Search the Community

System76 unveils the Galago Pro ultraportable laptop starting at $999 by Paul Hill System76, an OEM that’s focused on open-source computing, has announced the availability of the refreshed Galago Pro ultraportable laptop. The Galago Pro includes the latest 13th Gen Intel H-class CPUs, integrated Intel graphics, and a 144Hz screen. The company is pitching the Galago Pro to developers, students, and professionals who need a powerful computer but are always on the move. System76 believes this laptop will be a “top contender” in the ultraportable laptop market and the price reflects that, starting at $999. “The Galago Pro moving to H class CPU is a pretty big move,” said Benjamin Shpurker, Product Manager. “H class without NVIDIA has been desired for quite a while! So we're thrilled to be able to offer this.” The full specifications of the Galago Pro are as follows: Operating System Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Firmware System76 Open Firmware (coreboot, EDK2, System76 Firmware Apps) System76 Open Source Embedded Controller Firmware Processor 13th Gen Intel® Core i5-13500H: Up to 4.7 GHz - 18MB Cache - 4 P-Cores - 8 E-Cores 13th Gen Intel® Core i7-13700H: Up to 5.0 GHz - 24MB Cache - 6 P-Cores - 8 E-Cores Display 14.1″ 1920×1080 FHD, Matte Finish, 144Hz Graphics Intel® Iris Xe Graphics Memory Up to 64GB dual-channel DDR4 @ 3200MHz Storage 1 × M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe. Up to 4TB total. Expansion 1 × Thunderbolt™ 4, 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, SD Card Reader Input Multitouch Clickpad, Backlit Chiclet US QWERTY Keyboard Networking Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Video Ports HDMI, Thunderbolt 4 Audio Stereo Speakers, 1× Headphone/Microphone Combo Camera 720p HD Webcam Security Kensington® Lock Battery Li-Ion - 53 Wh Charger 90 Watts, AC-in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC-out 19V, 4.74A 90W+ USB Type-C Charging Compatible Dimensions 12.79″ × 8.86″ × 0.72″ (32.49 × 22.50 × 1.82cm) Weight 3.2 lbs (1.45kg) Base weight. Varies on configuration. Model galp7 Some other interesting aspects of the Galago Pro are its glare-resistant display and the inclusion of customizable keyboard LEDs via the System76 Keyboard Configurator app. The company also said it will help you extend the life of your new Galago Pro by providing repair guides, replacement parts, lifetime support, and firmware updates. To design and buy a Galago Pro from System76, just head over to the company’s website and press Design + Buy.

This giant laptop weighs 45 kilos and has a 43-inch display by Aditya Tiwari Source: Evan and Katelyn If you think 17-inch laptops are big enough, then you are about to see the mother of big-screen laptops - a 43-inch one. Yes, you read that correctly. YouTube channel Evan and Katelyn showed the muscle to work on this rather impractical project and achieved success. The custom laptop is powered by an Intel NUC 11 mini computer and has a 43-inch screen packed inside a wooden chassis along with other electronics. However, the duo also spent time designing a metal support structure and a hinge that's strong enough to lift and hold the gigantic screen in place while you are using the laptop. Let's not talk about the screen falling on our fingers. Speaking of the size, the laptop looks so big that even the giant Redragon K605 mechanical keyboard gets dwarfed when installed on it. And the touchpad is almost the size of a tablet computer. The cherry on the cake is the LED accent lights that do a great job of enhancing the visual appeal of the gigantic machine. For reference, one of the biggest laptops in the world is the Acer Predator 21X which comes with a 21-inch display panel and around 8 KG. Another surprise here is that the final build of the custom laptop weighs a whopping 45.3 KG (100 pounds). The duo, in their own words, call it the world's biggest laptop. However, any recognized organization, like the Guinness World Records, is yet to validate the claims. Evan and Katelyn have also made sure the laptop can run when a power source is not nearby. For that, they have installed two 150W batteries (each having 167Wh capacity) to power the NUC and screen, and a smaller battery for the LED lights. The duo also 3D-printed custom brackets to hold the batteries and other components so they don't slide inside the chassis when moved. Via Gizmodo

CES 2023: Acer unveils new Aspire All-in-one desktops and notebooks, plus a smart speaker by Justin Luna Today at CES 2023, Acer introduced refreshed models of its Aspire all-in-ones (AiOs) and laptops, which the tech giant hopes will support the day-to-day productivity and entertainment needs of families. Aspire Aspire S AiOs The Acer Aspire S 27-inch model features 12th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Intel Iris Xe graphics. The 32-inch model, on the other hand, comes with up to 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700 desktop processors and Intel Arc A-Series graphics. Both models support Wi-Fi 6E, sport an aluminum chassis and a near-borderless WQHD tiltable display. Its dual speakers feature DTS audio. Users can also conduct video calls through the magnetically mounted 1080p webcam or an optional 1440p QHD webcam. What's more, the AiOs include Acer EyeSense facial recognition software and a Windows Hello fingerprint reader for passwordless logins. The 27-inch Aspire S will be available in North America in the first quarter of 2022 starting at $1,199.99, and in Europe in January starting at €1199. Meanwhile, the 32-inch model will be available in North America in the first quarter of this year starting at $1,699.99 and in Europe in June starting at €1,799. Aspire 5 laptops Acer's new Aspire 5 laptops feature the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and come with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 GPUs, ideal for those doing heavy workloads. The Aspire 5 laptops also come with up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and up to a 1TB SSD. The 15-inch variant sports a QHD display and a 16:9 aspect ratio, while the 14-inch version has a 1080p IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. What's more, the laptops are equipped with a 1080p webcam and digital microphones that utilize Acer's Temporal Noise Reduction technology for clear video calls. Lastly, the Aspire 5 laptops have a "TwinAir" cooling system and an air inlet keyboard to keep the laptop cool. The 14-inch Aspire 5 laptop will be available in North America in March starting at $549.99. Those in Europe and China will get it in March starting at €799 and RMB4,099, respectively. The 15-inch variant will be available in North America in April starting at $599.99, in Europe in March starting at €799, and in China in March starting at RMB4,099. There will also be a 17-inch model, which will be only available in North America in April starting at $699.99. Aspire 3 laptops Marketed as budget-friendly devices, the Acer Aspire 3 laptops feature Intel Core i3-N series processors. They have a 1080p display and a metal casing, and are equipped with a USB Type-C port, HDMI 2.1 ports and Wi-Fi 6E. Acer claims that the laptops' thermal systems boast a 40% increase in fan surface area and an additional 17% thermal capacity for optimized airflow and cooler internals. The Aspire 3's 14-inch model will be available in North America in March starting at $499 and in Europe this month starting at €549. Its 15-inch sibling is also expected in North America this March starting at $349 and in Europe this month starting at €499. A 17-inch model will also be available in North America in March starting at $379.99 and in Europe next month for €599. Acer Halo Swing Portable Smart Speaker Aside from its AiOs and laptops, Acer also unveiled the Halo Swing, a smart speaker with an RGB-lit base that responds to the beat of the music being played. The base also changes colors when you are interacting with Google Assistant. The speaker even has an LED dot display panel, which shows you important updates, such as mail, calendars, reminders, and messages. Finally, the Acer Halo Swing is IPX5 water-resistant and comes with a detachable leather strap. Acer has yet to reveal the availability of the speaker. As for its price, the device will cost $229 or €199 in Central Europe.

