I’ve tested Nvidia’s RTX Spark laptop chip (spoiler alert: it’s mindblowing), and now I’ve gone hands-on with every single laptop launching in just a few months time to set up a ranked list.

Eight premium notebooks are launching — each with their own unique features and quirks that I’m keen to share, so that when the launch date arrives, you know which one is best for you. Of course, this is personal preference, and certain systems I put in a lower grade may be better suited for you!

These are all incredible-feeling laptops, but grading them allowed me to get brutally honest with where I’d put them. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

While the Microsoft Surface Laptop was used in the demos, other models were turned off. This was something Nvidia required to ensure journalists (like me) don’t sneakily benchmark the laptops! That being said, these notebooks are basically pre-existing laptops but with RTX Spark inside and some tweaked cooling, so I can use past experience to fill in some gaps.

Nvidia RTX Spark laptops: Tier list

S-Tier: Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra and Asus ProArt P14

I’ve already shared my experience with the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra — it’s a spectacular-feeling laptop in terms of a premium build quality, fantastic mini LED screen, tactile keyboard and a utilitarian aesthetic.

But the big showcase feature here (that no other Spark system has) is that breakthrough touchpad, which is able to communicate back to you with haptics across the UI. It’s a unique sensation like when snapping apps to the sides of the screen.

That being said, it is a 16-inch beast of a system, and the reason why I love my 14-inch MacBook Pro is the power paired with portability. Enter the Asus ProArt P14, and when I say Apple’s pro notebook is in trouble, this is the most direct competition to it in terms of premium build, fantastic ergonomics, port array and that RTX Spark chip.

Throw in an OLED display, and you’ve got a phenomenal ultraportable that I’d be willing to trade off a little bit of battery life to get — but hopefully Nvidia’s “all-day battery life” comes true to make this less of a fear.

A-Tier: MSI Prestige Flip N16 AI+, Asus ProArt P16 and HP Omnibook X 14

Kicking off with the Prestige Flip N16 AI+, I’ve already gone hands-on with the Intel version of this system back at CES 2026, and I’m a huge fan of it. This is the only 2-in-1 in the lineup, and that flippable hinge has a smooth glide and strong staying power at all angles.

On top of that, the touchscreen OLED panel on the pre-existing model is gorgeous; the keyboard is nicely tactile; and the touchpad is absolutely massive. Plus, there’s a stylus stowed in the bottom of the shell magnetically.

Then there’s the ProArt P16 from Asus, which is the same as that P14, but only bigger. If 16 inches is more than your speed, this is a fantastic option. But I’ll always opt for something more portable.

And finally in the A-tier is the HP Omnibook X 14, which immediately tickled my inner love for 14-inch laptops. Premium build quality, good I/O and a top notch OLED panel up top — so why the lower grade? Well, it comes down to that keyboard.

Whenever I’m typing on laptop boards, I’m more of a fan of a subtle dish that my fingers can fall into, whereas the keys on here are much more pronounced. It definitely has its fans, but I’m a little more mixed towards them.

B-Tier: HP Omnibook 16 Ultra, Lenovo Yoga Pro 9N and Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition

Now for the B-tier. Again, not any real slight, and this is my way-too-early impressions based on holding the systems. But personal taste made this an easy decision.

The HP Omnibook 16 Ultra felt like the heaviest laptop of the bunch, and while it has all those same winning specs as other options like an OLED display and a ton of I/O, that keyboard has those odd raised keys again and the edges can feel a bit sharp on the wrists when leaning on this to type.

Next, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9N. From my time going hands-on with the Yoga Pro 9i (the same laptop shell), it’s a real prosumer piece of hardware with a nice aluminum build and those classic Lenovo ergonomics (a phenomenal keyboard for example).

But amongst a bunch of laptops that have some real unique elements that make these devices shine, it’s a rather unremarkable option. Not to say that’s a bad thing — I’m all for laptops that nail the fundamentals, but some just reinvent those fundamentals.

And then, there’s the Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition. In many ways, this is very much a Surface Laptop Ultra alternative, and another chapter in the book of Dell’s XPS apology tour for ditching the brand for a weird year back in 2024. The screen’s great, the touchpad is massive, and the I/O is plentiful.

My only main gripe is the keyboard — chiclet keys with no gaps between them. In my time testing XPS 16s of old, it took me a while to get used to a board like this, and I found myself often losing my place and making a couple of spelling errors.

Outlook

Of course, there's a lot more we need to find out first — not just actually testing these systems, but the big question of price. In a Q&A session, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang did say this is the top-tier chip as part of a whole family.

That does mean we could get cheaper, lower-end models too. But looking at what we tested, we can get a somewhat decent guess of the price based on the fact its essentially the same silicon (and RAM) as the DGX Spark mini AI PC — a device that costs $5,000.

So if you want the top-tier model, this could get real pricey! But all I can say is I hope there are more reasonably priced RTX Spark laptops, which in the midst of RAMageddon may be tricky.

More from Tom's Guide

• Best of Computex 2026: The 17 greatest gadgets from the world’s largest computing show
• I gamed for 250 hours on AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE — it’s a $549 nightmare for Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti
• I just tested the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ — it leaves ROG Xbox Ally in the dust with breakthrough Intel Arc G3 power

We called MacBook Neo the "best budget laptop ever," and it's taken the world by storm. Speaking to a few Windows laptop makers here at Computex 2026, it's clear that the value-for-money proposition of a premium macOS portable with great battery life, nice design and powerful Apple silicon has terrified them.

But these companies are not taking things lying down. A lot of Neo competitors just got announced — all premium thin-and-lights that target that $6-700 price, and launching just in time for back-to-school.

And even better? Each of them offer a little something that the MacBook Neo doesn't, so the value fight is now officially on! Here are four budget-friendly laptops that I think could give Apple some serious competition.

Dell XPS 13

Dell's XPS revival started earlier this year, and it took another significant step forward at Computex with an all new XPS 13 aimed squarely at the MacBook Neo.

It continues to use a premium aluminum chassis, retaining the high-end feel that people expect from the XPS brand. You can really feel that in the hands, with a nice sturdy hinge, good ergonomics and a nice-feeling keyboard to boot.

Dell says this is also the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop it has ever made. And unlike the Neo, this is upgradeable too — configurable with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 3 processor and 32GB of RAM.

Pricing starts at $699 for the base model with Intel's new "Wildcat Lake" chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage ($599 with an education discount). Technically, that puts it in the same ballpark as the MacBook Neo if you spec the latter with 512GB of storage, but even from a base-model comparison, the XPS 13 offers a few advantages.

The four key ones are a silky smooth 120Hz touchscreen display with a non-reflective coating, USB-C ports on both sides of the laptop, a backlit keyboard, and support for Windows Hello face unlock.

From what I experienced testing it, the Dell XPS 13 feels like the most serious MacBook Neo competitor out there, and it could genuinely challenge Apple's dominance in this category once it launches later this year.

Asus Zenbook 14

Asus told me they couldn't make the Zenbook A14 any cheaper, so the company rewrote the rulebook, changed the materials and internals and made a banger of a value system.

On paper, the bad news is it starts a little higher at $799. But the good news in person is that it does offer one massive upgrade over the Neo right from the get-go: an OLED 120Hz display. Colors are mesmerizing on this panel with inky blacks to boot.

Beyond the display, you also get a premium all-metal build made from Asus' Ceraluminum material, which is basically a blend of ceramic and aluminum, along with a lightweight design that comes in at around 2.6 pounds.

The keyboard and touchpad feel solid on it with minimal flex on the board, and the colors look amazing with Komodo Coral being a personal favorite of mine.

Unlike some of the other laptops on this list that rely entirely on Intel chips, the Zenbook 14 is available with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with the Snapdragon variant starting at the lowest price point. That means a claim of 21 hours of battery life, which I can't wait to properly put to the test.

Port selection is also better than what you get on the MacBook Neo (or, in fact, all other laptops on the list). You get two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and a full-sized HDMI port as well!

Acer Swift Air 14

Acer also wasn't holding back when it came to taking on the MacBook Neo. At Computex 2026, the company unveiled the Swift Air 14 (2026), another laptop that starts at a competitive $699 price point and focuses on delivering as much value as possible while still maintaining a premium feel with an all-metal chassis.

That said, I did notice a bit of flex around the keyboard deck when pressing down on it — something you don't experience on the Neo. But it's all about making the right compromises too.

Much like the XPS 13, it's got a 120Hz screen (though it's 14 inches for the Swift Air), powered by Intel's lower-cost Core Series 3 "Wildcat Lake" chips. And if you thought the Dell XPS 13 had a solid port selection, the Acer Swift Air 14 takes things a step further with a full-side USB-A too.

Another thing the Swift Air 14 appears to have going for it is that massive 70Wh battery. That's nearly double the 36.5Wh battery inside the MacBook Neo, and it'll be interesting to see how that translates into real-world battery life once we get more time with the device.

MSI Modern 14S AI+

First showcased at CES 2026, MSI has now shared more details about the Modern 14S AI+, and it's looking more and more like a legitimate MacBook Neo competitor. There's the aluminum alloy chassis (except for the bottom), a thin profile and a light weight of roughly three pounds.

Intel's "Wildcat Lake" CPU makes a reappearance again, and the port selection gets even better here with MSI throwing in an Ethernet socket too alongside the HDMI, USB-A and two USB-C.

In use, the keyboard deck has a small amount of flex and the touchpad can feel a little mushy in the corners, but again, it's all about balance, as the Modern 14S AI+ also comes with a 14-inch OLED panel too.

But arguably the most impressive thing about it is durability. MSI says the laptop is MIL-STD-810H certified, which should make it tougher and more resilient than most of the other laptops on this list.

Bottom line

The budget Windows laptop market had been unchallenged for so long by Apple that they'd got too comfortable — cutting corners in materials and making one too many compromises in the knowledge that if you had $5-700, they were the only options you had.

Now the Neo is here, Computex 2026 showed they've woken up, and have truly come to play. There are now plenty of compelling Windows alternatives entering the space as well, and I can't wait to review them all real soon.

That said, if you're looking for a premium Windows machine and don't mind waiting a bit longer, it might be worth holding off for the upcoming RTX Spark-powered laptops. From everything we've seen so far, things are looking pretty promising on that side of the market too.

More from Tom's Guide

• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall
• Intel Arc G3 is here to shake up handheld gaming, and AMD should be terrified — Acer Predator Atlas 8, a new MSI Claw and more launching soon
• I built a touchscreen MacBook Pro using this snap-on accessory, and I'm baffled why Apple hasn't made its own for years

We've reached day 2 of Computex 2026, and from holding every Nvidia RTX Spark laptop to comparing all the new budget systems competing with the MacBook Neo, I have so much to update you on!

Beyond that, I got to talk to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about Spark, properly tested the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ (spoiler alert: AMD gaming handhelds are cooked), and went on a mission to find every budget laptop that competes with the MacBook Neo.

But that's not all, as my team is out here too — running around the exhibition center and finding all the best (and weirdest) tech of Computex. So follow along with us for all the latest.

Read the latest from Computex

• I just tested Nvidia RTX Spark laptops for video editing, gaming and AI — and the MacBook Pro is in trouble
• I held the MacBook Neo in one hand and the new XPS 13 in the other — and Dell’s affordable laptop is surprisingly lighter
• I just tested Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra — Nvidia RTX Spark brings life to one of the best laptops I’ve ever tried
• I spoke to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about RTX Spark — he is ‘willing to work’ on an RTX gaming handheld, N2X and N3X are already planned and the chip is 'more like R2D2’ than a laptop CPU
• I just tested the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ — Intel Arc G3 is a breakthrough for handheld gaming, but at what cost?
• I thought Asus' massive 32-inch OLED would be my favorite Computex 2026 monitor — but I found one that was even better
• I tested the Acer Predator Atlas 8, and played a game Intel told me not to — the numbers are staggering

LIVE UPDATES

Computex is still going strong

Hey, all! Our Computex 2026 coverage is going strong as we're on the ground in Taipei checking out the latest and greatest from the computing world. Keep it locked here four all of our live updates and hands-on impressions.

RTX Spark put to the test

We've had the opportunity to put Nvidia's RTX Spark to the test for video editing, gaming, and AI, and the results are... impressive. Now, the obvious caveat is that we don't know what these machines will cost once they arrive — but it should make Apple and its MacBook Pro a little more than nervous.

Here's what my colleague Jason had to say after he'd spent some time with Nvidia's new chip: "With Microsoft in tow, working in lockstep to rebuild Windows 11 for Nvidia's agentic vision for the future of computing, these are going to be some truly mighty notebooks that may very well revolutionize the Windows laptop and truly stand on their own as the future of computing."

• Read the full story: I just tested Nvidia RTX Spark laptops for video editing, gaming and AI — and the MacBook Pro is in trouble

MSI debuts 'Triple Mode' monitor

This right here is the MSI MPG OLED 322URDX36. It's the first 31.5-inch, 4K 360Hz gaming monitor on the market to feature the 'Triple Mode' configuration technology.

It lets gamers switch freely between 4K 360Hz, 2K 520Hz, and FHD 680Hz based on their preferences — meeting the specific performance demands of various game genres.

The monitor rocks a peak HDR brightness of 1,500 nits and integrates an AI Care Sensor that "leverages accurate human detection to provide real-time OLED panel protection without compromising user privacy." Whatever that means.

Could Microsoft be building the most exciting RTX Spark laptop?

Microsoft will be facing down the MacBook Pro with the Surface Laptop Ultra later this year, it's one of the first eight laptops to arrive with Nvidia's RTX Spark on board and it could be seriously impressive.

Microsoft claims this will be most powerful Surface it's ever built and there are a few specs we are already pretty confident about. For starters, it has a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display that can reportedly reach 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness. There's also a full set of ports, including HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack.

The Surface Laptop Ultra will also reportedly have “all-day” battery life and you can expect it to come in Platinum and Nightfall finishes.

• Read more: Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra packs an Nvidia Spark chip — and it could be a MacBook Pro killer

Intel Arc G3 steps up against AMD

Intel Arc G3 and G3 Extreme are really bringing the heat with a monstrous integrated GPU and XeSS 3, seemingly delivering some of the best handheld gaming experiences you can get.

We've checked out the Acer Predator Atlas 8 and the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ here at Computex already, and both have impressed us with their smooth performance.

This is a huge win for Intel, which has, up until now, played second fiddle to AMD and its near-dominance over the handheld space.

MacBook Neo has competition from Dell

We just got to go hands-on with Dell's new XPS laptop line but one device in particular stood out: the new Dell XPS 13. Thin, light and affordable, you know where this is going. We have another MacBook Neo competitor in our midst.

The Dell XPS 13 does have a few nice extras you don't get on the Neo, like a backlit keyboard, a touchscreen and two full-featured USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports with one on each side. Stay tuned for our full hands-on but so far, I'm quite impressed.

A mesmerizing laptop

Laptops tend to look similar, which is why the Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition stands out. Adorned with the troubled artist's work on the lid, it’s certainly a conversation starter. The fact that it’s built around a Prestige 14 Flip AI+ means you’re getting quite the workhorse here, too.

But what about the price? It’s the one question nobody can really answer, given how RAMageddon has put the whole computing market in flux.

To hazard a guess, given that the current Prestige sells for $1,299 and this is a more powerful special-edition machine, we bet it could be around $2,499. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what the actual price is.

8 laptops confirmed to launch in the fall with RTX Spark

Nvidia's RTX Spark chip is already slated to appear in a bunch of laptops arriving this fall, including a new Surface Laptop from Microsoft. Following on from the laptops, expect to see it appearing in mini PCs and small form-factor from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, MSI, Acer and Gigabyte.

Powered by the new chip, these laptops are poised to deliver a thin-and-light form factor coupled with elite battery life and enough power for desktop-class AI development and heavy video editing. They'll also be pretty good when it comes to gaming, too.

The only question is what will the pricing be for these new machines?

• Read more: All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall — and what they can do

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ leaves the ROG Xbox Ally in the dust

Intel Arc G3 handhelds are the talk of the town here at Computex 2026, and I just got an early hands-on with the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. In short, believe the hype — this is the next generation of gaming on the go, unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Of course, a lot of this comes from that new silicon, which copies a lot of Panther Lake’s homework, including that monster integrated GPU with XeSS 3 support to deliver some blistering frame rates (more on those later) while being much more power efficient than any AMD-filled handheld I’ve tested.

But the secret sauce here is MSI’s DNA — learning from previous Claws and dramatically upgrading the design, vastly improving airflow to keep it cool, bringing a gorgeous new display, tweaking the ergonomics and tactility of the vibration, and making it even easier to upgrade.

The Asus Xbox Ally X20 isn’t just another special edition handheld

We’ve already seen a ton of new handheld gaming PCs here at Computex 2026. Instead of going that route, Asus has decided to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its Republic of Gamers (ROG) subbrand with a special edition of the ROG Xbox Ally X.

Dubbed the ROG Xbox Ally X20, this new device uses (mostly) the same hardware as last year’s Xbox-themed handheld. You still get the powerful performance of AMD’s Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

While not technically a new device, Asus has made some fundamental changes under the hood and has also given the handheld a regal makeover, with hints of gold throughout its design.

The best of Computex 2026

Our best of Computex 2026 round-up is live! There, we detail the 17 products that impressed us the most during our time at the convention.

From Nvidia’s biggest chip release in the last 20 years, Intel revolutionizing handheld gaming, mind-blowing monitors, and actual value-for-money laptops to take on the MacBook Neo, we’ve fallen in love with so much tech here in Taipei!

There was a time when a budget laptop meant cheap but with the release of the MacBook Neo, those days are thankfully over. Here at Computex 2026, I’ve been able to see firsthand how PC makers are responding and so far, Dell’s new XPS 13 is the most impressive MacBook Neo alternative yet.

After briefly discontinuing its iconic XPS brand, Dell brought it back at the beginning of this year. Now, alongside the new XPS 13, the company is also releasing a more powerful XPS 14 alongside its new XPS 16. While I also got to go hands-on with both of those more powerful and premium laptops, just like with the Neo, the XPS 13 feels like a breath of fresh air when it comes to the best laptops for students.

With a starting price of $699, it is slightly more expensive than the MacBook Neo. However, to make up for this, Dell is throwing in a few extras that Apple’s more affordable MacBook lacks like a backlit keyboard, a touchscreen and two full-featured USB-C ports (with one on either side).

Here’s why I think the XPS 13 could be the ideal MacBook Neo alternative for Windows users who aren’t ready to switch to macOS and one of the best budget laptops, especially if you prefer to travel light.

Dell’s take on the Neo

Although we brought our own MacBook Neo on this trip, Dell did too to make comparisons between these two budget laptops even easier. Side by side, they’re both technically 13-inch laptops, even though the XPS 13 actually has a slightly larger 13.4-inch screen.

In addition to having a touchscreen, the XPS 13 also sports a faster, 120 Hz display. However, it features a variable refresh rate that can go all the way down to 30 Hz to help conserve battery life during less intensive tasks. They both top out at 500 nits of brightness.

While I had both laptops side by side, I was quite impressed with the XPS 13’s screen even though the Neo’s appeared to pop a bit more. Personally, I think this comes down to Apple equipping the Neo’s display with a more glossy finish.

Though you can’t see it here since our own Paul Antill has a retro-style skin on his personal MacBook Neo, both laptops have aluminum shells. However, while Apple went with anodized aluminum for the Neo, Dell used CNC-machined aluminum chassis for the XPS 13. This makes the XPS 13’s case feel smoother overall while the Neo’s is more textured.

With direct side to side comparisons out of the way, it was time to open up the XPS 13 and take it for a spin.

XPS for the rest of us

Historically, Dell’s Extreme Performance System or XPS line was reserved for its premium laptops and the first XPS 13 heralded the arrival of ultrabooks. Now though, the company’s giving everyone a chance to experience XPS at a much lower price point.

Right off the bat, I really like how XPS is front and center on the back of the XPS 13’s lid. To find the Dell logo, you need to flip it over. Just like with the Neo, the aluminum case gives this new laptop a more premium feel.

When you open the XPS 13 up, you can see where Dell had to cut a few corners to hit that $699 price point. While the XPS 14 and 16 come equipped with Dell’s zero-lattice keyboards, the XPS 13 has a chiclet-style one.

Honestly, I didn’t mind this at all. In fact, when I switched between typing on the XPS 13 and the Neo, I actually preferred Dell’s chiclet keyboard over Apple’s. The keys felt more satisfying to press down and there wasn’t nearly as much wiggle.

The XPS 13 and the Neo have similarly sized trackpads but what stuck out to me immediately was the differences between their notches. While the Neo has that same smaller notch you find on the rest of the best MacBooks, the one on the XPS 13 stretches across the width of its trackpad. It’s also not nearly as deep.

One thing you won’t find on the XPS 13’s keyboard is a fingerprint reader. However, instead of charging $100 extra for one (and some additional storage) like Apple does, Dell equipped this laptop with Windows Hello for quick logins.

In the picture above, you can barely see it though thanks to Dell’s InfinityEdge design. The XPS 13 has incredibly thin bezels all around and they make the Neo’s look massive when you see them next to each other.

Light but not lacking

It wasn’t until I was holding the two laptops in either hand that I realized just how light the XPS 13 was. At 2.2 pounds, it’s half a pound lighter than the Neo despite sporting nearly identical dimensions and this all comes down to cooling.

The MacBook Neo has a fanless design while the XPS 13 features two active fans. Of course, we’ll have to get one into our lab for testing to see whether or not they ramp up to the point of being distracting under load. However, in my time with the XPS 13, I didn’t notice them at all.

The other more important difference between the two is upgradeability. Now I don’t mean long-term as you’re not going to open either of these devices up like you would with a Framework Laptop. Instead, if you want configuration options, Dell has plenty.From RAM to storage, you can pay more to turn this student-focused laptop into quite a powerful machine. For instance, you could outfit the XPS 13 with 32GB of LPDDR5X, a 1TB SSD and an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor.

Don’t get me wrong, the MacBook Neo is a fantastic laptop but it won’t be for everyone. With its new XPS 13, Dell has given the Windows diehards among us an excellent alternative.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just tested Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra — Nvidia RTX Spark brings life to one of the best laptops I’ve ever tried
• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall and what they can do
• I just tried Asus’ upgraded Xbox Ally X20 for ROG’s 20th anniversary — and it isn’t just another special edition handheld

Computex 2026 is fully underway, and besides asking Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about RTX Spark, I just tested the laptops of the future from Team Green!

But that's not all, as Intel's having a ball dunking on AMD with its Arc G3 gaming handheld chip in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, we've been going hands-on with every Windows laptop that's facing off with the MacBook Neo (including the new Dell Xps 13), and much more.

Follow along with us for live updates from the ground, and keep us bookmarked throughout the week. You're going to want to see what we're up to!

Read the latest from Computex

• Nvidia RTX Spark is here, and it's going to 'reinvent the pc' — here's everything you need to know about this all-new laptop chip
• I spoke to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about RTX Spark — he is ‘willing to work’ on an RTX gaming handheld, N2X and N3X are already planned and the chip is 'more like R2D2’ than a laptop CPU
• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall — and what they can do
• I just tested the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ — Intel Arc G3 is a breakthrough for handheld gaming, but at what cost?
• I gamed for 250 hours on AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE — it’s a $549 nightmare for Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti
• I thought Asus' massive 32-inch OLED would be my favorite Computex 2026 monitor — but I found one that was even better
• I just held the most beautiful laptop, but I’m not sure Vincent van Gogh would be happy with his name connected to AI
• I tested the Acer Predator Atlas 8, and played a game Intel told me not to — the numbers are staggering

LIVE UPDATES

Our first in-person look at RTX Spark

The big news of the conference so far is, of course, the RTX Spark and we've just got our first look at actual devices running Nvidia's chips from MSI.

They look even better in person than they did during Jensen's keynote yesterday. Hopefully, we'll be able to go hands-on with laptops, desktops and mini PCs running Nvidia RTX Spark chips soon.

• Read more: Nvidia RTX Spark is here, and it's going to 'reinvent the pc' — here's everything you need to know about this all-new laptop chip

8 laptops confirmed to launch in the fall with RTX Spark

Nvidia's RTX Spark chip is already slated to appear in a bunch of laptops arriving this fall, including a new Surface Laptop from Microsoft. Following on from the laptops, expect to see it appearing in mini PCs and small form-factor from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, MSI, Acer and Gigabyte.

Powered by the new chip, these laptops are poised to deliver a thin-and-light form factor coupled with elite battery life and enough power for desktop-class AI development and heavy video editing. They'll also be pretty good when it comes to gaming, too.

The only question is what will the pricing be for these new machines?

• Read more: All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall — and what they can do

Reporting from the show floor!

Computex is the biggest computing industry event of the year, and in among the flagship keynotes it's always fun to roam the halls and see what's on offer.

So far this year, we've spied a holographic PC that uses AI to answer your questions, a custom-built GTA VI PC that could be outdated before the game itself actually arrives and the forthcoming Wireless Touchpad Keyboard from sustainable laptop company Framework.

Intel Arc G3 steps up against AMD

Intel Arc G3 and G3 Extreme are really bringing the heat with a monstrous integrated GPU and XeSS 3, seemingly delivering some of the best handheld gaming experiences you can get.

We've checked out the Acer Predator Atlas 8 and the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ here at Computex already, and both have impressed us with their smooth performance.

This is a huge win for Intel, which has, up until now, played second fiddle to AMD and its near-dominance over the handheld space.

MacBook Neo has competition from Dell

We just got to go hands-on with Dell's new XPS laptop line but one device in particular stood out: the new Dell XPS 13. Thin, light and affordable, you know where this is going. We have another MacBook Neo competitor in our midst.

The Dell XPS 13 does have a few nice extras you don't get on the Neo, like a backlit keyboard, a touchscreen and two full-featured USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports with one on each side. Stay tuned for our full hands-on but so far, I'm quite impressed.

A mesmerizing laptop

Laptops tend to look similar, which is why the Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition stands out. Adorned with the troubled artist's work on the lid, it’s certainly a conversation starter. The fact that it’s built around a Prestige 14 Flip AI+ means you’re getting quite the workhorse here, too.

But what about the price? It’s the one question nobody can really answer, given how RAMageddon has put the whole computing market in flux.

To hazard a guess, given that the current Prestige sells for $1,299 and this is a more powerful special-edition machine, we bet it could be around $2,499. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what the actual price is.

Could Microsoft be building the most exciting RTX Spark laptop?

Microsoft will be facing down the MacBook Pro with the Surface Laptop Ultra later this year, it's one of the first eight laptops to arrive with Nvidia's RTX Spark on board and it could be seriously impressive.

Microsoft claims this will be most powerful Surface it's ever built and there are a few specs we are already pretty confident about. For starters, it has a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display that can reportedly reach 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness. There's also a full set of ports, including HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack.

The Surface Laptop Ultra will also reportedly have “all-day” battery life and you can expect it to come in Platinum and Nightfall finishes.

• Read more: Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra packs an Nvidia Spark chip — and it could be a MacBook Pro killer

Asus' new laptops could include a MacBook Neo rival

Asus has revealed its new laptop family at Computex and while we already know about the RTX Spark-equipped ProArt machines, but another device has caught my eye.

Asus is launching the new Zenbook 14 with base-level specs that include a Snapdragon X1-26-100 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Depending on the ongoing RAM crisis, Asus may be able to price this laptop to compete with the MacBook Neo.

For those that want a bit more power, the Zenbook 14 will also come with AMD and Intel configurations too.

MSI debuts 'Triple Mode' monitor

This right here is the MSI MPG OLED 322URDX36. It's the first 31.5-inch, 4K 360Hz gaming monitor on the market to feature the 'Triple Mode' configuration technology.

It lets gamers switch freely between 4K 360Hz, 2K 520Hz, and FHD 680Hz based on their preferences — meeting the specific performance demands of various game genres.

The monitor rocks a peak HDR brightness of 1,500 nits and integrates an AI Care Sensor that "leverages accurate human detection to provide real-time OLED panel protection without compromising user privacy." Whatever that means.

RTX Spark put to the test

We've had an opportunity to put Nvidia's RTX Spark to the test when it comes to video editing, gaming and AI and the results are...impressive. Now, the obvious caveat here is that we don't know what these machines are going to cost once they do arrive — but it should serve to make Apple and its MacBook Pro a little more than nervous.

Here's what my colleague Jason had to say after he'd spent some time with Nvidia's new chip: "With Microsoft in tow, working in lockstep to rebuild Windows 11 for Nvidia's agentic vision for the future of computing, these are going to be some truly mighty notebooks that may very well revolutionize the Windows laptop and truly stand on their own as the future of computing."

• Read the full story: I just tested Nvidia RTX Spark laptops for video editing, gaming and AI — and the MacBook Pro is in trouble

The new Dell XPS 13 is coming for the MacBook Neo. Announced at Computex 2026, this is the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop ever and is competitively priced at $699. And while it’s technically a budget laptop, it has many of the premium features you’d expect from an XPS.

This includes a CNC aluminum chassis built to the same standards as every XPS, a 2.5K InfinityEdge touch display, and a backlit keyboard. The starting configuration also features the new Intel Wildcat Lake CPU, which promises smooth performance for everyday tasks and up to 17 hours of streaming battery life on a single charge.

I’ve long been a fan of Dell’s 13-inch XPS laptops, so it’s great to see the latest model not only adopt a more traditional design but also go head-to-head with the MacBook Neo in terms of price and premium features. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Dell XPS 13.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Specs

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Price

Dell XPS 13 with Intel Core Series 3 CPUs will be available sometime in June 2026 in the Sky colorway, with a starting price of $599 for students and $699 for everyone else.

Later this summer, we’ll see models with more powerful Intel Panther Lake processors, as well as the Storm colorway.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Design and display

The new Dell XPS 13 might be a MacBook Neo competitor, but thanks to its thin, lightweight design, it could also be mistaken for a MacBook Air rival. Dell says it’s the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop ever. While the Neo and Air weigh 2.7 pounds, the XPS 13 weighs 2.2 pounds. Thanks to its ultraportable design, it should be an ideal notebook for travel.

