Now that the latest components from AMD, Intel and Nvidia are available, Lenovo is updating its 16-inch flagship gaming laptop with more lights, better performance and bigger batteries. And after getting a chance to go hands-on with the new Legion 7, I really appreciate that Lenovo made two slightly different versions to suit people's needs.
First up is the standard Legion 7, which is more of a desktop replacement-style gaming notebook designed to house the most powerful CPUs and GPUs you can put in a laptop right now. It's available in either Intel/NVIDIA (starting at $2,449) or all-AMD configurations (starting at $2,059), with Lenovo supporting up to a 12th-gen Intel i9 chip and RTX 3080 Ti or Ryzen 9 6900HX and Radeon RX 6850M XT.
While both systems have very similar designs, the Legion 7 Slim (left) weighs about a pound less but lacks support for some of the standard model's top-end components and most of its RGB lighting.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now those are some beefy specs, but the most important upgrade might be the addition of a new 99.9 WHr battery. That's the biggest power pack you can put in a laptop while still being able to carry it on a plane. On top of that, while Lenovo's included power adapter is a bulky 300-watt affair, the Legion 7 also supports USB-C power delivery. That means if you want to travel light, you can pack a smaller USB-PD adapter (up to 135 watts). However, it's important to remember that if you do so, the laptop won't charge as fast or get full performance when plugged into the wall.
That said, the most eye-catching part of the system is without a doubt all the RGB lighting scattered across its chassis. You get a light-up logo on its lid, a backlit keyboard with optional per-key adjustability, a big light bar in front and a ton of LEDs in its vents. Now I don't know if anyone keeps track of stats like this, but the Legion 7 may have the most RGB lighting of any gaming notebook.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While it wasn't ready in time for my hands-on session, Lenovo says it's also planning to release its new Spectrum app that's designed to give users more control over lighting effects, including the ability to sync things with whatever music or videos they’re playing.
I'm not sure I love the system's brushed metal edges, but I have to give some props to Lenovo for including three USB-C ports on the laptop's left and right sides. This makes it easy to plug in things like thumb drives, while in back, there's additional connectivity for stuff you don't need to fiddle with as often such as power, Ethernet, HDMI and more. And alongside a new 1080p webcam (up from 720p), you also get a dedicated electronic shutter slider on the right for increased privacy.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
In general, the Legion 7’s build quality felt good too. There wasn’t very little flex on its lid or deck, and while touchpads are often an afterthought on gaming laptops, this one is both large and responsive. Unfortunately, there weren’t any games installed, so I wasn’t able to get a sense of its thermals or fan noise. But I do like the laptop's updated power button, which now has a built-in fingerprint reader.
That said, while I respect a big, high-spec gaming laptop (and anyone who wants to carry one around), weighing in at 5.5 pounds, the Legion 7 isn't a great pick for frequent travelers. But that's where the Legion 7 Slim comes in. That's because while you still get a 16-inch display, support for a 99.9 Whr battery and a very similar design, Lenovo increased the Slim's portability by reducing its max specs a touch, deleting a lot of RGB lighting and trimming down the size of its chassis. The result is a thinner and lighter 4.5-pound laptop with a smaller hinge that's easier to toss in a bag.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Aside from its size, the biggest difference between the standard Legion 7 and the Legion 7 Slim is that the latter tops out with either an NVIDIA RTX 3070 or an AMD RX 6800S GPU. And unlike its bigger sibling, the Slim's refresh rate peaks at 165Hz instead of 240Hz. The upside is that with the Intel/NVIDIA version of the Slim starting at $1,589 for a Core i5 chip with an RTX 3050 Ti or just $1,519 for the AMD Advantage model featuring a Ryzen 5 6600H and RX6600S GPU, Lenovo's slightly smaller system is a lot more affordable.
So regardless of what type of gamer you are, Lenovo is looking to give you a few more choices among 16-inch gaming notebooks. And while I'm curious to see how those huge batteries fare in real life (especially when paired with a power-hungry 12th-gen Intel CPU), I really like what I've seen so far.
The Intel/NVIDIA versions of the Legion 7 and Legion 7 Slim will go on sale first sometime later this month, with the AMD Advantage models arriving slightly later in June.
