Generally speaking, every laptop generation is faster and more capable than the one that came before it. But something’s different this year. Between higher performance hardware, more efficient components, a trend towards eco-friendly materials, and laptop designs that aren’t afraid to be weird and experimental, I have to say that 2025 feels like the most exciting year for laptops in many, many years. Take a look at any of our top laptop lists—whether that’s best laptops overall or best gaming laptops or best laptops for college students—and you’re sure to spot some trends running through each of them. I’m particularly fond of the new crop of ultra-bright and colorful OLED screens, but everyone has their own favorites. So let’s get into it! Here are some of the top laptop trends that make 2025 one of the most exciting years ever for laptops. Repairability and eco-conscious designs The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (2024) is surprisingly repairable. That makes it a great choice if you’re worried about longevity and eco-friendliness.Matthew Smith / IDG Many major laptop brands have made big inroads in improving their environmental standards lately, and this year they’ve really kicked into high gear. In just about every top laptop model, you’ll find a range of recycled materials (like recycled steel and aluminum), plus lowered emissions during manufacturing and greener packing materials. Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others are all pushing towards circularizing the economy of laptop production, with most targeting a completely net-zero manufacturing footprint by 2040 or 2050. Today’s laptops are more repairable than ever, too, helping them to last longer. A look at iFixit’s recent laptop teardowns shows that most of the latest tested models feature high repairability scores. Popular devices like the Surface Laptop 7 make it easy to access internal components, and even Apple—with its famous love of glue and proprietary screws—allows for battery replacement in the latest M4 models. Fanless designs cut down on moving components, too, further enhancing longevity by reducing potential points of failure. If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s a good time to switch to an eco-friendly laptop. OLED hits the mainstream The Lenovo Yoga 9i isn’t just a 2-in-1 laptop—it has a stunning OLED screen.Mattias Inghe For years, OLED was considered a premium option with an appropriately premium price tag that kept it beyond reach of most consumers. Indeed, in TVs and gaming monitors, OLED is still a lot more expensive than the alternatives—but in laptops, OLED is practically mainstream now. OLED is still the premium option compared to more traditional LCD options, but it doesn’t cost that much more. Plus, a lot of the usual issues associated with OLED screens (like burn-in and low brightness) have been solved with updated forms of the technology. Just look at the gorgeous screen on the Lenovo Yoga 9i! OLED screens are also available in a range of different styles now. Alongside dual-OLED laptops like the Asus Zenbook Duo, we also have high-refresh-rate OLEDs for competitive gaming (like the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI), various folding OLED laptops, and even a rollable OLED display in the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Rollable. Upgradeable, modular laptops The Framework Laptop 12 lets you build your own modular laptop.IDG / Chris Hoffman Framework really led the way on this initiative and its latest Laptop 12 is the most exciting yet. Available with the most cutting-edge components in a range of sizes and numerous upgradeable modules, it’s a laptop design that can evolve with you as you need it. The whole concept of a modular laptop is awesome, bringing the LEGO-style customizability of a desktop PC build to the portable form factor of a laptop. Although no other company is going quite this far with their laptops yet, the idea is catching on. Panasonic’s Toughbook 55 MK3 came out last year with a range of upgradeable modules. Compal debuted its Adapt X concept earlier this year as a potential option for OEM customers (and even won a design award for it). Intel is also evangelizing the idea of modular PCs for two big reasons: the environmental impact and the way it supports “right to repair” laws. Not every laptop is going modular—far from it—but the concept has proven popular enough for Framework to remain in business after all these years (and tariff troubles). Maybe a few other laptop manufacturers will start to ape its success in due course. Thinner and lighter but still powerful The Razer Blade 16 (2025) is much thinner compared to previous models.IDG / Mark Knapp The latest generations of graphics cards and processors aren’t that much better than their predecessors, but they sure do work well in thinner and lighter laptop designs. Razer shaved down the chassis on its flagship Blade 16 laptop by as much as 30 percent this year, helping it weigh in at just over 3.5 pounds—all while granting access to RTX 50-series GPUs and top-shelf CPUs from AMD and Intel. Classic thin-and-light designs (like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14) are as thin and light as ever yet offer more performance thanks to the latest CPUs and graphics chips. Most of them also pack OLED displays, too! A double whammy of goodness. There are also updated versions of powerful gaming tablets (like the Asus ROG Flow Z13), which are just a couple of pounds yet have cutting-edge CPUs. At the super lean end, you have devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (2025), which only weighs 1.5 pounds. (Not much in the way of high-end graphics here, but given how slim these devices are, that can be excused. You have to be realistic about these things.) 