Like the Neo, the XPS 13 has an aluminum chassis instead of the cheap plastic typical of laptops in the $600 price range. If it’s as durable as its other XPS siblings, it’ll certainly feel more like a premium product. This is important if you’re a student running between classes or working on the go.

The XPS 13 has a backlit keyboard, one of the biggest things the Neo lacks. If you frequently work at night or in low-light settings, the XPS 13 would be a better fit. And speaking of the keyboard, the XPS 13 ditches the zero-lattice keyboard of the XPS 14 and XPS 16 in favor of a standard one.

While the Neo packs a 13-inch 1080p display, the XPS 13 has a larger 13.4-inch display with a 2.5K resolution. The display also has touchscreen functionality, which the Neo lacks. Dell says the display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports variable refresh rates of 30Hz and 120Hz. Of course, we’d need to get the XPS 13 into our testing lab to see what its display is truly capable of.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Performance and battery life

The XPS 13 features Intel’s new Wildcat Lake CPU, the lower-tier version of Intel’s Core Series 3 chips. We haven’t yet tested laptops with this processor to compare them with Panther Lake laptops, but Dell says the XPS 13 can handle “multitasking without friction.” The up to 32GB of RAM should also help with that.

Later this summer, we’ll see XPS 13 models with the beefier Panther Lake chip. These will no doubt be more expensive than the Wildcat Lake models, but hopefully, they can remain around $1,000.

In terms of endurance, Dell promises up to 17 hours of streaming battery life for the XPS 13. The Panther Lake laptops we’ve tested have generally lasted around 12-15 hours, so it’ll be interesting to see if Wildcat Lake can match or exceed that. If this claim is true, you won’t have to panic if you accidentally leave the XPS 13’s power plug at home.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Outlook

Dell’s XPS apology tour keeps rocking with the XPS 13. Like the latest XPS 14 and XPS 16, this smaller laptop is a strong return to form for the iconic brand. That it’s competitively priced with the MacBook Neo without sacrificing the distinctive features of an XPS makes it even more enticing.

I’ll need to get hands-on with the new XPS 13 to see if it lives up to its promises. If it does, it should make an excellent alternative to the MacBook Neo.

More from Tom's Guide

• Qualcomm's Snapdragon C chip is here to take on the MacBook Neo — do these $300 laptops stand a chance?
• I checked out the world’s first 6K gaming monitor — and it's a sight to behold
• The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 is great — but it's hard to recommend to most people

If you’re a Windows 11 user, you’re already familiar with the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) — popping up when a critical error forces the operating system to stop. Normally, the blame falls on Microsoft (although its team is working hard on improving Windows soon). But if you’ve been seeing this happen on your Dell PC, it turns out the culprit is so much more ironic.

As spotted by Neowin, Dell’s own SupportAssist software (the company calls it “your personalized PC support experience”) is causing some Dell PCs to hit a BSOD every 30 minutes after a recent update. So far, we’re seeing confirmation that the following laptops are affected:

• Alienware M16 R2
• Dell Pro 16 Plus
• Dell Pro 14 Plus
• Dell XPS 16
• Dell XPS 15
• Dell XPS 14
• Dell XPS 13

This is based on what Dell forum members are saying, but given it’s widespread, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a far wider problem than this. If you’re one of these folks who just installed the Dell software update and are seeing this issue, there is a simple fix.

Just uninstall SupportAssist

The situation was revealed after keen-eyed users took a look into the system log to see what was going on. It was identified after some people reported their laptops “kept randomly rebooting” roughly every 30 minutes. This suggests that the SupportAssist is trying to check system health on a regular half-hour schedule, where it hits a corrupted piece of code and crashes it.

As you can see, there’s a lot of critical errors at the Kernel-Power level — basically the system level — and after a check, the critical process that dies has consistently been the “Dell SupportAssist Remediation” service. Giving a “CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED (0xEF)” code, it’s taking down the entire operating system with it.

And it’s not the first time this has happened, with a similar SupportAssist problem happening at the end of 2024. Luckily, just like the last time, the issue is simple. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, find Dell SupportAssist, select More > Uninstall.

Users who have already done this are reporting that it fixes the issue and they’re not seeing any more random BSOD crashes.

Can we cool it with the bloatware?

Windows 11 already has a RAM problem. It’s inherent to how the OS prioritizes preloading parts of apps into system memory before you click them, but what that means is all these little additions actually harm the experience rather than enrich it.

Things like Dell SupportAssist take up another chunk of that precious RAM that could be better used elsewhere on apps people actually use. And while the Windows K2 project may be aiming squarely at tackling some of these challenges at an OS-level, I can only imagine that the additional bloatware won’t help the situation.

So I beg of you, Dell and others, please just let us have a clean install, so we don’t have to uninstall all the unnecessary heft!

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• I can finally turn my MacBook Pro into a gaming laptop (sort of) — GameHub just fixed my Mac’s biggest weakness in minutes
• I loved Asus’s Zenbook A14 and A16 — but a $200 price hike changes everything
• AI is changing how we transcribe, and this might be the best example of it on Mac yet

It’s no secret that Dell makes good laptops, and the storied brand has done it once again with the Alienware 16X Aurora. A powerful gaming laptop with bags of performance under the hood, the 16X Aurora is an excellent mid-range option. With its 240Hz refresh rate, bright screen, wide color coverage and accuracy, there’s a lot to love about it. Gaming performance is nothing short of exceptional, and it's perfect for everyday work too.

Graphics are beautiful thanks to NVIDIA’s RTX 50 series too. The 16X Aurora also sports a premium, good-looking design with plenty of ports for hooking up several peripherals. But it’s worth noting that its battery life can be described as mediocre at best, and the top level configuration will cost you an arm and a leg.

Is this the best gaming laptop for you? Read my full Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review to find out.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Specs

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A (slightly bulky) gaming laptop boasting outstanding performance in gaming and productivity
• Who is it for? Gamers who want a high-performing laptops
• How much does it cost? The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora starts at $2,499 / £2,199 and goes all the way up to $4,299 / £3,299
• What do we like? The premium design, excellent gaming and productivity performance, and great color coverage and accuracy
• What don’t we like? The mediocre battery life and premium price point

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: The ups

From its fantastic design and numerous ports, to its excellent gaming performance and wide color coverage, the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a superb machine.

Fantastic design and connectivity

Ever since I first heard about Alienware laptops back when I was 12, I’ve always loved the design — the alien logo is a treat. The Alienware 16X Aurora is, then, a rather good-looking laptop, wrapped in dark blue and purple-ish colors, officially called “Interstellar Indigo.” Its smooth aluminum chassis feels premium, and the matte finish lends the 16X Aurora a classy look.

The 16X Aurora packs a 16-inch (2560 x 1600) non-touch screen, so it measures 14.05 x 10.45 x 0.92 inches, making it a little bigger than the Dell XPS 16 ($1,749). While not exactly compact, it still fits into most regular-sized backpacks with ease — although its weight (5.66lbs) might put you off from traveling with it for long.

I’ve really enjoyed using the 16X Aurora’s keyboard and trackpad too. The keys on the keyboard have enough space between them that you don’t accidentally hit an unintended key, but they’re also close enough that you don’t have to spread your fingers too much to type. The keyboard features single-zone RGB lighting only, which I don’t personally mind — and you can change the colors and effects via Alienware’s Command Center software. The touchpad also feels highly responsive and pans smoothly. No complaints there.

Ports-wise, the 16X Aurora is packed, and features basically everything you’d need to hook up a plethora of peripherals to it. Alongside the laptop’s left edge, you’ll find a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, an ethernet jack, as well as a 3.5mm jack for plugging in gaming headsets.

There are no ports on the right edge; instead, the others are located on the rear. There’s another of the same USB-A port, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), the port for the power adapter, and an HDMI port.

A vivid display

I’ve used the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora extensively and for a number of tasks: gaming, testing gaming keyboards and mice, conducting lab testing on the best monitors, and everyday work-centric tasks too. And there’s plenty of performance here to enjoy.

The 16-inch screen, first of all, has a refresh rate of 240Hz, which ensures silky smooth performance in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5. The 2.5K panel is plenty of resolution that makes games feel immersive, and there’s also an OLED configuration if that’s more your speed.

In addition to gaming, which I’ll get into in the next section, the 16X Aurora delivers bright, vivid colors across the board. I was stunned at how rich all the different shades and hues looked in the World Wildlife 4K YouTube video. Lush, green meadows appeared highly detailed, as did darker scenes filmed at night.

My lab testing confirmed what my eyes saw, as you can see in the table above. The 16X Aurora covers 98.3% of the sRGB spectrum and 99% of the wider DCI P3 color gamut. While both values are just a touch off 100%, the difference is barely noticeable, and you get an enjoyable viewing experience.

A Delta-E score of 0.6 is good too. It basically determines color accuracy, and the closer the score to zero, the better. 0.6, in this regard, is great, and I found the colors to be accurate in real-world use too.

The Razer Blade 16 ($2,999) and the Alienware x16 R2 ($2,099) boast better color accuracy making either a slightly better option than the 16X Aurora for those who do, say, color-intensive work, like photo and video editing. However, the 16X Aurora is much brighter than both with a measured brightness of 450.8 nits, so you shouldn’t have any issues seeing the screen in lit-up rooms. The MacBook Pro M5 ($1,599) upstages them all, though, with its 558 nits of brightness.

Performance aplenty

In addition to excellent color coverage and accuracy, the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora packs a powerful chip too. Depending on the configuration you go for, there are a few processing chips you can go for. My review unit came fitted with the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX chip, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Regardless of the task I did, the 16X Aurora performed admirably. Having multiple applications and browsers with 20 tabs open wasn’t an issue for the 16X Aurora. I didn’t experience any noticeable lag or unresponsiveness. Though there were a few instances where the laptop sounded like it was going to take off — particularly while playing the CPU-intensive Cyberpunk 2077 — I didn’t find it too jarring.

On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the 16X Aurora pulled in an excellent multi-core score of 18,697, outclassing both the Razer Blade 16 (2024) and the Alienware x16 R2. The MacBook Pro M5 performs slightly better than the 16X Aurora in our HandBrake video editing test (transcoding a 4K video to 1080p), but only by a very small margin.

On the BlackMagic Disk Speed test which measures the write and read speed in MBps, the 16X Aurora performed stupendously, with 4,233 write and 5,045 read speeds. The MacBook Pro M5 outperforms the 16X Aurora here with its fast 6,068 write and 6,323 read speeds, but in everyday use, Dell’s offering is more than enough.

Great for gaming

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a beast for gaming. The model I tested packs an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, with the top level configuration featuring an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti card.

At a native resolution of 2560 x 1600, this laptop can run the best Steam games without breaking a sweat. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve used the 16X Aurora extensively to test the best gaming monitors, and the laptop has always performed admirably.

I played Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5 and F1 25 with the highest graphics settings enabled. In Cyberpunk 2077 with features like Ray-Traced Lighting set to Ultra, the benchmark results showed an average of 63fps. Meanwhile, in Forza Horizon 5, I hit 150fps in Extreme mode, while F1 25 ran at a silky smooth 109fps in Ultra High graphics mode. Counter-Strike 2 achieved a maximum FPS of 235, so close to the screen’s 240Hz refresh rate, and it ensured ultra smooth performance.

Benchmark results are great on paper and can tell you a lot about the laptop’s performance, but how do the games really run? Well, really well. The user experience is sublime, with stunning visuals, vivid colors, and non-existent lag or ghosting. When the driver in front of me hit the brakes in F1 25, I could see the sparks flying from underneath the tyres in great detail — just like you would while watching a race on TV. In Cyberpunk 2077, the neon lights appeared saturated enough that they made me feel immersed in the streets of Night City.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: The downs

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a highly competent laptop, but there are a couple of flaws, namely its high price point and mediocre battery life.

Can get very expensive

The rule of thumb when buying a laptop is that the more things you add to its internal hardware, the more expensive it becomes — and the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora can get very pricey, especially when you deck it up with the best graphic card available and fit the biggest SSD possible.

The standard configuration I tested, at the time of writing, costs $2,499 / £2,199. If you go for the top level configuration with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 card, a 4TB SSD, and an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, you’re looking at an expenditure of $4,299 / £3,299. That’s a lot. I also say “at the time of writing” as prices may vary and fluctuate with the ongoing RAM crisis. It’s also worth noting that neither of these configurations feature an OLED panel.

For the OLED model, you’ll need to settle for 32GB RAM, 1TB storage and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HZ process, and this model costs $2,919. It’s also not available in the U.K., at the time of writing.

Mediocre battery life

One of the first things I noticed during my early testing time with the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora was that its battery life seemed very short. I was having to constantly recharge the laptop while playing games. Having conducted a benchmark battery test, I can now confirm that the 16X Aurora’s battery life leaves a lot to be desired.

Due to lab testing limitations, I wasn’t able to conduct our specialized in-house battery testing, so I used UL Procyon’s battery benchmark test instead. I calibrated the 16X Aurora’s brightness to 150 nits and let the software play videos until the laptop ran out of charge, and that took three hours and one minute, which is awful.

This is poor but it isn’t exclusive to the 16X Aurora. As you can see in the table above, the Razer Blade 16 and the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptops also have subpar battery lives, especially when compared to the behemoth MacBook Pro M5.

Chances are, your gaming laptop will be plugged in while you play anyway, and the 16X Aurora isn’t really a portable laptop either, so does the suboptimal battery matter that much? I don’t believe so.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Verdict

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a very capable gaming laptop, and one of the best you can buy today. The laptop boasts a lovely, premium design, and it’s built well too. There are plenty of ports for connecting the laptop to a monitor or plugging your favorite peripherals into it.

Performance-wise, the 16X Aurora features a vivid display with great color coverage and accuracy, and its 240Hz refresh rate makes it ideal for gaming. It’s perfect for general productivity as well. While its battery life isn’t industry-leading, and the laptop can get very expensive depending on the configuration, neither drawback should stop you from picking up the 16X Aurora. It looks good and performs even better.

The hits keep coming for PC and laptop makers as RAMaggeddon, and now the U.S.-Iran war, disrupts everything from supply chains to component costs. Apple and the MacBook Neo may be the beneficiaries, thanks to a disappearing market of budget-friendly computers.

Nikkei Asia is reporting that many of the major PC makers like Asus, HP and Lenovo are being forced to raise prices thanks to astronomical memory prices. Plus, the unwarranted U.S. attacks on Iran are actively affecting the oil industry which will cause shipping and manufacturing prices to increase as well.

"There is only so much PC companies can do to absorb the costs and we have to pass on the surging costs to consumers,” an unnamed gaming PC executive told Nikkei Asia.

Yep, AI is the problem

I’m getting tired of saying the same thing over and over, so I’ll just cut to the chase. The demand for AI compute is getting out of hand — with DRAM demand accounting for 50% of the globe’s memory consumption in 2025.

That has left PC and smartphone makers scrambling for supply, and that demand is driving the prices up to lofty numbers. Acer’s Chairman Jason Chen has said the cost of memory and storage chips had risen “between 50 to 100%,” and companies would have to “reflect” this in their prices to us.

And over the course of this year so far, we’ve had:

• A roughly 20% increase in Asus prices
• Dell jumping by around 20-25%
• Lenovo warning that prices will start to go up this month
• HP confirming its prices will rise
• And Acer flagging price increases of 10-20%

And we’re only in March?! I’m tired, boss, and so are the companies. “I am very pessimistic about the PC industry this year,” a gaming PC company executive told Nikkei Asia. “January was my final call for friends to buy PCs this year before facing more expensive price tags."

Ditching the budget end

Most interestingly in this report, the writers spoke to an executive at ELAN Microelectronics — a company that makes the controller chips for touchpads across laptops from brands like Lenovo and Dell. Basically, a critical part of the manufacturing process that can be the eyes and ears of what’s happening on the ground.

“We are seeing laptop builders shift to prioritize…higher-end commercial notebooks rather than entry-level products to boost revenue and make better use of the limited memory supply,” the executive commented. “Overall shipment volumes are still declining but the value per unit is increasing.”

You see, companies started stockpiling memory chips in the third quarter of last year, which has quickly started to run out.

Advantage, Apple MacBook Neo

Apple recently announced the new $599 MacBook Neo, an attempt by the Cupertino company to directly compete with budget-friendly Chromebooks and low-end Windows notebooks. Whether Apple read the tea leaves or is launching at the most opportune time, the company is going to benefit massively.

As Nikkei reports, many PC manufacturers are turning away from their cheapest offerings in favor of premium laptops and PCs to make the most of the RAM they have available. It’s a matter of survival as the companies attempt to recoup more profit from higher-priced laptops over reducing specs and memory in cheap sets.

Even Apple has been forced to raise prices on its higher-end MacBooks. The just-announced MacBook Pro M5 Pro starts at $200 more than the previous generation. Additionally, Apple just discontinued the six-month-old 512GB MacBook Pro M5 in favor of a starting model with 1TB of storage.

It’s so dire that one PC maker declined to even make an estimate for 2026 due to the memory shortage and rising prices.

Meanwhile, Apple locked the Neo to 8GB of RAM and 256 or 512GB storage. These aren’t spectacular numbers, but they are more than adequate for the target audience.

More from Tom's Guide

• The RAM crisis is out of control: Here's the most alarming tech products affected (so far)
• Your computer is slow because the RAM is full — 7 ways to free it up
• I edit video for a living — and this is how much RAM you need in 2026

The Dell XPS is officially back! Like many others, I wasn’t exactly enthused when the company decided to rebrand its iconic laptop line as “Dell Premium.” I even had bets going with my colleagues on how long it would take for Dell to return to the XPS name. I gave the company at least two years, but thankfully, I was wrong. XPS has returned, and it’s arguably better than ever.

We recently received two XPS 14 models — one with a lower-end Panther Lake chip and an LCD panel, and a more premium model with a Core Ultra X7 chip and a tandem OLED screen. I’ve spent the past 24 hours with the latter, and let me tell you, it’s impressive so far. Not only is it fast and efficient, but the design finally gets back to basics. I’ll have a full XPS 14 review for you soon, but for now, here are my initial impressions of this sleek (and refreshingly retro) laptop.

Dell XPS 14: Specs (as tested)

A lovely new design that fixes my biggest complaints

The new XPS 14 design is the best kind of apology Dell could have given us. The team clearly took some inspiration from the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5, featuring more rounded corners and a refined CNC-machined aluminum chassis that feels dense and premium.

But the biggest wins are the ones that fix the previous generation’s "innovations." The controversial capacitive touch row is dead; in its place is a standard function row with physical keys.

Even better, the invisible trackpad is gone. While it’s still a seamless glass haptic touchpad, Dell added subtle tactile etching around the active area. I can finally feel where the touchpad ends without having to look down. It's the little things...

At 3 pounds, this machine is significantly lighter than last year's Dell 14 Premium (3.7 lbs), making it much easier to travel with. You still get three USB-C ports (all Thunderbolt 4), but the overall package feels much more grounded and practical. It successfully combines the best aspects of previous XPS models with the functional basics you expect from the best Windows laptops.

Strong Panther Lake performance

While I didn't have the maxed-out Core Ultra X9 chip in my test unit, the Core Ultra X7 inside this XPS 14 held up perfectly during my workday.

I spent the afternoon at the office with dozens of Chrome tabs open, a Slack window constantly buzzing, and a 4K YouTube video playing in the background. Through it all, the laptop remained snappy and responsive.

Looking at our lab results, the XPS 14 shows a healthy jump over the 2025 model. While it still can't touch the MacBook Pro M5 in single-core speeds or video transcoding, the gap is closing.

For everyday productivity, you simply won't feel this machine struggle. While this configuration doesn’t deliver mind-blowing benchmarks, it has more than enough power for both work and play.

Good gaming performance for an iGPU

Since this laptop relies on integrated Intel Arc graphics rather than a dedicated GPU, I kept my expectations in check. However, the new Panther Lake architecture shows some serious gaming prowess for an ultraportable.

While the raw numbers are lower than last year's model (likely due to the lack of a discrete RTX chip), the real story is in the playability. When I dropped the resolution to 1080p and enabled Intel XeSS, I was able to get a surprisingly smooth experience in titles that would have been unplayable on integrated graphics just two years ago.

The Panther Lake chip allows it to run modern titles as well as a budget gaming laptop would — and as I’ve said before, that’s a big win for integrated graphics.

The Tandem OLED display is gorgeous

Besides the new design and Panther Lake power, the headline feature on the XPS 14 2026 is the Tandem OLED display, the same tech Apple uses on the latest iPad Pro M5. By stacking two OLED layers, you get inky blacks, vibrant whites, and contrast levels that are quite pleasing to the eye. It's easily one of the finest screens I’ve seen on a laptop.

I love the way colors pop on this panel, especially when you have something rich in front of an all-black background. If you plan to watch movies or YouTube videos on the XPS 14, you’re going to have a great time.

You’ll notice that this Tandem OLED doesn't get as bright as the previous year's model or the MacBook Pro in our testing. This is likely because Dell tuned this specific panel for power efficiency and longevity rather than raw peak brightness. By using two layers to share the workload, the screen should resist burn-in much longer, even if it doesn't "pop" quite as much in direct sunlight.

Impressive battery life gains

We were only able to run one battery test on the Dell XPS 14 (we always do three minimum), but the initial result is pretty impressive. In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the new XPS 14 lasted for an average of 12 hours and 23 minutes.

While the XPS 14 doesn’t quite hit the numbers of other OLED-equipped Panther Lake laptops we’ve tested—falling behind the Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro (15:17) and the Asus Zenbook Duo (14:23)—it’s still a huge step forward for Dell. It still lasted four hours longer than its predecessor. Still, the MacBook Pro M5 reigns supreme with its epic 18-hour runtime.

I should note that the Tandem OLED panel likely plays a role here. While the dual-layer tech is designed for efficiency and long-term durability, as Dell said, powering two layers of pixels still demands more juice than a standard LED or single-stack OLED panes.

The Dell XPS 14 with an 1200p LED display lasted 21 hours and 20 minutes, which is one of the longest runtimes ever. But it has a less powerful processor and lower-res screen than the OLED model.

Outlook

I’ll have a full review once I’ve put this laptop through more stress tests, but after 24 hours, the XPS 14 is already one of my favorite Windows laptops of 2026.

I appreciate Dell’s willingness to return to the drawing board and acknowledge that they dropped the ball with the previous generation. By listening to users and bringing back the basics, they’ve built a machine that should win people back. Stay tuned for my full review!

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• Intel Core G3 ‘Panther Lake’ handheld chips reportedly delayed
• DDR4 in 2026? These kits can help you beat the RAM crisis
• Nvidia won't release new gaming GPU for 'first year in three decades'

I’ve had a rocky history with Dell, the owner of Alienware. Having built my own gaming PCs for over 25 years, I’ve always been skeptical (to say the least) about Dell and Alienware prebuilts — their historically proprietary hardware makes them difficult, if not impossible, to customize.

I’ve also had a tricky time with a Dell monitor in recent times, which I had to send off for replacement no less than three times, with all subsequent replacements sent to me under warranty turning up damaged.

As you can no doubt understand, I’d vowed not to use another Dell-made monitor for a while. Then the Alienware AW2725D dropped on my desk (metaphorically) for testing, and I rather quickly realized my own words needed eating.

I’ve been testing this 280Hz QD-OLED 27-inch gaming monitor for around two months now, and it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it: work, gaming, production, you name it. I think this is one of the best gaming monitors you can buy in the mid-range price bracket. Read my full Alienware AW2725D review to find out why.

Alienware AW2725D review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A mid-range 1440p QD-OLED gaming monitor
• Who is it for? Gamers (...duh), although it’ll suit some light production too
• What does it cost? $499 / £509
• What’s good? The beautiful QD-OLED panel, speedy performance, vibrant and accurate colors, and strong contrast
• What’s not? Not a lot, although I wish it had more ports and built-in speakers

Alienware AW2725D review: Specs

Alienware AW2725D review: The ups

From its beautiful 27-inch QD-OLED panel, through to its high 280Hz refresh rate, premium design and suitability for tasks beyond gaming, this is an excellent mid-range display.

Beautiful QD-OLED panel

The Alienware AW2725D features a 1440p QD-OLED panel, which is frankly gorgeous. You can also buy the 27-inch monitor in different sizes, from 25 inches up to 34 inches; and different resolutions, from 1080p to 4K. Naturally, this affects price, as well as refresh rate, with the 27-34-inch 4K models topping out at 240Hz instead of the 1440p’s 280Hz refresh rate.

Given my desk setup and the games I play, 1440p at 27-inches is the sweet spot for me. 27-inches is wide enough for a fairly immersive experience, while also avoiding me having to turn my head to see different ends of the display. That said, if you want a truly immersive experience, an ultra-wide display like the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 ($1,199) is where you’ll want to look.

I find 1440p is plenty of resolution for 27-inches, and the panel relays plenty of fine detail and looks extremely sharp. You can also buy the 27-inch model with a 4K panel, which is the Alienware AW2725Q ($899). As I mentioned above and will cover below, you lose some performance (and more of your cash) by stepping up to 4K, but the differences aren’t huge.

Rich color, strong contrast, decent brightness

Helping that panel look so lovely, of course, are the rich colors and deep contrast from the AW2725D’s QD-OLED pixels. This is an OLED display, meaning each pixel lights itself rather than needing a backlight, resulting in true blacks as each pixel can turn itself off completely — this results in more contrast than IPS or VA (both LCD) panels which use a backlight to illuminate their pixels.

The ‘QD’ slapped on the front stands for ‘Quantum Dot’ — these little dots are essentially tiny semiconductors that produce extremely vibrant colors and also enhance brightness. So, with a QD-OLED, you’re getting better brightness than a standard OLED, and even more vivid colors.

I tested this display by playing a variety of games, three of which were Cyberpunk 2077, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (KCD2) and Total War: Rome II. Cyberpunk's vivid, contrasty scenes looked awesome on the AW2725D, with super inky shadows contrasting against bright neon signage. I tended to leave this game in the monitor’s standard mode, which maintains bright highlights — otherwise (in RPG mode) the game felt a little too dark.

KCD2 and Total War: Rome II also looked fantastic, with their warm, saturated palettes done full justice by the monitor’s standard color mode. I switched out the monitor’s color mode to RPG for KCD2 though, which clips the highlights a little to aid in that warmer, historical and cinematic feel. I tried the display’s warm mode, but this felt a little too yellow.

Across the board, there’s tons of contrast on offer, while colors look fantastic and nicely saturated, while still feeling fairly natural in the standard display mode.

Now for brightness. In the table above, I’ve compared the AW2725D’s lab test results against other QD-OLED rivals. The AW2725D offers better peak brightness (measured using the central 10% of its display) than its 4K stablemate the AW2725Q. It also offers comparable peak brightness to both the MSI MPG 272URX ($1,099) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10, despite being much cheaper than both. The MSI is a 4K panel, though.

OLED panel brightness rises or drops depending on how much of the screen is in use — this is for screen longevity. While we measure peak brightness at 10% screen usage (right in the center), we also measure at 100%, which gives you a real-world brightness figure. The AW2725D performs similarly to other QD-OLED rivals here, with very little in it. I had no issues using the monitor in bright sunlight, even with a window behind me, in large part thanks to the monitor’s anti-reflective coating.

Burn-in protection

It’s worth noting that the AW2725D also features burn-in protection. It’ll flag you a warning after using it for some time, before automatically turning itself off (by default) to protect the panel. It also features a panel health flag when you access the main menu — this uses a traffic light system to tell you quickly how things stand. If you’re on orange, you can perform a quick panel refresh and be back to green!

Stellar gaming performance

The Alienware AW2725D also has plenty of gaming features up its sleeve, as you’d expect from a gaming monitor. Most notably, its refresh rate tops out at 280Hz, which ensures ultra-smooth gameplay free from motion blur and input lag.

It also boasts a 0.03ms GTG response time. GTG means gray-to-gray and measures how quickly the pixels can change color. A 0.03ms response time is very good, helping to reduce motion blur and ghosting.

Smooth gameplay is, of course, beneficial in virtually all gaming, but these ultra-quick stats are most important in fast-paced titles like first person shooter (FPS) games. I played Counter Strike 2 and Isonzo, two FPS games, and suffered no noticeable input lag or ghosting. In Counter Strike 2, I was running at a consistent 270-280Hz on my hardware — buttery smooth.

The AW2725D also has some handy secondary gaming features. Within the display settings, you’ll find a black stabilizer, which allows you to boost the brightness in black areas of the screen, helping you see enemies hiding in dark areas, for example. There are three “Alienvision” modes. Two of them (Vision 1 and Vision 3) apply a central reticule to the display, with the Vision 1 mode also applying a darkened target box around the reticule. Vision 2 mode applies color peaking around contrast areas to help you detect shapes quickly. All of these will be useful for players wanting every available competitive edge possible.

Not a one-trick pony

The Alienware AW2725D isn’t only good for gaming — in fact, I can’t own or use a monitor that is so. As the cameras editor here at Tom’s Guide and a photographer in my spare time, I use my monitor for a lot of photo and video editing. The AW2725D proved itself highly capable, thanks to its high color accuracy.

As you can see in our lab test results in the table below, the AW2725D demonstrated a Delta-E figure of 0.14. This essentially measures color variance. We use calibrated color spectrometer devices to measure how much the color on screen varies from the color sent to the monitor by the computer. The lower the better and 0.14 is a fairly strong score, showing low variance and meaning the colors you see on screen are true. It isn’t as outright impressive as the 4K variant, the Alienware AW2725Q, but it’s still better than the BenQ PD3226G ($1,099) I tested in late 2025 — and that’s a monitor designed purely for design work.

More impressive is the AW2725D’s coverage of the two most common color gamuts: sRGB and DCI-P3. The monitor covered 190% of the sRGB gamut, which is the most common color space used online. Of course, more than 100% is unnecessary, but it demonstrates that this monitor has a very wide tonal range. Any color that’s in the sRGB gamut can be relayed by this display. The same is true for the DCI-P3 gamut, which is commonly used for cinematic video editing, and which the AW2725D more than covered at 135%. A splendid show.

