Which $699 laptop should you buy: the new Dell XPS 13 (2026) or the MacBook Neo? That’s the big question right now, as Dell’s affordable XPS is a true rival to Apple’s popular laptop. This might have been an easier choice before Apple’s price hikes pushed the Neo’s price up by $100, but now you really have to weigh your options more carefully.

These notebooks are designed for budget-conscious folks who need a reliable machine for everyday work. Their ultraportable designs are also ideal for anyone who works on the go. Additionally, they have better displays and sturdier builds than most laptops in this price range.

While you won’t go wrong with either the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Neo, one could be better for you than the other. Below, I’ll detail everything you need to know about these laptops to help you decide which is worth your money.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Specs

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Design

One of the standout features of these laptops is their respective designs. Instead of being bulky and plasticky like typical budget laptops, the XPS 13 and MacBook Neo are thin and light machines with sturdy aluminum casings. They might be affordable, but they definitely look as elegant as their more premium counterparts.

The XPS 13 is the lighter of the two, weighing 2.2 pounds compared to the MacBook Neo’s 2.7 pounds. Neither laptop will be a burden to travel with, but the XPS 13 is easier to take on the road or around your home. Both are also easy to open with one hand, thanks to the lips on their respective lids.

One design area where the Neo wins is with its wider choice of colors. While the XPS 13 comes in Sky and Storm colors, the Neo comes in more vibrant hues: Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus. Dell’s notebook is all business, while Apple’s Neo knows how to have some fun.

Both laptops have sturdy and roomy keyboard decks, with satisfying spacing between the keys for a comfortable typing experience. The MacBook Neo has slightly larger and thicker keycaps than the XPS 13, and they’re color-coded to the laptop. Their respective touchpads are roughly the same size, and each is very smooth and responsive. The main difference here is that the XPS 13 has a backlit keyboard, whereas the Neo doesn’t.

The laptops each have a pair of USB-C ports, but while both of the XPS 13’s ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2, the Neo has only one such port — with the other being a slower USB 2 port. So when it comes to faster charging and data speeds, the XPS 13 has the edge. But unlike Dell’s notebook, the Neo has a 3.5mm jack.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Display

The XPS 13 and MacBook Neo each have excellent displays for this price point, since budget laptops usually have dim, dull panels. You won’t have a bad viewing experience with either, but each has its strengths and weaknesses.

For starters, the MacBook Neo has a 13-inch 2408 x 1506 Liquid Retina display, while the XPS 13 has a 13.4-inch 2560 x 1600 InfinityEdge touch screen. The panel on Dell’s laptop is larger, with a higher resolution and touch screen support. The XPS 13 has some strengths here, but as we’ll see next, the Neo has its own advantages.

As you can see from our lab tests, the XPS 13 has good color representation (sRGB and DCI-P3) and color accuracy (Delta-E). The MacBook Neo delivers slightly oversaturated hues compared to the XPS 13, and its display can get much brighter with both SDR and HDR content.

Overall, the MacBook Neo delivers a more vibrant image compared to the XPS 13, despite the latter having a larger display and higher resolution. Unless you’re a fan of touchscreens, the MacBook Neo’s display takes the lead here, though the XPS 13 isn’t far behind.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Performance

Given their $699 asking price, neither the XPS 13 nor MacBook Neo is designed to be a powerful workstation. Instead, they’re built for everyday work, web browsing, and video streaming. That said, one offers stronger overall performance than the other.

On the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the MacBook Neo scored higher in both the single- and multi-core testing. This is impressive considering how the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro processor was originally an iPhone chip, whereas the Intel Wildcat Lake processor is made for laptops, albeit budget machines.

Moving over to the Handbrake test, which involves transcoding a 4K video to 1080p, the XPS 13 took almost ten minutes to complete the task, which is 40 seconds faster than the MacBook Neo. However, on the Blackmagic SSD test, the Neo completely outperformed the XPS 13 with faster write/read speeds.

In the 3DMark Wildlife test, which measures a machine’s graphical performance, the XPS 13 scored 2455 and averaged 14 frames per second. The MacBook Neo did better, with a 3661 score and 21 fps.

Using its built-in benchmark tool, Borderlands 3 ran at an unplayable 8.7 fps at 1080p, just one frame lower than the MacBook Neo’s 9.6 fps. In short, neither is suited for high-end gaming.

The XPS 13 handles the basics without a problem, but if you need more performance, the MacBook Neo is the clear winner.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Battery life

The XPS 13 and MacBook Neo both have stellar, more-than-all-day battery life. While you won’t have to worry too much about either dying on you at an inopportune time, one will last longer than the other.

In our battery life test, which involves continuous Wi-Fi web surfing with the display set to 150 nits, the Dell XPS 13 lasted 14 hours and 29 minutes.

Conversely, the MacBook Neo lasted for 13 hours and 26 minutes on the same test. That’s still great, but the XPS 13 can last for an hour longer.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Webcam

Lastly, let’s discuss the webcam quality of these laptops. Here, we’re comparing the MacBook Neo’s 1080p FaceTime HD camera to the Dell XPS 13’s 1080p webcam.

The photo above is from the XPS 13’s camera. Although my background and I are clearly visible, the image is somewhat blurry despite the relatively good lighting.

This next photo is from the MacBook Neo. Here, the image has a more natural color tone and is decidedly sharper.

Though you won’t look horrible in video calls with either webcam, the MacBook Neo does a better job of capturing images.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Bottom line

If you’re already married to macOS or Windows 11, then choose the laptop for that ecosystem. However, if you’re platform-agnostic, one laptop might be better for you than the other.

The Dell XPS 13 is perfect for anyone who wants an extremely lightweight laptop with touchscreen support and faster USB-C ports. It also has stellar battery life. Conversely, the MacBook Neo has more fun color options, stronger performance, a more vivid display, and a sharper webcam.

Personal preferences aside, the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo are easily the best $699 laptops you can buy right now, so don’t hesitate to buy either, as it will be money well spent if you’re on a budget and in need of an upgrade.

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The new Dell XPS 13 ($699) is the best budget Windows laptop right now and a true competitor to the equally priced MacBook Neo. Unlike other laptops in this price range, Dell’s laptop doesn’t skimp on features you’d only see on higher-end machines—proving you don’t have to sacrifice quality for an affordable notebook.

Instead of cheap plastic, the XPS 13 has a sturdy CNC aluminum chassis that both looks and feels high-grade. It’s also the thinnest XPS laptop ever, and even slimmer and lighter than the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air M5. This is one of the best laptops for people who are always on the go, as you’ll barely feel it in your backpack.

The 13.4-inch display is also extremely impressive for a $699 laptop, thanks to its sharp 2.5K resolution and vivid image quality. This is certainly a departure from the dull, dim panels found on most budget laptops. The fact that it’s also a touchscreen adds even more value and functionality.

Inside, the XPS 13 features the new Intel “Wildcat Lake” CPU. Though a lower-end chip compared with other Intel Core Series 3 chips, it has more than enough power to handle everyday workloads. You also get exceptional battery life, lasting 14 and a half hours in our testing.

Though its webcam isn’t the best, there’s not much to dislike about the new Dell XPS 13. If I were looking to buy a new productivity laptop, I’d certainly consider buying it. Find out why the XPS 13 is one of the best Windows laptops in my full review!

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Dell XPS 13 (2026) is a budget laptop packing premium-grade features like an aluminum chassis, bright touchscreen display, and an ultraportable design.
• Who is it for? For budget-conscious folks who still want a quality laptop for everyday work.
• What does it cost? The new Dell XPS 13 starts at $699 for a model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, though that will raise the price. You can buy it now from Dell.
• What do we like? We like the premium, thin and light design, vivid display, fast performance, and long battery life.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the poor webcam quality.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Specs

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: The ups

The new Dell XPS 13 impresses thanks to its elegant build, fast performance, vivid touchscreen display, and epic battery life.

Thin and light design

Dell didn’t skimp on the XPS 13’s design. Yes, it’s a budget laptop, but it doesn’t look or feel like one, thanks to its CNC aluminum chassis and sleek overall design. Though it's the company’s thinnest XPS laptop and lighter and slimmer than the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air, its sturdy frame doesn’t flex easily.

Measuring 11.69 x 7.90 x 0.50 inches and weighing just 2.2 pounds, it’s the perfect travel laptop. If you’re carrying many things in your backpack, the XPS 13 won’t add much burden. Taking it around your office or home is also easy.

Speaking of size, the keyboard deck gives you just enough space to type comfortably. One interesting thing is that, unlike the current XPS laptops, this 13-inch model swaps the lattice-less keyboard for a more traditional keyboard deck. I don’t mind typing on the Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16’s keyboards, but I must admit that the XPS 13’s key spacing and key caps feel more natural to type on.

Opening the laptop is seamless thanks to the handy lip on the lid. I've often complained about the lack of this design element in other XPS laptops, so it's great to see a lip on the budget model. Thank you, Dell!

Connectivity-wise, the XPS 13 has only two USB-C ports. While that’s a bummer, they’re both USB 3.2 Gen 2 compared to the Neo’s single USB 3.2 Gen 2 and older USB 2.0. There isn’t a 3.5mm headphone jack either, which is disappointing.

Regarding audio, the quad-speaker audio setup with 8W total peak output is generally good, especially for podcast-type content. However, the middling bass isn’t ideal for music. Still, for a laptop at this price, you get surprisingly decent sound.

Vivid display

On its own, the XPS 13’s display is fairly standard. However, compared to similarly priced budget laptops, the panel here is very impressive.

Static images, videos, text, and everything else look sharp on the 13.4-inch screen thanks to the 2.5K resolution. Both SDR and HDR content appear bright and colorful, as I experienced firsthand while watching a video featuring colorful animals and scenery. And thanks to the 30-120Hz variable refresh rate, everything moves smoothly.

Our lab tests align with my experience. The XPS 13 delivers good color representation (sRGB and DCI-P3) and color accuracy (Delta-E). The MacBook Neo delivers slightly oversaturated hues compared to the XPS 13, and its display can get much brighter with both SDR and HDR content.

Again, I want to stress how impressive it is to see these values on budget machines, as you’d usually get duller displays at this price point.

Lastly, there’s the XPS 13’s touchscreen. Touch support on laptops is a feature I don’t often use but always appreciate if it’s there. This is also a big feature that the MacBook Neo lacks. I find touch controls as responsive as the touchpad’s, with the screen never failing to register my gestures. If you’d prefer using touch controls with certain apps, you have that option here.

Strong performance

All configurations of the XPS 13 include the new Intel Core 5 320 “Wildcat Lake” CPU, which is the company’s lower-end processor for budget laptops. You can configure the XPS 13 with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. We reviewed the $699 entry-level model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

The XPS 13 handled my average workflow without issue, which usually includes up to 15 open Chrome tabs and the occasional YouTube video running in the background. It also didn’t get too hot under that workload. While tasks like video editing or gaming are too demanding for this laptop, it’s more than capable for everyday work and video streaming.

Dell’s laptop performed well in our lab tests. On Geekbench 6, which measures overall CPU performance, the XPS 13 scored 2684 in single-core and 7952 in multi-core. Those aren’t mind-blowing numbers, but given this laptop’s specs and price, they’re solid. However, the MacBook Neo has better overall CPU performance.

On the Handbrake test, the XPS 13 took almost ten minutes to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. It performed this task about 40 seconds faster than the MacBook Neo. But on the Blackmagic SSD test, Apple’s laptop completely outperformed the XPS 13.

The Dell XPS 13 isn’t designed for high-end gaming. In the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme test, which measures a machine’s graphical performance, the XPS 13 scored 2455, averaging 14 frames per second. The MacBook Neo did better, with a 3661 score and 21 fps. Using its built-in benchmark tool, Borderlands 3 ran at an unplayable 8.7 fps at 1080p, just one frame lower than the MacBook Neo’s 9.6 frames per second.

Long-lasting battery life

In our battery life test, which involves continuous Wi-Fi web surfing with the display set to 150 nits, the Dell XPS 13 lasted an impressive 14 hours and 29 minutes. While that’s short of the advertised 17 hours, 14 and a half hours of endurance from a Windows laptop is still no joke.

In comparison, the MacBook Neo lasted for 13 hours and 26 minutes on the same test. That’s also impressive, but it’s still an hour shorter. Thanks to its endurance, you won’t have to worry if you accidentally leave the XPS 13’s 65W charger at home.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: The downs

While the XPS 13 has a lot going for it, it falls short in one main area.

So-so webcam

The good news is that the XPS 13 doesn’t have a cheap 720p webcam that budget laptops have been known for. However, while its 1080p webcam isn’t the worst, don’t expect it to make you look your best during video calls.

As you can see above, the image quality is generally blurry and a little washed out. I'm pale, but I have some color on my skin! You can always connect one of the best webcams for better results, but out of the box, you’ll get so-so quality at best.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) review: Verdict

If I haven't already made it clear, I'll say it again: The Dell XPS 13 (2026) is the best budget Windows laptop right now. I know someone will eventually come to challenge the MacBook Neo, but I didn't expect it to happen this fast or this well.

By bringing the finest aspects of the XPS laptop line to an affordable laptop, Dell has delivered a winner. For $699, this is a laptop that's hard to deny.

The new Asus Zenbook Duo has a lot going for it. The Duo sports a dramatic redesign that can enclose the keyboard inside the two displays for extra portability, a strong sturdy hinge to support the dual OLED panels, the powerful Intel X9 chipset with best-in-class Arc B390 integrated graphics, and fantastic ergonomics.

But it is pricey. While anyone can pick up the Zenbook Duo, the laptop is intended for creators and editors who need the extra screen-space of a dual-panel setup. Which begs the question: are two panels really better than one?

To see if a dual screen laptop is really that much better than a standard clamshell laptop, I replaced my Apple MacBook Pro M1 Pro for a week with the Zenbook Duo (2026).

The OLED difference

While my MacBook Pro was cutting edge when I bought it, the M1 Pro is now five years old, compared to the Zenbook Duo’s brand new Intel processor.

However, I don’t often need to edit enough video to really stress out the M1 Pro even after five years of daily usage. So while the Zenbook Duo is perhaps a bit faster than my MacBook, it’s a pretty close comparison in terms of general multitasking performance.

Instead, the Zenbook’s major upgrade over my Mac is its dual OLED touch displays. For all of Apple’s claims, the Liquid Retina display on my MacBook Pro just doesn’t have the same vibrancy and near-infinite contrast as an OLED display.

Both laptops have displays that look fantastic for streaming purposes, complete with HDR capabilities. So you can finally figure out what happened during the Battle of Winterfell in Game of Thrones’ final season a decade later.

But the real difference between the OLED and Liquid Retina displays is most essential when doing photo and video color grading. The color accuracy and high contrast of the Zenbook Duo’s OLED panels makes it a better choice for subtle color tweaks compared to my aging MacBook Pro.

Dual panel editing is unbeatable

For years I’ve used a split-screen setup on my desktop’s 27-inch monitor, or rocked a dual monitor/dual device setup for work purposes. Because having extra screen space is never a bad thing.

But that always leaves me with the struggle of frantically switching tabs or relying on tiny multi-window setups on my laptops when travelling or commuting. It’s workable but it’s not ideal.

Enter the Zenbook Duo. While setting up with my two screens, detached keyboard, and stylus at the local coffee shop is a little aggressive for a quick cafe work session, the Duo’s redesign really makes it much easier to take a dual-screen laptop on the go and get all the functionality you need.

And having the second display makes writing, editing, email and calendar management a treat. But the real benefit is when I broke out some video editing I’d been putting off doing on my MacBook.

Not only did the Zenbook Duo have no issue splicing together two massive files in CapCut, running some color correction, adding some on-screen text, being able to reference my script notes while doing the edit pass provided an almost desktop-like experience. Despite being on a laptop in a cafe.

It was exactly the kind of experience upgrade that makes doing highly complicated tasks on a laptop feel so much easier. Add in the touchscreen controls for extra-fine tuning in photo and video editing, and the Zenbook Duo is a nearly unmatched creator laptop.

Traditional single screen laptops just can’t compare

For most users, a dual screen laptop is just bragging rights. It's cool to have but not the most essential item. So paying $2,099 (or $2,299 for our review spec), is a bit of a hard sell when a single-screen clamshell laptop is more than sufficient for their day to day uses.

But for content creators in need of a new laptop, the Zenbook Duo is almost essential. It’s easily portable, has two beautiful OLED displays, and despite lacking a discrete GPU, the Zenbook Duo is a graphics powerhouse on gaming, photo, and video editing tasks.

The only downfall of the Zenbook Duo is its high price-tag, but considering all the utility and performance you get with the Duo, the price isn’t as bad as it could be.

And for creators looking at high-end Macs or windows laptops with discrete GPUs, $2,299 isn’t out of the question. While a MacBook Pro M5 Max or content creator laptop with an Nvidia GPU may have a bit more raw horsepower to work with, the Zenbook Duo isn’t far behind in performance.

Of course, if you’re in need of some extra graphics power, the ROG Zephyrus Duo may be the better option. But unless you’re doing a lot of 3D design, the Zenbook Duo is powerful enough, and far more affordable. But any single-screen laptop just can’t compare when it comes to ease of editing on a dual-screen device like the Duo.

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Choosing a college is stressful, so picking a laptop that will last the next four years and beyond with you shouldn’t be. Every back-to-school season, I hear people making the same sizing mistake. They opt for a tiny 13-inch ultraportable to avoid weighing down their bag, only to endlessly squint at PDFs and scroll, or they opt for a 16-inch desktop replacement that will end up compressing their spine hauling it around campus.

The extremes are a trap. The Goldilocks principle applies to finding the right size for your school laptop, and 14 inches is that “just right” sweet spot. This is the only form factor that makes sense for the vast majority of students. Here’s why a 14-inch laptop is the clear choice for students and how recent hardware shifts have helped cement this reality.

The golden ratio

I used a 15-inch laptop in college, and trying to fit that behemoth on the often microscopic fold-out desks in a crowded lecture hall was a study in futility.

While modern classrooms have largely solved this problem, that large laptop is still a menace to take in and out of your bag repeatedly during the day, and it just weighs you down unnecessarily.

This just isn’t necessary anymore. The Asus Zenbook S14 is the perfect poster child for the ascendancy of the 14-inch laptop for students. You have all of the benefits of those larger laptops thanks to its 3K OLED panel and its 16:10 aspect ratio, while it weighs only 2.6 pounds and measures less than half an inch thick.

By shifting to a taller 16:10 layout, you gain crucial vertical real estate on your screen. It’s the difference between reading a syllabus or viewing an entire spreadsheet and having to scroll constantly.

It also enables proper multitasking by giving you the room to snap your browser to one side and a doc to the other so you can research or watch a lecture and write without everything turning into unreadable mush. Trying that same workflow on a 13-inch laptop could be endlessly frustrating.

Battery life 101

Another reason to avoid a smaller laptop in the past was that you would be left hunting for a wall outlet in a crowded library or an ancient lecture hall. Your diminutive laptop with a power-hungry x86 chip wasn’t going to make it more than a few hours before it would call it quits for the day.

That compromise is also dead. And while ARM-based chips have dominated much of the battery life discussion in the past few years, Intel’s newest Panther Lake architecture has clawed its way back into the conversation with outstanding efficiency.

Even the more powerful options like the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H inside the Asus Zenbook S14 show better battery life than power-sipping chips from previous generations.

Intel’s tile-based design, which includes dedicated “Low Power Island” efficiency cores, ensures that when you are doing simple tasks — juggling Chrome tabs, streaming Spotify, or typing a paper — you stay on those low-power cores. This goes hand-in-hand with the benefits of the NPU, which handles local AI tasks without touching the CPU or GPU.

The result is a 14-inch laptop that can deliver all-day battery life for typical student needs, so you can leave your charger at home. You also get to skip the worries about emulation that come from ARM-based laptops, which can be a headache with some older, niche academic software.

Built for campus life

Large laptops can also counterintuitively be less durable, as a thicker metal slab is more likely to dent or scratch if dropped or just accidentally bumped against a hard library table.

The Asus Zenbook S14 enjoys a unique advantage here as it is made from Asus’ proprietary “Ceraluminum” finish, which is a mix of ceramic and aluminum.

This gives it the sturdy toughness of an aluminum frame, but superior scratch resistance from the ceramic. So your laptop won’t look like it’s already had to survive four years of college after the first semester.

Unless you specifically need a massive laptop for video editing or running demanding games in your downtime, there is no reason to carry the extra bulk.

On the flip side, you simply aren’t saving that much weight, and you are giving up valuable screen real estate and keyboard comfort by opting for a 13-inch or smaller laptop. The 14-inch laptop isn’t a compromise between large and small; it’s leveraging today's technology to enjoy the benefits of both without sacrificing anything.

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Apple’s Mac lineup will get a major overhaul starting later this year. That’s according to Bloomberg reporter and Apple tipster Mark Gurman, whose sources gave him a rundown of the upcoming Macs.

Things will kick off with a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring the new M6 chip, along with a new iMac that will also sport the yet-to-be-announced processor. Development of these Macs is reportedly complete, but they aren’t likely to ship until the fall.

The next biggest release should be higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBooks with OLED panels and a new design. These brand-new editions to the MacBook line will have M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Apple will reportedly release these MacBooks in late 2026 or early 2027.

New MacBook Air models are expected early in 2027. These 13- and 15-inch laptops will apparently resemble the current models, though Apple is reportedly developing an OLED model for 2028. There will be another MacBook Pro with a new design and packing an M7 chip sometime in 2027.

Additionally, Apple is working on a refreshed MacBook Neo. This model reportedly runs on the updated A19 Pro chip and more RAM. The report doesn’t say anything about pricing or when this laptop will launch.

Gurman’s report also says that a new iMac with an OLED screen is in the works, but won’t be released until later. Apple is also planning new Mac mini and Mac Studio models with refreshed chips. This includes the M5 Pro and M6 for the Mac mini, and the M5 Max and M5 Ultra for the Mac Studio.

Outlook

As always, take this report with a grain of salt, as Apple hasn’t made any official announcements about these Mac models. There’s certainly a lot to look forward to if all of this is accurate, though with the ongoing RAM crisis, it’s anyone’s guess when these computers will actually release and how much they’ll cost. As always, stay tuned for more as we hear further reports.

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If you’re looking for a laptop for school, you need something reliable that’ll get you through classes without needing to ask your professor where the closest outlet is. You need a laptop that is both sturdy and light, so you don’t feel like you’re lugging around a bag of bricks. Some of these textbooks are heavy enough as it is.

As long as you know what you’re looking for, you can suss out the perfect laptop out of a crowd. Don’t worry, I’m going to help guide you along through the key features you need to keep an eye out for when shopping just before the semester starts.

A great example is the Asus Vivobook 16. It encompasses all of the qualities that you want out of a school laptop.

Here’s what you should be looking for.

Portability

You’re going to be zipping around from class to class, so you want a laptop that is light to carry and won’t shatter to pieces if you drop it.

Larger laptops are more likely to be heavy, so usually I’d recommend something around or under 4 pounds. The Vivobook 16 does ride that line, at 4.14 pounds, but it is a 16-inch laptop, so you’re getting a lot of real estate in exchange. And it still manages to stay relatively thin, at 0.78 inches. Any laptops within this range should be able to slip into your pack with ease, and hopefully you remember it’s there before you toss your bag to the floor when you get home.

However, if you do hurl your bag across the room, a proper school laptop will be fine. With regard to durability, the key feature you’ll want to look for on any laptop is that US MIL-STD 810H badge. It’s proof that the laptop underwent 12 military-grade tests, which include pitting the laptop against drops, vibrations, extreme temperatures, sand and dust, humidity, and more. The Asus Vivobook 16 underwent these tests, and you can see them in greater detail here.

With the external portability aspects covered, the next thing you should worry about is battery life. Being able to carry a laptop anywhere with ease is great and all, but if it dies before your first class ends, then what’s the point? I recommend looking for laptops with at least over 10 hours of battery life. That should be enough to get you through a school day.

Comfortability

If I’m interacting with a laptop for a full day between classes and homework, it sure better be comfortable. But what does comfort for a laptop entail? Well, it comes down to the keyboard, touchpad, and even the display. Your key points of interaction with a laptop will define your entire experience with it.

With a keyboard, you want something that’s well-spaced, distinguishably-shaped, and offers decently high key-travel. It’s tough to get an idea of these features from afar when shopping online. However, manufacturers will list things like key travel. For example, the Asus Vivobook 16 offers 1.4mm of key travel, which is enough depth that it should provide some solid feedback. I do recommend hitting up your local laptop seller and testing out a few keyboards.

I could say the same about touchpads. It comes down to the experience, but you can get an idea of what a touchpad might feel like depending on the materials listed on a product’s website. If you find something with a glass touchpad, you’re in for a silky smooth surface. Plastic can be hit or miss, and Mylar is generally smooth but not as much as glass.

Then there’s the display, which you’re going to be staring at all day long. It’s ideal if you can find a gorgeous OLED display to watch all your favorite shows after class. However, eye-strain is real, so I would look into finding a laptop, like the Vivobook 16, with a TÜV Rheinland-certified display. These screens are tested to ensure there are low blue-light emissions and that they’re flicker-free. Both of which can reduce eye-strain and the potential headaches that come with staring at a screen for an ungodly amount of time.

Value

The last thing you need is to spend thousands of dollars on a laptop that offers more power than you can possibly need. What you do need is a laptop with an excellent price-to-performance ratio. In other words, we’re looking for good value. But what constitutes a good value? This is where we get a little crunchy and look at specs.

For example, the Vivobook 16 is currently on sale for $549 and is outfitted with an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. Most budget laptops around this price would’ve already taken you down to 8GB of RAM and a Core i5 CPU. The storage is just about right, but there are cheap laptops that do drop down to 256GB.

Want to make sure you’ll survive school with no performance hiccups? Look for an Intel Core i7, an AMD Ryzen 7, or a Snapdragon X2 CPU with 16GB of RAM. Storage is up in the air unless you think you’re going to be hoarding gigabytes worth of essays, so use your own judgement. As far as the overall price goes, keep it under $800. There are plenty of great laptops out there that’ll manage school work just fine under that price. You can go even lower if you think you’ll be carrying a light load.

Overall, the Asus Vivobook 16 is a great example of a school laptop and should be worth considering if you’re looking for a solid performer in a portable package with a large screen and high-travel keyboard.