I have a 4½ year old MacBook Pro 15″ and before then I had a 5 year [now 9½ year] old System76 17.3″. Keen to buy a new laptop now, for machine-learning and other tasks. So I'm thinking: 17.3″ 4K monitor 32GB of RAM [DDR5 @ 4800 MHz]; decent CPU (Intel i7-12700H?); and a 1TB SSD (PCIe Gen4 Up to Seq Read: 7,000 MB/s, Seq Write: 5,000 MB/s) Was going to buy from System76 but their screen is only full HD, and if I'm going to have my next laptop for roughly 5 years it should be reasonably future-proofed… I've had a Dell before and their Alienware x17 R2 looks decent… though I would prefer to go with a non-proprietary company like System76. Any suggestions on who to go with? Thanks

Apple's new M2 Pro- and M2 Max-powered MacBook Pros could release in early 2023 by Justin Luna Apple is not planning to release any new Macs before this year ends, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. While Apple originally aimed to release new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros as early as this fall, the company now plans to announce them the first quarter of 2023. This will coincide with the release of macOS Ventura 13.3 and iOS 16.3. The new MacBook Pros will not see any cosmetic changes from the current 2021 models but will sport new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. The M2 Max will have 12 CPU cores, up from 10, and have its top graphics option increase from 32 cores to 38. "Apple has rarely launched new products in January or February during recent years, so I’d expect the new Macs to be announced by the first half of March," Gurman states. "That aligns with the planned ship dates for the corresponding software, but also makes sense in light of Apple’s recent history of launching new Macs during that month, including the Mac Studio this year." Apple's recent earnings call confirms this, as Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple's product lineup is "set ahead of the holidays." Also, Apple’s chief financial officer Luca Maestri said that Apple’s holiday quarter would see revenue growth decelerate compared with the previous period partly because there will be no major MacBook Pro launch like there was in the prior year. Despite this development, Apple is still hard at work to release new software. Gurman says that iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, which entered beta testing in the past week, should be released by mid-December. Source: Bloomberg

How to take a laptop with a broken screen and make it a usable computer by Adam Bottjen Hi, I'm Adam, I'm known as Warwagon on the forum. For the past 19 years, I've been operating my own computer repair business. In doing so, I deal with the average computer user on a day-to-day basis. Every bit of information I provide for people I do so with the lowest common denominator in mind. It's a common misconception that everyone who joins or browses a tech site is a techie. Some people are just looking for guidance. That is why for some, these tech tips may seem a bit too simplistic but they are educational for others. Do you have a laptop laying around with a broken screen that you didn’t want to spend the money to get fixed? Did you know that you can still use the laptop over HDMI if it has HDMI out on the side of the laptop? Simply plug it into a TV or a monitor with an HDMI port. You should now see the laptop on the other screen. Now we should tell the computer not to go to sleep when you shut the lid. Click start type power and click “Edit Power plan” Click “Change advanced power settings” Scroll down until you see “Power button and Lid”, drop it down, and drop down “Lid close action” set plugged in from “Sleep” to “do nothing”. If you do not see "Power and lid close" you have to add it via a registry key. Click start and type cmd Right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator" at the command prompt copy and paste the following command REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347\5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936 /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f Now simply shut the lid and the computer will use the TV or monitor as its primary display. Now just plug in a wireless mouse and keyboard (a bundle can be had for $16 at Walmart) into it. If you have a USB mouse and keyboard you can use that too. Now you have yourself a fully working computer. Happy Computing! If you learned something today, great! If not, maybe share your own tech tip in the comments below!

Reliance Jio looking to launch $184 JioBook within three months by Paul Hill Supposed JioBook teased in August 2022 | Image credit: 91mobiles Reliance Jio is looking to launch an affordable laptop, dubbed JioBook, in the next three months, according to sources speaking to Reuters. According to the report, the JioBook will cost 15,000 Indian rupees ($184) and will include an embedded 4G SIM card so those who buy the device won’t need broadband and can take it on the go. The company is reportedly working with Qualcomm on the laptop’s chip and with Microsoft for the support of some of the apps running on the device. Interestingly, the laptop will not be running Windows but JioOS, which is based on Android. Apps on the laptop will be available for download through the JioStore. The sources that spoke to Reuters said they envisage the JioBook becoming as big as the JioPhone and JioPhone 2 - two low-end devices running KaiOS designed to get everyone online. Similar to the JioPhones which have limited capabilities, it’s likely that the upcoming JioBook will be limited in its functionality so that it can be sold at an affordable price. While the consumer launch of the JioBook is expected in three months, enterprise customers including schools and government institutes will be able to buy them this month. It’s also expected that a 5G edition will also become available in the future for those who want faster speeds. Earlier reports at the start of the year claimed that Windows 10 would be shipping on the laptop, however, it looks like the company had a change of heart and decided to bring its own JioOS to the laptop instead. Once Reliance Jio finally announces the laptop, this detail will be confirmed either way.

PC shipments fall by almost a fifth in Western Europe during the second quarter by Paul Hill Canalys has reported that PC shipments in Western Europe fell by 18% during the second quarter. The decline represented the second consecutive quarter of decline and was caused by poor notebook and tablet sales. Notebooks saw an 18% year-on-year decline to 12.3 million shipments, and desktops grew 22% year-on-year to 2.7 million shipments. Tablet sales were hit worst, shrinking 24% to 5.9 million units. The blame for the decrease in sales was put on supply chain disruptions. As various areas in China were in lockdown during the quarter, many factories, and ports were stifled. While things got better at the end of May, the losses at the start of the quarter couldn’t be recovered. In addition to the delays, inflation also caused people to cut back their spending, which further hurt PC sales. Of the top desktop, notebook, and workstation vendors (not including tablets), Apple saw the biggest hit in Western Europe with shipments falling from 1.36 million in Q2 2021 to 788 thousand in Q2 2022. This was a huge 42% drop and its market share fell from 9% to 6.4%. The best performer was Lenovo, which still saw an 8.2% drop in shipments. It sold 4.12 million units in Q2 2021 and 3.79 million units in Q2 2022. While the lockdowns may not be hindering the supply chain now, energy bills in Western Europe are sky-high. This will drastically hit finances in places like the UK, which could cause PC sales to remain low for the rest of the year and possibly a good chunk of next year. The Trades Union Congress in the UK last week reported that energy bills will cost two months of wages next year if action isn’t taken, so people’s ability to buy new PCs could be non-existent.

Walmart is selling the Gateway 14.1" Ultra Slim Notebook for just $379 with free shipping by Adam Bottjen Walmart currently has what looks like a great deal on a Gateway 14.1" Ultra Slim Notebook for $379 with free shipping. The specifications are listed below. It should be noted that the webcam does not look great, so if you need a laptop with a good webcam, this one probably isn't for you. Windows 10 Home 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor (2.40 GHz, Up to 4.20 GHz, 8M Cache) Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics 14.1” LCD IPS FHD Display, (1920 × 1080), Edge-to-Edge Precision Touchpad Tuned by THX™ Audio 512 GB Solid State Drive 16 GB Memory (RAM) Built-in Fingerprint Scanner (Windows Hello) 1.0 MP Front-Facing Camera Up to 10 hours of battery life Micro SD Slot (Up to 512 GB) × 1 HDMI Output x 1 USB Type-C x 1 USB 3.0 × 1 USB 3.1 × 1 Built-in Stereo Speakers × 2 Bluetooth 5.1 Built-in Microphone Product Dimensions: 13.1” × 8.75” × 0.75” Weight: 4.0 lbs. Free Upgrade to Windows 11 when available (see below) 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor Benchmark Neowin can't vouch for this laptop in any way. We are simply reporting on the fact it looks like the specifications are good for the price. On a personal note, I've recommended similar Gateway laptops from Walmart (i3, 8 GB, 250 GB SSD) and they run great, with minimal bloat. Most of the preinstalled apps consisted of a game on the desktop, Norton internet security, and Firefox.

The Ubuntu-certified Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is set to launch in August by Paul Hill Canonical has announced that the new Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition has been officially certified to run Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. The Developer Edition laptop will be available from August with Ubuntu pre-installed, and owners of the current XPS 13 Plus can also install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS today and receive the same experience as the Developer Edition will get. Ubuntu certification means that all the components in the computer will work well with Ubuntu out of the box. As a certified device, the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition will receive specific software and drivers that don’t typically come with Ubuntu – as long as they are required. These devices may also run a different Linux kernel to ensure the best performance. In terms of specifications, the laptop includes: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS pre-installed 12th Gen Intel Core 28 W processor Bigger fans for a 55% better airflow without increasing noise or temperature Express Charge 2.0 for quick charging An improved quad speaker design Up to 4K+ resolution or vivid true-to-life colour on an OLED display with Eyesafe that reduce blue light M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe Solid State Drive Up to 32 GB, LPDDR5, 5200 MHz, integrated, dual-channel memory Packaging made from 100% sustainably source or renewable materials Commenting on the news, Jaewook Woo, Product Manager of Linux Operating System at Dell Technologies, said: “XPS is an innovation portal for Dell – from its application of cutting-edge technology to experimentation of new user interfaces and experiential design. By bringing the enhanced performance and power management features of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to our most advanced premium laptop, Dell and Canonical reinforce our joint commitment to continue delivering the best computing experience for developers using Ubuntu.” This year marks ten years of collaboration on Developer Edition laptops between Canonical and Dell. Ten years ago, the two began Project Sputnik in an effort to create a high-end Dell computer with Ubuntu pre-installed, aimed at developers. Ubuntu is a popular choice for software developers because of the wide array of development tools that are available on the platform. The device will be available from August in the U.S., Canada, and select European countries. No pricing details were provided, but the XPS 13 Plus costs $1,389, so expect a similar price for the Developer Edition.