Luxury probably isn't the first word that comes to mind when you think about gaming laptops, especially with some looking, shall we say extra, with flashy light bars and dot matrix displays embedded in their lids. But with its excellent performance, superb build quality, understated design and a very luxurious price, the Razer Blade 15 really feels like it's crossed the line into portable gaming opulence.
Design
Now it's true the 2022 Blade 15 looks almost identical to previous models, which has some folks feeling like it's in need of a facelift. But even after all these years, I still love the Blade 15's clean lines and sturdy aluminum chassis. That said, I do wish Razer would add full RGB support to the backlit logo on the lid. I know neon green is sort of Razer's thing, but on a premium machine like this, it just seems weird you can't set it to whatever color you want.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Inside, the Blade has a large glass trackpad that's one of the best you can get on a Windows laptop. New for 2022 are larger keycaps along with Razer's signature per-key Chroma lighting. Another subtle design tweak is that instead of having a distinct cut-out for the laptop's up-firing speakers, this year Razer used lasers to etch the grille directly into the deck which improves rigidity while maintaining that minimalist aesthetic. There’s also a new 1080p webcam for 2022, which is a welcome upgrade from the 720p cams on older systems. And finally you get a plethora of connectivity, including two USB-C ports (including one with Thunderbolt 4), three USB-A ports, HDMI, headphone jack, and even a full-size SD card reader.
Display
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
On our $3,700 review unit, there's a 15.6-inch 240Hz QHD display, which offers a great balance of size and resolution. I just wish it was a tiny bit brighter. Razer says all of the Blade's LCD displays are supposed to pump out around 300 nits of brightness. But using a lightmeter, I measured closer to 275 nits. That's fine for most situations, though if you're in a sunny room, colors may appear slightly washed out. Alternatively, Razer offers 144Hz and 360Hz panels on other models. And just this week, Razer announced a new 240Hz OLED option, so there’s a wealth of displays to choose from.
Performance and gaming
Moving onto performance, Razer offers the latest 12th-gen Intel H-series CPUs and Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs. The downside is that these components don't come cheap, with the 2022 Blade 15 starting at$2,500 for an i7-12800H, 16GB of RAM and an RTX 3060 Ti, before topping out at a wallet-quivering $4,000 for a fully-loaded model with an i9 chip, 32GB of RAM and a 3080 Ti.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now, I should point out that configs top out at just 1TB of storage. But for those who want even more room, the Blade 15 features two M.2 slots, only one of which is populated out of the box. So if you're willing to remove the laptop's bottom panel and SSD cover, tossing in another drive should be pretty straightforward. Just remember to use single-sided modules, because double-sided M.2 sticks won't fit.
You get what you pay for, though, because the Blade 15 can game with the best of them. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider on the highest graphics settings at 1920 x 1080, our Core i7, RTX 3080 Ti unit hit 124 fps, which is just a touch lower than the $1,800 Asus Flow Z13, and that’s with its optional $1,400 mobile graphics dock. (That’s a grand total of $3,200 for those keeping count.) Results were similar in other titles too, with the Blade 15 hitting 86 fps in Metro Exodus on high settings, and 81 fps in Forza Horizon 5 on Ultra.
Battery Life
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Really, the Blade 15's biggest weakness (aside from its price) is battery life. On our local video rundown test, it lasted just 5 hours and 42 minutes. That's similar to what we got from the Asus Flow Z13 (5:38), which if you’ll recall is a PC gaming tablet. But compared to more traditional rivals, the Blade 15 lasted than three hours less than the Alienware x14 (7:57) and four hours shorter than the Asus Zephyrus G14's (9:45). And in the real world, it's not much better. The Blade 15 struggled to make it through two games of Teamfight Tactics back-to-back, which entailed about an hour and 15 minutes of relatively light-duty gaming. I should also note that when you're running off the battery, the Blade's performance takes a hit too, with framerates in Shadow of the Tomb Raider dropping down to around 45 fps.
