Amazon's October Prime Day sale kicked off today, bringing a wide range of discounts on gadgets and gear we recommend. We have a roundup with all of the offers worth your attention, but if you're specifically looking to grab a new laptop, one of the event's best Apple deals cuts the entry-level M2 MacBook Air down to $749. That's $50 below the notebook's usual street price in recent months, $250 less than buying from Apple directly and a record low for what we consider the best budget MacBook on the market.
In our initial M2 MacBook Air review, we were impressed by the laptop's thinner design, gorgeous 13.6-inch display, great quad-speaker setup and the M2 chip's excellent performance. It had been our top pick for the best MacBook, period, but the new M3 model has taken that top slot. However, the M2 Air doesn't skimp — those on a budget (or anyone simply looking to save some cash) will still get a lot of laptop and a lot of power choosing this machine.
One could argue, and our Daniel Cooper did, that the best thing about the M3 MacBook Air was the price drop given to the M2 Air after its launch. The M3 chip is pretty similar to the M2, and while there's no doubt that those who want the latest and greatest should get an M3 machine, an M2 laptop will be more than enough for most people using it as a daily driver. And, when you consider the M2 started at $1,200 when it first came out in 2022, it makes this discount even more compelling (it only received a price drop to $1,000 after the M3's debut).
There are other discounts on the MacBook lineup at Amazon at the moment, too. The M3 MacBook Air is $250 off and down to $849, which is only $50 more than its record-low price. The 15-inch MacBook with an M3 chip is $255 off and on sale for $1,044.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-day-laptop-deals-include-the-m2-macbook-air-for-a-record-low-of-749-on-amazon-121848050.html?src=rss
ASUS's latest Zenbook S14, much like the Zenbook 14 OLED we reviewed last December, is a solid ultraportable with one major selling point: It's among the first laptops to use Intel's newest CPUs. In this case, it's the Core Ultra 7 258V, a processor that sits in the mid-range of the company's "Lunar Lake" lineup. While Intel touts these chips as its most efficient ever, I've been curious about what that means for raw performance, especially since they top out with just eight cores.
Based on my testing, I can confirm that the Zenbook S14 delivers the best battery life we've ever seen from an Intel laptop. It reached 16 hours and eight minutes in the PCMark 10 battery benchmark. In comparison, the Zenbook S16 powered by AMD's new Ryzen AI 9 365 chip only hit 12 hours and 47 minutes. The Intel system's timing is close to the 17 hours and 45 minutes we saw from the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ , which is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite.
While it's astounding to see how much progress Intel has made with battery life, that does come with some compromises. In a few benchmarks, the Zenbook S14 doesn't score much higher than Intel's last-gen Core Ultra chips, and it's often bested by AMD's Ryzen AI on multithreaded tasks. But, as we often say, benchmarks don't tell the entire story.
A gorgeous ultraportable
When I reviewed the Zenbook 14 OLED a year ago, I couldn't help but point out how dated it looked. It was practically the same as ASUS' laptops from a decade ago (albeit with slimmer screen bezels). Not so with the Zenbook S14. It's impressive the moment you open it up and feel its lid, which is built with a material ASUS calls "Ceraluminum." As the name implies, it's a combination of ceramic and aluminum, and it feels almost uncanny, like something between high-end plastic and smooth metal. It's still premium, but it's also distinctly different from most other laptops.
Combining ceramics and aluminum isn't exactly new — ASUS notes that it's a popular option for aerospace and watch designs — but we haven't yet seen it deployed in laptops. It's not just for looks, either. The material should also be more durable than standard metal. The rest of the Zenbook 14 S's body is made out of a solid block of metal, but ASUS added some unique tweaks there as well. The lower part of the case features a geometric grille above the keyboard, consisting of 2,715 circular cooling vents. ASUS claims this design enhances airflow while also keeping dirt and dust out.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
ASUS 14-inch 3K "Lumina" OLED display dominates the Zenbook S14, and it delivers everything I want from a modern laptop screen. It sports a fast 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of peak brightness. While its bezels are relatively thin compared to older ASUS systems, they're still noticeably chunkier than Dell's latest InfinityEdge screens on the XPS 13 and 14. The system would look much sleeker if ASUS could shave off more of its bottom and side bezels. Most importantly, though, the OLED display looks glorious, with deliciously dark black levels and colors that pop off the screen.
