As with many other PC manufacturers, LG is gradually updating its laptop lineup with the latest processors from Intel and AMD. On Monday, the same day Apple announced its new M2 MacBook Air, the company refreshed its ultraportable Gram lineup with Intel’s 12th-gen Core CPUs.
LG
As of today, all six models in the family, including the Gram 15 and both the 14- and 16-inch Gram 2-in-1s, come with Intel’s new Alder Lake chips. Additionally, you can now configure the laptops with up to 32GB of 5,200MHz DDR5 RAM. Also new to the lineup is support for PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD drives, with the entire family offering two slots for storage.
Outside of an internal spec bump, the most noteworthy change to the Gram lineup is the addition of LG Glance, a display tool the company added with help from Mirametrix. The technology enables a handful of new features. To start, the laptop's screen will automatically lock when you walk away and blur when the computer notices someone looking at your screen over your shoulder. And if you connect an external display to one of LG’s new laptops, they will also automatically move your cursor to whatever screen you’re currently looking at – which sounds like it would be incredibly jarring. You can see the Glance functionality in action in the video below.
As before, the Grams come with 16:10 displays to give you slightly more screen real estate for productivity tasks. LG is sticking with IPS panels for the entire lineup, with the standard models offering up to 350 nits of brightness and the 2-in-1s maxing out at 300 nits, but they feature a new anti-glare coating for fewer distracting reflections.
LG is also expanding the Gram line to include a 16-inch portable monitor. The 16MQ70 features a 2,560 by 1,600 resolution IPS panel with 99 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 1,200 to 1 contrast ratio. You can purchase it starting today for $350 through the company’s website. The updated Gram laptop line is also available today, with the 15-inch model starting at $1,199 and the flagship 17-inch variant priced at $1,599 and above.
Apple's WWDC doesn't typically bring new hardware into the mix, but the company decided to do things a bit differently for 2022. Apple announced an updated MacBook Air and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro alongside all of the new software features it debuted at today's keynote. Both will be powered by Apple's new M2 chipset, which will provide significant performance gains when compared to the previous M1 versions. Here's everything we know about how to pre-order the latest MacBooks.
MacBook Air with M2
Apple
The M2 MacBook Air will be available for pre-order directly from Apple and authorized retailers starting in July for $1,199. It'll be available in four colors: silver, space gray, midnight, starlight. The MacBook Air M1 will remain in the lineup and will start at $999.
Apple eschewed the wedge design of previous Airs here and opted for an all-new, more squared-off profile. However, that doesn't mean the new Air is any less svelte than before, measuring 11.3mm thick and weighing 2.7 pounds. It remains a fanless laptop, so it will run quietly even when you're pushing it to its limits. Apple claims the M2 chipset will provide 18 percent faster CPU performance and 35 percent faster GPU performance than the M1 processor, so you will notice the difference if you're upgrading from a 2020 MacBook Air.
Elsewhere, Apple updated the display to a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina panel that's 25 percent brighter than the panel on the previous notebook, plus it supports one billion colors. The company upped the webcam to a 1080p lens with better low-light performance, but alas, no Center Stage capabilities. The laptop features a four-speaker sound system and a TouchID keyboard with a full Function row. As for battery life, Apple estimates the new Air will get up to 18 hours of video playback and it's capable of recharging 50 percent in only 30 minutes.
You'll still find two Thunderbolt ports make up the majority of the connections (along with a headphone jack), but Apple did bring back a dedicated MagSafe charging port on this laptop. That means you won't have to hog one of the Thunderbolt ports when you need to power up the machine.
13-inch MacBook Pro with M2
Apple
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 will be available for pre-order directly from Apple and authorized retailers starting in July for $1,299. It'll be available in two colors: silver and space gray.
Unlike the updated MacBook Air, the M2-powered MacBook Pro didn't get a design facelift. Instead, apple focused on the guts and overall efficiency. The Pro M2 has an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU that should provide up to 40 percent faster performance when playing graphics-intensive games and a similar boost when working in apps like Affinity Photo. The laptop will support up to 24GB of RAM and up to 2TB of onboard storage, plus a video-playback battery life of up to 20 hours.
As part of the company's ongoing efforts to improve user security, at WWDC 2022 Apple announced new digital passkeys that add an extra layer of security to your passwords.
Available on both iOS and macOS, Apple's passkeys are designed to replace standard passwords by providing unique digital keys that are stashed locally on your device. Apple says that by not storing passkeys in the cloud, they are much less susceptible to being stolen in the case of a data breach or phishing attempt.
Passkeys will feature integration with biometric security including Touch ID and Face ID, and can be synced to other Apple devices via your iCloud Keychain. They will also work with apps and on the web, allowing users to sign into their accounts using their iPhone instead of their password.
