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Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ review: A capable AI PC, but Windows on Arm issues remain

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It's only been four months since we reviewed the latest Intel version of the XPS 13, but now Dell has released a model built for Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC initiative. It's running Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite chip, making it an Arm-based laptop like the recent Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. But with that mobile-focused hardware comes new expectations: More battery efficiency than Intel's x86 chips, as well dramatically faster AI capabilities thanks to its beefier NPU (neural processing unit). As with all Arm-based Windows systems, though, there's also the potential for trouble with older x86 apps, which may run slowly through emulation or simply not launch at all.

It's undoubtedly a chaotic time for the PC industry, as chipmakers and PC companies build for an uncertain AI-powered future. For consumers, that just means confusion. That's partially why Microsoft kicked off the Copilot+ program to begin with, since it requires system makers to include at least 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and an NPU with at least 40 TOPS (tera-ops per second) of AI performance. If it says Copilot+ on the box, it should be a decent PC.

So does this XPS 13 live up to the Copilot+ branding? Mostly, it turns out. And it's fascinating to see how it compares to the current Intel version of the very same product.

The biggest addition to this XPS 13 — and the main reason we’re reviewing it — is that Snapdragon X Elite chip. Everything else about this XPS 13 is the same as the previous iteration. There's its strikingly minimalist design, with an "invisible" touchpad that blends into the wrist rest, as well as large-capped keys running edge-to-edge. And don't forget the capacitive function row, which remains a baffling feature.

If you want a deeper take on the XPS 13's design, just take a look at my previous review. In short, though, it's a machine that basically prioritizes looks over usability. It's light, sturdy and dramatically different from every other laptop out there. But to get there, Dell made the trackpad harder to use (it's not quite as accurate as Apple's MacBooks or Microsoft’s Surface PCs), and its capacitive function row is simply a pain.

As for the XPS 13's new Snapdragon X Elite chip, it features 12 cores running up to 3.4GHz, with a dual-core boot reaching 4GHz. In comparison, the Intel variant's Core Ultra 7 155H chip offers 16 cores and reaches up to 4.8GHz. Qualcomm has the advantage with a more powerful 45 TOPS NPU, compared to Intel’s 10 TOPS, but I haven’t found that to make a huge difference with the few AI features in Windows 11 today. As the benchmarks below show, bigger chip numbers don't always lead to better performance.

PCMark 10

Geekbench 6 CPU

3DMark Wildlife Extreme

Cinebench 2024

Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite)

14,024 (Applications)

2,621/14,194

6,191

122/748

Microsoft Surface Pro (2024, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite)

12,615 (Applications)

2,769/13,842

6,430

120/770

Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc)

6,806

2,276/11,490

4,579

90/453

Apple MacBook Air (M3)

N/A

3,190/12,102

8,310

141/490

In short, this XPS 13 delivers most of what you'd want from a modern ultraportable, while also preparing you for a potential future with more AI-powered apps and features. It’s attractive, fast (for most apps, anyway) and sturdy. It’s also the perfect system if you want to stand out a bit, since it looks unlike any other laptop out there.

  • It runs most productivity apps well, and had no problem multitasking when I had dozens of tabs open across Chrome and Edge, while video conferencing in Zoom and chatting with colleagues on Slack.

  • Across most benchmarks like Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024, this XPS 13 easily trounced its Intel sibling by several thousand points.

  • Qualcomm’s 45 TOPS Snapdragon X Elite NPU makes the Copilot+ XPS 13 more future-proof than the current Intel model.

  • Battery life was excellent, reaching an average of 17 hours and 47 minutes after running the PCMark 10 Applications battery benchmark twice. It's worth noting it took several software updates to get to this result, but our testing consistently shows it holding around that time. In comparison, the Intel XPS 13 lasted for 13 hours and 15 minutes. Microsoft’s Surface Pro Copilot+ system, meanwhile, ran for twelve hours and 15 minutes in the Applications test.