20+ hours of battery life is the new norm In our review, we found the HP OmniBook 5 14 has over 25 hours of battery power.IDG / Matthew Smith We have Windows on Arm to thank for this trend. But whether a laptop uses one of those particular models (like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X range) or one by AMD or Intel (who have been forced to play catch up), there are plenty of modern laptops with 20+ hours of battery life. It’s no longer just the calling card of Apple’s leanest MacBooks. Some gaming laptops, like the Razer Blade 16, can even last for up to 10 hours on a single charge (as long as you aren’t gaming). The combination of more efficient hardware, advanced power management algorithms, and larger batteries in slimmer designs means there are some models like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x and HP OmniBook 5 14 that get close to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge—an impossibility just a few years ago. If this has caught your attention, check out our roundup of the longest battery life laptops we’ve ever tested. Local AI is cropping up everywhere The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (2024) was one of the first Copilot+ PCs, meaning it was one of the first laptops with an NPU capable of local AI on Windows.Mark Hachman / IDG If there’s one marketing term that has taken over the lexicon in 2025, it’s gotta be “AI.” Apart from the obvious ChatGPT trends, Microsoft also pushed hard with its “Copilot+ PC” nomenclature reserved for laptops with qualifying NPUs (neural processing units) with enough performance to handle local AI functionality directly on said laptops instead of sending the work off to the cloud. (Learn more about NPUs in laptops.) Almost every high-end laptop in 2025 is geared to include AI in some form or another, and it’s not just Microsoft integrating Copilot via Microsoft 365 and Windows 11. Samsung laptops have integrated AI Select and Photo Remaster. HP has an AI companion. Several others have AI translation services and photo beautification effects. The usefulness of such AI features might be dubious, but they exist, can’t be ignored, and have been a major laptop selling point this year. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Compact IP68-rated form factor Attractive styling Top-shelf real world 20Gbps performance Captive port plug Cons Slows drastically off secondary cache Our Verdict Adata’s IP68-rated SD820 SSD delivers excellent real world 20Gbps performance in a small package, and at an affordable price point. But it will slow drastically during very long writes. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Adata SD820 SSD Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Being unabashedly shape-conscious, I was prone to liking the Adata SD820 right off the bat. Its bright blue highlights are a bit garish in bright light, but I like that — makes it easy to spot in the wild. The fact that it’s a good 20Gbps performer with 2TB on board just sweetened the deal. Attractive and useful. What’s not to like? Well, one thing. If you write too much data at once (more than 20 percent of capacity), the drive will run out of secondary cache and slow to around 130MBps. Otherwise, the SD820 turned in the fastest real world performance we’ve seen from a 20Gbps SSD. Adata SD820: Features The SD820 is a small, flat-ish, bright-blue-and-black rectangle measuring around 2.65-inches long by 1.5-inches wide by 0.4-inches thick. It weighs a mere 0.9 ounces. It’s more than suitable for outdoor use according to its IP68 rating. If you aren’t feeling curious enough to click on that link, IP68 means the SD820 is dustproof and can survive immersion in 10 feet of water. That’s as good as it gets for consumer devices. The SD820 sports a female Type-C connector protected by a captive plastic cap and Adata includes a Type-C to Type-C cable. The business end of the SD820 with its captive Type-C plug unplugged. While the color scheme may seem a bit garish to some, it also means you’ll be able to more easily find the little sucker if you drop it on the trail. Neon orange, lime, or pink are a bit better for that in my experience, but the blue will do. The SD820 is 20Gbps USB 3.2×2, the controller is a Silicon Motion SM2322, and the NAND is layered QLC. USB 3.2×2 is 20Gbps when attached to a dedicated USB 3.2×2 port and some USB4 ports, but it drops to 10Gbps or lower in most Thunderbolt ports, and all non-USB4 ports. Adata warranties the SD820 for five years, which is two years more generous than most external SSDs. The company did not provide a TBW (TeraBytes that may be Written) rating, but QLC of this type (older) is generally around 250TBW per terabyte of capacity. Adata SD820: Pricing The SD820 will be available in $102/1TB and $179/2TB as of mid-November 2025, and eventually in 4TB capacity. Not sure about the price yet, but I’d guess around $400. That’s not bad at all for IP68-rated 20Gbps SSDs. You can go a bit cheaper without the IP-rating, and a lot more expensive is you want better write performance with large amounts of data. As to that… Adata SD820: Speed With normal amounts of data, the SD820 is among the fastest 20Gbps SSDs we’ve tested. Faster in sequential throughput than random ops, but still very fast overall. The SD820 is one of the fastest small profile 20Gbps SSDs we’ve tested when it comes to sequential throughput with normal sized amounts of data. Longer bars are better. Although 4K reads are competitive, the SD820 fell well behind its rivals in 4K writing. Overall, not bad, not great. Although fast with 4K reads, the SD820 fell well behind the competition in 4K writing. Longer bars are better. Where the SD820 really brought home the bacon was in our 48GB transfer tests. It shaved quite a few seconds off the times of the the two listed competitors, the Corsair EX400U and Crucial X10 (chosen because of their similar bulk) and is the fastest of all the 20Gbps SSDs and enclosures we’ve tested. Where the SD820 really brought home the bacon was in our 48GB transfer tests. Shorter bars are better. The SD820 was actually on pace for much faster time in the 450GB write, when at around the 85 percent mark it ran out of secondary cache (second image below). The QLC’s 130MBps native write speed dropped the sea anchor on a competitive time. For real world transfers of normal size, the SD820 is the portable 20Gbps SSD to beat. The SD820 was actually on pace for much faster time in the 450GB write, when around the 85% mark it ran out of secondary cache and the QLC’s 115 – 120 MBps native write speed dropped the sea anchor. Shorter bars are better. Here’s a screen capture of the native write slowdown at the 85 percent mark. The QLC must be of the older variety as we’ve seen newer QLC maintain around 400Mbps to 500MBps. But basically, if you write this much data regularly (few do — even us outside of testing), you might opt for a TLC SSD. The SD820 was on pace until the end when it ran out of secondary cache. Writing any amount less than this and it’s golden. For real world transfers of normal size, the SD820 is the portable 20Gbps SSD to beat. However, users regularly writing very large amounts of data, something sporting TLC NAND and USB4 might serve them better in the long run. Adata SD820: Conclusion If you’re looking for rugged storage at a decent price and like the look, give the Adata SD820 a good, hard look. The SD820 isn’t quite pro-level, but it’s easily fast enough and vast enough for the average user, especially those working in the wild. Adata SD820: How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Ultra i5 225 feeding/fed by two Crucial 64GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (128GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are integrated into the motherboard and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Internal PCIe 5.0 SSDs involved in testing are mounted in a Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 adapter card siting in a PCIe 5.0 slot. We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 synthetic benchmarks (to keep article length down, we only report one) to find the storage device’s potential performance, then a series of 48GB and 450GB transfers tests using Windows Explorer drag and drop to show what users will see during routine copy operations, as well as the far faster FastCopy run as administrator to show what’s possible. A 20GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 is used as the second drive in our transfer tests. Formerly the 48GB tests were done with a RAM disk serving that purpose. Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This issue has abated somewhat with the current crop of SSDs utilizing more mature controllers and far faster, late-generation NAND. Note that our testing MO evolves and these results may not match those from previous articles. Only comparisons inside the article are 100% valid as those results are gathered using the current hardware and MO. Read...

I don’t know how your tech drawers look, but mine are filled with wires I’ll likely never use again because technology has advanced quite a bit. Thankfully, USB-C seems to be here to stay since there is no wrong way to plug these things in. It’s not just smartphones, tablets, and laptops that use these, however, but also a long list of gadgets. We’ve scoured the market for hidden gems: 13 gadgets that will make you think “Wow, I didn’t know I needed that, but it will make my life so much easier!” Let’s dive in and see what cool devices you’ll be able to use your type-C cables and ports with. Unihand rechargeable hand warmers Unihand As the weather is getting colder, you sometimes wish you could warm up your hands a bit faster. Well, these $18 hand warmers are rechargeable and perfectly ready to keep your fingers toasty for up to 20 hours on a single charge. These gadgets feature a temperature sensor chip that helps you pick one of three temps for precise control. There are plenty of colors to choose from, too. Wowstick 1F+ mini electric screwdriver Wowstick If you often have to fiddle around with your computer or other gadgets, this Wowstick mini electric screwdriver may be just what you need. This pen-shaped screwdriver features three LED lights so it’s easier to see what you’re working on and rotates 200 times per minute so you can finish the job faster. The screwdriver has a stylish base so you can hold it on your desk, and a whole collection of 56 aluminum alloy bits. The screwdriver can be charged via USB-C and it can last for hours. This super fun electric screwdriver usually goes for $41. Anker Nano Power Bank Anker One thing you need to have in you bag/pocket/backpack is a power bank because you never really know when your phone will fail you and cry for a recharge. Well, the Anker Nano power bank is tiny enough to fit just about anywhere. It comes with a foldable USB-C connector and a port on the side so you can charge two devices at once if you need to. The 5,000mAh capacity is just about enough for a full phone recharge, so it will be great in a pinch. It’s also only $30, but we’ve seen it as low as $16. Endoscope camera with light Ennovor Although it’s not something you’ll use every day, this Ennover endoscope camera can definitely come in handy. You just plug it in your phone, install and app, and see everything your camera does. Our team swears by it, using it for finding whatever they dropped behind the desk, while working on the car, or looking for pipe leaks. Since it has an IP67 rating, you can even plop it in your aquarium. The camera comes with a 16.4ft semi-rigid cable and several accessories, including a hook, magnet, and a mirror. You can get this one for $17 right now. Blukar flashlight Blukar I don’t care who you are—you need a flashlight. The smaller, the better, because you get to shove it into any pocket. This model from Blukar comes with a built-in 1800mAh battery that you’ll recharge with one of those many type-C cables you have in that tech drawer we were talking about. It can work for up to 16 hours on a single charge, which is pretty decent. There are four different lightning modes to cycle through, including one that will help you signal for help. Plus, one of these is less than $8, so no excuse to pass on this one. Heat It insect bite healer Anyone plagued by mosquitoes in the summer will be particularly pleased with this ingenious gadget. This tiny device, which can be easily connected to your smartphone via USB-C, can significantly reduce the itching of bites and stings with targeted heat. You simply charge the small Heat It bite healer via the app and then hold it on the bite. The heat then does the rest, breaking down the proteins in the mosquito bite that cause the area to swell, itch, and hurt. A true must-have for summer, and it costs only $20 when on sale. A tiny air pump Also perfect for summer is this small air pump from Cycplus, which fits in any bag while on the go. Not only can it inflate a bicycle tire in two minutes at the touch of a button, but it’s also USB-charged. According to the manufacturer, it’s suitable for mountain bikes, road bikes, motorcycles, and even cars! In addition to being an air pump, this practical gadget can also be used as a flashlight or power bank for on-the-go use — all things that come in very handy on a bike ride. And at just $57 (although we’ve seen it for as low as $35) it’s highly recommended if you need quick help with a flat tire. USB-C mini fan These little fans are also pretty ingenious; you can easily carry them in your pocket in the summer and quickly use them whenever you need them. Anyone who’s ever sat on a crowded subway train in 30-degree heat and wished for at least a little fresh air will love this gadget. The mini fan, which costs just $20, has a USB-C port and can be easily powered by power banks, computers, laptops, or USB chargers. There are even smaller and cheaper fans available that can be connected directly to your phone, costing under $10 each. But these also provide less powerful airflow, so we recommend the standalone version. Reading light with a book clamp Anyone who enjoys reading a lot, sometimes late into the night, will appreciate this little gadget: a reading lamp that you can simply clip onto your book. It may not be groundbreaking, but with a total of three color temperatures and five different light modes, you can individually adjust how much light you need for reading. The Gritin