The arrival of passkeys comes after Apple, alongside Google and Microsoft, announced a partnership with the FIDO Alliance and the WWDC earlier this spring. Apple's passkeys look to be the company's attempt to simplify and streamline the use of passwordless sign-on methods and will feature end-to-end encryption and compatibility with a wide range of Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV when it arrives sometime later this year.
Apple didn't just introduce a new MacBook Air at WWDC — it also unveiled an overhaul of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The new 'entry' pro laptop unsurprisingly uses an M2 chip that promises improved performance and efficiency, including a hefty 20 hours of peak battery life (during video playback) and quicker ProRes video processing. The new model isn't a major redesign like its Air counterpart, and keeps the Touch Bar.
You can also expect "studio-quality" microphones, up to 24GB of RAM and a maximum 2TB of storage. As with its M1 predecessor, then, this isn't a no-holds-barred workstation. You'll need to buy a higher-tier MacBook Pro if you demand a ton of memory or drive capacity.
The MacBook Pro M2 will start at $1,299 ($1,199 for education) when it arrives in July.
Almost two years since the launch of Apple's M1 chip — the first ARM-based "Apple Silicon" hardware — we finally have a successor: M2. While the M1 chip was notable for showing what Apple could accomplish with a more efficient mobile design (a dramatic departure from Intel's power-hungry x86 processors), the goal of M2 is more about refinement rather than breaking new ground. This time, it's all about efficiency.
But given how far Apple has scaled the M1 — to the point where it basically fused two chips together to create the mighty M1 Ultra on the Mac Studio — it'll be intriguing to see how far Apple can take the M2's design (we've yet to hear about an updated Mac Pro, don't forget).
Apple
The M2 chip supports up to 24GB of unified memory, compared to just 16GB with the M1, as well as double the memory bandwidth (1000 GB/s). And once again, it offers 8 cores (4 high performance, 4 high-efficiency). Apple claims the efficiency cores are vastly improved, and overall you can expect an 18 percent increase in multithreaded performance over the M1. The M2 chip can be equipped with up to 10 GPU cores, which are up to 35 percent more powerful than the M1 at their greatest power state.
Video editors may benefit the most from this new chip, as the M2 includes support for ProRes encoding and decoding, along with 6K external displays. The chip's neural engine is also 40 percent faster, which will significantly speed up AI tasks.
The M2 chip will arrive first in the redesigned MacBook Air, which loses that line's iconic wedge shape, as well as the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
After a leak yesterday spoiled the surprise, Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Laptop Go 2, a $600 starter laptop with premium looks. It looks very much like the original, has an near-identical 12.4-inch 1,536 x 1,024 touch display, anodized aluminum top and weight that's just a fraction more at 2.48 pounds. However, the new model is powered by an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU with Iris Xe graphics, and runs Windows 11 instead of Windows 10.
The 11th-gen Intel CPU should give the Surface Laptop Go 2 a much-needed speed boost. And storage options are now 128GB or 256GB — a step up from the previous model, which offered just 64GB of sluggish eMMC storage on the base $550 model. However, other aspects of the new model haven't changed. It still offers from 4GB to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM (or 16GB for commercial customers), a relatively low-resolution screen, and no backlight on the keyboard.
Microsoft
Battery life is up a touch from 13 to 13.5 hours under normal usage, good enough for a day's worth of computing. And you can charge it to 80 percent power in under an hour thanks to the 39-watt charger. Other features include WiFi 802.11ax, one USB-C port, one USB-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Surface Connect power port.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 is still the cheapest Surface laptop, but we weren't completely sold on the original. Designed to take on Chromebooks, it offered more premium look for a bit more money. However, the mediocre performance made it a tough sell against rivals like the Dell XPS 13, which cost about the same in an 8GB configuration. Hopefully, the new model addresses those performance concerns — it's now available on pre-order at Microsoft.com or BestBuy.com starting at $600.
It appears Microsoft will soon reveal its next-gen Surface Laptop Go. The successor to the would-be Chromebook competitor popped up in a Korean retailer listing that appears to have gone live a little too early. It seems the page has since been taken down.
The listing, which was spotted by The Verge, indicates the Surface Laptop Go 2 will shift from a 10th-gen Intel Core CPU to an 11th-gen Intel processor. This specific configuration boasts the i5-1135G7 and Intel Iris Xe graphics.
As with the original Surface Laptop Go from 2020, this laptop will support up to 8GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage, according to the listing. The base model specs are unclear, however. Previous reports indicated the laptop will have a baseline of 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The base Surface Laptop Go has 64GB of storage.
As you might expect, the laptop is slated to ship with Windows 11. The listing promises a battery life of up to 13.5 hours as well. In addition, it suggests the system will have "improved HD camera performance," even though, like its predecessor, it's said to have a 720p webcam.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 seems to have a lot of other details in common with the original system. The listing suggests it still has a 12.4-inch display and 3:2 aspect ratio, the same ports (including a 3.5mm headphone jack and the proprietary Surface charging port) and a fingerprint sensor. There's no sign of it having a backlit keyboard as yet, unfortunately.