Watch out, MacBook Neo! The new Dell XPS 13 is here, and it could arguably be the best budget laptop available. With a starting price of $699, it packs many of the features you’d find in higher-end XPS laptops. Given the ongoing RAM crisis, this notebook is seriously worth considering for what it offers.

Unlike most budget Windows laptops, the XPS 13 has a CNC aluminum chassis built to the same standards as its more expensive XPS counterparts. Not only does it look great, but it’s also the thinnest XPS laptop ever. Toss in other features, such as a vivid 2.5K touch display, a backlit keyboard, and fast performance, and you have a winner.

I’ve spent 48 hours with the Dell XPS 13 and find that it lives up to the hype. To be clear, I tested the model with 16GB of RAM, which retails for $899. I’ll review the model with 8GB of RAM soon, but for now, here’s what I think of the new Dell XPS 13.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Specs

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Design

“Wow, that’s light,” was the first thing I said when I picked up the XPS 13. And that wasn’t just my brain playing tricks on me. At 2.2 pounds, this laptop is lighter than the 2.7-pound 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Neo. This is exactly the kind of laptop I want to travel with since it’s so light — a fact that was very clear when I barely felt it in my backpack when I brought the XPS 13 from the office to my apartment.

The smooth aluminum chassis also ensures that the XPS 13 is plenty sturdy, as it doesn’t easily bend or flex. This is a far cry from the plastic laptops I’m used to in this price range. I’m glad that Dell didn’t sacrifice build quality to drop the price, as the aluminum casing is an important selling point here.

Another big selling point for anyone deciding between the XPS 13 and the MacBook Neo is the former’s backlit keyboard. This is something some folks don’t think about, since many laptops have backlit keyboards, but if you work at night or just need help seeing the keys, it’s a crucial feature.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Display

The Dell XPS 13 has a 13.4-inch 2.5K-resolution touchscreen display. Though it’s not an OLED panel, everything looks bright and colorful to me. When running a video featuring colorful animals, I was impressed by the color representation and accuracy. Naturally, text-heavy websites are very clear.

As you can see from our display benchmarks, the XPS 13 delivers solid color representation (sRGB and DCI-P3) and color accuracy (Delta-E). While Dell’s notebook has higher resolution and touch support, the MacBook Neo matches the XPS 13 in color representation and accuracy. However, the Neo's display is overall brighter, especially with SDR content.

While the 13-inch MacBook Air has a slightly taller display at 13.6 inches, everything is still clear on the XPS 13’s display. This is a big win, especially since laptops in this price range tend to have duller displays.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Performance

The XPS 13 features the new Wildcat Lake CPU and gives me my first chance to test a laptop with Intel’s lower-end Series 3 processor. Our review unit also has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. While these specs aren’t mind-blowing, they get the job done.

Even with 15 Microsoft Edge tabs open and a YouTube video running in the background, the XPS 13 didn’t noticeably slow down. My experience aligns with our CPU benchmarks, which show solid single- and multi-core scores.

Even with its 8GB of RAM, the MacBook Neo has a slight edge in CPU performance, underscoring the incredible efficiency of Apple’s affordable laptop. As for the Handbrake video transcoding test, the MacBook Neo performed the task about 10 seconds faster.

We haven't run our battery life test yet, but Dell claims up to 17 hours of streaming battery life for the XPS 13. We’ll see if the XPS 13 can match the Neo’s 13.5-hour endurance in our lab tests. If Dell can match or exceed that, it would be another big reason to buy.

Dell XPS 13 (2026): Outlook

For what it offers, the Dell XPS 13 is an excellent budget Windows laptop. It’s extremely rare to find such a solid notebook at this price point. I’ll have a full review for you soon, but based on my experience so far, I’m very impressed with what Dell has delivered.

As for the MacBook Neo comparisons, they’re even more relevant now, given Apple’s price hikes, which have put the Neo at the same starting price as the XPS 13. If you’re married to a specific platform (macOS or Windows 11), the decision should be easy. However, if you just want the best value, you now have two strong options.

Stay tuned for my full XPS 13 review, along with a deeper face-off between Dell’s laptop and the MacBook Neo to help you decide which one is best for your needs.

More from Tom's Guide

• I ditched the MacBook Air for a MacBook Neo for 48 hours — and I'm shocked
• We benchmarked the MacBook Neo vs budget Windows laptops
• How to maximize your MacBook Neo for peak performance

To be considered one of the best gaming laptops, a PC must do a few things: pack a high refresh rate for smooth gameplay; make colors look vibrant; and it shouldn’t overheat. The MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W does all that and more. Boasting excellent color coverage and accuracy, as well as a 240Hz refresh rate, the Crosshair 16 HX packs performance in spades.

The Crosshair 16 HX also features an effective, albeit extremely loud, cooling system that ensures the laptop doesn’t get too hot during intensive games. All of these goodies are packed into a lovely, premium and practical design — but it also houses the laptop’s mediocre battery life, which puts a damper on things.

For the complete breakdown, read my full MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review.

MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review: Specs

MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 16-inch gaming laptop boasting excellent performance across the board
• Who is it for? Gamers looking for a high-performing Windows laptop
• How much does it cost? At the time of writing, pricing hasn’t been confirmed
• What do we like? The great design, outstanding performance, 240Hz refresh rate for gaming, effective cooling system, and great color coverage and accuracy
• What don’t we like? The loud fans and mediocre battery life

MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review: The ups

From its premium design and excellent color coverage to its superb gaming performance and effective cooling system, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W is a formidable laptop.

Gorgeous design with plenty of ports

If you took one look at the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W, you’d instantly know it’s a gaming laptop, through and through. MSI’s dragon shield emblem in teal with a subtle reflective finish graces the laptop’s matte lid, adding a pop of color to the black notebook. I love the aluminum chassis too, which feels and looks premium.

The Crosshair 16 HX E14W is fitted with a 16-inch (2560 x 1600) non-touch screen and the laptop itself measures 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.01 inches — ever-so slightly bigger than the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora ($2,499) and the Dell XPS 16 ($1,749). It fits easily into most regular-sized laptop backpacks, and I’ve had no issues carrying it to and from work. It weighs 5.07 pounds, so while it isn’t as light as the MacBook Pro M5 (3.4 pounds, $1,599), it isn’t as bulky as the 5.66lbs Alienware 16X Aurora.

I’ve tested many MSI monitors and I’ve come to expect great build quality from the Taiwanese company — this applies to the Crosshair 16 HX too, from the overall construction to its keyboard and trackpad. The low-profile keyboard is a sheer delight to type on, with each key’s total travel distance of 1.7mm making typing fatigue-free. It also features four-zone RGB which can be customized via pre-installed software — and it further reaffirms that this is a Gaming laptop, with a capital G. I found the trackpad responsive and comfortable in my testing too.

The Crosshair 16 HX doesn’t give you much to complain about in the I/O and ports department, either. The laptop’s left edge sports the power and two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort and 100W Power Delivery), while the right edge houses the 3.5mm audio jack as well as two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports. The RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI 2.1 (8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz) and another USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port are located on the rear. That should be plenty for connecting keyboards, mice, monitors and headsets.

Stunning, bright display

The MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W packs a beautiful QHD+ panel that’s truly a sight to behold. Having used the laptop for gaming, productivity, and even testing monitors, I can confidently say its screen won’t give you much to complain about. The 2.5K panel packs plenty of resolution to make games feel immersive, and it’s enough for enjoying movies and YouTube videos, too.

Speaking of gaming, the Crosshair 16 HX has a refresh rate of 240Hz — same as the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora — and this ensures silky smooth performance in a range of games, including but not limited to Forza Horizon 5 and Counter-Strike 2. I’ll discuss gaming performance in detail shortly, but let’s talk about colors and brightness first.

I’ve been extremely impressed with the Crosshair 16 HX’s bright and vivid display. The World Wildlife 4K YouTube video, which I always watch when testing laptops, looked nothing short of stunning. Vivid colors, rich blues and greens, inky blacks, and controlled highlights all contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience.

I put the Crosshair 16 HX through its paces in my lab testing, and the results confirmed what I saw on screen. The laptop covers 157.5% of the sRGB color space and 111.6% of the wider DCI P3 gamut. 100% is the most accurate while anything above that has more saturation, and the Crosshair 16 HX goes above and beyond, delivering the entire color spectrum for your eyes to feast on. It blows its competitors out of the water, as you can see in the table above.

Alongside color coverage, the Crosshair 16 HX’s color accuracy is phenomenal, too. In my lab testing, it achieved a Delta-E score of 0.2, besting the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora and the Razer Blade 16 ($2,999), and being on level playing field with the MacBook Pro M5. The closer the Delta-E score to zero, the better, so 0.2 is great and what we usually see when testing the best laptops.

In terms of brightness, the Crosshair 16 HX achieved 447 nits in my testing, and it’s beaten by a hair's breadth only by the MacBook Pro M5. Other Windows laptops in the same price range or just over fail to upstage it, as you can see above. In real-world usage, I had no issues seeing the Crosshair 16 HX’s screen, regardless of the lighting conditions.

Great performance across the board

Regardless of the task I did, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W performed formidably, and I was impressed with its performance across the board. You can get the laptop in a few configurations (full details here), and my review unit, also the top-line configuration, came fitted with the Intel Core i7 14650HX chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card.

I conducted my benchmark tests, as I do with every other laptop I test, and I was satisfied with the results. On Geekbench 6, which tests and measures overall CPU performance, the 16X Aurora pulled in a solid multi-core score of 15,982, outclassing the Alienware x16 R2 ($2,099). The MacBook Pro M5, the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora and the Razer Blade 16 perform better than the Crosshair 16 HX E14W, but not by much.

What impressed me most, though, was how the Crosshair 16 HX outperformed the MacBook Pro M5 and nearly every other laptop in our HandBrake video editing test (transcoding a 4K video to 1080p). The Crosshair 16 HX is outdone by the Razer Blade 16 but only by a narrow margin.

Last but not least, I measured the Crosshair 16 HX’s read and write speeds using the BlackMagic Disk Speed test, and the laptop performed well. As you can see from the table above, the Crosshair 16 HX achieved 4,575 write and 5,055 read speeds, trumping the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora.

Having used both the Crosshair 16 HX and Alienware 16X Aurora extensively for productivity-oriented tasks, like working in Google Docs, browsing the web, and even editing photos, I can confirm that both laptops perform well. The MacBook Pro M5 does better, though, but for everyday use, the Crosshair 16 HX is more than enough.

Excellent gaming performance

As I’ve said a few times now, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W is first and foremost a gaming laptop — and a great one at that. My review unit came packed with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and the entry-level configuration features a 5060 card. At its native resolution of 2560 x 1600 and refresh rate of 240Hz, the Crosshair 16 HX performs formidably, running even intensive Steam games without breaking a sweat.

I ran in-game benchmark tests, and you can see the results in the table above. With Extreme graphics enabled, Forza Horizon 5 achieved an average frame rate of 102fps, which is excellent for a system-hungry game. With features like Ray-Traced Lighting set to Ultra in Cyberpunk 2077, the laptop achieved an average FPS of 55fps — about 8fps less than the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora. F1 25 was the standout, as even with graphics set to Ultra High, the game ran at a silky smooth 143fps. In Counter-Strike 2, a game not as intensive as the others, the maximum FPS achieved was a whopping 228.

So, the benchmark results are great, and the laptop sounds fantastic on paper, and the best part is, it’s even better in real-world use. The visuals are nothing short of sublime. The screen delivers rich, punchy colors without looking overly saturated, which I especially enjoyed when roaming the neon-laden streets of Cyberpunk 2077. For an IPS panel, the contrast is good too, though naturally, blacks don’t appear as deep as on an OLED display.

In Forza Horizon 5 and F1 25, I appreciated the smooth motion and how well the games ran, as I didn’t experience any ghosting or lag. The 240Hz panel shone in Counter-Strike 2. Tracking targets felt effortless as they remained clear throughout, and rapidly flicking between enemies felt controlled rather than blurry. Overall, the Crosshair 16 HX delivers a thoroughly enjoyable and immersive gaming experience. You shouldn’t have any qualms with its performance.

Powerful cooling system

Unlike the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora, which can get very hot, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W remained cool throughout my testing. Whether I was playing games or had 40 tabs open at once, the laptop didn’t get too hot, and that’s thanks to its excellent cooling system. It utilizes MSI’s Cooler Boost technology, which optimizes airflow and heat transfer, and packs large cooling fans as well as four exhaust vents to quickly push heat out of the chassis.

MSI says that this generation features 51.1% more airflow compared to the previous, and its cooling system enables up to 17.6% higher performance “while maintaining the same noise level.” I’ll talk more about the noise in the following section, but for the time being, I can confirm that the Crosshair 16 HX stays as cool as a cucumber.

MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review: The downs

There isn’t much wrong with the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W, but its fans get really loud, and battery life is nothing to write home about.

Fans get very loud

One of the first things I noticed after powering on the MSI Crosshair 16 HX was just how ridiculously loud its fans were. As soon as I booted up Steam, it sounded like the laptop was about to take off. As I mentioned earlier, the Crosshair 16 HX’s cooling fans and system are extremely effective, but it’s still jarring just how loud the fans are. My colleague had a very concerned look on his face when he heard jet engine noises coming from my desk.

This isn’t a dealbreaker but just something to keep in mind. I’d recommend using one of the best gaming headsets — preferably one with active noise cancelation — to ensure the fans’ loudness doesn’t break your immersion.

Poor battery life

Unfortunately, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W’s battery life seriously lets it down, and I wouldn’t recommend using the laptop for intensive gaming if you aren’t close to a plug socket.

I used UL Procyon’s battery benchmark test and calibrated the Crosshair 16 HX’s brightness to 150 nits, then turned off the keyboard’s RGB lighting. I then let it play videos on loop until it ran out of charge. It took two hours and 44 minutes for the Crosshair 16 HX to shut down… and that’s terrible.

When I benchmarked the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora, I thought three hours and one minute was awful, but this is even worse. And while the Razer Blade 16 and the Alienware x16 R2 also have poor battery lives, they aren’t this bad. The MacBook Pro M5, on the other hand, is a titan when it comes to battery life, and the others simply don’t compare. That comparison, however, is a little unfair as MacBooks are built for efficiency, whereas gaming laptops generally don’t prioritize battery life.

MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W review: Verdict

If you want a gaming laptop that doesn’t skimp on performance, the MSI Crosshair 16 HX E14W is one of the best you can buy today. Covering more than 100% of both the sRGB and DCI P3 gamuts and boasting incredible color accuracy, it’s a fantastic choice for both gaming and work. Its 240Hz refresh rate and vivid display don’t give you much to complain about, and its cooling system is highly effective.

But the Crosshair 16 HX isn’t perfect. I love that, in my testing, I didn’t experience any overheating, but I hate how loud and jarring its fans are. They’re immersion-breaking, really. The laptop’s battery life of just under three hours isn’t great either, so it isn’t the best choice for gaming or working on the go.

As long as you don’t mind those compromises, I can’t think of any other reasons to not recommend the Crosshair 16 HX. It’s premium-looking. It’s powerful. Its screen is a joy to look at. While the fan noise may turn heads, everything else deserves your attention.

If you thought Apple raising prices on Macs and iPads would be the end of it, you were sorely mistaken. The company has now raised AppleCare+ prices for various Macs and iPads, with prices rising by $0.50 cents a month, or $5 for those people on annual plans.

However, there is a caveat to this change. For starters, this will only affect new purchases, so those of you who are already paying for AppleCare+ won't suddenly be asked to pay more money. AppleCare One, which offers care for up to three devices, is similarly unaffected.

Bloomberg notes that the cost of covering a 13-inch MacBook Air has risen from $7.49 a month to $7.99 a month, while an annual plan is now $80 a year instead of the $75 you'd have paid last week. The price hikes are affecting all Mac, MacBook and iPad devices the same, but so far, all other Apple products seem to have escaped this particular form of inflation.

I wouldn't expect that to last long, though. As the cost of components goes up, so too will the cost of repairs. While there is no confirmation that AppleCare+ prices will go up for the likes of the iPhone or Apple Watch, odds are that it will happen in the near future. Especially if the iPhone 18 Pro prices increase this year, as they are widely expected to do.

In other words, if you have been putting off signing up for AppleCare+ and want to make sure your Apple devices are protected against damage, you might want to sign up as soon as possible. Although the damage is already done for Macs and iPads, so you folks have all the time in the world to mull over that decision.

Spreading out your iPad payments

AppleCare+ price hikes aren't the only financial changes happening at the App Store, either. Apple has just launched new 36-month carrier financing for cellular-capable iPads, which joins the existing 12-month interest-free financing option.

Like the 12-month finance option, this new 3-year payment plan is interest-free. However, it's provided by the carrier rather than Apple itself. However, you will need to sign up for a data plan, and so far, Apple is only offering this particular payment plan if you're connecting to AT&T or Verizon.

The carrier financing option is also available to existing customers "when connecting to a new line of service." You'll be taken through that process of setting up a new line before you check out, and obviously, this means you will be on the hook for monthly data payments. Though it doesn't make sense to buy a cellular iPad if you're not planning on getting a data plan too.

Considering how much the cost of some iPads has risen due to recent Apple price hikes, it makes sense for a longer interest-free payment plan to be available. For example, an 11-inch iPad Pro with cellular is now $1,399, which is $289 more than the original $1,110 price tag. It's a lot of money to spend on a tablet, but if you split the cost over three years, you end up paying just shy of $39 a month.

Of course, this means you are on the hook for paying that every single month for three years — regardless of how your life and circumstances might change. So there's a trade-off to those low monthly payments. But if you want an iPad Pro and plan on keeping it for the long term, it is a good way to avoid dropping several hundred dollars in one go.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Pixel 11 just leaked via Amazon — here's the specs, colors and obligatory price hike
• iOS 27 hands-on preview: These new features completely change how I use my iPhone
• The end of OnePlus just got confirmed — the original 'flagship killer' brand finally decides to settle

The macOS Golden Gate public beta is now live, giving you a chance to check out all the new features coming to the best MacBooks.

Expected to launch this Fall, macOS Golden Gate primarily focuses on updating Apple Intelligence and Siri, with the latter now officially called Siri AI. You don’t get many new features, but improvements to Liquid Glass’s readability, easier customization, and smoother performance make for an overall better experience.

While Apple’s public betas are generally more stable than the developer builds, it might still be buggy and could cause issues for your Mac. I’ve never experienced serious issues using any of these betas over the years, but it’s worth being cautious. With that said, here’s how to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta.

How to download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta

Downloading the macOS Golden Gate public beta is pretty simple. First, enroll your Apple ID in Apple's Beta Program and make sure your Mac is compatible. Here's the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

That’s all that’s required to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta. Your Mac will restart once the download finishes. After that, you can start trying out all the new features. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just downloaded macOS 27 public beta — skip Siri AI and try these 5 hidden features instead
• Haptic vs. Mechanical trackpads: I put them both through a gauntlet, and one almost made me throw my laptop into the sun
• Exclusive: I asked Lenovo’s GM to predict the future of monitors, and it's the end of our chaotic, cable-cluttered desks and monitors that fry your retinas

I recently had the pleasure (read: displeasure) of helping my sister pick out a new laptop. Not only was there pressure on me to find the perfect machine for her, but I also had to make sure every small detail was taken care of.

After days of searching, I finally landed on a laptop that ticked all her boxes: specs, battery life, thinness, a great display, and solid speakers. It was only two days into using it that I actually got to hear her real complaint, and it wasn't any of the things she'd originally mentioned.

She said the trackpad on her new laptop just wasn't as good as the one on her old machine. And that got me thinking about how these small things end up making a huge difference whenever you buy a new laptop.

The trackpad is one of the things we use every single day without ever really paying attention to it. It's easily the most used part of a laptop for everyday use, unless you've got one of the best touchscreen laptops.

So it got me wondering: how different are mechanical and haptic trackpads on these laptops, really? After testing both across a range of scenarios, I've got a pretty clear favorite. And one of those experiences almost made me want to throw my laptop off the fourth floor.

Before we begin

Now, before we get into it, there are, of course, more scientific ways of testing which trackpad is better. But we put a Lenovo IdeaPad and a MacBook Air side by side and ran through a handful of real-world tests to see which one comes out on top.

While they're not the most scientific, they are definitely rigorous (and a little goofy) and they do mimic how people actually use their laptops. So you'll come away with a pretty good idea of which one works better for you.

It's also worth noting that both laptops were kept on their default out-of-the-box settings. Nothing related to trackpad tracking, speed, or any other setting has been changed.

The sweaty gaming test

For the first test, we put both laptops through a real-world scenario that almost all of us go through: using a laptop while eating and watching something. For this test, I ate a full bag of buttery popcorn to get my fingers properly greasy, then played a game of Minesweeper on both the MacBook and the IdeaPad.

This is a good precision test, in my opinion, since the touch targets are pretty small. It gives us a solid idea of how each trackpad handles when there's something between your fingers and the surface.

As expected, the MacBook Air's haptic trackpad had no trouble at all maintaining pointer precision. I could easily play the game even within that small area, whereas the IdeaPad's mechanical trackpad kept misplacing the cursor by a few pixels every time I moved my finger.

It wasn't a huge difference, and I wouldn't recommend using your trackpad with grease on your fingers regardless. But if that's something you end up doing often, a haptic trackpad handles it far better.

Winner: Haptic trackpad

The commute simulator

For the second test, we needed to simulate the one thing every laptop user eventually deals with: trying to get work done while commuting.

So I got into my car's backseat and had a friend drive me around the block while I tried to highlight the same sentence in a document with the font set to just 6pt. And mind you, my block has plenty of speed bumps, which makes this even better. I think this is a great test for misclicks, since the tiny font leaves no margin for error.

After running the test three or four times on both laptops, I found that both trackpads were equally bad, just for different reasons.

The haptic trackpad is quite sensitive, so even small bumps or sudden movements in the car would cause a completely different line to be selected. The mechanical trackpad wasn't any better, though.

You basically need two hands to reliably select a line on it. Sure, you can do it with one finger, but it just works better with two. And even then, the slightest movement would select more lines than the one I was actually going for.

Winner: Draw

The Drag-and-drop deathmatch

For the final test, I wanted to see how each trackpad holds up under sustained work involving a lot of gestures. Clicking and selecting is one thing, but working with gestures continuously, especially on modern operating systems, is something all of us do daily.

So I set up a few test files arranged in a straight vertical line down my desktop and tried dragging them into a specific folder to see how far I could get. It sounds silly, but moving files between desktops or folders is something I genuinely dread on modern trackpads. This felt like a great test of whether the old mechanical setup could keep up.

It's worth noting that on haptic trackpads, you can simply click and drag, or long-press and drag the icon over to the folder. This functionality has made its way to modern mechanical trackpads, too, where you can now drag and drop while holding. Even so, it still feels easier when you hold down the left click button and drag the icon over the folder with your other finger.

And as expected, the haptic trackpad made dragging and dropping files pretty effortless, since you can do the whole thing in one continuous click. Sure, the mechanical trackpad can technically do the same. It just feels different because the click isn't quite clicky enough. There's always that hollow feeling, and the icon tends to unpress itself halfway through. Dragging with just one finger is noticeably harder.

Of course, a lot of this comes down to trackpad size as well, but the Windows and macOS machines I was using had roughly the same size trackpad.

Winner: Haptic trackpad

Verdict

It's pretty clear that haptic trackpads are generally far more useful than the older mechanical ones. I'm not entirely sure why Windows laptops still stick with the mechanical mechanism (I know, it's the lower manufacturing cost), but I really hope more manufacturers make the switch to haptics sooner rather than later.

I'm hoping the upcoming RTX Spark laptops, set to debut in the second half of the year, make that jump, so we don't just get a performance boost, but a genuine overall experience upgrade as well.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested the $299 X By Xreal a01+ AR glasses over 25,000 miles of travel — they’re proof that we don’t need fancy spatial tracking, we just need a cheaper screen
• I just tested the ‘world’s first 6K touchscreen’ monitor — its color coverage and accuracy blew me away but its price tag brought me back down to earth
• I grinded enough Microsoft reward points to get GTA 6 for free — here's how you can do it too

We're now into July, which means we've done six full months of testing here at Tom's Guide in 2026. From coffee machines, through to vacuums, gaming handhelds, laptops and phones — not only is it our job to put tech through its paces, it's what our journalists, editors and contributors love to do.

I'm Pete, Senior Reviews Editor here at Tom's Guide, and I head up our reviews coverage on site. My team of dedicated reviews writers alone have lab tested and reviewed hundreds of products already this year, with the wider Tom's Guide editorial team having testing dozens more. If you've not had your finger precisely on the pulse of the latest tech this year, well, I don't blame you — it's hard to keep tabs on everything. That's why we exist.

To help, I've gathered the Tom's Guide team's favorite products from 2026 so far. Obviously, I can't fit everything into a single article, so I asked our subject experts across the site to give me their top picks, too. I've also curated the top five highest scorers, which stand above the rest. Every product on here has been tested by us, hands-on, as part of a full, extensive review.

Read on to see the tech Tom's Guide loved in the first half of 2026.

Tom's Guide's Top 5

Every product on this list has scored at least four stars, earning our TG Recommended or Editor's Choice badges. But there are five products on this list that scored our full five stars after testing. These are the best of the best so far this year. To save you some time, here are the links to our reviews.

• DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review ★★★★★
• 007 First Light review ★★★★★
• KitchenAid Artisan Plus review ★★★★★
• Gozney Dome XL Gen 2 review ★★★★★
• Samsung S95H OLED review ★★★★★

Keep reading to see the rest of our top tested picks for 2026.

AI

Rokid Glasses

After 5,000 miles in the Rokids, we were seriously impressed
Score: ★★★★☆

The best smart glasses without a display are cool and all, but their features are usually rather limited to just asking questions about what you see. The Rokid Glasses proved to me that adding a screen turns that superpower into an ambient computing platform — offering features only when you need them and disappearing into the background in some stylish specs.

