intel Kaby Lake-G family goes the way of the dodo

Intel has issued a new Product Change Notification (PCN) document that lists the Kaby Lake-G family as End of Life (EOL) citing market demand for other Intel products. The EOL date is effective from today and OEMs will not be able to order Kaby Lake-G products after January 31, 2020.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 08 Oct 2019 16:07

The Acer ConceptD series has won some 2019 awards. (Source: AnandTech)

Acer wins Good Design 2019 awards for its ConceptD notebooks

The Acer ConceptD 7 and 9 models have won at this year's Good Design awards. Unsurprisingly, this is due to their innovative, creator-focused form factors. Acer have also won 2 more of these honors for the Swift 7 and TravelMate P6 laptops.

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Oct 2019 23:46

Lenovos ThinkPad L580 is a good office notebook

With the ThinkPad L580, Lenovo offers an affordable office notebook that is mainly able to convince with its keyboard. While you look for any more highlights in vain, the 15.6-inch notebook does not commit any real blunders either.

Andreas Osthoff, 07 Oct 2019 19:07

Walmart exclusive Motile laptops now shipping with THX spatial audio, 1080p displays, and AMD Ryzen 5 3500U for only $600

Walmart has partnered with THX to offer an inexpensive laptop powered by the latest mid-range AMD Ryzen CPUs. The model sports both narrow bezels and an aluminum chassis which are uncommon features at this price range.

Allen Ngo, 04 Oct 2019 20:27

The Dell XPS 13 is now shipping with a 10th gen Intel hexa-core CPU on board. (Source: Dell)

Dell XPS 13 with hexa-core Core i7-10710U now shipping

Dell’s XPS 13 is now shipping as promised with a hexa-core CPU for the first time. The new 10th gen Intel Core i7 10710U brings six-core performance to 13-inch form factor that until now has typically been reserved for 15-inch or larger notebooks.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 04 Oct 2019 08:28

The Apple MacBook Pro 13 doesn't offer any innovations, but it's still a very good subnotebook with a lot of power

The Apple MacBook Pro 13 continues to impress as a great subnotebook in 2019, even if it's just a cautious model update. Nevertheless, it's likely to be the optimal mobile companion for many users.

Andreas Osthoff, 04 Oct 2019 02:30

The SQ1 ARM processor is exclusive to the Surface lineup. (Source: Extreme Tech)

The Microsoft SQ1 is a custom version of the Snapdragon 8cx with 2x more GPU performance than an 8th gen Intel Core CPU

Microsoft has created a new ARM processor in collaboration with Qualcomm called the SQ1. The SQ1 is a redesigned Snapdragon 8cx with built-in LTE, 3 GHz max clock, a more powerful Adreno 685 GPU with 2.1 TFLOPS of performance, and 9 TFLOPS of AI performance. The features of the SQ1 processor will be exclusive to the Surface Pro X.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 03 Oct 2019 18:28

Microsoft makes the new Surface Laptop 3 repairable for its enterprise customers

The first generations of the Surface Laptops were good laptops, but they had some drawbacks. One of them was that it was nearly impossible to repair these devices, as Microsoft used to glue the chassis shut. With the new Surface Laptop 3, Microsoft will now improve the repairability of its laptops to make them more attractive for enterprise customers.

Benjamin Herzig, 03 Oct 2019 18:08

No HDMI or Thunderbolt yet again: Microsoft Surface Laptop is being stingy on connectivity and now it's really starting to show (Image source: Microsoft)

No HDMI or Thunderbolt yet again: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is being stingy on connectivity and now it's really starting to show

Be prepared to carry around a bunch of adapters if you plan on buying the latest Surface Laptop. The newest models haven't improved upon one of the weakest aspects of the Surface Laptop 2 series to make alternatives like the Dell XPS series, HP Spectre series, or Asus ZenBook series appear more versatile.

Allen Ngo, 03 Oct 2019 17:05

The Surface Laptop 3 comes with a custom AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition Zen+ APU. (Source: AMD)

AMD Ryzen 5 3580U and Ryzen 7 3780U with an extra CU constitute the semi-custom AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition series

AMD and Microsoft have collaborated to create the AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition processor — a Zen+ APU custom-built for the new 15-inch Surface Laptop 3. The Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition constitutes two SKUs — Ryzen 5 3580U and Ryzen 7 3780U with Vega 9 and Vega 11 graphics respectively. The integrated Vega GPU also comes with an extra CU for enhanced compute performance.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 03 Oct 2019 09:17

Latest Asus ZenBook 15 is proof that we could use more laptops with both ULV Core U CPUs and GeForce Max-Q graphics

While we aren't expecting to see any laptops with both the Core i7-8565U CPU and GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU, we could argue that the Core i7-8565U or any other ULV Core i7 CPU would pair very well with an entry-level Max-Q GPU like the GTX 1650 Max-Q. OEMs like Asus and Razer have already been investing in such Ultrabook-Gaming hybrid laptops.

