Apple's latest MacBook Air with the new M3 chip just hit its lowest price yet at Amazon. The retailer is taking $110 off the laptop's list price, which is $10 cheaper than the sale price of $999 its been hitting lately. That's not a huge difference, but still represents a new low for the two-month-old laptop. The discount applies to all four colorways of the entry-level 13-inch model, which gives you 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you need more memory, you can get the model with 16GB, which is down to $1,399, or $100 off, at Amazon and Best Buy.  

We think the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip is the best laptop for most people and, unsurprisingly, it's also our top pick for the best MacBook you can buy. Engadget's Devindra Hardawar gave it a score of 90 in his review when the computer came out last month. It's slim and light yet sturdy, and the keyboard and trackpads are comfortable to use. The bright display is accurate and the battery will far outlast a typical workday. The new chip gives the notebook a performance boost according to our benchmark testing, though Devindra didn't feel a noticeable difference when it came to performing real-world tasks — loading apps, editing photos and multitasking was just as speedy using the previous MacBook Air with the M2 chip. 

In fact, we noted when the M3 Air was released that the M2 model is now an even better buy — thanks to a permanent price cut and proven stellar performance. It's still part of Apple's official MacBook lineup and Engadget's Daniel Cooper points out, "the fact it’s available as the budget option is almost a flex." Right now the base level 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip is down to $849 at Amazon. That's $150 off the list price and the lowest price we've tracked. If you don't need the absolute latest chip, it's a great buy right now.

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Say farewell to the classic XPS 13, and say hello to the spiffy new XPS 13. Dell surprised us at CES by bringing the modern (and somewhat controversial) design of 2022's XPS 13 Plus to its entire flagship lineup, which now includes the larger XPS 14 and 16 models. With this new design, they all have invisible haptic trackpads hidden beneath the glass-covered wrist rest, a capacitive top row of function keys (which can instantly switch to media controls), and wider gap-less keyboards that have no spacing between keys. But do those upgrades actually make them better computers than Dell's previous XPS lineup? Well, it really depends on how much you like the way they look.

When I reviewed the XPS 16 last month, I was impressed by its sheer power and attractiveness, but its high price and a few quirks made it a tougher sell than the XPS 15 that came before it. The same is mostly true for the XPS 13 and 14. The smaller model is basically just the XPS 13 Plus with a new Intel Core Ultra 7 chip. The XPS 14 is far more intriguing, since it aims to pack in the power of the XPS 16 without being so damn hefty. I’m reviewing them together because they're gunning for a very similar audience: People who demand both speed and portability. Choosing between them comes down to how much power you actually need and how much weight you're willing to deal with.

Just like their larger sibling, both the XPS 13 and 14 are gorgeous to behold. They're exercises in minimalism, with all-aluminum cases (available in light or dark variants) and clean layouts around their keyboards. And yes, their displays also have razor-thin bezels, something Dell popularized with the XPS line over a decade ago. Rather than try to stand out with extraneous features like dual screens or a plethora of LEDs, the XPS 13 and 14 make more of a statement by what they don't have: visible trackpads and dedicated function keys.

Like the XPS 13 Plus, this year's XPS 13 only carries two USB-C sockets and no other ports — no dedicated headphone jack, not even a dedicated charging connection. But hey, at least Dell put its USB-C ports on opposite sides, something I'd still like to see on the MacBook Air. If you want any other additional connectivity, you're probably better off with the XPS 14, which has three USB-C ports, a headphone jack and a micro-SD card slot. Professionals would be better off with a full-sized SD card reader, though, and it would be nice to have an HDMI port like the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Weight is the most obvious difference between the XPS 13 and 14: the smaller model comes in at 2.6 pounds (slightly less than the MacBook Air), while the XPS 14 is noticeably heftier at 3.7 pounds. (Dell is following Apple's product strategy a bit, as the 13-inch MacBook Air weighs 2.7 pounds and the MacBook Pro 14-inch sits between 3.4 and 3.6 pounds.) The XPS 13 and 14 are both easy to carry around all day, but the one-pound difference could make the larger model more annoying if you're trying to travel light.