reading lamp costs just $8 on Amazon and features a 1200 mAh battery that lasts up to 80 hours depending on usage. Afterward, you can easily recharge it via USB. You can swivel the neck of the lamp back and forth as desired, and there’s even a small charging indicator. What more could you want? External DVD Drive Amicool If your laptop is like mine and lacks a DVD drive, then this little gadget will come in handy for you. This Amicool external DVD drive uses a USB-C (or USB-A) to connect to your laptop and give yout he optical drive you sometimes need. It can read and burn DVDs and CDs with ease, allowing you to install software, copy files, back up data, play games, and so on. You won’t even need to install drives as this thing is plug and play. While this thing’s usually $29, you can often get it for around $20, which is an absolute bargain. Samsung flash drive Samsung The vast majority of flash drives have a USB-A connector, but this one from Samsung has a Type-C connector. With transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s, you’ll move files around in no time. The beauty of this thumb drive is that you can even pop it in your smartphone to record 4K vids directly on it. The Samsung Type-C flash drive comes in multiple storage options, starting at 64GB and up to 512GB and they start at $14. The 256GB version, for instance, is $27 at the time of writing. Type-C microSD card reader Ugreen Most laptops nowadays don’t come with a card reader anymore (I know mine doesn’t), so finding other ways to get data off those little buggers is a must. Whether you need to pull data off your dashcam’s card or if it’s from your camera, this tiny Ugreen USB-C microSD reader will work just fine. This reader is tiny enough that you should probably put it on a keychain of some kind. If you’d rather a slightly more versatile version, Ugreen has a model that also works with SD cards and features both USB-C and USB-A connectors. Any of these will cost you less than $10, so they’re worthwhile investments. USB-C to HDMI adapter Anker If your laptop has a USB-C port but you haven’t updated your monitor in ages, your display won’t feature a Type-C port. This Anker adapter fixes this problem for you, enabling you to connect the regular HDMI cable you plug in your monitor with this gadget. The adapter supports resolutions of up to 4K at 60Hz, which is pretty awesome. This is also a nifty way to connect your phone or tablet to your monitor or TV. This thing’s $20, but we’ve seen it as low as $12. Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 16, but was updated to include additional devices. Read...

TL;DR: Get an IONOS Web Hosting Plus 3-year subscription plan for $99.99 (MSRP $288). Web hosting can cost $10+ monthly—especially if you’re building multiple projects or want enterprise-grade reliability. But this deal brings the cost way down. With IONOS Web Hosting Plus, you’ll get three full years of hosting for about $2.78 per month without compromising on performance, security, or features. The plan includes unlimited websites, storage, databases, and bandwidth, plus enhanced CPU and memory resources to handle demanding workloads. Your data is hosted on geo-redundant infrastructure with a 99.99% uptime guarantee, so your sites stay online even if one data center goes down. Built-in daily backups, malware scanning, DDoS protection, and a free Wildcard SSL certificate help keep everything secure from day one. Setup is simple with 1-click installs for over 70 apps and CMS platforms, SSH and SFTP access, and full Git integration. You’ll also get a free domain for a year, professional email, and 24/7 support. Whether you’re launching a portfolio site, managing client projects, or hosting resource-heavy web apps, this is a cost-effective way to scale without recurring monthly bills. Save 65% on IONOS Web Hosting Plus with a 3-year subscription plan. IONOS Web Hosting Plus Plan: 3-Year SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

With privacy all but nonexistent now thanks to web advertising and monetized tracking, there’s a definite niche for browsers and other tools that specialize in keeping you safe and anonymous online. Brave, DuckDuckGo, Mullvad, and Tor are all great examples. But one “privacy browser” is allegedly made by cyber criminals specifically to harvest data—and it has millions of downloads. According to a security report from Infoblox, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the China-focused Universe Browser is advertised as a safe and private way to bypass censorship and web blocks. It has a specific use case for would-be online gamblers. But just underneath its surface, the browser is recording the user’s location, routing all traffic data through servers in China, installing keyloggers, and changing network settings. “These features are consistent with remote access trojans (RATs) and other malware increasingly being distributed through Chinese online gambling platforms,” says Infoblox. While the report stops short of accusing the developers of the browser of being straight-up criminals, it’s hard to imagine any software doing all that nasty stuff for benevolent purposes. The data collected would be easy to leverage into tracking wealthy gamblers and targeting them for Trojan deliveries, identity theft, or blackmail attacks… just as examples. The Chrome-derived Universe Browser has been promoted as a way to access gambling sites to customers of the Baoying Group, closely associated with Triad criminal actors (labelled “Vault Viper” by researchers) that profit from illegal online gambling, cybercrime, money laundering, and human trafficking. Once installed, the program attempts to evade antivirus detection, injects code, and monitors system information like the contents of a user’s clipboard. After a few checks to make sure it’s properly evading security, the Windows version can even replace your original Chrome executable file. Once it’s well and truly embedded in both the system and the user’s habits, things start to get really interesting. The browser’s base function has almost all user-accessible settings disabled, and it includes an extension that can take screenshots of web browsing and upload them to a remote server. The browser appears to be sending encrypted data to specific servers associated with Vault Viper. Universe Browser seems to be custom-made for the Baoying Group and its associates, and it’s only advertised on their sites, mostly targeting gamblers in China and Taiwan where online gambling is illegal. It’s available on the iOS App Store and as a sideloaded Android app, but according to Wired, it’s not known whether these mobile versions are as dangerous as the Windows version. I’d avoid all of them if I were you. Read...