The Zenbook S14 is surprisingly sturdy for a 14-inch laptop that weighs 2.65 pounds and measures 0.47 inches thin. It's slightly lighter and a hair thicker than the most recent 13-inch MacBook Air, and feels similarly polished. Notably, it also offers many more useful ports than Apple's ultraportable. The S14 includes two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone jack and even an old-school USB Type-A port. The only thing it's missing is Ethernet and an SD card slot.
Unfortunately, ASUS couldn't get everything right with the Zenbook S14. Its quad-speaker audio system is serviceable, but the sound loses any sort of depth and detail as you ramp up the volume. And while it's nice to have a Windows Hello-compatible webcam for fast logins, the 1080p sensor looks far grainier and less detailed than Dell's XPS line and the MacBook Air.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Its keyboard also feels merely serviceable, with little responsive feedback while typing. That’s a particular shame, since that’s been a constant complaint we’ve had with ASUS keyboards. At least the touchpad is large and responsive to swipes and multi-finger gestures. You can also adjust the volume and other settings by sliding your finger along the sides of the touchpad.
In use: Capable, but don't stress it
Thanks to Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V chip, the Zenbook S14 felt impressively zippy from the start. I breezed through the Windows setup process, downloaded the latest updates and installed my usual testing programs in just a few minutes. It didn't sweat whenever I needed to jump between apps like Spotify, Slack and Evernote, and I didn't notice any of the lag I often see on Windows notebooks bogged down by third-party bloatware. It was always ready to get work done.
PCMark 10
Geekbench 6 CPU
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Cinebench 2024
ASUS Zenbook S14 (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V)
6,688 (Base Test)
14,215 (Applications)
2,569/10,442
7,158
121/482
Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite)
14,024 (Applications)
2,621/14,194
6,191
122/748
Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc)
6,806 (Base test)
2,276/11,490
4,579
90/453
Apple MacBook Air (M3)
N/A
3,190/12,102
8,310
141/490
In PCMark 10, the Zenbook S14 scored almost exactly the same as the Surface Laptop 7 for Business, which uses the last-gen Core Ultra 7 165H. It also matched the XPS 13 Copilot+ edition, which had a Snapdragon X Elite chip, in the PCMark 10 Applications benchmark. The Zenbook's multithreaded performance was noticeably worse than either of those machines in Geekbench 6, likely due to the reduced core count this generation.
The big selling point for Intel's Lunar Lake chips is their dramatically improved NPU (neural processing unit), which can reach up to 47 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of AI performance. In comparison, the previous Core Ultra chips had a significantly less powerful 11 TOPS NPU, while AMD's new Ryzen AI chips reach up to 50 TOPS. (More powerful Lunar Lake chips can hit up to 48 TOPS.) Higher TOPS figures means Copilot+ PCs like the Zenbook S14 will be able to tackle demanding AI workloads more quickly, without impacting overall CPU performance.
Unfortunately, there still aren't a ton of AI features to test at the time of this review. Microsoft's Copilot+ Windows 11 update for Intel and AMD systems isn't arriving until November, and even that will only include a beta version of the controversial Recall feature. It's also hard to find apps that take advantage of a local NPU — most entries in the Windows Store "AI Hub" rely on cloud AI processing.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
At least there's Audacity's OpenVino plugin, which Intel developed to show off its AI PC hardware. It offers NPU-powered features like noise suppression and transcription, but it also requires an involved setup process that may be confusing to Audacity novices. I was able to completely remove incessant jackhammering from a five-minute clip in one minute and eight seconds using the NPU alone. That's not very fast in the world of audio editing (CPU rendering can tackle a noise-filled 90 minute file in three minutes and thirty seconds), but what's key is that the NPU handles the same work using very little power. That could be important if you're stuck editing on battery in a plane or remote location.
