Tony Polanco
Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.
Latest articles by Tony Polanco
![MacBook Air M2 vs Dell XPS 13 Plus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/79AeSjqGeYVuhvQC6MjoVP-320-80.jpg)
Tom’s Guide asks: What’s your biggest laptop pet peeve?
By Alex Wawro published
Watch out for these common pitfalls when buying a laptop
![best gaming mouse pads](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FCqkLw8kGsWepoiVF6EZc9-320-80.jpg)
The best gaming mouse pad in 2024
By Marshall Honorof last updated
Pick up one of the best gaming mouse pads to help keep both your mouse and your desk pristine.
![best gaming desks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VF3EVP62nXsw3EUQ2LaYRo-320-80.jpg)
The best gaming desks in 2024
By Tony Polanco last updated
The best gaming desks offer plenty of benefits. Here are our top picks.
![A Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 mouse](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JUvY2o97LVesDrapGGZ76G-320-80.jpg)
The best gaming mouse in 2024
By Marshall Honorof last updated
Having the best gaming mouse can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
![HP OmniBook X](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AiUsNdrjcnVpxSnTmyppnM-320-80.jpg)
The new HP OmniBook X with Snapdragon X Elite just crushed the MacBook Air M3 in battery life
By Tony Polanco last updated
MacBooks with Apple Silicon set the current standard for laptop battery life, but some of the Copilot+ PCs we've tested have just surpassed them.
![Microsoft Surface Pro 11 on a desk.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nQk8Y5QykafztgPUZocCGH-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 review: The best Surface in years
By Tony Polanco last updated
An OLED display and Snapdragon X Elite power make this a winner
![Steam Deck with a Tom's Guide deal tag](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zYgdZFmDPAxf9zYXvXUjmg-320-80.jpg)
Get a Steam Deck for less than a Switch thanks to this amazing sale
By Tony Polanco published
The original 64GB and 512GB Steam Deck are now on sale for 15% off. Make sure to act fast before stock runs out!
![Microsoft Surface Pro 11](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hz5cyKJE2SbZp8UAeTZBCT-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 — 3 things I like and 2 I don’t (so far)
By Tony Polanco published
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is now available. Here are 3 things we like and 2 we don't about Microsoft's new 2-in-1 laptop.
![Microsoft Surface Pro 11](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UVxABaU4S96AehgxFDv6SM-320-80.jpg)
We just benchmarked the first Snapdragon X Elite laptops — Apple and Intel are on notice
By Tony Polanco last updated
The first Snapdragon X Elite laptops have arrived, and our testing shows Qualcomm's performance and battery life claims are legit.
![Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs iPad Pro 2022](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XagHgrvfTkti9Rrbvp7XUX-320-80.jpg)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs iPad Pro — which tablet wins?
By Tony Polanco last updated
In this face-off, we compare the current iPad Pro to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra to see which tablet is best for you.
![Copilot+ PCs](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hcZChzfj54GFRtquFHo5bZ-320-80.jpg)
Copilot+ PCs are here — 11 Snapdragon X Elite laptops you can buy right now
By Tony Polanco published
After months of anticipation, the first batch of Copilot+ PCs have arrived. Here are 11 you can buy right now.
![Alienware Aurora R16](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDAzSX7ivkupUDj2GNRPzR-320-80.jpg)
Alienware Aurora R16 review
By Tony Polanco last updated
The Alienware Aurora R16 may feature a more subdued design than its predecessors, but this customizable gaming desktop still delivers stellar gaming performance.
![Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) on a table](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3VpzFCHbyJ7i4JdA3ZdD6V-320-80.jpg)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review: The MacBook Pro of gaming laptops
By Tony Polanco last updated
This gaming laptop is both powerful and stylish
![An AI generated image depicting what a handheld Xbox console could look like](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PR6k7ZEnE6DFoHsHKVipPD-320-80.jpg)
Xbox handheld — 5 things I want to see in this potential system
By Tony Polanco published
Xbox head Phil Spencer has once again discussed a potential Xbox handheld. If this device ever releases, these are some of the features we want to see.
![WWDC 2024](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W6hxr4nV32mHMTBbTQXigL-320-80.png)
iPadOS 18 — 3 biggest features I'm excited about
By Tony Polanco published
iPadOS 18 has the potential to make iPads even better. Here are 3 reasons we're excited.
![Surface Pro 11 vs iPad Pro 2024](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nMzGqzPFJRtAYbGMn7QoDQ-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 vs iPad Pro 2024: Which premium tablet could win?
By Tony Polanco published
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 promises to be the best Surface Pro tablet yet, but can it take down the iPad Pro 2024?
![The iPad Pro 2024 on a bench](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TvwS5YbPuy8rPtoHBSUQCg-320-80.jpg)
I gave Google Chrome on iPad Pro a second chance but I still prefer browsing the web on my MacBook — here's why
By Tony Polanco published
Google's various apps work well on iPadOS' version of Google Chrome, but they're not as intuitive to use as on desktop.
![An Nvidia RTX GPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6UaoKf8XwSxJZJRpQvAZfE-320-80.jpg)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series: Price, specs and everything we know
By Tony Polanco last updated
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards are the company's most powerful GPUs yet — here's you need to know.
![Microsoft Build 2024](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Y4t7kNd8XnLCt3QiWFMBBC-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft Build 2024 announcements — Surface Pro 11, Surface Laptop 7, Copilot+ PCs, huge AI upgrades and latest news
By Jason England, Tony Polanco last updated
After unveiling new Surface hardware, Microsoft Build 2024 is officially here. Here are all the latest announcements.
![Microsoft Surface Pro 11 vs Surface Pro 9](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xVfPQV95u8UiYRYdtoAzRE-320-80.jpg)
Surface Pro 11 vs Surface Pro 9 — biggest upgrades
By Tony Polanco published
Microsoft has just unveiled the Surface Pro 11. We take a look at its main features and compare them to the Surface Pro 9.
![Snapdragon X Elite](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vt3ZaSjzEDoKnjrLftNpPA-320-80.jpg)
Snapdragon X Elite release date, specs, AI features and more
By Tony Polanco last updated
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite mobile CPU platform could be the next big thing for laptops — here's everything you need to know.
![Snapdragon X Plus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U5j3fYi3TDEM56TjfS3jzf-320-80.jpg)
Snapdragon X Plus — release date, AI features, specs and more
By Tony Polanco last updated
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus promises to deliver faster AI performance over its competitors — here's what we know.
![Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AsReyc3jv55mouSs8vbPDF-320-80.jpg)
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x hands-on review: One of the most beautiful laptops I've ever seen
By Tony Polanco published
Not yet ratedThe Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x promises power and efficiency in a thin and light design. It's also one of the finest-looking laptops we've seen.
![Comic books on an iPad Pro 2024](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qnqgJC53NXVyfCmKKVC2y5-320-80.jpg)
I just started reading comics on the iPad Pro OLED — and it's a game changer
By Tony Polanco last updated
Thanks to the iPad Pro's vivid OLED panel and lightweight design, it's arguably the best device to read comic books on.
![The iPad Pro 2024 on a bench](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TvwS5YbPuy8rPtoHBSUQCg-320-80.jpg)
I tried using the iPad Pro 2024 as a laptop for a week — it went exactly as expected
By Tony Polanco published
The iPad Pro 2024 features laptop-like performance and sports a MacBook-esque Magic Keyboard. But can it actually replace a laptop? We used the tablet as a notebook for a week to find out.