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Tag: laptop

  • How AI can fix PD for teachers

    Key points:

    The PD problem we know too well: A flustered woman bursts into the room, late and disoriented. She’s carrying a shawl and a laptop she doesn’t know how to use. She refers to herself as a literacy expert named Linda, but within minutes she’s asking teachers to “dance for literacy,” assigning “elbow partners,” and insisting the district already has workbooks no one’s ever seen (awalmartparkinglott, 2025). It’s chaotic. It’s exaggerated. And it’s painfully familiar.

    This viral satire, originally posted on Instagram and TikTok, resonates with educators not because it’s absurd but because it mirrors the worst of professional development. Many teachers have experienced PD sessions that are disorganized, disconnected from practice, or delivered by outsiders who misunderstand the local context.

    The implementation gap

    Despite decades of research on what makes professional development effective–including a focus on content, active learning, and sustained support (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Joseph, 2024)–too many sessions remain generic, compliance-driven, or disconnected from day-to-day teaching realities. Instructional coaching is powerful but costly (Kraft et al., 2018), and while collaborative learning communities show promise, they are difficult to maintain over time.

    Often, the challenge is not the quality of the ideas but the systems needed to carry them forward. Leaders struggle to design relevant experiences that sustain momentum, and teachers return to classrooms without clear supports for application or follow-through. For all the time and money invested in PD, the implementation gap remains wide.

    The AI opportunity

    Artificial intelligence is not a replacement for thoughtful design or skilled facilitation, but it can strengthen how we plan, deliver, and sustain professional learning. From customizing agendas and differentiating materials to scaling coaching and mapping long-term growth, AI offers concrete ways to make PD more responsive and effective (Sahota, 2024; Adams & Middleton, 2024; Tan et al., 2025).

    The most promising applications do not attempt one-size-fits-all fixes, but instead address persistent challenges piece by piece, enabling educators to lead smarter and more strategically.

    Reducing clerical load of PD planning

    Before any PD session begins, there is a quiet mountain of invisible work: drafting the description, objectives, and agenda; building slide decks; designing handouts; creating flyers; aligning materials to standards; and managing time, space, and roles. For many school leaders, this clerical load consumes hours, leaving little room for designing rich learning experiences.

    AI-powered platforms can generate foundational materials in minutes. A simple prompt can produce a standards-aligned agenda, transform text into a slide deck, or create a branded flyer. Tools like Gamma and Canva streamline visual design, while bots such as the PD Workshop Planner or CK-12’s PD Session Designer tailor agendas to grade levels or instructional goals.

    By shifting these repetitive tasks to automation, leaders free more time for content design, strategic alignment, and participant engagement. AI does not just save time–it restores it, enabling leaders to focus on thoughtful, human-centered professional learning.

    Scaling coaching and sustained practice

    Instructional coaching is impactful but expensive and time-intensive, limiting access for many teachers. Too often, PD is delivered without meaningful follow-up, and sustained impact is rarely evident.

    AI can help extend the reach of coaching by aligning supports with district improvement plans, teacher and student data, or staff self-assessments. Subscription-based tools like Edthena’s AI Coach provide asynchronous, video-based feedback, allowing teachers to upload lesson recordings and receive targeted suggestions over time (Edthena, 2025). Project Café (Adams & Middleton, 2024) uses generative AI to analyze classroom videos and offer timely, data-driven feedback on instructional practices.

    AI-driven simulations, virtual classrooms, and annotated student work samples (Annenberg Institute, 2024) offer scalable opportunities for teachers to practice classroom management, refine feedback strategies, and calibrate rubrics. Custom AI-powered chatbots can facilitate virtual PLCs, connecting educators to co-plan and share ideas.

    A recent study introduced Novobo, an AI “mentee” that teachers train together using gestures and voice; by teaching the AI, teachers externalized and reflected on tacit skills, strengthening peer collaboration (Jiang et al., 2025). These innovations do not replace coaches but ensure continuous growth where traditional systems fall short.

    Supporting long-term professional growth

    Most professional development is episodic, lacking continuity, and failing to align with teachers’ evolving goals. Sahota (2024) likens AI to a GPS for professional growth, guiding educators to set long-term goals, identify skill gaps, and access learning opportunities aligned with aspirations.

    AI-powered PD systems can generate individualized learning maps and recommend courses tailored to specific roles or licensure pathways (O’Connell & Baule, 2025). Machine learning algorithms can analyze a teacher’s interests, prior coursework, and broader labor market trends to develop adaptive professional learning plans (Annenberg Institute, 2024).

    Yet goal setting is not enough; as Tan et al. (2025) note, many initiatives fail due to weak implementation. AI can close this gap by offering ongoing insights, personalized recommendations, and formative data that sustain growth well beyond the initial workshop.

    Making virtual PD more flexible and inclusive

    Virtual PD often mirrors traditional formats, forcing all participants into the same live sessions regardless of schedule, learning style, or language access.

    Generative AI tools allow leaders to convert live sessions into asynchronous modules that teachers can revisit anytime. Platforms like Otter.ai can transcribe meetings, generate summaries, and tag key takeaways, enabling absent participants to catch up and multilingual staff to access translated transcripts.

    AI can adapt materials for different reading levels, offer language translations, and customize pacing to fit individual schedules, ensuring PD is rigorous yet accessible.

    Improving feedback and evaluation

    Professional development is too often evaluated based on attendance or satisfaction surveys, with little attention to implementation or student outcomes. Many well-intentioned initiatives fail due to insufficient follow-through and weak support (Carney & Pizzuto, 2024).

    Guskey’s (2000) five levels of evaluation, from initial reaction to student impact, remain a powerful framework. AI enhances this approach by automating assessments, generating surveys, and analyzing responses to surface themes and gaps. In PLCs, AI can support educators with item analysis and student work review, offering insights that guide instructional adjustments and build evidence-informed PD systems.

    Getting started: Practical moves for school leaders

    School leaders can integrate AI by starting small: use PD Workshop Planner, Gamma, or Canva to streamline agenda design; make sessions more inclusive with Otter.ai; pilot AI coaching tools to extend feedback between sessions; and apply Guskey’s framework with AI analysis to strengthen implementation.

    These actions shift focus from clerical work to instructional impact.

    Ethical use, equity, and privacy considerations

    While AI offers promise, risks must be addressed. Financial and infrastructure disparities can widen the digital divide, leaving under-resourced schools unable to access these tools (Center on Reinventing Public Education, 2024).

    Issues of data privacy and ethical use are critical: who owns performance data, how it is stored, and how it is used for decision-making must be clear. Language translation and AI-generated feedback require caution, as cultural nuance and professional judgment cannot be replicated by algorithms.

    Over-reliance on automation risks diminishing teacher agency and relational aspects of growth. Responsible AI integration demands transparency, equitable access, and safeguards that protect educators and communities.

    Conclusion: Smarter PD is within reach

    Teachers deserve professional learning that respects their time, builds on their expertise, and leads to lasting instructional improvement. By addressing design and implementation challenges that have plagued PD for decades, AI provides a pathway to better, not just different, professional learning.

    Leaders need not overhaul systems overnight; piloting small, strategic AI applications can signal a shift toward valuing time, relevance, and real implementation. Smarter, more human-centered PD is within reach if we build it intentionally and ethically.

    References

    Adams, D., & Middleton, A. (2024, May 7). AI tool shows teachers what they do in the classroom—and how to do it better. The 74. https://www.the74million.org/article/opinion-ai-tool-shows-teachers-what-they-do-in-the-classroom-and-how-to-do-it-better

    Annenberg Institute. (2024). AI in professional learning: Navigating opportunities and challenges for educators. Brown University. https://annenberg.brown.edu/sites/default/files/AI%20in%20Professional%20Learning.pdf

    awalmartparkinglott. (2025, August 5). The PD presenter that makes 4x your salary [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMGrbUsPbnO/

    Carney, S., & Pizzuto, D. (2024). Implement with IMPACT: A framework for making your PD stick. Learning Forward Publishing.

    Center on Reinventing Public Education. (2024, June 12). AI is coming to U.S. classrooms, but who will benefit? https://crpe.org/ai-is-coming-to-u-s-classrooms-but-who-will-benefit/

    Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf

    Edthena. (2025). AI Coach for teachers. https://www.edthena.com/ai-coach-for-teachers/

    Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Corwin Press.

    Jiang, J., Huang, K., Martinez-Maldonado, R., Zeng, H., Gong, D., & An, P. (2025, May 29). Novobo: Supporting teachers’ peer learning of instructional gestures by teaching a mentee AI-agent together [Preprint]. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17557

    Joseph, B. (2024, October). It takes a village to design the best professional development. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-it-takes-a-village-to-design-the-best-professional-development/2024/10

    Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D., & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547–588. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318759268

    O’Connell, J., & Baule, S. (2025, January 17). Harnessing generative AI to revolutionize educator growth. eSchool News. https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2025/01/17/generative-ai-teacher-professional-development/

    Sahota, N. (2024, July 25). AI energizes your career path & charts your professional growth plan. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilsahota/2024/07/25/ai-energizes-your-career-path–charts-your-professional-growth-plan/

    Tan, X., Cheng, G., & Ling, M. H. (2025). Artificial intelligence in teaching and teacher professional development: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100355

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    Andy Szeto, Ed.D, Professor and District Administrator

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  • My Favorite Laptops, Chromebooks, and Gaming Laptops Are on Sale For Black Friday

    It’s almost the end of the year, and with Black Friday upon us, it’s a great time to buy a laptop. I’ve sorted through the junk to find the best Black Friday laptop deals, and I’m happy to report that most of my favorite laptops I tested this year are on sale right now. Even better, some laptops I thought were overpriced at launch now have such steep discounts that they’ve risen in value in my estimation. So, if you’ve been waiting to buy a laptop at the right moment, this is it. One of these laptops should fit exactly what you’re looking for at a wide range of prices.

    Hunting for more deals? Read our Absolute Best Black Friday Deals roundup, and check out our Black Friday liveblog for the highlights.

    Updated on November 28: We’ve added the Asus Zenbook A14, Razer Blade 14, and Acer Chromebook Plus 516.

    The Best Windows Laptop Deal

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    If you’re shopping for a laptop on Black Friday, you’re probably looking for something a bit more budget-friendly. And while the MacBook Air is the better laptop, there’s no question that the Dell 14 Plus is the best deal. It comes with great specs: 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V. I reviewed the model with the Core Ultra 7 258V, but either way, you’re getting really good battery life and integrated graphics performance.

    Most importantly, it avoids the two main pitfalls of budget laptops: poor displays and touchpads. The Dell 14 Plus comes with a high-resolution display (2560 x 1600) and a very smooth-feeling touchpad. It’s literally a premium laptop for an affordable price, and at $500, it’s officially the best deal on a laptop this Black Friday. It’s a doorbuster-style deal, however, so once it’s sold out, the price may change.

    The Best MacBook Deal

    Front view of an open Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 2025 laptop sitting on a couch with the screen showing the desktop

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    Apple

    MacBook Air (M4, 2025)

    Since its launch this spring, the M4 MacBook Air has been the best laptop you can buy. It has also continued to drop in price slowly month after month, now down to just $749. That’s low enough that it’s not worth buying cheaper, older MacBook Airs, such as the M2 model. The difference in performance (and external display support) is worth far more. The M5 model is likely coming sometime in early 2026, but it’ll be a long time before it comes down to the price of the M4 right now. Come and get it while it’s hot.

    I’ve collected the best Black Friday MacBook deals here for more recommendations and discussion on which MacBook deal is right for you.

    The Best Chromebook Deal

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    There’s never been a Chromebook at this price as good as the Acer Chromebook Plus 516—at least, not at it’s current Black Friday. Despite being a new laptop from this year, it’s great to see the price drop by well under $300, making the higher specs of Chromebook Plus devices accessible to nearly everyone. The display and performance are far and above other Chromebooks at this price though. My biggest pet peeve on budget laptops is the typical low quality of the touchpad. And even there, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 has a touchpad that you make you hate your life.

    Another Good Chromebook Deal

    Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

    Courtesy of Lenovo

    Lenovo

    Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

    There are Chromebooks I like more than the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends), such as the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14. But none are this cheap. And while the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 above is a better deal, you might want something a bit more compact with a smaller screen—or maybe with a touchscreen. At $350, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is one of the most affordable Chromebook Plus models you can find—it’s in a different league over standard Chromebooks at this price. It has a better screen, faster performance, more storage, and even a crisper webcam. The Flex 5i Chromebook Plus even has a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen, sweetening the deal even more.

    The Latest MacBook, Already on Sale

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    The MacBook Air is a better value, yes. And the M4 Pro or M4 Max MacBooks are more powerful. But the base 14-inch MacBook Pro is the only Mac right now with the latest M5 chip, which launched just a month ago. I wish Apple had included other features in this update, as the M5 is the only change over the M4 model. The good news is that the M5 MacBook Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offers a solid performance increase in all areas, including CPU, GPU, and even the Neural Engine. More important is the $200 discount just a month after it launched.