I was also impressed by Intel's latest Arc 140V GPU, which let me play Halo Infinite between 35 fps and 45 fps in 1080p with low quality graphics settings. That's far from a smooth experience, but it's fascinating to see it from a built-in GPU. Intel's graphics also scored well above the Snapdragon X Elite across the board, especially in the Geekbench 6 GPU test.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Pricing and the competition
ASUS launched the Zenbook S14 with a starting price of $1,500, but it’s already slightly discounted at Best Buy for $1,400. That configuration gets you a Core Ultra 7 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That’s not too shabby, considering the XPS 13 Copilot+ system with a Snapdragon X Elite costs $1,800 when equipped with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an OLED display. The Zenbook also doesn’t have the compatibility issues inherent with Snapdragon systems, which have to emulate older Windows apps and can’t run many popular games at all.
As usual, ASUS also delivers far more value than Apple. A MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD costs $1,700, and that’s also stuck with a 60Hz LCD screen.
Wrap-up
The Zenbook S14 leans more on efficiency than raw power, but it’s still an incredible achievement for Intel, a company that used to be infamous for energy-devouring mobile chips. While the Lunar Lake chip’s NPU makes the Zenbook ready for Copilot+ and AI features, its true selling points are its excellent battery life, slick ASUS design and gorgeous OLED display.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-zenbook-s14-review-a-showpiece-for-intels-lunar-lake-ai-pc-chips-171642261.html?src=rss
On Tuesday, HP unveiled its first 2-in-1 AI PC, the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch. The device has a 3K OLED display, a haptic touchpad and Intel's 200V Core Ultra series processors with a dedicated AI engine. Starting in late November, the PC will get Microsoft’s Copilot+ capabilities as an update.
The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch has a 2,880 x 1,800 touch-sensitive OLED display with a maximum 120Hz variable refresh rate. With a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, the PC is only 0.59 inches (15mm) thick and weighs 2.97 lbs (1.35kg).
The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch starts at 512GB of storage, with 1TB and 2TB options also available. 16GB of RAM is standard, but more expensive tiers will boost that to 32GB. The 2-in-1 is rated for up to 20 hours of battery life, and it can fast-charge to about 50 percent in 45 minutes using its bundled 65W USB-C adapter. Its Intel AI processor can be configured with anything from an Ultra 5 226V up to an Ultra 9 288V.
HP
The device includes a 9MP camera with hardware-level low-light adjustments and Auto Switch HDR, which determines when HDR is needed (based on lighting conditions) and switches on the fly. Onboard AI features using the Intel chip’s NPU include hand gesture support for scrolling through documents or webpages, adjusting volume levels and controlling media playback. The PC can also automatically lock when you leave and wake when you return.
Once the Copilot+ update for Intel PCs is available, features like AI image generation and editing tools, live captions, Windows Studio effects, and Recall will be added.
The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch is available today on HP’s website. It starts at $1,450.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/hps-omnibook-ultra-flip-14-inch-is-its-first-2-in-1-ai-pc-162558218.html?src=rss
Lenovo has just revealed its latest lineup of laptops at IFA Berlin. The standouts seem to be Aura editions of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 and Yoga Slim 7i. The Aura software, which is the result of a collaboration with Intel, can quickly shift these machines into various modes to optimize for specific tasks, like safe internet browsing, better video call quality or distraction-free work.
Lenovo
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, It’s a 14-inch laptop with a 16:10 2.8K (2880x1800) OLED display and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It also has DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification and reaches 400 nits of brightness. The CPU is an Intel Core Ultra 9, and the Intel Arc Xe2 GPU handles graphics. The battery is rated at 57Wh and is a replaceable unit.
The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is larger at 15.3 inches and also has a screen resolution of 2.8K. The display can be an OLED or LCD touch panel, with a refresh rate of 120Hz and brightness of 500 nits. An Intel Core Ultra 7 processor powers this laptop and uses integrated graphics. With a battery life of 70Wh, it should last all day for web browsing and streaming video content.