This means the AW2725D will be a solid choice for gamers who also dabble in a spot of creative work, such as photo editing or making videos for online sharing. If you are printing images or you’re a professional video editor, naturally you’ll want a monitor with a wider array of color modes, such as Adobe RGB (for printed photography) and Rec. 2020 (used in the production of video for television). The AW2725D only has sRGB and DCI-P3 modes, but then again, it is primarily a gaming monitor.

Reasonable price

While it isn’t exactly a budget monitor, the Alienware AW2725D is priced fairly for the performance it offers. One of the gripes we had about the 4K AW2725Q variant was its steep $899 asking price. I’m glad to see the 1440p variant isn’t priced quite as highly.

Like I said, at $499 / £509, it isn’t cheap — but I think this is a reasonable asking price for the beautiful panel with its rich colors and vibrant contrast, not to mention the rapid gaming specs and high color accuracy. The AW2725D is also built very well, looking high quality and finished in a textured, matte plastic that gives a premium feel, again helping justify its price.

Alienware AW2725D review: The downs

I really can’t think of much wrong with the Alienware AW2725D. It’d be nice to have a few more I/O ports and some built-in speakers, I guess, but that’s kinda splitting hairs.

Limited onboard I/O and no speakers

As I alluded to directly above, I’m aware this is splitting hairs, but I’d have liked to see a few more onboard I/O ports on the Alienware AW2725D. I’m used to my BenQ PD3226G monitor which, with its plethora of I/O and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, serves as a USB-C hub.

The AW2725D, by contrast, features 1x USB-A and 1x USB-C downstream ports, the latter of which is rated for 15W of power delivery. That’s fine for charging a couple of devices, but it proves a little limiting when you want to hook up multiple devices for complex workflows. Again, this isn’t a huge issue, and stems partly from me being a spoilt professional tech reviewer who is accustomed to his monitors doubling up as USB hubs.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no headphone jack, nor any internal speakers built into the monitor. Again, I don’t think this is a huge deal as you’ll be hooking this thing up to, y’know, a computer, where you can plug in a headset. Still, it would’ve been nice to see built-in speakers for people who don’t have any external speakers — I know from first-hand experience that when you’re building your PC paycheck-by-paycheck, built-in monitor speakers are a welcome temporary solution.

Alienware AW2725D review: Verdict

The Alienware AW2725D is one of those products where I’ve had to scratch my head for negatives. And realistically, there just aren’t that many. The AW2725D is a lovely monitor, in large part thanks to its beautiful QD-OLED panel, rich colors, inky blacks and strong contrast. Its color accuracy and gamut coverage are excellent, while brightness is on par for a QD-OLED, if not a little better than I’d expect. There is a plethora of gaming features and some handy creative ones too, and on top of all that, the monitor is reasonably priced given the performance.

Sure, I’d have preferred some more ports, and the lack of built-in speakers will be annoying to anyone without an external set; and while it’s fairly priced, it isn’t cheap. But heck, given those are the worst things I can say about it, the AW2725D is doing pretty well. I’m happy to say that the Dell-shaped demons from my past have been well and truly exorcised.

The annual CES 2026 show is hitting its stride in Las Vegas this week, and "AI" remains one of the most popular buzzwords you'll hear at the show. From Nvidia's AI-driven DLSS 4.5 upgrade to AI-powered robot pets, the tech industry's fascination with AI shows no signs of slowing in 2026.

That's not a huge surprise given basically the same story played out last year at CES 2025, where nearly every major laptop maker was talking up the promise of the AI PC. It's a vague marketing term that typically connotes PCs packing CPUs with onboard NPUs (Neural Processing Units) optimized for AI-driven work like blurring your background on video calls.

Dell was one of the big promoters of AI PCs at CES last year, rebranding their laptop lines and repositioning many as AI PCs. But this year the PC vendor took a different tack, reversing last year's rebranding (XPS is back!) and clearly stating that it's pulling back from promoting its new computers as AI-first PCs.

How come? According to Dell exec Kevin Terwilliger, people just aren't buying computers based primarily on their AI capabilities.

People aren't buying based on AI

Terwilliger said so during a pre-briefing for Dell's CES 2026 product announcements, which include new Dell XPS laptops packing the latest Intel Panther Lake CPUs. And as our sister site PC Gamer helpfully pointed out, the Dell exec made a point of saying that while Dell isn't abandoning AI features, it's not going to keep trying make them a primary selling point of PCs.

"One thing you'll notice is the message we delivered around our products was not AI-first," Terwilliger said. "So, a bit of a shift from a year ago where we were all about the AI PC."

He went on to note that while every new product Dell unveiled at CES this year has an NPU inside, the company refrained from promoting their AI features first and foremost because it believes people aren't buying new PCs based on AI.

That's a significant bit of insight into how people are buying laptops and desktops from one of the biggest suppliers on the planet. And as someone who personally had to review a fair number of "AI PCs" over the last year or two, I can tell you they're nearly always all style and no substance.

"What we've learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they're not buying based on AI," added Terwilliger. "In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome."

This was a common note during Dell's CES 2026 presentation, echoing folks like Dell COO Jeff Clarke claiming "we have this un-met promise of AI" that's struggling to convince folks to buy laptops right as "we're about ready to enter 2026 with a memory shortage that is pretty significant."

Outlook

So while all of Dell's new laptops will support the latest AI features in Windows 11, you can expect them to return to the classic XPS branding and feature a bit less AI-focused advertising.

As someone who's been reviewing laptops for decades I gotta say, this sounds like good news to me. I've reviewed over a dozen "AI laptops" in the last year and I've yet to actually use any of their AI features in my day-to-day work. They're typically fun to play around with for five or ten minutes, but unless you like a robot rewriting your words or fiddling with your scribbles in Paint they aren't much help.

Even better, Dell has brought back not just the XPS branding but a few other features I loved about the old XPS laptops as well, including a visible touchpad and physical function keys instead of the frustrating old capacitive versions. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to review Dell's 2026 XPS lineup when they ship later this month—stay tuned!

Update: See our top 9 gadgets of CES 2026 from day 3!

We've wrapped day two at the Consumer Electronics Show 2026. And, after day one dazzled us with some truly spectacular new TVs, it's now all about the laptops. We saw new machines from MSI and Acer alongside the very nice-looking XPS 14 from Dell.

But it wasn't just laptops stealing our attention in Las Vegas. For the first time ever, Lego held a CES keynote. The reason? The iconic toy brand wanted to show off its first "smart brick" — a standard Lego brick with a tiny computer packed inside that can work with NFC-enabled smart tags. Cool!

Of course, it wouldn't be CES without some head-turning weird tech that may — or may not — actually make it on sale in 2026. Like the Ascentiz H1 Pro exoskeleton that our senior fitness writer Dan used to assist him in walking around the vast exhibition halls.

Make sure you check out our ongoing CES 2026 live blog for the very latest from the show, and here's our day 1 round-up of the 10 best new gadgets we saw.

Dell XPS 14

After abandoning the XPS line, Dell has admitted its mistake and brought these premium laptops back in a big way. The XPS 14 and 16 were both on show in Las Vegas and our Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer spent some quality time with the CNC-machined aluminum XPS 14 that's just 14.6mm thin — in between the MacBook Air M4 (11.3mm) and MacBook Pro M5 (15.5mm).

There's a mesmerizing 2.8K OLED display with a variable refresh rate going all the way down to 1Hz to conserve battery life. The XPS 14 is powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Arc graphics, so you should expect smooth performance. There's a range of CPU options, including a Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7, X7 and X9. And the RAM options go from 16GB to 32GB and a max of 64GB.

The only catch is that, with the price of RAM skyrocketing due to AI-driven demand, the price is going to be tough to hear. According to Dell, prices start at $2,049.

Intel Panther Lake

Intel's keynote took place during our second day of CES and the brand stepped up to show off its new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 laptop chips. Codenamed Panther Lake, they were first revealed back in October, but CES has given us our first look at them in action.

The big change is that Panther Lake is built on the new Intel 18A node and employs a "System of Chips" design featuring up to 16 cores and fabricated out of smaller "tiles," which can be moved and swapped to fine-tune performance and efficiency.

In addition, the GPU built into these new Core Ultra 3 chips introduces a new, more efficient Xᵉ3 graphics architecture and scales up to 12 Xᵉ cores and 12 Ray Tracing Units, delivering better performance and featuring an increased 16 MB L2 Cache in the high-end configuration.

There's also better multi-thread performance and a number of other tricks that my colleague Alex Wawro has detailed right here.

Strutt ev1 personal mobility vehicle

Let's get fun for a second. My colleague Mike Prospero took this "personal mobility vehicle" for a spin around the show floor and called it a cross between Professor X's wheelchair and a Tesla. I'll share the bad news up front: You can pre-order it for $5,299, but its regular price will run you $7,499. Ouch.

But here's what you get for your money, the Strutt's four motors power it at speeds of up to 7 mph (11.3 km/h), and it can carry a maximum payload of 350 lbs (160 kg). It'll glide up hills as steep as 13-degrees, and ride over curbs up to 2 inches in height. Finally, the 18.5Ah/592Wh removable battery is good for about 20 miles of range.

The cherry on top is that it's voice-controlled with built-in navigation. So you can sit there and just tell it where you want to go. If you want to know more, read Mike's hands-on with the Strutt ev1 here.

Hisense UR8 RGB Mini-LED TV

Day one of CES 2026 was dominated by LG and Samsung's new TV smarts but Hisense has also arrived at the party. This Chinese brand has constantly impressed us with its value for money and this year we got a good look at how it's embracing Mini-LED technology.

Hisense has upgraded its RGB Mini-LED architecture to include a fourth primary color. The addition of cyan — or sky blue, as Hisense calls it — is said to improve the color fidelity, and there are several models to choose from this year.

The Hisense UR9 and the Hisense UR8 are the brand’s first attempt to scale the tech down to smaller screen sizes. It was previously limited to a 116-inch display in the Hisense 116UX but these new sets will be available in sizes ranging from 55 to 100 inches.

Lego Smart Brick

This was a bit of a left-field reveal at CES, but we are totally here for it. The European toy brand Lego revealed its first-ever "smart brick" at a dedicated keynote that included a demo of how it'll work.

The company has fitted a tiny computer into a standard 2x4 Lego brick that's capable of detecting NFC-enabled tags inside new Lego tiles and minifigures. When the block detects one of these (or another smart brick) it will react dynamically.

Lego says it will make sets come to life with features like sound effects, lighting or movement.

Ascentiz H1 Pro exoskeleton

Exoskeletons aren't as strange a sight these days as you might expect. We saw one at last year's CES and they're back again for 2026. This year, senior fitness writer Dan Bracaglia strapped on the Ascentiz H1 Pro and called it the most comfortable exoskeleton he's tested.

Like other exoskeletons, the Ascentiz relies on AI to analyze a user’s stride, ensuring natural movement assistance. While Dan says it wasn't as powerful as exoskeletons from Hypershell and Arc'teryx, the range of movement was more comfortable.

Weighing just 4.4 pounds (sans battery), the H1 Pro is surprisingly unburdensome to wear. It also folds down into a neat little package that can easily be stored in a gym bag. So whether you're hiking around a massive trade show or want some help at the squat rack, this looks like a winner.

Ascentiz has a few different models in development, and you can find more information over at its fully-backed active Kickstarter campaign.

MSI Pro Max QD-OLED monitor

MSI always shows up in full force at CES with new laptops, graphics cards and gaming PCs, but this year, my colleague Anthony Spadafora said he was interested in the company's new Pro Max 271UPXW12G monitor.

This all-white QD-OLED display isn’t just another gaming or business monitor. Instead, it’s designed to work perfectly with your Mac; it features M-Color Mode for seamless color synchronization and even allows you to adjust brightness and volume directly from your MacBook shortcut keys.

So, if you're looking for an alternative to the $1,599 Apple Studio Display, this could well be it. Especially as Anthony thinks this could arrive with a sub $1,000 price point. You can read all his thoughts on it right here.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo

Asus has stepped up to CES 2026 with the world’s first dual-screen 16-inch gaming laptop. It's an OLED waterfall that seems like overkill in all the right ways.

Computing Editor Jason England took a look at the two 16-inch 3K OLED displays and proclaimed them: "drop-dead gorgeous, running at a buttery smooth 120Hz and sporting HDR support."

Both displays are attached onto a hinge that can bend back a full 320-degrees too and since this is a Zephyrus machine, the specs list is crazy good. There's an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 CPU, up to RTX 5090 laptop GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 2TB SSD — pumping 135W through that GPU. You also get plenty of I/O including Thunderbolt 4, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to boot.

You can check out more of Jason's thoughts on this beast of a laptop right here.

Alienware 16 Area-51 (2026)

I told you that day two of CES was going to be all about the laptops. My colleague Tony Polanco is a life-long gamer, so it's only right that he got to check out the new machines from Dell's gaming sub-brand, Alienware.

Later this year, we can expect an Alienware ultra-slim gaming laptop, coming in at just 0.66 inches (17mm) thin, which is cool. But Tony got to grips with the sturdy Alienware 16 Area-51 on the show floor.

It continues everything about last year's laptop that made it a favorite and levels up in one crucial area: the display. There's now a 240Hz OLED panel with lower latency as well as improved cooling. Tony thinks it has a good chance of being one of the best gaming laptops you can buy this year.

Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a concrete release date, but expect it sometime in the first quarter of this year. Alienware says it will share pricing closer to launch.

Nvidia's AI car tech

Nvidia is one of the biggest names in tech at the moment and the company hosted its own keynote at CES on day two. Unfortunately, we didn't get any new GeForce RTX graphics cards as the company was instead focusing on AI and robotics.

Aside from CEO Jensen Huang messing about with some Star Wars droids on stage, the most interesting development was the announcement of Nvidia Alpamay. This is a new open-source AI model for self-driving cars. Instead of being trained on data and driving reactively, this model is able to use reasoning at lightning-quick times to be proactive.

Nvidia showed it in action with a driving demo across San Francisco and it could just be the future of self-driving cars. Huang confirmed the model will be included with the 2025 Mercedes Benz CLA — already rated the world's safest car by the automotive bodies.

This new self-driving motor vehicle is heading to manufacturing and launching in the U.S. in Q1! Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

 Eli Health Hormometer

Alongside laptops and AI, wellness tech is a big draw at CES and this at-home hormone test shows why. For just $8, you'll be able to test your cortisol levels and, from February, your testosterone and progesterone levels too. Before we go any further, it doesn't replace your doctor but it should give you some extra insight into things like your sleep and energy levels.

Once you've installed the Eli Health app on your phone, you take the saliva collection cartridge out of the sealed package and put it in your mouth for 60 seconds.

From there, you pull on a tab so that the results can start “developing,” similar to a Covid test. You’ll need to wait 20 minutes for this part but once it's done you use the app and your phone’s camera to snap a photo of the saliva stick, at which point the AI will analyze your results and give you a cortisol score.

The tests are $8 a piece, but you can get 8 tests for $99 or a 3-month supply for $225. Find out what my colleague Mark Spoonauer thought when he tried it for himself on the show floor.

Segway Navimow (2026)

It might be the middle of winter right now, but in just a few short months you're going to be looking for ways to keep your lawn looking fresh. And Segway has turned up to CES 2026 with the answer. The company revealed eight new robot lawn mowers covering five different series in the Navimow lineup.

These range in price from $999 to $2,999 for models suitable for home use. The most notable is the Navimow H2 Series, which has an impressive obstacle avoidance system that can detect objects as small as 1 centimeter.

There's also the Navimow i2 AWD series that uses a three-wheel drive system to climb up steeper slopes, along with the Navimo i215 LiDAR that generates detailed maps with its next-generation solid-state LiDAR. If you need to know more, we've got a full breakdown of the new robot mowers and their specs right here.

More from Tom's Guide

• Dell XPS is back! I went hands-on with the new XPS 14 — and it's the best kind of apology
• I saw Samsung’s 2026 flagship OLED and Micro RGB TVs side by side — here's the one I like more
• Nvidia G-Sync Pulsar is fueling the next generation of gaming monitors with a breakthrough 1,000Hz+ of perceived motion clarity — here’s how it works

Alienware has plenty to show off at CES 2026, including all-new gaming laptops boasting OLED displays and more. Now, it's just introduced one of its slimmest machine to date — and it comes close to a MacBook Air.

Later this year, we can now expect an Alienware ultra-slim gaming laptop, coming in at just 0.66 inches (17mm) thin, while aiming to deliver the performance we expect from Alienware's lineup of laptops. Compared to the sturdy Alienware 16 Area-51 at 1.12 inches, the new model is set to be 50% smaller. I've seen it up close, and it's just the laptop gamers and creators after a portable machine will want (me included).

The ultra-slim gaming laptop is set to arrive in both 14- and 16-inch sizes, all while keeping the design aesthetic of its premium Area-51 counterparts, including a light-up RGB touchpad. Alienware notes that the compact design means ths model won't reach the heights of its flagship laptops, but it will still offer high-performance CPUs. (Think Intel Core Ultra 300, and Nvidia discrete GPUs (RTX 50-series is surely in the cards.)

"We set out to build a laptop that delivers features that appeal to gamers first and foremost, but also excels for people who need a powerful device for creative projects, productivity and everything in between," Alienware states.

Compared to Apple's MacBook Air M4, which comes in at 0.44 inches, the all-new ultra-slim is still slightly thicker. However, you can expect the Alienware model to be around the same size as the portable Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 at 0.6 inches — and that's one of the best gaming laptops you can grab for portability.

As for how it looks? It's not like your usual Alienware Aurora or Area-51 models. Expect a sleek, minimalist design with a subtle Alienware logo right on the back. It's a laptop that fits into an office setting or at a coffee shop, as well as on any gaming desk.

The official release date, pricing and specs are still up in the air, but the ultra-slim will make its debut later on in 2026 at the earliest.

A more affordable option

Along with the ultra-slim model, Alienware also announced an entry-level gaming laptop that it will add to its lineup this year.

It's slim pickings for details for now, as we have yet to know the official price of this model and its specs, but expect a step down from the Alienware 16 Aurora laptops at a more affordable price point. So, think an RTX 5050 and possibly an RTX 5060.

At the very least, Alienware promises "strong gaming performance at our most accessible price point yet." That will be a big win considering RAM price hikes.

It may be a while before we see these laptops on the market, but in the meantime, check out what else is in store in our CES 2026 live blog.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just held the world's thinnest tablet at CES 2026 — and it makes the iPad Pro look bloated
• Intel Panther Lake vs Snapdragon X2 Elite vs AMD Gorgon Point — one chip is already pulling ahead in 2026's CPU war
• I saw Samsung’s 2026 flagship OLED and Micro RGB TVs side by side — here's the one I like more

Alienware's goal for CES 2026 is to "push the boundaries of what’s possible in PC gaming." And it's certainly looking to do so with its entry-to-mid-level gaming laptop that now packs an OLED display.

As announced at the world's biggest tech event today (January 5), the Alienware 16X Aurora will come equipped with an OLED display, being one of the first (along with its mighty Alienware 16 Area-51 sibling) to feature a 16-inch premium anti-glare OLED panel.

Not only will this panel reduce gloss by 32%, which keeps glare and reflections to a minimum, but you can also expect a wicked-fast 0.2ms response time for fast-paced gameplay, 620 nits peak HDR brightness and HDR True Black 500 support.

Otherwise, this is the same laptop that stole the show in many sales events, boasting Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5070 GPUs for the latest in gaming performance (DLSS 4 included). What's more, we can expect more Intel Core Ultra 200HX CPU options, although current models are also available with Core Ultra 7 255HX and Core Ultra 9 275HX on Dell's store.

When I tested the Alienware 16X Aurora, I was impressed by the performance it offered (especially at a discount) and its sizeable 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display with a 240Hz refresh rate. With the all-new anti-glare OLED panel it's getting, it moves the needle into becoming a proper mid-range machine.

Deeper blacks, brighter colors and getting rid of reflections boost visuals to make those stunning single-player titles shine. We'll have to see it in action, as we have yet to see if this laptop will still deliver its high 240Hz refresh rate with OLED now onboard. But it's a welcome upgrade nevertheless.

For a taste of the performance you can expect in this laptop, check out the benchmarks I tested below (equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, an RTX 5060 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD).

The Alienware 16X Aurora with OLED will be available in the first three months of 2026, with pricing yet to be announced. I was already impressed with this laptop last year, and the anti-glare OLED upgrade is sure to see this machine push more affordable gaming even further (we'll see about that price first).

For more of the latest announcements from Las Vegas, we've got it all in our CES 2026 live blog.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just held the world's thinnest tablet at CES 2026 — and it makes the iPad Pro look bloated
• Intel Panther Lake vs Snapdragon X2 Elite vs AMD Gorgon Point — one chip is already pulling ahead in 2026's CPU war
• I saw Samsung’s 2026 flagship OLED and Micro RGB TVs side by side — here's the one I like more

I tested many of the best gaming laptops in 2025. These machines were equipped with the latest CPUs and GPUs, providing them with sufficient power to run the best PC games. Such machines include the sleek Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and enormous Alienware 18 Area-51. Choosing a favorite was difficult, but there was one that’s still on my mind.

That gaming laptop is the Alienware 16 Area-51. As I said in my Alienware 16 Area-51 review, this laptop makes a bold statement thanks to its (inter)stellar design, powerful RTX 50-series performance and vibrant 16-inch display. Though it’s expensive and heavy to carry, it delivers an out-of-this-world gaming experience.

Read on to find out why the Alienware 16 Area-51 is my favorite gaming laptop of 2025 and why I think you should consider checking it out if you’re looking for a premium gaming experience.

Otherworldly design

Alienware resurrected the “Area-51” moniker for its gaming laptops, which is appropriate given this notebook’s otherworldly design. The Liquid Teal finish and curved edges provide a distinct look that’s unlike other gaming laptops. The chassis’ color shifts under different lighting conditions, and the RGB lighting on the back mimics the motions of the aurora borealis. It all makes for a machine that commands attention.

The unit I reviewed was configured with a Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard that is a dream to type on. I’m a mechanical keyboard enthusiast (to say the least), so I enjoy the clicky keys and short travel distance. I wish the touchpad was a tad larger, but it works well enough and is very smooth and responsive.

My only complaint is that the Alienware 16 Area-51 is big and heavy at 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches and 7.92 pounds. Since the laptop is so bulky, you might want to mostly use it at home. This could be a potential deal-breaker, depending on whether you’re looking for a desktop replacement or a portable PC.

Strong gaming performance

The Alienware 16 Area-51 I reviewed packed an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an RTX 5080 GPU and 32GB of RAM. Thanks to those components, I enjoyed a superlative gaming experience.

I got Doom: The Dark Ages to run at 108-120 frames per second with DLSS 4 disabled on Ultra Nightmare graphical settings. With the frame-boosting DLSS, the game ran at 240 fps, which matches the display’s refresh rate. The graphically demanding Cyberpunk 2077 ran at 70fps with DLSS off and a blistering 240 fps with DLSS on.

The Alienware 16 Area-51 also performed well in our lab tests, where we run games through their respective built-in benchmarking tools with graphics and resolution cranked to the max. You likely won't be running every game at ultra settings, so you'll certainly get better results than what you see above, even with DLSS off.

As configured, the Alienware 16 Area-51 I reviewed could run games at buttery smooth frame rates with graphical settings cranked to max and with DLSS 4 enabled. That’s a testament to this rig’s power. However, if you get a configuration with an RTX 5070 Ti or lower, DLSS 4 will be crucial for getting higher frame rates.

Vivid 16-inch display

Games look as great as they run, thanks to the Alienware 16 Area-51’s 16-inch display. While there’s no OLED option, the sharp 1600p resolution, aforementioned 240Hz refresh rate, and overall vibrant image quality help draw you into whatever game you’re playing.

As you can see from our display benchmark results above, the Alienware 16 Area-51 doesn’t have oversaturated color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3). Color accuracy (Delta-E) is slightly better than on competing laptops like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and HP Omen Max 16. The latter two produce bolder colors, but Alienware’s colors are more naturalistic.

I should note that the 3ms response time isn’t as low as on other gaming laptops or gaming monitors I’ve tested. However, unless you’re a professional gamer, you’re probably not going to notice any input lag. I certainly didn’t!

Bottom line

2025 was a very good year for gaming laptops, thanks to the introduction of Nvidia’s 50-series GPUs and Intel’s second-generation Core Ultra CPUs. With CES 2026 happening soon, I’m eager to see the laptops we have in store for next year. Will any of them match or beat the Alienware 16 Area-51? I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

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Desktop PCs are getting expensive — you can thank the RAM pricing crisis for that. But there are cost efficiencies you can make here and there to get a monster tower for cheaper. The answer? Go boring and ditch the RGB tax.

I’ve been testing the RTX 5080 version of the Dell Tower Plus, which my colleague Alex reviewed and gave 4 stars. One look at Dell’s website (U.K — no points for guessing where I'm from based on my last name), and you’ll find it at £2,500. To get a gamer-centric equivalent, the Alienware Aurora R16 with the same spec comes in at well over £3,000.

And the situation is similar in the U.S. too. The RTX 5060 Ti-armed version of the Dell Tower Plus costs $1,769 to the $2,099 of the Aurora

So in a world where we’re all looking for ways to cut costs and get the maximum bang for our buck, I’m here to defend the dullness. While it’s not as clear cut when you get into the details (cooling being one particular example), it’s proving more cost-effective to get a more basic tower specced out the wazoo over a gaming beast. Let me explain.

Bland is the brand

The Dell Tower Plus is super unassuming — I mean look at it. As Alex said in his review, it is “a breath of forgettable fresh air,” and I agree. The aesthetic is basic and utilitarian in nature, and that’s A-OK with me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a sucker for good RGB and well-presented components through a tempered glass side (you’ll see as much in Terry the Tom’s Guide test bench). But given the chances your tower will go underneath your desk, all that pizazz would just be wasted on illuminating the floor.

Instead, this low-key look just kind of fades into the background of your desk nicely, while also keeping its considerable power a secret. Honestly, I’m here for it.

Near-parity for less

And speaking of that “considerable power” I took a look inside to see an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of storage and an RTX 5080 GPU. All of it is popped onto a proprietary motherboard, which for those more confident, you could get into and tinker. But it’s meant to be for Dell only to touch under its warranty. This is the cost of affordability.

But the end result is seriously impressive performance that matches up to its gaming ilk while staying quiet (more on that in a second).

Another thing to point out is the cooling solution here. While the Alienware Aurora R16 does have an all-in-one cooler and a couple 120mm fans to keep everything tip top, the Dell Tower Plus has a far simpler cooling solution with a fan at the back and large CPU cooler.

When I took the side off and looked at the way it manages thermals, I was shocked by how quiet it had been the entire time. Not only that, but CPU and GPU temperatures never exceeded the maximum (160-degrees Fahrenheit) that we saw in testing the Alienware Aurora R16.

As Alex said, this is “a wolf in corporate sheep’s clothing,” and Dell’s really thought about everything here.

Where does the extra money go?

When it comes to gaming pre-builts, the premium often comes in the flash of it all. The price of all those key components are all relatively fixed — you’re investing in three key things here:

• A fancy case: That unique, flashy case is usually designed and tooled to be eye-catching for gamers. If you don’t need that edginess, you can save some money.
• The brand name: A brand like Alienware or Asus ROG carries a premium cost with it, so opting for Dell here may have chopped some change off the total price too.
• Advanced (and often unnecessary) features: Outside of that premium lighting, you’ve got a more advanced cooling solution, too. But given temperatures weren’t that different at all, skipping it is another cost-saving measure you can make.

That’s not to say this is all pointless. If you want the flashiness, go right ahead. I won’t deny gaming PCs look cool! But it’s a corner you can cut without sacrificing power but reducing the price you pay.

Should you play it safe (and boring)?

So this is my case for choosing an office box over a spaceship — a boring desktop tower over the gaming PC. RG-be damned, because you could take that $200 saving, get yourself a 4K monitor like the Gigabyte M27UP and make the most of that RTX 5080.

Are there downsides? Sure — the same issues you’d get with any pre-built. Lack of modular customizability and the use of proprietary parts being chief among them.

But as is becoming clear at the moment, it’s now cheaper to go pre-built over building yourself at the moment (thanks RAMageddon). And dodging the RGB-laden options is another way to save yourself some cash while still getting the same sustained performance.

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I have been a gamer for as long as I can remember — from playing a demo of Tomb Raider on my family's rusty ol' computer, Pokémon on my cousin's DS whenever he came around, to sinking hundreds of hours into my favorite RPGs on my PS5 Slim. Video games, especially story-driven ones, are therapeutic to me (regardless of how many times I've cried while playing the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33).

But there is one thing that can absolutely ruin my immersion, and that's bad audio. There's an easy way to rectify bad audio, though, and the solution lies in picking up one of the best wireless gaming headsets. Now, as a lifelong gamer, I'm very privileged that I get to test gaming peripherals as part of my job. I've tested some fantastic gaming headsets, and I recently reviewed the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset and it almost instantly because one of my favorite sets of cans.

The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is my primary gaming headset, but the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset comes in a close second. There's a lot to love about Alienware's flagship set of cans — incredible sound quality, long and reliable battery life, a lightweight design which ensures all-day comfort, you name it. If you're looking for a new headset, this might be the one for you.

Cloud-like ear cushions

Whether you're spending $50 or $300 on a headset, that money is a waste if the cans aren't comfortable and make you want to take them off your head instantly. To that affect, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is money spent extremely well because of just how comfortable these cans are.

Many headsets feature memory foam ear cushions, or leatherette ones. The Alienware headset features a combination of the two: leatherette-covered memory foam cushions! And when I say they feel like you're resting your ears against fluffy clouds, I mean it. Having worn the headset for an eight-hour gaming session, my ears never overheated and no sweat pooled into the earcups.

Also assisting the Alienware headset's comfy nature is its padded headband which helps relieve pressure on the top of your head, lending it a feeling of weightlessness. In fact, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset isn't made for just gaming — you can wear it while listening to music too, when you're out and about, thanks to its sleek, minimalist, non-RGB powered design. Really, it's the only pair of headphones you need for anything and everything.