    The Best Gaming Laptop Deal

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    Want a gaming laptop that doesn’t really feel like a gaming laptop? That’s what the Razer Blade 14 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has always been good at. If it weren’t for the green snake logo on the lid, you might never know this thing has a powerful discrete GPU inside. You certainly wouldn’t be able to tell from the size of the laptop, which is supremely compact. It even gets decent battery life for a gaming laptop. And when it comes to gaming, the high-resolution, OLED 120-Hz display keeps your games sharp and smooth, while the RTX 5060 (or 5070) deliver some solid performance for the size.

    The Best 2-in-1 Laptop Deal

    • Photograph: Christopher Null

    • Courtesy of Microsoft

    • Courtesy of Microsoft

    • Photograph: Christopher Null

    Microsoft

    Surface Pro 13-inch (11th Edition, 2024)

    The OLED Surface Pro was excellent when it came out in mid-2024. It was the first time the Surface Pro got an OLED panel, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus/Elite chip finally gave this Windows tablet the performance and battery life needed to compete with the iPad Pro. The only problem? It was too expensive. But for Black Friday, the OLED Surface Pro is $500 off, bringing the price down to just $900. The one caveat to remember is that you’ll still need to buy a Surface Type Cover Keyboard to pair it with. Together, you have a 2-in-1 laptop that’s the ultimate travel companion and a full PC replacement.

    An Extremely Lightweight Laptop

    Front view of the Asus Zenbook A14 laptop while open with the screen showing abstract art

    Photograph: Christopher Null

    The Asus Zenbook A14 is one of the lightest laptops you can buy right now. At 2.16 pounds, it’s a fair bit lighter even than the MacBook Air. Throw this thing in your bag, and you’ll hardly even notice it’s there. That makes it a great option for students needing to trek across campus or frequent travelers bringing their work on the go. But what really makes this laptop special is the lack of compromises it makes to achieve that weight. It’s well-built, thin, and has a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. And thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus inside, it gets fantastic, all-day battery life. I also really like the glossy OLED display. So, while the Dell 14 Plus is a more well-rounded Windows laptop with a higher-resolution screen, the Zenbook A14’s portability is hard to beat—especially at this price.

    A Solid Budget Laptop

    Image may contain: Computer, Electronics, Laptop, and Pc

    Photograph: Luke Larsen

    Asus

    Vivobook 14 (X1407QA)

    The Asus Vivobook 14 is one of the few Snapdragon X-powered laptops bringing efficient performance and excellent battery life to surprisingly low prices. It’s $200 off for Black Friday, which brings it down to the same price as on the last Amazon Prime Day. There’s really only one problem: the Dell 14 Plus. By every measure, that’s the laptop you should buy. Not only is it cheaper, but it also has a much better display, touchpad, and integrated GPU performance. However, if the limited Doorbuster prices on the Dell 14 Plus have run out, the Asus Vivobook 14 is your next best bet for a Windows laptop around this price.

    What to Look for in a Black Friday Laptop Deal

    Shopping around for a good Black Friday deal isn’t so different from buying a laptop at any other time of the year. We never recommend products we don’t test ourselves, so if you’re interested in a particular laptop on this list, check out the corresponding review. But as you shop around, you may want to factor in the following specs along with the current price of the laptop:

    • CPU
    • GPU
    • Memory (RAM)
    • Storage
    • Display resolution, panel type, and refresh rate
    • Battery life

    Lastly, consider the price history. CamelCamelCamel is a useful tool to see some historical data on price drops for individual laptops. Some of the laptops included above (such as the Dell 14 Plus) are hitting new historic lows in terms of price, while others are returning to the same low price as they were on Prime Day. That doesn’t mean these aren’t a good deal necessarily, but it’s important to know that not every deal labeled “Black Friday Deal” is equal, even if the percentage drop looks similar. Many products these days have permanent discounted prices at retailers, which can obscure how big of a sale it really is.

    For an in-depth breakdown that explains each element of a laptop, read our detailed How to Choose the Right Laptop guide.

    Is Now a Good Time to Buy a Laptop?

    Yes. Black Friday isn’t the only big shopping event throughout the year, and it’s not uncommon to find great sales on laptops at other times, whether that’s on a random day or on Amazon Prime Day(s). But Black Friday remains important as the beginning of the holiday shopping season. The entire annual cycle of laptop refreshes revolves around this timing. The beginning of the year starts with lots of products getting announced at CES, and then launching throughout the year. By the time Black Friday rolls around, companies and retailers are looking to clear out inventory to make room for incoming new stuff, which is why we still often see the biggest discounts for Black Friday.

    This year, that timing even applies to MacBooks. Because Apple didn’t refresh any Macs this fall outside the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, laptops like the M4 MacBook Air or M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pro are discounted with the anticipation of a refresh coming sometime in early 2026.

    Luke Larsen

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  • This $500 Dell Laptop Will Blow You Away, and It’s Only This Cheap Today

    This is the best deal on a laptop I’ve seen all year. It’s one of the few Black Friday laptop deals that actually lives up to the hype, the kind that I hope for at every major sale event.

    I’m talking about the new price of the Dell 14 Plus. Dell has dropped the price of the Dell 14 Plus to a new low: $500. I’ve been watching the price of this laptop all year, and this is rock bottom. This is a premium-tier laptop selling for a budget price. When I first tested the laptop earlier this year, it was only sold in high-end configurations, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 32 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage, and sold for $1,100.

    As good as this laptop was, I didn’t think it was quite worth that much. But I did hope that Dell would drop the price. That’s exactly what happened. Now a laptop with great specs, excellent battery life, high resolution display, and quality touchpad is on sale for the price of a cheap laptop. They are easy features to compromise on, but they’re also what makes the average budget laptop feel so cheap. This configuration is currently on sale for $650, down from around $800, and it’s well worth the money.

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    This lower-tier $500 configuration really takes it to another level. It comes with the same 2560 x 1600 display, but drops the other specs slightly. You get an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage. These are still really impressive specs for $500. The Core Ultra 5 is slightly slower than the Core Ultra 7, but you still get the efficient, long-lasting performance of Intel’s highest end V-series chips. You simply won’t find another $500 laptop that feels this nice.

    In fact, it’s the same price Dell normally sells its entry-level Windows laptop, the Dell 14, despite it coming with a lower resolution panel and a much worse Intel U-series processor that isn’t nearly as powerful or long-lasting.

    In addition to all that, the Dell 14 Plus comes with a good mix of ports, including a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, one USB-A (5 Gbps), an HDMI 2.1 port, and an audio jack. It’s also reasonably portable at 0.67 inches thick and 3.4 pounds. It’s not as thin as a MacBook Air, but it’s not much thicker than the 14-inch MacBook Pro. My only complaints about this laptop are the plastic (and somewhat thick) bezels around the screen, which make it look cheap. I also wish it had Windows Hello facial recognition, but the fingerprint reader built into the power button works well.

    All in all, I can’t imagine a better option for both remote workers and college students. Trust me: don’t buy another Windows laptop around this price for Black Friday this year. You’ll need to act fast. This is Black Friday-only Doorbuster deal, meaning it’ll be gone starting Saturday and will only be around as long as supplies last. If you miss out on it, you can still opt for the $650 configuration, which gets you that faster processor and twice the storage.

    Luke Larsen

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  • The Dell 14 Plus Is Now Only $650, and You Should Absolutely Buy It

    The best laptop deal of this big week of deals can’t be found on Amazon. Not on Best Buy or Walmart either. Instead, at Dell.com, you’ll find the Dell 14 Plus (6/10, WIRED Reviewed) selling for just $650. For a Windows device, that price thoroughly categorizes it as a “budget laptop,” but the specs are anything but. It has 16 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage, and a 2560 x 1600 resolution display. The average laptop of this price is worse is just about every way.

    In my own testing of this laptop, I found a lot to like about it. The processor used is the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which is a flagship chip used in some of the best laptops, some of which cost up to a thousand dollars more, including within Dell’s own lineup. One of the great benefits of this chip is battery life, which I was happy to be surprised by. You’ll easily get a full day of work away from the outlet. The performance is more than enough for most people, and it even has some impressive integrated graphics. The display, is also quite good. It’s colorful, and there’s even a 90 Hz refresh rate. I didn’t love the matte display and plastic bezels, but the panel itself is surprisingly high quality. I wasn’t as impressed by this when the price was $1,099, but for $650? It’s heads and tails over the competition.

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    Compare it to the Asus Vivobook 14 (6/10, WIRED Reviewed), for example, another “budget” laptop that I’ve recommended in the past. It only has a 1920 X 1200 resolution display with a 60 Hz refresh rate and really, poor color accuracy. It has a sickly green tone that’s hard to get around.

    The one caveat is that when I reviewed the Dell 14 Plus, it came with 32 GB of RAM. There was no 16 GB option, which is now available. Even with that difference, though, this configuration of the Dell 14 Plus is the best Windows laptop deal I’ve seen in recent memory.

    So, yes, if you’re shopping for a Windows laptop, this is clearly the one to buy. The only exception I’d give is if you’re looking for something with a larger screen. If that’s you, I’d point you to the Acer Swift 16 AI (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It has a lot of the same specs as the Dell 14 Plus, but comes with a larger (and higher-resolution screen)—and importantly—has a more expansive screen. It’s $800 though, so you’ll be paying $150 more for this 16-inch laptop.

    For more Prime Day deals on laptops, make sure to check out my full list of Best Prime Day Laptop Deals, as well as our comprehensive list of the Best Prime Day Deals.

    Luke Larsen

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  • This 16-Inch Laptop Has Specs I Have Never Seen at a Price This Low

    As part of Best Buy’s “Techtober” sales event, I stumbled upon the best laptop deal I’ve seen in a while. It’s for $450 off the Acer Swift 16 AI (8/10, WIRED Recommends), costing $800. Now, I’m not saying $800 qualifies this as a “budget” laptop, but you have to check out the specs on this thing to see why I’m raving about the discount.

    The laptop not only comes with 16 GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage, but also a 16-inch OLED screen with a 2,880 x 1,800 resolution. That OLED screen even has a 120-Hz refresh rate. You won’t find a 16-inch laptop with a display this gorgeous at this price anywhere else. Importantly, it also comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V CPU, an efficient processor known for getting great battery life and decent performance. Our own testing resulted in 13 hours of YouTube video playback, which isn’t quite as long as other laptops with this chip. But as our reviewer put it, it’s likely good enough for most users.

    Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    Look, the Acer Swift 16 AI wouldn’t be my first choice based on looks alone. It’s a bit chunkier than I’d prefer at 0.79 inches thick. There are certainly more attractive and portable 16-inch laptops out there, such as the LG Gram Pro 16 (6/10, WIRED Reviewed). Another really solid option I’m seeing is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition for $900. It has a slightly smaller 15.3-inch screen, but it’s a match with the Acer Swift 16 for specs, including the CPU and OLED display. The advantage is a prettier design and a much thinner chassis, at only 0.55 inches.

    Best Buy’s Techtober runs through October 12, which just so happens to align with Amazon’s October Prime Day sales event, also known as Big Deal Days. That being said, there will be a lot of great laptops on sale during Prime Day, so make sure to check back for the list I curated of all the best laptop deals happening this week.

    Luke Larsen

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  • Lenovo’s Latest Gaming Laptop Is $200 Off Right Now

    Looking for a new gaming laptop but can’t stand the edgy gamer aesthetic? You might check out the Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 10 (7/10, WIRED Review) in a sleek, all-white look. Best Buy is offering $220 off the list price of this attractive gaming laptop, bringing the price down to just $1,650. It boasts an excellent screen.

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    • Photograph: Luke Larsen

    Lenovo

    Legion 7i Gen 10 (16 Inch, Intel)

    The biggest selling point, and one of our reviewer Luke Larsen’s favorite features, is the big, beautiful OLED panel. This 2,560 x 1,600 screen is one of the most color accurate laptop screens to date, and has a huge peak brightness of 1,000 nits, and 486 nits in SDR, which beats most other panels by over 150 nits. Our review unit had a 240-Hz panel, but that model isn’t currently listed for the non-Pro Legion 7i, so this machine has a very similar 165-Hz screen.

    It’s powered by an RTX 5060, which is importantly the more powerful 115-watt version, as opposed to the cheaper 85-watt variant that some gaming laptops use to cut down on costs. The performance is a good match for the screen, with Cyberpunk 2077 running at 67 fps with Ray Tracing set to low at native resolution. Lowering the quality or the resolution can easily push you to 200-plus fps in games like Marvel Rivals, perfect for a quick round on your lunch break.

    Of course, the battery life is going to suffer a little bit as a result of the higher-power GPU. We got less than five hours in a video playback test, so you’ll want to make sure you’re nearby an outlet, especially if you plan on gaming between classes. Thankfully it has an excellent trackpad and keyboard, with a firm press and solid 1.6-mm travel for the size, and it even squeezes in full-size arrow keys and a numpad.

    The biggest thing holding back the Legion 7i is the price, with other lower-wattage RTX 5060 laptops coming in closer to $1,000. A healthy discount here makes this a much more appealing buy, especially if you like to watch movies or want to game at higher refresh rates without spending way more on a gaming laptop with a higher-end GPU.

