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Razer was so proud of the screens on its updated Blade laptops it announced some details a week before CES. Now that I’ve seen them, I can say they look even better in person.

The big upgrade for the Blade 16 is without a doubt its screen, which Razer says is the world’s first 16-inch 240Hz OLED display. The impressive thing is that, even when compared to the Blade 14 and Blade 18’s panels which both look great, the one on the 16 just pops a little bit more. Colors look rich and it covers 100 percent of DCI-P3 color gamut, plus its response time of just 0.2ms is super fast. You also get VESA ClearMR 11000 and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certifications. And while its QHD+ resolution isn’t quite 4K, you can always opt for the dual mode mini LED screen Razer introduced last year.

Inside, you get a new 14th-gen Raptor Lake Core i9-14900HX chip and up to an RTX 4090 with a TDP of 175 watts. While the Blade 16’s starting price looks pretty steep at $3,000, it’s important to note that that figure includes the brand new OLED display and 4070 graphics, which is better than the 4060 cards you get as base from a lot of Razer’s rivals. The Blade 16 is on sale today. 

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

As for the Blade 14, it’s got a new AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip and up to an RTX 4070 GPU with a TDP of 140 watts. As for its display you’re looking at a 16:10 QHD+ panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. And all this comes in a chassis that still weighs 4.05 pounds and measures 0.7 inches thick, which might make this my favorite of the three due to its combination of power and portability. I just wish that it had the OLED display from the Blade 16. Pricing is still to be determined, though pre-orders are slated for the end of January.

Finally, there’s the Blade 18, whose most important new feature is the world’s first 18-inch 4K 165Hz display. Now I should mention that this display is so new, the model we saw at CES has a placeholder lid, so the system I saw was significantly thicker than it will be at launch. The other big claim is that the Blade 18 will feature a Thunderbolt 5 port, which is the first time I’ve heard any company pledge to include this connector. Unfortunately, that’s all we know about the Blade 18 for now, as it’s not scheduled to launch until sometime later this year.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

One last notable change for 2024 is that across the entire Blade family, you’ll now be able to equip each system with up to 96GB of RAM and 8TB of SSD storage. Those are pretty monstrous figures and you can bet upgrading won’t come cheap, but if you need it, you need it.

Shokz has making Bluetooth bone conduction headsets for years, including a personal favorite: the OpenRun Pro. However, you may have overlooked one of company's more niche variants. In 2019 the company launched a model called Xtrainerz, a bone conduction headset with an IP68 waterproof rating, 4GB of onboard storage and no Bluetooth. This was pitched as an all around training headset with a focus on swimmers. Recently it was renamed OpenSwim, but today at CES 2024 in Las Vegas the company has announced its improved successor, the OpenSwim Pro waterproof headphones.

As with many products being announced at CES this year, the OpenSwim Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3. The big change is that it includes Bluetooth at all, making it a more useful all-around headset and less specifically targeted to swimming or triathlon use. The OpenSwim Pro also has 32GB of onboard storage, which is a healthy bump from the previous 4GB limit.

You get nine hours of battery life (one extra hour from the previous gen) and we’re told that it offers fast charging, although those details haven’t been provided yet. If it matches up to other Shokz models, that would be 1.5 hours with just five minutes of charging, which I’ve found immensely useful. If you’re actively using these while swimming, you can only be submerged for two hours without tempting the limits of its IP68 waterproof rating.

The sound quality for this model should be similar to the OpenRun model, with 8th-gen bone conduction tech. The need for a more enclosed design means it can’t quite match the slightly bassier output of the OpenRun Pro, which uses venting to enhance the low end. This model does have microphones, however, which is a new addition for the OpenSwim series. It certainly seems to be a necessary feature for a Bluetooth headset, so it’s a welcome addition.

The Shokz OpenSwim Pro will be available later in the year, although pricing and a specific launch date have yet to be determined. Those interested in receiving updates can sign up on the Shokz website.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Lenovo just announced a handful of new gaming laptops at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Each of these computers features the company’s proprietary Legion Coldfront: Hyper cooling technology that keeps temperatures low while making sure the fans don’t get too loud. They're also packed with AI chips for improved speed and performance. These laptops ship with Windows 11 and come with three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

The Lenovo Legion 9i is the flagship model with the most features and the highest asking price. This is a refresh of the similarly named laptop that was released back in September, but this one packs a 14th-gen Intel CoreTM Gen i9-14900HX CPU and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTXTM 4090 GPU. It also features the company’s upgraded LA3-P AI chip, which automatically adjusts power to the CPU and GPU based on what you’re doing with the computer.