Allen Ngo, 02 Oct 2019 07:35

Leaked Microsoft Surface marketing images with mention of LTE service availability. (Image source: Twitter/WalkingCat)

Leaked Microsoft Surface promo images and latest rumors: new colors, connectivity upgrades, borderless Surface Pro 7, Alcantara-less Surface Laptop 3

New alleged details about Microsoft’s upcoming new Surface products have emerged. Apparently, a selection of fresh colors for the next generation of Surface devices is inbound, and the newest edition to the Surface Laptop line will be shorn of its Alcantara coat. Arguably, the most exciting leak is the supposed almost borderless display that the Surface Pro 7 (or just "Surface 7") will sport.

Daniel R Deakin, 30 Sep 2019 23:07

Latest HP Spectre x360 13 refresh addresses one of our biggest complaints about last year's model

The new convertible has a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio and a 13 percent smaller footprint than the 2018 model. It's also slightly thicker with a larger cooling solution in order to accommodate the more graphically capable Core i7-1065G7 CPU.

Allen Ngo, 30 Sep 2019 14:59

The Mi Mix Alpha's screen could appear in even more impressive formats soon. (Source: TNW)

Mi Mix Alpha-grade screens could arrive on laptops soon

Visionox is a company involved in the manufacture of flexible display panels. Its latest trick has been the Mi Mix Alpha, Xiaomi's new limited-edition wraparound-screen phone. It has recently opened a new assembly line on which similar screens measuring up to 18 inches can be produced.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Sep 2019 16:26

The next generation of Intel iGPUs may be in testing at present. (Source: Intel)

A 96 EU iGPU described as Intel Gen12 surfaces on Compubench

The Compubench site has added a listing for a "genuine" Intel CPU that is integrated with a "Gen12 Mobile Graphics Controller". This, then, may be the integrated graphics solution that is said to launch alongside Tiger Lake chipsets. The benchmark indicates that it has 96 execution units (EUs) and goes at 1.1GHz.

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Sep 2019 15:48

AMD could seriously ramp up performance with the ability of Zen 3 to process four threads simultaneously per core. (Source: AMD)

Rumor: AMD Zen 3 architecture could run four threads per core

The x86 architecture has been hitting something of a wall lately but AMD looks like it could be set to inject it with a fresh breath of life. According to the rumor mill, the company has finalized the Zen 3 design and it introduces a new SMT4 feature that will allow each core to execute four threads simultaneously.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 29 Sep 2019 05:26

Gaming laptops are becoming less attractive because of Google Stadia and external graphics cards (Image source: 9to5google.com)

Opinion | Gaming laptops are becoming less attractive because of Google Stadia and external graphics cards

It's becoming more difficult to justify carrying around a laptop with GeForce RTX 2080 graphics when you can simply harness that power from the cloud or an external GPU docking station. Alternatives like eGPUs and game streaming services will make conventional gaming laptops a hard sell in the near future.

Allen Ngo, 28 Sep 2019 17:26

The Dell XPS 15 7590 Core i5 is quieter, brighter, and almost two times longer-lasting than the XPS 15 7590 Core i9

Other differences include a pulse-width modulation of 1020 Hz an even warmer CPU temperature of 85 C on the slower Core i5 IPS configuration. DPC latency issues continue to be present on both the Core i5 and Core i9 SKUs.

Allen Ngo, 27 Sep 2019 18:57

Dell XPS 13 7390 now shipping with Intel Comet Lake for $979; hexa-core Core i7-10710U options coming October 1st (Source: Dell)

Dell XPS 13 7390 now shipping with Intel Comet Lake-U for $979; hexa-core Core i7-10710U options coming October 1st

Be one of the first to own an XPS laptop powered by Intel's Comet Lake-U CPU series. The XPS 13 7390 is expected to be the first consumer Ultrabook available with a hexa-core processor, but it'll likely cost you north of $1800 USD.