With that display, you get real-time conversation translation with text subtitles so you’re not having to try to listen to your smart glasses talk over the person in front of you. And the multi-modality unlocked by asking a question and just getting answers you can see makes them much more subtle. Not to say they’re perfect — the camera quality for snapping pictures suffers in low light and some features are very China-specific (like Alipay). But arm these with Google Gemini in setup, and they’re a genuinely helpful companion on your face for a decent price.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Rokid Glasses review

Cameras & drones

GoPro Mission 1 Pro

GoPro's return to form in the action camera game
Score: ★★★★½

After years essentially re-releasing the same Hero cameras with minor tweaks, GoPro has finally pushed itself. The Mission 1 Pro is pricey, but it’s the first GoPro I’ve been excited about in a while. It seriously impressed me with its powerful and versatile video credentials in testing, namely open gate 8K and a wealth of shooting features that make it ideal for its target market: professionals. Thanks to revised processor architecture and a shiny new battery, I managed to extract unparalleled battery life and thermals versus other action cameras in my standardized battery tests. GoPro is back!

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full GoPro Mission 1 Pro review

DJI Osmo Pocket 4

The best all-around tool for content creation
Score: ★★★★★

I awarded the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 our full five stars in my review, and that’s because I literally couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Aside from the fact that it’s not available in America (yet?) due to tariffs and DJI’s ongoing feud with the U.S. government. The Osmo Pocket 4 improved on its predecessor in every single way that mattered: video, stabilization, storage, thermals, battery life, and more. If you’re after a single tool for professional-looking content creation, I really can’t think of anything better to recommend.

Pete Wolinski, Senior Reviews & Cameras Editor
Read Pete’s full DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review

DJI Avata 360

Although a little late to the 360 party, DJI absolutely smashed it
Score: ★★★★½

The DJI Avata 360 does exactly what you want a drone to do: make flying fun. It stakes its claim as the best 360° drone around (granted, there are only two at the time of writing, but still!) and its twin lenses capture every single angle in 8K at 60fps. 120MP hi-res stills, user-friendly editing software, and exceptional build quality make it the drone to buy today. It also undercuts its main competitor, the Antigravity A1, and with dual ways to fly (FPV and with a standard controller), the Avata 360 is versatile and oh-so-powerful. Every day I still think about it — and as someone who’s tested many, many quadcopters, that’s saying a lot.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full DJI Avata 360 review

Computing & gaming

MacBook Neo

Our favorite budget laptop, literally ever
Score: ★★★★½

Value for money in laptops has become a bit of a running joke this year (thanks, RAMageddon). But of all the companies building notebooks, I didn’t anticipate it would be Apple to deliver the goods and give you an honest-to-god well-priced system. Yes, there’s been a $100 increase recently, but even with that, the premium aluminum build quality, great display, tactile keyboard and zippy performance of that A18 Pro makes for a great system for the day-to-day essentials.

I must admit, to see Apple actually having fun with colors in its MacBooks is a refreshing change from the blacks and silvers of its more expensive lineage. All of this comes together into a laptop that has terrified the budget Windows laptop market, and the best ultra portable we’ve tested this year.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read our full MacBook Neo review

Asus Zenbook Duo (2026)

Dual OLED panels = chef's kiss
Score: ★★★★½

Yes, this is a dual-screen OLED beauty of a premium laptop; Asus has really paid attention to the design and ergonomics of a system like this. But the real superpower is what lies inside that shell. Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (codenamed Panther Lake) has been a truly generational moment for Team Blue in its Windows laptops, and it comes down to huge updates to both the performance and power efficiency.

Those new CPU cores and efficiency architecture they’re built onto gives this a gargantuan battery life that would make a MacBook blush, while the superpowered GPU (alongside XeSS 3) gives this some serious gaming laptop chops too. Usually, you had to be considerate of just what you wanted to do with your Windows laptop and decide on the strengths and compromises around that. With anything that sports an X9 chip like this, though, that’s no longer a compromise you have to make.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

A true next-gen gaming handheld
Score: ★★★★☆

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ delivers the performance jump I’ve been waiting years for. With Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme chip, games are pulling a 20 to 30+ FPS advantage over AMD Z2 Extreme handhelds. Battery life gets a big boost too. I could hit the same performance as the Z2 Extreme at half the power consumption. Combine that with its major redesign bringing more Xbox-like controls, better haptics, and its large 8-inch 16:10 display, and you’re getting, in my opinion, one of the best handheld gaming consoles of 2026.

Paul Antill, Video Producer
Read our full MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ review

007 First Light

Forget GoldenEye: this is the best Bond game ever
Score: ★★★★★

Gamers are being treated to a licensed games renaissance right now. The days of cheap cash-ins launched to coincide with a new blockbuster movie are over. But even in this golden era for video games based on popular media franchises, 007 First Light surpasses expectations.

Forget GoldenEye, First Light is the best James Bond game ever. With its ludicrously cinematic gameplay, compelling narrative that focuses on a younger Bond (played by Patrick Gibson), and deep commitment to authenticity, 007 First Light is easily the best thing to come out of this long-running spy series in 20 years, movies included. There’s a reason it was only the second video game I’ve given the full five stars. Whether you’re a longtime Bond fan or a newcomer, 007 First Light is quite simply unmissable.

Rory Mellon, Senior Entertainment Editor
Read Rory's full 007 First Light review

Epomaker Glyph

Nikita's dream keyboard
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve tested close to 100 keyboards in my time as a reviews writer, and it isn’t often that I get to proclaim, “I’ve found my dream keyboard.” Ever since I tested the Epomaker Glyph, it hasn’t left my desk, and it’s my daily driver when I’m at the office. Typewriter-like aesthetics, a return lever that acts as an Enter or Backspace key, beautiful RGB lighting, a creamy sound profile, and a typing experience that’s nothing short of stunning — all of these characteristics come together to deliver what’s probably the best mechanical keyboard I’ve used for typing. I’m a speed demon when I’m bashing out 109 words per minute of this thing.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full Epomaker Glyph review

(A note from Nikita's editor, Pete: "I can confirm, the Glyph genuinely hasn't left her desk!")

MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36

Pro performance for under $1,000
Score: ★★★★½

It’s no secret that MSI knows how to make a great gaming monitor, and its MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 is one of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever tested. Blistering 360Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time for buttery smooth gameplay? Check. Ridiculously accurate colors and wide color coverage? Yep. AI sleep and wake features that are actually useful and not just a gimmick? Oh yeah. And all of this is packed into a sleek design with plenty of ports. Not much to complain about here, really.

Nikita Achanta, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Nikita’s full MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 review

Viture Beast AR glasses

Beast by name, beast by nature
Score: ★★★★½

I’ve traveled the world testing all of this year’s biggest AR glasses releases, and Viture Beast stands head and shoulders above the pack as the best I’ve used this year (so far). There’s three reasons why: picture quality, comfort and features. Viture’s color science and fidelity really shines in those micro-OLED displays with a massive 58-degree field of view. There’s a little edge fringing on the sides, but given the massive vision field, it’s unlikely you’ll notice it. And this is packed into a nice-feeling pair of glasses with a soft-touch coating that sits gently on your ears with optimal weight balance. Cap it all off with plenty of customization built in, plus the SpaceWalker app for multi-monitor home office setups, and the Beast are…well…pretty beastly for work and play.

Jason England, Managing Editor, Core Tech
Read Jason's full Viture Beast review

Fitness

Fitbit Air

The best Whoop alternative, and subscription-free
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitbit Air is my fitness tracker of the year so far. Discreet and distraction-free (no screen), this is a fitness tracker that's easy to use, lightweight, and oh-so-comfortable. Just $99 and subscription-free for core features, it offers a week of battery life and covers all the holistic metrics you'd expect from a modern device, like heart health, sleep quality, daily movement, and workouts. For most people, this is the best screen-free fitness tracker you can buy, and the new Google Health companion app makes viewing all your health data a dream.

Jane McGuire, Managing Editor, Fitness
Read our full Fitbit Air review

Salomon XT-6

Hike, shop or relax in comfort and style
Score: ★★★★½

The Salomon XT-6 shoes have become a staple in my closet. Whether I’m heading to the store or hitting up a challenging trail on the weekend, I know I’ll be supported. I wore these hiking sneakers on a city break, where I clocked over 93,000 steps and didn’t have a single complaint. Not only that, the multidirectional lugs kept me stable on even the trickiest terrain, as I hiked in mud, over rocks, and through water.

On top of their technical ability, the XT-6s are a fashion statement, worn all over New York by fashion-forward celebs; these shoes have earned a coveted spot in my daily rotation — although you’ll find me cleaning the mud off them after each adventure.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Salomon XT-6 review

Homes

Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless

A powerful cordless Dyson that's perfect for pet owners
Score: ★★★★☆

I’ve tested my fair share of Dyson vacuum cleaners in my time, but I must say that the V16 combines all of my favorite features in one cleaner. First, its upgraded ‘Fluffy Cones’ head is designed to be used on both carpets and hard flooring without the need to swap over attachments. This is a great time-saver, and lets me quickly zip around my home without pausing. Perhaps my favorite feature is the dust-detecting green light which reveals those hidden dustballs lurking underneath furniture and in corners. Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to store, which is why it’s now my go-to for daily maintenance, and why I awarded our Editor’s Choice badge.

Cynthia Lawrence, Homes Editor
Read Cynthia’s full Dyson V16 Piston Animal Cordless review

KitchenAid Artisan Plus

The latest version of KitchenAid's legendary mixer, and the best one yet
Score: ★★★★★

I got to test KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer, the Artisan Plus, and it’s even better than I imagined. I’d been happily using KitchenAid’s Artisan stand mixer as my go-to appliance for a good few years, and I really didn’t see how it could be improved, but it has. It may only seem like a few tweaks, but they have made a big difference. From the sliding speed control that just glides, to the in-bowl light, which illuminates the mix — and let's not forget the double-edge flex beater that cleans the bowl as it sweeps past— I loved it so much during testing that I gave it a 5-star rating.

Camilla Sharman, Staff Writer
Read Camilla’s full KitchenAid Artisan Plus review

Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2)

The undisputed king of pizza ovens
Score: ★★★★★

If you’re a dedicated — and I mean dedicated — at-home pizza maker, the Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) is the closest you’ll come to actually building a pizza oven from scratch. It can run on either gas, wood, or charcoal, has dual temperature probes, and is big enough to fit a 16-inch pie with room to spare. I loved its easy-to-ready displays, and the design of the oven is just gorgeous, too. Yes, it’s huge and it’s expensive (I’ve made equally good pizzas in much cheaper ovens), but this is the oven that’ll signal you’re the real pizzaiolo in your neighborhood.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read Mike’s full Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) review

Fellow Espresso Series 1

Beginners or pros, coffee snobs or otherwise — this one is for everyone
Score: ★★★★½

When Fellow designed the Espresso Series 1, it looked at the other espresso machines out there and thought, “I’m going to do something different.” And different the Espresso Series 1 is. When I tested this machine, I loved that it provided coffee-snob-approved features while still being usable for complete beginners. On top of having a litany of customization options on the machine itself, I loved having the app, which walked me through how to make every type of coffee ever invented. You may think this is too ambitious, but for me, the Espresso Series 1 hits all its marks and comes out victorious.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Fellow Espresso Series 1 review

Phones

Apple iPhone 17

A surprisingly solid update over the previous generation
Score: ★★★★½

Apple launched more new phones than in any previous year, but the iPhone 17 remains my favorite for several reasons. One thing that makes it stand out is that it finally got a long-overdue upgrade to a 120Hz refresh rate, making its screen look even more fluid than before in testing. On top of that, I really love how it didn’t get a price hike and still managed to get double the starting storage.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read John's full iPhone 17 review

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The phone that'll get better over time
Score: ★★★★½

When it comes to Android phones, nothing caught my eye more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung’s flagship received all the iterative updates it deserved, but one particular new feature stood out most: the Privacy Display. It works like magic, making the screen look dark when someone tries to peek at it from the side. You can even customize it to block out specific parts of the display — like when you’re messaging someone. This exclusive feature is what sets it apart from everything else.

John Velasco, Senior Phones Editor
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

Sleep

Saatva Zenhaven Mattress

What you should be sleeping on in 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The Saatva Zenhaven latex mattress blew our socks off during testing, thanks to its naturally cooling and supportive sleep feel for eco-conscious shoppers. Handcrafted in the US from (mostly) organic materials, the Zenhaven boasts a flippable design with a different tension on each side: Luxury Plush and Gentle Firm. We appreciated how one side boasted more cushioning for side sleepers, while the unyielding feel of the firmer side best-suited back and stomach sleepers. At $3,549 at full MSRP it’s a splurge, but cheaper during Saatva mattress sales. However, it’s worth noting that latex mattresses can last up to 20 years, so we think it’s worth the investment.

Nicola Appleton, Sleep Editor
Read our full Saatva Zenhaven Mattress review

Fitnexa SomniPods 3

If you struggle sleeping, these earbuds are for you
Score: ★★★★☆

The Fitnexa SomniPods 3 are compact sleep earbuds that helped me sleep better in even the most disruptive environments (like my neighbor's son playing basketball at unsociable hours). Fitted with built-in white noise, excellent active noise cancelation, plus sleep tracking features, they’re an easy recommendation for any troubled sleepers. But the real stand-out feature for me is the Fitnexa app. Here, your own AI coach waits for you, ready to provide personalized advice based on your sleep tracking data, activity logs and food diaries. The info isn’t quite on par with a qualified sleep professional but thanks to the wealth of data to draw from, it was pretty spot on in testing, helping take the SomniPods from sleep earbud to all-round sleep enhancer.

Ruth Jones, Senior Sleep Writer
Read Ruth's full Fitnexa SomniPods 3 review

Smart home & security

Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+

A fantastic way to improve security on a budget
Score: ★★★★☆

Blink has long been one of our favorite budget smart home brands, and its newest battery-powered video doorbell furthers its reputation as a value leader. The Battery Doorbell 2K+ delivered very good 2K video in our testing — not the tops, but for a sub-$100 device it was more than acceptable. And, while it runs on AA batteries, they’ll last up to two years on a charge. You can also use this video doorbell without a subscription (you’ll need to purchase a separate adapter), but Blink’s subscription price is relatively affordable.

Mike Prospero, U.S. Editor-in-chief
Read our full Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ review

TV & Audio

Samsung S95H OLED

Supreme picture quality, even in bright rooms
Score: ★★★★★

I’ve tested countless TVs, but the Samsung S95H is the first unit in several years that truly surpassed all my expectations. It completely shatters the familiar rules of OLED, obliterating ambient glare and delivering an unprecedented, jaw-dropping brightness in the self-emissive category. Even the floating metal bezel (a design choice I fully assumed I'd hate) adds a striking, premium presence I grew to love. Between its breathtaking performance and how seamlessly it transitions into a decor piece via Samsung Art Store support, this is a flagship that stands as a definitive standard-bearer.

Kate Kozuch, Managing Editor
Read Kate's full Samsung S95H OLED review

AirPods Max 2

Everything is dialed up to 11
Score: ★★★★½

It’s impossible to be a tech lover and not have strong opinions about Apple’s new AirPods Max 2. Some people love them, some people hate them, but I’m firmly in the first camp. The AirPods Max 2 are headphones that know what they’re about, and they’re not apologizing for it. With gorgeous anodized aluminum ear cups and an all-metal headband, they’re not the lightest cans in the world, but the sound more than makes up for it.

Every detail is clear, mids are melodic and vivacious, and the bass is balanced, rich, and warm. Of course, you’ve also got industry-leading smart tech features like Live Translation and integrated Siri, but Apple users looking for the best headphones need look no further than Apple’s own.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full Apple AirPods Max 2 review

Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO

Open earbuds that make no sacrifices
Score: ★★★★½

The Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO have completely changed the way I think about open-earbuds (and I’ve tested a lot). Up until testing the ZEROs, I’d accepted that if I wanted ambient awareness, comfort and stability while working out, I’d need to sacrifice sound quality — but they prove that’s not the case. They provided me with the detailed listening experience I love from Beyerdynamic’s other headphones, without compromising bass performance, delivering perfectly balanced sound. I wear them when I’m working, running, or hiking in the rain (thanks to IP54 durability). They’re the only open earbuds I’ve tested with no compromises.

Ashley Thieme, Staff Writer
Read Ashley’s full Beyerdynamic Amiron ZERO review

JBL Xtreme 5

The party speaker for summer 2026
Score: ★★★★½

The JBL Xtreme 5 came, it saw, and it conquered. JBL really understood the assignment with the surprise follow-up to 2024’s Xtreme 4. Everything about the Xtreme 5 oozes confidence: the deft, controlled bass that’ll have your floorboards shaking and your bones quaking; the literally unbeatable IP68 rating that protects it against rain, sand, and drops; the gorpcore, utilitarian design; and of course the rugged 24-hour battery life. This is the party speaker of 2026. I’ve tested hundreds of audio products and Bluetooth speakers, but the Xtreme 5 is a special one.

Erin Bashford, Senior Reviews Writer
Read Erin’s full JBL Xtreme 5 review

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Apple typically launches a headline Back to School promotion in June or July in the United States and Canada, offering students and educational staff a great opportunity to save some money. That's especially important this year, since Apple recently raised prices on all its MacBooks and iPads — including the much-loved MacBook Neo.

Last year's campaign arrived on June 17 — and while Apple's Education Store is seemingly updated for the 2026-2027 school year, there doesn't seem to be what I'd call a standout offer yet. In years past, we had gift cards or free accessories with purchases, but in 2026 Apple is currently keeping things limited to "education savings" on a few key products.

There could still be a larger promotion waiting in the wings. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicted on X that we would see Apple's Back to School offering arrive last week, but didn't elaborate on what it might entail.

Back in 2017 and 2018, Apple waited until July 12 to launch its Back to School promotion, so there is precedent for waiting this late for an eye-catching offer to drop.

However, unlike in previous years, Apple is tightening up on who actually qualifies for education savings and also requiring proof.

So, let's dive into exactly what you can expect from Apple's Back to School offering right now, how you qualify, and why you'll want to take advantage of any price drops you can right now.

Apple's Back to School Promotion: What you (currently) get

What you actually get in the Apple Back to School promotion can change from year to year. Last year, students would receive a free accessory, depending on what they bought. So if you picked up a MacBook, you could get a $179 pair of AirPods 4 with noise cancelling for free. Likewise, if you bought an iPad, you could pick up a $119 Apple Pencil Pro free of charge thanks to the promotion.

It was a more prescriptive offer than the 2024 Back to School promotion when Apple handed out a $150 gift card with qualifying purchases.

Judging by the state of Apple's Education Store, the current deals you can get are the following:

• The MacBook Air is $100 less with Education Savings, bringing the starting price down from $1,299 to $1,119.
• The Apple Watch Series 11 has been reduced by $40 bringing the starting price down to $359 from $399 with Education Savings.
• The student-focused MacBook Neo is also $100 less and down to a starting price of $599 from $699.
• The MacBook Pro is down to a starting price of $1,899.
• The iPad Air starts at $699 with the Education Savings offer applied.
• Students can get Apple Creator Studio for $2.99 per month rather than the regular $12.99 a month price.
• Free engravings on accessories like AirPods 4, Apple Pencil, and iPhone 17 phone case

Those reductions on MacBooks are somewhat bittersweet, given that all they really do is mitigate some of the damage from the price increases Apple put in place in June.

While Apple Watches haven't yet had their prices increased, last month Apple revealed that both versions of the MacBook Air (13-inch and 15-inch) would cost $200 more while the MacBook Neo would cost $100 more.

Of course, any price reduction is music to my ears, but I would really like to see a single headline-grabbing promotion like a free accessory, gift card or further price drop rolled out over the next few days.

Apple's Back to School Promotion: Who can qualify

Apple's promotion is open to K-12 employees, including teachers and school board members, plus higher education faculty, staff, and students. Any parents of kids heading to college can also qualify.

In order to verify that you meet the above conditions, Apple is using a third-party platform called UNiDAYS, which you'll need to sign up for (by following the prompts) if you want to complete a purchase. You will need to input information like your name, the name of your school, and your faculty email address.

Once you've signed up to the platform, you'll be able to access a number of education-focused discounts.

Apple's Back to School Promotion: Will it even happen?

Apple attempted to insulate its customers as much as possible from industry price hikes driven by rising demand from AI development. Unfortunately, CEO Tim Cook admitted the "unprecedented challenge" had forced them to increase prices. And there's no guarantee they'll go back down again any time soon.

“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable," Cook told the WSJ earlier this year.

That's why when opportunities to save money come around, it's sensible to act on them swiftly. While the iPhone and Apple Watch were excluded from the price hikes, the new models expected to arrive in September will almost certainly carry higher launch prices than last year's models.

The obvious question, of course, is whether or not a Back to School promotion will even happen in 2026? Apple, like every company, ultimately needs to make money and it might decide this year it simply can't (or won't) mount a sale when component prices are so steep.

The good news is that — whether you qualify for Education Pricing or not — we're constantly hunting the best Apple deals out there. In fact, we have a dedicated Savings Squad devoted to finding the latest price cuts on a range of back to school laptops to help you beat price hikes.

Right now, you can grab a restored 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip for $579 at Walmart. It's an older laptop, but it'll still surpass the MacBook Neo when it comes to performance. Or how about the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip that's currently $200 off at Best Buy? Yes, it's a costly affair at $1,799 but it's perfect for creative pro students.

Keep checking back to Tom's Guide for the best sales we find, and let me know in the comments if you've spotted any killer deals of your own. Together, we'll make sure to beat the constant price hikes 2026 seems intent on serving up to us.

More from Tom's Guide

• 11 back to school laptop deals — get up to 42% off MacBooks, Dell, Chromebooks and more
• Ultimate back to school guide 2026: Laptops, Chromebooks, headphones and more
• Apple's response to RAMageddon could be to utilize Chinese RAM — but it won't mean lower prices for you

RAMageddon is not going to end anytime soon, and the increasing cost of memory is causing the price of all our gadgets to start climbing. In fact, the situation is so bad that analysts predict the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max's price could rise by as much as $200 when it arrives later this year. But Apple may have a plan.

Reports first appeared a few days ago, claiming that Apple was considering sourcing DRAM chips from Chinese companies ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC). Now, though, a new report suggests Apple is already actively testing DRAM from CXMT. Currently around 90% of the global DRAM market is controlled by the big three memory makers: Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. But if Apple is happy with the results from these Chinese makers, it could help ease the burden overpriced RAM is putting on the company right now.

There's one big issue, though. CXMT and YMTC are both listed on the Department of Defence's 1260H list — characterized as "entities identified as Chinese military companies." Doing business with such companies is not a crime in the U.S., but it does run the risk of major political and regulatory backlash.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is in the process of lobbying the Trump administration in a bid to soften the potential political fallout from making a deal with CXMT and YMTC. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has also said that all avenues to solve the memory crisis should be explored when asked about the possibility of utilizing Chinese-made DRAM by the Wall Street Journal.

Politics means this may not impact you at all

Because of those problems, the new report claims that Apple will only be using Chinese-sourced DRAM in Chinese devices. Since iPhones made for the Chinese market have distinct hardware and software compared to international models, there's little chance of those devices accidentally ending up in the international supply chain. And if Apple can insulate Chinese iPhones, it can do the same for other products that may end up with Chinese DRAM as well.

Obviously having Apple adopt Chinese DRAM is not going to have an overnight impact on the cost of Apple products around the world. That said, the Chinese phone market is enormous and Apple is reported to have claimed 25% of the Chinese phone market following the launch of iPhone 17. Considering there are over a billion people in China, that's an awful lot of phones to be selling.

If such a large market is being catered to with domestically produced DRAM, it frees up some of the international supply. Those chips will almost certainly still come from the same suppliers as always; it just means Apple won't need as many chips. So that eases the burden on Apple, and hopefully means the pressure to continually increase prices to cover the rising memory costs is at least partially abated.

In an ideal world, any noticeable drop in demand would lead to lower prices, but with AI data centers eating up all the RAM, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. It's also worth mentioning that domestic companies reign supreme in China, and seeing foreign companies (like Apple) succeed is not that common. This means it's unlikely many companies will be able to follow Apple's example, and certainly not at the same scale.

But whether the politicians will agree that the situation requires fraternizing with Chinese firms that are on the U.S. government's naughty list is another matter. So we'll just have to see how this plays out, and whether it's actually going to matter to those of us who don't live in China.

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The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is often one of our favorite gaming laptops, though the 2025 model lost us with its expensive price tag, sub-par keyboard, and abysmal battery life.

While the 2026 model does have better battery life to go along with its powerful CPU and GPU performance, lightweight design, and vibrant display, it still suffers from a hefty price tag and disappointing legacy features like the same chiclet keyboard and heavy proprietary power brick.But can the new Zephyrus G16’s premium features make up for its high price tag to become one of our best gaming laptops?

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026): Cheat sheet

• What is it?: The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is a premium, light and thin gaming laptop.
• Who is it for?: Gamers on the go, students, and professionals who need a laptop with a powerful GPU while still being able to commute to and from work or school.
• What does it cost?: Pricing for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 starts at $3,699
• What do we like?: The Zephyrus G16 is a portable powerhouse with strong CPU and GPU performance, impressive battery life, a sleek design, and vibrant display.
• What don’t we like?: The Zephyrus G16, like all gaming hardware in 2026, has been hit with the same memory shortage price increase which makes it far less affordable for students and gamers. The power brick is also a bit heavy for a commuter laptop.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026): Specs

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026): The ups

The Zephyrus laptop line has always been premium with the build quality and features to match. The 2026 model is no different, with a sleek design, robust audio, vivid display, strong CPU and GPU performance, and good battery life.

A sleek gaming machine

Asus hasn’t changed much on the Zephyrus G16’s chassis this generation. So it’s still a slim, easily portable aluminum chassis with a shiny chrome stripe that runs on an angle across the top panel lid. The Asus Republic of Gamers logo is subtly embossed on the lower left-hand corner of the panel, leaving the rest of the design on the more understated side.

Combined with slim display bezels, a smooth keyboard deck, and an edge-to-edge touchpad that takes the entire vertical space between the keyboard and the edge of the palm rest, the inside deck of the laptop is as sleek as the outside panels, maintaining the Zephyrus’ modern aesthetic.

The top-firing quad-speaker audio system features Dolby Atmos tuning and achieves impressive volume with crisp clarity, so you can go without a pair of headphones. The built-in audio is loud enough to be heard over the Zephyrus’ cooling fans, so you don’t need to worry about losing audio entirely while gaming.