Still, the XPS 14 justifies its additional heft by cramming in more hardware. It can be equipped with NVIDIA's RTX 4050 GPU (running at 30 watts), and also features more robust cooling, which allows it to reach a higher maximum thermal envelope of 47 watts. The XPS 13, on the other hand, can only hit 28 watts of sustained performance. Even though both machines use the same Intel Core Ultra CPUs, you'll end up seeing far better performance from the XPS 14 for prolonged workloads like video encoding or 3D rendering. (Again, that's much like the difference between the MacBook Air and base configuration MacBook Pro.)

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The XPS 14's 14.5-inch screen is an inch larger than the XPS 13's, which makes it more comfortable for multitasking with multiple apps or working on media timelines. No matter which model you choose, though, you'll get a bright and immersive image, along with thin bezels that Apple still can't touch. Both computers offer a variety of viewing options: the XPS 13 can be equipped with Full HD+ (1,920 by 1,200 pixels, non-touch), Quad HD+ (2,560 by 1,600) or 3K+ OLED (2,880 by 1,800), while its larger sibling gets Full HD+ (non-touch) and 3.2K+ OLED (3,200 by 2,000) screens..

Dolby Vision is standard across the board, but you'll only get 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage with the pricier displays. You'll also get up to 120Hz refresh rates on all of the screens, except for the XPS 13's OLED, which maxes out at 60Hz. (I'd recommend avoiding that option entirely and going for a high refresh rate LCD, which will ultimately deliver a smoother image.)

Both the XPS 13 and XPS 14 I reviewed were equipped with Intel's Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The XPS 14 also had NVIDIA's RTX 4050 GPU, while the smaller laptop relied on Intel's built-in Arc graphics. As I expected, they didn't differ too much when it came to CPU benchmarks like Geekbench 6. But the XPS 14 was twice as fast as the XPS 13 in the Geekbench 6 Compute test, which relies on the GPU for more intensive work. That NVIDIA hardware also helped the XPS 14 be more than three times as fast as the 13 in the Geekbench Machine Learning GPU test.

While the XPS 14 is far from what I'd call a gaming laptop, its NVIDIA GPU also let me play Halo Infinite in 1080p with medium graphics at 40fps. That's not exactly my ideal Halo experience, but hey, it's playable. In comparison, the XPS 13's Intel Arc graphics barely managed to sustain 25fps. The RTX 4050 GPU is mainly useful for media creation on the XPS 14: I was able to use Handbrake to transcode a 4K clip into 1080p in 26 seconds, whereas that same task took 36 seconds on the XPS 13.

I had no trouble with my daily workflow on either machine, but I enjoyed carrying the XPS 13 around town far more than the XPS 14 simply because it's lighter and easier to maneuver. I could slip it into a tote bag without a second thought, bring it to Starbucks and get up and running easily. Thanks to its additional bulk and weight, II sometimes had trouble stuffing the XPS 14 into the same bag amid the accoutrements of parenthood. This won't be much of a problem if you're using a backpack (and not trying to fit in kids' toys and snacks), but it was a reminder of how useful a sub-three pound notebook can be.

Much like the XPS 16, I enjoyed typing on Dell's lusciously wide keyboards. The large key caps are easy to hit and they have a satisfying amount of key travel. The keyboard is more visually impressive on the XPS 13, since it stretches completely edge-to-edge, while it's flanked by speakers on the XPS 14. The capacitive function keys are fine most of the time, but they still disappear in direct sunlight and other bright lighting.

And then there's the trackpad. By now, I'm used to Dell's invisible design, and I also appreciated the increased size of the XPS 14's trackpad. But it still takes some adjustment, especially for newcomers. I've also noticed that it's sometimes tough to find the line that separates left and right clicks, which led to a few frustrated attempts to copy and paste links from Chrome.

Now that I've experienced Dell's invisible trackpad and capacitive function row across four machines, I'm even more convinced they're a mistake. Sure, they look cool and help Dell stand out in the dull world of Windows laptops, but that doesn't justify the usability issues. On the XPS 13 and 14, I also saw fraction-of-a-second delays while swiping around Windows. The problem went away when I forced both machines to run at 120Hz, but that also uses more battery life than running at 60Hz. It almost feels like I'm trying to swipe through an additional layer of glass. I noticed the same issue on multiple XPS 13 and 14 units, but Dell tells me it hasn't been able to replicate any slowdown in its labs. The company will be doing a further investigation into our review units, and I'll report back later on what it finds.