Laptop
Battery life
Razer Blade 15 (2022)
5:42
Asus Flow Z13
5:38
Alienware x14
7:57
Asus Zephyrus G14
9:45
The other annoyance is Razer's charging brick. While the proprietary connector is forgivable given its 230-watt power adapter, its right-angle design means if you plug it in wrong, you're going to block at one or possibly two of the laptop's USB-A ports. Honestly, high-wattage power delivery over USB-C can't come soon enough.
Wrap-up
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the Blade 15 isn't quite as sleek or portable as the latest breed of 14-inch gaming machines, there's something to be said for having a big, luxury alternative. Sure, it's really expensive, and its 15.6-inch screen and 4.4-pound body mean you might not be able to throw it in your typical messenger bag. But it's got top-notch components, a strong frame that exhibits basically zero flex, and impressive performance in a slick and (comparatively) subdued design. Well, aside from that big glowing logo.
In a way, the Blade 15 is a fantastic take on a modern desktop replacement, especially for people like me who don't want to lug around a giant 17-inch rig. Unlike the ROG Flow Z13, you don't need to worry about a separate graphics dock to get peak framerates. And thanks to a wealth of ports, you can leave all of your dongles and adapters at home. So while the Blade 15 doesn't make sense for anyone on a budget, if you've got the funds, this thing is a real treat.
AMD has at last made chips with its Zen 3 architecture for higher-end Chromebooks. It created several C-series Ryzen 5000 processors that are designed for Chrome OS. All of the CPUs in this lineup were built on a 7nm process and have Vega graphics.
At the top of the line is the eight-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5825C. It has eight GPU cores and tops out at 4.5GHz with max boost — just below the 5700G's 4.6GHz. AMD says this is the first Chromebook processor with eight high-performance cores.
A step below that APU is the Ryzen 5 5625C, which has six cores, 12 threads, seven GPU cores and a max boost speed of 4.3GHz. Next up is the Ryzen 3 5425C, with four cores, eight threads and six GPU cores. That maxes out at 4.1GHz. Lastly, there's the Ryzen 3 5125C, which has a top speed of 3.0GHz. That model has two cores, four threads and three GPU cores.
The Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-series chips, which top out at eight cores and eight threads, use the Zen architecture and are being positioned as mainstream-level options.
With the Ryzen 5000 C-series, AMD is promising up to 94 percent better battery life than you'd get with Intel chipsets. It says machines with the processors will run for up to 13 hours before they need to be recharged. The chips also have multi-monitor support for up to three 4K monitors, fast charging support and Chromebooks using them can instantly wake from sleep.
Among the first manufacturers to use the new chips are Acer and HP with the Chromebook Spin 514 and HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook.
The latest version of Acer's Chromebook is a 14-inch, full HD 2-in-1 that can house up to the Ryzen 7 5825C processor. It has support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and up to 256GB of PCIe gen-3 NVMe SSD storage.
Acer says its device has military-grade MIL-STD 810H durability and a 100 percent sRGB color range. It has a 1080p webcam with a shutter, two USB-C gen-2 ports and optional HDMI. The battery will run for up to 10 hours on a single charge, Acer claims.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-3H) will be available in Q3 in North America and the EMEA region, starting at $580/€749. An enterprise version will also be available in the third quarter, starting at $900 or €849.
HP
As for the HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook, there are multiple display options, including a 14-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen with 250 nits of brightness. There's also a non-touch 1,000-nit panel with low blue light and HP's Eye Ease tech.
This model can be equipped with up to 16GB of soldered LPDDR4X memory, up to 512GB of PCIe SSD storage and an optional smart card reader. It has a 5MP webcam, along with two mics and dual speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen.
In addition, there's support for fast charging and WiFi 6E. The c645 G2 has passed MIL-STD 810H durability tests as well. HP is also guaranteeing Chrome OS support through June 2030.
The HP Elite c645 G2 Chromebook should be available in early June and it will start at $559. On top of that, the company announced the HP Elite c640 G3 Chromebook, which has similar specs but runs on Intel chips. That should arrive in mid-May with a starting price of $509.
Enterprise versions of both the AMD- and Intel-powered Chromebooks are expected to go on sale in the same timeframes. Pricing for those will be announced later.