Now that Microsoft is not-quite-forcing you to upgrade to Windows 11, it’s time for them to take break, let you settle in, lay off some of the heavy-handed marketing that’s been the company’s staple for the last two years… Ha, just kidding. They’re actually burying users under more Copilot features and integrations. Try to contain your excitement. In a sprawling marketing post yesterday, Microsoft announced a bunch of new features for Copilot… not a single one of which requires a laptop or desktop that meets the Copilot+ requirements. “Copilot now connects you to yourself, to others, and to the tools you use every day. It’s there for you, helps you stay organized, and even supports your health,” says the blog post from Microsoft’s CEO of AI. Here’s a breakdown of all the new and updated stuff announced: Mico, Microsoft’s AI companion character: It’s Clippy 2.0. And the new video showing off the character, which is supposed to be conversational, has no audio. What? Thankfully, Mico is only an “optional visual presence”; you can still use Copilot in its standard text-based interface. Mico is currently rolling out in the US, though I haven’t seen it in action yet. (Oh, by the way. It’s called Mico because it’s an interface for Microsoft Copilot. Riveting.) Copilot Mode in Edge: Microsoft is pushing the Copilot integration to compete with new “agentic” browsers like Comet. Copilot will be able to “read” the pages you’re looking at and remember your internet history, in a method that whiffs of Recall on Copilot+ PCs. Don’t everyone jump at once to give Microsoft even more of your web browsing information. Copilot Groups: Up to 32 users can join in a Copilot LLM session at once for collaboration. Long-term memory: Copilot’s LLM can now “remember” important information you offer up to it, mirroring features from other “AI” chatbots like ChatGPT (which forms the basis for much of Copilot’s functionality) and Google Gemini. Users can update, edit, or delete specific conversations in their history, allowing a measure of control over what Copilot remembers. Integration with Google services: Copilot can now get into your Google account to “see” Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, something that was already announced. In Deep Research mode, it will offer up more insight based on recent activity. Copilot for health: Microsoft promises some more credible search results, including “sources like Harvard Health.” It’ll also help you find the correct local doctors based on your health needs, including location and language. All of these things are, of course, completely impossible to do with a standard search engine, like the one Microsoft has been making for a couple of decades. I’ve yet to see anything in Copilot that makes me want to leave it running on my PC, much less pay $20 per month for a Microsoft 365 subscription to get at its more potent capabilities. But if you want to try this stuff out, Microsoft says that all the above capabilities are rolling out in the US now, with the UK, Canada, “and beyond” coming later. Read...