Intel launches 12th Gen Core P-series and U-series processors by Paul Hill Intel has announced the expansion of its 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processors with the launch of the P-series and U-series processors. Together, the series’ include 20 new mobile processors aimed at the next generation of thin-and-light laptops which will hit the market from March 2022. Commenting on the new hardware, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief product officer, Panos Panay, said: “The last two years have had a profound transformational impact across our lives with the PC playing a more meaningful role than ever. This is driving a new era of PC use. With Windows 11 and the newest 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processors, expect next-level performance to empower productivity and inspire creativity.” The new processors support up to 14 cores depending upon the model and also come with integrated Iris X graphics. They include support for DDR5/LPDDR5 and DDR4/LPDDR4 memory and boast 70% faster multi-thread performance with a 2x performance increase for 3D rendering. Other highlights include integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6E for improved wireless performance, responsiveness, and reliability, Thunderbolt 4 support for quick file transfers, and Intel IPU 6.0 for power efficiency and enhanced video conferencing. If you’re interested in this hardware, be on the lookout for its inclusion in laptops hitting the market as soon as next month. Over the year, these processors will be inside more than 250 devices from Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, LG, MSI, NEC, Samsung, and others.

Has Intel made the fastest mobile processors with its mobile 12th Gen lineup? by Moshe Jacobs While earlier today we reported on potential leaks of Intel's 12th Gen Core 65W desktop processors, Intel has announced its mobile lineup of its 12th Gen Intel Core processors, claiming that the flagship in the lineup is the "world's fastest mobile processor". Intel further claims it is continuing its "industry-leading mobile performance" through its latest iteration of its flagship, the Core i9-12900HK, stating that it is "not only the world's best mobile gaming platform, but also the fastest mobile processor ever created." In order to accomplish this claim, Intel states it is pairing its Performance-cores (P-cores) and Efficient-cores (E-cores) with intelligent prioritization of workload and management distribution through Intel Thread Director. The Intel Core i9-12900HK CPU improves system performance across single and multi-threaded applications in comparison to the previous generation of Intel's CPUs. The new 12th Gen H-series processors are based on the Intel 7 process and offer a host of notable improvements when compared to the previous generation, including: Frequencies up to 5 GHz, 14 total cores (6 P-cores and 8 E-cores) with 20 threads which give the 12th Gen Core i9-12900HK "the crown as the fastest mobile processor" For mobile gaming, Intel claims up to 28% faster performance when compared to the Core i9-11980HK Broad memory for LPDDR5/DDR5 and LPDDR4/DDR4 modules at up to 4800 MT/s Wireless connectivity at nearly three times faster rates on exclusive high-speed channels without legacy Wi-Fi interference using WiFi-6E (Gig+) Intel claims that its 12th Gen Intel Core H-series mobile processors are designed for enthusiast gamers, engineering professionals, and creators who "want to push their laptop performance to the next level". Mobile laptops and devices powered by Intel's 12th Gen Core H-series mobile processors will become available starting in February 2022.

LG's first gaming laptop packs an RTX 3080 Max-Q GPU and a 17-inch 300Hz display by Usama Jawad LG has a solid reputation when it comes to building sleek and light laptops, but today, the company has also ventured into the domain of gaming laptops for the first time with its new UltraGear 17G90Q. LG's first gaming laptop is powered by an 11th-gen Intel Tiger Lake H CPU, paired with Nvidia's RTX 3080 Max-Q GPU, a 93Wh battery, and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. It also features a vapor chamber cooling system and up to to 1TB of SSD storage via M.2 NVMe slots. Other notable specs include a 17.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920x1080 and a 300Hz refresh rate. LG claims that its latest piece of hardware borrows from its learning with gram laptops, which are very light by design. As such, its gaming laptop boasts a thickness of 0.84 inches and a weight of just under 6lb (2.72kg). As is common with gaming laptops, the keyboard is RGB too. Seo Young-jae, senior vice president and head of the IT business unit of LG Electronics, noted that: The LG UltraGear gaming laptop has everything needed to tackle the latest high-spec games, delivering the smooth, responsive gameplay that all gamers want. Our first-ever gaming laptop, the 17G90Q differentiates itself from competing products with its premium hardware, generous, high-quality screen, and a sleek, lightweight design that maximizes convenience and portability. LG's UltraGear 17G90Q will be available in the U.S. and South Korea in the first quarter of 2022. The firm will likely reveal more details about this laptop and its other products at CES 2022 on January 4.

Intel has started shipping Alder Lake-P to laptop manufacturers by Karthik Mudaliar Intel has been killing it, at least on the specs sheet, with the launch of Alder Lake-S desktop processors. With support for DDR5 and PCI Express 5.0, team blue has played its cards right. Today, Intel's Executive Vice President Gregory Bryant tweeted that Intel is shipping the upcoming Alder Lake-P mobile processors to OEMs to integrate them into upcoming laptops. Another incredible 12th Gen @intel Core milestone: today, we began shipping our high-performance mobile processors to customers! Congratulations to our Intel teams around the globe for their hard work & commitment in delivering this product. #IntelCore pic.twitter.com/72Glbo4qZo — Gregory M Bryant (@gregorymbryant) November 22, 2021 Alder Lake-P will allegedly be available in two primary core configurations. Out of the two, a lower-end SKU might feature two Golden Cove Performance (P) cores and eight Gracemonth Efficiency (E) cores. The higher-end one might feature six performance cores along with eight efficiency cores. A few days ago, alleged benchmarks of Alder Lake-P Core i7-12700H were leaked which revealed high performance of the chip when stacked against AMD's Ryzen 9 5800HX and Apple's M1 Pro. Here are the scores: CB R20 (ST) CB R20 (MT) CB R23 (MT) Ryzen 9 5900HX 570 4,859 12,570 Apple M1 Max 390 2,735 12,385 Core i7-12700H 689 7,158 18,501 According to speculation, the official launch of Alder Lake-P and Alder Lake-M CPUs shouldn't be far off, now that it is shipping to OEMs. Intel could even launch the new chips at CES 2022.

Samsung updates its Galaxy Book lineup with 11th Gen Intel processors by Karthik Mudaliar Samsung today updated its Galaxy Book lineup with three new PCs - the Galaxy Book, the Galaxy Book Odyssey, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G. All three laptops are powered by the 11th Generation Intel processors. The Galaxy Book is a thin and light laptop that features a full-metal casing. The display on this one is a 15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen. The laptop is available with Core i5-1135G7 and Core i7-1165G7 processors. The i5 variant comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage while the i7 variant comes with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. There's Intel Iris Xe MAX graphics as well as support for Dolby Atmos on the device. The Galaxy Book starts at $749.99 and is available starting today at Samsung.com and BestBuy.com. The devices will also be available at Best Buy retail locations nationwide starting November 15. For power users, there's the Galaxy Book Odyssey. In addition to the 11th Generation Core i7-11600H processor, the device also sports an RTX 3050Ti Max-Q GPU. The device has a 15.6-inch Full HD display with a 170-degree viewing angle as well as an anti-glare coating with a brightness of 300 nits. Memory and storage options include 8GB/512GB, 16GB/512GB, and 32GB/1TB variants. The Galaxy Book Odyssey starts at $1,399.99 and is available starting November 11 at Samsung.com, BestBuy.com, Amazon, Microsoft.com, MicroCenter, and NewEgg. Lastly, we have the Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G. As the name suggests, it is a convertible laptop that also supports 5G. The laptop features a 13.3-inch AMOLED Full-HD touchscreen and weighs less than 2.5 pounds. It is available with Core i5-1130G7 and Core i7-1160G7 processors with 8GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB memory and storage options. It also has an S-Pen included. The Galaxy Book Pro 5G starts at $1,399.99 and will be available starting November 11 at Samsung.com and BestBuy.com.