As part of Lenovo's big spring laptop refresh, the company today unveiled a new generation of Slim clamshell laptops in the US (which confusingly share the 'Slim' branding with older, unrelated models). These include the Slim 9i, the Slim 7i and Slim7i Pro X, the Slim 7i Carbon and the Slim 7. The last of those come with an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor rather than the Intel chips inside its sisters, while the Slim 9i claims to be carbon neutral. While the improvements aren’t dramatic, the new line offers decent boosts in performance, longevity and screen quality.
Lenovo’s Slim 9i is a 14-inch laptop with WiFi 6 and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. It's also supposedly carbon-neutral, which makes this a solid bet if you're eco-conscious. The display includes an option to upgrade to a 4K OLED Puresight touchscreen display, which will no doubt make for sharper visuals and more immersive gaming. It also includes the IdeaPad’s infrared webcam, which means it will have facial recognition abilities. It also features 12th-gen Intel Core processors. The laptop starts at $1,799 and will be available in US stores starting in June.
Both the Slim 7i Pro X and Slim 7 Pro X are 14-inch laptops; the former offers 12-gen Intel Core processors and the latter includes an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor. You can expect up to 32 GB of RAM and the option of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. At 3.5 pounds, both machines are also very lightweight, especially for ones with dedicated graphics cards. The 7i Pro X starts at $1,699 and the 7 Pro X starts at $1,499.
The Slim 7 features a 16-inch screen and is outfitted with an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor, and starts at $1,499. The Slim 7i is available in either 14 or 16-inches and includes 12th-gen Intel Core processors. It is priced starting at $1,199 or $1,599, respectively.
For those in the market for a lightweight laptop that also won’t weigh down their carry-on bag, a decent option may be Lenovo’s 13-inch 2.2 pound Slim 7i Carbon. As the name implies, it saves weight by having a carbon frame. It includes 12th-gen Intel Core processors and self-adjusting fan and power speeds to save battery life. The 7i Carbon is available as either a 13-inch laptop or an upgraded model that features a 13.3-inch Lenovo Puresight touchscreen. The price starts at $1,299, and will be available in the US this June.
For those afraid of losing their laptops while on the go (or heaven forbid, their machine getting stolen), Lenovo will be offering its Smart Lock program in North America, starting in June. The cloud-based security program includes an app and browser version and essentially allows users to track and find their machines, as well as remotely lock or wipe any personal data from them.
Every spring, a new class of graduates is unleashed on the world, many of them carrying gadgets that have been put through the ringer over the years. Graduation is traditionally a big time for gift-giving — so if you know someone who is heading out into the real world who could use an upgrade after four (or more!) long years of higher education, here’s a host of options that’ll be a serious improvement over their trusted but beat-up tech.
Laptops
Apple
As useful as tablets and smartphones are, nothing beats a traditional laptop when you really want to get things done. It’s also a very personal purchase, so you’ll want to know if the recipient prefers Windows, Mac or Chrome OS before you pull the trigger. But once you have that settled, these laptops are some of the best and most well-rounded options on the market. Unless the person you’re shopping for has some very specific needs, one of these machines will probably fit the bill.
For years, we’ve considered Dell’s XPS 13 to be the best overall Windows laptop, and that hasn’t changed. At this point, Dell has almost perfected its industrial design: it’s thin and light, but not at the expense of power or battery life. The keyboard and display are excellent, and you can get impressive specs without breaking the bank.
If you want to gift your grad something that’ll last for years, we recommend the configuration with Intel’s 11th-generation Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That also includes a UHD+ resolution touchscreen, which works out to 3,840 x 2,400. Right now, that version sells for $1,469.99 direct from Dell.
For someone who’s a gamer, though, we recommend going in a different direction. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is an excellent laptop that combines relative portability (3.75 pounds and a 14-inch screen) with serious power. In our review we said that the laptop was incredibly compelling, even if it’s more expensive than it used to be. It has a powerful AMD processor and graphics card coupled with a great display, comfortable keyboard, spacious trackpad and solid design. It’s not a champ on battery life, but we got seven hours of non-gaming use out of it – pretty decent considering the specs.