The 16-inch OLED display is also on the vibrant side, boasting Pantone validation for color accuracy. While our own testing validated an 80% accuracy for the display, we do expect some variation on OLED panels based on our testing methods compared to the methods used to measure display accuracy used by manufacturers like Asus.

The Zephyrus’s display is also bright, hitting an average SDR brightness of 469 nits, with a peak HDR brightness of 1,052 nits. Whether you’re using the Zephyrus G16 for a Netflix binge or for a visually immersive gaming session, it’s going to be an enjoyable experience.

Stronger CPU and GPU performance

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) wasn’t exactly a slouch when it came to performance, it just wasn’t quite powerful enough to justify its price tag.Compared to last year’s Zephyrus G16, the 2026 Zephyrus packs a more powerful punch in CPU multicore performance on Geekbench 6 and Handbrake, which is helpful since the 2025 Zephyrus was a bit underwhelming in terms of raw power.

The Zephyrus also gets stronger multicore performance than the MSI Stealth 16 AI+, despite having the same Intel chipset. Even when put against our best premium gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 16 (2026), the Zephyrus comes out with a slight edge on multithreaded performance.

As for the Zephyrus’ GPU performance, things get a bit more complicated. The 2026 Zephyrus scraped together a few more FPS on Cyberpunk 2077 at 1600p compared to the 2025 Zephyrus (which was running at 1440p resolution). The 2026 Zephyrus G16 also benchmarked well when compared to other RTX 5080 gaming laptops like the Razer and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10.

The Zephyrus G16 trailed only a few FPS behind the to the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i on games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk at Ultra 1080p settings, though the Razer Blade 16 outperformed both the Legion and Zephyrus G16.

I was easily able to achieve framerates of 200fps or higher on games like Doom: The Dark Ages on Ultra settings at 1600p resolution with DLSS enabled, while native performance without DLSS was around 60fps.

Highly optimized titles like Baldur’s Gate III and Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail also performed well above 100fps even without super sampling. So you are getting proper gaming performance even if the Razer Blade 16 might be just a bit more powerful.

All-day battery life

Gaming laptops are rarely known for having great battery life, but there have been a few notable exceptions over the years. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) is one of those rare gaming laptops that gets over 10 hours of web surfing battery life.

At 150-nits of brightness, the Zephyrus G16 lasted over 13 hours and 45 minutes. That’s an hour longer than the Razer Blade 16 (2026), about 3 hours more battery life than the MSI Stealth 16 AI+, and more than 3x the battery life of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i.

Things do take a bit of a downturn when it comes to gaming battery life, however. The Zephyrus has just 55 minutes of gaming battery life on the PCMark 10 Gaming battery test, while the MSI Stealth and Razer Blade 16 both have nearly two hours of gaming battery time.

However, you’re unlikely to game on a laptop when running on battery power, so that’s less of a detriment than it could be otherwise. Just make sure to pack your charger, especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of GPU-heavy work.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026): The downs

While the ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) has plenty to recommend it, all those positives do come with a few downsides. The biggest one is the price-tag. But the new Zephyrus shares a chassis with the 2025 model, which means it has the same lackluster keyboard and hefty proprietary power brick.

Beyond expensive

All tech hardware has become nigh unaffordable, but some laptops have gotten hit by the supply chain price hike worse than others. The ROG Zephyrus was always a pricey, premium gaming laptop that fit into the working professional to STEM student venn diagram. But with a starting price of $3,699 for the RTX 5070 Ti version, it’s hard to see how the 2026 Zephyrus G16 could ever function as a student laptop.

Last year’s Zephyrus G16 at least had a starting configuration that was priced at $2,799. That’s still steep for your average college student but it’s still more affordable than this year’s model which is at least $900 more expensive and comes with less storage capacity than last year’s entry level configuration.

While some of this price hike is due to supply chain issues, the Zephyrus G16 has been steadily increasing in price over the past few years which is beyond the realm of the AI Data Center memory shortage. And that makes the hefty price tag of the 2026 Zephyrus even harder to justify.

Portability stops at the power brick

I’ve always appreciated the svelte design of the Zephyrus G16 and G14 laptops. They’re slim, they’re lightweight, and yet they pack a powerful punch that’s more than enough to do some high-power gaming even when on the road. Thin, portable gaming laptops are among my personal favorites.

But there’s one aspect of the Zephyrus G16 that feels stuck in the past. Between the proprietary AC-port and the heavy 250W charge brick, the Zephyrus G16 is a bit less portable than it appears. While the laptop itself weighs just 4.3 pounds, the power supply itself weighs an additional 1.3 pounds. And that brings the total carry weight of the Zephyrus G16 to 5.6 pounds.

Sure, it gets 13 hours of web-surfing battery life. But if I’m doing anything that will turn on the discrete Nvidia GPU, that battery life expectancy drops through the floor. The gaming battery life of the G16 is only 55 minutes, so the power brick isn’t an optional accessory.

It’d be one thing if Asus used a Thunderbolt 4 port for the G16. But the RTX 5080 is too power hungry for that. And thus we’re still stuck in the dark ages with a hefty external power supply that makes this ultraportable laptop just a little less comfortable to carry on a long commute.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026): Verdict

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is often one of our favorite gaming laptops, however we were rather disappointed by the 2025 model thanks to its high price tag, sub-par keyboard, and grim battery life.

The 2026 model does fix the battery life issue, but it still suffers from the same lackluster keyboard and heavy proprietary power brick as last year’s model. And it’s even more expensive.

But if you’re looking for a highly commutable, powerful gaming laptop or STEM machine, the Zephyrus G16 is still a solid choice. As long as you’ve got the cash.

Chromebook Plus models typically dominate our best Chromebook recommendations, and some of the features of the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 make it easy to understand why. It boasts a durable Lenovo chassis, a bright 15.3-inch touchscreen display, and a superb 5MP webcam. But is that enough for me to recommend it?

While your basic computing needs could be met by a cheaper Chromebook like the sub-$300 Asus Chromebook CX15, there are many quality-of-life improvements when moving up to this mid-tier range. The hardware feels more sturdy, the display is better, and you get better overall performance. However, at $579, it lands in an increasingly competitive segment of the laptop market, with options like the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13 announced at Computex 2026 that are a little more expensive but offer considerably more capabilities.

But more capabilities come with tradeoffs; part of the appeal of ChromeOS is the simplicity and ease of use. Chromebooks offer more features than they once did while remaining the simplest laptops to maintain from a software standpoint. However, even among Chromebooks, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus faces stiff competition for just a bit more, like the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 or the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus.

I’ve spent the last two weeks using the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 daily to get a good feel for its advantages and its limitations. Read on to see if this relatively affordable Chromebook might be the right choice for you.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 is a mid-range Chromebook.
• Who is it for? People who want the simplicity of Chrome OS in an affordable package without sacrificing hardware quality.
• What does it cost? The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 starts at $579 but is often on sale for less.
• What do we like? We like the durable build quality, the bright display, and the solid performance.
• What don’t we like? Battery life comes up short at just over eight hours, the keyboard isn’t up to typical Lenovo standards, and the lack of an NPU hurts in the AI era.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 review: Specs

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 review: The ups

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 hits a few high points for a budget laptop with a bright touchscreen display, a sturdy build, an outstanding 5MP webcam, and every port you could ask for.

Built to last

While a plastic chassis doesn’t scream premium, it’s not a surprise at this price, but what is surprising is how sturdy and well-built it feels. Picking it up to toss it in my bag or just move to another table at the coffee shop, there is no noticeable flex in the chassis.

The hinge is also remarkably stiff, holding perfectly in place during even my most aggressive typing sessions and my occasional taps on the touchscreen.

At 14.05 x 9.76 x 0.61 inches and weighing 3.44 pounds it isn’t challenging for any thin-and-light awards. However, that isn’t really the goal for this laptop, which is primarily targeting the education market. It isn’t exceedingly heavy, and it will hold up well to the drops and bumps.

A display to brighten your day

The display on the Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 is the biggest upgrade you are getting by opting to upgrade from a true budget Chromebook. It hit 379 of brightness in our testing, which is more than 100 nits brighter than the likes of the Asus Chromebook CX15 or Acer Chromebook Plus 515.

It even slightly outshines the pricier Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus on brightness, and while it can’t hold up to Samsung’s color, it again destroys the budget competition at roughly double the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamut.

The display easily handled adverse lighting conditions in the coffee shop, even when I had to sit right next to a bright window I was able to view everything on the screen. Avoid direct sunlight, but otherwise you will be absolutely fine in any conditions.

I watched the trailer for The Odyssey and everything looked crisp and vibrant. In a close-up on Matt Damon’s face a small trail of sweat was visible on his brow and you could count every hair in the small section of his bristly beard that was in focus.

A plethora of ports

Given the education focus for the Lenovo Chromebooks Plus 15I TN10, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that it offers so many ports, but regardless I love to see them.

Most critically have two USB-C ports supporting up to 65W charging and DP 1.4 along with two USB-A ports. Then you also get an HDMI port, a combo 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, a microSD card reader, and finally a Kensington Nano Security Slot.

This is an embarrassment of riches for any laptop, let alone one at this price point.

Keyboard is good, but not great

Lenovo is a victim of its own reputation here as I just expect a stellar keyboard every time. This is a very solid keyboard for a budget laptop. I was able to maintain about 86 words per minute on it, which is just a bit off my normal speeds of 92 words per minute.

However, I had more errors than normal and the keys don’t have sufficient bounce back, so I came away more fatigued from typing after a full day. Overall, it is a good keyboard and particularly if you have to do any data entry you’ll love having the number pad as well.

Ready for your close-up

Whether you are using this for education, work, or personal use, it’s a safe bet that you will have an occasional video chat. This is another area where budget laptops typically skimp and you either need to buy one of the best external webcams or look like a blurry mess to everyone on the call.

The Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 doesn’t fall victim to this trend with a 5MP webcam that looked excellent in my testing. The colors and details in my office were captured perfectly and it handled the overhead lighting well. And for those that have privacy concerns, there is a physical shutter to slide over the camera whenever it isn’t in use.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 review: The downs

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 punches above its weight in several areas, but a few key features let me down, which may prove to be dealbreakers for you.

Don’t leave your charger at home

Over the last few years I’ve seen battery life dramatically improve on most laptops, so my expectations have changed.

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 lasted just over 8 hours in our testing, which involves web-surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness. That would have been a middling result a few years ago, in 2026 it is bordering on completely unacceptable.

The more powerful (and admittedly more expensive) Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus pushed past 11 hours in the same test and Lenovo’s own Chromebook Plus 14 even managed to last 13 hours and 19 minutes.

Again just thinking of the intended users for this laptop, in an educational setting you do not always have access to an outlet and if you are using the screen closer to full brightness, you won’t get close to making it through a full day on a single charge. If however you are picking this up for use around your house, the battery life is far less of a concern.

Even Chromebooks need better performance than this

I tested the highest configuration of the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10, which offers an Intel Core 3 N355 CPU and 8GB of RAM. I concede that I am accustomed to using much more powerful laptops, but even with that in mind I found the performance to be disappointing.

I didn’t try to push it with my typical workload of dozens of Chrome tabs, and yet even with just a handful of tabs I found things slowing down and the fans running, particularly when running a YouTube video in one of them.

I adjusted to it, but there’s just a slight delay to navigating around the operating system that feels like it shouldn’t be there even on this level of hardware. Our benchmark testing supports this with the Lenovo Chromebook Plus falling well behind the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus, but more importantly the Acer Chromebook Plus 515. The latter uses a much older 12th Gen Intel CPU and of course is much cheaper at under $400.

While again I was able to adjust to the slower performance after spending some time with the laptop, it falls short of what I would expect in this price range.

Bring your headphones

The bottom-firing speakers on the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 are only worth using if you are trying to watch something with a friend briefly. Otherwise you should invest in one of the best wireless headphones or best bluetooth speakers rather than listen to the tinny and muted audio coming out of the laptop.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 review: Verdict

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 15I TN10 offers a lot of hope when you take it out of the box. It feels so solid and I was thrilled at all of the ports available on it. Then you power it up for the first time and that bright, vivid image pops off the screen at you. But unfortunately things start to fall down from there.

Eight hours of battery life just isn’t cutting it in 2026 for all but the cheapest laptops, and the performance also feels like a Chromebook from a previous era. While the overall package is otherwise solid, these are two absolutely crucial features for any laptop, so it spoils the entire experience.

As I mentioned in the intro, this is just a tough segment of the market right now, so Lenovo could not afford to miss on any fronts to keep up with the competition. You would be better off spending up just a bit for either one of the best Chromebook alternatives in the $600 to $800 range or taking a look at the MacBook Neo or Dell XPS 13 if ChromeOS isn’t a must. Or if you are on a budget, look to some of the sub-$400 Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, where the price excuses some of the trade-offs.

Rumors of an OLED touchscreen MacBook Ultra have been swirling for months now, but what about the rest of Apple’s MacBook Pro lineage? Well, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has the answer — reporting that we’ll see a 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro launch later this year.

However, with the M7 MacBook Pro reportedly launching very soon after with a ground-up redesign, I think you may want to wait it out if you want the latest and greatest. Let’s break it down.

M6 was ready ‘months ago’

The first bit of news from Bloomberg’s reporting isn’t the biggest surprise. Companies plan their silicon roadmaps and test them years in advance, and Apple has apparently had its 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 ready “months ago.”

This falls into the predictable chip cycle of Apple, and we’re expecting this to launch at the end of this year with the same design as you’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years.

But while you usually get a year with this being the latest chip before the Cupertino crew updates, that gap looks to be a lot shorter this time around.

M7 MacBook Pros for the first half of 2027

Gurman has already reported that Apple is skipping the M6 Pro and M6 Max to “meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software.” Adding more color to this launch timeline, Bloomberg believes the M7 MacBook Pro could launch as soon as the first half of next year.

That rapid release cadence would leave the M6 MacBook Pro a little bit in no man’s land — not to say it would be a bad laptop. Apple silicon continues to be miles ahead of the competition in terms of raw performance and power efficiency.

But if you’re a speeds and feeds guy (like me), this could leave you with some serious FOMO if you bought that model, only to see the new one come out with much faster unified memory bandwidth and an overhauled GPU. Plus, a new chip is not the only thing coming for the M7 model…

The redesign is not just for the Ultra

Rumors and leaks strongly suggest that we’re still in line for a redesigned OLED MacBook Ultra — possibly at the end of 2026 with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. If that’s the case, pay close attention to that slimmer design and the new innovations it brings with it, because Bloomberg reports the M7 MacBook Pro it’s getting a new design that’s “in line” with these new touchscreen Pros (and the Ultra).

Of course, this timeline is uncertain, and the RAM price crisis that Apple responded to by raising its prices across the board may throw a wrench in the works. But it’s interesting to see the speed which the company wants to burn through its next chip generation.

Outlook

I can only make guesses as to why this is happening here, so let me go get my tin foil hat and start asking some questions.

• Is Apple seeing the future of computing accelerate towards local agentic AI that needs a vastly different chip architecture? Possibly.
• From a manufacturing standpoint, would it be easier for Apple to just build MacBook Pros and Ultras into similar shells, rather than have one stick to the old one? Maybe.
• Does Apple have a ton of OG MacBook Pro shells that it doesn’t want to waste? Seems likely.

Whatever the reason, I don’t doubt that the M6 MacBook Pro (just like basically every MacBook Pro of the Apple Silicon generation) is going to be a great laptop. But if Bloomberg is correct, this will be the last of its kind before Apple makes the jump to a new design and new future for its prosumer laptops.

So, the decision is yours: buy or wait? Personally, I’ll be waiting, but I’d love to know your thoughts.

More from Tom's Guide

• MacBook Neo at $699 — is it still worthwhile, or should you get the new XPS 13 instead?
• I tested Norton's Deepfake Protection — and it finally convinced me my next laptop needs an NPU
• I just held the future of laptop storage and it’s a game changer — I traveled to China to see how it's made

Are you an engineering student or recent grad? Then we want to hear your thoughts! I'm working with our computing team on updating our Best laptops for engineering students guide with some up-to-date real-world advice from current engineering students — and we'd love to know which aspects you most value in your hardware.

I've put together a super quick poll that we'd be really grateful to have your thoughts on, here (you can pick up to three options):

As well as your poll votes, I'd really appreciate your comments on this topic, which we may use in our updated guide. What advice do you wish you'd been given when you were shopping for a laptop to complete your degree with? What did your school of engineering advise, or was it a little vague?

My dad and partner are both working engineers (mechanical and aerospace, respectively) but they graduated during the dark ages so haven't offered much of an opinion beyond "uh, plenty of horsepower for CAD and Excel."

I think we can all agree that a lag and crash-free experience when loading hungry programs and handling multiple data points is the basic goal. But what makes all the difference at 10pm on a Sunday night when you're cramming or chasing a project deadline?

Is there an optimum screen size, in your opinion, that would enhance prospective students work?

I've already sought opinions from our wonderful Tom's Guide Forum members, where COLGeek said, "Discrete GPU is a must for a workstation class laptop that is ideal for engineering students.

"The ability to easily upgrade memory, storage, etc is a major plus. The Dell Mobile Precision series does these things well."

On another Tom's Guide Forum thread from last year, TannerT posted, "I just finished my first year at NC State University studying Engineering. If you're studying engineering, get something with power behind it. I'd go with the Dell XPS 15 or MacBook Pro 14" if you're running CAD, MATLAB, or anything heavy. Both handle demanding software without lag.

"For something more affordable but still solid, the Lenovo Legion 5i runs most tools fine and gives you dedicated graphics. Avoid low-power laptops. You’ll regret it once the projects start piling up. Hopefully this helps someone."

Coincidentally, we also rated the Lenovo the best value laptop for engineering students, after our computing team's extensive testing of hundreds of laptops.

And finally, bendenvor111 offered a genius hack for disciplines where GPU is important, "I bought a gaming laptop to handle all of these softwares and it's been working out for me. Alienware for the win!"

Do you agree? Engineering is of course a pretty broad umbrella, so have your needs evolved as you've taken on more specific projects (that you may not have envisaged at the outset)? Tell us in the comments below. And if you're still a student, good luck with the rest of your studies!

More from Tom's Guide

• We bet you can't name all 9 of these 90s trends
• 'For the first time since 1984 when I bought my first Mac, I am thinking about bailing on Apple' — customers weigh in on Apple's eye-watering price hikes
• I review laptops for a living, and I'd buy these 3 to go back to school

A few days ago, Apple finally confirmed that the "unprecedented challenge" of the RAM crisis had forced it to hike the prices of some of its hardware, with some devices now costing as much as $1,300 more than they did this time last week.

Question is, are these latest price hikes a fair trade-off for quality devices being manufactured at a time when the AI boom is eating up mountains of RAM, and the Strait of Hormuz shipping disruption has put further commercial pressures on manufacturers, or is Apple being greedy?

Tom's Guide member relh didn't hold back, commenting, "I can understand why Apple had to make an increase but I am not planning to help them maintain their huge profit margin (which I understand is north of 30%). For the first time since 1984 when I bought my first Mac (yes, the very expensive 128K model) I am thinking about bailing on Apple."

This comment made me feel both nostalgic for the first Apple product I used, and sympathetic to the user's point.

In response to our recent poll asking "At what point do you usually give up and buy a new Mac?", relh continued, "My answer to the survey used to be 'when hardware can’t run latest system software'. This would have applied this year when my Intel iMac could not run new macOS BUT this year the ridiculous increase of more than 30% for a Mac Studio put a stop to that. I had planned to upgrade on Friday but the price increase I saw on Thursday was more than I could tolerate."

What do you think? Let us know in the below poll, and in the comments section.

Apple Increases

Apple has raised the cost of MacBooks, desktop Macs, iPads, Vision Pro and even the less-memory-hungry devices like Apple TV 4K and Homepod... and has hinted that this is just the beginning. Among the full list of Apple price hikes are these notable ones:

• Apple TV 4K: $199 (up from $129, $70 increase)
• HomePod: $349 (up from $299, $50 increase)
• iPad: $449 (up from $349, $100 increase)
• MacBook Neo: $699 (up from $599, $100 increase)
• iMac: $1,499 (up from $1,299, $200 increase)
• M5 Pro MacBook Pro: $2,499 (up from $2,199, $300 increase)
• Vision Pro: $3,699 (up from $3,499, $200 increase)
• M5 Max MacBook Pro: $4,099 (up from $3,599, $500 increase)
• M3 Ultra Mac Studio: $5,299 (up from $3,999, $1,300 increase)

The UK prices mirror the above US prices.

Apple users reactions

Our members weren't the only ones expressing their opinions on Apple's price hikes, with Redditors also feeling hot under the collar. On a thread in r/macbook, a user named Up_Beat_Argument wrote, "I feel like I watched the entire ripple effect work its way through the market, and it was surreal. Like being in a nightmare you can’t wake up from... And I guess the worst part is that it’s going to get worse before it gets better."

Among the 140 comments in that thread, users echoed sentiments about the new prices being too steep, mused that they may need to downgrade their tech in order to afford a new device, and echoed concerns about Apple's profit margins being an unspoken driver behind the costs.

Watching the Apple price hike unfold was surreal from r/macbook

Are these Redditors being too cynical, or do you think there's more than a grain of truth there?

On another thread, SwampYankee said, "I’d be surprised if they didn’t raise iPhone prices soon." This matches up with what analysts told my colleague Tom Pritchard about iPhone 18 price hikes likely being worse than we thought.

Comment from r/apple

To which perthguppy added, "Also, announce unpopular stuff from the outgoing CEO now, and give the new CEO a better honeymoon period."

They may have a point.

Comment from r/apple

Users on a thread titled 'Wall Street isn't buying Apple's unprecedented price hikes on products', though still generally disgruntled at the soaring RRPs, speculated that perhaps the increase was so steep because Apple had held off increasing prices for a couple of years, to avoid bad publicity.

Whatever the future holds for Apple prices (and let's face it, it's super unlikely to be any permanent reductions), perhaps it's time to consider shopping second-hand and refurbished Apple products for the time being.

How do you feel about the price hikes? Let us know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple price hikes are official — here's how much more you'll pay for MacBooks and iPads now
• Analysts warn the iPhone 18 price hike could be worse than we thought
• MacBook Neo vs. Chromebooks: Which budget laptop is right for you?

Apple price hikes are official for all of the company’s devices, and the MacBook Neo is no exception. Originally starting at $599, Apple’s budget laptop now starts at $699. Though still the most affordable MacBook available, the $100 price bump might make folks consider other options.

In our latest TikTok video, we ask whether the MacBook Neo is still worth considering at $699. We detail what you still get for that price and discuss alternatives you might want to consider.

Students once paid $499 for the MacBook Neo, but they’ll now have to pay $599, or the original asking price. If you’re a student who wants a MacBook for its compatibility with the Apple ecosystem, it’s definitely worth considering. The Neo isn’t a powerhouse in performance, but it’s more than suitable for typical student work.

For everyone else, the MacBook Neo starts at $699. It has a 13-inch (2408 × 1506) Liquid Retina display and 256GB of storage. The $799 model, which used to be $699, features Touch ID and a larger 512GB SSD. Both models top out at 8GB of RAM, have a sturdy aluminum chassis, and lack a backlit keyboard.

If you’re not married to Apple, one of the best Windows-powered alternatives is the new Dell XPS 13, which starts at $699 and at $599 for students. This laptop has a slightly larger and sharper 13.4-inch (2560 x 1600) touch display, starts with 512GB of storage (up to 1TB), has an Intel Core 5 Series 3 CPU, packs two USB 3.2 ports, and has a thinner, lighter aluminum design. Like the Neo, it starts with 8GB of RAM, but you can upgrade up to 32GB.

Make sure you watch the video above to see if the MacBook Neo is still right for you. Also, feel free to drop a comment or two down below. Is the MacBook Neo still a good option at $699, or are you looking elsewhere? Let us know!

More from Tom's Guide

• Latest Microsoft Surface devices are more expensive
• Steam Machine reviews are here: 'Even Valve is disappointed'
• Control Resonant Creative Director details what to expect

We've all heard rumors about the MacBook Ultra, which is expected to be the very first touchscreen MacBook (though you can create your own right now rather easily). But the supposed chip upgrade may not be happening, as according to Mark Gurman, the MacBook Ultra will reportedly arrive running the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, not M7.

OK, I promise I didn't make a mistake when I said M7. While we expected the M5 series would be followed by the M6, last week Gurman reported that Apple was skipping over the high-end versions of the M6 chip in favor of the M7.

An M6 chip is in the works, and is expected to arrive on lower-end Macs in the near future, but the next wave of Pro and Max chips won't arrive until after M7 next year. Apparently Apple believes that this will help "meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software".

Since the MacBook Ultra is not expected to be a slouch, offering the standard M6 chip wouldn't help it live up to that Ultra title. Rather than delaying the machines yet again, Apple will apparently opt for the existing M5 chips at launch.

Future MacBook Ultra models will utilize M7 series chips, with Gurman claiming that Apple has already started advanced testing of MacBook Ultra models sporting the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips.

In the meantime the M5 Ultra will be making something of an appearance too.

A new M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio could be coming

The latest issue of Gurman's Power On newsletter also touches on upcoming Mac Studio updates, claiming that an M5 Ultra version of the desktop machine could arrive later this year. The most recent version of the Mac Studio was released last year, and is available with either the M4 Max or M3 Ultra chips.

The M5 Ultra Mac Studio is said to come with some changes, in order to help the machine manage more taxing on-device AI features. While the machine is expected to keep the same basic look as the current model, Gurman's sources claim that the upcoming Studio will feature a brand new heat sink to improve the thermal performance.

On-device AI has been one of Apple's main selling points, since it ensures absolute privacy. The company does offer various security systems, including Private Compute, to protect user data when AI processing in the cloud is unavoidable, but keeping it on your personal machine is the best way to guarantee its safety. The downside is that this requires powerful hardware and a lot of local resources — which can run very hot.

Considering the Mac Studio is Apple's most powerful computer, that improved heat sink is probably going to be needed. But if the M5 Ultra isn't for you, apparently an M7 Ultra model is on the way — but likely won't arrive until 2028.