Additionally, the AI chip enables Lighting Audio Sync, which matches up the laptop’s RGB lights with sound to increase immersion. You get a 16-inch Mini-LED display panel with 3.2K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a snappy 165Hz refresh rate. You can choose up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of Gen4 PCIe internal storage. It also features a nifty-looking forged carbon top cover, which sets the aesthetics apart from similar gaming laptops. The Lenovo Legion 9i releases later this month, with a starting price of $4,400.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i boasts the all-new Intel Core 14th Gen i9-14900HX CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU in top-end models, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of internal SSD storage. There’s a 16-inch IPS display that supports refresh rates up to 240Hz and 500 nits of brightness. This upgraded PureSight panel features 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage. In short, this thing is a beast. The Legion Pro 7i will be available this March with a starting price of $2,700. There’s also the lower-powered Legion Pro 5i, which is available this month for $1,500.

Lenovo

In addition, the company announced standard Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i models. They don’t boast the “Pro” moniker, but should still be sufficient for modern gamers. These laptops are available in a variety of colorways, which is neat, and can be outfitted with up to the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX chips and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Both models include 16-inch displays, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The Legion 7i releases in March with a starting price of $2,100, while the 5i launches in April with a starting price of $1,400. There’s also a smaller and lighter version of the 5i coming in April that starts at $1,500.

Lenovo didn’t just announce gaming laptops. This is CES, after all. The company also unveiled a fair amount of gaming peripherals and accessories. The coolest of the bunch is the Lenovo Legion K510 Pro Mini Keyboard. This compact gaming keyboard is packed with mechanical key switches and 16.8 million color per-key RGB support. It’s expected this June for $70.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

CES often sets the tone for all of a manufacturer’s products that year. And apparently the theme for MSI in 2024 is “big.” It’s kicking things with three new 18-inch gaming laptops at CES 2024, plus one of the best-looking budget systems around.

As usual, MSI’s roster of gaming notebooks is headlined by the Titan series, in this case the Titan 18 HX. For those familiar with the previous generations, you may notice a lack of a two-letter tag in front of the system’s names (e.g., GT, GE, et cetera), a move MSI is making across all of its laptops to simplify its naming scheme.

In addition to a revamped design based on a new magnesium alloy chassis, the Titan 18 HX is crammed full of the most powerful components you can fit in a laptop including up to a 14th-gen Intel Core i9-14900HX chip, RTX 4090 GPU, 128GB of RAM, three SSD slots, Wi-Fi 7 and more. In total, we’re talking about a TDP of 270 watts with stable clock speeds of up to 5.2GHz across the CPU’s eight performance cores.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Its display also shines thanks to what MSI claims is the world’s first 18-inch 4K Mini LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which boasts VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. Meanwhile, for gamers who don’t feel like plugging in an external mouse, there’s a haptic touchpad that boasts eye-catching RGB backlighting. The only drawback is that with a starting price of $5,000, the Titan is only for people with equally large bank accounts.

For those who want a big gaming machine that’s still very fast but a tiny bit more affordable there’s the Raider 18 HX, which starts at around $3,500 to $4,000 (exact pricing still TBA). It sports a similar design to the Titan, except this there’s a big lightbar in front to really show off your love of RGB. The Raider also supports up to an i9-14900HX CPU and RTX 4090 GPU, but with a slightly lower overall 250-watt TDP. Unfortunately, the model we saw wasn’t functioning, so there wasn’t much more to glean from it.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Then there’s the Stealth 18 AI Studio, which is the first time MSI’s best-selling thin-and-light line has been available in this size. At 6.3 pounds, it’s almost two pounds lighter than both Titan and Raider while still supporting up to an RTX 4090 (but with a lower 185-watt TDP). The main difference is that as its name implies, it’s based on a 14th-gen Meteor Lake chip instead of Raptor Lake refresh, so it has a dedicated NPU for handling AI tasks.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Finally, I saw the Cyborg 14 and, if you’re a fan of old-school gadgets made out of translucent plastic, you’re going to appreciate MSI’s new approach to budget chassis design. Instead of a bunch of bulky plastic with too much RGB, the Cyborg has smoky gray accents scattered across its body – from its WASD keys to its sides and bottom panel. And its specs are solid for a system starting at around $1,000. It has a 16:10 144Hz display, support for up to an RTX 4060 and 13th-gen Core i7 chip. So not blisteringly fast, but not too shabby either. It’s a good value and has a little flair that shows that a company put some thought into a product beyond the price. And while it may not get a ribbon, if Dell’s G-series was the best-looking budget laptop at CES last year, the Cyborg 14 looks to be the early favorite in 2024.