As is usually the case with ASUS products, you can get the Zephyrus G14 in a wide variety of configurations, but one we’d recommend comes from Best Buy. The $1,649.99 model includes an AMD Ryzen 9 6000 Series processor, 16GB of RAM, an AMD Radeon RX 6700S graphics card, 1TB of storage, and a 14-inch 2,560 x 1,400 display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That’ll be plenty to handle modern gaming as well as all the “real life” tasks that come with being out of school.
For people who prefer a Mac, the MacBook Air is usually our go-to recommendation, but not this year. While there’s nothing wrong with the current Air, Apple hasn’t updated it in more than 18 months – if you buy one now, it’ll likely be replaced with something better soon. With that in mind, a great upgrade pick for a Mac user is the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple completely redesigned the MacBook Pro last fall, adding back crucial ports like the HDMI slot and SD card reader. The company also removed the Touch Bar and put in a full-size function key row with Touch ID. There’s a lot more worth talking about than just what Apple fixed compared to the previous MacBook Pro, though.
The new model has an outstanding 14-inch mini-LED display (as long as you can get past the camera notch), a 1080p webcam, a great keyboard and trackpad and powerful internals that should make the MacBook Pro capable for years to come. Most people will probably be set with the $1999 configuration, which includes Apple’s M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space. Apple’s custom silicon has been extremely impressive, boasting both extreme speed and efficiency that lets you use this laptop away from a charger longer than almost any other computer on the market.
Given how dominant a force Chromebooks are in education, it’s entirely possible that someone just finishing school might want to continue using Chrome OS. Fortunately, there are lots of premium Chromebooks that are well-designed and capable enough to last for years. One of our favorites is Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713. It has a screen with a taller 3:2 aspect ratio, which means you’ll see more of a webpage or document you’re working on without having to scroll. Add in a solid keyboard and trackpad, as well as powerful hardware (Intel’s 11-generation Core i5 processor) and you have a Chromebook that doesn’t offer many compromises. The battery life could be longer, but that’s the only major knock against it.
When thinking about tablets, put aside the question of whether or not they can replace laptops, and focus on what they do best. They can be a great option for getting work done, engaging your creative side with art and music-making apps or just enjoying movies and games. For the vast majority of people, Apple’s iPad is the only tablet worth considering, even if they don’t otherwise use Apple products. That’s thanks to time-tested, reliable hardware and a massive software library with hundreds of thousands of apps optimized for the iPad’s larger screen.
As for which iPad is the best, the iPad Air is probably the right choice for most – especially if you’re looking for a good graduation gift. While the basic iPad is a great value, you get a lot when you step up to the Air. Perhaps most importantly, the Air has Apple’s M1 chip, the same one that’s in the iPad Pro and numerous Macs. This means the Air is extremely fast and one of the more future-proof products Apple makes.
The rest of the iPad Air’s hardware is also impressive for the price. It has a large 10.9-inch screen with thin bezels and an anti-reflective coating; the display is also laminated directly to the glass, so there’s no distracting gap beneath the surface. The Air also includes 64GB or 256GB of storage, 10 hours of battery life, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard and an improved 12-megapixel front-facing camera. For $599, you’re getting almost everything that the iPad Pro offers without spending over $800.
However, if you’re shopping for an Android diehard, Samsung’s $700 Galaxy Tab S8 is an excellent choice. It features a high-resolution 11-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and has an S-Pen stylus included in the box. And while Android historically hasn’t been the best option for large-screen devices, Samsung’s Dex feature switches things up into a more desktop-like multi-window mode, which can be great for productivity. Samsung’s built-in apps that take advantage of the S-Pen are solid as well. You might have a hard time finding apps that are designed for the Tab S8’s larger screen, but if you’re buying this for someone familiar with Android, they’ll likely be aware of the trade-offs.
As useful as a laptop or tablet can be, chances are good that the most important computer most people own is their smartphone. And if you know someone who is still rocking the same device they brought to campus with them four years ago, they’ll definitely appreciate an upgrade. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to pick out a phone that’ll satisfy just about anyone, regardless of whether they prefer Android or iPhone.
This year, we’re recommending the iPhone 13 Pro. While the standard iPhone 13 is an excellent device, the Pro model includes more meaningful upgrades than in years past. Perhaps most importantly, the battery life is noticeably better. The Pro’s display has a 120Hz refresh rate, the first iPhone with this feature. Its three-lens camera system offers more flexibility than the two-lens setup on the iPhone 13 – plus it has the new macro-mode shooting, which lets you get as close as 2cm to your subject.