  • Dell's XPS 13 keyboard is lusciously wide and delivers excellent feedback. It may take a bit of getting used to though, since the spacing differs from most other notebooks.

  • I tested the XPS 13's base-level 1080p+ non-touchscreen display, and while it wasn't as glorious as the OLED-equipped XPS devices I've seen, it still looked sharp and colorful.

  • As always, Dell's thin InfinityEdge bezels also help the screen pop even more.

XPS 13 Copilot+ AI PC
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Take most of the downsides from the Intel version of the XPS 13, as well as problems still plaguing Arm-based Windows devices like the Surface Pro, and you've got the big issues with the XPS 13 Copilot+ PC.

  • Some emulated x86 apps like Evernote run into noticeable slowdowns. I often encountered lag when switching between notes, as well as scrolling down long documents.

  • The built-in AI features in Paint and Photos are mostly useless, and it's still unclear when the long-awaited Recall feature will arrive for general users.

  • We also don't know when to expect any other AI features in the OS, or when other developers will start releasing more AI capabilities in their apps.

  • Games like Fortnite, Destiny 2 and League of Legends won't run on the XPS 13, because their anti-cheat software isn't compatible with Arm chips.

  • I'm still not a fan of the XPS 13's invisible trackpad. It's sometimes hard to locate and swiping around isn't as smooth as on Apple's MacBook Air.

  • The XPS 13 desperately needs more than two USB-C ports, otherwise many users will be stuck living the dongle life.

  • The capacitive function row still disappears in direct sunlight and it's impossible to use without directly looking at it. After all, it's hard to build up touch typing memory without physical keys.

XPS 13 Copilot+ AI PC
Check out those disappearing function buttons!
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The XPS 13 typically starts at $1,300 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At the time of this review, it’s currently on sale for $999, but it’s unclear how long that discount will last. The Intel model also starts at $1,300 with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but you’ll have to add another $100 to get 16GB of memory. (The Intel XPS 13 was recently marked down to $1,200, so don’t be surprised if you see Dell’s prices fluctuate frequently.)

If you need a powerful 13-inch laptop right now, the XPS 13 Copilot+ is a solid choice. Just be wary of the downsides and potential software issues I mentioned above. If you're on the fence, though, it may be worth waiting until Dell refreshes the XPS 13 once again with Intel's new Lunar Lake CPU. That's expected to arrive this fall, and it'll feature an NPU that's even faster than the Snapdragon X Elite's. And since it's an x86 chip, the Lunar Lake XPS 13 won't have to emulate older software, and it will also be able to run games like Fortnite.

Update 8/30 11:10AM: After installing the latest updates from Dell and Windows, the XPS 13's battery life jumped to 17:38 in PCMark 10's benchmark. We've repeated this test twice to confirm the higher figure. For this reason, we're increasing the XPS 13's score from 80 to 84.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-xps-13-copilot-review-a-capable-ai-pc-but-windows-on-arm-issues-remain-200050685.html?src=rss

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 review: Still the king of business laptops

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Don’t rock the boat. That’s Lenovo’s strategy for its 12th iteration of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Instead of messing with a winning formula, the company employed small tweaks throughout the laptop, delivering a system that’s even thinner and lighter than its predecessor. The keyboard has undergone a few updates with a larger touchpad.

However, the biggest changes are under the hood with the X1 Carbon rocking the latest 14th Gen Intel processors and integrated graphics. The notebook also offers expanded display options. The changes, in short, are pretty incremental. But sometimes a few tweaks and refinements are all that’s needed to get the job done.

The 12th-gen X1 Carbon looks pretty similar to its predecessor. It’s got a black matte finish that to my chagrin is very susceptible to fingerprints. If you’re familiar with the line, you know that the laptop is made of carbon fiber, but this time around there is recycled aluminum and magnesium in the mix along with some post-consumer materials. Honestly, the biggest design change you’ll notice is the brushed aluminum console at the top of the lid that houses an infrared (IR) camera with a physical shutter.