    Brad Bourque

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  • I Benchmarked Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Here’s What I Learned

    It’s important to note that this was all tested on the X2 Elite Extreme configuration, which comes with six additional CPU cores over the standard X2 Elite. There were no X2 Elite systems to test, so we don’t know what those multi-core scores will be. I’ve been told that GPU performance will also scale up on the X2 Elite, but we don’t yet know how much faster the X2 Elite Extreme is over its sibling.

    The other caveats? The reference unit on which all of this was benchmarked is a bigger laptop than many current Snapdragon X Elite options—a 16-inch laptop with a 0.67-inch thick chassis. That’s not overly large, but performance in smaller laptops with less thermal headroom may perform differently. Qualcomm did have a few other reference designs on display, such as a 2-in-1 detachable, mini PC, and all-in-one desktop. These weren’t available for testing, but were a preview of what to expect next year when these chips launch in actual devices.

    Finally, benchmarks are benchmarks. Take all of this with a grain of salt. How these chips will affect real-world performance in all the apps you use every day will be different. We’ll have to wait until these processors land in laptops to really stress test them, and we’ll have a better idea of how they perform against the competition.

    X2 Elite Extreme and X2 Elite Confusion

    Between the X2 Elite Extreme and the X2 Elite, there are technically three specific SKUs. The exact chip from the benchmarking session, the X2E-96-100, represents the top-tier performance in the lineup, with 18 cores and a dual-core 5-GHz boost. This is the chip that will be sold as the X2 Elite Extreme.

    Confusingly, there are two Snapdragon X2 Elite chips, one that also has 18 cores and one with 12 cores. The difference between the two 18-core models is memory bandwidth. Although all three chips have a new neural processing unit capable of 80 TOPS, the X2 Elite chips are limited to 8-channel memory, whereas the X2 Elite Extreme has integrated 12-channel memory with a bandwidth of up to 228 GB per second.

    That might sound like a subtle difference, and it will be for most people, but AI workloads are extremely memory-dependent—that lower bandwidth will be a bottleneck for anyone tapping out the NPU. With the X2 Elite Extreme configuration, the focus seems to be on speeding up AI workloads, rather than more conventional faster CPU or GPU performance.

    Qualcomm seems to want to push the focus of AI in its top-tier configuration, but so far, the real jump in performance seems like it would be between the 12-core and 18-core versions of the X2 Elite. But we’ll have to wait until we can review these systems in new hardware.

    Adding another top-tier chip with its own branding is an interesting move for Qualcomm, especially since the company seems to have the most success with its mid-tier chips that showed up in laptops around $1,000. But it’s a strategic move, especially if the company wants to achieve its goal of taking 50 percent of the Windows PC market share in 5 years.

    Luke Larsen

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  • Lenovo’s Legion 7i Is the All-White Gaming Laptop You’ve Always Wanted

    None of that means you’re going to get good battery life, though. I was only getting around four and a half hours in a very light video playback test. That’s pretty short, limiting the laptop’s viability as a hybrid device for travel, work, or school.

    Close Competition

    Photograph: Luke Larsen

    The RTX 5060 model is available only at Best Buy, starting at $1,870. I would not buy this right now—at least not at this price. Currently, the better deal is over at Lenovo.com, where you can pick up an RTX 5070 model for $1,795 on sale. Though I haven’t tested it (and both GPUs come with only 8 GB of VRAM), stepping up to the RTX 5070 is certainly worth it. Both configurations get you 32 GB of RAM and one terabyte of storage.

    The Legion 7i Gen 10 is one of the most expensive gaming laptops to use the RTX 5060. You’re paying extra for the keyboard backlighting, faster HX-series Intel chip, higher-resolution OLED display, and superior design. These all add a lot to the laptop experience, but they are, for the most part, quality-of-life additions. For example, the Alienware Aurora 16 (a laptop I’ll be reviewing soon) also starts with an RTX 5060 and a similar resolution screen, but it’s IPS instead of OLED.

    Just be careful with the cheap RTX 5060 laptops out there, such as the Gigabyte Aero X16, which is on sale for just $1,150 right now. I haven’t tested it yet, but it uses the 85-watt variant of the RTX 5060, which will mean a significant drop in performance compared to the Legion 7i Gen 10. That’s rock bottom for RTX 5060 gaming laptops. Lenovo has its own version of a cheaper RTX 5060 right now, the LOQ 15, which will be available in October, gets you an RTX 5060 for close to $1,000, but comes with a standard 1080p IPS display.

    With that in mind, the Legion 7i Gen 10 is clearly not for those who value performance above all. But it’s one of the nicest looking gaming laptops I’ve reviewed lately that isn’t a Razer Blade, and it has enough performance and high-end features to make it worth the money—just make sure to opt for the RTX 5070 while it’s still on sale.

    Luke Larsen

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  • Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Revolutionized Windows Laptops. Here Comes the Second Act

    Perhaps the most exciting part of the chip is the graphics performance: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme both use a new Adreno GPU architecture. Qualcomm says power efficiency has improved by 2.3X, so hopefully that means these laptops can scale up performance when it’s needed, in games or creative applications.

    Lastly, the company claims there’s a much more powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 80 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) of on-device AI processing performance. The Snapdragon X set the initial bar with 50 TOPS, which Apple, Intel, and AMD then had to match in their next chips. We’ve yet to see the explosion of on-device AI processing be relevant for the average person, but hopefully, more performance will provide an incentive for developers to build more unique AI experiences that can utilize the NPU.

    Qualcomm boasts “multi-day” battery life on these new chips, though performance was the priority in the company’s product presentation. This is a change from the original marketing around the first-generation Snapdragon X chips, which centered battery life as its primary selling point.

    As always, it helps to go first. These second-generation PC chips have been announced months ahead of devices from competitors, which may not arrive until the first quarter of 2026, making it easier to compare with previous-gen chips. Intel is expected to launch its highly anticipated A18 chips (also known as Panther Lake) later this year, and Nvidia’s $5 billion investment in Intel could change everything in the world of PCs. Apple is also expected to debut an M5 chip next month.

    A New Smartphone Chip

    Alongside new PC chips, Qualcomm also detailed its recently announced mobile chips, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. These were officially unveiled last week, but at the company’s Snapdragon Summit conference, it shared new details on how these chips will perform.

    Barely a week has gone by since Apple’s A19-powered iPhones hit the market, but Qualcomm is already claiming that its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is the “fastest mobile CPU in the world,” with a record clock speed of 4.6 GHz (Apple’s A19 Pro has a clock speed of 4.26 GHz). Like the PC chips, graphics and AI processing have the largest leaps in performance, with a purported 23 percent faster GPU and 37 percent faster NPU. Some slightly faster single-core performance in your next phone might not be noticeable, but the significantly faster GPU could have a bigger impact on mobile gaming.

    The other significant new feature on these mobile chips is the embrace of a new video codec called Advanced Professional Video, or APV. This is a “near-lossless” codec created by Samsung meant to compete with Apple’s ProRes format, and uses less storage than current options.

    Qualcomm says new phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will launch “in the coming days,” with entries from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, Honor, and Xiaomi.

    AI, 6G, and the Future of Android

    Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

    Photograph: Luke Larsen

    During the Snapdragon Summit keynote, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon drew the biggest applause with the mention of 6G as the future connectivity standard, replacing 5G, enabling a more pervasive AI future. “6G is designed to be the connection between the cloud and edge devices,” he said.

    Luke Larsen

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  • The best laptop power banks for 2025

    If you travel or sometimes work away from your desk, a laptop power bank may come in handy. These larger portable chargers pack enough power to refill a phone multiple times, a tablet a couple times over and get most laptops from near-dead to work-ready in around an hour. Over the past few years, I’ve tested dozens of batteries for our power banks guide and a number of them make great options for laptops. These are the best laptop power banks based on our testing, along with a bit of info on how to fly with a portable battery and what to look for in a good one.

    Table of contents

    Best laptop power banks for 2025

    Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

    Capacity: 27,000 mAh, 99.9 Wh | Ports: One USB-C in/out, two USB-A out and three wireless pads | Cable included: USB-C to USB-C and wall adapter | Charge time iPhone 15: 5 to 100% in 2h 56m (wireless) 5 – 100% 2h 22m (wired) | Remaining charge after iPhone: ~ 81% | Charge time Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5 to 100% in 1h 20m | Remaining charge after S23 Ultra: ~ 77% | Charge time iPad Air: 5 to 100% in 1h 55m | Remaining charge after iPad: ~ 64% | Charge time MacBook Pro: 10% to 89% in 1h 18m

    Traveling is one of the top reasons people need to use a portable laptop charger — planes, trains, buses and airports aren’t exactly the easiest places to find a power source. Lion Energy’s Eclipse Mag battery pack has a big 27,000 capacity, which is enough to power a laptop through a couple days of use. I also like how its three wireless charging pads cut down on cable chaos, letting you charge a Qi-enabled phone, earbuds case and Apple Watch at the same time.

    You certainly could charge all three of those accessories and a laptop at one time, but as with all batteries, that increased drain will quickly empty it and your charge times will slow down quite a bit. From what I’ve seen, the unit works best as an as-needed power supply when you’re out and about, then, after a recharge, it can moonlight as a three-in-one wireless charger in your hotel room. You can even rely on the pass-through charging capabilities to power up the battery while using the wireless pads, making it a sort of travel-ready multi-device charger.

    At two pounds, no one would call this light, but the angled corners and narrow design make it feel more compact than other big batteries. There’s no display to tell you how much charge is left, just four lighted pips at one edge, but I found them to provide a fairly accurate estimate. One thing to note is that the wireless watch pad only works with Apple Watches. Since Pixel watches don’t support wireless charging and Samsung only recommends its own chargers for Galaxy Watches, that’s not surprising. 

    The only other drawback is the single USB-C port. The three wireless pads and the two USB-A ports will likely be enough for a days’ work, but one more type-C port would be ideal. Compared to other 27,000 maAh battery packs, the $174 price tag on the Eclipse Mag is a decent deal — and it even comes with a five-year warranty.

    Pros

    • Wireless charging is convenient for travel
    • Compact design for such a large battery
    • Delivers a fast, 79 percent charge to a large laptop
    • 5-year warranty
    Cons

    • Heavy
    • No display
    • Could use one more USB-C port

    $174 at Lion Energy

    Image for the large product module

    Amy Skorheim for Engadget

    Capacity: 25,000mAh, 90 Wh | Ports: Two built-in USB-C in/out cables, one USB-A port, one USB-C port | Cable: USB-C to USB-C | Number of charges iPhone 15: 4 – 5 | Charge time iPhone: 5 to 100% in 1h 54m | Number of charges Galaxy S23 Ultra: 3.75 – 4 | Charge time S23 Ultra: 52m | Number of charges iPad Air: 1.75 – 2 | Charge time iPad: 5 to 100% in 1h 58m | Number of charges MacBook Pro: 0.68 | Charge time MacBook Pro: 53 m

    If you try (and sometimes succeed in) packing as light as possible when travelling, you may want to look for battery packs with built-in cables. This Anker laptop power bank sports two built-in USB-C cables: one attached to the side of the battery that doubles as a carrying strap and another retractable cord that extends up to two feet. Both can accommodate in/out charges so you can use them to refill a device or reup the battery itself.

    The brick has a display to tell you the amount of charge remaining, as well as the output wattage that’s funneling towards your devices from each port. When refilling the battery, you can see an estimate of how long it will be until the unit is full. Calculating and displaying info like that takes up a bit of power but, in my testing, the battery output the same or a higher amount of charge compared with other 25,000 mAh packs.

    This 25,000 mAh model replaces our previous pick in this category, the 27.5K Prime model, which was compatible with Anker’s convenient charging base. While this model isn’t, I feel the included cables provide more convenience. It also sells for $80 less than our prior choice. True, it delivers a bit less charge than that older bank, but a 70 percent charge for a 16-inch MacBook Pro is still a considerable refill.

    Pros

    • Handy built-in cables
    • Display tells you how much charge remains
    • Delivers a quick charge from its large capacity

    $120 at Amazon

    Image for the large product module

    Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

    Capacity: 20,000 mAh, 74 Wh | Ports: Two USB-C in/out and two USB-A out | Cable: USB-C to USB-C | Charge time iPhone 15: 0 to 100% in 1h 54m | Remaining charge after iPhone: 73% | Charge time Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5 to 100% in 1h 11m | Remaining charge after S23 Ultra: 66% | Charge time iPad Air: 3 to 100% in 2h 13m | Remaining charge after iPad: 42% | Charge time MacBook Pro: 10% to 62% in 1h 6m

    I hadn’t even heard of Baseus before I started testing products for these guides. But after reading the many positive reviews, I gave a few of the brand’s offerings a try and have been repeatedly impressed by their value-to-performance ratio. The Baseus Blade is a compact and flat battery that weighs just over a pound. The shape is more tablet-like than the standard block of most power banks, which makes it easier to slide into a backpack or messenger bag alongside a laptop — it’s also the lightest of the banks I tried in this capacity category. 