All the other iPhone niceties are here, including Apple’s newest and fastest mobile processor (the A15 Bionic), an excellent OLED display, 5G, 128GB of storage (at least) and all the features of iOS 15. It’s not a cheap phone at $999, but its extremely fast processor and Apple’s track record of delivering software support for years means this investment should last a long time.
If you know much about Android phones, you won’t be surprised that we’re recommending the Samsung Galaxy S22+. Samsung has been the most popular Android phone manufacturer for years, and phones like the $1,000 S22+ show why. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip provides more power than you’ll need, battery life is excellent (and fast charging means you can quickly top off if needed), the 6.6-inch display is a standout and the cameras are among the best you can find on a smartphone (low-light performance got a nice upgrade this year). Given how thoroughly Samsung dominates the Android space, this isn’t a surprising recommendation, but it will make most Android fans happy.
However, Google’s Pixel 6 Pro is also worth considering. The $899 phone is easily the most interesting Pixel device Google has made in years, with the company’s own custom Tensor processor powering the whole affair. Performance and battery life are both outstanding; it’s impressive how Google nailed these aspects on the first try with its own custom chip. As with several past Pixel phones, the Pixel 6 Pro has about the best camera you can get in the Android world, and the fact that this phone is built by Google means it’ll get software updates before any other Android phone on the market.
Both of these phones are big (the Pixel 6 Pro’s screen is 6.7 inches while the S22+ has a 6.6-inch display), but the good news is that both Google and Samsung offer smaller-screened devices that keep most of the same features and specs as their larger siblings. You’ll save some cash with a smaller-screened device, too.
Almost anyone would benefit from a good pair of noise-canceling headphones, and once again we’re recommending Sony’s WH-1000XM4 as the best over-ear option on the market. At $350, they’re not cheap, but they offer a combination of incredible sound, refined design and excellent noise-canceling that is hard to beat. This latest model also has a number of smart software features like wear detection, which pauses playback when you take the headphones off. They can also connect to two devices simultaneously, a big missing feature from earlier models. They even fit better and more comfortably than ever.
Of course, not everyone wants to wear large, over-ear headphones when they’re out and about. That’s where Jabra’s Elite 7 Pro comes in. These noise-canceling earbuds are the successor to the flagship Jabra Elite 85t we recommended last year. And while we haven’t reviewed the Elite 7 Pro, Jabra’s track record makes us comfortable recommending these. They have a number of improvements over the Elite 85t, including nine hours of battery life with ANC activated, a major improvement over the 5.5 hours the Elite 85t were rated for. The Elite 7 Pro buds are also smaller than Jabra’s Elite 75t, which were previously the smallest buds the company made. Smaller earbuds are typically more comfortable to wear, and it’s impressive that Jabra managed to shrink the size and promise improved battery life.
If you’re buying earbuds for an Apple user, though, consider the Beats Fit Pro. They offer many of the same benefits as the AirPods Pro for $50 less. These features include one-touch pairing and easy switching between Apple devices, Spatial Audio, hands-free Siri and ANC. They also have a fit wing to help them stay put when you’re exercising, and have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so sweat from a workout shouldn’t be a problem. In our testing, they provided well-balanced audio quality with punchy bass and impressive noise cancelation. Battery life isn’t quite as good as what Jabra promises with the Elite 7 Pro, but we got almost seven hours of usage in our review before we had to pop them back in the case.
There are a dizzying number of monitors on the market, at basically any price point you can think of, which makes recommending a single monitor a very difficult task. But Dell reliably offers some of the best screens you can get at a reasonable price. With that in mind, we’re recommending Dell’s 32-inch 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (model number P3222QE). For $799, this monitor has basically everything you could want out of a display.
A 32-inch screen has become the sweet spot for a lot of people, offering a vast workspace without being overwhelmingly large, and a 4K resolution will make sure everything looks sharp. This screen only has a 60Hz refresh rate, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re keen on gaming, but it’s sufficient for everyday tasks. The monitor also has a ton of ports, including HDMI, Displayport, USB-C, and multiple USB-A connections. And the stand lets you adjust it to the right height and angle, something that’s a lot better than stacking books under a monitor.