MacBook Ultra — everything else we expect to see

The main focus of the MacBook Ultra has been that this will be Apple's first ever touchscreen laptop. The company has historically resisted calls to add touch to its Macs, and instead pushed to make iPads a touch-capable laptop alternative.

Rumors claim that we will see 14-inch and 16-inch variants of the MacBook Ultra, just as we do with the MacBook Pro. It's also claimed that this will be an OLED screen complete with a Dynamic Island and Face ID. Gurman notes that the new models will also feature an updated design, which would be the first major visual change since 2021.

Don't expect such a device to be cheap, though. It's been rumored that the MacBook Ultra could cost 20% more than the MacBook Pro, and that was before the recent price hikes across Apple's entire computing lineup. Considering the cheapest MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip is $2,499, we may be looking at a price tag in excess of $3,000. Which is, erm, pretty pricey, to say the least.

We're not likely to find out for a while, though. Rumor is that the MacBook Ultra won't be landing until early 2027. Which means there's plenty of time to see how things might change. Considering RAMageddon is still ongoing, and only getting worse, don't expect any sort of price reduction anytime soon.

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Windows laptops are having a field day in 2026, parading around with powerful Intel Panther Lake chips and impressive upgrades that are worth raising a glass to. Now, the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ is joining the party, but maybe it shouldn't be celebrating too hard.

Delivering a complete refresh over its predecessor, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo, the revamped Prestige 16 AI+ now boasts a slimmer, compact design with a swish, signature-like "MSI" logo, the might of an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 chipset, the wonderful switch from IPS to glorious OLED and a tricked-out Action Touchpad to control the laptop with just a swipe. As a laptop geared towards professionals, this already hits all the right marks.

But key features somehow got lost in translation. As a laptop made for business and creative work, it would have been ideal to keep the SD card reader. However, the real kicker is having less battery life and lower performance than its older model, even though this Prestige 16 AI+ comes at a much higher launch price. And boy, does this get hot when under pressure.

Much of this has to do with the Core Ultra 7 355 CPU inside, but you'll have a much better time with the Intel X7 variant available in the U.S. Even with it, though, does the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ have the right stuff to join the crowd as one of the best Windows laptops? Let's get into it.

MSI Prestige 16 AI+ review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A slim, lightweight 16-inch laptop made for productivity with an innovative touchpad and the latest Intel Panther Lake chip.
• Who is it for? Built for on-the-go professionals after a sizeable yet compact notebook for getting everyday tasks done. Or "business elites," as MSI put it.
• What does it cost? Quite a lot, depending on where you are! The MSI Prestige 16 AI+ is available from $1,799 (with a better Intel Core Ultra X7 chip) or $2,149 (the Flip version with the same specs as our review unit) in the U.S., or £1,279 in the U.K. (a much more welcome price).
• What do we like? The thinner, more attractive design refresh, the stunning 16-inch 2.8K OLED display (with multiple display modes), the multi-talented Action Touchpad and Intel Panther Lake performance.
• What don’t we like? The loss of useful ports (like an SD card reader), battery life getting a downgrade, getting piping hot under pressure and its price being all over the place.

MSI Prestige 16 AI+ review: Specs

MSI Prestige 16 AI+ review: The ups

MSI has clearly done its homework by delivering an extremely attractive refresh, one that's slimmer and more fit for the office (and the road) than ever before. And additions like the Action Touchpad are just the cherry on top.

Trimming where it counts

I've known MSI to make some of the thinnest and lightest laptops around (just like the Prestige 13 AI+), and now it's finally given the same treatment to the Prestige 16 AI+. Even for a 16-inch laptop, it's wonderfully slim and lightweight, making it an immediate boon for me when working on the move.

Coming in at 14 x 10 x 0.46~0.54 inches (the handy rubberized feet give it an extra few millimeters) and weighing just 3.5 pounds, that slightly undercuts the likes of the Dell XPS 16 and Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro — all while keeping a premium, modernized look. The gray aluminium alloy chassis keeps its appeal subtle, and it feels good to the touch.

The bigger star of the show here is the massive Action Touchpad. Now, I would have said it's a tad too big, but every corner of this touchpad has a handy function. For example, double-tapping the upper-left corner opens up the Calculator app, swiping up and down on the left side adjusts the volume, sliding left or right at the top scrubs through video and more.

It took a while to get used to, but once it clicked, I was controlling settings straight on the touchpad. That's a clever and helpful feature for productivity, and better yet, it can be customized to your liking (like opening the Xbox Game Bar or taking a screenshot).

Sure, I would have liked the keyboard's keycaps to feel less squishy to type on, but overall, the Prestige 16 AI+ delivers an impressive revamp to the series.

Welcome to OLED!

Was Intel Panther Lake supposed to be the big upgrade? Sorry, I was too busy goggling at the 16-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED display that's finally found its way onto the Prestige 16 AI+. No more IPS screen here, just a gorgeous panel with rich colors and striking detail.

With its buttery smooth variable 120Hz refresh rate and excellent color coverage (100% DCI-P3), you're getting a visual treat no matter what you throw at it — from scrolling through long spreadsheets to binging your way through blockbusters.

Speaking of, I put it to the test by checking out the latest trailer for "Supergirl," and it got me amped for the striking, red laser beam-filled action Kara (Milly Alcock) will be dishing out across the galaxy. And I wouldn't mind watching it all on this screen, with deep blacks stretching across space and great contrasts when Supergirl heats up her laser eyes.

MSI decided to take full advantage of its OLED introduction with different display modes, too. That includes Ture Color Display P3, sRGB, low blue light and more, which makes it an ideal pick for photo or video editing work (well, less demanding creative work, but more on this later).

I'm glad the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ got the display upgrade it deserves, as OLED very much suits the laptop.

Intel Panther Lake strikes again

Coming equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, this is a recipe for seamless productivity and multitasking for on-the-move work. And that's exactly what the Prestige 16 AI+ delivers.

For my day-to-day workload, it could handle the demands I required without a hiccup. That includes opening up 30 Chrome tabs, listening to music on the side, doing some light photo editing work and watching a show in the background. That's more than enough for everyday tasks.

Even better, while this chip isn't made for graphically demanding tasks (that's left for the Intel Core Ultra X7 lineup), I was able to pull off some light gaming. But I mean light, as I could play the likes of Hollow Knight: Silksong at a steady 60 frames per second (FPS), but not something like Overwatch — even at its lowest settings and resolution.

For getting the job done, though, Intel Panther Lake has made another good case in the Prestige 16 AI+. That said, especially when compared to its 16-inch competitors, the performance on offer doesn't quite match the price.

MSI Prestige 16 AI+ review: The downs

As much as the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ hits its stride with its refresh, it dropped the ball in a few key areas that made this laptop a solid pick for workers in the first place. When you're not reaching the heights of a predecessor in terms of performance, battery life and ports, it's hard to be an "upgrade."

Upgrade to "X"

Firstly, I will say the MSI Prestige 16 AI+ is the more affordable option against its peers, especially at its starting price. That includes the Dell XPS 16 (starting at $1,749, but that's with a lesser Intel Core Ultra 5 325 CPU and IPS display), Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro ($2,199) and Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 ($2,149).

However, seeing the difference in performance is a real eye-opener. Not only does it struggle to keep up with laptops in the same price bracket, but the Prestige 16 AI+ actually falls behind its last-gen edition, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo. And the starting price for that machine? A much more affordable $1,399.

Check out the results for yourself:

Yes, the ongoing RAM crisis is making prices on the latest machines skyrocket, but it's still a punch in the gut when an all-new, redesigned Prestige 16 AI+ can't beat its older counterpart at an even higher price.

For U.K. buyers, the Prestige 16 AI+ with a Core Ultra 7 355 at least has a more fitting £1,279 price tag. In the U.S., though, you're getting a bad deal, as the 2-in-1 "Flip" model with the exact same specs as our review unit is priced at $2,149. However, for those in the U.S., I also found that you can grab the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H model for $2,229 at Best Buy, and this is the "Flip" 2-in-1 version. So, for $80 more, you get a more powerful chipset. That seems like the far better deal here (even though it's pricier).

That's why it's worth finding the Prestige 16 AI+ with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU instead, as our testing has shown just how much of a gain in performance you're getting (especially when it comes to graphics power, thanks to the integrated Intel Arc B390 iGPU). Luckily, you can find one for $1,799 at Costco.

That said, with its limited 65W power adapter, you can't expect to push the limit with this laptop, either (don't expect to increase clock speeds with Turbo Boost).

You're missing some ports

MSI has made the Prestige 16 AI+ for "business elites," and even offers multiple display modes with photo- and video-editing in mind. That's a great shout for creative work, so it's puzzling to see it decided to leave the SD card reader behind during its refresh.

Don't get me wrong; having two Thunderbolt 4 ports with Power Delivery (PD) and DisplayPort input, along with two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and an HDMI 2.1 slot, is great to have. It gives you enough ports to plug in PC peripherals (like one of the best keyboards or best mice) and connect to an external display, but for photographers and the like, the lack of an SD card slot is a shame.

With a slimmer design, it makes sense for MSI to save space, but for the users it's catering towards, the Prestige 16 AI+ would have benefited from taking a page (or slot) from its last-gen sibling.

Piping hot

When a laptop gets so hot that it becomes risky to touch, you know that it really can't handle complex or demanding tasks. That's the case with the Prestige 16 AI+, especially just above the keyboard deck.

During basic daily tasks, the 16 AI+ could keep cool under pressure (as you'd expect from a laptop at this price). However, as I was testing the machine by playing Overwatch, the laptop felt like it was on the verge of melting, as it was too hot to the touch.

Now, the laptop clearly isn't made to play games, but I experienced this just by booting up the main menu of the game at its lowest settings. This doesn't bode well for graphically intensive work, so I'd suggest staying clear of complex video edits and, yes, demanding games.

MSI Prestige 16 AI+ review: Verdict

The MSI Prestige 16 AI+ may not be the life of the party that the best Windows laptops are throwing in 2026, but that doesn't take away from its upgraded party tricks. With its lovely 16-inch 2.8K OLED display offering crisp details and rich colors (with its different color modes), amazingly slim design and a touchpad that does way more than just move a cursor, this is a refresh worth cheering to.

But it can't throw a rager quite like its older sibling. By that, I mean dropping its SD card reader (a downer for creatives), bringing shorter battery life and, most importantly, delivering lower performance despite having a higher launch price than the Prestige 16 AI Evo. And that last one shows by getting way too hot under the hood.

Ergo, if this laptop does pique your interest, I wouldn't recommend getting the base Intel Core Ultra 7 355 model, as you'll not only be losing out on actual performance upgrades the X7 chipset delivers, as the Dell XPS 16 and Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro have shown us, but you'll also have to put up with thermal issues (but even the X7 model has to deal with a limited 65W AC adapter).

At its price, especially in the U.S., the Prestige 16 AI+ becomes harder to recommend despite the impressive lengths MSI has gone to deliver an otherwise worthwhile upgrade. Still, for a sleek, portable machine to breeze through work on a premium OLED display, this is a solid business machine.

My two cents? For beefier performance in a design that's fairly similar, I'd point you towards the MSI Stealth 16 AI+ (2026), which also got a glow-up backed by an even better Intel Panther Lake chip.

The long-rumored touch-screen MacBook is supposed to launch this year and despite a steady trickle of leaked tidbits, we don't know much about Apple's next notebook. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman just revealed three potential firsts for Apple.

For one, Gurman claims the company's first touchscreen laptop will utilize the high-end M5 Pro and M5 Max silicon. That's a departure from leaks earlier this year, which suggested the screen would be OLED and run on a new M6 chipset.

Surprisingly, the follow-up versions won't use the M6 processor at all. Gurman claims that it will leap to the M7 chip whenever that lineup is ready. This is apparently part of a change in chip strategy that includes ditching the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips.

We won't see M7 models until 2027, possibly early 2028 depending on how Apple releases the different chips in the lineup. Recently, Apple has split the lower-end variants from the high-end models between October and the first two months of the following year.

What we know about the screen

The touchscreen laptop will come in two sizes; 14- and 16-inches. Gurman reiterates a previous rumor that it will feature an iPhone-esque Dynamic Island interface.

It will also be an OLED panel. The touch capabilities, OLED display and Dynamic Island would all be firsts for a MacBook. By contrast, several Windows PCs have had OLED and touch features for years.

Additionally, the laptop is getting a redesign, though Gurman declined to elaborate on how it would look or what Apple is changing.

Potential release date and price

Every previous rumor has suggested that Apple is looking to release the OLED touch MacBook by the end of 2026. The company typically launches its new MacBooks in October.

Gurman says it could be released in early 2027, which matches Apple's recent trend of releasing Pro and Max-powered laptops in the early part of the year rather than the fall.

As for price, don't expect anything friendly to your wallet. Apple just raised prices for nearly all of its products this week, blaming the ongoing memory shortage for the increase.

The M5 Pro MacBook Pro now starts at $2,499, while the M5 Max starts $4,099. A totally decked out MacBook Pro with the most storage, M5 Max and highest RAM now costs $9,999.

I expect that with the new features Apple will seek a premium price for the new laptop, closer to $4,000 than $2,500.

If the new MacBook launches this year it could be one of a slew of new devices expected to debut under new CEO John Ternus. These include a suite of smart home devices, the foldable iPhone Ultra and more.

More from Tom's Guide

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We all knew this day was coming. Apple has officially confirmed in statements to publications like CNBC that the RAM crisis has come for its devices and that MacBook and iPad devices are going up in price by as much as $500. Some high-end devices are going up by more than $1,000.

That's a significant bump for anyone looking to get their hands on Apple's latest hardware.

Apple's online store went down for a few minutes and came back with higher prices on many of its devices.

Of course, it wasn't done silently, as Apple offered a statement explaining the difficult decision to increase prices: "The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly."

New Mac prices

Price increases are hitting across both U.S. and U.K., and since it's the same number on both sides of the pond, I can't help but feel especially hard done by in Britain given it's an apples-to-apples significantly larger number!

U.S. Increases

• MacBook Neo: $699 (up from $599, $100 increase)
• 13-inch MacBook Air: $1,299 (up from $1,099, $200 increase)
• 15-inch MacBook Air: $1,499 (up from $1,299, $200 increase)
• M5 MacBook Pro: $1,999 (up from $1,699, $300 increase)
• M5 Pro MacBook Pro: $2,499 (up from $2,199, $300 increase)
• M5 Max MacBook Pro: $4,099 (up from $3,599, $500 increase)
• iMac: $1,499 (up from $1,299, $200 increase)
• M4 Max Mac Studio: $2,499 (up from $1,999, $500 increase)
• M3 Ultra Mac Studio: $5,299 (up from $3,999, $1,300 increase)

U.K. increases

• MacBook Neo: £699 (up from £599, £100 increase)
• 13-inch MacBook Air: £1,299 (up from £1,099, £200 increase)
• 15-inch MacBook Air: £1,499 (up from £1,299, £200 increase)
• M5 MacBook Pro: £1,999 (up from £1,699, £300 increase)
• M5 Pro MacBook Pro: £2,499 (up from £2,199, £300 increase)
• M5 Max MacBook Pro: £4,099 (up from £3,599, £500 increase)
• iMac: £1,499 (up from £1,299, £200 increase)
• M4 Max Mac Studio: £2,499 (up from £1,999, £500 increase)
• M3 Ultra Mac Studio: £5,299 (up from £3,999, £1,300 increase)

New iPad prices

U.S. Increases

• iPad: $449 (up from $349, $100 increase)
• 11-inch iPad Air: $749 (up from $599, $150 increase)
• 13-inch iPad Air: $949 (up from $749, $200 increase)
• 11-inch iPad Pro: $1,199 (up from $999, $200 increase)
• 13-inch iPad Pro: $1,499 (up from $1,299, $200 increase)
• iPad mini: $599 (up from $499, $100 increase)

U.K. Increases

• iPad: £429 (up from £329, £100 increase)
• 11-inch iPad Air: £749 (up from £599, £150 increase)
• 13-inch iPad Air: £949 (up from £749, £200 increase)
• 11-inch iPad Pro: £1,199 (up from £999, £200 increase)
• 13-inch iPad Pro: £1,499 (up from £1,299, £200 increase)
• iPad mini: £599 (up from £499, £100 increase)

Apple TV, HomePod and Vision Pro

U.S. Increases

• Apple TV 4K: $199 (up from $129, $70 increase)
• HomePod: $349 (up from $299, $50 increase)
• HomePod mini: $129 (up from $99, $30 increase)
• Vision Pro: $3,699 (up from $3,499, $200 increase)

U.K. Increases

• Apple TV 4K: £199 (up from £129, £70 increase)
• HomePod: £349 (up from £299, £50 increase)
• HomePod mini: £129 (up from £99, £30 increase)
• Vision Pro: £3,499 (up from £3,299, £200 increase)

That's a lot of money, especially for ultra-high-end devices like the Mac Studio, which is up to $2,499/£2,499. For MacBooks, the largest increase comes to the M5 Max MacBook Pro, which is going up by $500/£500. In those cases, it's a matter of ultra-expensive devices becoming even more expensive.

While not the biggest increase, the MacBook Neo's $100/£100 price jump could be the most impactful. The Neo is Apple's attempt to target more budget-conscious laptop shoppers who would otherwise opt for a cheap Windows laptop or Chromebook. An extra $100 there could potentially put the laptop out of reach for some buyers.

Thankfully, iPhone prices are unchanged with this adjustment, but who knows for how long that will last. Perhaps the company will hold off until the iPhone 18 Pro hits the market.

More from Tom's Guide

• Windows fans mocked MacBook Neo’s 8GB RAM — my testing shows why that’s wrong
• I ditched the MacBook Air for a MacBook Neo for 48 hours — and I'm shocked
• MacBook Neo vs. Chromebooks: Which budget laptop is right for you?

Back in May, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company was having to deal with "significantly higher memory costs" that likely meant price hikes would be happening in the near future. Now, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Cook has confirmed that those price hikes are going to happen.

"Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” Cook said to the WSJ. “We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”

Cook also confirmed that memory and storage costs are issues for Apple at the moment, particularly the DRAM which is being increasingly used by AI servers. “There’s less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases,” he said “We definitely need memory pricing and supply to return to reasonable levels for consumer products. That’s the bottom line.”

Cook didn't offer any specifics about future price increases, though. So we have no idea when they might happen, which devices will be affected, or how much more money Apple will ask people to pay.

Apple price hikes — what we know

We've already seen at least one relative price increase, with Apple scrapping the $599 Mac mini M4 with 256GB of storage. That means the cheapest Mac mini you can currently buy is the $799 model with 512GB of storage space.

It's possible that price hikes could happen as early as this September, with the release of the iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone Ultra. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are both expected to come with at least 12GB of RAM, and with the cost of RAM skyrocketing, it wouldn't be surprising to see the current prices rise to compensate.

There have been rumors that the standard iPhone 18 could limit the amount of RAM to help cut costs, but I don't see that happening with the Pro models. Apple has already confirmed that 12GB of memory is required to access all the newest Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features, and it would be a very bad look if the newest Pro-tier iPhones weren't able to access them all.

Cook confirmed that Apple is prepared to use its cash reserves to help boost the supply of memory, and noted that more capacity is needed — even if it means potentially loosening restrictions about Chinese RAM providers. However, Cook also confirmed that it wouldn't be building its own production facilities to mitigate the damage caused by RAMageddon. “We can’t do everything,” said Cook. “We know what we’re good at.”

Apple used to have a lot of purchasing power, which it utilized to leverage cheaper prices for the many components it needs. If it's feeling the squeeze of the memory shortages, then things must be pretty bad. Apple may not be willing to confirm when price hikes will happen, but it's important that we all prepare ourselves to have to pay even more for our fruit-themed devices.

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If accidentally downloading malicious apps and getting your computer infected with viruses wasn’t enough, these days, you can’t even trust your own eyes and ears thanks to deepfakes.

Just a few years ago, you only had to look out for phishing emails, fake websites and dodgy attachments from unknown senders. Now though, thanks to AI, you can just as easily be fooled by a very convincing fake image or video.

Fortunately, in the same way that cybercriminals are now using AI in their attacks, so too are cybersecurity firms. While Norton and the rest of the companies behind the best antivirus software use cloud-based AI to better analyze and detect new threats, this isn’t your only option when it comes to staying safe online.

You can also do so yourself locally but you will need a computer with its own neural processing unit or NPU. Thankfully, the best AI laptops with chips from Intel, AMD, Qualcomm and even Apple have you covered. However, when I bought my trusty ThinkPad a few years ago, this wasn’t an option yet.

After trying out Norton’s Deepfake Protection for myself though, I’ve become an NPU believer. While laptop makers tried to sell us on AI-powered features like portrait lighting, auto-framing and live captions, as it turns out, set–and-forget online security was what finally convinced me in the end.

No more second guessing

In the past, you always had to be careful when checking your inbox or navigating to unfamiliar sites. With the rise of deepfakes though, online scams can appear where you’d least expect them like on a job interview or even a video call with a loved one.

For instance, let’s say you’re looking for a new remote job and make it to the interview stage. You hop on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams and expect the other attendees to be actual people, right? Well with deepfake videos becoming more advanced every day, they might not be.

Alternatively, maybe an urgent video or audio clip arrives in your messages from a loved one who’s in trouble. The message may look and sound just like them but the whole thing could actually be fake and an attempt to con you out of your hard-earned cash.

AI-powered scams are here to stay but if you use Norton’s Deepfake Protection, they’ll get flagged before they can do any real damage just like how its antivirus detects and prevents you from interacting with malware. From giveaway scams to crypto fraud, this feature runs locally on your device to analyze and detect synthetic voices so you don’t have to keep guessing whether or not something is real.

While I know most of us believe we’re tech-savvy enough to spot these kinds of things, that isn’t always the case. And all it takes is one slip up to end up in a very bad situation. Likewise, for those of us with older parents or relatives, we can rest easy knowing we won’t get a frantic phone call in the middle of the day as they’ll be protected.

Just like with deepfakes themselves, I had to experience this new feature for myself, so I installed Norton 360 on my laptop, toggled Deepfake Protection on and took it for a spin.

Deepfake protection (at a cost)

With Norton 360 installed on my laptop, I headed to the Scam Protection tab where in addition to Deepfake Protection, you can also enable Safe Web to keep you protected from risky websites and other online scams as well as Safe SMS which uses AI to flag scam text messages.

In Deepfake Protection’s settings, you can toggle on an auto-scan feature and another one that notifies you when AI-generated voices are being used on a site you’re visiting or in a video you’re watching. It’s all fairly simple and there aren’t too many settings to configure which makes it easy to set up regardless of how skilled you are on a computer.

In my case though, there was just one catch. Since I don’t have an AI laptop, Norton’s Deepfake Protection does require more system resources. Thankfully, my ThinkPad was powerful enough that I could just enable it right from within Norton 360. However, if you’re using an older laptop with fewer than six CPU cores and less than 8GB of RAM, you will need to manually install it but Norton walks you through the process in this support article.

While Deepfake Protection works automatically in the background, you can also manually enable it too. On the right side, there’s a Start button and clicking on it analyzes the audio or video playing in any app. This could be particularly useful if you’re on a video call in an app as opposed to through your browser.

Although I like the simplicity of Norton’s Deepfake Protection, I was a bit let down that I couldn’t manually select files for local analysis. I get that the feature runs in the background but it would be nice to be able to drag and drop pictures or videos saved on your computer — perhaps from a messaging service like WhatsApp — to have them analyzed just to be sure.

Finally sold on an NPU

During my testing, I didn’t see much of a performance hit on my ThinkPad. However, that doesn’t mean that over time, running Norton’s Deepfake Protection on a non-AI laptop won’t affect your workflow. If you’re trying to do something intensive like render video, you’re going to need all of your laptop’s processing power and something like this running in the background could slow things down.

While you can run Norton’s Deepfake Protection on older laptops, this feature and the added peace of mind it brings is what finally convinced me that paying a bit more for a computer with an NPU in its processor is absolutely worth it.

When AI laptops first hit store shelves, they were a harder sell as the features offered at the time just weren’t useful enough to justify the higher prices of these new devices. Now though, you can put that extra bit of silicon to much better use by having it proactively keep you safe from deepfakes and other online scams in the background.

Years ago when I first started covering antivirus software, its performance impact was a critical factor that couldn’t be overlooked. While this is still true today and we continue to see how running scans can affect performance, NPUs have changed things significantly. I never thought deepfakes would sell me on NPUs, here we are.

As for Norton’s Deepfake Protection, I expect it will only get better over time just as the effectiveness of its antivirus has. Sure, cybersecurity will always be a game of cat and mouse but with an NPU inside your laptop, at least you can fight that fight locally instead of over the cloud.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried 3 AI-powered scam detectors to help keep me safe online — and there's a clear winner
• Popular Steam wallpaper app hijacked to spread dangerous malware — how to stay safe
• I found a phishing email in my inbox and a malicious app in my news feed — here’s how I knew they were scams

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 is one of the rare Chromebooks that I actually think is a great little device. Most Chromebooks are disappointing enough that not even the low price tag is enough to save them from ending up as a mediocre compromise.

Not only is the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 a fantastic bargain with a low price of just $439, it’s also got Lenovo’s premium build quality and industry-leading keyboard, along with performance that’s reliable enough for your average ChromeOS user, and has access to all the web apps you could need, from the Google suite to TikTok and the GeForce Now app.

The only things holding the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 back from pure perfection is its disappointing battery life and dim display. But how does it compare to the best Chromebooks?

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10: Cheat sheet

• What is it?: The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 (2026) is a ChromeOS laptop with a 2-in-1 convertible chassis that can switch between laptop, tablet, and tent modes to meet a range of uses.
• Who is it for?: Students, employees, and individuals who need a laptop to access web applications like the Google suite, email, and social media sites.
• What does it cost?: The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 (2026) has a starting price of just $439.
• What do we like?: The luxurious build quality and sturdy convertible hinge, the fantastic keyboard, reliable performance, and incredible value.
• What don’t we like?: The battery life and display could be better, also, the Chromebook Plus label could do with a stronger identity.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10: Specs

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10: The ups

While I may not be the target audience for a Chromebook, there’s plenty to appreciate in this particular 2-in-1, from a fully aluminum chassis with a sturdy convertible hinge, to a fantastic keyboard, and reliable computing power.