    The display underestimates the amount of charge left, which is always better than the alternative. When the Blade was down to just one percent, it gave my laptop a few more percentage points before giving up the ghost. It has two USB-C and two USB-A ports along with little feet at the bottom that keep from moving around as you plug charging cables into it. The speeds were admirable, clocking in just a few minutes longer than batteries with larger capacities.

    That’s the main trade off here: At 20,000 mAh, it’s not going to deliver the same amount of charge as a bigger bank. It boosted my 16-inch MacBook Pro from 10 percent to 62 percent, which is about 20 percentage points lower than the bigger batteries could do. But for $100, it’s still a speedy portable charger with a convenient shape and a good number of ports.

    Pros

    • Great value
    • Charges devices quickly
    • Sleek design is easy to carry along with your laptop
    • Two USB-C ports
    Cons

    • Lower capacity than other laptop power banks

    $100 at Amazon

    Image for the large product module

    Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

    Capacity: 25,600 mAh, 95Wh | Ports: One USB-C in/out, one USB-C out, one USB-C in, two USB-A, one AC port, one solar input and one wireless pad | Cable: USB-C to USB-C | Charge time iPhone 15: 0 to 100% in 1h 49m | Remaining charge after iPhone: 83% | Charge time Galaxy S23 Ultra: 5 to 100% in 1h 3m | Remaining charge after S23 Ultra: 77% | Charge time iPad Air: 4 to 100% in 2h 11m | Remaining charge after iPad: 62% | Charge time MacBook Pro: 6% to 72% in 1h 21m

    Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: Goal Zero’s Sherpa 100AC costs $250. That makes it the most expensive power bank I’ve tested so far. But it’s a high-quality unit that gives you what you pay for. There’s a wireless charging pad up top, three USB-C ports (though one is input only), plus a couple of USB-A ports, an AC port and an 8mm port that can pair up with a Goal Zero solar panel or 12V adapter cable to recharge from your car. There’s even an internal fan to keep everything cool as it deals with all the output and a status display you can turn on or off.

    Goal Zero is probably best known for its outdoor-focused power products — power stations for camping, portable solar panels and camping lights, to name a few. The Sherpa has the same rugged/industrial aluminum unibody design, which would make it an ideal productivity companion for field work. I could see this coming in handy for outdoor photo shoots, job-site projects or just snagging some nature-side office hours.

    The ability to recharge from a car’s 12V port or even from solar panels is another nice-to-have, but of course, you’ll need extra equipment. In the case of the car charger, that’s another $40, but the solar panels will add another $250 to your mobile set up. If you find yourself working out in the field relatively often you might appreciate the flexibility.

    Pros

    • Wireless charging pad and an AC port
    • Can recharge from solar or a car’s 12V port (with accessories)
    • Accurate status display
    • Rugged design

    $250 at Amazon

    Image for the large product module

    Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

    Capacity: 27,000mAh, 99.9 Wh | Ports: One USB-C in/out, one USB-C out, USB-A, 100W AC | Cable: USB-C to USB-C | Charge time iPhone 11: 0 to 100% in 1h 40m | Remaining charge after iPhone: ~ 73% | Charge time iPad: 0 to 100% in 1h 56m | Remaining charge after iPad: ~ 53% | Charge time MBP: 10% to 75% in 1h 29m

    Mophie’s Powerstation Pro AC is a bit of a beast, weighing over two pounds and hitting the upper limit of the TSA’s 100-watt-hour battery limit (I flew with it twice and never had any issue, though). It even has a handle strap to help lug it around. There’s one USB-A port and two USB-C connections, one with a lower 20W rating and one that can deliver 60W. Then there’s the AC port.

    The AC port on any portable charger is a novel thing to have; as mentioned previously, it’s the USB-C port that should power your laptop because it makes no sense to convert a portable battery’s charge twice. That said, if you need to power a light, a portable printer or some other appliance that only has a standard two-prong plug, this port will come in handy. Just be sure to hold down the status button to enable the AC function.

    Mophie’s pack has enough juice to give a smartphone three to four charges, fill an iPad twice with a charge left over and it can charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro from 10 percent to 75 percent in under 90 minutes, while in use. The four lighted LED indicators aren’t the best: I found it cycled through the last two dots far quicker than the first two, which might make you think you have more charge left than you actually do.

    Pros

    • Massive 27,000mAh capacity
    • Has an AC outlet and two USB-C ports
    Cons

    • Expensive
    • No status display
    • Lighted pips don’t accurately indicate remaining charge

    $200 at Zagg

    Image for the large product module

    UGreen

    is a compact, low-frills bank that delivers a speedy charge to smartphones — my tester iPhone 15 in particular. I clocked a refill from four percent to full in about an hour and a half. That’s among the faster speeds from any power bank I’ve tested and is thanks to its 145W max output. It performed on par with other bricks when it came to refilling a Galaxy Ultra, iPad Air and MacBook Pro.

    A small digital display indicates the amount of charge left and it tested accurately. There are just three ports — two USB-C and one Type-A — but that’s more than enough to handle a laptop and a smartphone at the same time, if you must. But I’ve found portable chargers work best when handling just one device at a time. Adding an extra device seems to drain it quicker than charging one then another.

    Upon its debut, the UGreen Power Bank 25,000mAh went for $120 so the value wasn’t quite there. But now it’s been reduced to an MSRP of $100 and is regularly on UGreen’s site and Amazon for around $75. I’ve noticed some in-stock issues, but if you can find it, snap it up. It’s a high-performing, low-frills battery with a surprising amount of oomph for its compact size.

    $66 at Amazon

    What to look for in a laptop power bank

    Flying with a laptop power bank

    Most portable batteries top out at around 27,000mAh so you can fly with them. The TSA currently limits the capacity carry-on batteries to 100Wh, which works out to around 27,500mAh for 3.6 volt lithium-ion batteries. Note that you’re not allowed to pack any batteries in your checked luggage, regardless of capacity. The TSA rules are intended to limit fire danger — and some airlines are implementing further restrictions due to recent on-board incidents.

    In March 2025, a Hong Kong flight was grounded after a battery pack caught fire in an overhead bin. A similar situation happened in July on a domestic Delta flight, and again in August on a transatlantic KLM flight. As a result, some airlines, including Emirates, Southwest and others have announced further restrictions on flying with battery packs.

    Rules include limiting the number of allowed portable chargers and requiring flyers to keep power banks in clear view when using them to recharge a device. If the battery pack isn’t actively in use, however, most rules allow them to stay in your carry-on bag in the overhead bin. Before flying, it’s wise to check your airline’s policies.

    Capacity

    If you just need to keep a smartphone from dying before you can make it home, just about any of the best power banks will do. But if you need to revive multiple devices or the substantial battery of a laptop, you’ll want something with a high milliamp-hour​​ (mAh) capacity. A power bank capable of delivering enough power to a laptop will have a capacity between 20,000 and 27,000 mAh.

    If you want something even bigger than a laptop power bank, and don’t need to fly with it, you’ll likely want to look into portable power stations. These can be the size of a car battery or larger and can potentially fuel an entire weekend away.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that the capacity listed in a power bank’s specs is not what will be delivered to your devices. As I mentioned, the capacity of these banks is around 25,000mAh. Even the huge battery on a 16-inch MacBook Pro or a Dell XPS 16 has a mAh rating of around 5,000 – 6,000mAh, so you might think you’d get five full charges but in reality, you only get about a single 70-percent charge. The voltage is different (typically 3.7V for the power bank and 11.4V for a laptop) which makes the watt-hours, or the amount of energy each battery can hold, different (working out to 92Wh for the battery and 72Wh for the built-in laptop batteries). On top of that, in order to feed a charge from a power bank to a laptop, a voltage conversion takes place and that dissipates a decent amount of energy.

    Without turning this into a physics lesson, this all means that a power bank with a 25,000mAh (or 92Wh) capacity will typically fill a 5,000mAh (or 72Wh) laptop battery to about 75 percent. In my tests, I averaged about a 60-percent efficiency rate between a power bank’s listed capacity and the actual charge delivered.

    Ports

    Every large power bank I’ve tested has at least three USB ports, with a mix of USB-C and USB-A, which should cover nearly any portable device you need to recharge — earbuds, phones, tablets, laptops, you name it. In addition to the different plug formats, some ports supply power at different wattages. For example, one built-in USB-C port might be rated for 60 watts, while the one next to it is rated for 100 watts. So if you’ve got a device that’s capable of 70W fast charging, such as the new MacBook Air, you’d want to opt for the 100W port to get the best charging speeds possible.

    Note that devices with a smaller wattage draw won’t be negatively affected by connecting to ports with high ratings. For example, a Galaxy S24 Ultra, capable of 45W super fast charging, is perfectly compatible with the 100W port. A device will only draw what it can take, regardless of what a port can supply. Just remember that the port, device and charging cable need to be at or above the desired wattage rating to achieve maximum charging rates.

    Some of these larger batteries also have AC ports. It might seem like a natural fit to plug in your laptop’s power adapter for a recharge. But really, the AC port should only be for devices that can’t use USB — such as a lamp or a printer. Plugging a power adapter into the AC port only wastes energy through conversion. First, the battery converts its DC power to supply the port with AC power, then the power adapter converts that AC power back to DC so your laptop can take it in. And as you’ll remember from physics class, each time energy is converted, some is lost to heat and other dissipations. Better to cut out the middleman and just send that DC power straight from the battery to the device.

    Also, you can use more than one port at a time with these devices; just remember that the speed of whatever you’re charging will likely go down, and of course, the battery is going to drain proportionally to what you’re refilling.

    Wireless charging

    Just in the last year and a half that I’ve been testing portable power banks, wireless charging capabilities have noticeably improved. The first few I tried were painfully slow and not worth recommending. Now the wireless pads built into power banks are impressively fast — particularly, in my experience, when charging Samsung Galaxy phones (though the lack of a stabilizing magnetic connection like Apple’s MagSafe means they only work when rested flat on a pad). Most wireless charging connections can be used while other ports are also being employed, making them convenient for some mobile battlestation setups.

    Of course, wireless charging is always less efficient than wired, and recharging from an external battery is less efficient in general. If you want to waste as little energy as possible, you’re better off sticking to wired connections.

    Design

    All power banks are designed to be portable, but there’s a big difference between a pocket-friendly 5,000mAh battery and one of these laptop-compatible bruisers. Most of the latter weigh between a pound and a half to two pounds, which is a considerable addition to a backpack. Many of the options listed here have a display to tell you how much charge remains in the battery, which is helpful when you’re trying to judiciously meet out charges to your devices. If a bank has a wireless connection, the pad is usually on the flat top and any available AC connection is usually at one end. Both may require you to engage those charging methods. Don’t be like me and grumble loudly that you got a bum unit without pressing (and sometimes double pressing) all the buttons first.

    How we test portable laptop chargers

    For the past two years, I’ve been testing and using dozens of portable batteries for our other battery guide. Some of those batteries include the higher-capacity power banks you see here. I also got a hold of a few extra banks just for this guide to make sure we covered what’s available. I went for brands I’m already familiar with, as well as battery packs from well-received manufacturers I hadn’t tried before (like UGREEN and Lion Energy). I only considered banks with at least a 20,000mAh capacity and mostly stuck with those that rated 25,000mAh and higher.

    Here’s everything we tested:

    I tested each power bank with an Apple phone (iPhone 15), an Android phone (Galaxy S23 Ultra), a tablet (M1 iPad Air) and a laptop (16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip). Even though these banks can charge multiple devices at once, I refilled one at a time, to make side-by-side comparisons more straightforward. I drained the batteries of the phones and tablets to between zero and five percent and then didn’t use any device as it refilled.

    For the MacBook, I let it run down to 10 percent before plugging in the power bank. That’s when most laptops give display a “connect to power” warning, as draining any battery to empty will compromise the battery life. I then used it as one might in a mobile office, with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, while connected to Wi-Fi and a VPN.

    For each test, I noted how long a completely charged battery took to get a device back to full and how much of the battery’s capacity was used up in one charge. I also noted things like portability, apparent durability, helpful features and overall design.

    For reference, here are the battery capacities of the devices I used:

    • Galaxy S23 Ultra: 4,855mAh

    • iPad Air (5th gen): 7,729mAh

    • 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: 27,027mAh

    Other laptop power banks we tested

    HyperJuice 245W

    Hyper’s HyperJuice 245W brick looks great and has a hefty 27,000mAh capacity. The four USB-C ports can combine to output 245W of power and it got my MacBook Pro from nearly dead to 75 percent before depleting itself. When testing it with a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the handset got back up to a full charge in just over an hour. The screen tells you what each port is doing as well as displaying the amount of charge remaining in the pack itself.

    But the lack of port variety makes it feel less versatile than other picks on this list — the price is higher than our other options, too.

    Laptop power bank FAQs

    How do laptop power banks differ from phone power banks?

    The main difference is size. Phone power banks tend to have a capacity ranging from 5,000mAh to 20,000mAh and laptop powerbanks are typically rated between 20,000mAh and 27,000mAh. There’s no official definition, however. Laptop batteries are simply larger and need a bigger supply of power to give them a meaningful charge.

    How do you fast charge a power bank?