As for the rest of their hardware, both the XPS 13 and XPS 14 feature solid 1080p webcams with Windows Hello support for facial authentication. You can also use Windows Studio Effects during video chats to blur backgrounds and adjust your gaze, thanks to the NPUs in Intel’s new Core Ultra chips. Their 8-watt speaker setups sound fine for watching YouTube videos or playing a bit of background music, but they’re not nearly as impressive as Apple’s notebooks. There was also a surprising battery life gap between both machines: The XPS 13 lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes in PCMark 10’s Modern Office benchmark, while the XPS 14 ran for just four and a half hours. You can chalk that up to its beefier GPU, as well as its larger screen.

Another downside to the XPS 13 and 14's spiffy look? Higher prices. The XPS 13 now starts at $1,399 with the configuration we tested, while the XPS 16 starts at $1,699. (Our review unit would cost $2,399, thanks to its NVIDIA GPU and OLED screen.) I'll give Dell credit for making 16GB of RAM standard, instead of 8GB like previous models, but for the most part you're paying out the nose to have a prettier trackpad. Is that really worth it? Dell's pricing is particularly wild when you consider you can nab an M3 MacBook Air for $1,099 and a 14-inch MacBook Pro for $1,599. Sure, you'll also need to add $200 to get 16GB of RAM, but even the base configurations are faster than Dell's laptops.

While there’s a lot to like about the new XPS 13 and XPS 14, we can’t recommend them as easily as Dell’s earlier XPS generations. They look attractive and perform well, but that comes at a cost for usability, battery life and, well, actual cost. Simply put, you’re paying more for pretty machines.

Last fall, Qualcomm revealed a major upgrade for its laptop chips with the Snapdragon X Elite. And while we’re still waiting for those processors to make their way into retail devices, today Qualcomm is expanding the line with the Snapdragon X Plus, which I had a chance to test out ahead of its arrival on gadgets later this year.

Similar to the X Elite, the X Plus is based on the same 4nm process and Arm-based Oryon CPU architecture as its sibling. The difference is that the new chip is meant to be used in slightly more affordable mainstream laptops, and as such it only has 10 CPU cores (vs 12 for the X Elite) and reduced clock speeds (3.4Ghz vs 3.8Ghz for the X Elite). This positioning is a lot like what Qualcomm’s rivals have been doing for a while, with the X Elite serving as the flagship chip (like Intel’s Core Ultra 9 series) and the X Plus sitting just below that (which would be equivalent to the Core Ultra 7 line).

Qualcomm

However, one thing that hasn’t changed is that just like the X Elite, the X Plus’ Hexagon NPU puts out the same 45 TOPS of machine learning performance. This is particularly notable as Microsoft recently suggested that laptops would require at least 40 TOPS in order to run various elements of its Copilot AI service on-device. Qualcomm is also making some big claims regarding power efficiency, with the X Plus chip said to deliver 37 percent faster CPU performance compared to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H when both chips are running at the same wattage. And when put up against other Arm-based chips, Qualcomm says the X Plus is 10 percent faster than Apple’s M3 processor in multi-threaded CPU tasks.

Photo by Sam Rutherford

Unfortunately, the X Plus is not expected to show up in retail devices until sometime in the second half of 2024. That said, at a hands-on event, I was able to run a few benchmarks on some early Qualcomm-built reference devices. And to my pleasant surprise, the X Plus performed as expected with multi-core scores in Geekbench of 12,905 and multi-thread performance in Cinebench 2024 of 852. (Note: Because the processor has not been released yet, there’s an error in Cinebench that results in the chip’s GPU incorrectly being listed as from the X Elite instead of the X Plus.)

This is a promising showing for Qualcomm’s second and less expensive chip featuring its Oryon architecture. Though as always, the real test will come when the X Plus starts showing up in proper retail hardware. That’s because even if it boasts impressive benchmark figures, these processors will still need to play nicely with Windows, which has not had nearly as smooth a transition to Arm-based silicon as Apple’s macOS.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

But with renewed support for Windows on Snapdragon PCs and Qualcomm recently working with major players like Google to bring “dramatic performance improvements” in Chrome for devices running its laptop chips, things may be smoother this time.