Lightning Deal: ALLDOCUBE 14" Jasper Lake laptop is 25% off for only $315.59 by Steven Parker Today on Amazon, and amongst the Lightning Deals, you can bag a ALLDOCUBE ‎GTBook, which is a 14-inch laptop, featuring Intel's 11th gen Jasper Lake at 25% off for only $314.49, which is $105.50 off its normal $419.99 list price. This 2021 laptop is only available at this price for a few hours, ending today, August 24 at around 5pm PDT/8pm EDT or when it reaches 100% claimed status (50% claimed at the time of writing). Here are some of its highlights: CPU: Intel Celeron Jasper Lake N5100, Quad core,1.1GHz-2.8GHz GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 350MHz-800MHz RAM: 12GB LPDDR4 Storage: 256GB SSD, expand storage up to 1TB LCD: 14" 1920x1080 Camera: front facing 1.0MP Battery: 10000mah Housing: Metal OS: Windows 10 Home The laptop contains the newest 11th generation Jasper Lake Intel Celeron N5100 quad core CPU, up to 2.8GHz, a 256GB detachable and expandable, up to 1TB SSD, TF card up to 128GB, and 12GB of DRAM. Please note that the lightning deal ends today at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET on Amazon, so you will have to act quickly if you are thinking of getting this. This item qualifies for free shipping and return and currently holds an impressive 4.3 out of 5 star rating based on around 25 customer reviews. If you are not interested in this particular deal, why not check out more Lightning Deals or Deal of the Day on Amazon. Get the ALLDOCUBE 14" GTBook for only $315.59 (list price $419.99) 25% off As an Amazon Associate, Neowin may earn commission from qualifying purchases.