    You can charge a power bank exactly as fast as the power bank’s internal mechanisms will allow. Most batteries are limited in how quickly they can accept and deliver a charge to avoid dangerously overheating. But to make sure you’re charging a bank as quickly as possible, make sure the wall adapter and the USB-C cable you are using have a high wattage rating — using a 5W power brick and a 10W cable will take a lot longer to refill your bank than a 65W wall charger and a 100W cord.

    What size power bank do I need for a laptop?

    Look for a power bank with a rating of at least 20,000mAh. Slightly smaller batteries may work, but they won’t deliver a significant charge laptops.

    How many mAh to charge a laptop?

    A milliamp hour (mAh) is how much a battery can hold, and most portable batteries list their capacity using mAh. If you get a battery rated at 20,000mAh or above, it should be able to charge your laptop.

    Using mAh to discuss laptop batteries can be confusing. Due to differing voltages, you can’t directly compare the mAh ratings of a power bank battery to a laptop battery. Using watt-hours is a better gauge, as that calculation takes voltage into account.

    Recent updates

    August 2025: Changed our runner up travel pick for a new Anker battery. Updated information about flying with power banks. Added a section about other batteries we tested.

    Amy Skorheim

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  • Acer’s new gaming lineup includes an 18-inch AI laptop and a 720Hz monitor

    Acer maintains two different gaming product lines and it’s updating both of them at IFA 2025. Among the new gear is a gigantic new 18-inch Predator laptop, an ultra high-refresh rate monitor and multiple entry-level Nitro laptops and monitors.

    The updated Predator Helios 18P AI is an even more powerful version of the Predator Helio 18 the company showed off at CES 2024, offering “desktop-level AI” in what’s still technically a portable body. Inside, you can get up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU and 6TB of SSD storage. For the display of the panel, you’ll get a Mini LED 4K panel, which should work well for creative workflows and gaming. Acer also says the new Helios uses its “proprietary thermal solution” to keep cool, which is a combination of thin metal fans, “liquid metal thermal grease” and vector heat pipes.

    Acer has new gaming desktop PCs, the Predator Orion 7000 and Orion 5000, which can use GeForce RTX 5090 or 5080 GPUs, respectively. The more exciting announcement, though, is the new Predator monitor. The Predator X27U F8 Monitor is a 26.5-inch OLED, with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and a ridiculous 720Hz refresh rate if you’re willing to run the monitor at 720p rather than 1440p. The X27U F8 monitor also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering.

    On the Nitro side of the house, Acer has two new gaming laptops on offer. The Acer Nitro V 16 can be built with up to an Intel Core 9 processor and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU. With NVIDIA inside, the laptop supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 for improved graphics performance. The laptop also comes with a 2,560 x 1,600 display that has up to an 180Hz refresh rate for fluid motion during fast-paced games. The Acer Nitro V 16S, while similar, is more focused on portability. The laptop has up to an Intel Core 9 processor, but only a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, the same 180Hz display, in a metal body that’s 19.9mm thin. That’s not quite MacBook Air dimensions, but it’s better than nothing.

    Acer is pairing those new laptops with a collection of new Nitro monitors. The largest option is the 39.7-inch curved Nitro XZ403CKR monitor, which uses a 5K panel, has built-in 5W speakers and supports AMD FreeSync Premium for fluid gameplay. If you like 5K but don’t want a curved screen, there’s the 27-inch Nitro XV270X, which includes two built-in 2W speakers. You can get similar speakers on the 27-inch Nitro XV273U W1 monitor, which has a 27-inch 1440p display that reaches 500 nits of peak brightness. Finally, there’s also the Nitro XV275K V6, which features a 27-inch 4K display, AMD FreeSync Premium and dual HDMI 2.1 ports.

    Acer hasn’t announced a final price or release for the Predator Helios 18P AI laptop, but did confirm it will be available in North America at launch. The Predator X27U F8 monitor, meanwhile, will go on sale in Q1 2026 for $1,300.

    For the Nitro laptops, Acer says the Nitro V 16 will be available in the US in October starting at $1,000, with the Acer Nitro V 16S arriving a month later in November for $1,100. For the Nitro monitors, all three will be available in Q1 2026. The Acer Nitro XV25K V6 starts at $700, the Acer Nitro XV273U W1 starts at $300, the Acer Nitro XV270X starts at $900 and the Acer Nitro XZ403CKR starts at $1,000.

    Update, September 3 2025, 3:34PM ET: Updated the article to clarify that the Predator X27U F8 Monitor only hits its 720Hz refresh rate when it’s displaying content in 720p.

    Ian Carlos Campbell

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  • Framework’s New Laptop Lets You Upgrade the Graphics Card

    It has been a big year for repairable-laptop maker Framework. After launching the Framework Laptop 12 and the Framework Desktop this summer, the company is now rolling out a big update to the Framework Laptop 16. The machine can be configured with (or upgraded to) an Nvidia RTX 5070 laptop graphics card. You can also upgrade to the new 2025 mainboard, which includes the next-gen AMD Ryzen AI 300 series chips.

    Why is this a big deal? Well, Framework is a company we’ve grown to appreciate a lot over the past few years. The company has been pioneering a more sustainable (and fun!) approach to designing computers, making as many parts of the device as modular as possible. That has included things like the RAM and storage, naturally, but also the CPU, battery, Wi-Fi card, and much more.

    The idea is to swap out components on the laptops when new modules come out (or if something breaks down), reducing the need to buy a new laptop every few years and sending fewer parts to the landfill. But upgrading discrete graphics on laptops has always been elusive. Companies like Alienware have tried modular discrete GPUs in portable PCs before, and they never lasted. But with the new RTX 5070 graphics module upgrade, Framework proves it can be done.

    Courtesy of Framework

    The original Framework Laptop 16 arrived at the beginning of 2024, launching as an AMD-exclusive system with the Ryzen 7 7840HS (or Ryzen 9) and the discrete Radeon RX 7700S for graphics. At the time of testing, GPU performance landed somewhere around a mobile RTX 4060. On paper, that makes the jump to an RTX 5070 not only a great demonstration of the Framework ethos—but also a big deal for performance. Framework says it’s a 30 to 40 percent increase in GPU performance over the RX 7700S.

    More power doesn’t come free, so Framework is shipping a 240-watt USB-C charger that uses the USB Power Delivery 3.1 spec. That’ll make it one of the only laptops with an RTX 5070 that is powered solely by USB-C. Other 240-watt power adapters often use a proprietary power port (see almost every gaming laptop).

    The Framework Laptop 16 was the follow-up to the original Framework Laptop 13 and added more than just the discrete graphics module. It also had a unique approach to customization, letting you arrange the keyboard and trackpad however, using modules and spacers to customize it. The new model also comes with a better webcam and a more rigid top cover (on the lid).

    Luke Larsen

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  • Digitunity and Partners Deliver Laptop Computers to Rural Families, Expanding Their Opportunities

    The leading national nonprofit devoted to computer access partners with AT&T and Chicanos Por La Causa Parenting Arizona to connect families in six Arizona communities with 120 computers, giving them access to educational and employment resources.


    NORTH CONWAY, N.H., April 9, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Digitunity, a national nonprofit with a mission to make computer ownership possible for everyone, announced today that it has begun distributing 120 laptop computers to families across six rural Arizona communities, in partnership with AT&T and Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) Parenting Arizona.

    This effort is part of Digitunity’s AT&T Rural project, designed to increase access to digital services by providing free and low-cost computers to rural families who lacked such devices. It demonstrates Digitunity’s commitment to addressing the digital divide through partnering with trusted community-based organizations to deliver solutions and shape systems to eliminate barriers to computer ownership and empower people with digital opportunity.

    In this initiative, the Digitunity AT&T Rural project has partnered with the CPLC Parenting Arizona initiative to provide computers to families with children from prenatal to 5 years old. The new computers will enable the young families to participate in virtual visits with Parent Educators, access online healthcare resources, and engage with educational activities essential to their children’s early development.

    “As more services like appointment scheduling and applications shift online, computers become a critical bridge for families to access these resources,” said Jennifer Goodall, program director at CPLC Parenting Arizona. “Some families may need more guidance in using technology, while others simply need the tools to help themselves.”

    By bringing digital tools into homes, Digitunity and its partners are addressing an urgent need in Arizona. More than 340,000 households – about 12% of the state – do not own a large-screen computing device. And nearly one-quarter of the state’s residents said a lack of access to computers or other digital devices prevented them from using the internet, according to Arizona’s Digital Equity Plan.

    “Families in the rural parts of Arizona have two different obstacles: a gap in resources and a method to access the resources available,” said Renato Ramos, associate director at CPLC Parenting Arizona. “Every family has strengths that our teams focus on to help families navigate whatever situation they may be facing. Having a computer to find a job, update information for their kids’ school, or anything else they can work through themselves, helps to build upon these strengths and that feeling of pride in themselves.”

    The initiative is already underway, with CPLC Parenting Arizona staff beginning laptop distribution in late March 2025 via its established Home Visitation program. The project will deliver 75 laptops to La Paz-Mohave, 23 to Sierra Vista, 10 to Flagstaff, six to Globe, and six to Hopi. Through the home visits, CPLC staff will help families build valuable digital skills and connect to essential support services for parents and children.

    For families in CPLC’s Home Visitation program, the laptops will allow them to conduct virtual visits with Parent Educators, participate in monthly group connections on topics like dental health and child nutrition, and access developmental activities for children up to age 5. This evidence-based program helps children develop a strong foundation for kindergarten.

    For families in CPLC’s Family Support Coordination program, the laptops represent pathways to self-sufficiency. Parents can now more easily apply for employment, complete online GED courses, conduct virtual check-ins with coordinators, and research and access essential services like WIC, SNAP, and housing assistance.

    Through collaborations like this project, Digitunity continues to advance its mission of eliminating barriers to digital opportunity. By equipping people with computers and devices they lack, Digitunity, AT&T, and CPLC Parenting Arizona empower families with the means to succeed in the modern digital economy.

    For more information about Digitunity’s programs and initiatives, visit www.digitunity.org.

    About Digitunity
    Digitunity is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to make owning a computer possible for everyone. For over 40 years, Digitunity has been engaged in the work of shaping and strengthening systems to address the computer needs of those impacted by the digital divide. Through generating and placing donated computers with organizations serving people in need, supporting a national practitioner network, and providing strategic advisory support to states and cities, Digitunity works to create sustainable solutions that make computer ownership possible for all.

    Contact Information

    Maria Penaloza
    maria.penaloza@newswire.com

    Source: Digitunity

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  • How to Pick the Right MacBook for You

    How to Pick the Right MacBook for You

    in 2020, Apple’s MacBooks entered a new era. The company announced it was moving away from the Intel chips it had been using since 2006; in their place, it rolled out the first Macs with the Apple-designed M1. Cut to 2024 and the company now offers the choice between 14 custom processors, the latest of which is the M4 lineup powering the latest MacBook Pro.

    Like with Apple’s iPhones, the chips run on the ARM architecture and afford the company greater control over its hardware and software. These processors make Apple laptops more powerful and power-efficient, meaning greatly improved performance and battery life. You get other perks, like the ability to run mobile apps originally made for iOS. Despite all these advances, choosing a MacBook is still a task. Here’s what you should spend your hard-earned money on.

    Updated November 2024: We’ve added information on the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

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    A Breakdown of Each M-Series Chip

    All of Apple’s processors are scattered throughout different MacBook models. At this point, it might be tough to find a MacBook powered by a chip from before the M2. But if you do stumble upon its older chips (which came out four years ago), you might be wondering how they compare to other options. We break down the difference between each one.

    M1 Series

    M1: This is the first custom silicon Apple debuted for its MacBook Air in 2020. It has an 8-core CPU and up to an 8-core GPU. Originally, there was support for up to 16 GB of unified memory (RAM) at an extra cost, but nowadays you can only purchase the 8 GB model. It’s much faster than any previous Intel-powered MacBook Pro, and it is the practical choice for most people, as it’s in the most affordable MacBook Air you can buy right now (from third-party retailers). It packs more than enough processing power to get you through common day-to-day tasks—even light gaming—and it can handle more intense jobs like photo editing.

    M1 Pro: Next step up is the M1 Pro. It has up to 10 cores in the CPU and up to a 16-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory. Apple says performance and graphics are both twice as fast as on the M1. We found it to be considerably more capable than the base chip, ideal for anyone who works heavily on MacBooks for music production or photo and video editing. Only the MacBook Pro (14 inch and 16 inch) from 2021 use this chip.

    M1 Max: Like the M1 Pro, the M1 Max has a 10-core CPU but a heftier 32-core GPU (with support for up to 64 GB of unified memory). Apple says it’s four times faster than the M1 in terms of graphics. As proven in testing, this chip is extremely powerful and handles every heavy-duty task with ease. It’s the clear choice if you need a computer that can handle multiple streams of 8K or 4K video footage, 3D rendering, or developing apps and running demos. You probably already know whether you need this much power. It’s available in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from 2021.