It seems we may not have to wait much longer for Microsoft to formally announce the latest entry-level Surface laptop. The listing suggests preorders will open on June 2nd.
Acer is one of those laptop makers that frequently tries too hard to stand out. Consider the Predator Triton 900, a wild machine with a 360-degree swiveling screen that I found to be mostly useless. Earlier this month, Acer also announced plans to bring its SpatiaLabs glasses-free 3D technology to gaming laptops. Ambitious swings are nice and all, but these days I'm more interested in notebooks that are subtle about their gaming prowess. And after testing out the Predator Triton 500 SE for the past week, I've learned that Acer can pull that off pretty well.
The Triton 500 SE packs all of the power you'd want from a large gaming notebook, in a sleek metallic frame that wouldn't look out of place in a stuffy office or lecture hall. There's little need for garish LEDs (except for the keyboard backlight, which you can always turn off), or other obnoxious case bling. It's ready to get down to work. And sure, it's not the only subtle gaming notebook around, but competitors like the Razer Blade cost more than the Triton's $2,300 starting price.
What separates the Triton 500 SE from your typical productivity laptop, aside from the powerful hardware, is its glorious 16-inch screen. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it slightly taller than typical widescreen displays and more useful for dealing with documents. Our review unit shipped with the 240Hz WQXGA model (running at 2,560 by 1,600 pixels) which, in my book, is the ideal balance between sharpness and silky smooth refresh. There's no HDR support, but at least it offers a relatively high brightness of 500 nits, as well as full coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. And while the screen is a big reason the Triton is a hefty 5.3 pounds, that's still better than most 17-inch gaming notebooks (the Razer Blade 17 clocks in at 5.5 pounds).
Powering that glorious display is Intel's 12th-gen processors and NVIDIA's latest RTX 30-series GPUs, all the way up to the droolworthy RTX 3080 Ti. The unit we received featured that GPU as well as Intel's top-end Core i9 12900H, 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a speedy 1TB NVMe SSD. To be honest, it was that configuration that inspired me to review the Triton 500 SE in the first place. I wondered, can this unassuming notebook actually satisfy gamers? Turns out, yes.
Halo Infinite, for example, reached a solid 85fps at the Triton's native resolution at ultra graphics settings. While I missed the HDR and expansive view I've grown used to on the Alienware QD-OLED ultrawide monitor, I was surprised at just how immersive the game felt on a 16-inch display. You can thank the taller 16:10 aspect ratio for that – it sometimes felt like I was about to dive headfirst into Halo Infinite's maps. (That could also be a sign that I need to make my desk a bit more ergonomic for laptops.) The 240Hz display also shined as I lowered the game's graphics settings to reach higher framerates. I'm still not fully sold on such a high refresh rate, but it's nice to see laptop makers pushing for smoother and more realistic gameplay.
Gearheads will likely appreciate the Triton 500 SE's built-in overclocking capabilities. Acer's software makes it easy to tweak clock speeds and thermal profiles. Personally, though, I was just glad to have a simple "Turbo" button on the keyboard. It revs up the fans all the way and automatically overclocks the system. In Halo Infinite and all of the benchmarks I ran, it typically led to 8 to 10 percent increase in performance. The big downside? It's so loud you probably wouldn't want to use it without headphones.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Even without overclocking, the Triton 500 SE annihilated all of the benchmarks we threw at it, delivering performance mostly on-par with the Razer Blade 15. There were a few instances where the Razer edged ahead, like in PCMark 10 and Geekbench 5's Compute test (which mostly stresses the GPU). But in others, including Cinebench R23 and 3DMark's Port Royal ray tracing benchmark, the Triton held a commanding lead. Partially, that's due to our review unit having a slightly faster 12th-gen processor. Hit that Turbo switch and the Triton's numbers soar even higher.
NVIDIA's Advanced Optimus feature, which intelligently swaps the Triton's GPU between integrated and discrete graphics, also worked flawlessly throughout my testing. I didn't see any of the performance bottlenecking that occurred with older Optimus machines, where discrete GPUs had to be squeezed through integrated graphics. There's also a MUX switch that lets you manually change between both GPUs without rebooting the entire system.