Weighing 2.4 pounds with a 0.6-inch profile, the X1 is thinner and lighter than previous models, which for a 14-inch system is always a good thing. The 2.6-pound ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is just a tad lighter at 0.58 inches. And despite its slight form, the X1 Carbon is seriously durable, able to withstand drops, spills, dust and extreme temperatures as designated by its MIL-STD-810H certification.

Another good thing is the 14-inch display. The 1,920 x 1,200, 16:10 panel is a matte touchscreen, so unlike its chassis, it actually resists fingerprints. The finish virtually eliminates any glare and doesn't wash out the color like I’ve seen on some similar displays. Is the color as vibrant as you’d get on a glossy screen? Not necessarily, but it’s far from a deal breaker.

Lenovo made the trackpad larger, increasing the glass touchpad’s size to 4.7 inches. Outside of a few minor tweaks to the spill-proof keyboard, this is your typical Lenovo Chiclet keyboard down to its iconic bright red pointing stick. I’m not a big fan of Lenovo moving the power key to the right side of the keyboard. It makes sense for a 2-in-1, but is unnecessary on a regular clamshell, and I’d prefer it on one of the company’s many Yoga series notebooks.

While we’re talking about the X1’s sides, there’s a healthy number of ports here, including two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, two Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI 2.1 port, a headset jack and a Kensington lock slot.

A close-up of the ports on the right side of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (12th-gen), showing, from left to right, the power button, headphone jack, USB-A port, HDMI port and Kensington lock slot.
Sherri L. Smith for Engadget

Sitting above the display, the ThinkPad X1’s 1080p webcam takes solid still photos and will do fine in video conferencing sessions. It delivered really clear images on the Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls I took, so much so I got a few compliments on my new hair color and style. As expected, things got overexposed when I sat in my yard at high noon. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well the camera adjusted to a low-light environment, maintaining color vibrancy and good detail.

The pair of speakers cleverly hidden beneath the keyboard did a good job conveying the voices of my meeting mates. You’ll want to grab a pair of headphones if you’re listening to music or watching a movie, though, as the low-end isn’t very strong despite the pre-installed Dolby Access software.

Next-gen laptops means next-gen chips. For the 12th-gen X1 Carbon, that chip is a 14th-generation 1.7-GHz Intel Core Ultra 7 165U processor with 12 cores and 14 threads. According to Intel, it’s faster than last year’s silicon. In action, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is pretty fast and powerful. I threw my usual workload at it, which means approximately 70 open Google Chrome tabs with a mix of G-Suite apps, social media, news and tech sites with a couple of YouTube videos for good measure. I even edited a video and played a few rounds of Hades II, but the notebook never slowed down.

The Lenovo notebook didn’t perform as well against similarly specced laptops. My review unit, with its Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, bested the Zenbook OLED 14 and XPS 14 on the PCMark 10 benchmark, but couldn’t topple this year’s model of the 14-inch HP Spectre x360 nor the Surface Laptop 6. The forecast wasn’t as rosy on the Cinebench R23 test, though, which saw the X1 Carbon fall short against every system.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (12th-gen) slightly folded and on a marble counter with its lid facing out.
Sherri L. Smith for Engadget

The X1 Carbon’s integrated Intel GPU isn’t really made for gaming, but if you can find older or indie games that aren’t as taxing as current AAA titles, you can squeeze in some playtime. For example, I got 30 frames per second as I played Hades II, which is a smooth enough rate to run most titles.

The X1 Carbon’s 3,777 result on 3DMark Wild Life Extreme is no match for any of the competing systems. Keep in mind that those laptops have more powerful chips under the hood with the XPS 14, Zenbook OLED 14, and Surface Laptop 6 having Intel Arc Graphics. The XPS 14 also has a discrete Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU onboard.

Like most laptops this year, the X1 Carbon has an integrated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) which is there to take the load off your CPU and GPU when it comes to AI apps and tasks. For example, Windows Studio Effects during my video calls seamlessly blurred my background, keeping me in frame and ensuring it looked like I held eye contact, all without any hiccup.