There are a frankly ridiculous number of Chromebooks on sale to choose from, but Google's Chromebook Plus initiative that launched last fall has gone a long way towards standardizing some key specs for ChromeOS devices. That in turn has made it a little easier to pick ones that'll provide a consistent quality experience without breaking the bank. Acer's latest Chromebook Plus 514, which the company just announced today, is a good example — at first glance, it looks like it checks most of the boxes I'm looking for when recommending a basic Chromebook that'll work for most people. 

To make things confusing, Acer already sells a few Chromebook Plus 514 models; this one is the CB514-4HT and is priced at $399. Look for that SKU if you want to make sure you're getting the latest one. This laptop is powered by Intel's 13th-gen Core i3-N305 processor and pairs that with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage — that latter spec is a bit of surprise and is a lot more storage than I'd expect to see on a $400 Chromebook. To meet the required Chromebook Plus specs, this laptop includes a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter. While the resolution is pretty solid, not all webcams are equal so we'll have to see how this one performs in real life.

Acer

The display is a 14-inch, 1080p touchscreen, so it's not quite as tall as the 1,920 x 1,200 screens that I've seen on a number of other Chromebook Plus laptops. But again, at the price I'm not going to complain too much. It has a decent selection of ports, too: two USB-C and USB-A slots along with a microSD card reader. I wouldn't have minded seeing HDMI here, as the USB-C ports could quickly be taken up by power and a monitor, but I just keep reminding myself this computer is only 400 bucks. 

Acer says that this laptop will hit stores in early May, though the specific SKU we're talking about here should also be at Costco as early as next week. The company also says it'll have some other configurations available in the near future, though they didn't say what'll change. I wouldn't be surprised to see a model with less storage or perhaps no touchscreen, which could drive the price down even more. If so, this might be a great budget option. But even as is, you should get a pretty good laptop here for the price.

ASUS’ latest 14-inch gaming laptop is an incredibly versatile and stylish all-rounder. But for those who want something even beefier, there’s the ROG Zephyrus G16. Not only does it feature a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, it supports up to NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics cards. That’s not all. Its OLED display refreshes twice as fast at 240Hz and it has surprisingly good speakers as well as a full-size SD card reader for quickly transferring files from a camera. So despite being aimed at gamers, the G16 is better equipped to serve as a portable editing rig, which makes this a great system even for people who don’t care about bunny-hopping and fragging.

Design

The G16’s new all-aluminum chassis is simply fantastic. That’s because in addition to being a touch lighter (about 0.1 pounds) and thinner (about 0.2 inches) than the previous model, it feels even sturdier. For 2024, ASUS ditched the dot matrix display on its lid for a single diagonal slash with white (not RGB) LEDs running down the center, which gives the laptop a much more sophisticated look without becoming boring. It’s like a teenager who grew up and learned to dress properly without losing touch with their gamer roots. On the inside, there’s a backlit keyboard with rainbow lighting (though it’s single-zone and not per-key) flanked by some surprisingly punchy speakers with an absolutely massive touchpad below. All told, it’s a beautifully designed system that looks as good as it feels.

ASUS has also included the right blend of connectivity options. The G16 features two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A slots, two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. This is the kind of arrangement that lets you travel freely without needing to worry about extra dongles or adapters. Plus, thanks to ASUS’ new Slim Power Jack, you don’t have to hog any other ports while charging. And in a pinch, you can also juice up the G16 via USB-C, albeit at slower speeds (up to around 100 watts) than with the included 240-watt brick.

Display

The G16’s 2.5K (2,560 x 1,600) OLED screen might be the best component here. It’s vivid and supports a huge color gamut (100 percent of DCI-P3), while its 240Hz refresh rate makes it great even for gamers looking to squeeze out every last competitive advantage. Though brightness is just average at around 400 nits in standard definition mode or 450 nits in HDR, I didn’t really have any trouble seeing the screen unless the G16 was in direct sunlight. One last bonus for photo and video editors is that ASUS does include a few calibrated viewing modes in its Armoy Crate app for sRGB, D65 P3 and DCI-P3 so you can more accurately adjust hues or color grade footage.