Allen Ngo, 26 Sep 2019 23:19

The next Google Chromebook may be called the Pixelbook Go. (Source: The Inquirer)

Google's "Atlas" may be named the Pixelbook Go at its launch

Atlas is a code-name that has popped up in a few Chromebook-related leaks over the past few months. It is linked to development by Google and has been thrown around as a Pixelbook successor. Now, 9to5Google's sources claim that it is indeed part of this series, but not perhaps as some may have assumed.

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Sep 2019 19:19

Update | Asus Fail: Official ZenBook 15 product page has a bunch of careless errors

(Update: All fixed!) Asus could definitely be a little more careful next time around. According to the ZenBook 15 UX534 product page, the "ZenBook 16" will have a MicroSD reader and a Thunderbolt 3 port that could potentially fool the average consumer.

Allen Ngo, 25 Sep 2019 07:26

The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 might not be launched until 2020. (Image source: Microsoft)

New Microsoft Surface Pro 7 leak: Still no 32 GB RAM but at least a powerful 10nm processor is present

A 3DMark entry for an apparent Microsoft Surface 7 Pro device has been spotted, with the benchmark record providing various details about the specifications of the upcoming 2-in-1 detachable. The unit was tested on the Sky Diver 1.0 benchmark, which listed the presence of a 10nm Ice Lake processor from Intel but only 16 GB RAM.

Daniel R Deakin, 25 Sep 2019 03:45

Intel's 459 Chipset for 10 nm mobile processors does not bring too many new features. (Source: Tom's Hardware)

Intel releases 10th gen 495 Chipset specsheet for Comet Lake and Ice Lake U/Y CPUs

The new 495 chipset only brings a faster OPI COU interface that is capable of 4.2 GT/s data transfer speeds, Wi-Fi 6 and expanded Intel Optane memory support. Nothing new on the port selection and PCIe lanes side, unfortunately. Even though Ice Lake was supposed to introduce support for USB 4.0, there is no mention of this feature, either.

Bogdan Solca, 24 Sep 2019 16:52

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 was released in October 2018. (Image source: Microsoft)

New tip suggests Microsoft Surface device will come with AMD's Ryzen 5 3550U and Ryzen 7 3750U processors

An interesting tip from a well-known leaker has seemingly revealed which AMD processors could find their way into Microsoft Surface devices in the not too distant future. It’s expected the new Surface Laptop 3 will be configured with an AMD-based option, and it appears buyers will be able to choose between the mysterious Ryzen 5 3550U and Ryzen 7 3750U.

Daniel R Deakin, 20 Sep 2019 23:42

A smart material reacts to a magnetic field. (Source: Physics Open Lab)

The smart materials market is now projected to reach a US$100+ billion valuation by 2026

Smart materials may prove to be the basis of the electronic components of the future. Their market's value was estimated at US$36 billion in 2017. That figure is now thought to grow until it hits $127 billion in 7 years from now.

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Sep 2019 19:32

Narcos: Rise of the Cartels can be pre-ordered now. (Source: Curve Digital/Kuju)

Netflix Narcos: coming to a controller near you soon

Curve Digital & Kuju have announced that they are bringing a title based on the Netflix show Narcos to PCs and consoles. It will allow a user to play either for the Cartel in question or against it a DEA agent. This original content will be set in the 1980s El Patron era, and is available as a digital download from now.

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Sep 2019 18:51

We've tested 15 gaming laptops with GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics thus far and the Razer Blade Pro 17 is the fastest

On the bottom end of the spectrum is the Gigabyte Aero 15-Y9 which offers approximately 20 to 30 percent slower performance than the Razer despite carrying the same GPU by name. Power consumption, however, is also highest on the Razer system.

Allen Ngo, 20 Sep 2019 08:29

Intel will manufacturer its Comet Lake H and S series on its seemingly evergreen 14 nm FinFET process. (Image source: Intel)

Intel Comet Lake looks to be more of the same according to leaked bootlogs

Anyone for a repeat of the Coffee Lake Refresh architecture? Well, Intel GFX CI bootlogs suggest that is what the Comet Lake H and S series will be. Does another 14 nm refinement and 2 MB per core of L3 cache on Hyper-Threaded chips sound familiar to you?

Alex Alderson, 18 Sep 2019 11:31

HP Dragonfly is a beautified EliteBook x360 1030 designed to tackle the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 (Source: HP)

HP Elite Dragonfly is a beautified EliteBook x360 1030, will offer features missing on the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1

The Dragonfly convertible will differ from your typical gray EliteBook by its blue chassis designed to attract attention and breathe new colors to the Elite series. Expect availability in the weeks ahead since this Athena-certified system will run on the Intel 9th gen series instead of 10th gen.