When it comes to keyboards, Lenovo ThinkPads are the gold standard, delivering firm, springy feedback. The 12th-gen X1 Carbon continues the tradition. I spent hours using this super comfortable keyboard and throughout that time, my fingers never bottomed out. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the new tactile markings on specific keys (Fn, F, H, Insert, down arrow, Enter and volume down/up) to act as a guide. And of course, there's the Copilot button if you want to give Microsoft’s AI a try. The white backlighting is bright enough to use in darkened environments, like when I used it in bed while my boyfriend slept.

A top down view of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon's keyboard, with a red pointing stick in between the bottoms of the G and H keys.
Sherri L. Smith for Engadget

The trackpad, which is 9.1 percent bigger than last year’s, has excellent palm rejection and didn’t send the cursor launching into the stratosphere. The glass surface was responsive and smooth to the touch, with near-instant results whether I was navigating a web page or pinch-zooming on a picture.

The best thing by far about the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is its battery life. The laptop lasted 13 hours and 2 minutes on the PCMark Modern Office battery test. That time was more than enough to outlast the Zenbook OLED 14 (12:43). During my regular use, I squeezed almost 10 hours out of the X1 Carbon before I needed to plug it in.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 12th starts at $1,449, which is about what you’d expect from a premium business laptop. That configuration gets you an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor with 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and Intel’s integrated graphics. You’ll need an extra $474 to upgrade to a Core Ultra 7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD. If you want a similar setup to my review model, it’ll cost you $2,285 as it has Intel’s vPro technology, which is more for IT admins and businesses.

For almost $500 cheaper, the ASUS Zenbook OLED 14 bested the ThinkPad X1 Carbon on performance, while offering comparable battery life and a stunning OLED display. But the Zenbook lacks the deep well of security features you’ll find on the business-centric X1 Carbon.

Consumers looking for more power, including a discrete GPU, should check out the Dell XPS 14. However, the laptop’s starting price is $250 higher than the X1 Carbon, and it only gets more exorbitant as you start adding more features such as the Nvidia GPU, vPro, RAM and storage.

The 12th-gen Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon continues its reign as the king of business laptops for now. But the gap is definitely narrowing. While there are definitely more powerful alternatives out there, the X1 is one of the few to offer the same level of security, durability and longevity for a relatively reasonable price.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen-12-review-still-the-king-of-business-laptops-140029764.html?src=rss

The best USB-C hub for 2026

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Having fewer ports makes laptops and tablets lighter and more affordable — but that also cuts down on your connectivity options. If you’ve got a MacBook Air, a slim Chromebook or a tablet you’d like to get more utility out of, a USB-C hub can help. Using just a single port on your device, these multiport adapters will let you hook up screens, tap into Ethernet cables, connect mice and keyboards, and transfer data to drives and memory cards. Most also give you a way to power your device through the hub to maximize port availability. We tested over a dozen models to come up with picks for every budget. Here are the best USB-C hubs, according to our tests.

The first thing to decide is whether you need a USB-C hub or a USB-C docking station. There’s no set standard for what differentiates the two, but docking stations tend to have more ports, offer a separate DC power adapter and cost more, with some reaching upwards of $400. We have a separate guide to the best docking stations to check out if you’re looking for something bigger than what we’re discussing here. USB-C hubs, in contrast, have between four and 10 ports, can support pass-through charging and typically cost between $30 and $150.

Hubs, sometimes also called dongles or even multiport adapters, make more sense for smaller setups with just a few peripherals, such as a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional external drive. They’re also more portable, since they’re small and require no dedicated power. That could be useful if you change work locations but want to bring your accessories with you, or if you want to replace your laptop with a more powerful tablet. A docking station or Thunderbolt dock makes more sense for someone who needs a robust setup for their laptop, including multiple external monitors, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so on.

Both docks and hubs make it easy to grab your laptop off your desk for a meeting or other brief relocation and when you get back, you only need to plug in one cable to get all your accessories reconnected. Of course, if you just need to plug in one peripheral, you may not need a hub or a dock, a simple USB-C adapter, like HDMI to USB-C or USB-A to USB-C, may do the trick.