That said, these four laptops were only a sample of all the new systems MSI is launching in Las Vegas, which includes spec refreshes for existing systems like the Stealth 14/16 alongside bigger revamps for others like the Vector line.

MSI has yet to announce full pricing and availability info for the Titan 18 HX, Raider 18 HX, Stealth 18 AI Studio and the Cyborg 14, so stayed tuned for updates.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

While Intel is leaning heavily on AI PCs with its Core Ultra notebook chips, it still has plenty of new products for gamers and speed demons who demand power above all. At CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Intel revealed its complete 14th-generation CPU family, which includes powerful "HX" series chips like the 24-core i9-14900HX, as well as new mainstream desktop CPUs. And for the other end of the power spectrum, Intel also unveiled the Core U Processor Series 1, which balances performance and efficiency in thin and light notebooks.

Sure, it's confusing to see Intel juggle two completely different laptop chip platforms — its Core Ultra chips and 14th-gen hardware — but they each serve a different purpose. (And really, it's not too different from Intel's typical split between ultraportable processors and those meant for beefier rigs.) For most notebook buyers, the Core Ultra chips make the most sense: They're still decently fast, they can offer great gaming performance when paired with external GPUs and they feature all of Intel's latest chip technology, including AI-accelerating NPUs. But, if you just want a speedy machine for extreme gaming and media creation, the raw power of a 14th-gen HX chip may make more sense.

Intel

The Core i9-14900HX, Intel's most powerful new laptop chip, features eight P-cores and 16 E-cores and a 5.8GHz turbo frequency. Intel claims it beats AMD's Ryzen 7945X3D in gaming performance by 17 percent, and it's also 51 percent faster than the Ryzen 7945HX for multitasking a virtual production (using Unreal Engine 5's MetaHuman generator and RealityCapture software). The Core i7-14700HX, meanwhile, features 20 total cores, including 4 more E-cores than the previous model. The 14th-gen HX chips will also support Thunderbolt 5 and 4 connections, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and discrete hardware for the new Wi-Fi 7 standard.

Intel

Intel is also announcing 18 new 14th-gen desktop chips today, which join the initial unlocked batch from October. These chips also top out with 24 cores in the $549 i9-14900, which can hit up to 5.8GHz. According to Intel's benchmarks, the Core i9-14900 isn't much faster than its 13th-gen predecessor (it's six percent faster in League of Legends). But Intel claims its a step up from AMD's Ryzen 9 7900: The new chip is 15 percent faster than AMD's in the CrossMark benchmark, and it's also 32 percent faster in Premiere Pro's PugetBench.

As for Intel's Core U-Series platform, expect to find them in the slim computers that used to sport its previous U-series chips. They top out with the Intel Core 7 150U, a 10-core chip (2 P-cores and 8 E-cores) that can reach up to 5.4GHz. The mid-range Core 5 120U has the same amount of cores but slightly slower clock speeds, while the Core 3 100U is a 6-core chip that hits 4.7GHz.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

It wouldn't be CES without Samsung showing off a strange and strangely lovable robot, and this year is the same. At its CES 2024 press conference today, the company showed off a robot named Ballie that has a projector built in. Interestingly, though, according to a report from The Washington Post, Samsung said the robotic sphere will actually available for sale within the year.

We first saw an early iteration of Ballie in 2020, when Samsung brought the device onstage, with an executive cupping the oversized tennis ball-like gadget in their hands. When it was introduced back then, Ballie was touted as a household assistant and potential fitness assistant, with such sophisticated skills as opening smart curtains and turning on the TV. It was supposed to also be able to call for help if it sees a person has fallen and not gotten up.