    M1 Ultra: The M1 Ultra is the second most powerful of them all. It’s two M1 Max chips connected with a technology called UltraFusion. It packs a 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU (which can be configured with up to 128 GB of unified memory), and 32-core neural engine—complete with seven times more transistors than the base M1. Even with the M2 Ultra now available, the M1 is plenty powerful and a great option for anyone who needs a heavy-duty processor for working with intense visuals and graphics. It’s available only on the first-generation Mac Studio.

    M2 Series

    M2: You might think the M2 is better than the M1 Pro or M1 Max, but you’d be wrong. It’s an entry-level chip like the M1, with slightly more processing power. It packs an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU (two more GPU cores than its predecessor), along with support for up to 24 GB of unified memory. Apple says the second-generation chip has an 18 percent faster CPU and a GPU that’s 35 percent more powerful. The M2 is great for daily tasks like word processing and web browsing, but tasks like editing multiple streams of 4K footage and 3D rendering should be reserved for the M1 Pro or M1 Max (or the next two chips). It’s available in the MacBook Air (13 inch, 2022), MacBook Air (15 inch, 2022), MacBook Pro (13 inch, 2022).

    M2 Pro: The M2 Pro is the next step up from the M2. It has up to 12 cores in the CPU and up to a 19-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory. Apple claims performance is up to 20 percent faster than the 10-core M1 Pro and graphics are 30 percent faster. We recommend this chip for intermediate video and photo editors. It’s a marginal upgrade compared to the M1 Pro, but it’s the best option for those who want a more future-proof processor. You’ll find it in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from early 2023 and Mac Mini (2023).

    M2 Max: The M2 Max packs up to a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU (with support for up to 96 GB of unified memory). According to Apple, graphics are 30 percent faster than the M1 Max. The M2 Max is an excellent choice for those who work with graphics-intensive content, including graphic design, 3D modeling, and heavy-duty video footage. But as with the M2 Pro, it’s an incremental upgrade if you’re coming from an M1 Max. It’s available in the MacBook Pro (14 inch and 16 inch) that came out early in 2023 and Mac Studio (2023).

    M2 Ultra: This is the successor to the M1 Ultra, making it the most powerful of them all—even the latest M4 Max. It’s available on the second-generation Mac Studio and the Mac Pro (2023). Composed of two M2 Max chips, using Apple’s UltraFusion technology, the M2 Ultra has a 24-core CPU and a GPU configurable with 60 or 76 cores. Apple claims the CPU delivers up to 20 percent faster performance and a 30 percent faster GPU than the M1 Ultra. This is the chip to get if you’re working with extremely heavy-duty content that you believe the M1 Ultra, M2 Pro, or M2 Max simply won’t be able to handle. You’ll know if you need a chip this robust.

    M3 Series

    M3: The M3 is available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro (late 2023), 13-inch MacBook Air (2024), 15-inch MacBook Air (2024), and 24-inch iMac (2023). It packs an 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU with 24 gigabytes of unified memory. When compared to the M1, Apple claims CPU performance is up to 35 percent faster and GPU performance is up to 65 percent faster. The company says the CPU and GPU are both 20 percent faster than the M2. As with the M1 and M2, it’s great for basic tasks like word processing, sending emails, using spreadsheets, and light gaming. With the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, you also have support for two external displays (one display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz and another with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz).

    M3 Pro: With a 12-core CPU and an 18-core GPU, Apple claims the M3 Pro’s GPU is only up to 10 percent faster than the M2 Pro—making this a marginal upgrade from its predecessor. Compared to the M1 Pro, however, the M2 Pro is up to 40 percent faster in GPU performance and 20 percent faster in CPU performance. It’s available on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2023. It’s the ideal in-between for those who need a chip that’s more powerful than the M3 but won’t utilize the full power of the M3 Max.

    M3 Max: This is the next step up from the M2 Max and the most powerful of the three chips (but still not as powerful as the M2 Ultra). It has a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and up to 128 gigabytes of unified memory. According to Apple, the CPU performance is up to 80 percent faster than the M1 Max and up to 50 percent faster than the M2 Max. As for GPU performance, it’s said to be up to 50 percent faster than the M1 Max and 20 percent faster than the M2 Max. The M3 Max is available on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro (late 2023).

    M4 Series

    M4: The M4 is the newest entry-level chip that has a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. Apple claims it delivers 1.8 times faster CPU performance and 2.2 times faster GPU performance than the M1. Meanwhile, the neural engine is over three times faster than the original and twice as fast as the M3. It also starts with 16 GB of unified memory, which will help power Apple Intelligence (the company’s suite of artificial intelligence features) a lot more smoothly. It’s available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2024) and iMac (2024).

    M4 Pro: The M4 Pro has a 14-core CPU (which Apple claims it’s up to 1.9 times faster than the M1 Pro) and up to 20-core GPU, with up to 64 GB of unified mmory. Built on a second-generation three-nanometer process, it also supports features like mesh shading and ray tracing—the latter of which is now twice as fast than on M3 chips. You’ll find it on the latest MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) and Mac Mini (2024).

    M4 Max: This chip has a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU with support up to 128 GB of unfied memory. Apple says the CPU is up to 2.2 times faster than the M1 Max while the GPU is up to 1.9 times faster. As with the M4 Pro is packs support for mesh shading and ray tracing. Although the M2 Ultra is the most powerful chip of them all, it’s only available on the second-gen Mac Studio. The M4 Max is currently the most powerful chip you can get in a MacBook Pro. It’s available on the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

    Which Macs Support Apple Intelligence?

    With Apple’s latest operating system, macOS Sequoia, you’ll have access to Apple Intelligence—the company’s artificial intelligence features that are also available iOS and iPadOS 18. Apple recently launched the first set of features with MacOS Sequoia 15.1 including Writing Tools, an overhauled Siri, Smart Replies and Mail Summaries, and Clean Up in Photos. However, Apple Intelligence is exclusive to Macs with the an M-series chip. This includes the following:

    • MacBook Air (M1, M2, M3)
    • MacBook Pro (M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max)
    • iMac (M1, M3, M4)
    • Mac Mini (M1, M2, M2 Pro, M4, M4 Pro)
    • Mac Studio (M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 Max, M2 Ultra)

    Get AppleCare+ to Protect Your Devices

    None of Apple’s MacBooks are cheap, and replacement parts are nightmarishly expensive. Since the entire computer is fully integrated into Apple’s tightly designed aluminum chassis, you’re one coffee spill away from a shockingly large repair bill. This is why Apple’s AppleCare+ is worth it—starting at $100, AppleCare extends your factory warranty to three years, gives you matching telephone support, and throws in two accidental damage repairs as well. After paying a minimum $99 service fee, whatever you did to zap your shiny new Mac will be undone, and you’ll be back to hammering away on your keyboard.

    Take Advantage of Apple’s Education Discounts

    Apple always offers small discounts on hardware for students and teachers. All you need to do is purchase something through Apple’s Education Store, choose the product you want (you should see the discounted pricing), and go through the motions to place the order like normal. You don’t need to show any proof that you’re a student at the time of purchase, but you should be honest, as Apple can email you at a later date and ask for verification.

    Is Now a Good Time to Buy?

    For the most part, yes. Apple just released a new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by the latest M4 chips, so they’re fully up to date. The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air will likely receive the M4 treatment in the spring of 2025. But the M3 versions, which launched earlier this year, are still excellent.

    The Best for Most People

    Apple’s latest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) with M3 isn’t dramatically different from the MacBook Air with M2. It has the same boxy chassis (instead of the old wedge design), a 13.6-inch LCD screen (with a 60-Hz refresh rate and a max brightness of 500 nits), plus a notch that cuts into the display housing a 1080p webcam.

    It comes in the same four colors: Starlight, Midnight, Space Gray, and Silver. However, the Midnight color now has an anodization seal to reduce fingerprints, which works pretty well—you can still see smudges (especially in direct sunlight), but I didn’t find myself using a cloth to wipe it down as much as the Starlight version. It is easy to see dust in such a dark shade though.

    Apple kept the same port selection. There are two USB 4/Thunderbolt ports, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe port for charging. Speaking of, there’s support for fast charging if you purchase the 70-watt USB-C power adapter, which Apple claims can juice up the laptop up to 50 percent in 30 minutes (if you opt for one of the higher storage configurations, Apple will include it in your purchase). As for battery life, Apple claims the same 15 hours of wireless web browsing as its predecessor. In reality, I hit 29 percent after eight hours during the workday. It’s better than the M2-powered MacBook Air, which had to be plugged into the charger after the same amount of time, but it’s not a big leap ahead.

    Under the hood is Apple’s M3 chip. It offers a nice boost in performance over the original M1 processor—Apple says it’s up to 60 times faster, but it’s only 20 percent faster than the M2 chipset, so don’t upgrade if you have that model. With the M3, you get an 8-core CPU with the option to choose between an 8-core or 10-core GPU. I tested the model with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16 GB of unified memory. Performance was super smooth on standard workdays when I had apps like Slack, iMessage, Spotify, and Telegram running simultaneously, along with about 60 tabs open in Google Chrome.

    When I opened up about 10 more tabs, it started to struggle. Still, it wasn’t enough to trigger the infamous rainbow wheel or make me close any tabs or force-quit apps. I attribute this to the higher unified memory configuration. If it’s in your budget, I highly recommend opting for anything above the base 8 GB model for a smoother experience. However, it’s worth noting that as of October 2024, Apple has decided to equip the base MacBook Air with 16 GB of unified memory and brought the price down to the original 8 GB variant (which no longer exists). You’ll find the 8 GB model at third-party retailers, so be careful when shopping and try to avoid it.

    This MacBook Air now supports two external displays, with support for one display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz and another with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz. This is a welcome change since the M1 and M2 chipsets natively support only one monitor. There’s a caveat: You have to keep the MacBook Air closed. (Technically it still only supports two displays.) One of the external displays will go completely dark whenever you open the lid.

    The M3-powered Air is ideal for anyone who needs a reliable laptop for everyday tasks and a little more. If your workload is graphics-intensive, I suggest snagging one of the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro models below.

    If You Want a Bigger Screen

    The 15-inch MacBook Air is the first large-screen option within the Air lineup. You finally don’t need to splurge on a 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro just to get a big screen. It packs all the same features as its smaller sibling (see above) and remains thin and lightweight at 3.3 pounds—around a half-pound heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air and slightly lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro. It supports Wi-Fi 6E connectivity for download speeds that are twice as fast as its predecessor, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6E router to take advantage.

    Unlike the smaller MacBook Air, the base model has a 10-core GPU instead of the 8-core GPU. Apple sent me the 15-inch MacBook Air with 16 GB of memory, and it handled 41 Chrome tabs, three separate windows, and multiple apps without any hiccups. As usual, I recommend upgrading to at least 16 GB of unified memory, which ensures the machine won’t sputter when you push it with dozens of browser tabs and apps running simultaneously. As with the 13-inch model, it’s worth noting the base model M2 and M3-powered MacBook Air now comes with 16 GB of unified memory instead of 8 GB (starting at $999). If you’re buying it through Apple, you won’t have to worry about anything; for third-party retailers, make sure you opt for the 16-GB version.

    One other difference is the speaker system. The quad-speakers on the 13-inch MacBook Air are upgraded here to a six-speaker system, which includes two tweeters and two sets of force-canceling woofers. The difference is noticeable. It delivers better sound clarity, and I don’t have to crank it to max volume whenever I watch a movie. Battery life is also better. Apple claims the 13-inch and 15-inch have up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, but I saw better results with the larger MacBook. I’d have to plug in the 13-inch MacBook after seven or eight hours of use, but the 15 incher hit 54 percent after the same amount of time with similar workloads.

    I generally never felt the need to connect this 15-inch laptop to an external monitor, which was more of a necessity with the 13-inch MacBook Air. If you find these smaller screens to be a little too cramped, then go for the 15-inch MacBook Air.

    For Power-Hungry Port Lovers

    This is the latest version of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, powered by Apple’s entire lineup of M4 chips. In addition to the M4 Pro and M4 Max, you can once again configure the 14-inch model with the entry-level M4 chip (as you could with the M3 version). The 16-inch can be paired with the M4 Pro or M4 Max.

    It retains many of the same features as its predecessor, including a Mini-LED screen, 120-Hz refresh rate, 1080p webcam, and a six-speaker sound system. But now, for an additional $150, you can add nano-texture glass on all configurations. It’s helpful if you work outdoors or by a window and want to reduce glare. The 12-megapixel camera also comes with Center Stage. Previously only available on iPads and Apple’s Apple’s Studio Display, this feature keeps you in frame during video calls.

    It has more ports than before. The base MacBook Pro now comes with three USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 (that’s one extra port than on the M3 version), while the M4 Pro or M4 Max models come with three USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports—which means you’ll get faster data transfer speeds. All still come with an HDMI out, an SD card slot, a high-impedance headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging port. You also get support for Wi-Fi 6E along with Bluetooth 5.3.

    Apple finally upgraded the memory on the base models to 16 gigabytes. In the past, we always recommended it over 8 GB to ensure the smoothest experience while multitasking, so it’s nice to see the company nix it completely. This increase in RAM will also help to create a better experience with Apple Intelligence, available with MacOS Sequoia 15.1. The artificial intelligence features are available on all M-series Macs, giving you access to various features like Writing Tools, an overhauled Siri, and Smart Reply in Messages.