Another laptop to look out for is the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1. It's equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor and integrated Adreno GPU. The 14-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) OLED screen can reach 400 nits of brightness, and the battery is rated at 57Wh. Best of all, the whole package only costs about $850.
The Yoga Pro 7, IdeaPad Slim 5x and the 13- and 15-inch IdeaPad Slim 5s are among the new arrivals as well, but unfortunately, these models won’t be available in the US.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-announces-new-aura-edition-laptops-150005439.html?src=rss
ASUS is now outfitting its NUC 14 Pro mini PC with a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of reaching 48 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The new model, the ASUS NUC Pro AI, will have up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor. With a height of only 1.3 inches, this mini PC can be carried anywhere and won’t get in your way. Most of the features like ports and internals should be similar compared to its predecessor.
To prevent overheating, ASUS installed some advanced thermal management solutions that meet EPEAT Climate+ energy efficiency requirements. Other features include Secure Boot, built-in speakers and voice command-ready microphones. There’s also a fingerprint reader for extra security, along with a trusted platform module (TPM). The latter is designed to secure the PC further using cryptography. Upgrading the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI doesn’t require tools, and the mini PC can be controlled with ASUS Control Center.
This mini PC might be convenient, but it’s likely not going to run AAA games at higher settings. Fortunately, ASUS does have some NUC PCs capable of gaming.
As of now, there’s no release date for the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI, but its announcement is less than a year following the first ASUS-built NUC that we saw at CES 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/asus-equips-its-nuc-14-pro-mini-pc-with-ai-capabilities-160052047.html?src=rss
ASUS unveiled a large collection of new Copilot+ PC laptops at IFA 2024, bringing AI power to several of its product lines. The company is splitting this portfolio into two branches, each powered by a different brand's processors. Some of them will have the entry-level Snapdragon X Plus from Qualcomm and others will run on the codenamed Lunar Lake models from Intel, including the new Core Ultra 200V.
The Zenbook S14 is the lightweight option at 2.7 pounds and less than half an inch thick. The 14-inch machine runs on an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor that can provide up to 47 TOPS in its neural processing unit (NPU) for AI performance. Its screen is a 3K 120Hz OLED display. The Zenbook S14 will retail for $1,400. It is available now from the ASUS online store and will be available for pre-order at Best Buy beginning September 6.
Next is the Vivobook S14, another 14-inch laptop running the same Intel processor. This machine has a 16:10 OLED screen and a Dolby Atmos audio system. It's also designed for portability, weighing 2.87 pounds and measuring 0.55 inches thick. The first configuration will be available for pre-order starting September 5, and other versions will be available some time in Q4. It is priced at $1,000. ASUS also added two machines to its Vivobook line of convertible laptops. The Vivobook 14 Flip and Vivobook 16 Flip are due out in Q4, and no pricing is available yet. The 14-inch version has similar specs to its standard laptop counterpart, and offers support for the ASUS Pen 2.0. The 16 Flip also offers the same innards, but with a larger 16-inch OLED screen.
Vivobook S14
ASUS
The other additions to the Intel-powered lineup are the 14-inch Expertbook P5 laptop and the NUC 14 Pro AI mini PC. The Expertbook runs on the same processors as the other laptops, while the mini-PC boasts the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor with up to 48 TOPS for AI performance. Pricing has not been revealed for either machine.
On the Qualcomm side of the announcements are the Vivobook S15 and the ProArt PZ13. The Vivobook S15 has a 15.6-inch 3K 120 Hz OLED display and Dolby Atmos audio. The laptop promises "up to 19+ hours of use" on the battery. It is available now for $900.
The ProArt PZ13 is a detachable laptop with "up to 21 hours of FHD video playback" for battery life. It has a 16:10 3K OLED touchscreen that also supports stylus use and is available now for $1,100.