In four years, Ballie appears to have grown up. It's now "bowling-ball-size," according to the Post, and has a spatial LiDAR sensor and a 1080p projector. The latter has two lenses and allows the robot to display movies, video calls and "greetings" on its surrounding surfaces. In a video shown during the keynote, Ballie greets a user who returns to their home by projecting the word "Welcome," as well as displaying a conference call, workout video and the contents of a nearby PC, like a secondary screen. In an adorable scene, it also showed the robot projecting a video of greenery on to the floor for a golden retriever sat across from it. 

Samsung also showed people controlling Ballie by speaking to it, as well as via text messages. In its replies, Ballie was sending clips of what it saw, like the activity of a pet left at home. Like the earlier model, the newer robot can automatically switch connected lights and gadgets on or off, as well as non-connected appliances with its infrared transmitter. 

Ballie was reminiscent of a similar product that LG showed off in 2016 called the Rolling Bot, but that short-lived device never made it to market. It's quite hard to believe that Samsung will be selling these in 2024, but it hasn't shared any details beyond what it told The Post, and pricing has also yet to be revealed. Still, it's nice to see a product go from adorable concept to plausible prototype and possibly be able to buy it soon.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

At CES 2024 this week, Philips teased its first-ever smart deadbolt that works using a touch-free palm reading system that allows homeowners to unlock their front doors. The Philips 5000 Series Wi-Fi Palm Recognition Smart Deadbolt, will go on sale in the US early this year and will retail for $360.

The deadbolt will join the Philips home security smart lock product lineup and will integrate with the Phillips Home Access app where users can remotely control the lock system through
smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It’ll also have built-in Wi-Fi that makes it easier to pair and link to other smart devices.

The system works by automatically detecting unique palm vein patterns through its built-in proximity sensors. While palm sensing technology hasn’t fully hit the mainstream, we may start seeing more applications like this. Amazon, for example, is already offering a payment system powered by palm recognition in Whole Foods.

The new door smart lock is another part of Philips’ expanded smart home security product offerings, which include indoor and outdoor cameras and monitors that compete with Ring.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Mophie’s Juice Pack, once practically synonymous with smartphone battery cases, is making a comeback at CES 2024. With Apple having discontinued its MagSafe Battery Pack as part of its purge of Lightning accessories, the Zagg-owned Mophie has seized the moment to reintroduce the Juice Pack for the first time in five years. The new version of the battery case is designed for the iPhone 15 series (with the notable exception of the 15 Plus).

The battery capacity in the new Juice Pack varies depending on which iPhone model you have. The iPhone 15 version has a 2,400mAh battery, the iPhone 15 Pro model moves to 2,600mAh and the iPhone 15 Pro Max variant is 2,800mAh. The case supports passthrough charging and will prioritize the iPhone when both need power.

Mophie’s iPhone 15 and 15 Pro cases have identical external dimensions (despite the phones’ measurements being different) at 161 x 75 x 17.54mm (6.3 x 3 x 0.7 inch). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max version measures 174 x 81.1 x 17.12 mm (6.85 x 3.2 x 0.67 inch). The case is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and has slightly raised corners to help with drop protection.

The Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 15 series costs $99.95. The battery case will be available for pre-order in late February from Mophie’s website.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

There are earbuds aplenty at CES 2024 and today Sennheiser revealed its two latest models in Las Vegas. The company has updated its flagship Momentum line with a new premium model, the Momentum True Wireless 4, while also debuting its first tech-filled set of fitness earbuds in the Momentum Sport. Both sit at the top end of the company's lineup and will cost you $300 or more when they arrive later this year. 

Sennheiser says it took over three years of work to build the Momentum Sport, combining fitness tech with its trademark sound quality. Inside, a photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor and a body temperature sensor can send workout biometrics to apps like Apple Health, Garmin Connect, Strava, Peloton and Polar Flow. The earbuds only send body temp info to that last app though. Sennheiser says the Momentum Sport marks the first time ever that a non-Polar product will be able to leverage the data analytics of Flow for real-time analytics. What's more, the Momentum Sport's stats work with the Polar Vantage V3 watch and you can have training audio (Smart Coaching) sent from the company's app to the earbuds. 