    These models are more or less spec bumps, with few hardware upgrades. We still have to put both models through their paces to see just how powerful the new M4 chips are, but as always, they’re only a worthy upgrade if you’re looking to invest in your first MacBook Pro or are coming from a much older model. Stay tuned for our review.

    The Cheapest MacBook

    The MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) from 2020 with the original M1 chip is still a pretty powerful laptop for the money (especially since the price has come down since its launch). My unit is still going strong despite daily, rigorous use. It’s not the snazziest Apple laptop, but it lasts more than a full workday, with the battery hitting 22 percent after I ran it almost nonstop from 9 am to 7 pm using Safari and work apps like Slack. (I had to plug in the old Intel model by 4 pm.)

    Unlike older MacBooks you might still find available with Intel chips, this one can instantly wake up from sleep whenever you tap the keyboard or trackpad or lift the screen, just like when you tap your iPhone or iPad to wake it up. There’s no fan here, so it remains whisper-quiet even under the heaviest loads. There is a thermal heat spreader to dissipate heat and it never gets too warm.

    You can only buy the base model with 8 GB of unified memory and 256 GB of storage, which should be sufficient for general-purpose tasks. Just keep in mind that while this M1 chip supports Apple Intelligence, it may struggle with some tasks due to the limited memory. Also, if you push it with too many browser tabs and apps running simultaneously, you may run into some slowdowns. Other downsides? The 720p webcam isn’t great. and the M1 only supports one external monitor.

    Other Good MacBooks

    Apple releases new MacBooks at a quick pace so you might feel inclined to buy the latest and greatest. These slightly older models are still good options, as long as you find them on sale for the right price. Apple no longer sells them directly (aside from the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Air), but we recommend checking third-party retailers (like Amazon, Best Buy, or B&H). Just cross-check the price with the latest models and make sure you’re spending less.

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    • MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch, Late 2023): The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are powered by the M3 series chips. You can configure the 14-inch MacBook Pro with all three while the 16-inch version can be paired with M3 Pro and M3 Max. The M3 is ideal if you want a few of the “Pro” features but don’t want to spend nearly $2,000 to get it, while the M3 Pro or M3 Max are great for tasks like editing 4K videos, rendering 3D models in CAD, and producing music.
    • MacBook Air (15-inch, 2023): The 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) packs all the same features as the 13-inch version, plus a larger screen. The M2 also offers great performance and good battery life (we squeezed about 10 hours out of it). Try to find it for around $999 or less.
    • MacBook Air (13-inch, 2022): The 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is still a nice laptop. The M2 chip delivers smooth performance for everyday tasks (like writing emails, creating spreadsheets, web browsing, and streaming content) and solid battery life (we reached about eight hours before having to plug it in). You’ll also get a bigger and brighter display (13.6 inches), a 1080p webcam, and MagSafe charging. Apple still sells the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Air for a reduced price of $999 (down from $1,099), and it even comes with 16 GB of unified memory.
    • MacBook Pro (13 Inch, 2022): This is the best option if you want the Touch Bar at the top of the keyboard since it’s the last model to come equipped with one. Under the hood is an M2 chip, which performed fairly well in our tests but did feel sluggish at times—the laptop stuttered a bit while editing video footage and photos. But unlike the MacBook Air, it has a fan, which allows it to eke out more power over a longer period. It’s helpful if you’re working on pro-level tasks but can’t spend the premium that Apple charges for its bigger Pro models. We only recommend it if you can find it for $1,000 or less.
    • MacBook Pro (14 Inch and 16 Inch, Early 2023): If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on the latest 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends), the M2 Pro and M2 Max (which launched early in 2023) are more than capable for handling intensive, graphically demanding production work. In our testing, both the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max delivered smooth performance and playback after being put through stress tests (like editing 4K and RED Raw footage, as well as adding 3D effects). We recommend only snagging this one for around $1,800 or less.
    • MacBook Pro (14 Inch and 16 Inch, 2021): These MacBooks (8/10, WIRED Recommends), powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max, were the start of a new era for Apple’s high-end machines. The company introduced a redesigned chassis with more ports, a 120-Hz refresh rate, and a MagSafe port. Even though these launched in late 2021, you don’t have to steer clear of them—both processors are still plenty powerful. In our testing, we found the M1 Max felt one-to-one with the $6,000+ older Mac Pro. It didn’t struggle at all while editing heavy-duty footage. However, it’s growing increasingly tough to find in stock at third-party retailers. If you do manage to find one, we suggest only purchasing it if it’s on sale for around $1,500 or less.

    What About Older MacBooks?

    We recommend only buying an M-series MacBook. Older MacBooks with Intel chips and butterfly keyboards are simply not worth the price and will not be supported for much longer.

    Brenda Stolyar

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  • COVID money countdown: Schools exhaust pandemic aid as federal help winds down

    COVID money countdown: Schools exhaust pandemic aid as federal help winds down

    This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

    Over the last three years, an influx of pandemic aid has been transformative for many schools.

    Some were able to hire social workers or give every child a laptop for the first time. Others fixed up old buildings, tutored struggling students, or revamped summer school programs.

    But that era is quickly drawing to a close. And this month marks an important stop on the way toward the end of COVID relief.

    Schools have to say by the end of this month how they plan to spend the last of their $123 billion from the American Rescue Plan, the third and final batch of schools’ COVID aid from the federal government. Then they have until Jan. 28, 2025 to spend the money.

    The deadline at the end of September matters a lot: Schools that have any money not earmarked by then could eventually have to return the funds to the federal government. And some states have said they are concerned that schools may be at risk of not meeting that deadline.

    Schools can seek an extension to spend their remaining aid until March 2026. But that won’t give them more time to officially decide how to use it — leaving some scrambling to come up with a plan before the deadline in 11 days.

    “We have been in contact, in many cases multiple times, with districts and charters to remind them of their responsibility to obligate these funds,” Tom Horne, Arizona’s state superintendent, said in a news release earlier this week. “Most are showing the ability to do this, but a number of them are at great risk of reverting funds.”

    Some Arizona school districts or charter schools had yet to commit any of their funds to a specific purpose, Horne said, and many others have earmarked only a fraction of their aid.

    Michigan said it expected some federal aid would be returned by schools, but noted it had left less than 1% of the first two aid packages on the table.

    “We do anticipate that some school districts and subgrantees will not be able to obligate funds by the end of the month and may revert funds back to the federal government,” Jeremy Meyer, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Education, told Chalkbeat in an email.

    Still, federal officials told reporters on Thursday they were confident that little if any money was at risk of being returned by schools. Schools across the country have already spent and been reimbursed for 87% of their American Rescue Plan dollars, officials said. Much of the remaining money has been spent, too, but hasn’t yet shown up on spending trackers due to record-keeping lags.

    Schools can’t use the aid to pay staff salaries after this month. But they can continue using it to do things like pay tutors to work with their students, finish up a construction project, or contract with a community organization to help with attendance outreach.

    Federal officials have said they would look especially favorably on applications to spend the money beyond the usual timeline on Biden administration priorities, such as intensive tutoring, efforts to boost attendance, and extra instructional time.

    Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Puerto Rico have already applied for and received spending extensions on behalf of some districts and schools. These extensions cover some $1.1 billion in aid, federal officials said.

    Several other states, including Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., told Chalkbeat that they intended to apply for spending extensions in the coming weeks or months.

    Nationwide, schools have already spent about $1.5 billion beyond original deadlines after getting extensions on their first two aid packages, federal officials said.

    Schools have struggled for a number of reasons to spend down their pandemic aid, though often not for lack of need.

    Construction delays held up spending in Mississippi, where schools spent a large share of aid on building projects. Meanwhile, supply-chain issues slowed spending in Tennessee and Illinois.

    In Colorado, some schools had trouble filling certain educator positions amidst national shortages, or they planned to hire a company to provide training and were still waiting for that service to come through, Meyer wrote.

    In other cases, not as many students or staff showed up to certain activities like summer school or after-school programs as originally anticipated, so they ended up costing less than expected.

    Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education.

    Related:
    Federal COVID relief dollars improved student test scores, two new studies find
    As COVID relief spending deadlines loom, one district moves ahead with an uncommon tech plan
    For more news on pandemic aid, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat

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  • The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    Image: Gizmodo Staff

    Who has time for summertime sadness when there are new gadget releases to check out? This month, we got an update on the Insta360 GO and a new mini-LED QLED from Sony. We also went hands-on with the ROG Ally X, which boasts a bigger battery than the Steam Deck. These waterproof JBL speakers are affordable and perfect for going out on the boat, bike, or wherever blasting music is somewhat socially acceptable. Here’s what we loved in June 2024.

    Vizio’s Latest TVs Go All Quantum

    Insta 360 GO 3S

    A photo of a cat with a collar sporting an Insta360 GO 3S camera.

    Image: Insta360

    The $400 Insta360 Go 3S isn’t just an action camera for pets, but why would you use it for anything else? This is the update to last year’s GO 3 with up to 4K shooting at 30 fps—up from a maximum of 2.7K on the regular GO 3—so there’s less distortion as you move. The GO 3S has a wider lens than the regular GO 3—16mm compared to the previous GO’s 11mm—which helps cut down on edge distortion.

    Samsung Odyssey OLED G8

    Image for article titled The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

    The $1,300 4K Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 brings all the saturation and vividness of the brand’s smartphones to your gaming experience on a PC or console with a 240Hz maximum refresh rate. If that isn’t enough, the Odyssey will let you stream all your favorite apps and games without a console.

    ROG Ally X

    Image for article titled The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

    The $800 ROG Ally X launched this month, barely a year after its predecessor hit the scene. But it’s already boasting more promising battery life and performance due to its bigger battery pack and increased memory offering. The chassis has also been redesigned to be more comfortable for long-term gaming sessions.

    Asus ProArt Laptops

    Image for article titled The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

    Asus’s new ProArt laptops are two-in-one devices with AMD and Qualcomm chips. They are part of the Microsoft Co-Pilot+ rollout, but at least they seem more promising than the other manufacturers’ AI-first PCs. The base ProArt P16 laptop is basically an ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop in a thinner, tote-able chassis.

    Sony Bravia 7 Mini-LED QLED 4K TV

    Image for article titled The Best Gadgets of June 2024

    Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

    Sony TVs continue to be compelling buys. The $2,000 65-inch Sony Bravia 7 doesn’t stand out from the other QLEDs’ designs, but its HDR colors are bright and beautiful for watching content. The only caveat is that you need to ensure you don’t have any direct light shining toward the TV since it tends to produce glare.

    JBL Clip 5 and Go 4

    photo of jbl clip 5

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    Summertime is the perfect time to invest in a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, especially if you’re heading somewhere where you can enjoy listening to music. The JBL Clip 5 and Go 4 each weigh less than one pound, which makes toting them around in a backpack or beach bag an easy sell. They’re $80 and $50, respectively.

    Florence Ion

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  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Review: Great Build but Underwhelming Performance

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Review: Great Build but Underwhelming Performance

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12

    Impressive portability but lacks power.

    For $2700, the X1 seriously lacks performance. Unfortunately, the Ultra 7 chip did fail to keep up with the completion. You’d be amazed at its portability and gorgeous display, but it’s not easy to ignore the power you’re getting for such a big price.

    Pros

    Long battery life

    Generous array of ports

    A bright, sharp display with a lot of detail

    Excellent form factor

    Cons

    Disappointing performance for the price

    Keyboard feels a bit cramped

    Hands-on: Lenovo Legion Go

    Lenovo’s ThinkPad series is meant for serious business. They’re not as flashy and pretty as its Yoga line or as heavy and gaming-focused as its Legion line. ThinkPads are hardcore in terms of specs and quite boring regarding aesthetics. They’re made for professionals and are best known for their portability.

    The ThinkPad X1 series is famous for its slim form factor, like the ThinkPad X1 Nano, and a durable but lightweight build. Lenovo sent us their latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, released in December 2023. The configuration sent to us retails for a whopping $2700.

    The design and build are all great, and the battery life is impressive, too, but I obviously can’t skip past how little we’re getting in terms of power. You would expect an expensive laptop to be a total powerhouse, but not here.

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Design

    You can tell it’s only meant for work.

    Don’t expect an aesthetically pleasing body on the X1. It’s fully matte, and the no-frills build may underwhelm you, but that’s just a ThinkPad thing. The build’s great because it’s incredibly light and slim. Weighing just 2.8 lbs and measuring around 0.6 inches, the X1 is pretty portable. I carried it to and from work in my small tote bag for a few days and didn’t feel it weighing me down.

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    The ports attest to how this laptop is designed with business in mind. There’s a pretty generous set of ports on both sides, with even a SIM card slot being offered from Spring 2024. Though we didn’t get to test it out, our review unit sported a sim slot, too. You also get a nice old Kensington lock slot, which a lot of laptops don’t feature anymore, an HDMI port, one Type-A and two Type-C ports, and a power port. The power button is also found on the side with all the ports. I guess the keyboard didn’t have enough room for it because it does seem a bit cramped.