Sublime, textured, detailed sound profile

In addition to being ridiculously comfortable, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset sounds magnificent too, injecting life into even the most boring games. Regardless of the game I played, the Alienware headset made every thing sound incredible. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, I loved being able to truly appreciate the powerful, orchestral operatic soundtrack, and enjoy the sound of my magic and sword attacks landing on enemies. Everything sounded well-balanced and never like one element was overpowering the other.

In Ghost of Yotei and Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to take a truly stealthy approach when infiltrating enemy camps and bases. I could hear every single footstep and NPCs breathing which helped me pinpoint their position and help me plan my next move. The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset features directional audio too, which meant that I could hear dialogue move from one earcup to the other, and this, again, helped me gauge my enemies' position.

From the slashes of my odachi and katana to the loud explosions caused by my projectiles, each and every sound in both games was loud and clear, with plenty of depth and low-end impact. The energetic, vibrant sound profile alone firmly cemented the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset as one of my top five gaming cans of all time.

Power in spades

Sure, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset looks good, sounds great, and it's very comfortable... but that's not all. It's got power in spades — and I mean that literally. The Alienware headset is rated at up to 75 hours of battery life (depending on usage conditions), and it's very reliable. Using it with active noise cancellation enabled, of course, halves the battery life, bringing it down to 35 hours (which proved true in my testing, by the way), but even then, that's a lot of juice.

Oh, did I say it's got active noise cancellation — and highly effective ANC, at that? The Alienware headset is capable of blocking out most external noise, whether that's your neighbors drilling into their walls (speaking from experience), or construction going on outside your house, or something as simple as the doorbell ringing. Regardless of the situation, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset isolates noise and pulls you right into your game, making you feel like you're the main character. What else could you ask for?!

Not many other headsets I've tested are better than the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset — barring the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro — so it's a small, exclusive club. It's the only headset I'd buy just for the cloud-like ear cushions. I really can't recommend it enough.

More from Tom's Guide

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We have reached the seemingly sudden arrival of the RAMageddon tidal wave.

As AI companies gobbled up DRAM and hard drives for expanding and new data centers, it slowly became apparent that a shortage was brewing with a downstream effect that would hit manufacturers and consumers in the pocketbook.

It started earlier this week with the closure of Crucial, a Micron company that sold consumer memory. And now a report from TrendForce suggests Dell, HP, and Lenovo will raise prices heading into 2026.

Dell could raise prices as soon as mid-December

Just before Thanksgiving, Dell COO Jeff Clarke called the memory shortage “unprecedented” during an earnings call with investors.

“We’re in a very unique time. It’s unprecedented. We have not seen costs move at the rate that we’ve seen,” said Clarke, according to CRN. “And by the way, it’s not unique to DRAM, it’s NAND. It is hard drives, leading edge nodes across the semiconductor network.”

Clarke went on to say the last cycle like this was in 2016 and 2017. At the time, Dell prioritized getting parts. Dell is now going to do everything it can to “minimize the impact”, according to Clarke, but cost will go up across all its products.

Sure enough, Trendforce’s industry sources claim Dell is now expected to raise prices between 15-20% as soon as mid-December.

Lenovo is reportedly also warning customers (presumably retailers and enterprise clients) that “all current quotations and prices” will expire on January 1, 2026. The company is blaming the memory shortage and rapid growth of AI tech for the forthcoming price hike.

Product roadmaps derailed by shortage

As the Korean publication Chosun Biz reports, the shock of the memory shortage is causing multiple companies (from Lenovo and Dell to Samsung and LG) to rethink their entire 2026 product roadmaps, including whether to launch new AI-focused PCs and tablets.

"PC companies have no choice but to respond by postponing releases or redesigning products rather than lowering margins,” a Korean PC company rep told Chosun Biz.

During HP’s earnings call at the end of November, HP CEO Enrique Lores expressed similar sentiments. Though Lores did say that the first half of 2026 should be okay for HP since the company currently has a memory stockpile. Bloomberg reported that Lenovo has also begun stockpiling PC memory to get through at least 2026.

Starting in May, though, Lores claimed the shortage will start eating into HP’s product margins. Lores explained that the cost of memory alone now accounts for 15-18% of the cost of producing a typical PC, which is double what it was last year.

Not alone

CyberPowerPC announced last week that it would raise prices starting December 7. Maingear has been telling customers to buy PCs and components now to avoid the coming rate hikes.

PC makers are the canary at this point, but we expect this shortage to hit every tech market. Right now, phone makers are also bracing for hikes. Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Redmi have already told clients that increases between 20% and 30% are coming next year.

And internal divisions at Samsung surrounding memory pricing between the company’s Electronics Device Solutions (DS) and Mobile eXperience (MX) wings could impact the pricing of next year’s Galaxy S26 series. And there is no end in sight. PC Gamer reports that the blooming DRAM prices could run past 2028.

Don’t expect cheaper tech any time soon. Between PC manufacturers hoarding memory and the insatiable appetite of AI companies, it may actually be cheaper to buy a pre-built PC than building one yourself.

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Finding the best Windows laptop in 2026 is no simple task: What size is best? Should I get a touchscreen? Intel or Snapdragon CPUs? Nvidia or AMD GPUs? Dual screen? There's a lot of deciding to do, but it's this wide variety that also makes picking a machine all the more exciting.

To help you along with your buying journey, my team of computing experts and I have tested and reviewed hundreds of laptops to pinpoint the machines worth your money. And, if you've made peace with the state of Windows 11 right now (it's getting better), it's important to give yourself an upgrade, seeing as Windows 10 officially ended last year. With no crucial security updates, it's time to move on to Microsoft's latest operating system.

For the best Windows has to offer right now, we here at Tom's Guide highly recommend the Dell XPS 14 (2026). Our own in-house lab testing proves it, but there are many other choices we've picked to cater to different needs — whether that be for work, creativity or purely gaming. For our top recommendations worth your money, follow this guide to find the right Windows laptop for you.

The best Windows laptops you can buy right now

Best Windows laptop overall

I have an easy time recommending the Dell XPS 14 as the best Windows laptop for most folks because it sports a new design that ditches many of the controversial parts of prior models. It also packs a serious punch thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 3 Panther Lake chip.

It's no coincidence that this XPS takes design cues from MacBooks, with the chassis featuring softer, rounded corners and the machine clocking in at a light 3 pounds. We also get the return of physical function keys and a haptic touchpad with clearly identifiable boundaries.

Then there's the gorgeous 2880 x 1800 InfinityEdge tandem OLED touch panel. Thanks to it, you get incredible contrasts, vivid colors, and vibrant HDR that makes other panels look dull in comparison.

Performance is just as impressive thanks to Intel’s Panther Lake architecture. Built on the 18A node, this chip delivers strong performance for everyday work and even gaming. The latter is especially noteworthy for a laptop featuring an integrated graphics card. You get the best of both worlds here.

For all these reasons and more, this is the Windows laptop we recommend most often to those in the market for a new notebook for work, school or play. Now, if you're after an even bigger display to get more out of Dell's marvelous OLED, the Dell XPS 16 (2026) is well worth your time.

• Read our full Dell XPS 14 (2026) review

Best value Windows laptop

It's outstanding what Lenovo has done for well under $1,000, and these days, finding value in a Windows laptop is incredibly important. At $749 (and down to as little as $499 during sales seasons), the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x is our top choice when it comes to making the most of what Windows has to offer.

Yes, there are sacrifices made here, including a 15.3-inch 60Hz IPS touch display with low brightness and weak speakers, but for the price, the pros far outweigh the cons. Namely, its long battery life of over 16 hours. That's up there with some of the longest-lasting laptops! So for work or school, this will easily last you throughout the day.

That's thanks to the star of the show: the Snapdragon X chip. Made for budget-friendly laptops, this CPU offers up decent performance for multitasking and even light photo and video editing. It's by no means good for gaming, but if that's not what you're here for, then you'll be pleased with everything else.

What's more, even at this price range, its thin, lightweight design comes with an excellent, snappy keyboard for plenty of comfortable typing. And for those who require quick access to numbers, you'll be happy to know this comes with a number pad.

We have a lot of love for the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x, so if an affordable, reliable machine is what you're after, this will have you covered.

• Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x review

Best premium Windows laptop

The Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Ultra stands out for its dazzling 16-inch AMOLED display, top-tier Intel Panther Laker processor and optional RTX 50-series GPU, which easily puts it in the upper echelon of premium Windows laptops. That said, it also has the price to match.

In typical Samsung fashion, the gorgeous anti-reflective (2880 x 1800) OLED touchscreen delivers deep blacks, intense colors and makes every on-screen detail pop. Even better, it's made for gaming, too, with a variable refresh rate scaling between 30Hz and 120Hz.

Sporting an Intel Core Ultra 7 356H CPU (up to a mighty Intel Core Ultra X7 358H), you can expect desktop-class speed on even the most demanding creative or professional workloads, something that even puts the MacBook Pro on notice. Even when we stress-tested RAM performance by loading up 45 Chrome tabs and running heavy photo edits, the system never stuttered. It's an ideal pick for multitaskers and power users who can't afford slowdowns, and that 15 hours of battery life is the cherry on top.

Beyond sheer performance, the Galaxy Book 6 Ultra's chassis impresses with its minimalist, slim profile and premium materials that feel satisfying to type away on, even if it's a tad on the heavier side at over 4 pounds (but still lightweight for a 16-inch laptop). The speakers surprised us: audio is full and punchy, with crisp highs and enough bass to make music and calls genuinely enjoyable. That's a rarity in Windows ultrabooks, and a highlight if you care about sound quality.

The biggest trade-off here is the preinstalled Samsung bloatware. While it doesn't cripple performance, the extra apps and utilities clutter the otherwise clean Windows experience, and you'll likely spend time uninstalling or disabling what you don't need. But that's just one blemish on an otherwise polished premium package.

This is one pricey machine, but if you're after one of the finest Windows laptops that will last you for years to come, the Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Ultra is well worth the investment.

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Ultra

Best Windows gaming laptop

This one is still hard to top. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) doesn't need another yearly update, even if we were expecting it, as it already boasts some of the strongest specs you'll find in a gaming laptop of this size and price.

To get its problem out of the way, battery life isn't this laptop's strong point, with under two hours when gaming, and around six hours for general use. But really, that can be said for all Windows gaming laptops. Other than that? It's a triumph.

From its beautiful 14-inch (2880 x 1800) OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and speedy 0.2ms response time to its mighty Nvidia RTX 50-series performance (all the way up to an RTX 5080), this laptop will conquer the visuals, speeds and demands of the most demanding PC games on the market. That's also backed by its AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU, up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB for previous storage.

From Cyberpunk 2077 to Black Myth: Wukong at their highest settings, you can expect to reach 50 frames per second (FPS). Oh, but that's with Nvidia's DLSS turned off. Really, expect frame rates to reach 150 FPS and higher, depending on the games you play and the settings you tweak.

It's also a beauty to look at, with its CNC-milled aluminum chassis, glass-topped trackpad and chiclet keyboard. Its design isn't screaming that it's a gaming laptop, either, and it's nicely compact to take with you wherever you go.

For gamers after a reliable, portable gaming machine, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 continues to be our champion that doesn't disappoint.

• Read our full Asus ROG Zephryus G14 review

Best 2-in-1 Windows laptop

We're at a point where dual-screen laptops have become mainstream, and the Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) is the best of its class. This really puts the "two" in 2-in-1 laptops, as this gorgeous machine gives you a variety of ways to use it. Even better, thanks to its mighty Intel Core Ultra X9 388H CPU, it can be used for just about anything.

This one is pricey at $2,099, but what you get in return is a premium-built, powerful laptop boasting dual 14-inch 3K OLED touch displays with a 120Hz refresh rate. As you can imagine, the display is a feast for the eyes (as our reviewer rightfully puts it), with impressive brightness and color coverage for those rich, deep visuals.

Its premium-feeling form factor (although on the thicker side, understandably) can be easily utilized to swap between a normal clamshell laptop and an amazing dual-screen setup, with a movable keyboard deck that feels great to type on. So, that makes it ideal for productivity, but it's also a fine machine for creative work and gaming.

Think playing Cyberpunk 2077 at over 60 frames per second (with Intel's integrated XeSS 3 tech), and breezing through multiple apps and tabs. Despite its dual screens, this laptop also comes with a long 14 hours of battery life, too.

If you've got the money to spend, the Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) aims to last you for years to come. Plus, you won't need to hand over an extra bit of cash for a second monitor, and this one comes with you on the move.

• Read our full Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review

Best Windows laptop for creators

I mean, if you're partnering up to make a GoPro-ified version of a laptop made for creators, it better hit the mark. Thankfully, that's exactly what the Asus ProArt GoPro Edition (PX13) does, so much so that our reviewer even states that it's the "true Windows MacBook Pro."

Now, that also means it has the price to match, at $2,999. What do you get in return? An absolute powerhouse with an uber premium, sharp-looking design boasting a 13-inch 3K OLED touchscreen. That's an important factor for creative work on the move, as the screen here offers up high visual details and accurate colors, with zero latency on touch response.

Powering it all is the mighty AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU, delivering strong performance for 4K photo and video edits. Thanks to the integrated Radeon 8060S graphics, this will shine bright for 3D creative work (and plenty of demanding gaming), so rest assured, this ProArt has the chops to take on all manner of multitasking. And that 128GB of DDR5X RAM? Insane.

Plus, it has ample battery life for what it offers, coming in at over 11 hours, which means getting creative on the move. It's a shame there's no full-size SD card, but at least there's a microSD card slot for those who do have a GoPro. And really, don't bother with the Asus-exclusive AI apps.

If you thought MacBooks were the only reliable laptops for creators, the Asus ProArt GoPro Edition (PX13) has now proved us wrong.

• Read our full Asus ProArt GoPro Edition (PX13)

Best Windows business laptop

Laptops made for work need to be powerful enough to breeze through workflows, lightweight and compact to carry around with ease and set up in a coffee shop, and at least last a full workday. Lo and behold, the Lenovo Slim 7x ticks all these boxes and goes the extra mile with its premium features at a fair price.

Starting at $1,199 (but now under $1,000 these days), the Slim 7x delivers fittingly snappy Snapdragon X Elite performance, handling multitasking, plentiful tabs and packed spreadsheets like a champ, and even keeps fairly cool under pressure. That also goes for photo and video editing, making this one for creative work if need be.

Lenovo could have stopped there, but it decided to be generous and offer up a gorgeous 14.5-inch (2,944 x 1,840) OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, with rich colors, deep blacks and plenty of brightness. Throw in a battery life that lasts over 14 hours, as tested, and this laptop will take you through a day of work and leave enough juice for entertainment.

Take note: Since this is an Arm-based chip, certain apps and games won't work due to compatibility, so make sure everything you need for work is supported. Otherwise, aside from a lack of a headphone jack, the Slim 7x shines.

All this packed in an ultraportable, sleek design? That's what makes the Lenovo Slim 7x thrive. If you're in need of a reliable digital business companion, you'll be happy with this workhorse.

• Read our full Lenovo Slim 7x review

Also tested

We test and review dozens of Windows laptops every year, and they can't all be the best — but just because they don't all make this list doesn't mean they aren't good machines.

Below, I've gathered all the great laptops we've tested that don't quite make this list, but are still good alternatives well worth considering if they meet your unique needs, or if you can't find your first choice on sale.

Performance test results

CPU speed isn't everything, but putting a number on it can go a long way towards helping you understand exactly how fast a laptop is in relation to the rest of the options available to you.

We test every laptop we review in a number of areas, including CPU performance, so I've taken the liberty of putting together a quick chart here of all the performance scores from the laptops on this list so you can compare them at a glance.

We use Geekbench for these tests, as it assigns each laptop a score for its performance in single-core workloads and multi-core workloads. The single-core score is often a little more meaningful because not all apps are optimized for multi-core performance, but many are, so it's good to consider multi-core performance as well.

And I know, Windows 11 isn't in the best spot right now, especially when it comes to bringing performance down (thanks to Copilot AI). However, it is getting better, so it's only up from here (fingers crossed).

Battery benchmarks

Battery life is one of the key things you should look at when deciding which laptop to buy, which is why we run every laptop we review through a series of battery tests to see how long it lasts on a full charge.

These tests do not reflect real-world use patterns since we have to set every laptop to the same settings in order to do fair comparisons. Thus, while the times listed here are accurate and useful as a comparison point, your own experience with a laptop's battery life will likely vary.

This is because when we run our battery test, we set the laptop's display to 150 nits of brightness and have it endlessly browse the web via Wi-Fi until it dies. So while I stand by our testing and the battery life results we compare in the chart below, I want to be clear that your own experience will vary!

How we test the best Windows laptops

To determine which laptops deserve to be counted among the best Windows laptops, we run every machine we review through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use.

These tests cover the speed and capabilities of the laptop, as well as its display capabilities. We carefully measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop's display using our in-house Klein K10-A light meter and colorimeter.

To evaluate overall performance, we then run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 6 (CPU performance), as well as various AI-focused tests and some 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. We also run our own custom file transfer test to measure how fast a machine's hard drive is, and a custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice.

When testing all laptops, we benchmark gaming performance running Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. For testing dedicated gaming laptops, we also run benchmarks for a number of other popular games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

All of these lab tests are complemented by our hands-on review process, in which reviewers spend time putting each laptop through its paces while working, watching movies, listening to music, and playing games.

For more information on our testing process, check out our guide to how we test products at Tom's Guide.

FAQs

How to choose the best laptop for you

Performance: If performance isn't important to you, say because you only need a laptop for browsing the web, you can save a lot of money by choosing a cheap Windows laptop with an Intel Core i3 processor or Snapdragon X, like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x. But if speed and performance are important to you, pick a laptop with starting specs such as a better CPU, 16-32GB of RAM and at least a 1TB SSD, like the Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Ultra.

Size: Consider how mobile you want your Windows machine to be. Notebooks like the Dell XPS 14 are incredibly light and slim, while gaming-focused laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 have real heft to them but offer real power in exchange.

Flexibility: The 2-in-1 category of Windows laptops is an exciting market of devices with hinges capable of rotating all the way around to lay the screen flat on the back of the laptop, turning it into a Windows tablet. If the idea of having a laptop that doubles as a tablet is exciting to you, Windows notebooks like the Asus Zenbook Duo are a great choice.

Graphics and gaming: Most Windows laptops feature integrated graphics as part of the CPU, which means they can handle games like Minecraft or World of Warcraft. But with Intel and AMD's latest offerings, these are now able to play AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings! And yes, that means these are now good for more video editing and creative work. For more power, though, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Having one of the best monitors on your desk is a near-necessity, whether you work on a laptop for up to eight hours, five days a week, or you're an avid gamer and want the best-looking experience. Given the rapid rate at which technology has advanced (and continues to do so), we're spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a screen.

OLED, 4K and even 5K monitors are all the rage, but what if I told you I've been testing an LED IPS monitor that won't make you care that its resolution is limited to just 1080p, and one that doesn't cost thousands? It sounded too good to be true... until I tested the Alienware AW2525HM 25-inch 320Hz monitor. This is the gaming and work monitor for you if you're on a budget.

Look, I'm no stranger to 4K resolution and just how fantastic it looks, but when the colors look this good and the monitor is this fast, I can look past that. With a whopping 320Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, and mindblowing color reproduction, it didn't take long for the AW2525HM to become my favorite monitor. My mind was blown even further when I saw the price tag, so let me take you through it all.

If Speedy Gonzales was a monitor

Ever heard of the fastest mouse in all of Mexico? If Speedy Gonzales was a monitor, he'd be the Alienware AW2525HM. Marketed as a gaming monitor — and for good reason — the AW2525HM has a whopping 320Hz refresh rate and a 0.5ms response time. "What does that mean?" The 320Hz refresh rate ensures smooth, fluid motion, while the 0.5ms response time reduces ghosting and motion blur.

Sounds great in theory but what about in real-world usage? It works, and boy, does it work well! Regardless of the game I played to test this monitor, I was stunned by the performance, and I was left highly impressed. There was no choppiness during fast-paced combat in Cyberpunk 2077, or while sprinting in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And no, no signs of ghosting either.

Given the AW2525HM's speed, I'm happy to trade off 4K resolution. Before you come for me, there's another excellent reason for this — and that's the color rendition, which I'll talk about next.

Any color you like

When I see an opportunity to make a Pink Floyd reference, I take it. Now that we're past my exquisite taste in music, let's talk about the Alienware AW2525HM's performance when it comes to color reproduction. 1080p isn't as good as 4K, but when the colors look this good, I'm inclined to not care as much.

First, let's talk about objective testing. I conducted my standardized lab testing to see how the AW2525HM fared in terms of color, and the results blew me away, as you can see in the table below.

What do these numbers mean? The monitor covers 148.5% of the sRGB color gamut, which means it covers the entire color spectrum and then some, and it delivers bold, bright, vivid colors, shades and hues.

Then we've got DCI-P3, another common color space with a wider overall gamut than sRGB, meaning it delivers a more accurate rendition of lifelike color. 105.2% coverage means it can render more shades than the actual gamut.

Lastly, Delta-E, which tells us how accurate or close the color on screen is to the color output from the source, such as your computer or laptop. The closer the score to 0, the more color-accurate the image — yes, 0.06 is an outstanding score.

The numbers are great and tell us half the story, but testing the monitor by playing video games confirms the AW2525HM's prowess in color rendition and reproduction. In Cyberpunk 2077, the neon lights appears brightly colored but not oversaturated to the point that they looked fake. This made the game feel more immersive, which is exactly what you need in an FPS/RPG.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is more of a challenge because there are many dark areas and dungeons in the game. Regardless, the AW2525HM excelled in balancing highlights and shadows to deliver a fantastic image. I was able to make out details in the dark areas, such as plants or objects which were otherwise obscured. And while a lot of the graphics performance comes down to your GPU, all the cutscenes appeared highly detailed and, again, bright and bold, which helped keep my immersion intact.

Wait, how much?!

What does the Alienware AW2525HM excel at? It's ridiculously fast with its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time. It reproduces colors vividly and accurately. It looks great. When I first started using this monitor, I honestly thought it cost more than $500, and you probably will too. But to my surprise, it costs less than half of what I expected.

The question, then, isn't how much it costs — it's how little. That's right. The AW2525HM is a budget monitor and one of the cheapest screens that delivers outstanding performance, retailing for just $249 / £209. 4K and OLED panels cost a lot more money, but given that you're getting a speedy monitor that makes colors look the best they ever have, I really can't complain about being limited to a 1080p resolution.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just replaced my work monitor with this Alienware 25-inch 320Hz screen — and I’m never going back
• I've tested 100 monitors and these are the best ones for work, gaming and everyday use
• I added a portable monitor next to my main display and this inexpensive upgrade is a game changer

As someone who sits in front of a laptop for up to eight hours, five days a week, having one of the best monitors is a necessity for me. While many of the finest screens don’t come cheap, you don’t need to break the bank to get a great viewing experience — just look at the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED. I’ve been using this monitor for gaming and work and it has blown me away.

Boasting a 320Hz refresh rate and a 0.5ms response time, the AW2525HM is a solid monitor for RPGs, FPS, and any other genre of gaming you can think of. Its color accuracy and rendition are something to behold, as is its SDR brightness. Considering that this monitor costs less than $250, it really doesn’t give you a lot to complain about.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 25-inch 1080p monitor featuring a 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time
• Who is it for? For gamers who also need a reliable monitor for work
• How much does it cost? The Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is available for $249 / £209
• What do we like? The 320Hz refresh rate, great color accuracy, minimalist design, and overall fantastic value
• What don’t we like? There are no built-in speakers and HDR is weak

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Specs

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: The ups

From its minimalist design to its superb color accuracy and reproduction, the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is an excellent monitor for both gaming and work.

Minimalist design

If you want a monitor that’s primarily designed for gaming but fits right into an office space and doesn’t draw unnecessary attention, then the Alienware AW2525HM is the one for you. The AW2525HM features an all-black design with minimal branding. There’s no flashy RGB on display either. There’s an Alienware logo around the back of the monitor, and it functions as a holographic sticker that reflects light and appears rainbow-like. I love it.

Given the AW2525HM’s 25-inch screen, you don’t need to worry about fitting it on your desk, even if you’re short on space. The monitor measures 21.87 x 19.71 x 2.71 inches with the stand, so it’s slightly smaller than 27-inch screens like the Lenovo L27i-4B ($109) — my second screen at work. The AW2525HM weighs 13.38lbs with the stand, so while it’s heavy enough to stay in place, it’s still easily liftable and movable.

Adding to the AW2525HM’s minimalism and ease of use is its straightforward menu system, which can be controlled via the clickable joystick located under the Alienware logo on the front. In my testing, I found the menu system highly responsive with zero input lag, and the joystick felt nice to use, too. It was super easy and quick to adjust brightness and contrast, swap between different presets (sRGB, FPS, RPG, etc.) and other settings.

Overall, the AW2525HM is nondescript, looks great on my desk, and is intuitive to use.

Great for gaming

The Alienware AW2525HM is marketed as a gaming monitor, and that’s not surprising given its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time. It excels at delivering a smooth, lag-free gaming experience. There are plenty of picture modes to choose from so that you get a tailored experience, and this includes, but is not limited to, FPS, MOBA, RPG, and Sports.

The AW2525HM features an LED panel with a resolution of 1920x1080 FHD, so there’s no 4K at play. But even without it, visuals look nothing short of stunning, especially for a monitor that doesn’t charge a premium. To test the monitor, I played a few games on a Windows 11 laptop, and regardless of the genre and title, I was mesmerized.

I kicked things off with Cyberpunk 2077, an FPS/RPG with bright neon lights and quick movements that can cause motion blur. The neon colors appeared detailed, bright and vivid on screen, and I appreciated that they didn’t appear oversaturated to the point that they felt fake.

You can see plenty of details even in dark environments, so I was able to make my way through dark areas with confidence in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s like I was able to see in the dark, which felt fantastic. And while a lot of the graphics performance is down to the graphics card in the laptop, I felt fully immersed in the life-like cinematic cutscenes during the game, given how detailed all the characters and surroundings appeared.

The whopping 320Hz refresh rate proved its worth in both games, as I didn’t experience any choppiness while sprinting or during fast-paced combat in Cyberpunk 2077. The AW2525HM has a 0.5ms response time, which means its pixels can change colors within 0.5ms, so I didn’t experience any ghosting during gaming either. Of course, if you want even better response times, you’ll need to spend way more on the likes of the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED ($1,099) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 OLED ($1,199).

Lab testing analysis: Color

So, the colors look great on screen, but what about actual lab testing? As part of our standardized lab testing, I measured the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED’s color coverage as well as accuracy — and I was left impressed, in practice and on paper. You can see the results below, compared to other similarly priced monitors.

The AW2525HM covers 148.5% of the sRGB color gamut, which means it covers the entire color spectrum and more, which helps it deliver bright, vivid colors, shades and hues. This is aligned with the bold colors I saw when using the monitor for gaming and work, so I’m very pleased. The color coverage is also better than both the Dell 24 S2421HGF ($250) and Gigabyte G27FC ($229), which are in the AW2525HM’s price bracket.

DCI-P3 is another common color space with a wider overall gamut than sRGB, meaning it delivers a more accurate rendition of lifelike color. The AW2525HM has this space more than covered, with my testing showing 105.2% coverage (meaning it can render more shades than the actual DCI-P3 gamut) — again, better than both the Dell and the Gigabyte.

The last number I tested was Delta-E, which tells us how accurate or close the color on screen is to the color output from the source, such as your computer or laptop. The closer the Delta-E score to 0, the better, and the more color-accurate the images. As you can see above, the AW2525HM blows all other rivals out of the water with a score of 0.6. Even the pricier Alienware AW2725D ($529) is less accurate.

Good for work too

Given the Alienware AW2525HM’s nondescript design, high refresh rate and response time, it’s a fantastic monitor for office work. Its incredible color accuracy and rendition make it a good monitor for editing photos and videos I’ve taken on the best cameras and the best drones.

The 10-bit color depth means that the AW2525HM is capable of showing 1.07 billion individual hues. This enabled me to see the different shades of red and orange in photos of robins I’d taken, as well as the various hues in photos of autumnal leaves and trees. There are a few work-related picture modes, and you can adjust the monitor’s gain, offset, hue and saturation to achieve the ideal settings for photo editing and other work.

This is a very bright monitor too, which is exactly what I needed to watch videos I’d taken of nightscapes on the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Mini 5 Pro. My lab testing showed that the monitor’s brightness in SDR peaks at 365 — my coworker, Erin, asked me if my retinas were burning when I had the monitor turned up to 100% brightness!

The table above shows the AW2525HM’s brightness in comparison to other monitors, and as you can see, it’s much brighter than the rest. The AW2525HM feels like an absolute steal, and this brings me to my next point.

Excellent value for money

Given that you get a 320Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, and fantastic color accuracy, you’d think the Alienware AW2525HM costs a lot of money — and you’d be wrong. It’s one of the cheapest monitors on the market, retailing for just $249 / £209, making it the ideal screen for casual gamers who also want to use the same screen for work.

Alienware’s monitor is priced similarly to the Gigabyte G27FC ($229), the Dell 24 S2421HGF ($250), the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 27-inch 280Hz ($239) and the ViewSonic XG2536 25-inch 280Hz ($299), but Alienware’s device is better than all of them as it offers a faster refresh rate. And while it’s pricier than the Lenovo L27i-4B, it’s well worth the extra spend if you want great color accuracy as well as more hertz.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Alienware AW2525HM, but it’s worth noting that it doesn’t have the strongest HDR or built-in speakers.

Weak HDR

Strangely, the AW2525HM’s product page doesn’t mention anything about HDR. The only way I found out that it supported HDR was via system settings on my laptop. But I’m not surprised that Alienware doesn’t emphasize this information, considering that the monitor doesn’t have the best HDR.

I tested the HDR at three levels as part of our standardized testing, and the results weren’t great. The AW2525HM peaked at 200 nits on 10% of the screen, 210 nits on 40% and just 198 nits on 100%. While not the brightest, it is worth noting that some of its competitors, like the Dell 24 S2421HGF and the Gigabyte G27FC, don’t support HDR at all — something is better than nothing, I suppose?