Honor MagicBook 14 (2021) review: I love the performance, but this design needs to go by João Carrasqueira It's been just over a year since I was first sent a MagicBook laptop from Honor, but I've already had the chance to review three others since then. The last one I reviewed, the Intel-based MagicBook Pro, was an odd release for me, because it featured outdated specs when Honor had already released a more powerful MagicBook 14 in China at that point. Now, that MagicBook 14 is available worldwide, but it comes with some caveats. The Chinese variant packed an Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU in addition to the latest Intel processors, but internationally, we have to make do with the integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. While that is a compromise, I'm still more than happy with the performance this new iteration offers, but sadly, what this laptop needed the most was a new design. Specs CPU Intel Core i7-1165G7 GPU Intel Iris Xe graphics Display 14" diagonal FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD, 60Hz Body 322.5x214.8x15.9mm (12.7x8.46x0.63in); 1.38kg (3.04lbs) Memory 16GB dual-channel DDR4 Storage 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD Audio Stereo speakers with virtual 5.1 surround sound, dual microphones Connectivity Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 + Bluetooth 5.1 Ports (1) USB Type-C with 65W fast charging (1) USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (1) USB 2.0 Type-A (1) HDMI 3.5mm combo audio Camera 720p HD webcam in keyboard Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 Fingerprint reader Battery 56Wh Lithium Ion battery, up to 10.5 hours OS Windows 10 Home Material Aluminum Price €1199.90 The configuration Honor sent me has an Intel Core i7, but you can also get it with a Core i5-1135G7 in some markets. It also has double the RAM of the previous MagicBook 14 models I reviewed, and it's much more expensive than previous models. Design Ever since my first review of a MagicBook, my main complaint has been the design, specifically in regards to the webcam placement. Now that we've been in a pandemic for over a year and I've pointed this out in four reviews, I think it has to be said loud and clear that it's well past time we moved on from this design. Instead, it's exactly the same. Even before this situation, I took a lot of video calls, and this is just inconvenient and awkward. If I need to type something while on a call, my fingers block the camera, and when I don't, it's pointed at an angle where it can be hard to stay in the frame. If I use the laptop on my lap, the camera just captures my neck. It's not like Honor refuses to make laptops with proper webcams; last year it launched a gaming laptop in China with reasonable webcam placement. I just don't get why it doesn't do that for its other laptops. Everything else about the design is also the same. The keyboard layout is the same, as is the touchpad and the fingerprint sensor built into the power button. The fingerprint sensor works well enough, and it actually remembers your fingerprint when you turn on the PC, so you don't have to touch it again when you get to the Windows 10 login screen. The 14-inch display is surrounded by black plastic bezels and the hinge itself is also plastic, which contrasts with the otherwise metal body. The lid features the Honor logo and chamfered edges, all featuring this cool blue sheen that gives the laptop a bit more flair - a very welcome feature in an otherwise relatively boring design. The ports are all the same, too, and despite having an Intel processor, there's still no Thunderbolt here. On the left, you get a USB Type-C port that supports 65W charging with the included charger, a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and an HDMI port. On the right, there's another USB Type-A port, but this one just has USB 2.0 speeds. There's also a combo audio jack. That's it, and while it's usually enough for my use cases, it's also not super impressive. As before, the speakers on this PC are on the bottom of the chassis, and the microphones are on the small cutout that's meant to help you open the lid more easily. The bottom of the laptop also has air intake vents, with it being expelled through vents ridden in the hinge. At 1.38kg, the MagicBook 14 is not super heavy, but you can also find lighter devices in this category. It's still pretty easy to carry around, though. Display and sound Another aspect that hasn't changed much, at least on the surface, is the display, which is still a 14-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and Full HD resolution (1920x1080). Like most non-gaming laptops, it's also got a 60Hz refresh rate. I still haven't had the privilege of reviewing laptops with higher resolutions or different aspect ratios, so this is fine for me, but some will definitely be disappointed by that. I do have to say that the big bezel at the bottom of the screen makes it feel like the laptop is begging for a 16:10 display, though. Honor touts 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, and I do like the display's color reproduction in general. I can't point out any obvious flaws with it, and I quite enjoyed my time with this display overall. Honor seems to have tweaked the colors slightly and I prefer this display to how previous ones looked. The display also goes up to 300 nits, which is more than enough for working at home, and the fully-laminated screen reduces light reflections a lot, so you should still be able to use it comfortably under bright sunlight. Despite having bottom-firing speakers, sound on the MagicBook 14 is actually pretty good. It gets decently loud and it never sounds muddy or distorted to me. I actually prefer this over the top-firing speakers on the MagicBook Pro, so there's that. Honor includes Nahimic audio software with the PC, which lets you tailor your settings to different scenarios like music or movies, but I found the default setting to be good for general purposes, so I didn't fiddle with it. I usually also mention the webcam and microphones in this section, and the quality overall is ok. I already mentioned the horrible webcam placement, but the quality itself is alright, even if it's nothing to write home about. You can see a sample from the webcam below, which demonstrates the horrible angle the camera is at, catching my hand on the trackpad at the bottom of the frame. As for the microphones, they also sound pretty good, and I appreciate not being forced to use a headset every time I take a call. Keyboard and trackpad Another aspect that hasn't changed is the keyboard, but in this case, I'd say that's a good thing. I've been a fan of most Honor keyboards, as they haven't decent travel and actuation, there's nothing I can really point out as a negative. It feels quite nice to type here, and that's all you can really ask of a keyboard. If you're planning to game, though, the half-height arrow keys might be a problem, though. The keyboard has two levels of backlight, which can be helpful if you're trying to use the laptop in the dark. One cool thing about the keyboard is that you can customize how the function row works. By default, it will prioritize the hotkeys - that is, the brightness and volume adjustment, keyboard backlight, and other shortcuts - but you can use the PC Manager app to change it. That way, it will default to the typical function keys. What's more, you can use the Fn key as either a toggle - press it once to change the behavior for the whole function row - or press and hold it to use it with a specific function key. The trackpad is also another highlight of this laptop. It's large and doesn't waste much space on the chassis, it feels nice to the touch, and it uses Precision drivers. As with the keyboard, there's nothing I can really point out as a negative here, it just feels really nice to use, and having Precision drivers is wonderful for trackpads. I always set mine to allow me to control volume with a four-finger swipe, I find that to be super useful. Performance Until now, the Honor laptops I reviewed were squarely aimed at the mid-range, always packing either AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processors and no configuration options. This time, Honor finally gave us the choice to get an Intel Core i7, and it's not an outdated version either, it's from Intel's Tiger lake range. This makes it much better than the MagicBook Pro I reviewed a couple of months ago, at least for work and productivity, especially because that one was using 14nm-based Comet Lake processors. Like I mentioned at the top, there's no discrete GPU here, despite the Chinese variant of this laptop having one. Honor has also been slowly upgrading the RAM and storage on these laptops, at least my specific review units. My first MagicBook 14 had 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, then the late 2020 refresh doubled the storage to 512GB. Now, this model doubles the RAM to 16GB, and that makes this a very solid laptop overall, matching the configuration of the MagicBook Pro lineup. In performance tests, the MagicBook 14 definitely holds up. I ran a bunch of benchmarks to paint as complete of a picture as possible. Here's how it compares to the previous generations and some products with similar specs: MagicBook 14 (2021) Intel Core i7-1165G7 MagicBook Pro Intel Core i5-10210U + Nvidia GeForce MX350 MagicBook 14 (late 2020) Ryzen 5 4500U Huawei MateBook Pro X Intel Core i7-1165G7 Dell Latitude 7320 Intel Core i7-1185G7 PCMark 8: Home 4,229 3,612 3,966 3,839 4,478 PCMark 8: Creative 4,892 4,159 4,156 4,598 4,655 PCMark 8: Work 4,198 3,666 3,582 3,541 4,099 PCMark 10 4,800 4,243 4,413 4,692 4,743 PCMark 10 Extended 4,378 - - - - 3DMark Time Spy 1,467 1,455 - - - Cinebench 1,507 / 4,976 1,518 / 4,929 1,540 / 5,181 GeekBench 1,512 / 5,041 1,361 / 4,119 1,230 / 4,428 The jump from mid-range processors to a top-tier one, and using Tiger Lake at that, is a huge boon for the MagicBook 14, which smashes past its predecessors in basically every benchmark. Even in the gaming-focused 3DMark Time Spy test, it slightly edges out the MagicBook Pro with dedicated graphics. The same happened when rendering this video, where the MagicBook Pro had taken 24 and 39 seconds, the new MagicBook 14 took 23 minutes and 40 seconds. In addition to those tests, I also benchmarked the SSD, specifically using the NVMe SSD test in CrystalDiskMark. The results are very similar to the MagicBook Pro mentioned above, meaning it's also pretty fast. All of this combined with 16GB of RAM, and I'd say this is easily the first MagicBook 14 model where you probably won't have to worry about it keeping up with you. Unless you're planning to play heavy games on it, of course. As for battery life, it's pretty much the same as before. I've almost always been able to get through a full work day, which involved seven to eight hours of active use in a balanced power mode and slightly below half brightness. This includes multiple browser tabs and windows open at pretty much all times and some YouTube video viewing in there. Conclusion As you'd expect, performance on Honor's MagicBooks has gotten better with every generation, and with this particular update, it got the biggest boost yet thanks to the switch from mid-range processors to a high-end one. Because of that and everything else being almost exactly the same, this is naturally my favorite MagicBook yet. Honor does a lot right with its design. The keyboard is comfortable with solid key travel and actuation, it has an awesome and big Precision touchpad, the display looks good and gets more than bright enough for my needs. In many ways, it's still a great laptop. To me, though, the position of the webcam is unforgivable. I can't be in an online meeting with a camera in a position and angle like this. It's hard to align myself with the frame of the image, and even when I do, I can't use my keyboard without my fingers getting in the way. If this was before 2020, I'd say it might be understandable that most people don't take video calls, but now tons of people are doing it. It frustrates me that after over a year of working from home and with two MagicBook 14 refreshes in the bag, Honor still hasn't changed the webcam placement. Pandemic or not, I personally would never buy a MagicBook with this design, because video calls are part of my personal daily life. If you're in a position where you don't need a webcam, then this is still a solid choice and easily the best MagicBook yet, though it's also the most expensive one yet. Otherwise, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Honor MagicBook Pro (Intel) review: It has advantages, but it's an odd release by João Carrasqueira When Honor launched a refreshed MagicBook lineup back at IFA 2020, I found it interesting that it didn't include the same MagicBook Pro laptop that it had released in China a few months