I get the hubbub around Apple Watches, but I don’t necessarily love Apple Watch prices. Maybe you’re in the same boat, secretly wishing you could join the bandwagon without burning a hole in your wallet. Well, you can! Walmart is currently selling the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) for just $189 (was $249), which is a solid deal indeed. This deal is for both the 40mm GPS version as well as the 40mm GPS + Cellular version of the watch, by the way, although the latter is already starting to sell out—so maybe act fast if you’re interested. (In fact, two of the Sport Loop variants are even marked down to $169!) The Apple Watch SE 2 has everything you could want in a smartwatch without shelling out a premium price. It keeps you motivated to work out with reminders, it tracks your activities and health metrics, and it connects to your phone and serves up notifications. But my favorite are the safety features, like Crash Detection, Fall Detection, Emergency SOS, and special alerts when it detects unusual health events like an irregular heart rhythm or high heart rate levels. Walmart has the Apple Watch SE 2 in multiple colors and all of them are on sale. Make sure to get your order in soon because this kind of $60 discount is rare. Who knows how long it’ll stick around? The Apple Watch SE 2 is slashed down to $189 (was $249)Buy now from Walmart Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Well-rounded hardware configuration for the price Large touchpad with virtual dial Good balance of modern and legacy connectivity Strong battery life for a laptop with a discrete GPU Cons Rigid and light chassis looks a bit mediocre Modest CPU and GPU performance Our Verdict The Asus ProArt P16 strikes a balance between portability and performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Asus ProArt P16 (2025) Retailer Price $2,929.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Asus ProArt P16 is a laptop that’s meant for creative professionals. Technically, just about any laptop with a fast CPU and GPU could do the job—and some pros turn towards gaming laptops for that reason. But the ProArt P16 seeks its niche by pairing performance with better battery life and a more compact chassis. Asus has to slightly reduce performance to make this possible, but the end result is alluring if you want a powerful Windows laptop that can also handle travel. Asus ProArt P16: Specs and features as-tested The Asus ProArt P16’s basic specifications are well-balanced and competitive with many mid-range laptops in the $2,000 to $3,000 price bracket. It pairs an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics, supported by 32GB of RAM and 2TB of solid state storage. Model number: H7606WP CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Memory: 32GB LPDDR5-7500 Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 5070 8GB (105W TGP) NPU: Up to 50 TOPS Display: 16-inch 2880×1800 OLED 120Hz touchscreen Storage: 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 solid state drive Webcam and microphone: 1080p with dual microphone array Connectivity: 1x USB-C 4.0 40Gbps with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x USB-C 3.2 10Gbps with Power Delivery and Display Port, 2x USB-C 3.2 10Gbps, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x 3.5 mm audio jack, 1x power connector Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 90 watt-hours Dimensions: 13.97 x 9.72 x 0.68 inches Weight: 4.08 Operating System: Windows 11 Home Price: $2,399.99 MSRP The model I reviewed is available for $2,399.99 at Best Buy. Asus also sells several alternative models with higher display resolutions and up to RTX 5090 graphics, as well as up to 64GB of memory. That will set you back $2,899.99. Alternatively, you can save a few hundred dollars with a $2,199.99 entry-level model that has RTX 4060 graphics and just 1TB of storage. Asus ProArt P16: Design and build quality Foundry / Matthew Smith The Asus ProArt P16 heard you like matte black, so it put matte black on your matte black so you can matte black while you matte black. The exterior, the key caps, the power button, the speaker grills, the touchpad, the little faux-dial are all matte black. Asus gets a little wild with the ProArt logo on the lid, though. It’s glossy black. Personally, I think the laptop is a bit boring, but has it where it counts. Asus finishes the laptop’s metals with a subtle but noticeable metallic luster and the shade of black is wonderfully deep. Many laptops that are supposedly black (like Apple’s MacBook laptops) look slightly blue or gray compared to the ProArt P16.  The ProArt P16’s lower chassis, display lid, and keyboard deck all feel rigid when pressed or handled roughly. You’ll still find flex if you try, but the laptop is more than rigid enough to provide a luxurious, professional feel. There’s also a nice plastic lip around the display bezel. It’s a subtle element but should help keep dust and dirt out of the interior when the laptop is in your bag. Overall, the ProArt P16 is on par with top-end competitors like the Razer Blade 16 and Lenovo Yoga 9i.  It even resists fingerprints well enough. Some marks are inevitable, but a quick rub with a microfiber cloth will clean it up. I expect the palmrests and keyboard will show wear after a few months of heavy use, but the same is true for every darkly-colored laptop I’ve ever used. Asus ProArt P16: Keyboard, trackpad, mouse Foundry / Matthew Smith Asus provides a spacious, centered keyboard layout without a numpad. The lack of numpad is notable, as this is a 16-inch machine and Asus could have found room. But the company instead elects to keep the keyboard centered for better typing ergonomics. The extra space on each side of the keyboard is used to provide large, user-facing speakers, which I’ll discuss shortly.  Key feel is good, if not exceptional. The keyboard offers good key travel and a smooth action that feels pleasant and doesn’t tire my fingers. Each key bottoms with a vague and subtle action, though. I prefer more tactile and audible feedback. Still, it’s a good keyboard. Keyboard backlighting is standard, though it’s not great. The keys allow a lot of light leak from around the key caps, creating an uneven look, and the minimum brightness is higher than I like to see when typing in a dark room. Still, it ultimately does the job.  The touchpad, on the other hand, is a treat. It’s spacious, measuring about six inches wide and four inches deep, and provides a surface that’s smooth yet still just rough enough to provide a sense of tactile feedback.  