No speakers

Annoyingly, the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED doesn’t feature built-in speakers, so you can’t hear any audio. This is a pretty minor issue if you have external speakers that you can plug into your gaming PC or laptop, or you’re using one of the best wireless headsets. But still, it would have been nice to have some speakers built into the display as a fallback.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Verdict

The Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is a fantastic monitor, and I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without it. Its LED panel is bright and detailed, and its color accuracy and rendition blew me away in both subjective and objective testing. I love its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time too, both of which contribute towards a lag- and blur-free gaming experience.

The AW2525HM doesn’t have built-in speakers or the brightest HDR, but these are small drawbacks considering the monitor’s budget price tag. If you need a monitor for gaming and work, I can’t recommend the AW2525HM enough. It’s fast, it’s bright, and it’s unbeatable value for money.

The Dell 16 Premium ($1,799 to start) is effectively the 2025 edition of the Dell XPS 16 with a new name that spells out exactly what it is: Dell's premium 16-inch laptop.

And when you see one in person it's hard not to agree with the branding, especially if it's the model with the optional 4K OLED touchscreen upgrade. I've long loved Dell's top-tier laptops for their elegant design with remarkably thin bezels that make the display seem to float in the air, and the 2025 Dell 16 Premium is no exception.

But I've also loathed some of the design changes that Dell has implemented in its Premium laptop lineup over time, including the decision to make the touchpad "invisible" and ditch physical function keys in favor of a dynamic row of capacitive touch keys. I can adapt to these peccadilloes over the course of a review, but they keep me from ever wanting to buy one myself.

However, there's still lots to love about the new Dell 16 Premium if you don't mind those details. I know because I've been using one for weeks and we extensively tested it in our testing lab, so let's dig into it!

Dell 16 Premium review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The 2025 edition of Dell's premium 16-inch Windows laptop.
• Who is it for? Anyone who wants an elegant 16-inch laptop that's broadly customizable with everything from an OLED touchscreen to a high-powered Nvidia laptop GPU.
• What does it cost? The 2025 Dell 16 Premium is available for purchase from Dell.com and participating retailers for a starting price of $1,799, but it can climb to $4,000+ if you splurge and upgrade it to the max.
• What do I like? The eye-catching design, good performance and high customizability are strengths of the Dell 16 Premium, and it's also fairly thin (though not light) for its size.
• What don't I like? I really don't like the invisible touchpad or capacitive touch row, since they're both difficult to use without looking down at your hands. The fact that it has few ports and reliably lasted less than 8 hours in our battery tests is also disappointing.

Dell 16 Premium review: Specs

Dell 16 Premium review: The ups

While I grouse about the keyboard and touchpad, there's a lot to love about the Dell 16 Premium. Here's a few of the standout strengths I've appreciated during my time with our review unit.

Beautiful design

Our Dell 16 Premium review unit looks lovely on a desk, and it feels like a premium laptop in your hands.

Part of that has to do with the weight and heft of this machined aluminum machine. While it's not as heavy as a gaming laptop it does feel hefty and solid, and I couldn't feel any flex in the keyboard deck no matter how hard I tried to twist or bend it.

And when you open up our review unit (decked out in the Platinum color scheme) the remarkably thin bezels help emphasize the 16.3-inch display, making it seem to almost float in the air. And while I wish there was a little more lip at the top of the screen to make it easier to open with one hand, the Dell 16 Premium's lid is cut at an angle that makes it fairly easy to flip open with a finger.

While I wish Dell would axe the capacitive touch row and invisible touchpad because I find them frustrating to use, I can't deny they make the laptop look futuristic and unlike any other laptop at the coffee shop. I don't think that's worth the trade-off you're forced to accept, but I want to acknowledge that as much as I hate using these features they do look kind of cool.

Good gaming performance

One of the things I've long loved about the old Dell XPS 16 laptops is the fact that you could outfit them with enough beefy components that they could double as a gaming laptop in a pinch.

The same is true of the new Dell 16 Premium, which starts under $2,000 but gets a lot more expensive if you take advantage of the fact you can upgrade it with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU and up to 64GB of RAM.

With those specs it would be a pretty decent gaming laptop, which I love because this laptop doesn't look the part at all. So if you (like me) are a little tired of gaming laptop designs with all their RGB light strips and pointy edges, the Dell 16 Premium can be the most subtle gaming laptop you've ever owned.

The review unit Dell sent us isn't the top-of-the-line model but it does have that RTX 5070 laptop GPU, and when we put it through our testing lab it performed pretty well in our gaming benchmarks.

As you can see, our Dell 16 Premium review unit was reliably able to outperform both its predecessor and the latest MacBook Pro in every one of our gaming tests. But set your expectations accordingly, because as you can see from our test results we run all those tests in 1080p so we can compare them more effectively across laptops — so if you upgrade to the 4K OLED display and try to play your games at native 4K resolution, you're not going to see framerates like these in modern games.

For example, when I was playing Cyberpunk 2077 on my own I was easily able to get a pretty steady 60+ frames per second at native 4K resolution by enabling Nvidia's DLSS tech. But in our testing, when we run the game without DLSS at 1080p and 4K, the laptop could only manage a bit over 30 FPS at 1080p and roughly 2 FPS at 4K.

So while the Dell 16 Premium can absolutely double as a good gaming laptop if you outfit it with top-of-the-line hardware, don't expect it to ever outperform the best gaming laptops on the market.

A top-of-the-line Dell 16 Premium will, however, play games better than 90% of non-gaming laptops, including nearly every MacBook ever made.

A similar story played out when we put our review unit through our gauntlet of general performance tests, but in these challenges Apple's MacBooks have the edge and the M4 Pro MacBook Pro ($3,499 as tested) we reviewed beat the Dell 16 Premium in ever test.

But that's not terribly surprising since the best MacBooks have long outperformed the best Windows laptops in terms of raw CPU performance and video editing speed, thanks in large part to the remarkable efficiencies of Apple silicon.

So while the latest MacBooks still outperform Dell's premium 16-inch Windows laptop, that's par for the course these days. What's more notable here is that the Dell 16 Premium handily outperformed its predecessor in every test except one: SSD transfer rate.

As you can see from our test results, the SSD in our Dell 16 Premium review unit transferred files significantly slower than the SSD in its predecessor. That's not a huge deal-breaker for most people, but it's something you should be aware of, especially if you expect to be moving big files or file packages (like videos and video editing projects) around on a regular basis.

Gorgeous 4K OLED display

I love the 16.3-inch (3840x2400 pixels) 120Hz OLED touchscreen on our Dell 16 Premium review unit an awful lot.

Heck, I think it might be my favorite feature of the machine because it makes everything you do on it look lovely, plus it gives you the freedom to reach up and tap when you get tired of typing. So the fact that it costs at least $200 extra to get on the Dell 16 Premium is kind of a bummer, but it's such a small splurge that I really think upgrading from the 2K IPS to the 4K OLED display is a smart idea when buying one.

I'm not deaf to the complaint that touchscreen capabilities can literally smudge the value of a good OLED, because you're risking leaving fingerprints all over your beautiful display. But good hygiene and regular screen cleaning can take care of that issue, and it's worth the effort to enjoy this upgrade.

I really love this display and OLED screens in general because in my experience you get much brighter lights, deeper darks and more striking contrasts on OLED than you do on any other kind of screen. They making watching movies and playing games with support for HDR (high dynamic range) a real treat, and even just navigating around Windows is a little nicer on a fast OLED.

However, despite the higher contrasts you get on OLED they do tend to eat up more power and be less bright than other types of panels. You can see this play out in our display testing, as the Dell 16 Premium did well but actually ended up a bit less bright than both its predecessor and the latest 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Dell 16 Premium review: The downs

Our Dell 16 Premium review unit is an attractive machine with some impressive capabilities, but after using one for a week or two I have to also warn you about some potentially frustrating downsides.

Keyboard is frustrating and uncomfortable to use

I don't love the keyboard and touchpad on the Dell 16 Premium, but that's not a huge surprise given I didn't like them on last year's model either.

If you haven't seen one of Dell's new Premium laptops in person, they have these slick keyboards with a capacitive touch row, a flat rectangular keyboard with nearly no space between the keys and an invisible touchpad somewhere beneath it.

I love the ultra-thin bezels around the display, and at a glance the keyboard deck's similarly minimalist aesthetic looks attractive. But once you start using it, you might understand why I find the Dell 16 Premium's keyboard so frustrating to use: you have to constantly look down in order to use it well.

And hey, we all end up looking at our hands when learning a new keyboard. But in my experience the lack of physical features on the Dell 16 Premium's keyboard deck makes it especially frustrating to master because it's very hard to feel where you should place your fingers without looking down.

The same goes for the capacitive function keys and invisible touchpad. The fact that the capacitive touch keys change their icons if you hit the Function key is neat, but it's a pointless feature for touch typists because ideally you'll rarely look down at the keyboard while working.

And of course, since the "invisible" touchpad has no raised edges or visible markers there's no way to figure out where the edges are without trial and error — and lots of looking down at your hands.

If it seems like I'm complaining about looking down a lot, it's because that habit makes working on a laptop even more painful and unergonomic than usual. I know because I write about laptops for a living, so I spend much of my work day working on a laptop and I use accessories like Xreal AR glasses to keep my head in a comfortable, healthy position.

The Dell XPS 16's minimalist design may look cool, but in my experience it's harder for touch typists to master and forces you to look down at your hands more often while working, which could ultimately exacerbate back and neck issues.

Not enough ports

For a 16-inch productivity laptop the Dell 16 Premium's port array feels pretty disappointing.

Far from offering you a premium port offering, Dell gives you just three USB-C ports, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack. That's enough to get work done, especially if you invest in a good USB-C hub with the ports you actually need, but it's not great.

That feels like a letdown, especially when you consider that most other laptops of this size and price give you a more versatile selection of ports. The 16" MacBook Pro, for example, gives you all the same ports but upgrades the card reader to a full-size model and also gives you an HDMI 2.1 port for hooking up an external display.

Bad battery life

While using our Dell 16 Premium review unit in my day-to-day work I had no concerns about running out of battery, but I did notice that if I used it all day that it would require a charge by late afternoon.

That anecdotal experience is backed up by the results of our battery testing, which involves running our test (endlessly streaming video via Wi-Fi with screen set to low brightness) multiple times and averaging the results. And unfortunately, our Dell 16 Premium review unit reliably failed to last even eight hours on a full charge.

That's a pretty disappointing result that reminds me of the bad old days of Windows laptops, when getting 8+ hours of use on a full battery was a rare feat.

However, a high-quality modern Windows 11 laptop tends to last 10+ hours these days thanks to more power-efficient chips and designs. As you can see from our chart of recent test results above, the majority of Windows laptops we've tested in the past year last hours longer than the Dell 16 Premium. And of course, similarly priced and -sized MacBooks can easily last 15-20 hours on a full charge.

So while you can count on the Dell 16 Premium to get you through hours of work with no trouble, you may want to lug the charger with you if you take it out for a day of working on the go. And that's kind of a hassle that drags down the light, minimalist feel of this laptop.

Dell 16 Premium review: Verdict

The thing I've long loved about Dell's premium 16-inch laptops is the fact that they're highly customizable and potentially very capable machines (if you pay for the privilege) that look great on a desk.

The 2025 Dell 16 Premium is no exception, and the review unit Dell sent us hits that sweet spot of being a performance laptop that doesn't look like it. I'm currently playing through Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PC, and I love that I can play that (admittedly years-old) game with graphical settings cranked up high and still achieve a steady 60+ FPS on the laptop's luscious 4K OLED display. I also appreciate the fact that I can do this on a laptop that doesn't look like a gaming device in public, because there's no garish RGB lighting or ridiculously edgy design.

But I don't think I'd ever actually buy one of these for myself or anyone I know, because I think the capacitive touch keys and invisible touchpad are irritating to use. I'm also disappointed to see that our review unit performed pretty poorly in our battery tests, and I hate how few ports you get on this big, premium laptop.

Millions of Dell laptops were vulnerable to attack that would have let potential hackers steal sensitive data and monitor activities thanks to a chip flaw.

As reported by Reuters, Dell has released a fix to address a vulnerability which impacts a chip in many of its laptops that stores biometric data, passwords, security codes and more. The flaw was first discovered by researches at Cisco Talos.

Dell apparently validated this analysis in a June security advisory in which it explained that the flaw affects more than 100 models of the company's laptops.

Fortunately, no one has found indications that the flaw has been exploited in the wild, according to Cisco's researchers. Apparently, Dell issued security patches for the issue starting in March and then into April and May.

The Reuters report says the vulnerable chip was the Broadcom BCM5820X which Dell was using in its 'ControlVault' software. Reuters does note that the laptops using that software are more likely to be used in industries handling sensitive information as it's designed to offer heightened security features.

A Dell spokesperson told Reuters that it addressed the flaw "quickly and transparently."

“As always, it is important that customers promptly apply security updates that we make available and move to supported versions of our products to ensure their systems remain secure,” the spokesperson said.

How to stay safe

This vulnerability does highlight some of the downsides to keeping biometrics and other sensitive information on your laptop, even with on-device security that is more common today.

Fortunately, there are ways to stay safe in addition to installing the latest security patches. For instance, we've put together a list of 12 mistakes that you should avoid making with your computer.

Relevant to today's news, you should make sure you keep your software up to date, especially security patches. Many people don't update out of an unwillingness to interrupt tasks or fear of new bugs and flaws.

However, keeping your system updated will help make sure you don't have giant holes in your system. Many of these updates can be automated or scheduled, so make sure you don't avoid them and leave your machine vulnerable.

Likewise, it's always a good idea to make sure that your laptop and other devices are protected against malware and other threats by using one of the best antivirus software suites.

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The Dell 14 Plus is the beige cardigan of laptops — not stylish, not exciting, but somehow always reliable. I mean look at it. It’s the most cookie-cutter clamshell with the personality of a corporate email signature. But after a month of using it, I’m thinking “hey, it gets the job done,” and with some gusto too!

That’s unsurprising, given this is essentially the sibling of Dell’s long-running Inspiron brand — dropped in favor of this simpler-yet-more-confusing lineage of Plus, Pro and Pro Max sounding like a line of caffeine pills. But underneath its extraordinarily bland shell, you’ve got a solid workhorse.

And its superpower? Pricing starts at $699. Yes, I know Dell’s website says this is discounted down from $1,099, but like a lot of laptop companies, Dell seems to have fun with big MSRPs to make the actual price look like a discount.

The value for money on what you get here is strong. With Copilot+ PC specs starting from this low, alongside at least an Intel Core Ultra 7 200 series CPU and a 2.5K display, that’s a compelling cost. Plus Dell hasn’t forgotten the ergonomics, as the keyboard and touchpad feel great on this.

But it’s not perfect. That plastic build can flex easily, and the screen isn’t bright enough for use outdoors. For the same price as the one I’m testing (slightly upgraded at $849), you could get the superior M4 MacBook Air. That being said, though, it’s all-round performance, port array and 13+ hour battery life makes it a workhorse.

It’s not sexy. It’s not cool. It’s just useful. And honestly, that might be all you need in a laptop for a college student or general productivity.

Dell 14 Plus: Cheat sheet

• What is it? This is an Inspiron in Plus clothing — a continuation of the budget-to-mid-range laptop lineage for Dell.
• Who is it for? The 14 Plus is a great laptop for students, as well as for general productivity on-the-go.
• What does it cost? Technically, I should say that the MSRP is $1,099, but you’ll never see this for that price. Dell’s inflated retail price to make the actual MSRP look like a deal is in full effect, and you can pick one up from $699.
• What do we like? For the price you pay, this is a real workhorse. The keyboard and touchpad are ergonomically sound to use with nice tactility, the Intel Core Ultra power under the hood is stellar for performance and power efficiency (13+ hour battery life), and all this is in a slim, lightweight chassis.
• What don’t we like? But said chassis has the personality of a filing cabinet that came to life and learned to multitask. The display may be sharp and colorful, but is average in brightness, and that plastic chassis can flex a little under pressure.

Dell 14 Plus: Specs

Dell 14 Plus: The ups

Getting past the snoozefest of opening up yet another paint-by-numbers clamshell, I was low key impressed with the experience when replacing this with my daily driver — especially for its price.

Strong performance and power efficiency

Intel Core Ultra 200 series has been one of the forgotten gems in the CPU lineup — mostly because Team Blue itself has made the whole affair oh-so confusing. But provided you go Lunar Lake, you can get some strong performance paired with a lot more stamina.

Give or take a slower, cheaper SSD in there, this is pretty good! The removal of hyper-threading is the choice that led to this not being that much faster than the previous gen Intel chips, and you can get faster from other options out there. But in return for removing this power-demanding tech, you’re getting all-day battery life.

But what’s most impressive here is the cost. The laptops I had to use to compare (bar the MacBook Air) are vastly more expensive than this system. So in the Windows 11 space, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Ergonomics at the core of it

Now, with laptops at this price, you normally have to keep your expectations in check when it comes to the keyboard and touchpad — spongey keys and a mushy click are normal.

But Dell’s done something different here, and actually provided a nicely tactile board and a solid mouse experience. I’ve happily typed out this entire review here with its keys nicely spaced-out and offering plenty of depth to make each press feel intentional.

Then we turn to the touchpad. Looking at how my friends in the industry have reviewed this, it seems to be a bit divisive, with some people saying it’s a bit stiff on the click. But I’d be inclined to disagree — not that it isn’t stiff, but that this quality gives it a more tactile snap on each click.

All-in-all, paired with the power, this is a great low-cost system to get stuff done on.

Dell 14 Plus: The downs

But of course, we’re talking about a lower-end system here in Dell’s family. So to get that cost down, some compromises had to be made.

Display brightness is blah

Now, I want to be clear here. The display color accuracy is good and the QHD resolution in 16:10 aspect ratio makes it crispy and great for work. But if you do said work anywhere near the outdoors (like I tried for the shot above), you’ll run into some trouble.

For most circumstances indoors or near a brightly lit window, you’re going to be fine. But in direct sunlight, that matte finish of the screen plus how bright it can get will cause problems.

Dull as dishwater

It’s just another laptop — very forgettable. In a time when we’re seeing some standout design language from laptop makers.

Is this a problem for me? No, and you can see that in the score I’ve given this laptop. But to many, consumer tech is an extension of your personality, and I know aesthetics are critical to that. So this is just a heads up that it’s not ugly, just very bland.

And that plastic construction can flex under some pressure (fortunately, not the keyboard deck).

Dell 14 Plus: Verdict

And that’s the tale of the tape. It won’t win any design awards — or any awards, really — but it’ll meet your deadlines without drama.

After my time using it as my daily driver, I have no overtly deal-breaking complaints! It’s a strong performer, has the longevity to keep up with my workload on-the-go, and the ergonomics for an enjoyably tactile typing and clicking experience.

Don’t let it being the aesthetic equivalent of plain toast deter you — especially given that warranty coverage that comes with it.

With Dell scrapping its XPS lineup, there's now room for more flagship laptops, and its new Premium notebooks are here to fill that void.

Dell unveiled its new line of high-end laptops for work and play: the Dell 14 and 16 Premium. Holding on to its XPS roots, the 14- and 16-inch notebooks are designed to deliver optimal performance for students, creators and even gamers in a compact design.

With what they boast under the hood, I can see how this is the case. Expect the latest Intel Core Ultra 200H processors, up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, a whopping 27 hours of battery life and glorious 4K OLED displays.

The Dell XPS 13 has topped our list of best laptops all year round, and that's because it nailed its design, performance and battery life. With the company's new offering of flagship notebooks, it's looking like we may see a shift in our top spot for the best Windows laptops.

Both Dell Premium laptops are now available, with prices starting at $1,649. You can expect more models to come down the line as the Dell 16 Premium with Intel Arc graphics, RTX 5070 and RTX 5050 are set to be on shelves soon, too.

Let's get into the details.

Premium in name and form

Dell has always impressed with its top-tier laptops, and this Premium lineup looks to be no different, considering the similarities it shares with its previous XPS siblings.

The 14 and 16 Premium both come with InfinityEdge (bezel-less) displays and come with a thin, lightweight form factor, being just 0.7 inches thin and weighing as little as 3.6 pounds (the 16 Premium is at 4.5 pounds). The 14 Premium isn't quite as thin or lightweight as the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4, but at least the 16 Premium is lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4.

It's the displays that are set to be a key highlight, at least on paper. With two options available on its model, you can either get a 2K (1920 x 1200) LCD non-touch display, which we praised on the Dell XPS 13, or upgrade to dazzling OLED panels. There's a 14.4-inch 3.2K (3200 x 2000) OLED touch display or a 16.3-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED touch panel. Oh, and they all rock a 120Hz refresh rate.

That will come in handy with the other specs it boasts. The Intel Core Ultra 200H chips will bring speedy performance (a claimed 33% bump) to blaze through multitasking, while the option for an RTX 50-series GPU means these laptops will power through gaming, creative apps, video editing and more.

The Dell 14 Premium only comes with either Intel Arc graphics or an RTX 4050, mind you, but as a laptop for college students, it should still run circles around work. The Dell 16 Premium will feature RTX 5070, RTX 5060 or RTX 5050 GPUs, and considering the performance gains thanks to Nvidia's DLSS 4 tech, this machine will be primed for entry-level gaming, too.

Plus, these laptops aim to stay cool and quiet under pressure, with Dell's Liquid Crystal Polymer fan blades onboard to boost airflow. That, along with the 20 hours of battery life the 14 Premium is boasting, and up to 27 hours for the 16 Premium, makes for an exciting lineup of flagship laptops.

While its design is familiar, that still means there are no function row keys or a visible touchpad, though, which can take some getting used to. But at least there are now 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MicroSD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack, unlike the XPS 13, and that's always a welcome sight.

We'll have to see how these laptops run, but the Dell 14 and 16 Premium are already looking to be flagships to look out for. While we wait to get some hands-on time with them, check out what Lenovo and Google and cooking up with its new advanced Chromebook.

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Daily life is computer-powered, and as the tech progresses, more of our everyday tasks require exposure to computer screens. There's no denying that extended exposure to screens can have an impact on our eyes, but sacrificing productivity for comfort isn't always in the cards. Thankfully, Dell offers three new consumer monitors that are certified by TÜV Rheinland to guarantee 3-star eye comfort even with extended exposure.

TÜV Rheinland certification is the latest industry standard for determining eye comfort and reducing eye fatigue caused by computer screens, and the certification's 3-star eye comfort rating is the best in the industry. When you consider a Dell monitor, you can be sure you won't sacrifice comfort for productivity or functionality. You'll get a high-quality yet affordable monitor for everyday use that has improved visual comfort for less eye fatigue over an extended time. That's not just less discomfort — it's less distraction and a better user experience overall.

Monitors for everyday tasks need to be versatile, and Dell offers three sizes certified by TÜV Rheinland: Dell 22 Monitor, Dell 24 Monitor and Dell 27 Monitor. All of these three monitors are capable of providing a more comfortable viewing experience that's dependable from every angle. Dell utilizes slim bezels in a contemporary design so you'll face fewer distractions while getting some much-needed work done or casually shopping online.

The functionality of these Dell monitors extends from the bezels to the rest of the display. Packed into a space-saving design, all three monitors require a small footprint on your desktop and have built-in power supply units and cable holders to keep things tidy. The monitors are also VESA compatible for those who like to use a monitor mount to keep their desk space clear.

It's easy to tilt or adjust your display, ensuring you can make the most of the 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Connecting your monitor to your computer is as simple as plug and play, with support for HDMI and VGA connections suitable for most PCs.

Each Dell monitor offers Full HD 1080p resolutions with a 75 Hz refresh rate in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the flat panels are coated with anti-glare hard coating 3H for the best viewing experience possible. That's all matched with a 3000:1 contrast ratio, so you're not just getting comfortable-to-look-at visuals — you're getting consistent and clear color clarity as well. Whiter whites, deep blacks and vivid colors punch up your viewing experience on all three monitors.

Dell's lineup proves that reliable, affordable monitors do not need to sacrifice quality to meet the high end of industry standards for blue light exposure mitigation. If you're exposed to monitors for an extended period of time while working at the office or from home, you'll want a reliable monitor that won't break the bank. An affordable monitor from Dell can help you mitigate the effects of blue light exposure and eye fatigue from extended use. And its 3-star certification by the leading industry standard will give you peace of mind.

Pricing for the Dell SE Series of monitors with TÜV Rheinland certification starts at just $89 for the 22-inch model, giving you an ultra-affordable entry point for better eye comfort every day.

Dell computers are getting all-new branding. Instead of familiar labels like XPS, Inspiron and Latitude (among others), the company’s laptops and desktops will simply be called Dell, with suffixes denoting who and what they’re intended for. The company believes this will make it easier for people to find their ideal Dell machine. However, if you’re used to the old naming conventions, the new labels might confuse you.

As revealed during CES 2025, there are now three core Dell PCs: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. The naming convention is reminiscent of the best iPhones, which also have base, Pro, and Pro Max models. Pro and Pro Max PCs have additional suffixes, like Plus and Premium. For example, the company will offer the Dell Pro 14 Premium. Dell computers are designed for everyday work and play, while the Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max are enterprise-focused.

Getting specific with the branding, the former Dell Inspiron, Inspiron Plus and XPS are now the Dell, Dell Plus and Dell Premium (respectively). That’s for the consumer side. On the business side, the Dell Latitude and Precision are now the Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max, respectively — each with a base, Plus and Premium models. Again, this can be confusing for those accustomed to the old branding but it might be easier if you’re just looking for a Dell computer. At least, that’s what Dell hopes.

It’s not surprising that Dell is labeling these new computers as AI PCs. The new lineup will feature options for Intel Meteor Lake, AMD Ryzen and Snapdragon X processors — all of which pack an NPU for AI-focused tasks. While we’ve yet to see AI revolutionize computers how the industry believes, laptops featuring the aforementioned processors should have long-lasting battery life, as we saw with Snapdragon X Elite notebooks like the HP OmniBook X and Dell XPS 13.

The Dell, Dell Plus and Dell Premium are designed for the average consumer who wants a reliable laptop for work, school and gaming. Though the successor to the Inspiron line, the Dell and Dell Plus have an updated design that’s decidedly sleeker and more eye-pleasing than their predecessors. However, the Dell Premium has the same design as last year’s Dell XPS, which lacks a visible touchpad and physical function row keys.

Outlook

I find the new names a tad confusing, but that’s likely because I’ve grown accustomed to the older naming conventions. It’ll certainly be weird saying Dell Premium instead of Dell XPS. I'm interested to see if the average customer finds it easier to find a Dell computer that suits their needs thanks to the new branding.

We don't yet have pricing or availability for the new Dell laptops, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear it.

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I know a little secret about AI laptops. At first, I hesitated in divulging this truth. I wondered, “Do people even give a flying monkey’s behind about AI laptops?”

The answer is likely no. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve to know why companies keep trying to shove them down your throats. You may be thinking, “Pfft, what’s the secret? That AI laptops are a marketing ploy? We already know that!”

It’s actually far more underhanded than that. Hear me out.

I’ve spent over five years as a tech journalist, giving me a rare vantage point. As Mashable’s former tech editor, I’ve had behind-the-scenes conversations with industry insiders about the real motives driving AI laptops. At the same time, I’ve pored over datasets that reveal how everyday consumers are actually reacting to the AI laptop buzz.

In one survey conducted by Intel, 44% of respondents believed that AI PCs are “gimmicky.” Another poll by TechPowerUp discovered that 84% of participants would not shell out extra cash for AI features on PCs.

Despite this, reports are bullish on AI PCs. They’re expected to represent 40% of global PC shipments in 2025, according to Canalys. AI PCs now consist of 14% of the PC market.

This isn’t an outlandish prediction. After two years of testing AI PCs, I can confidently say they’re impressive. My gripe isn’t about their functionality; it’s about the lack of transparency surrounding why the tech industry is pushing them so hard.

But first, for the uninitiated, let’s dive into what exactly is an AI PC.

What’s an AI PC?

The concept of an AI PC, a computer capable of running AI workloads, is nothing new. What stands out is the recent marketing pivot to promote laptops specifically crafted for AI purposes — a trend that’s taken off in the last few years.

Nowadays, an AI PC refers to a computer that is, at the very least, outfitted with an NPU (a processor that is designed to perform AI tasks). For example, laptops like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, HP OmniBook X 14, and the newly refreshed Dell XPS 13 have configurations with Qualcomm’s best AI chip offering, Snapdragon X Elite, which features NPUs. As such, these three aforementioned laptops are considered AI PCs.

Microsoft took it a step further and decided to set the standard for what qualifies as an AI-ready PC with “Copilot+” branding.

Copilot+ laptops offer consumers access to flashy Windows-based AI features like the controversial Recall function, Cocreator in Paint, Live Captions, and more. As you might have guessed, Copilot+ PCs come equipped with NPUs, but they must be built into the following chipsets: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, and Intel Core Ultra 200V series.

There are arguably “better” AI-ready laptops on the market, particularly gaming laptops, which often sport Nvidia GPUs. As Tom’s Guide’s sister site Tom’s Hardware said, although Nvidia graphics cards aren’t purpose-built for AI, they’re still pretty powerful. An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, for example, can offer somewhere between 47 and 194 TOPS, which outpaces the 40 TOPS output from Copilot+ PCs. (TOPs, which stands for trillions of operations per second, is a unit of measurement used to quantify AI computational power.)

The downside is that gaming laptops are energy guzzlers. Copilot+ PCs, as you’ll find out later, give the Energizer Bunny a run for its money.

So where does Apple fit in with all of this? Perhaps making a slight dig at the Windows AI PC hype, the Cupertino-based tech giant said that it’s been making AI-capable machines for years now with its M-series chips. The most powerful one yet is the M4 chip, which you can find across the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac.

In other words, Apple said we’ve been adding neural engines (a dedicated part of the M-series chips that handles machine-learning and AI workloads) to our machines for quite some time now. Keep up!

Now, let’s get to the juicy part. Here’s the truth behind the aggressive push for AI PCs.

The real reason why laptop companies are pushing AI PCs

Most people assume that the reason why laptop manufacturers — from Lenovo and Dell to HP and Asus — are insistently and assertively rolling out AI PCs is because we’re in an AI boom. With AI being the new buzzword, companies assume that it’ll attract consumers in droves, right?