Microsoft introduced the Copilot+ PC program in May 2024. These machines are built to handle AI processes locally instead of in the cloud, and ASUS had a Vivobook S15 with the Snapdragon X Elite as part of the first wave of Copilot+ PC releases in June. To be branded a Copilot+ PC, computers require an NPU with at least 40 TOPS to manage those tasks. Now that Qualcomm is no longer the exclusive processor provider for Microsoft’s program, we can expect to see more brands potentially following in ASUS' steps.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-introduces-six-new-copilot-pc-laptops-160014998.html?src=rss
Acer is expanding its line of Swift laptops with four new models, and they each have AI capabilities built in. They share functions such as Microsoft Copilot+, Acer User Sensing technology, Windows Studio Effects, PurifiedVoice 2.0 and PurifiedView. Other features include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.
We’ll take a look at the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) first, a 14-inch 3K or 2K OLED laptop powered by either Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 5 processors and Intel Arc Graphics. There’s also a model with a 2K IPS touchscreen. Its NPU’s AI performance is rated at 48 trillion of operations per second (TOPS). You get up to 29 hours of video playback and 23 hours of web browsing thanks to the 65Wh battery, perfect for those working on the go.
The Swift 16 AI is the beefier brother of the Swift 14 AI with a 16-inch 3K OLED screen or a 3K touch screen with edge-to-edge glass. The processor is either an Intel Core Ultra 9 or Ultra 7 CPU, and graphics are also handled by the Arc GPU. The NPU’s AI performance is the same as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T), but it has a 75Wh battery.
Those who like AMD CPUs will love the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), which has the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 GPU (designed to reach 50 TOPS) and AMD Radeon 880M GPU. The 14-inch display is either an OLED 2880x1800 (WQXGA) screen, IPS WQXGA screen or WQXGA touch screen. The first one has DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, helping reach 500 nits, but the others have a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The laptop has a battery life of 75Wh and is rated for 27 hours of video playback and 18.5 hours of web browsing.
Finally, we have the Swift Go 14 AI powered by a Snapdragon X Plus GPU with eight cores up to 3.2 GHz, while the Hexagon NPU can reach 45 TOPS. A Qualcomm Adreno GPU is responsible for the graphics. The 14.5-inch display comes in WQXGA or 1920x1200 (WUXGA) resolutions, with the former having a 350-nit brightness and the latter 300 nits, both with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 75Wh battery allows for similar battery life as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), but Acer claims the Swift Go 14 AI has 28 hours of video playback and 19.5 hours of browsing time.
Acer
The Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) will be available in the US, EMEA and Australia this September, while the Swift 16 AI comes out during October unless you’re in Australia, where it comes out Q1 2025. Both the Swift Go 14 AI and Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T) will come out in the US and EMEA during September, but Australian customers must wait for a bit, as the release date is slated to be during Q4 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acer-expands-swift-line-with-four-new-ai-laptops-130037605.html?src=rss
IFA is upon us, which means that along with offering us some truly ridiculous new concepts, a whole bunch of manufacturers are giving their gaming laptops iterative upgrades and introducing some fresh variants. Acer is one of the companies doing just that (though in fairness, it has some more exciting announcements elsewhere, such as its first gaming handheld). The company is refreshing the Nitro V 16 system and introducing the Nitro V 14, though which one you opt for will be determined by more than just screen size.
The Nitro V 16 configurations max out with an Intel Core i7-14650HX CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU, 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD. The previous model bore an AMD processor. On the display side, you can have a 16-inch 180Hz 16:10 WQXGA panel with a resolution of 2,500 x 1,600, if you desire it.
Acer says it has optimized performance with a dual-fan, quad-intake and quad-exhaust thermal system that draws cold air from the the top keyboard and button cover and expels heat through the rear and side vents to prevent throttling. You can activate an MUX (multiplexer) switch to manually toggle the iGPU to boost graphics performance for gaming when needed.