Performance

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The G16’s performance is pretty solid thanks to an Intel Core ultra 9 195H CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage and NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics. However, here’s where some trade-offs for the G16’s slim chassis factor in. Compared to similarly-sized rivals like the Razer Blade 16, the G16 features a lower overall TDP (total device power), which means even if they appear to have the same listed components, there’s still a difference in capabilities. For example, on our review unit with an RTX 4080, the amount of power sent to the GPU caps out at 115 watts versus 175 watts for the Razer. The G16's RAM is also soldered in, so you can't add more post-purchase. 

In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p and ultra graphics with ray-tracing on, the G16 hit 68 fps, which is just barely ahead of what we saw from a smaller Razer Blade 14 (66 fps), despite the latter having a lower tier RTX 4070 but with a similar wattage. That said, those figures are more than adequate to keep AAA games running smoothly. And let's not forget that the Blade 14 model I referenced costs $2,700, which is the same price as our G16 review unit. This makes it an apt comparison even if Razer’s laptop has a smaller footprint.

Battery life

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

One of the main advantages of a larger system is having extra room for a bigger battery. On PCMark 10’s Open Office rundown test, the G16 lasted 9 hours and 17 minutes versus just 5:12 for the smaller G14. That’s a solid mark considering it’s also better than an XPS 16 (8:31) we reviewed. However, overall longevity depends on your workload, because when I ran the battery test a second time only using the GPU instead of relying on NVIDIA’s Optimus graphic switching feature, that time dropped to just 3:08. That means the system will last all day if you’re using basic productivity app, but for more demanding tasks like gaming or video editing, you’ll want to keep ASUS’ 240-watt power brick close by.

Wrap-up

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Just like its smaller sibling, ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus G16 is an almost ideal thin-and-light gaming laptop. It’s got a sleek all-aluminum build, a gorgeous 240Hz OLED display and longer battery life. Granted, it might not be quite as powerful as some of its rivals thanks to lower-wattage components, but it’s still got enough oomph to handle practically anything you can throw at it. And thanks to a full-size SD card reader, it makes for an even better portable editing workstation. But most importantly, with a starting price of $1,750, the G16 is more approachable than many of its high-end (and bulkier) competitors, which makes it a great pick for people who want a larger system that won’t weigh them down.

It's only been five months since Apple released the first M3-powered Macs, but we may not have to wait long to see laptops and desktops with M4 chipsets. According to Bloomberg, Macs with M4 processors could start arriving later this year (which isn't necessarily a massive surprise given the cadence of Apple silicon chips so far). While the M3 lineup didn't offer a massive upgrade from M2 chipsets, the M4 series could be a gamechanger since Apple is said to be placing far more onus on artificial intelligence this time around.

There will be at least three main versions of the M4, according to the report, and Apple is expected to update every model of the Mac with one of those chips. As things stand, Bloomberg says Apple will release iMacs, an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, more powerful 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and Mac minis with M4 chips by early 2025.

Versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 chips could arrive by the spring, with an M4 Mac Studio to follow around the middle of 2025 and a Mac Pro to come later in the year. However, the publication notes that plans may change.

The Mac mini upgrade will be quite a long time coming, as Apple hasn't upgraded that device since January 2023. The Mac Studio and Mac Pro got M2 upgrades in mid-2023. M3-powered iMacs and MacBook Pros arrived in October (remember the Scary Fast event?). The MacBook Air, meanwhile, got an M3 upgrade just last month.

With the higher-end Mac desktops, Apple may include support for up to 512GB of memory. The latest Mac Studio and Mac Pro max out at 192GB of RAM, but previous Intel-powered systems supported up to 1.5TB of memory using off-the-shelf components. Apple integrates memory more deeply into its own chipsets, so upgrading the RAM on silicon-based systems is more difficult.

That said, Apple's major focus for the M4 lineup is said to be artificial intelligence as it aims to catch up (at least in terms of public perception) with the likes of Microsoft and Google. Bloomberg suggests that Apple will highlight how on-device AI processing capabilities of the M4 chipsets will integrate with the hardware and the latest version of macOS, which will debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

The company is also said to be planning AI-focused upgrades to the processors used in this year's iPhones. Previous reports suggested that Apple wants to integrate Google's Gemini AI into iPhones while it works on its own generative AI models.

ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus G14 has been one of our favorite gaming laptops for damn near half a decade. But the 2024 model is on another level. That’s because even without a fresh generation of GPUs from NVIDIA, ASUS went and redesigned the entire thing anyway. And the result is a notebook with a gorgeous aluminum unibody chassis with a more mature design that doesn’t need to throw RGB lighting in your face to get some attention. This edition is also sleeker and lighter while still providing powerful performance. Though ASUS made a few trade-offs when compared to its predecessor, with a starting price of $1,600, the new ROG Zephyrus G14 is not only a better value than almost all of its 14-inch rivals, it’s also simply one of the best pound-for-pound gaming laptops around.

Design

Compared to previous models that were awash in RGB or had dot-matrix displays built into their lids, this year’s G14 is an exercise in restraint. It’s almost like the line has grown out of its awkward teenage phase and become a stylish but still fun-loving adult. The lid is accented by a simple diagonal slash with white (not RGB) LEDs embedded down the middle. Meanwhile, on the inside, there’s a sturdy deck with a large touchpad and surprisingly powerful speakers.

The one thing I miss is per-key RGB lighting instead of ASUS’ single-zone approach. After all, this is a gaming laptop and if you’re going to offer multiple colors, it’d be nice to have full customizability.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

That said, the G14’s redesign isn’t just about style, it’s functional too. The switch to a unibody aluminum frame has strengthened the whole machine. There’s barely a hint of flex even on typically weaker parts like the lattice between keys. But more importantly, ASUS also reduced the laptop's weight to just 3.3 pounds, which is noticeably lighter than rival notebooks with similar metal builds like the Razer Blade 14 (3.95 pounds). Plus, even with the smaller size, the G14 features a healthy selection of ports including a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack, two USB-C (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), two USB-A and a microSD card reader.

Display

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Another glowing component of the G14 is its OLED screen. In addition to producing vibrant colors, it has a sharp 2,880 x 1,800 resolution along with a 120Hz refresh rate and a color gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. Recently, I’ve been watching Three Body Problem and I’ve been absolutely loving the OLED panel’s excellent contrast and deep blacks. Furthermore, because ASUS includes a handful of color-calibrated settings for sRGB, D65 P3, DCI-P3 (but not Adobe RGB), the G14 is a very capable photo- and video-editing machine.

The one small issue is that because 2,880 x 1,800 is a somewhat uncommon resolution, you may not be able to play all of your games at their native resolution, which is an issue I encountered when playing Returnal.

Performance

A big change for the 2024 ROG G14 is that GPU options now top out with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 instead of a 4080 like on the previous model. That may be a bummer for some, but as I prefer laptops that are easier to carry around, I’m OK with trading out a little top-end oomph for enhanced portability. And with all models featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip along with at least 16GB of RAM (or 32GB like on my review unit) and 1TB of storage, you won’t be lacking in speed.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

On Geekbench 6, the G14 matched the performance we saw from a larger XPS 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. In games, it hit 90 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on ultra settings, which is just shy of a much more expensive Razer Blade 14 (101 fps). That said, there are some important details you should know. Unlike previous models, the latest G14’s memory is soldered to the motherboard, so there’s no way to add extra RAM later. Additionally, while both ASUS and Razer’s 14-inch systems appear to have the same RTX 4070 GPU, the G14’s is capped at 90 watts versus 140 watts for the Blade, which explains the small gap in gaming performance.

It’s also worth noting that heat can be an issue in certain situations. In normal use, it’s not a big deal as the fans rarely need to spin up when browsing the web or watching movies. But under load, because the G14’s vents are on the bottom of the notebook, your lap can get toasty fast. Thankfully, this won’t be a major problem if you’re gaming, since you’ll probably want to be at a desk or table to put an external mouse on anyway.