Wrong! That’s what they want you to believe.

The truth is, I’ve heard some insider chatter suggesting that Big Tech — Microsoft, for instance — is feeling the strain of their AI splurging. Running cloud-based AI is ridiculously expensive, and it’s reportedly causing anxiety in the industry. There’s speculation that some companies may not recoup their massive investments quickly enough, leading to some serious nail-biting behind the scenes.

For example, Microsoft has bundled AI features into subscriptions costing up to $30 per month, but rumors suggest that running cloud-based AI is becoming an unsustainable business model. To address this, industry leaders are pushing AI PCs as a solution to reduce reliance on the cloud.

By integrating NPUs into AI PCs, companies aim to offload AI processing to consumers’ laptops, reducing the painful costs of cloud-based AI operations. This strategy allows them to maintain revenue streams from AI subscriptions while cutting overhead by leveraging users’ hardware resources instead.

So no, the overarching reason for this AI PC hype isn’t to ride the ChatGPT-sparked AI wave. And no, it’s not to protect your privacy either. There’s a trend of companies marketing on-device AI as a “better option for privacy,” but some pundits aren’t so convinced about that. One study found that on-device AI models still leaked private and sensitive information.

The truth is simple: Big Tech is reportedly scared of possible negative returns.

According to Financial Times, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet spent about $200 billion in 2024 to build AI infrastructure — and folks are terrified that the bubble will burst as early as next year. Who will come and rescue them? You and your shiny new NPU.

Laptop companies struggled to articulate how AI PCs enhanced the AI experience

I’ve attended countless briefings with laptop vendors trying to “sell me” on AI PCs. And I haven’t got a single satisfactory answer to the following question: “What benefit, exactly, does an AI PC bring to the consumer?” Every time I asked that question, I could see beads of sweat forming on the representatives' foreheads.

When I first caught wind of the AI PC trend in 2023 — before Copilot+ PCs existed — I struggled to understand how an NPU actually improved the AI experience. At the time, PR teams touted Windows Studio Effects as the big draw, a feature that added webcam effects like background blur. “That’s it?” I thought. “Is that really enough to justify asking people to shell out for an AI PC?”

However, as time progressed, the benefits became clearer. For example, Adobe Premiere Pro now leverages the NPUs of Copilot+ PCs. DaVinci Resolve eventually joined the party, too. Microsoft will also try to sell you features like Recall, Cocreator and more, but they’re more for “funsies” rather than adding any practical value to one’s productivity.

Still, for most users, it’s not the “AI” from AI PCs that make them worth the purchase — it’s everything else. Research from IDC backs this claim, but I’ve tested a handful of AI PCs, so allow me to divulge my personal experience with them.

AI PCs are actually good — but not because of their AI capabilities

Although the AI PC trend is reportedly part of Big Tech’s scheme to stop the alleged financial bleeding, they’re actually pretty good.

In fact, I’ll go as far as saying that AI PCs, particularly Copilot+ PCs, are the best thing that have happened to Windows laptops in quite some time. In an Intel-dominated space, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip is sensational.

I own an M2 MacBook Air, but if hell were to freeze over and I decided to snag a Windows laptop, it’d be the Snapdragon X Elite-based Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. It lasted nearly 23 hours on a charge in a video rundown test I ran on it. Tom’s Guide runs a more robust, intensive battery runtime test — and it lasted almost 16 hours on a charge, which is still incredible.

When it comes to performance, the Surface Laptop 7 was only narrowly defeated by the M3 MacBook Air.

The Dell XPS 13 configuration with the Snapdragon X Elite chip also blew us away. It lasted a whopping 19 hours and 41 minutes on a charge. And it, too, is a performance powerhouse.

Intel could never.

I can’t emphasize this enough: AI PCs are impressive — but not necessarily for the AI features they’re named after.

What now?

My sources indicate that Big Tech isn’t expected to see substantial returns from its AI investments any time soon — and it’s sparking concern across the industry.

“The revenue returns from AI remain more of a promise than a present reality,” Jeremy Goldman, senior director of briefings at EMARKETER, told Business Insider.

The rumored solution? As mentioned, integrate NPUs into everyday laptops, shifting AI workloads to consumer devices.

On the bright side, this is shaping up to be a somewhat symbiotic relationship between the industry leaders and consumers. Buyers gain power-efficient, high-performance laptops that meet their needs, and in return, Big Tech establishes NPUs as a standard feature in modern devices to cut their expenditures. Win, win!

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The Dell XPS 13 has always found a spot among our best Windows laptops and best laptops lists due to its ultraportable design, fast performance and relative affordability. Recommending the latest model of this notebook has usually been easy, but it’s gotten a bit more complicated in 2024. Why? Because XPS 13 now comes with two processor options.

You can now get a Dell XPS 13 configured with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite or Intel Core Ultra 200V “Lunar Lake” chip. Both processors are powerful enough to handle everyday tasks like word processing and streaming videos. They also deliver excellent battery life on par with the best MacBooks packing M-series chips. You can’t go wrong with either option, but some key differences could make you opt for one configuration over the other.

Below, I’ll detail the biggest differences between the Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) and Dell XPS 13 (2024) to help you decide whether the laptop with Snapdragon X Elite or Lunar Lake is right for you.

Editor’s note: You can also buy a Dell XPS 13 with an Intel Core Ultra Series 1 chip. For this article, I’m comparing the two Dell XPS 13 models I reviewed, as they have the latest version of the respective processors.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Specs

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Price

The Dell XPS 13 with Lunar Lake starts at $1,399 and features a 13.4-inch (1920 x 1200) non-touch ISP display, an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Conversely, the Snapdragon X Elite model starts at $1,499 and has a 13.4-inch (2560 x 1600) non-touch IPS display, a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 chip, and the same amount of RAM and storage as the Lunar Lake model.

You can configure both models with a tandem OLED display, though Lunar Lake won’t get this option until October 15. Note that 2024’s Dell XPS 13 is the first laptop to feature tandem OLED, though the iPad Pro M4 was the first major device to sport the display tech. Upgrading to an OLED panel costs an extra $300.

The Intel-driven XPS 13 costs $100 less than its Snapdragon counterpart, which could make it a better option if you’re budget-conscious. But let’s dig deeper to see how these laptops differ beyond price.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Performance and battery life

Here is where things start getting interesting. Both Qualcomm and Intel have boasted about the power and efficiency of their respective chips. Based on our testing, their claims haven’t been completely off-base, as these processors deliver great performance and battery life. However, there is a clear winner between the two.

On Geekbench 6, which tests CPU performance, the Lunar Lake and Snapdragon X Elite Dell XPS 13 turned in similar single-core performance scores. However, there’s a wider gulf when it comes to multi-core performance, with the Snapdragon chip posting the better results.

In our Handbrake video editing test, which involves transcoding a 4K video clip to 1080p, the Lunar Lake laptop took twice as long as the Snapdragon X Elite XPS 13. Given the laptop’s lower multi-core performance, these results aren’t surprising.

As we said in our Intel Lunar Lake benchmark story, the Lunar Lake chip we've tested is an improvement over its Meteor Lake predecessors. However, it can't match the performance of the best laptop chips on the market—namely Snapdragon X Elite, Apple M3, and the new AMD Ryzen 9.

Battery life is another area where the Snapdragon X Elite wins over Lunar Lake. In our battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon X Elite lasted for an astonishing 19 hours and 41 minutes! Currently, this is the longest-lasting consumer laptop we’ve tested at Tom’s Guide.

Though the Lunar Lake XPS 13 didn’t last as long as the Snapdragon X Elite laptop, it still ran for an incredibly long time. Using the same test, the notebook endured for 17 hours and 29 minutes. For context, most of the Meteor Lake laptops (and Windows laptops in general) we’ve tested struggle to hit 10 hours of battery life, proving that Lunar Lake is indeed more efficient than its predecessor.

Both the Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake Dell XPS 13 have phenomenal battery life that’ll get you through a full workday (and then some). But when it comes to raw endurance, the Snapdragon X Elite XPS 13 is the champ.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): App compatibility

Laptops packing Snapdragon X chips don’t disappoint when it comes to performance and battery life. Unfortunately, they have one major drawback that Lunar Lake doesn’t: App compatibility.

As we've previously reported, CoPilot+ PCs won’t run various apps and games. This includes apps like the desktop version of Google Drive and a handful of Adobe apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects. Games like Halo: Infinite are also incompatible with Arm devices. This issue should decrease if more developers create Arm-compatible apps and games, but it might take a while.

Since Lunar Lake is an x86 processor and not Arm, you won’t have to worry about app compatibility with your favorite Windows apps and games. That alone could decide which XPS 13 model you want to buy.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Copilot and AI features

Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake notebooks are marketed as “AI laptops,” with each chip featuring an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) built to handle AI-driven tasks more efficiently than a traditional CPU. While Qualcomm, Intel and their manufacturing partners have tried to convince us that AI laptops are the next big thing, these machines have yet to deliver on that promise.

Outside of programs like Gimp, OBS and a handful of others, there aren’t many apps that take full advantage of a chip’s NPU. And when they do, the results aren’t all that compelling. Sure, MS Paint’s new Cocreator feature can fix your drawings and Live Captions translates languages in real-time, but these aren’t exactly features that’ll make most people run out to get an AI laptop.

However, if generative AI on laptops ever becomes useful, Lunar Lake might have an edge over Snapdragon X Elite. While the latter is capable of 45 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second), the former can handle 48 TOPS. I can’t say whether that will make a huge difference, but in terms of numbers on paper, Intel’s chip has an advantage. But without compelling AI-driven programs, those specs won’t matter much to the average person.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Design

I don’t want to spend too much time on the laptops’ design since they’re identical. But given the controversial design of the XPS 13 and all 2024 XPS laptops like the Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16, I wanted to briefly cover this aspect before wrapping up this comparison.

Like the Dell XPS 13 Plus introduced in 2022, the Dell XPS 13 has an invisible touchpad, features tightly spaced keys, and has no physical function row. The machined aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 keyboard give the XPS 13 a premium look. At 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches and 2.6 pounds, the XPS 13 is an ideal travel partner. Both Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake models feature a Windows Copilot key that quickly brings up Microsoft’s chatbot.

Given the contentious design, I can understand if you might want to skip the Dell XPS 13 for a notebook with a more traditional design, such as the HP OmniBook X. But if the design isn’t an issue (or you appreciate it!), you can’t go wrong with either XPS 13 model.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Bottom line

The two Dell XPS 13 models I covered above have the same ultraportable design, and you can configure both with a tandem OLED display. The laptops also deliver great performance and incredible battery life for Windows laptops. For everyday use, either one will suit you just fine.

That said, if you want a slightly cheaper laptop that's also compatible with all your Windows apps and games, then get the Lunar Lake XPS 13. If you value battery life and better overall performance and aren't worried about app compatibility, then choose the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip.

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm (mostly) impressed by the new Copilot+ PC AI features
• ElevenLabs just launched a new AI-powered SFX library
• Windows Recall returns to Copilot+ PCs

The new Dell XPS 13 ($1,399 to start) looks identical to the Dell XPS 13 (2024) I reviewed a few months ago, only this model features a new Intel Core Ultra 200v “Lunar Lake” chip. However, like all XPS laptops released in 2024, this 13-inch notebook sports a controversial design that might have you looking elsewhere.

The main draw of the configuration we reviewed is the gorgeous tandem 13.4-inch (2,880 x 1,800) OLED touch display, which is the same kind we first saw in the iPad Pro M4 released earlier this year. In my review, I said Apple’s premium tablet had the most beautiful OLED display I had seen on any device—and my stance hasn’t changed with the Dell XPS 13’s tandem OLED. Everything looks absolutely stunning on the display thanks to its vivid colors and strong contrasts.

Then there’s the new Lunar Lake chip, which is a successor to last year’s Meteor Lake. Like its predecessor, this chip features an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that allows it to perform AI-focused tasks more efficiently than processors lacking an NPU. And while Intel claims its new chip is faster and more energy efficient than Meteor Lake, our testing revealed decent performance and less-than-spectacular battery life. However, since Lunar Lake is an x86 chip this laptop doesn’t have the same compatibility issues plaguing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors like those in the XPS 13 I reviewed earlier this year.

While the Lunar Lake Dell XPS 13 only offers a different processor than its Meteor Lake and Snapdragon X counterparts, it’s still one of the best Windows laptops and best laptops for what it offers. This is doubly true if you get a model with a tandem OLED display (an option available only on 2024's XPS 13 laptops). That feature is enough of a selling point for those who prioritize display quality above all, even if you're compromising on battery life.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The latest Dell XPS 13 model, featuring the new Intel Lunar Lake chip and a new tandem OLED display.
• Who is it for? For those who want a Dell XPS 13 with Lunar Lake for greater compatibility with x86 apps.
• What does it cost? The Dell XPS 13 with Lunar Lake starts at $1,399 on Dell’s website. The OLED touch display model with 32GB of RAM I reviewed will be available on October 15 for $1,899.
• What do we like? The beautiful tandem OLED display, strong performance and minimalist design.
• What don’t we like? The lack of physical function keys and poor battery life compared to the non-OLED model. 

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) review: Specs

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) review: The ups

The Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) arguably has the best laptop display out there. It also offers strong performance for everyday work and a sleek ultraportable design. 

Stunning OLED display 

The Dell XPS 13’s 13.4-inch (2880 x 1800) tandem OLED display is a big highlight of this laptop and the main reason some (like me) would want to buy it. The tandem OLED tech (which uses two OLED panels “in tandem” to combine the light from both) helps deliver added brightness to make everything appear more vivid than on a standard OLED panel. Though I’ve seen brighter displays, the XPS 13’s panel gets plenty bright to my eyes.

A YouTube video I watched called “The Black 4K HDR 60fps” appears stunning on this display. The inky black background makes the foreground elements pop out more than they would on an LCD. The oversaturated colors make the various fruits and beverages appear extremely lifelike. Thanks to the 60Hz refresh rate, everything runs silky smooth.

Our in-house lab tests corroborate my anecdotal experience. The Lunar Lake XPS 13 pumps out more saturated colors (based on sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamut coverage) than the other laptops I compared it to. While this oversaturation can make things look more colorful than they would be in real life, I like the effect. The display’s color accuracy (Delta-E) is on par with most laptop panels.

The model I reviewed features a decently responsive touch display. This isn't a feature I use often, but it's nice having a touch display if I don't want to use the touchpad to select things on the screen.

Minimalist design 

All of 2024’s XPS laptops, including this Dell XPS 13, share the same controversial design as the XPS 13 Plus. The touchpad is invisible and there is no physical function row. There’s also virtually no spacing between the tightly packed keys. As I said in my review of this year’s Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 14, I’m not the biggest fan of this design but I also don’t hate it.

Even if you’re not a fan of the super-minimalist design, there’s no denying that the machined aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 keyboard lend this machine a premium look. At 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches and 2.6 pounds, this XPS 13 is tailor-made for travel and is easy to use anywhere. I also like the laptop's sturdy build and smooth exterior.

As I said, this laptop has almost no spacing between the keys. Despite that, it’s not hard to type on after you become acclimated to the keyboard deck. The keys have a short travel distance that’s ideal for fast typists. Even if you have big hands like I do, you’ll find the keyboard deck spacious since the keyboard goes from edge to edge like the rest of the 2024 XPS notebooks.

The touchpad also takes some getting used to, but mostly because you can't see it. Though invisible, it functions similarly to most laptop touchpads. I like the haptic feedback it provides, and it never fails to register my gestures.

Strong performance

This Dell XPS 13 is the first Lunar Lake laptop I tested, so I was curious to see how Lunar Lake performed against Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 — especially after Intel’s bold claims about the processor’s power and energy efficiency. While Lunar Lake is a capable processor for everyday work, it doesn’t trounce the competition.

I used the Dell XPS 13 as my main work computer at the office and it had no trouble handling my typical workload, which usually involves well over 30 open tabs and the occasional YouTube video. At home, I used the laptop to work on a manuscript while listening to music on Spotify without an issue. For regular tasks, this notebook gets the job done.

How did the new Dell XPS 13 fare in our benchmark tests? On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the Lunar Lake-driven laptop was nearly neck-and-neck with the competition in the single-core portion of the test. However, it lagged behind its Snapdragon-powered counterpart and the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 in the multi-core test.

The Lunar Lake laptop also fell behind in our Handbrake video editing test, which involves transcoding a 4K video clip to 1080p. It took over a minute longer than the MacBook Air M3 to complete the task. It also took twice as long as the Snapdragon X Elite XPS 13. Given the laptop’s lower multi-core performance, these results aren’t surprising.

Don't expect the best PC games to run as well as they would on the best gaming laptops. That said, Civilization VI managed to run at 53 frames per second at 1080p resolution, which is much better than the pitiful 22 fps we saw on the Snapdragon X Elite version of this laptop. Still, if you want to do any serious gaming on this notebook, I suggest using a cloud gaming service like GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass.

While the Lunar Lake-powered Dell XPS 13 doesn’t win out over its rivals in our in-house benchmark tests, the processor is more than capable of handling the kind of work you and I do regularly. I wouldn’t recommend this machine to video editors or gamers who need a powerful machine, but for most this XPS 13’s performance should be more than enough.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) review: The downs

While the Dell XPS 13’s strengths mostly offset its flaws, those flaws could be deal-breakers—especially if you value battery life. 

Low battery life on OLED model 

Intel said the Dell XPS 13 with Core Ultra 200v can last up to 27 hours while streaming Netflix at 1080p with the display set to 150 nits. While I didn’t expect this OLED model to last nearly that long, the final result of our battery tests is pretty disappointing.

In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the Lunar Lake Dell XPS 13 lasted for 8 hours and 40 minutes. That’s a far cry from the 20 hours and 51 minutes the Snapdragon X Elite Dell XPS 13 endured in the same test. Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air M3 also lasted nearly twice as long.

That said, we shouldn’t completely dismiss Lunar Lake’s power efficiency. As you can see, the non-OLED and non-touchscreen version of this laptop lasted for nearly 17 and a half hours—which is phenomenal for a Windows laptop. The battery life difference between these models is substantial, so if you need an XPS 13 that can last all day and then some, get the one without an OLED display.

Only two USB-C ports 

Port selection on this Dell XPS 13 is as thin as the laptop. You get a pair of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports and nothing else. To make matters worse, Dell doesn’t toss in a USB-C to USB-A adapter or a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter like it did with older XPS laptops.

The one positive aspect is that there’s a USB-C port on either side of the laptop, meaning you’re not forced to charge the laptop from just a single side. Still, getting the aforementioned adapters with the laptop would’ve been appreciated.

No physical function row

Another issue I have with the latest XPS laptops is the complete lack of a physical function key row. It’s an aspect I can’t get over since I’m a touch typist who needs physical keys. I still groan whenever I’m forced to slow down or stop because I have to look down at the keyboard to find the function key I need.

While I admit that the capacitive function row looks nice with its bright lighting, it’s not so nice for working. Thin physical function keys like those on the keyboard would have been better.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) review: Verdict

The OLED model of the Lunar Lake Dell XPS 13 I reviewed has solid performance for everyday use but isn’t as fast or as battery-efficient as its Snapdragon X Elite counterpart. However, if you want a 13-inch laptop with an incredibly beautiful display for watching videos, this model is the hands-down winner. And thanks to its Intel processor, you won’t have to worry about compatibility issues with x86 apps and games.

If you value battery life, then the non-OLED and non-touch display variant is the way to go. But if you want a Dell XPS with a drop-dead gorgeous display and don’t mind the unusual design (or steep price), this model is worth considering.

The latest Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops on the market. It comes with the overwhelmingly powerful Snapdragon X Elite processor. This chip and other intelligent design decisions from Dell give this laptop incredible battery life and it's one of the longest-lasting laptops we've ever tested.

The listed price on Dell's website is $1,099, which is $200 off the normal price. However, you can sign up for Dell's newsletter and get an additional 10% off, bringing the cost down further to $989. With the discount and extra savings, this is the first time we've seen this laptop available for less than $1,000. 

The Dell XPS 13 model on sale offers impressive specs across the board. You get the Snapdragon X Elite chip, which is fantastic but it also has 16GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 1080p display with Dell's InfinityEdge design that looks stunning.

Our reviewer said this is "arguably the best XPS 13 ever released," which is high praise. The XPS is generally regarded as one of the best Windows laptops on the market every time a new model comes out which is no small feat. 

"The Dell XPS 13 (2024) is another Snapdragon X Elite laptop that delivers the goods thanks to its fast performance and exceptional battery life. Those aspects alone are enough to overlook its controversial design and minimal port selection," reads our XPS 13 review. 

The key phrases there are fast performance and exceptional battery life. Often, getting fast performance from a laptop causes a decline in battery life, but that isn't the case with the efficiency of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X Elite chip. 

If you're in the market for a new laptop and don't want to spend more than $1,000, this is the perfect choice, especially if you're interested in CoPilot+ and its AI capabilities.

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse is squarely aimed at committed gamers with a bit of cash to splash. And that’s absolutely fine. If you regularly play the best PC games, there’s so much to like about Dell’s pointer. 

The $149 price tag on the official Dell website is somewhat of a sticking point, though. Just like committing to one of the best gaming laptops involves an eye-watering outlay, going well over 100 bucks on a gaming mouse deserves some thought regarding what you really need from a pointer.  

As a crucial counterpoint, the Alienware Pro is as excellent as it is expensive. With a ludicrously high DPI (dots per inch) setting for those with lightning reflexes, tough to top battery life and eye-catchingly designed, this is one of the best wireless gaming mice out there. Read on to get my full thoughts on this premium peripheral. 

Alienware Pro Mouse review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A high-end gaming mouse for players who want the best and don’t mind paying for it.
• Who is it for? Hardcore gamers who have money to spare
• How much does it cost? $149. As good as this mouse is, that’s a serious investment.
• How does it feel? Amazing and elegant. Its battery life also matches its responsiveness.
• Any other downsides? Price (as previously mentioned) and the fact it lacks RGB.      

Alienware Pro Mouse review: The ups

The Alienware Pro is a terrific wireless gaming mouse that feels premium at almost every turn. It’s probably overkill for everyday computing tasks, but if you’re a budding esports champ in waiting, you should definitely consider this first-class peripheral.  

A light touch 

One of the main reasons the Alienware Pro feels as good as it does when you grip it (and apologies for going “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” here), is it feels juuuust right weight-wise. Tipping the scales at a mere 2.08 ounces — just under the 2.11 ounce Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 — this mouse somehow achieves the balancing act of gliding across my desk in speedy fashion while also having a little reassuring heft behind it. 

I’m not sure which precise material Dell has used to make this gaming mouse, but what I can tell you is it feels lovely to touch. Its optical switches and what the manufacturer describes as “Alienware-Exclusive Magnetic-Force Keyplates” (phew!) are simply a pleasure to engage with. Throw in a max acceleration factor of 50G and you’re looking at a best-in-class PC peripheral that glides quite unlike any other mouse I’ve used before. 

Game on 

I’ve said it a lot more than once on this site before: I’m a gamepad guy. Though I’ve been building my own PCs since 2004, I’ve always bucked the traditional trend of gaming with a keyboard and mouse. And yet, when you put a quality board or pointer in my hands, I do appreciate the benefits they give you over a controller. Suffice to say, the Alienware Pro is good enough to make me do a bit of a double take on my input device preferences.

When it comes to mouse testing, I always boot up Valve’s digital platform to play the best Steam games. The genre you can most keenly feel the upside of a mouse is obviously games played from a first-person perspective, like the buttery smooth shooter Doom Eternal, the lovingly meme-worthy yet also terrifying Resident Evil: Village, and the once polarizing but now rightly loved Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. All three of these games feel tremendously responsive without being overly twitchy, thanks to the Alienware Pro’s supreme accuracy using a DPI setting of around 9,000. 

A battery behemoth 

What’s the point of being wireless if you constantly have to recharge a device, right? Thankfully that’s not a question you’ll find yourself asking with the Alienware Pro. With the mouse set to 4KHz polling, it can last up to 32 hours on a single charge. Even more impressively, it boasts 120 hours battery life at 1KHz polling.

If you don’t speak fluent “mouse” what that last sentence means in terms of real-world usage is that the Alienware Pro almost never needs to be charged. I’ve been using Dell’s premium gaming peripheral with the tremendous Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) for the past three weeks and I’ve charged it exactly once. When it comes to staying power, there are few wireless mice out there that can compete with the Pro. 

Pretty and performant 

Hot dang am I into the design of the Alienware Pro. The review unit I’ve been testing is classed as “Lunar White” by Dell, and frankly it looks, well, utterly classy. This mouse has clearly been put together with a lot of care and thought, and it shows. Its optical switches feel great under my fingers and the company claims I could click it an astonishing 70 million times.  

Its software and feature set also match its looks, with Dell going full on “spared no expense” Jurassic Park mode on this wireless gaming mouse. If you use the Alienware Pro’s wireless dongle, you get 2.4GHz wireless polling. Want to go the wired route? That’s not only on the table, but actually gets more responsive, with the Pro supporting 8KHz wired polling. In non-tech terms, this is one super quick mouse. 

Software is also a strongpoint. The Alienware Command Center app is extensive and easy to navigate. You can quickly adjust the Pro’s button layout and set the DPI up to 26,000 if you’ve got the hand-eye coordination and precognitive digits of a Jedi. This software also detects whatever games you’ve got installed on your PC/laptop, letting you jump into them straight away after tweaking your pointer settings, which is a handy feature.

Alienware Pro Mouse review: The downs

When it comes to the negatives regarding The Alienware Pro mouse, my complaints are fairly nitpicky. My only real issues with it come down to price and the lack of a pretty standard feature that many wireless mice on the market sport.   

Priced out  

I don’t want to come across as stingy, but I’ve never paid more than $100 for a mouse before. My go-to pointer that I use every day is the Logitech MX Master 3, which I picked up for comfortably less than that price tag during an Amazon sale. In that context, and as much as I like the Alienware Pro overall, 150 big boys perhaps feels like 50 bucks too much. 

If you’re a seriously competitive gamer, I get why you could easily justify the Pro’s price tag. After all, its super high DPI could be the difference between a deathmatch-winning headshot in Halo Infinite and getting owned by rival Spartans on a regular basis. If you’re a more casual user who doesn’t want to fork out for the Alienware Pro’s asking price, let me direct you to our picks of the best wireless gaming mouse where the Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless impresses at a fraction of the cost of Dell’s device.  

A dim view  

As much as I appreciate the Alienware Pro being a battery beast, it does come at a cost. You don’t get 120 hours of juice without paying a price, and in this case, the ferryman wants to turn the lights out before he’ll let you cross. The lack of RGB lighting with this premium mouse bothers me more than it should, yet it is what it is. Every time I look at this beautiful peripheral, I think “why the heck is the Alienware skull not lighting up?” 

This is obviously a massively subjective “down”. If you like the minimalist touch, the fact the Pro looks so good without having to constantly scream “look at my fancy lights” speaks to just how attractively designed it is. BUT… I’m the clichéd gamer who likes their rig/keyboard/and in this case, wireless mouse, to light up my life. Your mileage may vary on this point, but if you dig RGB, you probably want to look elsewhere for your next gaming mouse. 

Alienware Pro Mouse review: Verdict

The Alienware Pro wireless gaming mouse is easy to recommend, and if you can afford it, I’d class it as an essential purchase. If funds are tight, there are plenty of good pointers out there that will service your gaming needs without denting your bank balance like Dell’s peripheral will do — the Logitech G502 X is almost as good and slightly cheaper. That said, the Pro’s optical sensor is super accurate, it feels fabulous to use and this puppy is seriously easy on the eye. 

As someone who has spent a looooot of cash on PC peripherals in the past, it’s probably slightly hypocritical of me to slam Dell over the Alienware Pro’s price. If you have the cash to spare, by all means definitely pick up this top-tier mouse. As fantastic as the Pro is though, less hardcore gamers may want to wait until it goes on sale before taking the plunge. 

Nvidia is hitting new highs lately. After the GPU manufacturer pivoted to going all-in on AI in the last year, everything has come up Milhouse. 

Just this week, Nvidia stock rose 9% adding over $200 billion in value to the company. 

And it seems that everyone is clamoring to work with Nvidia. Recent rumors suggest that MediaTek is partnering with Nvidia to create chips for AI laptops in a bid to compete with Qualcomm as AI PCs start entering the market later this summer. The two companies are also rumored to be working on some kind of gaming handheld.

Now, it appears that Nvidia and Dell are teaming up to take on the AI PC market, as reported by VideoCardz.com. 

During an interview Bloomberg at Dell World Conference in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Dell Chairman/CEO Michael Dell hinted that the two companies would be entering the AI PC market, perhaps together. 

From the interview:

Ed Ludlow (Bloomberg): Jensen where is NVIDIA’s place in the AI PC? I know you as gaming, again I grew up with the gaming side of NVIDIA, do you have a place in the AI PC market?

Michael Dell (Dell): Come back next year.

Jensen Huang (NVIDIA): Exactly. 

Huang went on to explain that their GPUs use the same Tensor cores that are running in H100 accelerators. He said the Nvidia GPUs already use AI suggesting that Nvidia is already in the AI PC market.

The vague answers could be interpreted as Nvidia’s continuing plan to address the Windows-on-ARM AI PC market. As it stands, Qualcomm has the market with Microsoft leaning in on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite X chipset for their Surface tablets.

If Dell and Nvidia are teaming up on something for AI PCs, it makes sense that we wouldn’t see anything until next year. Even the MediaTek and Nvidia rumored partnership has the earliest release of a chip as late in 2024 at best. It’s expected that anything from the two companies won’t release until early 2025.

Earlier in the interview, Dell does confirm that going forward their PCs will be AI PCs. And Huang and Dell confirm that they’re working on what they’re calling AI Factory with new edge, workstation, services and solutions to enable commercial enterprises to quickly adopt AI into their workflows.

More from Tom's Guide

• Dell goes big on Snapdragon X Elite with new Dell XPS 13
• I'm super glad Nvidia isn't release a 4090 Super — here's why
• Dell XPS 16 review: Big beautiful and frustrating

Happy Snapdragon X Elite day! We’re anticipating a lot of news surrounding the new arm-based silicon that looks set to truly challenge the best MacBooks on both performance and battery life.