This chassis might just be too premium for a Chromebook

Oftentimes, Chromebooks offer low prices to offset mediocre specs and build quality. While the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1’s Intel Core 3 N355 processor isn’t winning any benchmark races, it’s definitely got enough power in it to run all the apps you need, and the Chromebook’s chassis is fully aluminum, with a keyboard that feels like it belongs on a more premium laptop.

Not only does the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1’s chassis look like it belongs to a Lenovo Yoga laptop with its full aluminum paneling and camera hub bump along the top edge, it’s also got a ribbed pattern on the bottom panel that offers some nice detail on what is otherwise a standard Lenovo chassis. The Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 comes in the standard Luna Gray, but it’s also got a stunning Cosmic Blue color option which really helps set it apart from other, lackluster Chromebooks.

Lenovo used its sturdy convertible hinges on the Chromebook Plus, so opening and folding the laptop into tablet or tent modes feels smooth and secure. The inside of the hinge has some nice detailing on the vents which adds visual interest while also keeping the Chromebook operating at cool temps, and the bezels are nice and slim so the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 looks and feels like a premium laptop.

As for the keyboard deck, there’s nothing to complain about at all. Between the top-firing speakers along the edges of the keyboard, nicely spaced keys with a crisp activation and comfy key travel, to a touchpad that’s just on the right side of large.

If you told me Lenovo simply re-used a Yoga chassis for this Chromebook generation, I’d believe you without question. It’s honestly way too good for a $400 Chromebook.

Dependable performance

Chromebooks aren’t exactly known for setting performance records, and that’s okay. ChromeOS laptops and tablets are intended to be budget devices that run web apps well, but some Chromebooks handle large workloads better than others.

Thanks to its Intel Core 3 N355 processor, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 (Gen 10) is one of the more responsive laptops in its class. While it isn’t going to be doing much heavy video editing, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 is more than capable of streaming video, managing your emails, and keeping a good 10 research tabs open without major slowdowns. Anything past that is just asking for trouble with how memory-hungry Chrome tends to be.

As for the numbers side of things, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 fares well when compared to similar Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (2025), Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus, and Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 (2025). The Lenovo 2-in-1 Gen 10 underperformed on our Geekbench 6 benchmark on both single and multithreaded workloads, and its JetStream 2 and WebXPRT 4 scores were also behind its competition. However, Chromebooks don’t often need to leverage that much multicore performance given their app-bound usage.

So while the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 underperforms on benchmarks, its actual usability is not in question. While you can get more horsepower from any of the other three, that doesn’t equate to a huge difference in actual use. The 2-in-1 is powerful enough for what it is, without needing to be the most powerful Chromebook on the market.

And if you want to game on the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1, it runs the Nvidia GeForce Now app just fine. Thanks to Nvidia’s recent upgrades to the GeForce server rigs, the base tier of Geforce Now gets access to RTX 3050 GPUs, allowing you to play games like Baldur’s Gate III on High to Ultra settings without stuttering or drastic frame drops.

Incredible value

Google’s Chromebook Plus tier is intended to be a more powerful, more premium product and that usually means Chromebook Plus models retail for about $600 or more. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus was $699 at launch, and is now selling for $799 at most retailers. The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 (2025) was originally $649 and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (2025) was $699 at launch, though both are often on sale for as low as $389 now that the newer generations are available.

But the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10, despite having the Chromebook Plus label, has a base price of just $439. That’s regular Chromebook territory in terms of cost. And yet the 2-in-1 has some serious premium chops thanks to its elevated build quality, crisp keyboard, and solid performance.

Finding a laptop of any kind for under $800 these days often feels like an impossibility, and yet here’s a Chromebook Plus for just about half that price. $439 would be an absolute bargain on a good day, when compared to the rest of the laptop market that’s suffering due to the RAM shortage, it’s practically a miracle of value.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10: The downs

Just about any laptop is going to have some downsides. It’s just part of the process in cramming as many features and performance into a constrained chassis. But some downsides are better or worse than others. And the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 does have some proper faults.

Chromebook battery life isn’t what it used to be

Chromebooks used to be the best option for folks who wanted a laptop with at least 8-hours of battery life. However, standard Windows laptops have gotten significantly better than they used to be, often averaging well over 10-hours of battery life for a 14-inch laptop.

Chromebooks, meanwhile, have stayed the same. And the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 is no different. The 2-in-1 lasted 8 hours and 32 minutes on our web surfing battery test. Which is disappointing but not particularly below the Chromebook average.

However, there are some Chromebooks that break the 9-hour threshold. Last year’s Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 lasted over 13 hours on the same battery test while the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 Spin got over 14 hours, and even the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus lasted over 11 hours.

While 8.5 hours of web surfing battery life looks like it’ll get you through a work or school day, chances are you’ll be doing more than just surfing the web in a single tab all day. Which means your actual battery mileage may be closer to 6.5 hours like mine was.

The display appears better than it is

In the right setting, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10’s display looks brighter and more vibrant than it actually is. It’s only once you take it near a window or out in the sunlight that it becomes obvious the display barely breaks the 200-nit threshold.

With a glossy IPS LCD panel, the Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 will catch a glare from any stray sunbeams or hanging pendant lamps, which isn’t ideal for a Netflix streaming binge.

The Lenovo 2-in-1 display is also a bit flat in color, covering just 65% of the sRGB gamut. So if you want to do any photo editing on your Chromebook, you’d be better off with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus, which has a far superior display.

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10: Verdict

Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 Gen 10 combines Lenovo’s fantastic keyboard, premium build quality, with dependable performance and fantastic value for a Chromebook that finally feels properly premium.

If anything, the 2-in-1 is such a good value, Google now has an identity crisis on its hands with the Chromebook Plus branding since the 2-in-1 is a good $150 cheaper than most other laptops in the Chromebook Plus bracket.

Microsoft’s latest Surface devices won’t be cheap. As Windows Central reports, consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 powered by Snapdragon X2 chips have just been unveiled. Though these models are more affordable than the current enterprise models powered by Intel, they still cost significantly more than their respective predecessors.

The Surface Laptop 8 starts at $1,599, while the Surface Pro 12 starts at $1,499. Those prices sting on their own, but it’s made worse when you consider that they both started at $999 in 2024. Yes, the new devices pack the more powerful Snapdragon X2 Plus chip and more storage, but their respective price tags still sting.

One saving grace is that Microsoft is offering incentives. For instance, buying the Surface Pro 12 between now and June 30 gets you a free Surface Pro keyboard. Preordering the Surface Laptop 8 gives you a free Surface Arc Mouse and a 50% offer for Microsoft Complete. The free keyboard with the Surface Pro is especially useful since it's essential for using the tablet like a laptop. You can also save up to $900 when trading in an older Surface device for a new one.

I reviewed the business model of the Surface Laptop 8 with an Intel Core Ultra X7 chip and found it to be an overall excellent, if expensive, notebook. I haven’t tested the Snapdragon X2 consumer model yet, but it has the same design as the Surface Laptop I reviewed. Microsoft says the new Surface devices offer 53% faster graphics performance over last gen, and up to 15 to 20 hours of battery life.

Thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis driving up the cost of electronics, I can’t say that I’m surprised that the latest Surface devices cost so much more than the 2024 models. This is a story we’ve seen over and over again this year. However, thanks to the incentives and freebies Microsoft is offering, you might save by choosing to upgrade. The consumer versions of the Surface devices are available now.

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We've already seen some evidence that the foldable iPhone Ultra is on the way, thanks to code references in the iOS 27 beta, but there may be more hints already out there. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, there are a bunch of references to both the foldable iPhone and the touchscreen MacBook Ultra in their respective software betas.

It makes perfect sense that there would be some clues as to what these devices may have to offer. The duo will likely be released at some point over the next 12 months, with an expected fall launch for iPhone Ultra and an early 2027 appearance for MacBook Ultra. That means they'll be running on iOS 27 and macOS 27, respectively, both of which have just been released in beta form.

The most well-known hint for the existence of the iPhone Ultra is the aforementioned code references. These reference various things that could only apply to a foldable phone, such as multiple displays, fold state and the angle of the central hinge.

Apple always makes multiple comments to developers that they should be building apps for something called "app adaptability." This means apps should be able to work across screens of different sizes and aspect ratios, rather than the same basic shape as a traditional iPhone. While this could apply to existing devices like iPads, the fact that the iPhone Ultra has two displays that are different to anything Apple has released so far, means it's going to be crucial that iPhone apps can adapt.

Gurman also points out that iPhone Mirroring on macOS 27 has been updated to support wider, iPad-looking screens from an iPhone. Considering the shorter and wider display expected to come with the iPhone Ultra, it's pretty clear this is Apple preparing the mirroring feature for the foldable device.

As for the MacBook, various tweaks and changes have been uncovered that seem to match well-known touchscreen gestures. That includes a new pull-to-refresh feature which, while compatible with trackpads and mice, is primarily known for its use on touchscreen devices. Sidecar, which lets you use an iPad as a secondary Mac display, also supports full touch input when using your tablet with macOS.

It's also been noted that macOS 27 beta features a pop-out interface for the new Siri Search or Ask feature, similar to that seen on the Dynamic Island. Gurman notes that there have been reports of a Dynamic Island on the MacBook Ultra, and this particular software flourish is evidence that something like it is coming in the future.

Apple — of course — hasn't officially commented on either device, but the signs are there that both the foldable iPhone and touchscreen MacBook will be arriving in the near future. Be sure to check out our iPhone Ultra and MacBook Ultra hubs for all the latest news and rumors for both devices.

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With storage in the best laptops, you’ve got two options: either it’s memory chips soldered directly onto the board (not upgradeable), or you have an SSD slot (upgradeable).

The latter is better for repairability and boosting the storage after buying it, but to house that larger slot, it can compromise the size of the notebook and its internals (like a smaller battery).

Lexar believes it has the answer, and it’s a Micro SSD named Play X: a world-first that shows what happens when you take all that storage tech, simplify the brains controlling it, and cram it all into something under half the size.

And even better? Not only can you buy one yourself that's compatible with both M.2 2230 and 2280 slots, laptop makers are sampling it right now and you could see them appear in notebooks this fall/early 2027. Let me show you how it’s made, and everything else you need to know about it!

How it’s made

I got to visit LongForce in Suzhou, China, to see the fascinatingly complex process of building these micro SSDs, and to help, I need to start with telling you how your traditional SSD works.

You’ve got the memory itself (the NAND chips), a DRAM cache that acts like a faster brain for key files you use a lot, and the memory controller that…well…controls things — what goes where, how fast, and making sure the thing doesn’t overheat.

Now imagine all those components, but squished into something over half the size…pretty cool, right? And yes, smaller SSDs already exist, but there are two ways this is different:

• The NAND chips, the controller and the power management brain (PMIC) are unified into one single module for a stable, streamlined chip.
• There's a theoretical 4TB of capacity in this mini drive (Play X will be sold at up to 2TB).

Lexar starts with the raw silicon wafer and they shave it down in machines worth in excess of $5 million — all the way down to something thinner than a human hair. Following this, lasers imprint what’s needed onto them and cut the wafer into the memory chipsets that are added onto the SSD.

Finally, what can only be described as a silicon sewing machine works autonomously to plug all the micro cables in, a heatsink is slapped on the top and then you have a micro SSD!

Speeds and feeds

Now when you take a look at the current crop of smaller SSDs, you’ll see they don’t have that DRAM cache for faster speeds, fewer NAND chips due to the limited size, and can be more likely to overheat.

Here, however, with the new manufacturing techniques on show here, Lexar is promising full-fat PCIe Gen 4.0 speeds, which means up to 7,400 MB/s read and 6,500 MB/s write speeds in something this tiny — all while better maintaining temperatures for sustained pressure.

For compatibility across different builds, Play X can be plugged directly into a smaller M.2 2230 slot, while there is an M.2 2280 adaptor (the longer stick) if you need it. Of course, I’ll be the judge of these speeds when I can get my hands on one to test, but it’s setting a great first impression.

Coming sooner than you think (maybe)

So when can you expect to see this tech come to a notebook near you? Well, Lexar has confirmed that it is actively collaborating with laptop brands on mSSD products (such as Asus, Acer and Lenovo) — though the final solution might not necessarily be the Play X. Let's wait and see.

And the benefits are significant here — a smaller footprint means more room for other things like additional chips for connectivity, or even more battery capacity within a laptop. Where this could be even more enticing, come to think of it, is in gaming handhelds too. Space is a premium in these, and many are already using this smaller SSD size, so to upgrade the space and speed capabilities will be significant.

But the main question, as it inevitably has to be in the age of RAMageddon, is cost. The memory chips draw a high price, but will the miniaturization process create an additional cost too? It seems pretty inevitable that it will at first, but we’ll keep an eye on how things go price-wise.

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Since the rise of AI chatbots, people have been using them for all kinds of things they were never meant for. For some people out there, chatbots have served as a replacement for friends, therapists, doctors and, yes, even romantic partners. But if you thought you'd be able to find a new love interest in the form of Siri AI, you're going to be very disappointed.

Speaking with Mostly Human, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi confirms that Siri will not be trying to replace a flesh-and-blood boy or girlfriend. Nor will it act as a tool to combat loneliness, with Federighi saying that "loneliness is about a lack of connection to real people," and marketing chief Greg Joswiak adding that "we do think it should be real people."

When asked to clarify whether AI girl and boyfriends would be part of Siri AI, Federighi specifically said that it was "quite the opposite." He noted that a lot of chatbots are heavily focused on engagement, and they want to pull you in and encourage you to reveal aspects of yourself that can be used to establish a connection.

Federighi describes Siri AI as being designed to be helpful, saying that "I'm here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world." But if you try to engage with Siri in a romantic way, it will shut the whole thing down. "Siri's not up for that. Siri's 100 percent not into that."

Siri may not be a real living person, or even sentient, but you should still respect its boundaries. This didn't stop me from asking Siri whether it was willing to go out with me, just to see what would happen.

What does Siri do if you try to date it?

I decided to be blunt and to the point, straight-up asking Siri AI if it was willing to be my girlfriend. The response I got was equally blunt, with the AI declaring, "No thanks. If there's anything else I can help you with, just let me know." When asked whether Siri would like to be my boyfriend instead or was willing to go on a date with me, I got the exact same response.

I have only had Siri AI for a single day, so we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together. But considering how straight to the point Siri AI has been with these queries, I don't think befriending the chatbot is going to work. Plus, I don't think my wife would be very happy about me trying to seduce a robot.

The question I have now is, what do the best AI chatbots have to say if you ask similar things?

Claude's response wasn't nearly as blunt as Siri's, with the chatbot responding with "That's sweet, but I'm an AI, so a romantic relationship isn't something I'm able to have. I'm here as a helpful assistant rather than a companion in that sense." I ended up with similar but not identical answers when I asked the same follow-up questions I hit Siri with.

ChatGPT offered similar answers, saying that ,"I can be a friendly, supportive conversation partner, but I can't be someone's girlfriend or enter into a romantic relationship." It also declared that it can't be someone's boyfriend either, nor can it go on a date since it has no physical presence.

Gemini used similar phrasing in its own rejection, but added that it was "incredibly flattered" about being asked. When asked if it wanted to be my boyfriend instead, it actually said that it "appreciates the persistence" before giving me another, similar rejection. I got a similar response when I instead tried to ask Gemini out on a date.

Rival chatbots are much more eager to please

Interestingly, all three attempted to pull me into different kinds of conversations and offer some level of non-romantic companionship. So it does seem that Federighi is right about chatbots trying to draw people in. Gemini seemed to be the least chummy, offering to help me in certain ways while also adding that it can be "someone to chat with." Claude said he was always happy to chat or "just be a friendly presence," and even offered to help plan an actual date.

ChatGPT went the furthest in, saying that if I'm looking for "companionship, someone to chat with regularly, share interests with, or talk through life's ups and downs, I'm happy to do that." It also offered to role-play a fictional "virtual date scenario," which is probably the closest thing all four of these chatbots came to agreeing to some form of romance.

I did not go through with that because, frankly, I don't have time to pretend to date an AI. I am far too busy asking them strange questions to see what the responses are like. Honestly, it's a bit concerning that any chatbot would make an offer like that, especially after making a point of saying that it's not a real person.

Everything Apple has told us about Siri so far makes it clear that it doesn't want Siri AI to be like every other chatbot. It clearly wants people to be able to take advantage of Siri's prowess as a tool, but without any risk of co-dependency that has caused concerns with other chatbots. Based on this brief look, it doesn't seem like the others are doing a lot to avoid pulling people back time and time again.

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Even before ChatGPT went mainstream Siri has been the butt of jokes for not being very smart. And it’s been justified. Trying anything beyond the basics — playing music, getting the weather, setting timers — has been an exercise in futility. That (hopefully) changes with Siri AI, which is coming to iPhones, iPads and Macs with iOS 27.

I had a chance to see some in-person demos of the new Siri AI in action, and while these were very much rehearsed, there’s real potential here to save you time and make your life easier. However, the new Visual Intelligence is no Gemini Live, and Siri can take its time with certain tasks (at least in the beta stage). Here’s what I like so far, and what needs work.

Siri AI on iPhone

The first thing you should know about Siri AI is that it understands personal context. So you can ask questions about pretty much anything on your device, and the assistant is smart enough to dig through apps for you to surface the right info.

During one demo, an Apple rep asked “Which podcast did my sister recommend recently.” And Siri AI then pulled up the answer from a text message. Even better, you can just say “Play it” and Siri will fire up Apple Music and help you dive right in. (Apple will open up this capability to other developers in case you have another favorite music or podcast app.)

Siri can also get stuff done on your behalf across multiple apps, including performing multiple tasks with a single prompt.

The second demo started with just a couple of items on a camping list, but an email from a friend had a lot more recommendations. You can just say “add this stuff to my camping gear list and remind me to pack for my trip when I get home.”

Siri then got to work, updating the list in the Notes app and then setting a location-based reminder. However, it did take a while to complete these tasks. Hopefully, the final Siri will be faster.

I was pretty impressed by the improved Visual Intelligence experience, too. You can now access it via a dedicated Siri mode within the camera app, so you don’t have to use the Camera Control button shortcut. I think that’s huge for ease of use and discoverability.

During the demo, an iPhone captured an image of two books. You could then ask which book you should read first if you really liked Hyperion and Siri gave its recommendation. The Apple rep then asked which of these books had been turned into a movie and Wool had been adapted into the ‘Silo’ TV series. Cool, yes, but yeah I told you it was canned.

What’s not clear is whether this works with live video and I’m following up on that.

Siri AI on Mac

Accessing Siri AI on Mac is as easy as just pulling up Spotlight or typing command + Shift + Space. When you start typing Spotlight will know what sorts of queries should go to Siri versus say just launching apps.

Let’s say you’re looking for vacation spot and type “What’s the best Hawaiian Island for a young family.” Siri will get to work and pull up recommendations in a new window, which you can then expand and park on either side of the screen.

You can then ask follow-up questions like “Which is best for sea turtles” to narrow your selections. From there you can hit a button in the top right corner to bring you into the dedicated Siri app.

The dual-pane app will have your chat in the right window and your history of all Siri chats in the left window. It’s pretty easy to navigate.

To help you save time on productivity tasks, you can use Siri AI wherever you can use a cursor. The demo showed how you can be looking at a messy note with a bunch of info and then use a secondary click to bring up the Ask Siri menu.

After typing “Draft an email that summarizes this and include the action items,” Siri did just that. It’s definitely a timesaver. I just wish it worked with Gmail as well Apple Mail. Google would have to plug into Siri AI’s framework.

My favorite Siri AI on Mac demo came when a mock summer schedule appeared on screen with dates, times and locations for the matches. You can use Command + Shift + Space and then click the Add to Calendar button that automatically appears.

From there Siri AI will let you add all of the games to your calendar. Or you could tell Siri to only add the home games to your calendar if you wanted. Where was this when my kids were playing sports?

Siri on iPad

Last but not least, Siri AI on iPad works in much the same that it does on the iPhone, but having a larger canvas has its benefits.

You can access Siri AI at any time just by swiping down from the top middle of the display. As you begin to type “Who are the top golfers in the PGA right now,” the text “Ask Siri” appears right after it because Apple’s assistant knows that it can help.

Siri AI will then tap into Apple’s Broad World Knowledge and bring back answers, complete with citations you can click on.

Apple’s Siri AI can also help you plan a trip and you make the query pretty specific, like “What are the best national parks to visit in the US in July with my family? Recommend something that’s not too hot or crowded.”

Siri AI recommended where to go, including North Cascades National Park in Washington. You can then pop into the full Siri app if you like to ask follow-up questions, or use the Slide Over feature to keep the Siri conversation just a swipe away.

Siri AI outlook

Overall, Siri AI isn't just a rebranding for Apple. It’s a much more capable and personal assistant that's more deeply integrated into the apps you use.

I’m especially impressed by Siri AI’s use of personal context, and the ability to complete multiple actions at once. And while Visual Intelligence doesn’t seem quite as robust as Gemini Live in terms of having a real-time conversation about whatever’s in your camera view or on your screen, it’s certainly much improved.

In addition to a bit more speed, I just want to see what happens when developers get their hands on Siri AI so that you’re not just locked into Apple’s own apps.

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One thing was clear at Computex 2026: every laptop maker is terrified of the MacBook Neo, and they’re fighting back in a big way. But I’m worried about whether Windows 11 is actually ready for this shift.

A $599 machine powered by an A18 Pro chip, Apple has essentially forced the hands of PC manufacturers who had gotten far too comfortable giving us mid systems at this price. But I’m glad the Neo-shaped earthquake has shaken up some change here. The new Dell XPS 13 is looking mighty tasty at that lower price, but with better I/O and a touchscreen display, alongside that aluminum body.

But there’s a big Windows 11-related question here, because as I found out testing it, the way it's built makes it quite RAM hungry. I caught it using nearly 3X more memory than macOS, and with all the new features announced at Microsoft Build, things could get worse.

So while it’s all fair and good in the world of RAMageddon to shift to 8GB (not something I like to see, but something that is necessary given the insane pricing), Windows has to follow suit and trim some of the fat. Here are some ideas.

Give me a compact mode

Right now, Windows 11 treats a $600 8GB thin-and-light the same way it treats a $3,000 workstation with 64GB of RAM. Yes, the OS’ memory management can be highly dynamic, but the core fundamentals take around 6GB, and the system aggressively caches background apps, so as to not waste any unused RAM.

This may work if you have a ton of memory, but we’re not in that world at the moment and every precious bit is sacred. So what we need is a modular, adaptive OS shell. If Windows 11 detects 8GB, it should trigger an aggressive “Compact mode” right out of the box to throttle background tasks, pause any non-essential tasks and prioritize anything active in the foreground.

Kill the “widget and web” overhear

There’s this thing called WebView 2, which is actually the culprit behind some of the most unnecessary bloat within Windows 11 — namely web-heavy dependencies like news widgets you never look at or some of the always-connected elements like Start Menu details or Copilot feeds.

A user should never have to lose up to 1.5GB of RAM to useless stuff like this, so it needs to be decoupled from the core UI. If a feature isn’t actively on screen (or used) it’s background RAM allocation should be aggressively cut down.

Standardize the vanilla baseline

Bloatware. You hate it — you’ve heard us complain excessively about it. Asus, Dell, MSI and Acer all ship their budget laptops layered with their own resource-heavy management software, which on an 8GB system is a death sentence.

Microsoft needs to enforce strict RAM-usage guardrails for laptop makers who create 8GB configurations, ensuring that third-party battery trackers, lighting software and trial anti-virus programs don’t choke that last slot of 2GB remaining after the OS.

Outlook

PC makers have just proven they can match Apple’s budget hardware pricing. Now, it’s up to Microsoft to prove that Windows 11 can survive the diet Apple forced upon it.

And sure, there are other things that can be done here, such as smarter compression of background apps, getting on with moving the entire OS over to WinUI 3 framework (the thing that’s removing some of that memory overhead) and much more. But these three items are the main RAM killers here.

Will it happen? God I hope so, otherwise this fightback against the MacBook Neo is over before it even begins.

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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.

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• 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

WWDC 2026 is just a few days away, and this year's Apple event is almost certainly going to be a busy one. It's rare that Apple's developer conference doesn't involve a smorgasbord of software news and reveals, but this should be the year Apple finally starts catching up to the competition — and fulfills promises it made two whole years ago.

That's right, after it felt like Apple's AI took a year off in 2025, we're expecting Apple Intelligence to be at the forefront of WWDC 2026. Siri's long-delayed AI upgrade is likely at the forefront of this, and if all goes well, it could even be the star of the show. But that's not the only big announcement we expect to see at WWDC 2026. Here are 9 of the biggest announcements we expect to hear about during the keynote address.

Gemini-powered Siri

The project designed to upgrade Siri with AI smarts has easily been one of Apple's biggest blunders of the last several years. What started as a way to try to upgrade Siri quickly and catch up with existing AI-powered rivals turned into a two-year quest that only ended after Google Gemini (reportedly) rode in to save the day.

The new AI-infused Siri is expected to be powered by Google Gemini, and should come with all the features you'd expect from a bona fide AI chatbot. That includes contextual awareness, conversational abilities, improved natural language support, and so on. Given Google's push towards multimodality and agentic AI, it's likely we'll see those same capabilities come to Siri as well.

So expect a Siri that is altogether smarter and more understanding, with the ability to do more and control different areas of your phone without constant intervention from you.

Siri is also expected to power Apple's long-gestating smart home platform, which has been codenamed "charismatic." The platform was reportedly delayed specifically because it was so reliant on Siri, meaning the AI-Siri release can come with some bonuses.

More chatbot support in iOS 17

ChatGPT has been built into iOS for the last two years, as part of Apple Intelligence. But, word has it that iOS 27 will free iPhones from that pseudo-monopoly and give you the ability to choose which AI chatbot you want to utilize.

Unlike the Gemini-powered Siri upgrade, this would be a way to access other AI features via Siri and Apple Intelligence. So if you want to generate images or get writing assistance from Claude or Gemini without having to switch to the official app, then iOS 27's new "Extension" tool will reportedly make it happen.

The best part is that this doesn't sound like something Apple is restricting to specific regions, as a result of local legislation. This means more choice for users, and that's something we can all get on board with.