prior. Instead, all of the laptops introduced that day ran AMD Ryzen processors, with the Pro opting for an H-series variant, but neither featuring a dedicated GPU. The AMD MagicBook Pro did fairly well in our review, but now, six months after its release, and 10 months after the Intel version had released in China, that Intel-powered variant has now gone international. While it's certainly interesting to see a company offer variants of the same product with such radically different specs, the fact that it's coming so late after the original release in China makes this version of the MagicBook Pro a very odd release. Specs CPU Intel Core i5-10210U, 4 cores, 8 threads; Base clock: 1.6GHz, Boost: 4.2GHz GPU Integrated: Intel UHD Graphics Discrete: Nvidia GeForce MX350 Display 16.1" diagonal FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD, 100% sRGB Body 369x234x16.9mm (14.53x9.21x0.67in); 1.7kg (3.75lbs) Memory 16GB dual-channel DDR4 Storage 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD Audio Stereo speakers, dual microphones Connectivity Realtek 8822CE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5 Ports (1) USB Type-C with fast charging (3) USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (1) HDMI 2.0 3.5mm combo audio Camera 720p HD webcam in keyboard Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 Fingerprint reader Battery 56Wh Lithium Ion battery, up to 11.5 hours OS Windows 10 Home Material Aluminum Price €899.90/£859.99 Indeed, outside of the processor and GPU changes, the hardware on the Intel-based MagicBook Pro seems to be exactly the same on paper as that of the AMD variant. Honor does tout an extra half hour of battery life, though. Day one Performance, battery life, and software Usually, performance is one of the last things we cover in a review, but seeing as the biggest difference from our previous review is in the processor, we'll start with that. This variant of the MagicBook Pro is powered by an Intel Core i5-10210U, which means it's from the 15W Comet Lake family. That makes this a very odd release because Comet Lake has since been replaced by the far superior Tiger Lake family, which has a new 10nm architecture and Iris Xe graphics. To compensate for the lack of decent integrated graphics, and because the processor used here is 15W compared to the 45W Ryzen 5 4600H that was in the AMD version, this MagicBook Pro has a dedicated GPU, the Nvidia GeForce MX350. That, too, has since been succeeded by the MX450, and the reason this is all old hardware is because this laptop was originally announced almost 10 months ago for China. We're just getting it very late overseas. Compared to the AMD-powered version, there's still a use case for this. Productivity and general-purpose benchmarks give the AMD version an advantage, but the dedicated graphics here really help with gaming. The Intel version dominated in 3DMark Time Spy, and playing Rocket League, I was able to get 60 frames per second with Render Detail set to Quality and Render Detail set to High Quality. Playing with the same settings on the AMD version gave me roughly 35 frames per second. MagicBook Pro Intel Core i5-10210U MagicBook Pro Ryzen 5 4600H MagicBook 14 Ryzen 5 4500U MagicBook 14 (early 2020) Ryzen 5 3500U Surface Pro 7+ Intel Core i5-1135G7 PCMark 8: Home 3,612 4,211 3,966 3,476 3,521 PCMark 8: Creative 4,159 4,470 4,156 3,457 4,192 PCMark 8: Work 3,666 3,606 3,582 3,236 3,403 PCMark 10 4,243 4,714 4,413 3,729 3,963 3DMark Time Spy 1,455 1,069 - - - Still, the Intel processor is terrible for productivity tasks. I tried rendering the hands-on video above with both the AMD and Intel versions, and where the AMD version took 13 minutes and 57 seconds to finish, the Intel variant took 24 minutes and 39 seconds. In some of the benchmarks above, it scored even lower than the MagicBook 14, which had a 15W Ryzen 5 4500U and no dedicated graphics. Those concerns aside, battery life is one of the benefits of this lower-power hardware. Because of the lower TDP of the processor and because you're not always going to be using the GPU, Honor promises an extra half hour of battery life compared to the AMD MagicBook Pro (11.5 hours instead of 11). In my testing, I was able to get a full day of work out of it every time, and it does seem to last slightly longer, getting me closer to eight hours of use on a charge. For this review, I also tested the speed of the SSD using CrystalDiskMark's test for NVMe SSDs, and the results are about what you'd expect from a PCIe Gen 3 SSD, with sequential reads near 3,270MB/s and writes at 2,923MB/s. What makes this release really weird to me is that shortly after this MagicBook Pro was announced for global markets, a new MagicBook 14 was announced for China. That has Intel Tiger Lake processors and a GeForce MX450, and if it comes to the West anytime soon, it makes this laptop obsolete in every way. It would have made a lot more sense, in my opinion, to release the Intel and AMD variants at the same time, with AMD offering better productivity performance, and Intel getting the better battery life and gaming performance. Now, it feels like buying the Intel version is a trap, considering the more powerful MagicBook 14 and 15 are looming over it. Honor doesn't include much in the way of bloatware with its PCs, but you'll find the Huawei PC Manager app here, as usual. It lets you connect your Honor or Huawei phone to your PC and control it directly from there. When you tap the NFC area on your phone to the Honor Magic-link sticker on the laptop, your phone's screen will pop up on the PC and you can control it from there and move files around easily. You can also do cool things like shaking the phone before tapping it, which lets you record your computer's screen for a few seconds. Design If you read my review of the AMD version of this laptop, everything here will be pretty familiar. The major difference you'll notice right away is that while the AMD variant came in a Space Grey color, the Intel-powered model comes in Mystic Silver, which is much lighter. Neither version has any sort of flair to its looks, unlike the smaller MagicBook 14 with its blue chamfered edges. I find this design to be boring, but if you want something that won't draw much attention, this certainly won't. In terms of ports, it's all the same, too. On the left side of the laptop, there's a USB Type-C port that's used for charging, and since Honor actually uses a Type-C to Type-C cable, you can also it to charge your phone, even when the laptop is off. There's also an HDMI 2.0 port and a USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1) port. Over on the right side, two more USB Type-A ports and a 3.5mm combo audio jack round out the connectivity options in this laptop. It's certainly serviceable, with a decent number of USB ports for a laptop this size, but it's not mind-blowing. Opening up the laptop reveals a keyboard without a numpad and top-firing speakers on each side. The power button houses a fingerprint sensor, and it actually remembers your fingerprint when you turn the laptop on, then logs you in when the Windows login screen appears. Below that, a fairly large touchpad serves as the mouse. Just like before, nothing stands out about the look of the laptop on the inside, though you will notice the lack of a webcam anywhere around the display, because it's actually in the keyboard. Keyboard and trackpad Speaking of the keyboard, it's just the same here as it was on the AMD variant - barring the fact that I got a review unit with the UK keyboard layout this time around. The keys feel fine to type on, but they're a bit shallower and less clicky than I would like them to be. Of course, that will vary somewhat with your preference, but I personally would like a bit more travel on the keys. Also, as is tradition with Honor laptops at this point, there are no Home, End, Page Up, or Page Down keys. These features are replaced by using the Fn key on the keyboard in conjunction with the arrow keys. Up and down serve as Page Up and Page Down, and the left and right arrows serve as Home and End, respectively. And speaking of the Fn key, if you use the function row at all, I do like that Honor gives you the option to toggle between using the system controls - like display brightness and volume - or the actual function keys as the default. Moving down to the trackpad, it continues to be one of my favorite things about Honor laptops. The trackpad is large and made of a nice material, but the best part is that it uses Precision drivers. It may be a repetitive point to make at this point, but using Precision touchpads is just so good of an experience compared to third-party ones. All the touchpad gestures work well, and I love being able to quickly control the volume of my speakers by sliding up or down with four fingers. Of course, you can customize those gestures to your liking, too. One thing I didn't immediately notice when I reviewed the AMD variant of this laptop was that the touchpad rocks back and forth without clicking, specifically on the left side. On this version, that's been addressed, so there's no clicking noise when you're not clicking on the touchpad. It's a very welcome improvement in quality control. Display and sound Just like before, the MagicBook Pro has a 16.1-inch display, and with minimal bezels all around, it fits nicely in a chassis that could have been for a 15-inch laptop. It's still a 16:9 aspect ratio, and while this is the format I'm most familiar with, I know many tend to prefer taller displays for productivity-related tasks. The resolution is Full HD and, on paper, the display is exactly the same as on the AMD variant, with 100% coverage of DCI-P3 and 300 nits of max brightness. The display has a nice matte finish, so while it's not reflective, it doesn't make colors look washed out either, which I find to be a great balance. Compared with the AMD version of the laptop, the colors do seem slightly warmer on this panel, but I frankly wouldn't know it if I didn't have them side-by-side. I think the slightly warmer tone is a little easier on my eyes, though, so I kind of prefer this one. I still wish it was a touch screen, though, and too often I find myself reaching out to touch something before I realize I can't do that here. Something that seems to be quite different in this Intel variant is the camera quality. It's still in the same terrible position under the keyboard, but to add insult to injury, it just doesn't look as great. Colors are too saturated and dark, and light areas are blown out significantly compared to the AMD version. Many laptop cameras are bad, but adding that to the horrible position of the camera in this laptop just makes it far from ideal if you care about how you look. On the other hand, the sound experience here is much better. The AMD-powered version included Nahimic audio software, which isn't present here, and oddly enough, that seems to be a benefit. The speakers are much louder and crisp out of the box, and while you could use the Nahimic software to get to a similar level of volume on the AMD version, that would take some effort. Here, it's great right away, and I'm glad it is. They could probably still be a little louder, though. Back to the similarities, the microphones on this laptop are on its underside, which means moving the laptop around will be pretty unpleasant for anyone listening to you on a call. If you have it on your lap, it's likely it'll be rubbing up slightly against you and generating a lot of noise. Conclusion Like I said before, this MagicBook Pro is a very odd release to happen in 2021. The laptop was released almost a year ago in China, and by now, both Intel and Nvidia have newer components on the market, and Honor itself has announced the new MagicBook 14 and 15 in China, which have the much better Tiger Lake processors and a GeForce MX450 GPU. In a vacuum, the MagicBook Pro is a solid laptop. The keyboard is nice, the trackpad is amazing, the display is good, and the performance is generally fine for day-to-day tasks. It even has some advantages compared to the AMD version, like the sound, battery life, and gaming performance. But newer hardware is on the horizon, even from Honor itself, so this is hard to recommend. I think it would have made more sense to release this version alongside the AMD-powered variant back in September, before Tiger Lake processors started rolling out. It would have had pros and cons compared to that version, and you'd be able to choose based on whether you want to focus on CPU- or GPU-intensive tasks. Now, if you want the better GPU, you might be better off waiting to see what the new MagicBooks end up looking like when an international release comes. If you're still interested in the laptop, you can find it on Honor's website, though it seems to be out of stock in a few regions, including the UK. France currently has it for €749.90, the same price as the AMD version.