Allen Ngo, 18 Sep 2019 08:00

Tiger Lake-U will bring more than just FinFET refinements. (Image source: Intel)

Tiger Lake-U spotted in Intel GFX CI bootlog; more than just a 10 nm refinement?

The Intel Tiger Lake-U series may be over a year from the big time, but plenty of information about the 10 nm Ice Lake-U successor has appeared online. Last month we saw a UserBenchmark listing and now an Intel GFX CI bootlog spotted by @InstLatX64. It seems that Intel has a lot planned for Tiger Lake-U, but will it be enough to keep AMD at bay?

Alex Alderson, 17 Sep 2019 20:13

Will an AMD powered Surface Laptop 3 yield lower prices too? (Image source: Microsoft)

Surface Laptop 3: A 15-inch variant and AMD Ryzen 3000 SKUs?

A 15-inch variant and AMD Ryzen 3000 SKUs? Those are the latest rumours about the Surface Laptop 3, with it seemingly being more than an iterative update as the Surface Laptop 2 was when Microsoft released it last year. Read on to find out everything we know about Microsoft's first AMD Surface collaboration.

Alex Alderson, 15 Sep 2019 23:45

The Huawei MateBook X Pro for Linux comes in a deep space-gray finish. (Image source: Huawei)

Huawei releases Linux variants of the MateBook 13, MateBook 14, and MateBook X Pro

Huawei has added the MateBook 13 for Linux, MateBook X Pro for Linux, and the MateBook 14 for Linux onto Vmall, the Chinese shopping site for Huawei and Honor products. The OEM has selected Deepin for the operating system, which has allowed the Chinese manufacturer to make modifications due to the nature of its open source software.

Daniel R Deakin, 15 Sep 2019 01:42

HP's weird Spectre Folio 2-in-1 with Core i7-8500Y and 256 GB SSD now on sale for $750 (Image source: Best Buy)

Deal | HP's weird Spectre Folio 2-in-1 with Core i7-8500Y and 256 GB SSD now on sale for $750

The experimental leather-aluminum premium netbook looks and feels like no other Ultrabook, but its disadvantages at launch have all but buried the system. Best Buy is offering decent discounts on the first generation Spectre Folio to suggest that HP may be ready to unveil a second generation model soon.

Allen Ngo, 14 Sep 2019 20:44

A wall outlet for the future. (Source: Leviton)

A new power socket with USB type C Power Delivery ports has modern devices in mind

Leviton's new duplex wall socket also has in-built USB outputs. These welcome and increasingly welcome upgrades to electrical fittings are type-C ports with the Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard. This means they are rated to charge compatible devices at up to 30 watts.

Deirdre O Donnell, 14 Sep 2019 17:44

Opera GX has been downloaded over 1 million times by now. (Source: Opera)

The Opera GX browser attracts over 1 million downloads

GX is a version of the Opera browser specificially designed with gaming in mind. It has been available as an early-access build since June 2019, and has proved so popular that it has accrued over 1 million downloads to date. Opera GX offers Twitch support, a section for new releases and a network limiter.

Deirdre O Donnell, 14 Sep 2019 14:47

Weekend Discussion: Would you care if the next generation of laptops had no 3.5 mm audio jacks?

Weekend Discussion: Would you care if your next laptop had no 3.5 mm audio jack?

Our 'Weekend Discussion' series asks questions and "what if" scenarios to our readers about how they use their smartphones, laptops, or other portable devices with the intention of encouraging insightful discussions. For this week, we want to know how you would feel about potentially losing the 3.5 mm audio jack on your next Ultrabook purchase.

Allen Ngo, 14 Sep 2019 08:45

The Surface Pro 6 was released in October 2018. (Image source: Microsoft)

Configuration details for Microsoft Surface Pro 7 leak out

Some details of Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Pro 7 have apparently been leaked with five different configurations being mentioned. It seems the entry-level Surface Pro 7 will feature an Intel Core i3 processor while the top-end device will sport an Intel Core i7. RAM options will reach from a lowly 4 GB up to a stately 16 GB.