If the Dell is a bit too expensive, ASUS has a couple solid options worth considering as well. The ASUS ProArt Display is a 27-inch screen that you can get in either 4K or quad-HD (2,560 x 1,400) resolution. The 4K screen currently costs $499 on Amazon, while the QHD model sells for $370. Obviously, it isn’t quite as large as the Dell, but it has most of the same amenities, including an adjustable stand and a host of ports.
As important as the right gear is, your grad also deserves something classy and stylish to carry all that stuff around. The Executive Leather Messenger from Waterfield Designs is an expensive choice, but it’s worth the cost. Waterfield makes everything by hand in its San Francisco shop, and the materials it uses are top notch. I’ve owned a lot of their products over the years, and I can safely say this bag will last a decade or more, and the leather will only look more attractive as time goes on.
On the inside are two padded slots, one for a tablet and one for a laptop. There are also two pockets, one zippered, as well as a pen slot and a metal key fob. Finally, there are two easily-accessible hand pockets under the flap, both with an extremely soft plush lining. The Executive Leather Messenger comes in three different leather colors and costs either $380 or $400, depending on which size you choose. It’s an investment, for sure, but it will last a long time.
If you’d prefer a non-leather choice, Peak Design’s Everyday Messenger is a great and more affordable option. The $220 bag was originally designed for photographers, but (as the name implies) it works as a tough, well-designed option for whatever you need to carry. It has a dedicated 13-inch laptop sleeve and “stretchy” pockets that make it easier to keep track of smaller items. The bag also comes with a few flexible interior dividers so you can customize it in any way you want. The recently-released V2 update boasts 100 percent recycled outer fabric, a redesigned shoulder strap that should be less prone to slippage, a “MagLatch” magnetic buckle and a more efficient design that makes it 24 percent lighter than the original.
Dell's latest flagship ultraportable is now available for purchase. The Dell XPS 13 Plus is powered by Intel's 28-watt 12th-gen processors and features a clean, minimalist design. Its keyboard has no borders and no space in between its large keys that makes it ideal for touch-typing. The laptop's haptic touchpad blends into its palm rest and the function buttons at the top of the keyboard aren't buttons at all — they're displayed on a touch panel similar to Mac's Touch Bar.
It's a beautiful device that gives the illusion of being carved out of a single piece of metal, but it doesn't come without drawbacks. The biggest one of all? It doesn't have a headphone jack. You'd have to use Bluetooth headsets with it, and the process of connecting a pair to a Windows laptop isn't quite as seamless as connecting one to a phone. In addition, we had some trouble using the touchpad when we tested the laptop at CES earlier this year, because the lack of borders means you can't see its edges. That said, it might be something you get used to the more time you spend with the notebook.
The XPS 13 Plus will set you back at least $1,299 and comes with either an OLED touch or an LCD display. You can also get the Developer Edition, which ships pre-installed with Ubuntu instead of Windows, for at least $1,249. It's still showing on Dell's site as coming soon, but it should be available shortly.
The 2021 MacBook Pros were some of the best laptops we came across last year, but as to be expected, they come with high price tags. Right now, you can pick up the 14-inch MacBook Pro for $250 cheaper than usual at Amazon. The price has already been discounted by $50, but an addition $200 automatically applied coupon brings the machine down to a record low of $1,749.
This particular model comes with Apple's M1 Pro chip, which features an 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU, plus 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The performance gains provided by specs like this was one reason why both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros earned a score of 92 from us when we reviewed them last year. Not only will they be able to handle anything you throw at them, but they also have the stamina to last most of the day. We clocked a 12.5-hour battery life for the 14-inch model in our testing and a 16.5-hour battery life on the 16-inch laptop.
While the MacBook Pro looks fairly similar to previous models, Apple fixed a few long-standing issues — namely, the lack of ports. The new machines have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI connector, a headphone jack, an SD card slot and a MagSafe power port. You're also getting a 1080p FaceTime webcam and a Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3,024 x 1,964 resolution, up to 1,600 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. The biggest downsides to the MacBook Pro are its non-upgradeable memory and storage, plus its high price tag. This discount addresses one of those issues, and overall, it's a solid laptop that will be best for power users.