Battery life

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

While the G14 doesn’t last quite as long as a traditional ultrabook, it still carries enough juice to last nearly an entire workday. On PCMark 10’s Modern Office rundown test, it lasted 7 hours and 29 minutes which is slightly better than the Razer Blade 14’s time of 6:46. And, new for 2024, ASUS has added its proprietary Slim Power Jack, which sort of looks like a USB-C port if you squint (but it isn’t). However, if you want to really travel light, the G14 supports charging via USB-C so you can leave the adapter at home. The one caveat is that USB-PD on this maxes out at 100 watts (versus 180 watts when using the included brick), so the battery may still discharge while gaming or performing other intensive tasks.

Wrap-up

Even though we already loved its predecessors, the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 has managed to take another big leap. It’s got an exquisitely crafted chassis along with a vibrant new display and boomier speakers – all while shedding nearly half a pound in weight. On the inside, you still get up to an RTX 4070 GPU. Sure, it’s a touch slower than a similarly equipped Blade 14, but considering our review unit costs $2,000 compared to $2,700 for the closest equivalently specced Razer, I’m happy to trade a tiny bit of performance to get a much more affordable machine. And that’s before you factor in a starting price of just $1,450 for one with an RTX 4060. My biggest gripe is that ASUS’ Amoury Crate app still feels clunky, thanks to settings that are hard to find or toggles that don’t work like you’d expect. But make no mistake, the G14 is a great laptop – for both gamers and content creators – who want good performance in a portable package. So while I appreciate what the Blade 14 and other high-end notebooks can do, ASUS’ latest creation is the one I’d buy.

Acer’s midrange gaming laptop line has four new arrivals today following the company’s refresh of its flagship models at CES 2024. On Tuesday, the company unveiled a pair of new 14-inch entries alongside two refreshes of existing 16-inch models. The Intel-powered Predator Helios Neo 14 and Nitro 16 will join the AMD-fueled Nitro 14 and Nitro 16, launching globally later this spring.

As is often the case with pre-launch laptop announcements, Acer only reveals the devices’ minimum pricing rather than a full specs-to-cost breakdown (Acer says they aren’t yet finalized), making it impossible to gauge their overall value. You can expect that info closer to their respective launches in May and June.

Acer

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 14, one of the two all-new models, is the first sub-16-inch variant in the high-performance line. (At $1,800 and up, it’s also the most expensive of the new batch.) That price gets you up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 185H (with dedicated AI acceleration) paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. The lower-cost models will downgrade those to Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and RTX 4060 or 4050 graphics.

The top-of-the-line variant has a 14.5-inch WQXGA (3072x1920) display with a 165Hz refresh rate, 100 percent coverage of the sRGB color spectrum and NVIDIA G-Sync support. Its cheaper variants will drop the resolution to 2560 x 1600 or 1920 x 1200 with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Windows 11 laptop has a 76Wh battery and offers up to 32GB of LPDDR5X SDRAM and 1TB of storage. It weighs 4.19 lbs, has a built-in 1080p webcam, and supports Intel Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E. It includes a USB-C/ThunderBolt 4 port with a microSD reader. On the cooling front, it uses a 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan and Vortex Flow tech.

The Predator Helios Neo 14 arrives in North America in May, starting at $1,800.

Acer

The Nitro 14 is the first 14-inch variant in the company’s midrange Nitro line. It should offer solid performance with up to AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and RTX 4060 graphics. Cheaper variants drop that down to a Ryzen 5 8645HS processor and RTX 4050 or 3050 graphics.

Its maxed-out model gives you a 14.5-inch 2560 x 1500 display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 9ms response time and sRGB 100 percent gamut support. The entry-level model drops that down to 1080p at 120Hz.

The laptop has USB 4 and USB 3.2 Type C ports, a pair of USB-A ports (including one with offline charging support), HDMI 2.1 and a microSD slot.

The Acer Nitro 14 arrives in North America in May. It starts at $1,300.

Acer

The company’s updated Nitro 16 is launching in separate Intel and AMD variants with different model numbers (AN16-73 for Intel and AN16-43 for AMD). The former has up to an Intel Core i7-14700HX processor, while the AMD version has up to a Ryzen 9 8945HS (the same as the maxed-out Nitro 14). Otherwise, the two models are only separated by extremely minor weight differences (5.37 lbs for the AMD, 5.4 lbs for Intel) and Wi-Fi (Intel’s branded Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E vs. a nondescript Wi-Fi 6E for AMD).