The company did a live demo of the Momentum Sport earbuds with the Vantage V3 watch and the Polar app. Someone rode a Peloton and sent live biometrics to the app in real time. The integration is seamless, as you would expect across a smartwatch and app from a company worked closely with to develop these wireless earbuds. The team-up means Sennheiser didn't have to develop its own fitness app to make the most of the Momentum Sport's sensors. 

Sennheiser explains that it created an all-new 10mm transducer for the Momentum Sport, aiming for the type of "vivid sound and impressive bass" most people desire for workouts. The company also included an acoustic relief channel that relieves the occlusion effect or feeling that your ears are plugged and stressed with pressure. Sennheiser says that design element also reduces breathing noise, footstep thunder and other body noises that could be distracting during a session. 

The Momentum Sport has a semi-open design that lets a bit of your surroundings in naturally, but you can also opt for transparency mode to stay fully in tune. There's also active noise cancellation (ANC) when you need to focus and an anti-wind mode to combat the breeze when you're outdoors. Sennheiser manages an IP55 rating for the earbuds to withstand moisture and dust, while also using a shock-proof construction and clog resistant eartips so any wax buildup won't be a problem. The charging case is IP54 rated itself and offers wireless charging. 

Sennheiser promises up to six hours of battery life on the Momentum Sport, but doesn't specify if that's with ANC on or off. There are three additional charges in the case and 10 minutes of charging can give you 45 minutes of use. Of course, these earbuds also work with the company's Smart Control app for tweaking the sound profile and a variety of settings and there's a collection of ear tips and fins to find the ideal fit.

The Momentum Sport will be available on April 9 for $330 (€330) in black, green and graphite color options. 

Sennheiser

The Momentum True Wireless 4 is the follow up to the company's Momentum 3 earbuds that debuted in 2022. Sennheiser says it added over a dozen upgrades to this model, including Qualcomm's S5 Sound Gen 2 platform with ​Snapdragon Sound in addition to support for Bluetooth 5.4, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Audio, LE Audio, LC3, Auracast and more. A six-microphone setup improves call quality and ANC performance, according to the company, while an adaptive EQ monitors sound input consistent audio across both musical styles and content types. Sound Personalization, Sound Zone and Sound Check features are available here once again through the Smart Control app. 

Sennheiser says it updated the design of the ear tip and nozzle to better protect against ear wax. It also includes a "comprehensive" fit kit that offers a smattering of ear tips and fins, along with a fit test in its app, to ensure that you're not sacrificing performance with the wrong components. In terms of the sound quality, the company promises "evolved tuning," with "smoother treble response, extensive bass and effortless midrange." Sennheiser has consistently built some of the best wireless earbuds in terms of overall sound for years, so we have every reason to believe these claims. 

The Momentum True Wireless 4 offers up to seven and a half hours of battery life on the buds (ANC not specified) with another three full charges in the wireless charging case. What's more, the company explains that it upgraded battery performance over time with a battery protection mode that optimizes charging cycles. 

The Momentum True Wireless 4 will be available to preorder in black copper, metallic silver and graphite on February 15 for $300 (€300), $50 more then the previous model cost at launch. The earbuds will begin shipping on March 1. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Sennheiser just introduced its more affordable Accentum noise-canceling headphones in September, aiming to offer some of the best parts of its pricier Momentum cans at a lower price. At CES 2024, the company is already adding a second Accentum model, the Accentum Plus, that carries much of what made last year's installment an attractive alternative to flagship headphones. Sennheiser has spilled all of the details in Las Vegas, and thankfully, the 50-hour battery life remains from the previous version. 

While the design is still inspired by the Momentum line, the key difference on the Accentum Plus is the addition of touch controls. Gone are some of the physical buttons that adorned the 2023 model, for better or worse depending on your preference for sorting playback and calls. Taps and swipes now handle media, volume and transparency mode. The company has also added automatic pausing for added convenience. 

Most of the DNA of the Accentum remains, including the 50-hour battery life, 37mm drivers, audio customization and multipoint connectivity. Where the first version had hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), this model has hybrid adaptive ANC than automatically adjusts to changes in your surroundings. The fast-charge feature on this model gives you five hours of use in just 10 minutes. 

The Accentum Plus will be available on February 20 for $230 (€230). That's $50 more than the regular version, which makes them a bit less attractive compared to the 2023 model. They'll be available in black and white color options at launch. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.