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Apple may soon release a new set of Mac computers powered by the next generation of its homegrown chip. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the tech giant has started the widespread testing of at least nine Mac models with four different M2 chips, which suggests that Apple is gearing up to launch them. While it's not supposed to be public knowledge, Apple has been testing the machines using third-party apps from the App Store, and those applications' developer logs give us an idea of what to expect from the company's upcoming batch of computers.
One of the devices reportedly being tested is a MacBook Air with an M2 chip) that has eight CPU cores and 10 cores for graphics, up from eight in the current model. Previous reports suggest that the next MacBook Air will feature a major redesign, which may include a thinner frame, more ports and MagSafe charging. Apple is also apparently testing a couple of Mac minis powered by an M2 and an M2 Pro chip, as well as an entry-level M2 MacBook Pro with the same specifications as the aforementioned MacBook Air.
Apple just released its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros in October, but Gurman says the company has started testing new 14-inch and 16-inch laptops with 64GB of memory powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The M2 Max apparently has 12 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, up from 10 and 32 in the current models. Finally, there's the new Mac Pro that will reportedly be powered by the M1 Ultra's successor. The M1 Ultra, which was just recently launched, is Apple's most robust chip yet and currently powers the Mac Studio. Gurman warns that there are no guarantees that the company will release all the models it's currently testing. That said, he believes the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, as well as the new entry-level MacBook Pro will be released sometime this year.
Microsoft is ushering in the spring season with a new sale that discounts Surface devices, Xbox games, accessories and more through April 21st. A bunch of Surface gadgets are hundreds of dollars off right now, including the new Surface Pro X that's down to $700 for the base model, but you'll find an even better deal on the Surface Laptop Go. The entry-level Windows notebook is up to $200 off, so you can grab the model with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $700. The base configuration is $150 off, too, bringing it down to $400.
While you can spend $700 and get either the Surface Pro X or the Laptop Go, we think the latter is the better option. The Surface Pro X is a gorgeous machine, but we found that buggy software held the 2-in-1 back from being truly great. While the Laptop Go has its compromises, it makes a great basic notebook thanks to its stellar hardware and speedy performance. Coming in at 2.45 pounds, the Laptop Go is lighter than its predecessor and looks sharp with its anodized aluminum top portion. Its 12.4-inch touchscreen gives you just enough room to multitask easily and its 3:2 aspect ratio makes it better for reading long articles and documents.
All of the Surface Laptop Go configurations run on Core i5 processors, which means you'll get solid CPU performance regardless of the one you pick. We recommend opting for a model with 8GB of RAM because it'll serve you better over time than a measly 4GB will. As far as other features go, you're getting a 720p webcam, a fingerprint-toting power button, one USB-C port and one USB-A port on the Laptop Go. Microsoft didn't pack this machine with a lot of extra perks because it's designed to be an affordable Surface option — just good enough to give those with basic needs a solid laptop experience, and it does deliver on that.
If you've hesitated in getting a PC stylus because it's one more thing to lose, Dell has a possible solution. The company's latest Premiere Rechargeable Active Pen has Tile tracking built in, so you can use the Tile app to make it emit sound and LED light. If it's not close enough to hear or see, the app will show the pen's last known location and track it down via the Tile network.
The $110 Premiere Rechargeable Active Pen works with compatible Dell 2-in-1 laptops and offers a 40-day battery life with 80 percent charging in just 20 minutes. The programmable top and side buttons give easy access to commands and it attaches to laptops via a magnet tether.
Tile also announced that it has added its tracking tech to several new Intel-powered laptops. The latest to include it are Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 and latest ThinkPad T Series, making for a total of seven Lenovo laptops with the tech. MSI's new Intel 12th-gen Summit and Prestige series laptops are also equipped with Tile tracking, along with Fujitsu's FMV Loox PCs in Japan. To activate tracking, you just need to install the Tile Windows App and activate your PC as a Tile. The Android or iOS app will then "ring" your laptop to help you find it nearby.