    A photo of the ports on the right hand side of the X1.

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Keyboard and Trackpad

    The keyboard feels a bit cramped in some places

    The keyboard on the X1 is pretty snappy, and there’s a fair level of sound and travel feedback on it, which feels nice. The bright red trackpoint stands out in a pool of matte black keys, and while some may find it outdated, I believe this is as ‘ThinkPad-core’ as it can get. The only issue is that the arrow keys feel cramped. I wouldn’t say the keyboard is stuffy enough to be a deal breaker, but I’m still going to be a little extra critical about it because this is a productivity-focused machine.

    A photo of the arrow keys on the X1.

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    Another feature that left me feeling a little underwhelmed is the keyboard backlighting. It has two brightness settings, which were quite dim, even in the brighter one. I tried it out with my room’s light off, and it was post-sunset, so it was completely dark. While I could make out the keys, it wasn’t bright enough to fulfill my needs. If my work setup looks like that someday, I’d probably have to turn a small lamp on, too.

    A photo of the backlighting on the X1's keyboard.

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    I like that the trackpad has a firm feel and enough real estate. But it was way too matte to be comfortable. Scrolling up with two fingers—because there were usually nails involved—felt like I was scratching a chalkboard, and we all know how that feels. I didn’t have to look very closely to notice that the slightest use of nails was leaving visible scratches on the trackpad, too. I had to rub them with my forefinger for a few seconds to get rid of them.

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Performance

    Underwhelming performance, especially for the price

    The X1 is available in two configurations: 32GB and 1TB for $2700, which was sent to us, and 16GB and 512GB for $2300.

    Considering its steep price, I expected a lot more power from this laptop. But unfortunately, the Intel Core Ultra 7 fell short. I ran the Geekbench 6 on it, and the results were surprisingly low. I had to run it multiple times to make sure what I see is accurate. I got a 1511 on the single-core CPU test. Compare this to the M3 MacBook Pro’s score of 3129; it’s a shame, considering the MacBook Pro is much cheaper—$1600—too.

    The only good thing about the performance of the X1 is its battery life. Lenovo promises an ‘all-day battery life’ and means it. I have used this laptop for several hours over the past four days and haven’t even used the charger once.

    Though the fingerprint reader is uncomfortable and so stuffed that I almost didn’t notice it at first, I’m glad it’s there. There’s also a privacy shutter, so you’re pretty sorted security-wise.

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 Display

    Brilliant detail and contrast

    The 14-inch OLED display on this device is one of the best I’ve come across. It features the blackest of blacks and the whitest of whites, creating the kind of striking contrasts that are a treat to watch. You get a 120 Hz 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution with incredible detail. I was almost distracted by the level of intricate detail and got carried away noticing the things I usually wouldn’t see in a video. The colors look vibrant with 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

    A photo of the display on the X1.

    Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

    You also get all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a display on a $2000+ laptop. There’s anti-glare, anti-reflection, and anti-smudge technology. There’s also low blue light tech for eye safety. The screen maxes out at 400 nits, which is enough brightness for me to thoroughly enjoy content right next to my big, bright bedroom window.

    Verdict

    The price seriously confuses me.

    I can’t see spending over two grand on a laptop with an underwhelming performance. Even though I’m a fan of the build and form factor, the battery life is excellent, too, and so is the port spec; what’s the point if it lacks power? A more reasonable price tag might have convinced me, but for what the X1 currently costs, there are far cheaper and more powerful options on the market.

    Dua Rashid

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  • Lenovo’s Project Crystal is the world’s first laptop with a transparent microLED display

    Lenovo’s Project Crystal is the world’s first laptop with a transparent microLED display

    It’s not often you encounter a device that looks like it came straight out of a movie set. But Lenovo’s Project Crystal, supposedly the world’s first laptop with a transparent microLED display, is an example of sci-fi come to life.

    Currently there are no plans to turn Project Crystal into a retail product. Instead Lenovo’s latest concept device was commissioned by its ThinkPad division to explore the potential of transparent microLED panels and AI integration. The most obvious use case would be sharing info somewhere, like a doctor’s office or a hotel desk. Instead of needing to flip a screen around, you could simply reverse the display via software, allowing anyone on the other side to see it while getting an in-depth explanation.

    When combined with the camera built into the rear of the system, Lenovo says there could be possible AR applications. One example would be to use the camera to identify an object, similar to Google Lens. And with its transparent display, it should be possible to take that idea a step further by overlaying a diagram or schematic on top of the object for things like troubleshooting or repair.

    But the best thing about Project Crystal, is that Lenovo bothered making it at all. Currently, even standard microLED displays are extremely expensive with those panels typically reserved for cutting-edge gadgets like Samsung’s The Wall or Apple’s Vision Pro. And, see-through versions have only been seen as concepts like on the transparent microLED TV Samsung showed off a couple of months ago at CES 2024.

    1 / 13

    In person, the transparency effect is bewildering. When closed or when its display is off, Project Crystal’s screen almost looks like an ordinary piece of glass with a slight brownish tint. But at a moment’s notice the whole thing lights up like a battleship. Nominal brightness goes all the way up to 1,000 nits, with Lenovo saying peaks can go as high as 3,000 nits, which would make it brighter than the new Galaxy S24 family. And despite being made of multiple layers, the panel is extremely thin, which helps blur the line being the digital and analog worlds. Lenovo says it’s also considering adding some sort of contrast layer, so it can turn into a traditional opaque display at the touch of a button. However, for a relatively large 16-inch display, its resolution isn’t super high, so if you look closely you can see individual pixels.

    Another design twist is that instead of a traditional keyboard, Project Crystal features one of Lenovo’s touch-based replacements similar to those on older Yoga Books. Unfortunately, it still suffers from a lot of the same issues. The most obvious example of this is that your hands drift while typing because there’s no tactile feedback, which leads to decreased accuracy. Lenovo says AI may be able to address that in the future by learning a person’s typing habits and then using that info to account for your hands straying from the home row. But right now, it’s still a problem.

    While there may not be a ton of important use cases for a transparent display, the tech is rather stunning in person.

    Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

    The rest of the laptop is very much a work in progress, too. I only saw two ports on the entire system which would be a major faux pas for a notebook this big. Project Crystal is also based on a last-gen CPU, while other components like its hinge was so weak that its screen threatened to close anytime it tilted below 90 degrees. And for some reason, the laptop seemed to build up a static charge, as it sometimes shocked people who touched its display.

    Project Crystal is a solution in search of a problem. A problem that does exist in niche situations and may be an issue worth tackling more seriously down the line. But more importantly, it’s challenging us to think about what is possible with emerging display technology and how it might fit into a laptop of the future.

    Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2024 right here!

    Sam Rutherford

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  • First Look: Lenovo’s Transparent Laptop

    First Look: Lenovo’s Transparent Laptop

    I did not have Lenovo rolling out the red carpet for see-through laptops on my bingo card, but here we are. I saw the ThinkBook transparent display concept laptop in person a few weeks ago. I didn’t get to do much with it besides touching it, though I did get to sit there and imagine devices soon looking like they did in the six-season run of The Expanse. Lenovo’s ThinkBook is not it, however, and you’ll want to keep reminding yourself this is conceptual when you look at my photos in a bit.

    Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 Hands On

    Lenovo also revealed details about other laptop updates at Mobile World Congress, or MWC, the international trade show where it’s debuting all these new devices. In addition to several updates coming to the ThinkPad line, Lenovo announced its laptops are getting easier to repair.

    The transparent Lenovo ThinkBook feels like a prototype in its current state.
    Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo

    Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop

    Lenovo announced a new concept device called the Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop. It’s a 17.3-inch notebook with a transparent Micro-LED display and a projected transparent keyboard on the bottom. There’s a length-wide trackpad embedded for pinching and scrolling, as well as the requisite connection ports. There’s even a rear-facing camera at the bottom on the backside, which helps with scanning people and objects so that you can interact with them on the see-through display.

    A photo of the virtual keys on the transparent Lenovo ThinkBook

    Though it worked fine during the demonstration, I’m not a fan of the touch-typing experience on a laptop.
    Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo

    The ThinkBook is a proof-of-concept laptop, so while there were ports on the chassis and software installed on the unit, it’s not the end-all, be-all of what Lenovo’s planning with this form factor. What I saw worked—it ran Windows 11 and even fired off a few AI queries, though it took a few tries to do so successfully. But it still seems so far from what people want to do with a transparent laptop display. The projected keyboard is a huge turn-off.

    I stood behind the see-through laptop while showcasing a video. The image was mirrored on the other side, and I could read most of what was on screen despite it being backward. In the wrong environment, I see that being an issue for someone less tech-savvy who leaves all program windows open even when presenting quarterly results.

    A photo showing what AI does on the see-through Lenovo laptop

    The transparent Lenovo ThinkBook has AI integrated into it to do neat-looking and almost practical things with the interface. This is supposed to be a digital butterfly perched on the flower’s petal.
    Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo

    I’m also still scratching my head about the embedded rear-pointed camera. The demonstration showed a digital butterfly attempting to land softly on what the laptop had determined was a physical vase with a flower in the middle. Cool. I could see the attempt—the butterfly managed to barely grace the petal as it found a place to rest—though it wasn’t resonating enough to transport me into the vision of the future.

    This laptop doesn’t exist outside of Lenovo’s test labs. At least this way, the company can proclaim it was among the first to think of laptops using this technology. However, there is still so much more polishing before a transparent laptop is as enticing as a transparent TV in the living room.

    Real Lenovo laptops you can buy soon

    A photo of the ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2

    The ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 is a tablet and laptop.
    Image: Lenovo

    Lenovo did update models in its ThinkBook and ThinkPad lineups, and you’ll be able to purchase these very soon. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, ThinkPad T14s Gen 5, ThinkPad T16 Gen 3, ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2, and ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 are all getting essential updates. All models will be available with updated Intel processors and general improvements in power efficiency and AI handling. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 and T16 Gen 3 are also available with AMD Ryzen chips and graphic processing. These two laptops will have up to 2.8K OLED panels for the 14-inch T14 Gen 5 and up to 4K OLED on the 16-inch T16 Gen 3. The ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 is another 14-inch device with up to a 2.8K OLED display, though this model offers no AMD.

    The ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 is a two-in-one device, not to be confused with the actual ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 that’s getting reprised this season. The Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 has a fully detachable display with a 3:2 ratio, so it’s more a tablet than a laptop. The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 is more for on-the-go laptop users who occasionally want to swivel to hide their keyboard. Both devices also get the standard bump-up in specifications, including new Intel processors and up to 32GB of RAM. They’re also getting the new TrackPoint Quick Menu shortcuts, which allow you to cut off microphone and camera access with a button’s (double) touch.

    The last thing to note about Lenovo’s MWC announcements is that the company wants to be known for its repairability—it’s all the rage right now with the discussion of the right to repair. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 and T16 Gen 3 have been reconfigured internally to be easier to fix. In collaboration with iFixit, Lenovo “created new repair guides including video procedures for all CRU parts as well as making those parts easier to order,” according to the press release. The laptops mentioned both have a repairability score of 9.3/10.

    The Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 will be available next month at $1,170. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, ThinkPad T14s Gen 5, ThinkPad T16 Gen 3, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 2 will all be available in April 2024 at a starting price of $1,200. The Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop will never be available because it’s still a proof of concept.

    Florence Ion

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  • Work and Play With This Refurbished Microsoft Surface Laptop, Now Only $425.99 | Entrepreneur

    Work and Play With This Refurbished Microsoft Surface Laptop, Now Only $425.99 | Entrepreneur

    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Do you own a refurbished device? According to Statista, the refurbished market will reach a value of 11.8 billion dollars by the year 2031. If you haven’t realized the perks of purchasing refurbished electronics, it’s time to check them out: they offer much more affordable prices and help out the environment by preventing e-waste. And when you’re trying to cut costs as a scrappy entrepreneur, they’re an excellent option for either yourself or your employees.

    If you’re in the market for a laptop that lets you multitask the day away, you can currently take advantage of a great deal on a refurbished matte black 13.5″ Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 right here. It’s available for just $425.99 (reg. $844) for a limited time.

    Tackle your busy work day with some help from the compact, but mighty Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. This sleek matte black device is equipped with a generous 13.5″ screen with Pixelsense touchscreen capabilities. And it’s been packed with a powerful 10th Generation 1.2GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, which allows for enhanced streaming and quicker multitasking speed.

    A 256GB SSD offers tons of storage space, so you can house your most important files right there on your device and save money on expensive cloud storage services and hard drives. You’ll also enjoy an HD camera and studio-quality microphone so you can stay connected for work purposes, as well as with friends and family. You can do it all without being tethered to an electrical outlet, as it offers 11.5 hours of battery life on a single charge. And you’ll have peace of mind — this particular model hails from 2019, and it’s factory remanufactured, which means it’s been tested and checked to operate like it would if it were brand-new.

    Tackle work and play with a refurbished Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 for only $425.99 (reg. $844) right here for a limited time.

    Prices subject to change.

    Entrepreneur Store

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