First out of the gate is Dell, and to say the company is “in” on Qualcomm’s new standard would be an understatement — we’re seeing new Latitudes, new Inspirons, and (most tantalizing to me), a new Dell XPS 13 armed with X Elite.

Meet the family

So let’s start with the biggest announcement of the bunch. We absolutely love the Dell XPS 13 (taking the DNA of the XPS 13 Plus), but the common obstacles of this lineage have been the underwhelming battery life and moments of thermal throttling.

Switching out Intel for a choice of either the Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus should (on paper) remedy a lot of these issues. Beyond this, the hardware and configurations remain the same: a gorgeous CNC machined aluminum shell with a Gorilla Glass palm rest/touch pad, a 55Whr battery, up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM and a potential 4TB of SSD storage.

Next, we’ve got the lower-end Dell Inspiron 14 and 14 Plus — both coming with Snapdragon X Plus. It’s very much the same story here, in terms of keeping the hardware identical to what you’ve seen from Intel counterparts, but just switching out the guts. 

And then you’ve got the work-centric Dell Latitudes in either X Plus or X Elite flavors. The 14-inch 16:10 aspect ratio display of the 7455 is great for work, and with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB SSD, you’ve got plenty of variability to spec this machine for any workload. Oh, and the green credentials are on point with a chassis designed with recycled aluminum and a battery that packs 50% recycled cobalt.

The big things they all have in common

Of course, this is just a whistlestop tour — after all, what we have here is fundamentally the same laptops on the outside with new innards. But there are some other surprising changes, too.

First of all, the flip to Qualcomm means these have all been upgraded to support Wi-Fi 7. That means it supports up to a ridiculous speed of 46 Gbps (up from 9.6 Gbps of Wi-Fi 6). Next, as we found out about the Snapdragon X chips, you’re getting that beastly NPU with the potential of performing 45 trillion operations per second (45 TOPs). 

And finally, if the benchmarks we’re seeing are to be believed from the reference designs, you’re looking at a tasty performance increase that could challenge the likes of the M3 MacBook Air (not forgetting the touted all-day battery life too).

As for pricing, we don’t know about the Latitudes or the standard Inspiron 14 just yet, but the new XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus are available to pre-order today — coming in at $1,299 and $1,099 respectively.

For more Snapdragon news as it drops over the next few days, and our opinions on these laptops when we get to review them, keep it locked onto Tom’s Guide. Something tells me we’re starting to see Microsoft’s next big moment, similar to the tectonic shift of Apple silicon.

More from Tom's Guide

• Microsoft Build 2024 preview — AI laptops, Copilot, Windows 12 and what else we expect
• Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge with Snapdragon X Elite leaked — what we know
• 5 Snapdragon X Elite laptops that look set to challenge M3 MacBooks real soon

Microsoft’s big push into AI for 2024 has moved timetables up for many companies, and we’re starting to see that effect in leaks and rumors of new computers from various manufacturers. Reportedly, Dell has two new laptops in the works: the Inspiron 14 7441 Plus, a refresh on the 7440, and a brand new XPS 13 9345.

According to Windows Report, despite releasing the Inspiron 14 7440 Plus less than four months ago, Dell already has the Inspiron 14 7441 Plus in the pipeline. 

Surprisingly, the Inspiron 7441 Plus does look to be a different design than the recently launched Intel Meteor Lake 7440. 

Both the new XPS and 7441 laptops will feature new AI-focused CPUs. According to the report, the 7441 will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X with 16 Cores. It’s unknown whether the XPS will have a Snapdragon chip or one of Intel’s new Ultra chips. Based on previous reports, Microsoft is leaning towards Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips for the company’s new Surface tablets. Price aside, Microsoft partner OEMs like Dell will probably follow suit. 

On the outside, the big design changes on the Inspiron 14 7441 are port and keyboard-based. Gone are the AC adapter, full-size HDMI port and USB Type-A ports of the 7440. Instead, the 7441 replaced those ports with a second USB Type-C port and a MicroSD card slot on the left side of the laptop.

Windows Report did not have leaked images of the right side of the laptop but the publication did mention one USB-A port. There's no mention of a 3.5mm headphone jack. If there is one, it's probably on the right. 

Microsoft has been pushing for a new Copilot button on keyboards. The AI button is next to the right-side ALT key. 

The Inspiron 14 7441 Plus is supposed to be released with 16GB of included RAM. Reports suggest that 16GB is a minimum requirement to run Microsoft’s “AI Explorer” on Windows 11. 

In comparison, other than the new Copilot Key, the XPS 13 9345 looks to be the same as last year’s Dell XPS 13 Plus. In January Dell announced a line of XPS laptops built specifically for AI and featuring the Copilot button. Those ones are supposed to feature the Intel Ultra chipset. 

Again, it’s unclear if the XPS will feature the Snapdragon Elite X or an Intel Ultra processor. However, the XPS 13 Plus already comes with 16 or 32GB of RAM, so it should meet the AI Explorer requirements.

Although the price and release date have not yet been announced, it’s expected that most new AI-focused Windows computers will launch in August or September this year. 

More from Tom's Guide

• Massive Dell data breach hits 49 million users — what you need to know
• Dell XPS 16 review: Big, beautiful and frustrating
• Dell XPS 14 review: What the XPS Plus should have been

Dell has begun warning customers that their personal information may have been exposed in a massive data breach which affects 49 million customers.

As reported by BleepingComputer, the U.S. computer maker recently began sending out data breach notifications to affected customers in which it explained that an attacker managed to gain unauthorized access to an online portal containing customer information related to purchases on its site.

Fortunately for affected customers though, it appears that only personal information was stolen during this attack and financial information wasn’t accessed. According to Dell’s data breach notification, the names, physical addresses along with hardware and order information were stolen from its systems.

Whether you or your company recently bought a laptop, desktop or even accessories from Dell, here’s everything you need to know about this data breach along with some tips on how to stay safe following this attack.

Already for sale on the dark web

According to a separate report from Daily Dark Web, back on April 28th, a threat actor who goes by Menelik online tried to sell a Dell database on the hacking forum Breach Forums.

In their post, the hacker explained that they stole data from 49 million Dell customers who purchased systems from the company between 2017 and 2024. Although BleepingComputer and other outlets have yet to confirm whether or not this is the same data, it does match the information laid out in Dell’s data breach notification.

Of the 49 million Dell customers affected, 7 million are related to individual or personal purchases from the company's site while 11 million are from consumer segment companies and the rest are from enterprise, partner or schools that Menelik was unable to identify. Likewise, the majority of the affected customers are from the U.S., China, India, Australia and Canada.

The original post on the hacking forum has since been taken down. This could indicate that another hacker purchased the database of stolen information with the aim of using it in future attacks.

What to do after a data breach

Normally following a data breach of this size, we would recommend that affected customers check their bank statements and sign up for the best identity theft protection. However, as financial information wasn’t exposed, our advice on how to stay safe is a bit different this time around.

With your full name, physical address and Dell purchase history in hand, it’s more likely that whoever bought this stolen database will try to launch targeted phishing attacks against affected customers. These can come in the form of spoofed emails impersonating Dell to physical letters sent via mail. 

Regardless of how you’re contacted, a hacker would likely use either a tech support scam or an unpaid invoice to try and trick you into providing them with financial information or the credentials for one of your online accounts. This is why affected Dell customers need to remain vigilant when checking their inboxes or mailboxes for the foreseeable future.

At the same time, BleepingComputer points out that hackers may try to infect vulnerable PCs with malware by sending out malicious flash drives to affected users. For this reason, you should never insert an unknown flash drive or other storage device into your computer. If you do though, you want to disconnect the computer from the internet to prevent any malware from spreading across your network and you also want to have the best antivirus software installed to catch any viruses the drive may contain.

In an email to Tom's Guide, a Dell spokesperson provided further insight on the matter, saying:

"We recently identified an incident involving a Dell portal with access to a database containing limited types of customer information including name, physical address and certain Dell hardware and order information.  It did not include financial or payment information, email address, telephone number or any highly sensitive customer data. 

"Upon discovering this incident, we promptly implemented our incident response procedures, applied containment measures, began investigating and notified law enforcement. We have also engaged a third-party forensics firm to investigate this incident. We continue to monitor the situation and take steps to protect our customers’ information.  Although we don’t believe there is significant risk to our customers given the type of information involved, we are taking proactive steps to notify them as appropriate."

We’ll likely hear more from Dell once the company finishes its investigation.

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The Dell Precision 5680 ($2,349 to start) is a 16-inch workstation aimed at professionals who want a powerful laptop that's a bit easier to carry around than the typical 5+ pound behemoths you usually find when shopping for workstations.

And after a few weeks of using one as my primary laptop, I can confirm the Precision 5680 is a remarkably light and svelte machine packing power that belies its thin frame. If I had to get a company laptop to carry to and from the office for working on big projects, I'd be plenty happy with the Precision 5680—especially if my employer threw in the optional 4K OLED touchscreen upgrade.

But while it's a great 16-inch laptop, our testing reveals the Dell Precision 5680 can't quite match the performance of the best laptops on the market in key areas like battery life. Still, I think this Dell Precision 5680 review will help you better understand the strengths and weaknesses of this elegant workstation. 

Dell Precision 5680 review: Specs

Dell Precision 5680 review: Price and availability

The Dell Precision 5680 workstation is available for purchase right now direct from Dell's website at starting price of $2,349. 

For that you get the entry-level model with a 16-inch (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) 60Hz display, an Intel Core i5-13600H CPU, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. It also comes with a copy of Windows 11 Pro and Intel vPro Enterprise tech enabled, though you can save a little money by opting for no vPro (which you don't really need if you're not planning to use this laptop in a business or manage it remotely) and opting for Linux or Windows 11 Home instead of the Pro edition it comes with.

You can of course pay more to upgrade it with more RAM, more storage or a 4K OLED touchscreen. Since this workstation laptop is built for heavy-duty work like animation, game development, video editing and 3D design you also get expanded upgrade options we rarely see on consumer-grade laptops, like the option to configure multiple SSDs in a RAID array or upgrade the integrated graphics chipset to an Nvidia RTX Ada series pro-grade graphics card. If you really go all out, the price of this laptop can approach $8k.

Dell sent us a review unit with the 4K OLED touchscreen upgrade, a top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-13900H CPU w/ vPro Enterprise, an Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada GPU, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage in RAID array across two 512GB SSDs. As of publication, the laptop we review here would cost you roughly $6,206 to buy yourself.

Of course these laptops are aimed at businesses and sold to clients who buy in bulk, often at significant discounts.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Design

• Surprisingly svelte and easy to carry for a 16-inch laptop
• Thin bezels help the screen stand out

Our Dell Precision 5680 review unit sports an attractive, streamlined design, and despite the size and weight of this 16-inch beast I found it surprisingly comfortable to pick up and move around.

I shouldn't be so surprised given that Dell advertises this workstation (13.9 x 9.4 x 0.87 inches, 4.2 lbs) as being smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro 16-inch (
14.0 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches, 4.7-8 lbs), which is true—though Apple's 16-inch Pro laptop is slightly thinner than the Precision 5680.

But when it comes to what's inside, Apple's big-screen beast can't match the utility of the Dell Precision 5680's optional 4K OLED touchscreen. The thin bezels around the display on our review unit give it a premium feel and help emphasize whatever's on-screen, since there's no thick black bars around the edges to distract your eyes. The top bezel is slightly thicker than the others, which makes sense since the camera array is built into the center of it. Notably, there's no physical privacy shutter on the camera.

Below the display you get a nice keyboard flanked by speakers, with decent (if short) key travel and a large, spacious trackpad. There's also a fingerprint reader built into the power button in the top-right corner of the keyboard.

Shut the lid and you'll be looking at an eye-catching reflective Dell logo embossed into a gray brushed aluminum chassis that's remarkably easy to fit on a desk, lap or cafe table. While this 16-inch workstation is no light weight, I found it more comfortable to carry than many similar-sized laptops I've tested over the years, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Display

• 4K OLED touchscreen upgrade looks great and is worth it
• Heavily saturated colors look good but aren't the most accurate

I really like the 4K OLED touchscreen on our Dell Precision 5680 review unit because it looks good (as long as I'm diligent about wiping off smudges) and gives me the option of being able to reach out and tap things when I want to give my hands a break from the keyboard. 

And while it doesn't get as bright as other laptops I've tested, in day-to-day use I never found that to be a problem unless I was trying to work outdoors in direct sunlight. Colors look accurate without appearing over-saturated, and I enjoyed playing games and watching movies on the 16-inch (3,840 x 2,400 pixels) 60Hz OLED display. 

As you can see from the chart of results above, our lab testing backs up my experience and reveals that this laptop has no trouble displaying the full sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts. However, our Klein K10-A colorimeter reveals the colorful display achieves 198.6% of the sRGB gamut and 140.6% of the DCI-P3 gamut with a Delta-E score of 0.28 (closer to 0 is more accurate), so this isn't the best laptop display for color-accurate work.

And though I have no complaints about the brightness levels in my day-to-day use, our testing reveals that while the Dell Precision 5680 gets brighter than some laptops, it can't get nearly as bright as luminaries like the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Ports

• Plenty of ports for pro-grade use
• Lack of USB-A stings slightly, but Dell throws in an adapter 

The Dell Precision 5680 comes with a solid array of ports for professionals, though it lacks any USB-A ports for legacy peripherals. However, Dell does include a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box you can use if you want to plug in your favorite old mouse or keyboard.

On the lefthand side of the laptop you'll find a pair of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, an HDMI out and a 3.5mm audio jack. You can also get an optional smart card reader on this side, like our review unit does, though unless you have a business or personal reason to use smart cards there's no need to shell out for the extra slot.

Over on the righthand side you get a full-size SD card reader, a USB-C port and a slot for a laptop lock. Instead of a charging port, you simply plug the charger into one of the three USB-C ports on the laptop. 

While it feels a little silly that this big, expensive laptop for pros doesn't have room to squeeze in one USB-A port for old time's sake, we are coming up on the ten-year anniversary of USB-C and it's increasingly likely many people don't own USB-A gear. If you do, the inclusion of a free adapter is nice to have and you can always plug in a USB hub if you need more ports.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Performance

• Mixed performance test results vs other 4K workstations
• Can't outpace the M3 Max MacBook Pro

One glance at the spec sheet for our Dell Precision 5680 review unit tells you this laptop is built to tackle professional workloads, with its 13th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada laptop GPU backed by 32GB of RAM.

That's plenty of power for basic day-to-day work and play, which is why I never noticed our review unit hitch or stutter when speeding through work with 20+ tabs open in Chrome, music playing and apps running in the background. After work was done I enjoyed my time playing games on the Precision 5680's beautiful 4K display, though I was a little surprised this beefy rig still can't match the best gaming laptops in terms of performance in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. 

Indeed, when we put it through our testing lab we saw a similar story play out around the Precision 5680. While its test results place it squarely in the higher end of the laptop market, our review unit can't match the best laptops in terms of raw performance. 

As you can see from the chart of results below, the Precision 5680 did manage to speed past a top-of-the-line Alienware m18 in terms of raw single-core CPU performance. But in basically every other test our Precision fell behind category leaders like the Alienware m18 and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max. The gaming laptop both earned a better multi-core CPU score in Geekbench 6 and beat the Precision 5680 in our video editing and file movement speed tests, which is a little disheartening to see given the Precision's high price and focus on performance.

Since the Precision is sold as a workstation for professional use we also put it through our battery of workstation performance tests, and the results are a bit more nuanced.

We don't review many workstations here at Tom's Guide, so I'm afraid I don't have a lot of similar laptops to compare against the Precision 5680. However, thanks to the hard work of the Future testing lab we do have test results from two other 16-inch 4K workstations released in 2023 for roughly similar prices, the HP Book Fury 16 G9 and Lenovo's ThinkPad P16.

For these tests we use the SPECWorkstation benchmarking utility, which runs tests designed specifically to test and measure workstation performance in ways similar to popular pro tools like 3DSMax, Blender and Maya. As you can see from the chart of results above, the Precision 5680 generally outperformed the Lenovo and HP workstations in GPU-focused workloads (Maya-05 and 3DSMax-06 test results in the chart) but underperformed in the CPU-focused workloads.

What's especially interesting here is the fact that the Precision has the latest 13th Gen Intel CPU onboard, whereas the test results from the other laptops are from models released earlier in the year with older 12th Gen Intel chips and NVIDIA RTX A5500 GPUs but double the RAM (64GB vs 32GB).

But while our testing helps us understand how our Dell Precision 5680 review unit's performance compares to similar non-workstation laptops on the market, I have to reiterate that in my personal day-to-day use I had no complaints with the performance of the 5680 save that it didn't run games as well as I'd hoped.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Audio

• Gets plenty loud
• No bass to speak of

The four speakers built into the Precision 5680 deliver decent sound quality, with plenty of room to crank the volume up without any distracting distortion or rattling.

In fact, I was a little surprised at how loud this laptop can get when you turn the volume up to max. At peak volume my entire apartment building and I were able to enjoy the energizing tones of Kamaiyah, Open Mike Eagle and The Mountain Goats with no noticeable distortion.

However, bass is basically nonexistent. The only time I felt anything from this laptop's speakers was when I had them cranked up so loud the keyboard vibrated slightly with every high note. When the bass dropped, I felt nothing.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Battery life and heat

• Under 8 hours of battery life in our testing, which isn't great
• Not a lot of heat to worry about

Our Dell Precision 5680 workstation lasted just under 8 hours in our in-house battery test, which times how long the laptop can endlessly surf the web via Wi-Fi on battery power with its screen set to 150 nits of brightness.

The Precision 5680 lasted roughly 7 hours and 42 minutes, which is good for a beefy gaming machine but not great for a consumer-grade Windows laptop. It's nowhere near the incredible battery-sipping efficiency of the best MacBooks, either.

However, most of the laptops we test and review here at Tom's Guide aren't workstations, so the comparison isn't entirely fair. Our Precision 5680 review unit can't hold a candle to the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max in terms of battery life, for example, but our 5680 is equipped with a 16-inch 4K OLED touchscreen, an Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada GPU and a pair of SSDs running in a RAID array.

I can't say for sure how much of an impact that has on battery life, but I can say this workstation is designed for different uses than most of the laptops we test. While you can pick it up and tote it around, the size, weight and price (especially if you buy one with top-tier components) makes this a laptop you'll likely want to keep on your desk most of the time. 

In that way it has a lot in common with big, beefy gaming laptops, which typically last even less time on a full charge than the Precision 5680.

However, the Precision doesn't get as hot as the beefiest gaming laptops. In our heat test, which involves putting the laptop through intense work for 15 minutes and then scanning it with a heat gun, we clocked surface temps ranging from 77 to 97 degrees, with the hottest point being 97.3 degrees near the hinge, right above the F5 key.

That's toasty but hardly a lap-scorcher, and in my own hours of doing work, watching videos, editing photos and playing games our Precision 5680 never got uncomfortably warm.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Webcam

• 1080p webcam captures clear, sharp images and video
• Advanced privacy features for workplace use

The 1080p webcam built into the top bezel of the Precision 5680 is better than I expected, and in my experience it captures clean, sharp images and video. It also has an IR camera so you can log in with your face via systems like Windows Hello, though it's a little disappointing to see there's no privacy shutter. 

The camera also supports Dell tech like temporal noise reduction, Express Sign-In (which can auto-lock your laptop when it detects you leaving, then auto-unlock when it detects your face again) and Intelligent privacy, which can do things like detect when other people might be looking at your screen.

For most folks this tech probably won't be of much use, but again it's exactly the sort of tech you'd expect in a laptop aimed at business and enterprise use.

Dell Precision 5680 review: Verdict

I like using the Dell Precision 5680 because it feels like a slightly bigger, beefier version of the elegant, streamlined laptops I've come to expect from Dell. With its easy-to-carry frame, big screen and strong performance it's probably the closest thing I've yet seen to an OLED-equipped Dell XPS 17, and it will be for the foreseeable future—or at least, until Dell decides to sell an XPS 17 OLED. 

But as much as I like the Precision 5680, it's hard to see a lot of cases where I'd recommend it to someone over another laptop. It can't last as long on battery or perform as well (at least in basic benchmarks) as Apple's MacBook Pros, it can't run games as well as the best gaming laptops, and its performance relative to other 16-inch 4K workstations we've tested this year is mixed. 

However, the Precision 5680 is the lightest workstation we've tested all year, so if weight is a key concern (say, because you need something you can carry on your back to work) the Dell Precision 5680 might be exactly the right workstation for you.

The Alienware m16 R1 isn’t the easiest gaming laptop to evaluate. The main reason? This is a hugely malleable machine. If you’re willing to hurl enough money at Dell, such is the spread of configuration options, you could easily build one of the most powerful and best gaming laptops in the world. 

Of course, seeing as we’re living in a global recession, it’s far more logical to review the most affordable model of this latest Alienware, which for a starting price of under $1,300, offers a tempting gaming package in a bulky shell.

Mercifully, thanks to the rapid advancement of AI upscaling techniques with the likes of Nvidia DLSS 3.0, you no longer need the best GPU tech to obtain blistering frame rates in the best Steam games on a laptop that starts at less than $1,500. 

That’s what makes the m16 an enticing mid-range prospect. The unit we’re reviewing may not have the most cutting edge components — though Dell does give you the option of upgrading to the best gear when configuring this E.T. branded laptop. Yet through savvy engineering, the m16 comes together as a compelling (if compromised) backpack-friendly PC. 

Alienware m16 review: Specs

Alienware m16 review: Price and availability

• Starting configuration begins at $1,299 / £1,699 
• You can choose between either an AMD or Intel build 

The Dell Alienware m16 is available in both the USA and United Kingdom, and there are a head-spinning variety of configurations to choose from. Its combo of components can be heavily tailored to your exact specifications, via either Dell’s US website or its UK counterpart. While this gaming-focused laptop is available from third-party retailers, the easiest way to build the precise config you want is going down the official Dell route.  

The Alienware M6 model I’m reviewing comes in at $1,699/£1,699 Intel — packing a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU, an Nvidia GeFore RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM and (an annoyingly paltry) 512GB NVMe SSD. It also sports a 16-inch, 1600p (2560 x 1600) IPS panel with a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz.

If you’d rather go Team Red, you can also assemble an AMD build of the Alienware m16 with a AMD Ryzen Series 9 7845HX CPU, starting off at $1,299/£1,699. There are slightly less config options to choose from in the UK, hence the higher starting price tag on my side of the pond.  

If you want to go full “Jurassic Park/John Hammond mode,” you can put together a truly monstrous m16 that costs up to $2,949/£4,769. You’ve spared no expense, after all. The prices vary either side of the Atlantic depending on region-specific SSD sizes, but if you do opt for the cream of the crop, know that your colossal outlay will net you a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX, an RTX 4090 Laptop GPU and 64GB of DDR5 RAM.

Alienware m16 review: Design

• Chunky but attractive
• Too heavy to carry around easily  

While I like the general aesthetics of the Alienware m16, boy does it bring the chonk factor. Tipping the scales at more than 7.17 pounds, I’d be competing in arm wrestling contests if I started doing regular biceps curls with this thing. 

Not that I’m going to overly hold the m16’s weight against it. This laptop feels downright premium. Its heavyweight form factor is pleasingly contrasted by cute visual flairs like RGB-lit keys, a certain iconic logo, and rear vents that all excite the eye with an entrancing shade of turquoise. This baby is both beauty and the beast.   

Annoyingly, there’s no obvious divot on top of the chassis, meaning this isn’t an easy laptop to open with one hand. The sheer weight of the screen doesn’t help, either — although I do dig its relatively slim bezels. Opening the Alienware m16 can often feel like trying to pry open a particularly stubborn clam.

Its brushed metals are certainly easy on the eye, at least. I’m also a fan of its “Dark Metallic Moon” color scheme, which has proven resistant to fingerprints during my time with this review unit.

Alienware m16 review: Display

• A surprisingly strong IPS panel 
• Black levels obviously lag behind OLED, but they’re decent  

As first impressions go, the Alienware m16 puts its best foot forward — especially considering it’s an IPS panel. The 16-inch native 1600p screen (2560 x 1600) is a smart choice, which offers exactly the right balance between clarity and avoiding overkill pixel density for a display of this size. Without the ability to turn off every on-screen pixel like an OLED or rely upon hundreds of mini-LED dimming zones, black levels on this screen are still respectable. 

The underlying metrics in the table below are hardly class-leading, but in real-world viewing scenarios, I had little issue with the picture quality the m16 outputs. And this is coming from a guy who literally owns six separate OLED displays in his apartment. No, really.

When you factor in 100% is the most accurate (and beneficial) reading laptops shoot for, north of 78% is a respectable state for the IPS-based m16. Reaching well north 110% of the sRGB color gamut isn’t too shabby either, which goes to show unfashionable LCD display tech is at least making some strides forward. 

Alienware m16 review: Ports

• A sold assortment of ports
• Placing them at the rear of the laptop is a pleasing design choice  

The m16 is respectable in the ports department. A duo of Thunderbolt 4.0 connections are joined by a trio of USB Type-A sockets, a welcome HDMI 2.1 port, a Mini DisplayPort 1.4 slot, an RJ-45 ethernet connection, SD card slot, and a global headset jack.

What I really like about the port layout on the m16 is that most of the connections (including the power socket), are located at the rear of the laptop. This means I don’t need to stare at a bunch of annoying wires and USB sticks jutting out of the side of this beefy laptop. The honeycomb design that links these ports also looks attractive, especially with that continuous turquoise glow emanating from the back of the m16.

Alienware m16 review: Keyboard and touchpad

• A great keyboard that delights with its RGB effects 
• Touchpad navigation feels a little sluggish and heavy to click on 

If I ever get lost in the woods Blair Witch style and find myself writing a snot-covered goodbye to my nearest and dearest, this is the keyboard I want to bash out my final words on. Thanks to the m16’s per-key AlienFX RGB effects, which are normally set to turquoise but can also be set to a rainbow-aping mode, typing on this laptop can feel like creating your own personalized light show. Regardless of how gimmicky this feature is, the vibrant backlit keys are great for typing in the dark and make this clichéd lover of LED happy.  

The ‘board itself also feels great to type on. There’s real resonance every time you click on a key, and I found the travel distance on the Alienware m16’s board to be just right. After weeks of solid use, not a single key jammed on me, which makes this one of the most reliable, responsive keyboards I’ve tested on a gaming laptop this year. 

The touchpad isn’t so hot. It’s fine. Nothing more, nothing less. My first impressions were that navigation was a tad sluggish, while I always felt like I was having to contend with a little too much resistance when clicking on the pad to open folders or new browser tabs. It’s not an offensive touchpad, but I’d recommend pairing the m16 with one of the best wireless mouse options currently available.    

Alienware m16 review: Gaming performance

• Commendable frame rates at native resolution
• The built-in RTX 4060 can prove a game-changer for FPS performance  

Increasingly, the frame rate figures we post in reviews based on gameplay at native screen resolution (or below) feel slightly skewed in a negative direction. We’re now living in a world of Nvidia DLSS 3 (and to a lesser extent, AMD’s FSR 2). 

The numbers in the following chart are based on running these games without frame-generating/upsampling techniques. So considering we’re dealing with an Nvidia 40-series GPU in this laptop, just know far higher fps targets are achievable if a game supports DLSS.

If you value outright performance over graphical fidelity, 1080p is obviously the resolution to go with this RTX 4060-powered laptop. But don’t be so quick on the draw. Based on my anecdotal experiences with more recent titles that take full advantage of Nvidia’s super sampling techniques, you can run the likes of Forza Motorsport 8 and Alan Wake 2 with tweaked settings at a reconstructed 1600p above 60 fps with very little reduction in image quality thanks to DLSS 3. 

Suffice to say, this is a very solid gaming laptop that offers up PS5 and Xbox Series X-beating performance. Then again, its starting model costs three times as much as either of those consoles, so it should.

Alienware m16 review: General performance

• Outgunned by the majority of 16-inch laptops we’ve tested 
• File transfer speed tests are shockingly bad  

As soon as you clock the numbers below, you’ll immediately tell this config of the Alienware m16 we’re testing isn’t exactly a solid all-round performer. Granted, many of the 16-inch competitors we’re comparing it to boast stronger Intel Core i9 processors, which is why this particular m16 is lagging behind in the following results. 

Performance testing results

We’re yet to test the Alienware m16 with the highest-end 14th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX, so if you splash more cash on a better specced model, the unflattering margins above won’t look so stark. 

Those Geekbench results aren’t too bad, considering this is a more bank balance-friendly equivalent to some of the 16-inchers above. Our Handbrake tests, which involve transcoding a 4K video down to 1080p, also remain semi competitive. Yet, that SSD speed test where we test how quickly the m16 can copy 25GB of multimedia files isn’t a typo. That’s a shameful result. If you’re in the business of transferring 4K content regularly for your profession, this version of the m16 certainly isn’t for you. 

The undeniably worst element of the m16, which somehow makes those terrible transfer rates almost seem borderline respectable? Hot damn does this laptop get loud. I realize this is a large-and-in-charge unit you won’t be casually throwing into a rucksack without a second’s pause, yet the noise it generates during seemingly undemanding tasks — like simply downloading a game from Steam — can be inexplicable.

While the m16 always generates a lot of fan hum during demanding game sessions, it can almost blast your eardrums into oblivion during everyday computing tasks you’d assume wouldn’t challenge its internals.

Alienware m16 review: Battery life and heat

• Battery life doesn’t shine but is acceptable  
• This is a laptop that’s equally hot and noisy  

Despite the Alienware m16’s good points, this is another area where this laptop slightly disappoints. Our standard battery tests revolve around running a machine surfing the web with screen brightness set to a lowly 150 nits. 

As you can see above, the m16 doesn’t shame itself in terms of battery life, and its gaming results are generally par for the (upsettingly short) course that gaming laptops often produce when unplugged from the wall. 