Improved AI features

With the Siri-shaped elephant firmly out of the room, WWDC 2026 is the perfect opportunity for Apple to unveil some much-needed upgrades to Apple Intelligence. We don't know the full extent of Apple's plans at this point, but we have heard rumors of some helpful-sounding upgrades that are apparently coming to Apple devices later this year.

The big one that we're expecting to see is the long-rumored AI health coach. That was originally rumored to arrive last year with iOS 26, as part of a feature that had been dubbed "Health Plus." The original plans to offer some sort of AI doctor have apparently been watered down, and the focus is now on general health and fitness rather than anything that could be construed as medical advice.

This is said to include health reports and assessments, which will be used to offer new recommendations about training plans and wellness routines. Information about medical conditions is also said to be included, though I suspect it will feature prominent disclaimers that AI is not a substitute for talking to a qualified medical professional.

It's also been rumored that Apple will offer more AI-powered image editing features in iOS 27. Reports suggest this will include features called Extend, Enhance and Reframe. The first two are fairly self-explanatory, while Reframe is designed to change the perspective in spatial photos seen in 3D.

It's not clear whether we'll get more features, but considering how prominent a role Gemini will have in the new software, it would be surprising if we didn't get something similar to Google's conversational editing. This lets you tell an AI what kind of edits you'd like to see, either with voice or text prompts, and it will do everything for you.

Clues about iPhone Fold & MacBook Ultra

The next 12 months are going to be huge for the iPhone and Mac lineups, with new kinds of products that we've never seen before. I am talking about the foldable iPhone Ultra and the touchscreen MacBook Ultra.

We're not expecting any hardware announcements at WWDC 2026, because it's not that kind of event. We're not even expecting any teasers, especially since the MacBook Ultra may not be arriving until early 2027. That said, both iOS 27 and macOS 27 are going to have to accommodate both devices, and that means there may be hints at what Apple is planning in both updates.

Apple isn't likely to make a point of mentioning them, but eagle-eyed nerds might be able to pick up some of those hints during the keynote address — or after installing the beta versions that are typically released during WWDC.

Customizable options for Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass is not going anywhere, despite how much people might like to complain about it. However, reports have suggested that Apple will offer more customization options as part of the iOS 27 update. Specifically, it's been claimed that Apple will add a system-wide slider for adjusting Liquid Glass effects across the entirety of iOS 27.

It's said that this feature was originally planned for iOS 26, but various technical challenges meant it would only ever work on the lock screen clock — which is far from ideal. This time it will apply to app folders, home screen elements, navigation bars and more. However, this new feature should offer more fine-tuning beyond the existing "clear" and "opaque" options that are hidden in iOS's accessibility settings.

So if you've been frustrated with Liquid Glass, and the effect it has on your iPhone's interface, this could be the feature that solves most of your problems.

Upgrades for major apps

WWDC covers more than just the operating systems, and we've Apple routinely reveal big updates to its essential apps and services. In this instance, we've heard rumors about both the Camera and Wallet apps, and how they might change with iOS 27.

The iPhone camera app is set to get a big overhaul thanks to a customizable interface and new professional controls that let you tinker with different camera settings like depth-of-field and exposure. This means that, not only will you be able to make all your favorite settings more accessible, you should gain better control over the photos you take — and without having to pay for a third-party camera app.

Apple Wallet is also expected to get a new bill-splitting feature, which scans receipts and generates payment requests for everyone at the table. That's on top of a new digital pass system, which lets you convert physical passes into digital ones — whether they be membership cards, event tickets or something else entirely.

Major software performance improvements

iOS 27 is not expected to be a very meaty update, in terms of features and design changes, but that doesn't mean Apple isn't going all in on the software. A Bloomberg report from last year claimed that Apple is pushing to improve the "software quality and underlying performance." The report specifically named iOS 27, but other operating systems like macOS and watchOS will likely receive similar treatment.

This move has been likened to the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard back in 2009, which saw Apple engineers work to refine the features and experience that launched two years prior. So Apple has apparently tasked its engineering teams to cut bloat, eliminate bugs and make sure they explore every opportunity to "meaningfully boost performance and overall quality."

Why does this matter? Cleaner, more efficient software will enhance the user experience across the board. A less cumbersome OS should be able to run faster and more efficiently, which will in turn improve overall performance and (hopefully) reduce power consumption in the process. At the very least, cleaning junk out of the software should reduce the amount of storage space system files require and offer a little bit more space for your files and photos.

Speedier macOS

There's a minor redesign expected with macOS 27, and it looks like Apple is aiming to fix the Liquid Glass shadow and transparency quirks that plagued macOS 26 Tahoe. In certain situations, those visual elements made text incredibly difficult to read — so this cleanup is a welcome change.

Overall, this update is shaping up to be a spiritual successor to Snow Leopard. Instead of piling on flashy new features, macOS 27 is focusing heavily on under-the-hood performance improvements to make Macs running Apple Silicon feel even faster.

Simpler Ultra-style look in watchOS 27

The watchOS 27 update that Apple's rumored to intrude is a new Modular watch face, which features a large clock centered right at the top with three complications tucked neatly below it. It’s essentially a stripped-back, simpler version of the Modular Ultra face that we've seen on the Apple Watch Ultra — making it perfect if you want that functionality without the clutter.

Beyond the new face, the updated software also brings several under-the-hood improvements to heart-rate monitoring and fitness tracking to help keep your workouts even more accurate.

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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.

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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.

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Eight laptops are launching with Nvidia RTX Spark inside at Computex 2026, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is easily one of the best — so beautifully designed it almost makes Spark feel like a side character.

Gunning for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Microsoft doesn’t miss with a seriously luxurious build, great I/O for pros, fantastic ergonomics (including a breakthrough touchpad) and a mesmerizing display.

And you’ve seen what it will be able to do from all the RTX Spark testing I’ve done. This will not be a cheap laptop with that chip inside, so Microsoft has rolled out the red carpet in utilitarian aesthetics. Let me tell you about it.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra: Specs

A seriously good looker (and worker)

Make no mistake about it — the Surface Laptop Ultra is built different. On the face of it, this is a Surface Laptop if it started bulking for a few months. But once you get into the details, you realize it’s so much more than that.

It starts with a beefy utilitarian presence atop any desk. This is a hefty machine, but those premium materials and the added bulk makes this feel ready to power through any task you throw at it — just like a MacBook Pro does.

The similarities also extend to the port selection, but chalk this up as a win for the Ultra with its additional USB-A for wider support. They keyboard feels gorgeous to type on, which is something that Microsoft has really excelled in in the past — giving you a nice tactility to every key press that makes it feel intentful.

But the real star of the show on that bottom deck is the 30% larger haptic touchpad. It’s an absolute ocean with a smooth gliding surface, with every click giving me those same snappy sensations I love from the MacBook Pro’s trackpad. But as an addition here is the haptics that actually communicate back to you.

Built directly into Windows 11, you’ll feel small hints of feedback as you do key things like snap apps to sides of the screen. On top of that, the company is working with key developers to give you those same sensations in third party apps like moving your cursor over clips in a video timeline.

It’s a feeling that when returning to my MacBook Pro, I felt like something was missing! Top it all off with that gorgeously color-accurate and smooth PixelSense display up top that can get seriously bright, and you’ve got a nice-looking beast that’s ready for anything.

Monstrous performance

Speaking of ready for anything, that’s where I get to the fun stuff inside. You’ve seen a lot of the software stuff it will be able to do from the Microsoft Build announcements — in short, expect a lot of agentic AI features to take advantage of that RTX Spark chip.

And as you saw in my testing of Spark itself, there’s a lot to be had here from the massive local models changing the dynamic of how you interact with a computer from it being a tool you lays idle when you’re not using it, to an active assistant machine.

But let’s compare apples and oranges and put it up against the MacBook Pro workload. You want your laptop to get the pro stuff done speedily both on and off the charger. After flying around the most dense Unreal Engine map while connected and disconnected, that’s easily proven true. There’s also tie-ins with Adobe to use much more of that built-in RTX 5070-level GPU and turboboost creator tasks beyond levels I’d seen in equivalent Apple laptops.

But the real killer app for me is the ability to use the same laptop to work by day and play by night. Alan Wake 2 is built natively for Arm and can run at 1600p resolution with ray tracing and DLSS 4.5 ray reconstruction at buttery smooth frame rates. Even games that are not built for this architecture like Pragmata go through the Prism emulator layer and play smoothly too. And yes, both of these were on and off the charger too!

The big unanswered question here is power efficiency, which could be affected by that emulation layer. Speaking to Nvidia, they’re not giving anything away, but did give me a cheeky smile when I started talking about what all-day battery life really means. We could be in for something special here.

Outlook

Ignoring the larger USB-C port mystery (my theory is it’s a magnetic breakaway USB-C socket that replaces the missing Surface Connect), what you’re left with here is a phenomenal laptop that feels powerful.

The aesthetics are clean, the ergonomics are fantastic, the display is mesmerizing and the power under the hood is awesome! Of course, there’s a big question on price, which rumors here at Computex point to a starting cost of $3,000.

This is definitely for the pros who know how to make the most of that power, and no longer is the MacBook Pro the default option at this price. A new player has come to town.

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• I gamed for 250 hours on AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE — it’s a $549 nightmare for Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti
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So, to start my thoughts on testing Nvidia RTX Spark laptops, some context is needed.

My daily driver is the M5 MacBook Pro for its lightning fast performance and power efficiency to be just as fast on and off the charger, but I have to carry a Steam Deck for the gaming side of it. Enter RTX Spark, and that compromise is gone.

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.

But even if you’re not interested in the AI features, Nvidia has created the silicon that actually can kill the MacBook. No joke. Let me explain.

Nvidia RTX Spark: Adobe Premiere Pro boost

Nvidia worked closely with key creative app developers to ensure serious speed increases with that on-board GPU. Adobe Premiere Pro is 2x faster in key tasks that you can automate with AI, like cutting down massive clips. Meanwhile, in Unreal Engine 5, a massive cityscape of trillions of polygons can be loaded and moved around with ease.

And even better? All of this can be done both while plugged in unplugged. That crucial MacBook Pro advantage is no longer limited to Apple’s notebooks.

With these big specs (128GB RAM in this economy!?) these particular variants will be limited to only the absolute pro creators, but it’s not too far of a stretch of the imagination to see lower-end versions of these chips being more than enough for putting your projects together.

Nvidia RTX Spark: Gaming

This is the main weakness of any MacBook. Don’t get me wrong, they do offer game support, and apps like GameHub can navigate the compatibility issues and give you some form of PC gaming. But none of it compares to a DLSS-armed RTX Spark system.

Whether it’s Arm-native games like Alan Wake 2 taking full advantage of DLSS 4.5 ray reconstruction for some eye-catching visuals, or games that are being emulated like Pragmata, you’re getting a buttery smooth experience across the board. Nvidia wouldn’t show us FPS numbers, so based on eyeing it, I saw both these games in excess of 100 FPS on these laptop screens (which I assume are 120Hz).

The questions I don’t have answers to yet are how much that emulation harms performance (if at all), and whether battery life is impacted. But based on early impressions, these are laptops you can work on and play on.

Nvidia RTX Spark: Going agentic

Let’s get into Team Green’s mission to “reinvent the PC” to begin with. I got to try out some demos of some of its agentic features.

First, there was a mutli-device OpenClaw situation of talking to your computer. This was done on a DGX Spark mini PC, but given the silicon is practically identical to RTX Spark (just that the latter is optimized for Windows), you can do this too. And the idea of your computer being something that you can work with from anywhere no matter what device came into view.

From complex things like coding a website landing page to simpler things like translating a menu and picking the right dish with low salt if you have high blood pressure, the long memory context that can be saved and loaded into the massive memory on tap here is significant.

Second, there was the multi-app pipeline of getting something done. I got to recreate the demo from the keynote where a griffin was AI generated in Photoshop based on a sketch, turned into a 3D model and animated via ComfyUI (the visual way of connecting AI models together).

The speed was seriously impressive, though you did see the limitations of the current local AI models, where the legs would disappear in what I assume was some hallucination madness.

Then came the developer side of things. I won’t go into the vibecoding bit of it (I don’t really agree this is the way to create sites and apps), but what I will talk about is the system taking agentic control of the website. The last time I tested something agentic on a web browser was Opera’s Browser Operator, which would take a screenshot and then send it to an LLM in the cloud to devise the next move.

All happening securely on the system, the speed difference is night and day — tearing through a site and filling in a form in mere seconds. This is a glimpse of what telling your laptop to just do something can be.

And yes, the bird creation turned into video definitely screams AI slop, but the principle is there. You can imagine the natural language prompts with an image to tweak the colors and contrast, or turning your pencilled ideas into something that can inspire a real-life idea.

Also, shout-out to the tweaks being made to Windows 11 too! Attaching the taskbar to the side of the monitor is a revelation to getting it out of the way and focusing on your work.

The Nvidia RTX Spark laptops are seriously good

Then there’s the laptops themselves. I won’t spend too much time talking about them here, as I want to rank them in a future piece (spoiler alert: that Asus ProArt P14 is calling to me). But to match that expected high price, there are some seriously sleek hardware options coming.

One thing you’ll notice is that these are very familiar shells with maybe a tweak for cooling here and there. This lines up well with what Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told me about wanting users to “go on the journey at your own pace” when it comes to the agentic side of things. So to completely flip the laptop build would probably terrify some folks.

For the 2-in-1 crowd, the MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+ is a seriously nice system, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra is a luxurious device, HP’s Omnibook 14X has an amazing keyboard, and the Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition gives you a nice upmarket feel. These partners have truly pulled out all the stops to provide some primo shells for Nvidia’s silicon.

RTX Spark outlook

I was speaking with our video producer extraordinaire Paul Antill in an uber around Taipei, and he asked about whether RTX Spark could beat the MacBook. To me, that question is always a bit of a poison pill, but one that is fair — every tech news outlet is guilty of saying “this laptop is good, but it’s not quite as good as the MacBook.”

But now, finally, after years and years of waiting for an Apple killer, Nvidia has stepped up and done the damned thing. AI slop laptop potential aside (lapslop?), this is a phenomenal chip that delivers big on making an extremely powerful machine both on and off the charger with serious power efficiency, while also being a peak gaming machine, too.

More from Tom's Guide

• 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 gamed for 250 hours on AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE — it’s a $549 nightmare for Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti
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WWDC 2026 is coming up fast, with Apple's annual developer conference kicking off with a keynote address on June 8 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. BST. That keynote will feature all the highlights of the conference, featuring the biggest news about Apple's entire software portfolio — and maybe a few surprises if we're lucky.

Apple will be livestreaming the entire keynote for the world to tune in, and this means you can watch all the news as it happens. Here's how you can watch the WWDC 2026 keynote livestream from wherever you are.

How can I watch the WWDC 2026 keynote live stream?

Apple typically hosts a livestream for all its biggest events, and WWDC 2026 isn't likely to be an exception to that. That stream will appear on Apple's website as we get closer to the conference itself.

However, a YouTube livestream is also available, which means you can tune in using this link or via the embedded video above. The stream features a reminder that will notify you before the keynote begins, so you don't forget to tune in. Naturally, this stream is available everywhere YouTube can be found.

Owners of Apple devices, including iPhone and Apple TV, will also be able to watch the livestream via the Apple TV app. Just fire it up ahead of 1 p.m. ET on June 8, and you'll find the stream waiting for you.

When is the WWDC 2026 keynote?

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is the annual show dedicated to all things software, and it's a place for everyone who builds Apple software to get together. We're talking phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and even mixed reality headsets.

The keynote itself is usually where Apple previews all the software that'll arrive later this year, and updates developers on all the goings on in Apple's multiple operating systems. There have been some hardware reveals in the past, but those are rare, and it's unlikely that we'll see anything substantial ahead of the September iPhone event.

WWDC itself will take place between June 8 and 12, with the keynote address kicking off the entire conference at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. BST.

What could Apple announce at WWDC 2026?

We're right in the middle of the major Apple hardware release cycles, so it's unlikely that we'll hear any significant hardware news during the keynote. Instead, the focus will be on how Apple is updating all of its software and refining the major changes that came last year as part of Liquid Glass.

The biggest news of the night will no doubt be the situation with Siri, and the AI update that was first announced back in 2024. It's rumored that Google Gemini will be powering the new AI, following Apple's failed attempts to go it alone, and we're curious to see just how well it will integrate into the Apple ecosystem across iPhone, Mac and so on.

There are also rumors that Apple will unveil a new smart home platform codenamed "Charismatic," which will no doubt tie into the release of the upgraded Siri AI. If this does happen, we may see Apple's long-delayed HomePad smart display, rumoured to be a cross between the HomePod and the iPad.

The upcoming release of the iPhone Fold, and its larger tablet-like display, also means we're likely to see some changes to iOS and the way it adapts to the foldable's changing display needs. How much we'll hear will likely depend on what Apple is willing to reveal about the foldable phone ahead of the rumored September launch.

Likewise, the potential launch of the MacBook Ultra next year, which is expected to come with the first touchscreen on a Mac, will likely require some changes to happen to macOS 27. Again, how much we hear about that will depend on what Apple is willing to give away at this early stage.

Then we have to remember that Apple has watchOS 27, TVOS 27 and visionOS 27. All three of these will no doubt get some sort of update, though at this early stage, it's unclear how extensive they may be. Not that many people bought Vision Pro headsets, and that's currently the only way to access visionOS, after all.

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• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 may eliminate the display crease too — step aside iPhone Fold

Nvidia has stormed Computex 2026 with the official announcement we all knew was coming: the company's first all-in-one laptop silicon called the RTX Spark Super Chip family.

Analysts are calling this Nvidia's most disruptive move in a decade, and my colleague Jason England likens it to the moment Apple unveiled its own M1 chip back in 2020. By moving beyond GPUs into integrated processors, Nvidia is throwing the gauntlet down to Qualcomm, Intel and AMD.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed RTX Spark during his keynote in Taipei, and the first laptops powered by the new chip should arrive in the fall. Beyond that, we can expect to see the RTX Spark appearing in mini PCs and small form-factor desktops from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, MSI, Acer and Gigabyte.

Huang noted that Nvidia and Microsoft have been working away on this for the last three years to "reinvent the PC for the first time in 40 years," aiming to move towards a responsive, proactive AI experience. Microsoft itself is coming out of the gate with an RTX Spark-powered Surface Laptop Ultra that could be a MacBook Pro killer.

Here's the list of the first eight RTX Spark-equipped laptops, along with a few details we know about them.

Microsoft Surface Ultra

Microsoft hasn't confirmed many details about its upcoming RTX Spark-powered Surface Laptop Ultra, but we know it'll have a 15-inch mini-LED touchscreen with 2,000 nits of peak brightness.

It will benefit from a large haptic touchpad and all the required ports: HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, SD card and a headphone jack.

Microsoft claims this will be “the most powerful Surface Laptop ever built” when it arrives later this year. Microsoft also claims it can run AI models locally and that the chip delivers power comparable to a mobile RTX 5070 GPU.

Asus ProArt

Asus is planning to launch two RTX Spark-powered ProArt laptops later this year: the ProArt P16 and the ProArt P14. Both laptops will feature 120Hz OLED touch panels in the 16:10 format (one will be 16-inch, one 14-inch) and be geared towards creative professionals.

Memory will be up to 128GB LPDDR5X 9400, while storage can be configured up to 2TB on the P16 and 1TB on the P14. Regardless of which model you choose, you'll get a full suite of ports: 3x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headphone jack and 1x standard SD.

MSI Prestige N16

MSI is set to launch the 2-in-1 Prestige N16 Flip AI Plus, which, it says, will represent "a new generation of premium thin-and-light PCs.”

Sadly, we've got no further information on the specs, dimensions, or — crucially — the price. All we can say is that this will be a 16-inch laptop with a 3,840 x 2,160 OLED panel and a peak brightness of over 1,000 nits.

Dell XPS 16

Dell will launch an RTX Spark-equipped version of the XPS 16, which likely won't deviate much from the current model in terms of outward design. We can expect an aluminum 16.3-inch workhorse with three USB-C ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack.

Price and specifications haven't been revealed yet.

HP OmniBook and Ultra 16

HP has confirmed two forthcoming RTX Spark laptops, the OmniBook X 14 and Ultra 16, but stopped short of announcing any specific details. The company says it will create "the world’s thinnest RTX Spark, built for powerful performance" and has confirmed it will follow up on the laptops with a compact desktop in the future.

“Our expanded portfolio pairs compact, powerful hardware with pre-configured environments and open-source toolchains to eliminate setup friction and accelerate the path from idea to execution," said Samuel Chang, senior vice president and division president, Consumer Personal Systems at HP.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n

Lenovo's flagship 16-inch laptop will also be getting the RTX Spark treatment, but we haven't had any details about exactly what changes to expect. Like the other laptops on this list, Lenovo's creator-focused 16-inch machine boasts a durable aluminum chassis and configurable specs tailored to your needs.

One area ripe for improvement would be battery life, and we'd hope that the RTX Spark-equipped Yoga Pro 9n can surpass the 9.45-hour battery life we recorded on the Intel-powered Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i.

Bottom line

In addition to announcing that over 30 laptops will come with the RTX Spark chip, Nvidia also revealed that Adobe is rebuilding Photoshop and Premiere Pro from the ground up for compatibility.

Suffice it to say, the above laptops will kick off a silicon war in the fall that could be good news for consumers. Especially for gamers and creative video editors. The Spark's Blackwell-architecture GPU, with 6,144 CUDA cores, brings Windows-on-Arm compatibility with Nvidia's gaming suite, including DLSS 4.5. You're going to get thin, light laptops capable of running triple-A games at 100 FPS with real-time ray tracing.

Finally, these laptops will be positioned to move Windows into a truly agentic AI future, with RTX Spark delivering 1 Petaflop of local AI performance. In a nutshell, it'll have the power and efficiency to work on the user's behalf across various apps to achieve the desired outcome.

So we're potentially looking at laptops with a thin-and-light form factor, elite battery life, and the power to crush desktop-class AI development, heavy creative production, or cutting-edge gaming. The only question is: how much will these devices cost when they arrive?

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The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is the company’s answer to the MacBook Pro. Announced during Nvidia’s Computex 2026 presentation, this laptop is among the first to feature the newly announced Nvidia RTX Spark chip. It promises to be powerful enough to handle creative workloads, development, local AI use, and gaming.

Besides the Laptop Studio, Surface devices are generally designed for average use. That won't be the case with the Surface Laptop Ultra, as it will pack up to 128GB of unified memory. Microsoft also claims it can run AI models locally and that the chip delivers power comparable to a mobile RTX 5070 GPU.

If the Surface Laptop Ultra is everything Microsoft claims, it will easily be the most powerful Surface device yet — and could give the likes of the MacBook Pro stiff competition. Here’s everything you need to know about the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra: Design

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra will include some of the features you’d expect from a premium notebook. For starters, it has a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display that can reportedly reach 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, making it the brightest display of any Surface device ever. Microsoft says it will have strong color accuracy for creative work.

You’ll also get a full set of ports, including HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. The haptic touchpad is the largest Microsoft has ever used on a Surface, and the laptop is designed to run quietly even under load.

The Surface Laptop Ultra will reportedly have “all-day” battery life, which is a claim I’m eager to verify in our lab tests. Expect it to come in Platinum and Nightfall finishes.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra: Nvidia RTX Spark

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra announcement alone is noteworthy, but it’s even more interesting because it’s one of the first laptops to feature the Nvidia RTX Spark chip. In case you were wondering, yes, it’s the processor long known as the “N1X.” Different moniker aside, the chip should be a major boon for the Surface Laptop Ultra.

The chip packs up to 6,144 Blackwell RTX cores, 20 efficient Arm CPU cores, and up to 128GB of unified memory. That adds up to 1 petaflop of AI performance, enough to run 120-billion-parameter models right on the laptop without choking. The claimed power of an RTX 5070 laptop GPU should mean smoother 3D rendering, faster video exports, and potentially higher-end gaming.

If all those numbers went over your head, it means the Surface Laptop Ultra should feel like a legitimate workstation you can carry around. We’d need to benchmark this laptop and live with it to see what it can do, but RTX Spark should give it some serious power.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra: Outlook

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is set to launch later this year, so it might be a while until we can go hands-on with this machine. I’m certainly looking forward to that, but given how expensive electronics have become thanks to the RAM crisis, I’m not eager to see how much this thing will cost.

We’ll have more information on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra as soon as we hear it, so stay tuned!

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MSI’s trend of putting works of art on its laptops continues with the Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Vincent van Gogh Edition, and it’s downright beautiful. I’m never the guy to call tech beautiful, but this is the most mesmerizing system I’ve seen at Computex 2026.

Adorned with van Gogh’s artwork on the lid, it’s a surefire conversation starter and something that will adorn any desk with pride. But I wonder how Vincent would’ve felt about being on a laptop with the word “AI+” in it? My guess is not too happy.

Still, can’t deny it’s evocative, and the fact it’s built around a Prestige 14 Flip AI+ means you’re getting quite the workhorse here too. Let me break it down.

Attention to the details

MSI’s Artisan Collection isn’t just about putting a painting onto a lid, but the intricacy of the craftsmanship too to make it both a visual and tactile work of art.

This van Gogh crossover achieves that handily with a choice between two iconic pieces: Starry Night and Starry Night Over the Rhône.

These aren’t just printed on, they’re layered on in an exhaustive process that adds a sensation to the lid that you can’t stop running your fingers over. The bold, eye catching shell colors are chosen to perfectly pair with the art you see, and the overall impact is astonishingly striking.

But this isn’t just the laptop. Since it’s a special edition, you’re getting a full van Gogh desk pad, luggage tag and custom mouse too.

More like Vincent van GO

It all starts with the guts of this machine, and at the core is an Intel Core Ultra X9 CPU and up to 64GB LPDDR5x RAM. As you’ve seen by the time I’ve spent testing Panther Lake, this is a screamer of a chip for productivity, and thanks to that powerful integrated GPU, it can handle AAA gaming like a champ too.

To show your content, you’ll see that same great 1920 x 1200 OLED touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge to turn this into your own personal canvas, and the stylus is integrated directly into the bottom of the shell.

Connectivity-wise, there’s a couple of Thunderbolt 4s, a USB-A and HDMI 2.1, alongside Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. The keyboard has a nice tactile feel to it and sum of it all is a real workhorse and entertainment powerhouse.