Acer
The 14.5-inch Nitro V 14 model is a new addition to the Acer lineup. It comes with an AMD CPU instead, up to a Ryzen 7 8845HS Processor. If you're willing to go for a high-end configuration, you can trick out the laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, 32GB DDR5 memory and a 2TB SSD. You can have a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) or WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 3ms overdrive response time and 100 percent sRGB color gamut support. There's an MUX switch here too, while the pearl white chassis is quite fetching.
Both laptops come with support for NVIDIA's ray-tracing and DLSS 3.5 upscaling tech. As with all new Windows laptops, there's a dedicated button to open Microsoft's Copilot assistant (if anyone's ever pressed that on purpose on their laptop yet, please do let me know). There are some other fairly standard AI-powered features too, such as noise reduction tech that's employed when you use the triple microphone array.
The Nitro V 14 will hit North America in September and it will start at $1,100. The Nitro V 16 will arrive the following month and start at $1,300.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-acer-nitro-v-16-gaming-laptop-now-comes-in-an-intel-flavor-130030058.html?src=rss
Since the dawn of time, gaming laptops have relied on third-party controllers or the trusty mouse/keyboard combo. Acer, however, could be looking to change this paradigm. The company just announced a truly wild gaming laptop with a built-in controller.
Project DualPlay features a full-sized gamepad that inserts below the keybed, where the trackpad rests. You pop the controller out to play games and slide it back in when you want to do more conventional laptop-type stuff. It’s honestly not a bad idea, as it solves the problem of having to pack a third-party controller when traveling with a gaming laptop.
The detachable controller even splits into two joysticks for on-the-go multiplayer, sort of like the Joy-Cons from a Nintendo Switch. Here’s hoping these particular joysticks don’t suffer from drift. We also have some questions as to where the joysticks go when the laptop is closed.
Acer
There are also two speakers that pop out on each side of the machine to deliver “heart-pounding audio.” This is another nifty feature, as gaming laptops aren’t exactly known for offering the most immersive audio. Acer says the speakers pop out automatically when you remove the controller.
There’s not much by way of specs. This is a concept design, so the internals haven’t been ironed out yet. The laptop does, however, feature customizable RGB lighting that’s all over the place. There are lights on the keyboard, along the bezels, on the back and the trackpad, among other locations.
While Acer hasn’t announced its intention to actually manufacture this thing and sell it to consumers, it does look like a neat twist on modern gaming laptops. Acer calls it a “bold step forward in gaming innovation, promising to deliver unique experiences and engagements for gamers of all levels.” We’ll let you know if the company ever decides to make this laptop a reality. If it truly delivers on its promise, it could become one of the best gaming laptops out there. Unfortunately, it's just as likely that Project DualPlay remains a glitzy, if memorable, concept.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/acers-project-dualplay-is-a-truly-wild-gaming-laptop-with-a-built-in-controller-130027845.html?src=rss
Dell revealed details for new models in its Inspiron and Latitude laptop lines at IFA 2024. The company announced in May that it would be powering several of its new devices with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus, and now we have more information about how those processors will work in Dell's collection of Copilot+ PCs.
The Inspiron 14 and the Latitude 5455 can have either the 8-core or 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processors. The 10-core option has clock speeds up to 3.4GHz while the newly announced 8-core goes up to 3.24 GHz. Both versions have the same NPU for AI tasks, which offers up to 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) in machine learning performance in support of Microsoft's Copilot AI platform.
Inspiron 14
Dell
Both 14-inch laptops are equipped with Qualcomm's Adreno GPUs. The machines have 16:10 FHD+ displays with a 1920x1200 resolution. Dell also highlighted "up to 27 hours" of battery life for the Latitude 5455, which will be available starting September 24, although it hasn't shared pricing information yet. The Inspiron 14 will also be available on September 24 and will retail for $899 in the US.
Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X Plus line earlier this year. It's a lower-end series than the Snapdragon X Elite, but it still promises enough power to handle the increasing number of AI tasks being asked of modern computers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-brings-qualcomms-snapdragon-x-plus-to-inspiron-and-latitude-laptops-110009714.html?src=rss