Considering the decibels this brute runs at, though, heat levels are unapologetically poor. Notching up to an extremely toasty 120.7 degrees Fahrenheit, this is not a device you want cradling your lap for too much time. If you have an inch of sense (and space), you’ll plant this bad boy down on a coffee table to reduce the probability of it melting your crotch.

Alienware m16 review: Audio

• Well-balanced speakers are loud and won’t disappoint
• Would benefit from deeper bass  

Perhaps the best set of speakers I’ve tested in a laptop this year. The m16 may lack the cutting edge audio Dolby Atmos features of the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED that I recently reviewed, but this is still a far better sounding laptop in my opinion. 

I wouldn’t go as far to say that the audio output on this Alienware is exactly room-filling, but it gets impressively loud. More importantly, the soundscape is well-balanced, and there’s not a hint of the sort of tinny sound quality you get in thinner laptops. Bass isn’t world-beating, but it’s deep enough to make listening to some of my favorite songs on YouTube Premium (yes, I am one of those rubes) a pleasure. 

My go to track right now is Electric Youth’s “A Real Hero” — best known for playing at the end of 2011’s Drive, which is hands-down the best Ryan Gosling movie ever — and the retro-styled melody sounded rich enough to electrify my eardrums.  

Alienware m16 review: Webcam

• It’s 1080p, but you’d be hard pressed to tell
• Image details are easily lost during video calls  

Ah, the part of any laptop review I treasure the most: getting to obsess over my stupid face through a webcam image. Despite being someone who normally switches their video off during work calls, I’ve tested enough laptop webcams to tell a good cam from a passable one. The m16’s is definitely the latter. 

Despite outputting a 1080p picture, retaining finer image detail is not this webcam’s strength. In my bright home office — yes, yes I should tone down the LED lights — I found this Alienware’s cam produced pictures that looked muddy at times. Details were generally smeared during conference calls, though at least video artifacting was hard to spot.   

Alienware m16 review: Verdict

I hate to lean on this lazy phrase, but here goes: the Alienware m16 R1 is somewhat of a "mixed bag" of a gaming laptop. Ugh. 

Hotter than hell, weirdly attractive (despite its hefty exterior), and way too damn loud during the most unexpected, dull computing tasks, it’s a machine I both respect and am puzzled by.

Is the starting configuration worth $1,299 / £1,699, provided you have a decent amount of desk space/a reasonably sized coffee table? Sure. Yet it’s hard to shake the feeling that Dell has delivered a respectable product that is massively helped by Nvidia’s AI learning techniques that ultimately make this a compelling laptop for its price point. 

Also, to reiterate, hoo-boy do I love that keyboard. 

Get ready, Australia! Black Friday 2025 is fast approaching and is set to bring some of the biggest discounts of the year. We're already making preparations to help you make the most of it.

While Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here, the US holiday dictates the global timing for Black Friday sales. This year, the sales officially kick off on the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 28, and continue through to Cyber Monday, concluding on December 1.

In Australia, almost all major retailers, including The Good Guys, Myer, Amazon, and eBay, will launch highly competitive and appealing sales throughout this weekend. It's also worth noting that many Australian stores often start slashing prices as early as the beginning of November.

This is the perfect time to snag great deals on big-ticket items such as phones, laptops, and TVs, alongside popular impulse purchases like small appliances, headphones, PC peripherals, and fitness trackers. Furthermore, with typical shipping times of around a week, you can potentially wrap up your Christmas shopping early and bypass the holiday rush, which is a major bonus.

As always, we'll be ready to help you find and secure the best deals available. You can check out our Black Friday LIVE blog to find the best deals as they appear.

Black Friday sales 2025: retailer quicklinks

• Amazon: record-low prices across all categories, including tech items
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• Samsung: score big savings on TVs, phones, tablets, appliances and more
• Shark: knock up to 53% off select vacuum cleaners
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Black Friday: what to expect

Even in Australia, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are arguably best times of the year to make major purchases. Whether you're shopping for a new TV or replacing your mattress, Australian retailers tend to save their biggest discounts and best deals for this end-of-year sales event.

While we can't predict every deal during the sale, there are some safe bets to consider. For instance, Amazon Australia is likely to lead with some fantastic offers — especially on Amazon devices and Kindle ereaders, where you can expect significant discounts.

JB Hi-Fi and eBay are expected to have some amazing deals, so if you're looking for a new laptop or desktop computer, it might be worth waiting to snag an incredible bargain.

Black Friday: FAQs

Why is it called Black Friday? 

Originating in the United States, the term "Black Friday" in relation to shopping dates back to 1961. It was first used in Philadelphia to describe the heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic that followed the Thanksgiving holiday.

The term gained popularity and spread nationwide by 1975. Over time, Black Friday took on a new meaning for retailers, signifying the point in the year when businesses went "in the black," finally turning a profit. This allowed them to offer major discounts on leftover stock, resulting in massive deals leading up to the holiday season.

Although the timing differs from one country to another, the Black Friday sales event has become a global phenomenon, which is why Australia now participates.

I review laptops, desktops, tablets and monitors here at Tom's Guide, so I spend a lot of the year looking at screens and telling you about them.

It can be a lot of fun, too, especially since I love to play games and watch old movies. Display tech has advanced to the point where I can watch some of my favorite flicks in ways I never imagined, in beautiful 4K resolution on a 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV that showcases fine details of light and shadow in ways I've never seen before.

I mention that so you know that when we throw around terms like 4K, OLED or HDR they're not just buzzwords — these technologies really do have a meaningful impact on your viewing experience. But they're also not the only things you should care about when shopping for a new display, a fact that was recently brought home to me while reviewing a 1080p office monitor from Dell.

I'm talking about the Dell P2424HT monitor, though its full name is the Dell 24 Touch USB-C Hub Monitor. It's a basic 24-inch 1080p touchscreen with a 60Hz refresh rate that doesn't support HDR, and I kind of love it.

Our testing reveals this monitor doesn't have the best color reproduction, and it doesn't get painfully bright either. But what it does do is move really well, thanks to its articulated stand. This thing lets you tilt, slant, swivel, raise and lower the display with remarkable freedom, to the point that you can lower it all the way down to your desk to have a giant 24-inch touchscreen resting at your fingertips.

The screen even has little cushions on the bottom so it can gently rest on your desk, ready for whatever tapping and swiping you need to do. I haven't seen many monitors which can offer this functionality, and I find it really useful for navigating Windows 11 or playing touch-friendly games since I can rest the display on my desk when I get tired of using the touchscreen at eye level.

And while the 1080p resolution means this display isn't going to showcase experiences like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty to their full potential, that's not really how I like to use it. No, this monitor seems tailor-made for use with a laptop, and it's perfect for playing the kind of lightweight turn-based tactical games I can run on my Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. And since it's just 1080p, I don't have to worry about the laptop struggling to maintain a decent framerate while gaming on this display.

And it seems like the perfect partner for a laptop, because the Dell P2424HT has a built-in USB hub and Ethernet jack. In fact, according to Dell it's "the world's first 23.8-inch touch monitor with RJ45 connectivity", so we're really living on the cutting edge out here. 

At first I struggled to understand why I would care about having an RJ45 Ethernet jack on my monitor, but I immediately appreciated it when I saw how slowly games were downloading to my laptop via my middling Wi-Fi connection. With this monitor on my desk I know I can just plop down my laptop, plug into the display and I've basically got a hardwired Internet connection to speed across the web—and a bigger 24-inch touchscreen to navigate it. 

Obviously the extra USB ports are nice to have as well. In addition to the common HDMI and DisplayPort options you also get one USB-C upstream port you can use to connect your laptop, so it charges the laptop while you're using the display. 

You also get two USB-A ports on the back alongside an audio line out for connecting speakers, all nestled in a recessed port array that's covered by a removable black plastic panel. While I found this panel kind of a pain to remove and reattach, I have to give Dell credit for building cable routers into the port area and giving you a slot in the stand to thread them through. When set up correctly, you can pull the monitor down and toward you or swing it off the sides without worrying that the cables with get tangled or pulled out.

These little touches really endear me to this display and make me want to use it more, even though I have two higher-resolution monitors (one 1440p, one 4K) on my desk right now. While I don't think I'll be buying one to put on my main PC any time soon, I might pick one up when I decide to build a desk setup that revolves around my laptop instead of my desktop.

And of course, right now is a great time to get one given that the best Black Friday deals are in full swing and Dell has knocked $100 off the price of this display for a limited time. That brings the price down to $419, making it one of the better Black Friday monitor deals I've seen so far.

More from Tom's Guide

• Massive Best Buy Black Friday sale live — here’s my favorite 29 deals
• 5 best Apple TV Plus shows you're not watching
• I love the Steam Deck but I’m ditching it for Steam Deck OLED — here’s why

The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 ($699 to start) isn’t going to blow you away with impressive specs, an eye-catching design or a vivid display. While it isn’t one of the best laptops or best 2-in-1 laptops we’ve tested, it’s decent enough for those who want or need a relatively affordable convertible for work or school.

Though I wasn’t enamored with this laptop’s mostly plastic chassis, lackluster display and overly loud fans, it’s good enough for the price — especially if you opt for the cheaper AMD entry-level model. Just don’t expect a stellar experience.

Is the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 right for you, or should you consider another laptop instead? Find out in my full review.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Price and availability

• Starts at $699
• AMD or Intel options available

There are two versions of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 available from Dell’s website: One with an Intel CPU and another with an AMD processor. All versions feature a 14-inch (1,920 x 1,200) 60Hz touchscreen display and come in either Lavender Blue or Platinum Silver.

The $699 entry-level version we reviewed packs an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, integrated Radeon Graphics, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. For $200 more, you can upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU (with integrated graphics) 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

If you prefer an Intel processor, it’ll cost more. You can opt for either a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 for $729 or $999, respectively. The former has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage while the latter has 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Both laptops feature integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. You can often find discounts on both the Intel and AMD models via Dell’s website.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Design

• No-frills design
• Plastic chassis feels cheap

Design-wise, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a fairly unassuming laptop that wouldn’t look out of place at the office or your favorite cafe. It’s a bit on the thick side, which gives it a somewhat dated aesthetic.

While I prefer the svelte appearance of ultrabooks like the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, the Inspiron 14’s basic design isn’t offensive to my eyes.

While this machine doesn’t look ugly, it doesn’t feel good to hold thanks to its mostly plastic chassis. Even the aluminum lid couldn’t prevent the laptop from feeling cheap. And while the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is overall sturdy when closed and has a rigid display that doesn’t wobble, the keyboard deck has too much flex when you press down on it. This aspect is a stark reminder you’re dealing with a budget laptop.

The display effortlessly glides back when you want to use the laptop in tablet or tent mode. That said, opening the Inspiron 14 isn’t easy since there’s no lip on its lid — which has always been my main gripe with some Dell laptops.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Display

• Poor color reproduction
• Dim display

While I’m not a fan of this convertible’s cheap-feeling chassis, I can almost forgive it because of its dual-purpose nature. However, I’m less inclined to overlook (pun intended) the mediocre display. Sure, it has a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution that presents images in sharp detail, but the display’s poor color reproduction and overall dimness almost undermine that aspect.

The final trailer for Across the Spider-Verse is a visual feast thanks to its vibrant and bold colors. At least it’s supposed to be. On this display, the trailer’s colors appeared dull and bland. The high-definition resolution and 60Hz refresh rate delivered clear images that ran smoothly — but it all appeared lifeless and boring.

Our lab tests confirmed my anecdotal experience. When we pointed our Klein 10-A colorimeter at the Inspiron 14’s display, it registered 60.4% of the sRGB color gamut and 42.8% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color space (higher is generally better). We also saw a Delta-E color accuracy score of 0.2 (closer to 0 is better). Color accuracy is decent enough, but color reproduction is downright disappointing.

Laptops like the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (100% / 83.3% / 0.2) and Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (123.6% / 87.5% / 0.2) fared better both in terms of color saturation and accuracy. But to be fair, both of these laptops cost significantly more too. The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 averaged 215.2 nits of brightness in our testing. That’s rather dim, especially when compared to competition, as you can see in the table above.

While the display is anything but impressive, its touch functionality works nicely. There was never a single instance where the touch display failed to recognize my taps and swipes.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Audio

• Loud speakers
• Lacks bass

The two upward-facing speakers flanking the keyboard produce surprisingly loud audio. Podcasts or anything that mostly involves people talking sounds clear and sharp. The same applies when you’re on a video call.

As loud as the speakers can get, they’re not great for listening to music. Mids and highs sound fine, but there’s next to no bass. If you crank the speakers to max while listening to your favorite tunes, your ears won’t be pleased. I suggest using one of the best headphones or the best wireless earbuds when listening to music on this 2-in-1.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Performance

• Decent performance for the price
• Not great for gaming

I reviewed the entry-level AMD model of the Inspiron 14 2-in-1, which packs an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor, integrated AMD Radeon graphics, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. Those aren’t top-of-the-line specs but they’re good enough for everyday computing. I used the laptop during a normal workday and it didn’t slow down even when I had over 20 open tabs while simultaneously running a YouTube video and Slack.

On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 scored 1,472 on the single-core portion of the test and 6,274 on the multi-core. In comparison, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 scored 1,564 and 7,097, respectively. Given how the Inspiron costs half as much as the XPS, the fact it’s not far behind on performance is impressive.

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p using Handbrake in 10 minutes and 10 seconds. That’s a tad slower than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 (9:34) but much faster than the XPS 13 2-in-1, which took a leisurely 15 minutes and 07 seconds.

Since this convertible has integrated AMD Radeon graphics instead of a discrete GPU, it’s not ideal for playing games natively. For instance, Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm averaged 25 frames per second at both 1,080p and 1,200p. If you want to play games on this machine then I suggest excellent game streaming apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Keyboard and touchpad

• Keyboard deck flexes
• Stiff touchpad

Typing on this 2-in-1 is a bit of a mixed bag. The keycaps are large and are spaced out nicely. The keys feel somewhat mushy when typing but that was balanced out by the roomy keyboard deck. But as I said above, the keyboard deck and palm rest have too much flex for my liking.

The smooth responsive touchpad works well enough when you perform gestures. That’s offset by how hard you need to press the touchpad when you want to left or right click. Sure, you can enable tap to click in Windows so you don’t have to click on the touchpad, but that’s no excuse. Clicking on this touchpad is simply unpleasant.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Battery life and heat

• Long battery life
• Fan runs loud

Long battery life is one of the Inspiron 14’s strongest attributes. On the Tom’s Guide battery test which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, Dell’s convertible lasted for 11 hours and 27 minutes. That’s almost 30 minutes less than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro (11:59) but over three hours more than the XPS 13 2-in-1.

In our standard heat test (which involves running a heat gun over a device after streaming 15 minutes of full HD video on it) we found the hottest point to be between the vents on the underside, which peaked at 97.2 degrees Fahrenheit. We generally consider temperatures over 95 degrees as being uncomfortable. This convertible doesn’t get much hotter than that, but you might not want to keep it on your lap for extended periods.

While the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 doesn’t get too hot, its fans can get quite loud after only a few minutes of use. This isn’t a problem if you’re watching videos or listening to music, but if you’re surfing the web or working, the fan noise can get irksome — especially when you’re around others.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Webcam

• Subpar 1080p webcam

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 packs a 1080p webcam but had you told me it was a 720p camera, I’d believe you.

I snapped the photo above in our well-lit office. Despite that, the image looks blurry and washed out. Don’t expect to look your best during video calls, even with optimal lighting. You’d be better served by connecting one of the best webcams to this Inspiron if you want to appear presentable.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Software

• Comes with Windows 11
• My Dell app helps optimize performance

The Inspiron 14 2-in-1 runs on Windows 11 and comes pre-loaded with Microsoft 365 apps and the Xbox app. The latter is especially useful if you want to play streamed games. You can choose either Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro, though the latter raises the price from $699 to $759.

The My Dell app also comes pre-installed. This application has several useful features such as system optimization for performance, sound and visual optimization for streaming content and a power manager.

Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (2023) review: Verdict

The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a decent enough Windows 11 computer for browsing the web, watching videos or for work. The best thing about this device is its affordable price if you go with the entry-level AMD model. Other than that, it’s decidedly unremarkable in most respects — as is usually the case with the Inspiron lineup.

If you’re willing to spend a few hundred dollars more, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 starts at $899 and features better performance, a more vibrant display and better build quality. Those who prefer an Apple laptop and don’t care about 2-in-1 functionality would do well with the MacBook Air M1, which costs $999 but is frequently discounted to $899.

Even if the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 isn’t exactly inspiring, I’d recommend it for people on a strict budget.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) ($1,249 to start) offers the power of the latest Intel Raptor Lake 13th Gen CPUs in the lightest, slimmest Dell laptop to date.

This elegant OLED-equipped ultraportable turned heads when it debuted in 2022, but when we had the chance to get one in for testing and perform a full Dell XPS 13 Plus review we were disappointed by its relatively short battery life and unsatisfying capacitive touch function keys.

Now the XPS 13 Plus has been refreshed with the latest laptop chips from Intel, and after couple of weeks with it I can tell you it's still a sleek productivity machine that looks sharp on a desk. 

However, I'm more disappointed than ever with how well it performs — and I'll show you why in this review.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Specs

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Price and availability

• Expect to pay between $1,249 - $1,800
• $200 OLED upgrade is worth the splurge

The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) is available for purchase right now via Dell's website and select retailers for a starting price of $1,249. For that you get the laptop packing a 13th gen Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD for storage and the standard 13.4-inch (1920 x 1200) touchscreen. 

The laptop arrives running Windows 11, and comes with a pair of adapters in the box to connect USB-A or 3.5mm accessories to its two USB-C ports.

You can't upgrade the processor at this time, but you can pay more to upgrade the RAM (up to 32GB), the storage (up to 2TB) and the screen, which can be upgraded to a 4K touchscreen or a 3.5K OLED touchscreen. Upgrading the display costs $200 by itself, and the rest of the ugprades come at similar prices or cheaper. 

A fully tricked-out Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) would cost about $1,749, and for that you'd get one with the same CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD for storage and the 3.5K OLED display. You could also upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for a $50 charge, bringing the total for such a laptop to $1,799.

That's a bit pricer than the XPS 13 Plus (2023) Dell sent us for review, which came with the standard internals (13th gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) and the 3.5K OLED touchscreen. 

So if you wanted to buy the exact same unit we review here, it would cost you roughly $1,449.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Design

• Slim aluminum chassis looks and feels premium
• Nearly as light and thin as a MacBook Air

The Dell XPS 13 Plus looks and feels like a fancy, premium laptop. It's remarkably easy to carry, and since it measures 11.63 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches and weighs between 2.7-2.9 pounds (depending on config) it's nearly as thin and light as a MacBook Air M2 (0.4 inches thin, 2.7 pounds heavy).

The machined aluminum chassis feels sturdy, and I couldn't bend or flex it no matter how hard I tried. The lack of any meaningful lip around the edge makes it hard to open this laptop without two free hands and a bit of gumption.

Open it up and you'll see the display ensconced in Dell's trademark InfinityEdge design, with thin bezels surrounding the display on all sides. You'll also find a row of capacitive touch buttons lit up above the keyboard where the function row normally resides, while below it is an unmarked trackpad that's effectively invisible.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Display

• 3.5K OLED display looks great and supports HDR
• Brighter than last year's model, with good color accuracy

The 13.4-inch 3.5K OLED display on our Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit is one of my favorite things about it. 

I think the OLED panel makes colors appear slightly deeper and richer than on an LCD display, at least to my humble eyes, and the sharp contrast between lights and darks helps everything you do on this laptop stand out. It also supports HDR (high dynamic range), still a rarity on laptop displays, so you can enjoy HDR content in movies and games. 

HDR support is great because HDR content typically offers better and more realistic image quality, as you can make out finer gradations between light and shadow than on an SDR (standard dynamic range) display. Factor in the deep, inky blacks and vibrant colors of the OLED screen and you can start to appreciate why I like this display so much. I really enjoy seeing details like the shifting shades of sunlight reflecting off Chris Pine's face in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and I think you miss out on little details like that when watching on most laptops.

Our display testing backs up my anecdotal experience, and reveals that this year's Dell XPS 13 Plus is slightly brighter than last year's model. When we pointed our Klein-10A colorimeter at it we found the XPS 13 Plus (2023) display has an average maximum brightness of 373.6 nits, getting as high as 381 nits in the lower-right corner. 

That's nearly the 400 nits Dell promises, and it's slightly better than the display on last year's model, which had an average max brightness of 366 nits that topped out at 375 nits in the same lower-right corner. It's also better slightly brighter than competing 13-inchers like the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED, though as you can see from the chart below neither can match the brilliance of Apple's MacBook Air M2.

In terms of color reproduction, our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit manages to achieve 113.7% of the sRGB color gamut and 80.5% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color gamut (100% is most accurate, higher often means more vivid, saturated colors) with a Delta-E value of 0.2 (the closer to 0, the better). You typically don't need to care about these numbers unless you're planning to do a lot of color-accurate editing work on photos, movies or the like, but they help us understand a laptop screen's capabilities and compare it against competing machines.

In this case, our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit proves itself impressively bright competent enough at color reproduction to satisfy all but the most discerning eyes. 

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Ports

• 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports is all you get, for charging and accessories
• Included USB-A and 3.5mm dongles help, but more ports would be better

The Dell XPS 13 Plus has always been short on ports, and the 2023 model is no exception. Hope you like Thunderbolt, because that's what you get.

This laptop sports just two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, one on either side of the laptop near the hinge. You can use either to output to a display or charge the laptop, but plugging in to do either halves your available ports. If you, like me, sometimes like to plug a mouse and keyboard to work more comfortably on a laptop, you're going to have to invest in a USB hub.

Dell also includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter so you can plug a USB-A device or a pair of headphones into the XPS 13 Plus. That helps dull the pain of trying to use your favorite accessories with this laptop, but not enough to make up for this shortcoming.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Performance

• Speedy enough for work, but don't expect great gaming performance
• Disappointing CPU performance, but fast SSD and 16GB of RAM help

The fact that the Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) comes with 16GB of RAM and a 13th Gen Core i7 Intel CPU standard means you can count on speedy performance at work and on the web.

In my time using this laptop for work, play and to write this review I never felt constrained by its speed or multitasking capabilities. I was able to have multiple apps running simultaneously while flipping back and forth between 10+ tabs in Chrome and a Spotify playlist with no noticeable performance issues, so you should have no trouble getting basic work done.

But when we put it through our gauntlet of performance tests, the weaknesses of the Dell XPS 13 Plus became clear.

Before I get into the results, let me quickly note that the XPS 13 Plus comes with a complex web of power and heat management settings that you can use to try and optimize performance, battery life and heat for different scenarios. It's basically a more robust and complicated version of the Windows 11 Power & Battery settings, and you can access it all from the MyDell app that comes pre-installed on the XPS 13 Plus.

I only mention it because one of the thermal management modes you can use is called Ultra Performance, and since it could theoretically impact performance we made sure to run our tests at least twice on the XPS 13 Plus (2023), once with Ultra Performance enabled and once with the default Optimized power plan it comes with out of the box.

The laptop typically performed better in Ultra Performance mode, but not always, so I've gone through both sets of results and picked the best from each to cite in the charts of this review. My thinking is that if you buy an XPS 13 Plus (2023) yourself you'll have all the time in the world to play with the power settings and fine-tune its performance, so you should be able to achieve the results listed here in one or more of its power modes. I've also included both sets of results in the text, so you can get a sense of how much (and how little) difference Ultra Performance mode has on actual performance.

In terms of raw CPU performance, our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit scored 9,938/9,729 (Optimized/Ultra Performance) on the Geekbench 5 multi-core CPU test. That's a decent score that puts our XPS 13 Plus ahead of competitors like the Asus Zenbook 13 S OLED (7,482) and the Dell XPS 13 we tested last year (6,489), but it can't match other similarly-priced 13-inch ultraportables.

In fact, by our testing this year's XPS 13 Plus is actually slightly less capable than last year's model. I say that because when we ran last year's Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) through Geekbench it earned a score of 11,217 in the multi-core CPU benchmark, which is slightly better than our new Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit managed.

That's a surprising step backward in terms of performance, though the disparity is so slim that I expect this shortcoming would be hard to notice even if you were using the two laptops side-by-side. That's why we do our own performance testing, and this surprising result suggests this year's XPS 13 Plus might be less capable of handling multi-core workflows than its predecessor.

And as you'll see when we get to talking about battery life, this isn't the only area in which the XPS 13 Plus (2023) falls short of its predecessor.

While I'm disappointed by the raw performance of this laptop's CPU, the SSD and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM help it feel plenty speedy when multitasking or moving files around.

That experience is backed up by the results of our video editing and drive speed tests. When tasked with duplicating 25GB of multimedia files the SSD in our XPS 13 Plus (2023) achieved a peak file transfer speed of 1,658.6 MBps (megabytes per second). That's pretty quick, and as you can see from the chart above it's as fast or faster than many competing ultraportables, as well as its predecessor.

The XPS 13 Plus (2023) proved just as competent in our video test, which times how long it takes the laptop to transcode a 4K video down to 1080p via Handbrake. Right out of the box our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit did it in 8 minutes and 14 seconds, but in Ultra Performance mode it took only 6 minutes 31 seconds, which is just slightly faster than the 6 minutes and 49 seconds it took last year's XPS 13 Plus (2022) to complete the same task in Ultra mode.

That's not amazing but it's pretty good for an ultraportable, handily outperforming other 13-inchers like the Asus Zenbook 13 S OLED and Dell XPS 13 (2022) in the same test. It's even faster than Apple's MacBook Air M2, which took 7 minutes and 51 seconds to complete the same task. So while it can't match the raw power of a machine like the 14-inch MacBook Pro 2023 (which took just over 4 minutes to complete the same test), the XPS 13 Plus (2023) is pretty good for basic video editing.

We also run every laptop we test through the Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm graphical benchmark so we can compare how well they run games. While Civ VI is far from a new game, it's great for testing laptops because it runs on a wide variety of hardware.

And while it's certainly playable on our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit, the laptop only managed to run it at about 23.3 frames per second, or as fast as 27.7 FPS in Ultra Performance mode. That's technically playable but not great, and it's once again worse performance than its predecessor (the 2022 XPS 13 Plus managed 33 FPS in Ultra Performance mode) and even the modest Acer Spin 5.

So while the XPS 13 Plus (2023) is plenty speedy enough for web browsing, work and some light gaming, don't expect to do much more with it. In my day-to-day use I have no complaints about the performance, but our testing reveals this year's XPS 13 Plus has barely improved upon its problematic predecessor—and in some cases, it's actually slightly worse.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Keyboard and touchpad

• Keyboard and touchpad are usable but annoying
• Capacitive touch keys are uncomfortable and unreliable 

I deeply dislike the keyboard on the Dell XPS 13 Plus. 

It certainly looks attractive, as Dell has spread it from edge to edge with a "zero lattice" design that leaves minimal gaps between keys. I found the layout a little cramped for my comfort, but then I'm 6'4" with sausage fingers so take my opinions on 13-inch laptops with an appropriately-sized grain of salt. The keys themselves feel nice to type on, and despite the minimal travel there's a satisfying bounce when you depress a key that feels good under my fingers. There's a fingerprint reader built into the power button too, which is always nice to have.

But despite all that, I was constantly frustrated by the keyboard while conducting this review. For example, that fingerprint reader is on a rather small power button that's unmarked and wedged beside the Backspace key in the upper-right corner of the keyboard. 

It certainly blends in with the laptop's minimalist aesthetic, but it's far too easy to accidentally hit it while typing. The Backspace key and I are old friends at this point in my career, and having to constantly be careful when hitting it made typing up this review a real pain.

And as cool as the capacitive touch keys look, they're no fun to use. By default they show icons for a series of useful media controls (like increase/decrease volume, brightness, enable/disable mic, etc) and you can hit the Function key at the bottom of the keyboard to swap them over to the standard F1-F12 keys.

But hitting the keys turns out to be the problem. During my time with this laptop I was frustrated multiple times by having to hit a capacitive touch key two, three, four or even five times before it would register my press. This is frustrating in any context, and even more so when you're frantically trying to increase the volume or hit the mute button during a conference call.

And every time I hit a capacitive touch key the impact of my finger hitting the hard, unyielding surface hurt a little bit. Not much, and I could probably learn to strike the keys even softer if I could figure out the trick to getting them to consistently register my presses, but I shouldn't have to relearn how to type in order to comfortably use this laptop. 

The touchpad beneath the keys is perfectly usable, if a bit too easy to touch by accident. Maybe I'm just inept, but I'm used to feeling the edge of a touchpad with my fingers, hands and wrists in order to know without looking when I'm in danger of activating it by accident. I can't do that on the XPS 13 Plus because there's no edge to see or feel, so more than once I accidentally sent the mouse pointer zooming around the screen while typing out this review.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Audio

• Sound quality is decent and stays consistent even at max volume
• No bass worth mentioning

The speakers built into our Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit did a better job than I expected of delivering clear, resonant sound. I had more fun than I expected streaming my favorite Spotify playlists on this laptop, and the sound quality stays decent even when you crank the volume up to max.

But while the speakers on our XPS 13 Plus do get loud and tracks from the likes of Kamaiyah, The Mountain Goats and Muddy Waters sounded good coming out of this little laptop, there's no bass to speak of. You can feel the laptop vibrate slightly in your hands if you crank the volume all the way up, but don't expect bass to have much punch coming out of this little machine.

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Webcam

• 720p webcam delivers better image quality than expected
• Still a bit too grainy and low-res to feel premium

The 720p webcam built into the center of the top bezel on our XPS 13 Plus (2023) review unit is good enough for videoconferencing, but you won't be amazed by how you look.

As you can see from the test shot embedded above, the camera does a pretty good job of capturing detail and accurately representing color and shadow. Frankly, I was a little surprised how good this webcam can make you look in the right lighting. However, even under the best conditions the image quality looks grainy, an effect that's only heightened when you move around during a video call. 

Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review: Software

• Blessedly little bloatware
• The MyDell app is clutch for managing power and performance settings

The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) doesn't come bogged down by too much bloatware, which I appreciate. Of the apps that do come pre-installed, the one you want to pay attention to is definitely the MyDell app.