Unboxing and first impressions of the Intel-based Honor MagicBook Pro by João Carrasqueira At IFA 2020, Honor introduced the MagicBook Pro, a 16-inch laptop powered by a Ryzen 5 4600H processor, as opposed to the U-series processors found in its non-Pro MagicBooks. Now, the company has introduced an Intel variant of the MagicBook Pro, which actually released in China even before the AMD version was introduced. What's interesting about the Intel-powered MagicBook Pro is that instead of using an H-series processor like the AMD variant did, it actually has a Core i5-10210U, meaning it only has a 15W TDP instead of 45W. However, we now get a dedicated GPU in the form of the GeForce MX350 from Nvidia, while the AMD variant came with only the built-in graphics on the Ryzen processor. Aside from the processor change, the rest of the laptop is nearly identical. There's a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, 16GB of dual-channel RAM, and a 56Wh battery. However, that battery is rated for an extra half-hour compared to the AMD version, for a total of 11.5 hours of battery life. The display is 16.1 inches diagonally and it has Full HD resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio. There's no space for a camera above the display, so it's in the keyboard instead, as we've seen with other MagicBooks. While a full review is coming soon, you can check out our first impressions of the new MagicBook Pro in the video below.

UK: Asda and Vodafone partner to give kids connected laptops by Paul Hill The UK’s Asda supermarket and Vodafone have partnered to donate 7,000 internet-connected laptops to schools around the country. The scheme has been set up in a bid to tackle digital exclusion and ensure that children can continue their education using online resources. According to the statement, Asda is spending £2 million to enable each of its stores to donate at least 10 laptops to schools in the local area. Each of the laptops will come bundled with a headset and a mobile internet dongle which has a data allowance of 20GB, supplied by Vodafone, that will give kids access to the internet. The dongle and headsets will be paid for with a £500,000 contribution from The Asda Foundation, the supermarket’s charity arm. Asda said that around 9% of children in the UK do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home. It said that the 1.1 million to 1.8 million children were primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds and without assistance would end up falling further behind their peers. Asda has partnered with Dell Technologies to supply the laptops and it expects to deliver the first shipment of 3,500 laptops next month with the remainder to follow in March. Schools will be in charge of distributing the computers to students deemed a priority and Asda will supply tech support to schools that need assistance. Commenting on the arrangement, CEO and President of Asda Roger Burnley said: “It’s clear that digital exclusion is an issue affecting many thousands of children who attend schools in communities that we serve. These children have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown and are at risk of falling further behind their peers. We want to do all we can to help break down the digital barriers so they can continue their education remotely.” The laptops will not be hand-me-downs but rather brand new and built to be durable making them ideal for children. The laptops will come pre-loaded with educational software so that students and parents can get on with learning as quickly as possible.

LG unveils 16-inch model as part of its LG Gram 2021 lineup by Jay Bonggolto LG today introduced a 16-inch model to its LG Gram 2021 lineup that includes the 14 and 17-inch variants. The LG Gram 16 has generally the same size footprint as the 15-inch variant of the laptop's 2020 models (which was reviewed by Neowin's João Carrasqueira here), although it has a larger display. The Gram 16 is powered by Intel's 11th-generation processor (Tiger Lake), with options for both the Core i5 and Core i7 processors paired with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Billed as the world's lightest 16-inch laptop, it weighs 1,190g (2.6 pounds) and measures 356 x 244 x 16.8mm. Its display also brings some improvements from the older 15-inch model. The laptop sports an IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 2560 × 1600 resolution, whereas the 15-inch model has a 1920 × 1080 resolution display. Under the hood, it packs an 80Wh battery. The laptop will be available in Snow White, Quartz Silver, and Obsidian Black for a base price of 2,900,000 Korean Won, or approximately $2,651. There's no official word yet for its international pricing, though, with LG set to formally launch the latest LG Gram lineup in January in South Korea. After that, it probably won't be too long before the 2021 models hit other markets.

2020 Holiday Gift Guide: Gaming Laptops by Anmol Mehrotra The year 2020 has been tough for everyone as they had to adjust to a new normal of working from home. This has prompted people to go out and buy laptops, furniture and other accessories that will help them improve their work from home experience. This holiday season if you are looking to gift someone a laptop that can double as a gaming machine, then we have got you covered. While gaming laptops usually are not value for money when compared to their PC counterparts, but they have come a long way in the last couple of years. We have curated a list of gaming laptops that can be a perfect gift for someone you love. Asus TUF A15 Asus TUF A15 is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that packs a punch. The laptop features the new AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile processors that are paired with Nvidia GTX 1660Ti GPU. The laptop has a sleek design as well as a full RGB keyboard. Unfortunately, Asus has cut some corners to bring the price of the laptop down. For starters, the cooling is not adequate and the display has poor colour calibration. The colour calibration will not matter much while playing games but if you have a media-oriented workflow then the Asus TUF A15 won’t cut it. You can check out our detailed review here to learn more about the laptop. Overall, the laptop, while lacking in some aspects, is a great gift for someone who occasionally games and wants a decent gaming laptop. Buy Asus TUF A15 ($899) (Ryzen 5 4600H, 8GB RAM, GTX 1650) Buy Asus TUF A15 ($986.99) (Ryzen 7 4800H, 16GB RAM, GTX 1660 Ti) Buy Asus TUF A15 ($999) (Ryzen 7 4800H, 8GB RAM, RTX 2060) Dell G5 15 SE (2020) The Dell G5 15 SE is another very capable gaming laptop. It is powered by AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 mobile processors and Radeon RX 5600M GPU. The laptop has an excellent display and a good build quality. However, like the Asus TUF, Dell has also cut some corners to bring the cost down. The build quality is subpar at best and the heat management is just 'okay'. However, for work from home professionals on a budget, the Dell G5 would be a great entry level gaming laptop, provided you can add an external cooling fan. Buy Dell G5 15 SE (2020) ($939) (Ryzen 5 4600H, 8GB RAM, Radeon RX 5600M) Buy Dell G5 15 SE (2020) ($1,048.38) (Ryzen 7 4800H, 8GB RAM, Radeon RX 5600M) Acer Nitro 5 (2020) Acer Nitro 5 is another laptop that is powered by an AMD Ryzen 4600H processor paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. The laptop borrows its design from the 2018 Nitro 5 and comes with a red keyboard with no RGB support. However, Acer dropped the ball when it comes to gaming performance as the GTX 1650 cannot compete against laptops with a GTX 1660Ti. To add insult to injury, the laptop has just 256GB of NVMe storage which is not enough to install recent AAA titles. That being said, the Nitro 5 has an extra M.2 slot as well as a 2.5-inch drive bay. Overall, the Nitro 5 is a decent laptop and is recommended for someone who likes to game occasionally and does not want to drop thousands of dollars on a high-end gaming laptop. Buy Acer Nitro 5 ($858.54) (Ryzen 5 4600H, GTX 1650, 16GB RAM) Buy Acer Nitro 5 ($958.43) (Ryzen 5 4600H, GTX 1650 Ti, 8GB RAM) Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) Predator is Acer’s premium range of gaming laptops and it has its own perks. The 2019 Predator Helios 300 was praised by almost everyone in the industry. Acer has taken the same design and refreshed the specs making the Predator Helios 300 one the best laptops you can pick right now. The Predator Helios 300 has an excellent chassis, and it sports a 240Hz 1080p display. There is plenty of storage to install all of your games, as the laptop comes with two M.2 slots and a 2.5-inch drive bay. The laptop is powered by Intel’s 10th gen 10750H CPU and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU. Acer does have different CPU, GPU and storage combinations available so you can choose the one that suits your needs. Unfortunately, the laptop is not perfect. The laptop gets toasty under load especially if you are using the Turbo mode that overclocks the CPU and GPU for better performance. Buy Acer Predator Helios 300 ($1,169.71) (i7-10750H, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM) Buy Acer Predator Helios 300 ($2,121.99) (i7-10750H, RTX 2070 Max-Q, 16GB RAM) Lenovo Legion 7i/ Lenovo Legion 5i Lenovo has achieved great success with its Legion branded gaming hardware. The company’s Legion Y740 laptop was touted as one of the best gaming laptops of 2019. Lenovo has continued its streak with the Legion 5i and 7i laptops. Both the laptops borrow design elements from last year’s Legion laptops and have refreshed specs. Like the Legion Y540 and Y740, Lenovo’s line up for 2020 includes the mid-range 5i and the high-end 7i gaming laptop. Both the laptops are powered by Intel’s 10th generation processors which are paired with GeForce RTX GPUs. Both the laptops come with beautiful displays and a premium chassis. The laptops are priced differently but personally, I feel like 5i is a sweet spot for someone who plans to game at night and work in the morning. However, the Legion 7i has its perks including the RGB keyboard and the support for Thunderbolt 3. You can check out the review of Lenovo Legion 5i and Legion 7i to learn more about both the laptops. Buy Lenovo Legion 5i (starting at $889.99) Buy Lenovo Legion 7i (starting at $1,229.99) Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the more balanced offerings from Asus. At 14-inches, it is one of the smallest laptops on the list but it packs quite the punch. The laptop is powered by AMD’s latest Ryzen 4000 series CPUs which are paired with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. The laptop has a clean design with a great display but it is capped at 60Hz for the GTX 1650 model. There are other models available with 1660Ti and RTX 2060 Max-Q but the availability of these vary from region to region. Like others, Zephyrus G14 is not perfect. The laptop lacks a webcam which can be a deal-breaker if you plan to use the laptop for meetings. This can, however, be solved with an external webcam. Another issue that might bug some users are the loud fans. While the laptop is quiet during normal operations, it tends to get a bit noisy during extended gaming sessions. Overall, the laptop packs a lot of hardware in a relatively compact form factor making it a great choice for those who have to travel with their laptop. The inclusion of a dedicated GPU means this laptop can handle all sorts of games without breaking a sweat. Buy Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 ($1,197.97) (Ryzen 7 4800HS, GTX 1650, 16GB RAM) Buy Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 ($1,599) (Ryzen 9 4900HS, RTX 2060 Max-Q, 16 GB RAM) Razer Blade 15 (2020)/Razer Blade 15 Advanced Edition (2020) Razer has always been at the forefront when it comes to gaming and Blade 15 is no exception. The device again borrows design elements from last year’s Blade 15 but comes with new specs. The 2020 Blade 15 is powered by i7-10750H CPU and up to GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU. The laptop has a premium chassis which does a great job of keeping heat away from your palms. Razer has also introduced the Blade 15 Advanced Edition which is an incremental upgrade to the Razer Blade 15. Razer also gives an option between 144Hz FHD or OLED 4K display and 300Hz FHD or OLED 4K touch display. While both the laptops are great to look at and can handle absolutely any game you throw at them, they are also expensive. You will need some serious cash to grab one of these and if you are on a tight budget then Razer might not be the one for you. Buy Razer Blade 15 ($1,299.99) (i7-10750H, GTX 1660 Ti, 16GB RAM) Buy Razer Blade 15 ($2,099.99) (i7-10750H, RTX 2070 Max-Q, 16GB RAM) Buy Razer Blade 15 Advanced Edition ($3,199.00) ( i7-10875H, RTX 2080 SUPER Max-Q, 16GB RAM) Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 is definitely one of the unique laptops on the list. The laptop features a second screen just above the keyboard and has a mechanism that tilts the display for a better viewing angle. The laptop is powered by 10th gen Intel processors that are paired with Nvidia GeForce GPUs. Both the displays on the laptop are beautiful to look at and the keyboard is decent but the small size means you will need some time to get used to it. The trackpad is on the right side of the keyboard and it can be converted into a number pad with a press of a button. One downside of the laptop is the 60Hz screen that does not do any justice to the powerful RTX GPU. Moreover, the unique design means you will be paying a premium for it making this one of the most expensive laptops on the list. Another major issue that professionals might face is the lack of webcam. Overall, Zephyrus Duo 15 is a great laptop to own as long as you are okay with its high price. Buy Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 ($2,949.68) (i7-10875H, 32GB RAM, RTX 2070 Super) Buy Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 ($5,999.99) (i9-10980HK, 32GB RAM, RTX 2080 Super) As an Amazon Associate, Neowin may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Xiaomi to launch a Core i3 variant of the Mi NoteBook 14 in India by Jay Bonggolto Xiaomi is planning to introduce a cheaper version of its Mi NoteBook 14 to the Indian market in the near future. The laptop was first unveiled in June in three variants, powered by either Intel's Core i5 or i7 processor. Manu Kumar Jain, Global Vice President of Xiaomi and Managing Director of Xiaomi India, has revealed the company's plan via a tweet. The upcoming Mi NoteBook 14 variant will be powered by Intel's 10th-generation Core i3 processor. SURPRISE 😍#MiNoteBook14 powered by 10th Gen @intel Core i3 Coming Soon. 🔜 So soon, that you should wait for this one before making your next NoteBook purchase. Exciting festive offers lined up too. 🥳 I ❤️ Mi pic.twitter.com/gyhYdUJKIA — Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) October 29, 2020 What also makes this version distinct from its siblings is its built-in webcam, whereas the higher-end models come only with a bundled one. It may also sport a 14-inch display, as its name suggests, and include a 256GB SSD. Jain's tweet also teased some festive offers alongside the refreshed laptop. There's no word on its pricing as of this time. That said, it's safe to assume that it could come with a price tag that's lower than those of the current Mi NoteBook 14 models.