As for the many specs the Intel and AMD variants of the Nitro 16 share, they both have Nvidia graphics, maxing out at RTX 4060 with 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 RAM. Cheaper models swap that for either an RTX 4050 or 3050.

Their screens have up to 2560 x 1600 resolution with 500 nits brightness, 165Hz refresh rates and a 3ms response time. The laptops each offer up to 32GB of DDR5 SDRAM and 2TB storage. They have 76Wh batteries with measly 720p webcams.

Both versions of the Nitro 16 will launch in North America in May. They start at $1,400. If you’re considering the new models, you can expect a more detailed configuration-pricing breakdown at or around launch time, so stay tuned.

It’s taken Razer a few extra months to get its latest 18-inch Blade laptop ready for primetime after we first saw it at CES. Those who have been waiting for the company’s latest chonkster can now order the 2024 edition of the Razor Blade 18, which starts at $3,099.

The base system comes with an i9-14900HX processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, Wi-Fi 7, a triple-fan cooling system and a six-speaker array with THX spatial audio support. On the GPU side, you can equip the laptop with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (the base model has a 4070 graphics card). In what Razer claims is a first for a laptop, there's Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, but only if you opt for a 4080 or 4090 GPU.

Razer

The display is one of the big talking points for this laptop. It comes with a QHD+ 300Hz Mini-LED display as standard. If you want higher fidelity, you can opt for a 4K 200Hz screen. The company seems to have found an extra 35 hertz since CES, since it said at the time the Razer Blade 18 would have a 4K 165Hz display option. Razer claims that this display is a world first for a laptop and it’ll set you back an extra $1,700, far more than an equivalent standalone monitor would cost. You'll also need to wait until later this summer for a model with a 4K 200Hz panel to ship, whereas you can snag one with the QHD+ display now.

We felt that last year's model was very expensive for a fully kitted-out configuration and that's the case again this time around. Still, if you need a big-screen, high-end laptop that can run just about any program or game you can throw at it, the latest Razer Blade 18 can be all yours if you have the cash to spare.

Razer

The dream of quantum computing has always been exciting: What if we could build a machine working at the quantum level that could tackle complex calculations exponentially faster than a computer limited by classical physics? But despite seeing IBM, Google and others announce iterative quantum computing hardware, they're still not being used for any practical purposes. That might change with today's announcement from Microsoft and Quantinuum, who say they've developed the most error-free quantum computing system yet.

While classical computers and electronics rely on binary bits as their basic unit of information (they can be either on or off), quantum computers work with qubits, which can exist in a superposition of two states at the same time. The trouble with qubits is that they're prone to error, which is the main reason today's quantum computers (known as Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum [NISQ] computers) are just used for research and experimentation.

Microsoft's solution was to group physical qubits into virtual qubits, which allows it to apply error diagnostics and correction without destroying them, and run it all over Quantinuum's hardware. The result was an error rate that was 800 times better than relying on physical qubits alone. Microsoft claims it was able to run more than 14,000 experiments without any errors.

According to Jason Zander, EVP of Microsoft's Strategic Missions and Technologies division, this achievement could finally bring us to "Level 2 Resilient" quantum computing, which would be reliable enough for practical applications.

"The task at hand for the entire quantum ecosystem is to increase the fidelity of qubits and enable fault-tolerant quantum computing so that we can use a quantum machine to unlock solutions to previously intractable problems," Zander, wrote in a blog post today. "In short, we need to transition to reliable logical qubits — created by combining multiple physical qubits together into logical ones to protect against noise and sustain a long (i.e., resilient) computation. ... By having high-quality hardware components and breakthrough error-handling capabilities designed for that machine, we can get better results than any individual component could give us."

Microsoft

Researchers will be able to get a taste of Microsoft's reliable quantum computing via Azure Quantum Elements in the next few months, where it will be available as a private preview. The goal is to push even further to Level 3 quantum supercomputing, which will theoretically be able to tackle incredibly complex issues like climate change and exotic drug research. It's unclear how long it'll take to actually reach that point, but for now, at least we're moving one step closer towards practical quantum computing.