It includes Asus’ dial control engraved in the upper left corner. This can be used in any situation where a dial might be handy, from scrolling down a page to adjusting exposure in a photo editing app. It lacks the reassuring tactile feel of a real dial, but it’s a feature unique to Asus’ ProArt, and certainly beats fiddling with sliders by clicking with the mouse cursor and then dragging them to and fro. Asus ProArt P16: Display, audio Foundry / Matthew Smith The Asus ProArt P16’s display is a real treat. It’s a 16-inch OLED touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 2,880 x 1,800 resolution. Like all modern laptop OLED displays, it provides incredible contrast and rich color.  It also goes the extra mile with a maximum brightness that exceeds 400 nits in HDR, which means the display doesn’t look overly dim in bright rooms (this can still be an issue with OLED displays in less expensive laptops). HDR is supported and offers decent brightness for a laptop. The display is extremely glossy, though, so you can expect mirror-like reflections from any light source sitting behind you. The refresh rate maxes out at 120Hz, which provides great motion clarity while scrolling rapidly through a video timeline or document and also, of course, looks superb in games. The display doesn’t support G-Sync, though, so you’ll have to use V-Sync in games to ensure smooth frame pacing. Interestingly, the OLED display on the ProArt P16 I reviewed is actually different from many other configurations sold by Asus. Most ProArt P16 models have an even higher display resolution of 3,840 x 2,400, but a lower refresh rate of 60Hz. Personally, I prefer an OLED display with a lower resolution and higher refresh rate. Still, creators who want to be able to see a full 4K image at its proper resolution should be wary and purchase a model with the display that meets their needs. While the display is very good, it’s not an advantage. Nearly all mid-range to high-end Windows laptops now have an OLED display. And since they’re all supplied by Samsung, they all tend to offer similar performance.  The ProArt P16 provides user-facing speakers on each side of the keyboard. They offer good audio volume and a crisp presentation in most situations. The speakers do produce a hint of bass, but they become muddy in bass-heavy music when listening at maximum or near maximum volume. Still, the speakers are above-average for a laptop. Asus ProArt P16: Webcam, microphone, biometrics A 1080p webcam and dual microphone array are tucked into the Asus ProArt P16. The webcam provides solid video quality, though it’s nothing amazing by modern standards. It’s suitable for video conferences, but the image can still look grainy in dark lighting. The dual microphones pick up quality audio and are able to cancel out moderate, repetitive background noises. The webcam and microphone are competent, but par for the course in this price bracket. The webcam doesn’t provide a physical privacy shutter. An electronic webcam disconnect is available, though, and can be selected with a keyboard shortcut. Biometric login is available through Microsoft’s Windows Hello facial recognition. I generally prefer this to a fingerprint reader, and a fingerprint reader is not available on the ProArt P16. The facial recognition is speedy, reliable, and works in both dark and bright rooms. Asus ProArt P16 : Connectivity Asus has the ProArt P16’s connectivity dialed in. It includes one USB 4 port with up to 40Gbps of data, plus a USB 3.2 port with up to 10Gbps of data. Both are USB-C ports that provide DisplayPort and Power Delivery to charge the laptop, though be warned they don’t provide enough power to charge the laptop at full speed or prevent the battery from discharging at full load. Still, they provide a good range of options for connecting to a hub, dock, or USB-C monitor.  Thunderbolt is absent, however, as is often the case with laptops that have AMD inside. I don’t think this is a major issue, but shoppers should note that a laptop with Thunderbolt 5 can achieve even higher data rates of up to 80Gbps. That might be a factor if you often move very, very large files between your laptop’s storage and external storage.  The two USB-C ports are paired with two USB-A 3.2 ports, each with 10Gbps of data. There’s also HDMI 2.1, an SD Express card reader, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. These ports give the ProArt P16 a good range of options that will have particular appeal to photographers and videographers. The HDMI-out is great for connecting to a variety of media devices and the SD Express card reader removes the need to carry a hub or adapter.  On the whole, I think the ProArt P16’s connectivity strikes the right balance of connectivity for most people. A MacBook Pro 16 has more high-speed Thunderbolt / USB-C connectivity, but it lacks USB-A. Other high-end consumer and prosumer laptops, like the Dell 16 Premium and Lenovo Yoga 9i 16, rely almost entirely on Thunderbolt / USB-C for connectivity. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which are the latest versions of each wireless standard. Most competitive laptops also support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, but it’s good to see Asus didn’t skimp here. Asus ProArt P16: Performance The Asus ProArt P16 comes in a variety of configurations, but all the current 2025 models, including the one that I reviewed, have an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. That is paired with up to Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics, but the more affordable model I tested stuck to the RTX 5070. 32GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory and a 2TB PCIe 4.0 solid state drive round out the specifications. Foundry / Matthew Smith We start with PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark, where the Asus ProArt P16 scored 8,017. That’s an improvement over the 2024 model, which scored 7,608. However, the ProArt P16 is still towards the bottom half of this pack. It basically ties the Razer Blade 16, which scored 8,048, but ends up a few hundred points behind other 16-inch gaming and workstation laptops PCWorld has reviewed this year.   Foundry / Matthew Smith Next up is Cinebench 2024 where, perhaps unsurprisingly, the new Asus ProArt P16 doesn’t outperform last year’s model. That’s unsurprising because they both have the same AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor inside. As the graph makes clear, Intel’s Core Ultra 9 is undoubtedly a better performer in heavily multithreaded tasks. All of the Intel powered laptops leave the AMD alternatives in the dust. Foundry / Matthew Smith It’s the same story in Handbrake. The laptops with AMD Ryzen AI 9 chips are slower than the Intel alternatives. Still, the new Asus ProArt P16 can at least keep up with latest Razer Blade 16 in this test, which is good to see. Foundry / Matthew Smith CPU performance doesn’t seem to be the Asus ProArt P16’s forte, so what about the GPU? Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the Asus ProArt P16 with RTX 5070 sees a healthy boost over last year’s model with the RTX 4070. The 3DMark Time Spy and Port Royale scores increase by roughly 20 percent. However, the Asus ProArt P16 is still towards the lower end of the performance that can be expected from an Nvidia RTX 5070 mobile GPU. The ProArt P16 is a relatively slim and light laptop for a Windows machine with discrete graphics and that seems to throttle its performance. Foundry / Matthew Smith Next up is Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an older title that most modern laptop GPUs can handle without much trouble. The RTX 5070 in the Asus ProArt P16 is no exception with an average of 140 frames per second. However, it’s not any quicker than last year’s model, and a bit behind other RTX 5070 laptops we’ve recently reviewed. The CPU may be a factor here: both the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S and Alienware 16X have the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX. Foundry / Matthew Smith Metro Exodus is a more demanding title when played at the Extreme preset. The Acer ProArt P16 averages 53 frames per second here, a slight increase from the prior year’s model, and more competitive compared to other RTX 5070 laptops. Foundry / Matthew Smith We finish things off with Cyberpunk 2077, which speaks favorably of the Asus ProArt P16. The 2025 model with the RTX 5070 sees a major improvement over the 2024 model with RTX 4070. The average frame rate is boosted from 74 to 94 when playing at 1080p with the Ultra preset and no ray tracing in use. The Overdrive ray traced preset is still more than Asus ProArt P16 can handle, which is to be expected. None of the RTX 5070 laptops do well in that extremely demanding workload. Keep in mind, though, that Overdrive is a real system-killer, and we are not using DLSS or FSR in our testing. Sticking to a lower ray traced preset and engaging DLSS will result in a perfectly playable experience. It’s a laptop that can easily hit 60 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra detail settings, but also lasts up to 10 hours on a charge—and there aren’t many Windows laptops that manage that in 2025. Overall, the Asus ProArt P16’s performance is decent but not exceptional. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 remains behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX in mutlithreaded CPU benchmarks. The P16’s graphics performance is also healthy but in some situations lags behind thicker, beefier machines with the same GPU. That’s not too surprising, as a thicker chassis often allows space for improved cooling. Asus ProArt P16: Battery life and portability The Asus ProArt P16 is portable for a 16-inch laptop. It measures a tad under seven-tenths of an inch thick and weighs a few ounces over four pounds. It’s compact for its display size, too, so it should fit in most backpacks designed for a 15-inch laptop. You can find more portable laptops, like those in the LG Gram series, but the ProArt P16 weighs less than a Razer Blade 16 or MacBook Pro 16.  A 90 watt-hour battery powers the laptop, which is a typical size for a laptop with discrete graphics. The laptop tries to make the most of the battery with a switchable graphics solution that can turn off the Nvidia GPU when its performance isn’t required. Foundry / Matthew Smith That works to the Asus ProArt P16’s favor. The laptop managed to reach 10 hours and 42 minutes in our standard battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. This is a light-load test, but my subjective experience showed the laptop’s real-world battery life is often close to that number. I saw eight to nine hours of battery life in a mix of web browsing, document editing, and photo editing. These results aren’t going to beat Apple’s MacBook Pro 16, of course, but they’re good for a Windows laptop with discrete graphics and a capable CPU. The ProArt P16 compares well to other laptops that provide similar performance.  AMD also deserves credit here. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 doesn’t hold a candle to the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX in multi-core CPU workloads, but it’s more miserly about power consumption. The Intel-powered alternatives posted far less impressive battery life results. When it comes time to recharge, you’ll need to connect the beefy 200-watt power adapter over a proprietary power connection. USB-C charging is possible, but the charging speed will be reduced, and USB-C won’t supply enough power to charge the laptop while you’re using it for a demanding task (like gaming or heavy video editing). Asus ProArt P16: Conclusion The Asus ProArt P16 is a laptop that delivers what it was designed to deliver. It’s expected to provide the performance required for more demanding workloads, from 4K video editing to modern PC games. Yet it must also be portable enough for travel. Balancing these competing priorities means the ProArt P16 must give up performance when compared to bulkier alternatives. But it also means the ProArt P16 provides a better balance of portability and performance. It’s a laptop that can easily hit 60 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra detail settings, but also lasts up to 10 hours on a charge—and there aren’t many Windows laptops that manage that in 2025. Read...

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OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Atlas, which is “a new web browser built with ChatGPT at its core.” It’s based on Chromium—which is true of pretty much all browsers these days except Firefox and Safari—and its unique selling point is that it integrates ChatGPT right into the browser, allowing users to chat with their search results and use a side panel that automatically provides ChatGPT with on-screen context. ChatGPT Atlas also has access to your browsing history, allowing the AI assistant to customize its responses based on your activity. For paid ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business users, Atlas also has an “agent mode” where the AI can perform simple web-based tasks on your behalf. ChatGPT Atlas is currently only available for macOS, but support for Windows, iOS, and Android is on the way. The browser will be available to all free users at launch with some paywalled features. Furthermore, head of ChatGPT Atlas team Adam Fry posted on social media a list of “post-launch fixes” that will be addressed “over the coming weeks,” including multiprofile support, tab groups, opt-in ad blocker, and various user experience improvements. Read...