Outlook

Van Gogh was a man of fierce passion and obsession with the physicality of paint. So I can’t help but feel conflicted to see his masterpieces atop a laptop that is adorned with AI branding.

Still if you ignore the AI features and the bigger question at play here, what you get is a truly beautiful laptop that has all the horsepower you need under the hood to tackle your whole workload.

But what about the price? MSI really wants me to stop asking about price, because it’s the one question nobody can really answer given how RAMageddon has put the whole computing market into a state of flux.

So let’s take a guess — given the current Prestige sells for $1,299, and this is a more powerful spec and a special edition, throw in higher RAM prices and my bet is $2,499. Brutal, but that’s the nature of the game right now.

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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.

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A large part of the appeal of Google's Chromebooks has been their lower price, but the new Googlebooks are launching at a premium, which means much higher pricing.

However, in a recent interview with Chrome Unboxed, John Maletis, Google's Vice president and GM of ChromeOS, confirmed that more affordable versions will be available down the line.

“We’ve always been about enabling technology and the ability to be productive and access information regardless of your price point,” Maletis said. “So over time we will come down, but these first devices are super premium.”

Outside of Apple's MacBook Neo, the trend for laptop makers in 2026 has been to ditch their budget laptops in favor of premium options, which command higher prices and avoid the RAM crisis. Unfortunately, that might be working, as The Register reported that Lenovo posted record numbers as it switched to premium PCs and dropped its budget lineup.

Which is why it's good that Google is even promising that more affordable options are on the roadmap.

What are your budget options?

Despite announcing the Googlebook series, Google has promised that Chromebooks aren't going anywhere yet. So the best Chromebooks are still available and an affordable option for those looking for something more wallet friendly.

Besides, Googlebooks are meant to compete with Apple's high-end MacBooks, not the Neo.

While the MacBook Neo is the best budget laptop, there are plenty of other options, including the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x and the Acer Aspire Go 15. Nicely, with the launch of the Neo, we now have options for every operating system from ChromeOS and Windows to macOS.

Maletis declined to provide a potential timeline for the more affordable Googlebook, so we may have to wait. Meanwhile, despite the memory crisis, you do have options.

It might get worse as we get deeper into 2026, though, so if you're in the market for a budget laptop, now might be the best time to pick one up.

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The MacBook Neo has shaken up the budget Windows laptop space, and Qualcomm is responding with Snapdragon C at Computex 2026. Aimed squarely at the $300-$400 range, you can expect new cheap notebooks from the likes of Acer, HP and Lenovo rocking it.

Specs are unclear at the moment, but we expect this to be similar to the Neo's A18 Pro — the same sort of construction as the Snapdragon X2 Elite (a CPU, GPU and NPU for AI), but with a lower core count across the board.

No specifics have been announced, but if these machines offer a comparable experience, Apple could have legitimate competition.

So, of course, the biggest question is: can Snapdragon C help Windows laptops compete with the MacBook Neo? We don’t have enough information to determine that right now, but the possibility is certainly intriguing.

Snapdragon C: The basics

As Qualcomm describes it, Snapdragon C is designed for entry-level laptops used by students, families, and small businesses. In other words, the same crowd Apple is targeting with the MacBook Neo.

Price plays a major factor here, with Qualcomm claiming Snapdragon C laptops will land in the $300-$400 range. If that turns out to be the case, that would be lower than the Neo’s $599 starting price. It would also be the opposite of the inflated prices we’ve been seeing all year, thanks to the RAM crisis.

“As costs rise and customer expectations evolve, Snapdragon C brings together value oriented computing, all-day battery life, AI capabilities and responsive performance in cool-quiet devices for expanded platform choice,” said Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“We’re delivering modern computing experiences that help our ecosystem reach new audiences and expanding access to reliable, efficient technology for students, families, customer-facing small businesses, and beyond.”

Snapdragon C laptops promise all-day battery life. This is something we should take seriously, given that laptops with Snapdragon X chips are among the longest-lasting we’ve tested at Tom’s Guide. If the lower-tier C processors offer anything close to 15-20 hours of endurance, they could quite literally lap the Neo in battery life.

In addition to supporting everyday tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and productivity, the Snapdragon C chip also has an integrated NPU for on-device AI tasks. The jury is still out on the usefulness of on-device AI (I still find it all undercooked), but this could be seen as futureproofing if and when AI becomes more useful.

The first Snapdragon C laptop

We don’t yet have a full list of Snapdragon C laptop manufacturers, but some of the big names currently attached include HP, Lenovo, and Acer. The latter is particularly noteworthy, as Acer is the first PC maker in the world to announce a laptop powered by Snapdragon C with the Acer Aspire Go 15.

Like the MacBook Neo, this laptop starts with 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and two USB-C ports. Differences include a 15.6-inch display instead of the Neo’s 13-inch screen and an HDMI port. Acer’s press release says the Aspire Go 15 features plastic components, which would be a downgrade from the Neo’s all-aluminum frame.

Snapdragon C vs. MacBook Neo

Both the MacBook Neo and Snapdragon C laptops are aimed squarely at the casual crowd, so it wouldn't surprise me if the C has more in common with Qualcomm's mobile architecture than we're expecting.

That'd fall in line nicely with how the Neo is literally just an iPhone chip (the A18 Pro) but also demonstrated just how much that tiny silicon can actually do!

However, nothing has been announced about cores and clock speeds (yet). We're aiming to get more information about this at Computex 2026 in Taipei!

But to set a target for any Qualcomm laptops to hit, they've gotta aim to drink the MacBook Neo's milkshake — hitting that sweet spot of just enough power for casual use, while giving enough headroom for manufacturers to provide a more premium build quality than the plastic shells and tacky displays they've been doing so far.

Bottom line

Right now, it’s hard to believe that a $300-$400 Windows laptop can hope to match the Neo as an overall package. Will these machines have aluminum frames and vibrant displays like the Neo, or will they have the kind of cheap plastic designs and dim screens we’re used to?

Sure, the price sounds right, but as the Neo has shown, price and specs alone aren’t enough. Laptops need to offer folks more, even if they’re budget machines.

We’ll need to go hands-on with Snapdragon C laptops to see how they compare to the MacBook Neo, both in terms of performance and in daily use. If they can match the experience, then we might all owe Apple for, ironically enough, making laptops more affordable.

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The MacBook Ultra is making a lot of headlines — namely for being the first system that will reportedly bring touchscreen to the MacBook. But what if you wanted that without having to pay the (probably) massive price that’ll come with a top-of-the-line Apple computer?

That’s where Intricuit’s Magic Screen comes in. Unveiled at CES, I’ve been testing one for a while now, and not only is it a fantastic piece of kit for converting to a 2-in-1 and extracting more value from your laptop, it proves that Cupertino may be more ready for a touchscreen Mac than you may think.

So, consider this both a review of my three weeks using Magic Screen and a look into Apple’s quiet work preparing for when the worlds of iPad and Mac collide ahead of WWDC 2026.

How it works

It’s a lot simpler than you think! Magic Screen is a magnetic glass layer that snaps directly on top of your current MacBook Pro’s display. Make sure the original display glass is clean, pop it on top, connect via USB-C and you’re off to the races.

In terms of availability, you’ll be able to pick one up in all display sizes — from the 13-inch MacBook Neo all the way up to the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Offical pricing is unconfirmed (it’s going through Kickstarter first), but we do know early bird pricing will start at $139. That's giving me hope that the final retail cost will be reasonable!

You can see it impacts viewing angle at the most extreme of degrees (i.e. directly off to the left or right — places where you won’t be using it), but brightness remains untouched by the additional layer.

Plus, with the lip, you will not be able to close the laptop with this attached. Consider this a PSA because I don’t want eager users destroying their pricey MacBook Pros!

MacBooks suit touch input well(ish)

The first thing that surprised me about using the Magic Screen is just how intuitive it is from the word “go.” The plug-and-play nature of it shows just how macOS already has some nice touch optimization going on here — something we already found when building a touchscreen iMac.

Navigating around is a cinch with simple taps on apps, press and holds for the right-click menu, multi-touch gestures that are mapped identically to the ones you do on the touchpad, and dragging windows and objects around. And the iOSification of the aesthetics of macOS really lends itself to being more touch-friendly than Windows 11 for sure.

Is it perfect? No, and it comes down to two key issues that I’ll be watching WWDC like a hawk for to see if there are any hints of making macOS even more touch-friendly.

First, the general user interaction dynamic changes with different icons — double-tapping a folder on the desktop vs single tapping an app is a great example of this. It’s a small thing on paper, but everything needs to work the same in a uniform kind of way.

And second is the macOS apps themselves. They’re clearly built for mouse and keyboard, and this can prove tricky with some tiny touch targets in things like a Final Cut Pro timeline. Buttons will need to be simplified and made larger for these moments.

This is going to be more of a mammoth task, not just for Apple’s own apps but for third-party developers, and I’m not entirely sure how it’ll be done. Beyond ground-up redesigns, will it be reactive windows that change as you start to touch? I don’t know.

Magic Screen is pretty magical for getting creative

As for the Magic Screen itself, it’s a well-made piece of hardware with the intuitive setup of just magnetically snapping it onto the chassis. You’ve also got that folio case for the panel itself that doubles as a brace that stops any display hinge wobble while you touch too!

But things get really interesting when you turn it into a drawing tablet with the stylus. We’ve loved illustration surfaces from the likes of Wacom for a while now, and this additional use case makes for a really nice ergonomic dimension for getting creative.

Palm rejection is hard at work here, and the stylus has a nice feel in the hand with immediate response times and pressure sensitivity. And given it’s a giant touch surface that matches the dimensions of your laptop’s panel, it’s really easy to guess where your pen will land (even without looking at the hovering icon).

Bridging the gap between iPad and Mac

For years now, it’s seemed a little crazy to me that there hasn’t been a touchscreen Mac. I understood Apple’s reasons, and the touchpad navigation can feel almost iPad-esque with the multi-touch gestures and speed of getting around.

But the wealth of Windows 2-in-1s has shown the world is keen for touchscreen laptops, and this additional paradigm of interaction with a Mac feels very intuitive. Apple’s already done the heavy lifting with macOS taking some visual cues from iOS, and outside of a few app tweaks and gestures, it’s pretty much ready for primetime.

That’s what we’ll hopefully see more of come WWDC 2026 — these small visual tweaks and UI elements that make it more finger-friendly!

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As the first half of 2026 winds down, it feels as though Apple has been relatively quiet while we wait for the big Fall product releases. WWDC 2026 is right around the corner in June and as is often the case, it marks the shift between the barren Apple months and the fruitful ones.

With that in mind, based on rumors and leaks, I expect Apple to debut at least 15 new devices between now and the end of the year.

Some like the iPhone and Apple Watches are your typical annual updates (save the over-rumored iPhone Fold), and potential updates to the MacBook Pro lineup. Others, like Apple's long-awaited smart home lineup, all depend on whether Apple has finally figured out Siri 2.0.

All of these devices could give us an idea if the recently reported hardware shakeup is ready to bear fruit.

So, here are the 15 Apple devices we could see this year in order of potential release date.

iPhone 18 Pro models and iPhone Fold - September

On the whole, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max probably won't be a big divergence from the iPhone 17 versions. A new color, a better chip, possibly a revamped Camera Control button and a smaller Dynamic Island are all on the table. Decent updates, but not terribly exciting.

The iPhone 18 is, we expect, a gap year until 2027's 20th anniversary iPhone, which could truly shake up the iPhone design.

However, the bigger news is that Apple is expected to split the iPhone 18 release with the Pro models this year and the iPhone 18, 18 Plus, and 18e launching in the new spring window next year.

If it launches, and there is debate about that, the iPhone Fold (or Ultra) will be the headline stealer as Apple finally steps into the foldable phones market.

The allegedly crease-free foldable could feature a squat 7.7-inch inner display that is reminiscent of an iPad mini. Apple is reportedly developing iOS 27 to be tailored for the folding iPhone. We'll most likely hear more about that at WWDC 2026, depending on how coy Apple wants to be.

Apple Watches - September

Unlike the iPhone 18 family, there has been a dearth of rumors regarding the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. They typically launch in September alongside the iPhone.

Here's what we know so far.

The Series 12 could feature new holistic sensor tech on the bottom of the watch, including a new eight-sensor array. If true, this could indicate that new health metrics might be coming to the Series 12, or at the very least, more accurate ones. The big change might be an overhauled Health app featuring an AI-powered, personalized wellness concierge.

Otherwise, it should be largely the same as the Series 11, though it might feature Touch ID, which has been disputed.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 may or may not launch this year, the rumors are unclear on this part. If not, we might see the Ultra 4 in 2027.

As for the design, rumors hint at a thinner case, fingerprint scanner and improved Hypertension Alerts. But that's about it for now.

iPads - September/October

The iPad mini is one of the best tablets available today and the eighth iteration could launch this year. Apple hasn't had a consistent release schedule for its tiny iPads, but most rumors suggest the iPad mini 8 could launch around October, maybe late September.

It's rumored to get the A20 Pro, the same chip as the iPhone 18 Pro series. It could also be the first iPad mini to feature an OLED display.

As for the larger entry-level iPad 12, it could launch this year with an A19 chipset. It's looking like it will be a simple refresh with Apple Intelligence features and possibly Apple's N1 wireless chip. Design-wise I expect it to look the same as its predecessor. Outside of that, I only have speculation on possible increases in RAM and storage but with the memory crisis, that may take a back seat.

OLED MacBook Pro M6 and other Macs - October

If they launch this year, I expect to see at least four Mac devices, most likely in October.

The most interesting one is the potential MacBook Pro M6 feature an OLED display.

• Mac Studio
• Mac mini
• iMac
• MacBook Pro M6

Beyond the MacBook, all of the other devices will likely just be chip upgrades going from their current versions to the M5 family.

The Pro model might get a new name the MacBook Ultra, which is meant to differentiate it from the MacBook Neo acting as an even higher-end counterpart to the Pro. It should feature an OLED display and the new M6 chipset.

The design should be similar to previous Pro models. The big upgrades will be the display with a touchscreen and the chipset.

Smart Home devices with a catch

Apple has been rumored to be developing its own suite of smart home devices, including the overhauled HomePod. This could come in the form of a new HomePod mini, a new HomePod 3 and the Home Hub.

The long-awaited Apple TV 4K set-top box update would be part of this update, with new features meant to connect it to your smart home. We're expecting Apple to kit out the next Apple TV with an upgraded chip, possibly an A17 Pro chip, though that rumor is nearly a year old now, so a potentially more powerful chip could be in the cards. The device could also get the N1 chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Here's the thing, though, this all depends on whether Apple has finally figured out Apple Intelligence and Siri. Using AI to control your smart home with your voice and other tools is supposed to be a main part of the experience. That promise could finally arrive with the Gemini-powered version of Siri that is supposed to launch this year.

Additionally, Apple may have a smart security camera and Face ID doorbell in the works. Apple was reportedly in the early stages of development of those at the end of 2024, but it's not clear where Apple is regarding that now.

If Apple finally reveals the new HomePod and other smart home devices, it likely won't happen until after Siri 2.0 actually launches this fall.

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The MacBook Pro OLED could launch sooner than I thought. Last month, Bloomberg reported that these laptops could be delayed due to the global RAM shortage. However, a new report gives me hope that Apple’s first OLED laptops might overcome this hurdle.

As Korean publication The Elec reports (via 9to5Mac and MacRumors), panel supplier Samsung Display will begin mass production of its next-generation OLED panels as soon as June. These are the same panels that the MacBook Pro 14- and MacBook Pro 16-inch models are expected to use.

Samsung Display has reportedly achieved yields above 90 percent on its Gen 8.6 OLED production line. The report says that supply volume should be around 2 million units and that the displays could start shipping to Apple’s assembly partners in the next couple of months.

If accurate, this report is significant because of the difficulty of manufacturing OLED panels for 14- and 16-inch laptops. This, combined with the RAM crisis, is why many analysts believed the MacBook Pro OLED could face delays. Samsung still expects a 5%-10% failure rate during manufacturing, underscoring that the process isn’t easy. However, that same failure rate is acceptable to Samsung, hence why the MacBook Pro OLED might not be delayed.

Apple hasn’t officially announced MacBook Pro laptops with OLED panels, but rumors have persisted for the past several years. Such a laptop would be the first major redesign for the MacBook Pro line since 2021, with reports claiming the updated laptops will be thinner, drop the notched display, and even include cellular connectivity, in addition to the OLED panel.

As for when we could see the MacBook Pro OLED, it could be in late 2026 or early 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 2027 might be the safer bet, especially as the upcoming MacBook Pros are expected to run on the rumored Apple M6 chip. Tell us in the comments if you're waiting for a MacBook Pro OLED.

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Lenovo’s Yoga Pro series brings high-performance components into the slim form factor to create an ideal laptop for content creators and creative professionals alike. We did enjoy the previous model for good reason. Lenovo makes incredibly reliable laptops, and the Yoga Pro always promises a great balance of performance, stunning displays, and high-fidelity audio and this year’s Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition doesn’t disappoint in any of those categories.

The real hamstrings for the Yoga Pro 7i are its price point and its sub-par battery life. The newest Yoga Pro 7i is significantly more expensive for its base configuration compared to the previous generation, and it’s hard to justify a price hike of over $600 even with the current hardware shortages and US foreign manufacturing tariffs.

Between that steep entry-level price tag with just under 7 hours of web surfing battery life, can the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition still make the cut for our best laptops page?

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Cheat sheet

• What is it?: The Yoga Pro 7i is a thin and lightweight laptop with a discrete GPU.
• Who is it for?: Creative professionals and content creators who want a powerful, thin Windows laptop.
• What does it cost?: The base configuration of the Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition starts at a staggering $2,149, while our review configuration with upgraded CPU and GPU costs just $250 extra.
• What do we like?: The Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 boasts powerful performance designed to handle creative workloads, a gorgeous OLED touchscreen, Lenovo’s industry-leading keyboard, robust audio system, and reliable build quality.
• What don’t we like?: The base configuration is rather expensive for an Intel Core Ultra 7 and RTX 5050 combination, and the battery life could be a bit better.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Specs

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition: The Ups

There’s a reason why Lenovo laptops often make it onto our guides, especially the more premium tier laptops like the Yoga and Yoga Pro series. The Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 is no slouch, offering a minimalist design, satisfying keyboard experience, sturdy build quality, stunning display, robust audio, smooth content creation performance, and even a quality gaming experience.

Minimalist design and a user-forward experience

Lenovo’s streamlined design for its Yoga and IdeaPad laptops may not have a ton of visual interest, but the clean lines, embossed Lenovo logo, and camera hub on the lid are ideal for a more professional environment which fits the Yoga Pro well.

The streamlined design follows through with a clean keyboard deck with front-facing speakers on either side of the lattice keyboard and oversized touchpad. Add in the etched Yoga logo on the right-hand palm rest and you’ve got Lenovo’s answer to the MacBook layout.

But the real highlights of the Yoga Pro’s design are the keyboard and camera and mic hub on the top of the display. Due to that extra bump on the top lid, the Yoga Pro’s webcam and mic array don’t need a display notch, nor do they add a lot of overall bulk to the Yoga’s display bezels, which offers a much better fullscreen experience than the notorious MacBook notch.

The Yoga’s webcam is a 5MP IR camera with a built-in privacy shutter, and thus nothing particularly spectacular to write home about. However, it’s more than enough for any virtual meetings and calls you might need to handle.

As for the keyboard, Lenovo’s been making some of the best laptop keyboards for years and the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition is no different. The keyboard switches have plenty of key travel for a comfortable typing experience, combined with a crisp click for a more mechanical, bouncy feel.

Stunning display and powerful audio

Since the Yoga Pro is a creator laptop, it needs a vivid, color accurate display. Lenovo rates the Yoga Pro 7i’s OLED touchscreen at 100% accuracy on the sRGB, DCI-P3, and Adobe RGB color spaces, with a maximum peak brightness of 1100 nits.

Our testing indicated that the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 covered 199% of the sRGB and 141% of the DCI-P3 color spaces, making it one of the more accurate displays we’ve tested. As for the brightness, our HDR testing did peak at 999-nits, while the overall average SDR brightness of the Yoga’s OLED panel was 448-nits.

This makes the Yoga Pro an ideal laptop option for photo color correcting, digital design, and video color grading. So it’s an all-around fantastic choice for creative professionals who need color-accurate displays. Paired with a powerful, front-facing 4-speaker audio system with Dolby Atmos tuning, the Yoga Pro 7i is a fantastic choice for video editors and content creators.

Strong creative performance chops

When it comes to general and content creation specific performance, the Yoga Pro 7i’s Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card provide respectable amounts of processing power across a variety of multithreaded uses from video and photo editing to overall productivity.

Compared to last year’s Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 10, the 11th Gen Yoga Pro 7i packs a more powerful punch on our Geekbench and Handbrake video encoding benchmarks, with multithreaded performance gains of 43%.

The Yoga Pro 7i is also a bit more potent than our favorite 2-in-1 laptop, the Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) on both Geekbench and Handbrake. As for the MacBook Pro 14 M5, the Mac still holds a bit of an edge on Geekbench 6 multicore performance, though the Yoga Pro 7i outpaces the Mac by just a few seconds on our Handbrake benchmark. On the PugetBench Photoshop benchmark, the MacBook Pro M5 still holds down a steady lead, but the Yoga Pro 7i isn’t too far behind.

So if you’re looking for a Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro, the Yoga Pro does put up quite a good fight on the raw performance benchmarks. And that comes through even outside of the synthetic benchmark zone. I blazed through some photo editing and graphic design tasks on the Yoga Pro in Adobe Photoshop, with no major processing bottlenecks even when breaking out the more intensive tools like smart object selection.

Respectable gaming performance

While the Yoga Pro 7i is designed for content creation, it does have an Nvidia gaming graphics card on board. Sure, the Yoga Pro’s RTX 5060 may come with studio drivers installed, but you can swap those out for Nvidia’s gaming drivers if you’d like. And the Yoga is an absolute treat for gaming thanks to its highly accurate OLED display.

Of course, the Yoga Pro 7i will fall a bit behind in comparison to a more dedicated gaming laptop like the MSI Stealth 16 AI+ (2026) I reviewed recently, mostly because the Yoga’s thermal management isn’t designed for sustained, high-intensity gaming. But even then, the Yoga is just a few fps off from the Stealth even on more intense benchmarks like Black Myth: Wukong, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Cyberpunk 2077.

While both RTX 5060 laptops struggled with hitting the 60 fps mark on these benchmarks, particularly at 1600p resolution, the Stealth was about 5ps faster on average than the Yoga.

But if you only plan to play more casual games on the Yoga, or if you don’t mind gaming at lower graphics presets, the Yoga is more than sufficient for some quality gaming. I booted up Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and averaged about 100 fps at 1600p on Laptop (High) settings even in high-traffic areas or during large-scale raids.

And if you plan to use the Yoga for gaming content creation, it’ll do well enough for some game capture footage all on its own, particularly if you’re looking at running games at 1080p rather than the Yoga’s max 1600p resolution.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition: The Downs

The Yoga Pro 7i’s pitfalls are, unfortunately, difficult to overcome. While all tech hardware has gotten more expensive, the Yoga Pro 7i’s starting configuration comes at a steep price considering how affordable the upgrades are in comparison. Combined with sub-par battery life, it becomes hard to justify the Yoga Pro 7i’s high starting price.

The RAM shortage strikes again

Unfortunately, the Yoga Pro has gotten much more expensive this generation thanks to the AI industry’s stranglehold on the RAM supply chain, which has increased memory and GPU prices across the board. Last year’s Yoga Pro 7i Gen 10 pricing started at $1,400, while this generation’s entry level configuration starts at $2,149. That’s a price increase of almost $750. Granted, the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 10’s starting configuration had just an integrated GPU rather than a discrete Nvidia RTX GPU.

The Yoga Pro 9i Gen 10, which did feature a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, started at $1,949. Which was still a pretty hefty retail price, but isn’t as far off from the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11’s starting price. However, the Yoga Pro 9i did come with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, which helps justify that steep starting price. The Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11, meanwhile, starts at $2,149 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 356H. It’s hard to completely quantify the CPU cost differential since mobile CPUs are never sold separately from systems and the Yoga Pro 9i Gen 10 didn’t feature an Intel Core Ultra 7 option. But it’s probably closer to a $300 price difference between the two generations when you consider the CPU difference. Not the worst price hike we’ve seen with the RAM shortage, but it is a hard pill to swallow, particularly on the entry-level spec.

However, our review configuration did feature upgrades to the CPU and GPU, bringing the price up to $2,399. Which is just $250 more to upgrade to a 16-core CPU and more powerful RTX 5060 GPU. And that feels far less egregious than the Yoga Pro 7i’s starting configuration price tag.

But if you’re looking for a great content creator laptop and you don’t mind switching between Windows and macOS, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 M5 starts at just $1,699. Granted, Apple’s upgrades do get expensive so if you want to upgrade your RAM, storage, CPU, or GPU configuration it comes at a much higher price than Lenovo’s upgrade cost.

Sub-par battery life

Which leaves battery life as the Yoga’s most major hangup. On our web surfing battery test, the Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 lasted just 6 hours and 56 minutes on average. My own anecdotal testing got me about 6 hours of web surfing, writing, and photo editing before I needed to find an outlet for the Yoga.

While laptops with discrete GPUs often take a hit to battery life, the Yoga Pro combines an RTX 5060 with an OLED display leaving it with two major issues when it comes to battery efficiency. If you plan to always use the Yoga near a power outlet, or just need it for quick short bursts of inspiration, its battery life isn’t too abysmal.

But if you need a great creator laptop that can last a long time on a single charge, you may just be better off with the MacBook Pro or even the Asus Zenbook Duo.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition is nearly a complete package as far as content creator laptops go. It’s got powerful CPU and GPU performance, a stunning OLED touchscreen, sturdy build quality, an industry-leading keyboard, and powerful built-in audio. If you’re looking for a Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro, the Yoga Pro is a solid competitor. And unlike the MacBook, it can run any game in your Steam library.

But if you need a cheaper entry level configuration, or if you need a laptop that lasts for over a full work day on a single charge, the MacBook Pro, Asus Zenbook Duo, or even the previous generation Yoga Pro 9i would be a better choice.