Daniel R Deakin, 13 Sep 2019 23:42

Ultrabook

HP EliteBook x360 830 G6: HP laptop does not deliver its promised LCD brightness

Ice Lake-powered Razer Blade Stealth now shipping for a hefty $1800 USD

Updated: Intel Kaby Lake-G family goes the way of the dodo

Acer wins Good Design 2019 awards for its ConceptD notebooks

Lenovos ThinkPad L580 is a good office notebook

88% HP EliteBook x360 830 G6 Laptop Review: HP Convertible impresses in almost every way

Currently in review: Lenovo ThinkPad P53 RTX 5000, P53s & P43s

86% Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7-1065G7 Review: Faster Than Any XPS 13 Before It

Walmart exclusive Motile laptops now shipping with THX spatial audio, 1080p displays, and AMD Ryzen 5 3500U for only $600

Dell XPS 13 with hexa-core Core i7-10710U now shipping

The Apple MacBook Pro 13 doesn't offer any innovations, but it's still a very good subnotebook with a lot of power

The Microsoft SQ1 is a custom version of the Snapdragon 8cx with 2x more GPU performance than an 8th gen Intel Core CPU

Microsoft makes the new Surface Laptop 3 repairable for its enterprise customers

No HDMI or Thunderbolt yet again: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is being stingy on connectivity and now it's really starting to show

AMD Ryzen 5 3580U and Ryzen 7 3780U with an extra CU constitute the semi-custom AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition series

91% Apple MacBook Pro 13 2019 laptop review: Good performance, but no real innovation

Latest Asus ZenBook 15 is proof that we could use more laptops with both ULV Core U CPUs and GeForce Max-Q graphics

Leaked Microsoft Surface promo images and latest rumors: new colors, connectivity upgrades, borderless Surface Pro 7, Alcantara-less Surface Laptop 3

83% Asus ZenBook 15 UX534F Laptop Review: Look Like an Ultrabook, Play Like a Gamer

Latest HP Spectre x360 13 refresh addresses one of our biggest complaints about last year's model

Intel strikes back: Core i7-1065G7 with Iris Plus Graphics G7 on par with AMD Radeon RX Vega 10

Mi Mix Alpha-grade screens could arrive on laptops soon

A 96 EU iGPU described as Intel Gen12 surfaces on Compubench

Rumor: AMD Zen 3 architecture could run four threads per core

Opinion | Gaming laptops are becoming less attractive because of Google Stadia and external graphics cards

The Dell XPS 15 7590 Core i5 is quieter, brighter, and almost two times longer-lasting than the XPS 15 7590 Core i9

86% Dell XPS 15 7590 Laptop Review: Is the base model with Core i5 and FHD panel sufficient?

Dell XPS 13 7390 now shipping with Intel Comet Lake-U for $979; hexa-core Core i7-10710U options coming October 1st

Google's "Atlas" may be named the Pixelbook Go at its launch

88% Lenovo ThinkPad T495s Review: The AMD business laptop is good, but the fan is annoying

Update | Asus Fail: Official ZenBook 15 product page has a bunch of careless errors

New Microsoft Surface Pro 7 leak: Still no 32 GB RAM but at least a powerful 10nm processor is present

Intel releases 10th gen 495 Chipset specsheet for Comet Lake and Ice Lake U/Y CPUs

New tip suggests Microsoft Surface device will come with AMD's Ryzen 5 3550U and Ryzen 7 3750U processors

The smart materials market is now projected to reach a US$100+ billion valuation by 2026

Netflix Narcos: coming to a controller near you soon

We've tested 15 gaming laptops with GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics thus far and the Razer Blade Pro 17 is the fastest

86% HP Spectre x360 13 Review: classy convertible foiled by its display

Intel Comet Lake looks to be more of the same according to leaked bootlogs

HP Elite Dragonfly is a beautified EliteBook x360 1030, will offer features missing on the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1

Tiger Lake-U spotted in Intel GFX CI bootlog; more than just a 10 nm refinement?

88% HP EliteBook x360 1030 G3 Laptop Review: An extremely bright convertible with a matte touchscreen and privacy features

Surface Laptop 3: A 15-inch variant and AMD Ryzen 3000 SKUs?

Huawei releases Linux variants of the MateBook 13, MateBook 14, and MateBook X Pro

Deal | HP's weird Spectre Folio 2-in-1 with Core i7-8500Y and 256 GB SSD now on sale for $750

A new power socket with USB type C Power Delivery ports has modern devices in mind

The Opera GX browser attracts over 1 million downloads

Weekend Discussion: Would you care if your next laptop had no 3.5 mm audio jack?

Configuration details for Microsoft Surface Pro 7 leak out

91% Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019 with Full HD laptop review: Brighter and longer battery life

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