Microsoft's rumored mid-range 12.5-inch Surface laptop to reportedly cost $699 by Abhay Venkatesh Surface Laptop 3 A rumor from earlier this month stated that Microsoft is working on a more affordable Surface laptop for launch this holiday. The device – codenamed Sparti – is expected to be powered by a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 in its lowest tier and was rumored to cost anywhere between $500-$600. Now, a new report by WinFuture suggests that the 12.5-inch screen housing Surface could start at $699.99. The report adds that the company is reportedly packing a 10th-gen Core i5 processor in the laptop. It is also expected to be offered with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, a departure from the 4GB speculation from an earlier rumor. There is no information on what the internal storage specifics are but considering that the price range is said to start at $699, the firm may choose to pack at least 128GB of storage. Additionally, each tier of the device is expected to increase by $100 while bumping up the storage, RAM, and processor configurations. The most expensive SKU is reportedly slated to cost $1,199. However, it is not known what specs the Redmond firm will offer that top-of-the-line SKU with. Today’s report also corroborates earlier rumors of a successor to the Surface Pro X powered by a refreshed Microsoft SQ2 being in the works. There is speculation that the company might hold a Surface event on September 30, where it is expected to unveil the Surface Pro X 2 and the rumored 12.5-inch Surface laptop. The latter is said to be slated for an end of October availability. Source: WinFuture (German)

Purism announces Librem 14 complete with kill switches by Paul Hill Purism has announced the Librem 14 laptop, a successor to its security-focus Librem 13 product line. The laptop comes with hardware kill switches to disable the webcam, microphone, and Wi-Fi for additional peace of mind. The firm said these features were popular with Librem 13 customers so decided to retain them on the new laptop. Similarly to the newly released Librem Mini, the Librem 14 comes pre-loaded with PureOS, an FSF-accredited operating system meaning that it doesn’t contain closed source software, nor encourages its use. It also supports Purism’s high-security boot firmware, PureBoot. The specifications for the device are as follows: Processor Core i7-10710U (Comet Lake) Display 14″ Matte (1920×1080) Battery Life Roughly 7 to 9 hours (actual times may vary) Graphics Intel UHD Graphics Memory Up to 32GB, DDR4 at 2133 MHz Storage 2.5″ SATA + NVMe-capable M.2 slots Video 1 HDMI Port (4K capable @60Hz max) USB Type-C Video Out (4K capable) USB Ports USB Type-A 3.1: 2 Ports USB Type-C 3.1: 1 Port Audio 3.5mm AudioJack (Mic-in & Headphone-out combo) Networking Gigabit Ethernet Adapter with Integrated RJ45 Connector Atheros 802.11n w/ Two Antennas Power 1 Power Button, DC-IN Jack USB-C Power Delivery Port Dimensions 322mm x 220mm x 17mm; Weight: 1.4 kg Commenting on the new device, Todd Weaver, CEO and founder of Purism, said: “I am beyond excited to see the Librem laptop journey arrive at the build quality and specifications in the Librem 14. This fifth version of our line is the culmination of our dream device rolled into a powerful professional laptop. We have invested heavily so every customer will be proud to carry our laptops, and the Librem 14 will be the best one yet.” If you’re interested in purchasing the device, it’s available for pre-order now at the temporary price of $1,199 and is going to begin shipping in early Q4 2020. It’s not clear when the early bird pricing will end, but the laptop will cost $1,499 when it does. Gallery: Librem 14