After benchmarking and playing several games for a few hours, the Triton 500 SE remained relatively cool. The CPU typically hovered around 78 Celsius under load, while the GPU hit 83 Celsius. It never felt hot to the touch, though it's worth noting that I was testing in my chill basement. Fan noise was about what I'd expect with the Triton's default performance settings – audible, but not nearly as irritating as cranking them up all the way with the Turbo button.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
But even though Acer got cooling and overall performance right, it's a shame that some of the Triton 500 SE's hardware holds it back. The keyboard is fine for gaming, but I’d like more feedback for lengthy typing sessions. And while I appreciated the large and smooth trackpad, the actual clicking mechanism felt stiff – it was particularly bad at registering right clicks. I'm also not a fan of having a fingerprint sensor right on the trackpad, as it often gets in the way while I'm swiping around. Just stick that sensor on the power button, or throw in a Windows Hello webcam already! I'd also like to see Acer bundle more than just a pair of tinny stereo speakers, especially since Razer, Dell and others are cramming many more drivers into their notebooks.
Battery life is another disappointment, though I suppose we've grown used to that in powerful gaming laptops. The Triton 500 SE lasted five hours and twenty-five minutes in our benchmark, which involves looping an HD video. That's 17 minutes less than the Razer Blade 15. During my typical workday, it usually lasted around five hours before needing a recharge. Unfortunately, that's typical for gaming laptops with large screens. You'll never want to be too far from a power plug.
Still, I’d imagine most people would want to keep their workstations plugged in for the best performance. Acer also included all of the ports you’d need to make it a true workstation, including two USB 3.2 Type A connections, dual USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and an SD card slot. And thankfully Acer didn’t get rid of the headphone jack, something more laptop makers are doing these days.
The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE starts at $2,300, which is $200 less than the Razer Blade 15 with 12th-gen Intel chips and $400 less than the most recent Blade 17. Be prepared to shell out $3,000 if you want all of the hardware from our review unit (still cheaper than comparable machines from Razer and others). But if you can live with last year's 11th-gen Intel chips, you can also find older Triton 500 SE models for $2,000 and under. We'd recommend doing whatever it takes to get a 12th-gen chip, though, as the performance difference is huge.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
If anything, the Triton 500 SE proves that Acer is doing more than just chasing gaming gimmicks. After being known for producing cheap and unsophisticated laptops for years, it’s nice to see that Acer can make a refined gaming notebook without any unnecessary bling.
While you may waiting in anticipation for Apple's next iteration of the MacBook Air, the current model is on sale at Amazon. You can pick up the 256GB MacBook Air M1 for $900 right now, or $100 off its normal price. We have seen it lower before — last year's holiday shopping season brought its lowest price ever of $800 — but a $100 discount remains a good one if you're in need of a new thin-and-light laptop.
We consider the MacBook Air M1 to be the best laptop for most people, despite it being about two years old at this point. It impressed us with its stellar performance and lack of fan noise, both of which help it feel speedier, smoother and more efficient than previous models. It also has improved GPU performance, and while it's not a gaming machine by any means, it can handle Apple Arcade games nicely.
Performance is the standout new feature on the MacBook Air M1, but that's only because Apple didn't fix what wasn't broken about the laptop's design. It's super thin and light, coming in at 2.8 pounds, plus it has a lovely 13-inch Retina Display, an excellent keyboard and trackpad and a battery that can last over 16 hours on a single charge. The biggest downsides come in its webcam and scant port selection. You're only getting a 720p webcam on this laptop, which is lackluster considering how much time many of us spend on video calls every day, and the machine has only two USB-C ports on it.
If you absolutely must have more ports and don't want to live the dongle life going forward, consider the 14-inch MacBook Pro instead. It's more expensive, but it'll be a better investment in the long run. However, if speed and portability are your top concerns, the MacBook Air M1 is one of the best options out there.
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If you're building a new PC or just need a storage device for your computers and gaming consoles, make sure to check out Amazon today. You can get both internal and external disk drives, as well as memory cards, for up to 60 percent off from the website's ongoing one-day Western Digital and SanDisk sale. One of the most deeply discounted items included in the event is Western Digital's 2TB Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD that's currently listed for $170, or $210 off its original price. The component went on sale at Amazon earlier this month, but this is the lowest price we've seen it go for on the website. It has read speeds of up to 560MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 530MB/s and is compatible with computers that have standard SATA connectors.
In case you're looking for a memory card, the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card with 400GB capacity is also on sale for $36, down $34 or almost half its original retail price. It's compatible with most devices that have microSD card slots, such as Android phones and tablets, and it has transfer speeds reaching 120MB/s that will let you move up to 1,000 photos within a minute.
For portable storage devices, there's SanDisk's Extreme PRO Portable SSD with a 2TB capacity. It's currently on sale for $260 — its all-time low on the website — or $250 off its retail price. The device has 2000MB/s read or write speeds, comes with a USB-C and a USB-A cable and can work with both Windows and Mac computers.
But if you need external storage with an even bigger capacity for your home or office, you can get Western Digital's 10TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive HDD instead. It's currently available for $175 — not quite an all-time low, but still $125 lower than its retail price of $300. The storage solution is plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs, but you can also use it for your Mac computers, as well as for your PS4 and your Xbox consoles.
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