For a USB-C hub to work, it needs to connect to a port on your laptop or tablet that supports video, data and power — all of which is covered by anything listed as USB 3.0 or better, including USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4. The port, of course, needs to be Type-C as well. The sea of laptops out there is vast, so it’s hard to make generalizations, but modern laptops, including Windows and Apple models, should have at least one USB-C port that will suffice, and indeed, every one of our top picks for the best laptops do — including our top pick, the M4 MacBook Air.

Next, it’s a matter of finding a good USB-C hub that has the right connections for your needs. Most hubs offer some combo of HDMI, USB, SD card reader, Ethernet and 3.5 mm ports. If you have a 4K monitor and would like at least a 60Hz refresh rate, you’ll need a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 only goes up to 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will handle 4K at up to 120Hz, but hubs that have adopted that standard aren’t as common just yet. Keep in mind that a low refresh rate can cause your screen to feel laggy, making your mouse appear glitchy and your webcam movements to look delayed.

Additional USB ports on these accessories are usually USB Type-A or USB Type-C. They can support data with different transfer rates, typically 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports only handle passthrough power and no data, and some can do data, power and video, so it’s best to check the spec list to make sure you’re getting the support you need. Keep in mind that a hub may bill itself as a 7-in-1, but one of those ports may not be usable for anything other than charging.

Standard SD and microSD cards are useful for transferring data from cameras and the like or for offloading files from your hard drive, and many hubs have those slots. Ethernet ports may deliver faster internet speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can bring back the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.

Nearly all of the USB-C hubs I tested support passthrough charging. That means if your laptop or tablet only charges via USB, you don’t have to take up another port on your laptop to keep everything topped up. Unlike a docking station, powering a hub is optional. The one exception is if you want to close the lid on your laptop while you work on an external monitor. Most computers will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed without power, so either the laptop or the hub will need to be plugged into the wall to prevent that from happening.

Many of the newer hubs include a 100W USB-C power delivery (PD) port, with a healthy 80 to 85 watts going to your Mac, PC, iPad or Android tablet (the hubs take a little of the juice for themselves, hence the 15-watt or so difference). In my tests, a powered USB hub ran hotter than when it wasn't passing the charge through, so I prefer to power the computer directly using its own charger. But for tablets or other devices with no extra ports, that PD option is important.

Some PD ports are also data ports — which is both good and bad. On one hand, it feels wasteful to use a perfectly good data port just for boring old electricity. But on the other hand, USB-C connections that only carry a charge are less versatile, and it makes it seem like it has more accessory hookups than it actually does.

There’s surprisingly little design variation among hubs. Most look like a flat slab, a little smaller than a smartphone, and have an attached Type-C host cable. The hues range from a silvery black to a silvery gray. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and some have ports on both sides. All of this is just to say that aesthetics probably won’t make or break your buying decision.

One variation that could tip the scales is the length of the cable. A longer one will give you more freedom as you arrange the hub on your desk, potentially even letting you hide it behind your laptop. Or you may prefer a shorter one to keep the hub neatly set beside your laptop.

Before we test anything, we take a look at what’s available and how they’ve been received by shoppers, forum-goers and other publications. I became familiar with a few reputable brands when I was testing docking stations, so I looked into hubs from those companies as well. I focused on items that would help with an average day of productivity — not high-end setups or demanding gaming situations. Once I settled on a dozen or so that would make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble office in the desert and started testing them out over the course of a few weeks.

I used an M1 MacBook Pro running MacOS Sonoma as the host computer and plugged in accessories that include a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming light, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Shield external drive and a pair of wired headphones I got for free on an airplane (I should probably invest in some wired headphones, but the cord dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wireless). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to ensure that any data or connectivity issues weren’t related to my equipment.

Then I put each USB-C hub through a gamut of basic tests. I looked at what could be plugged in at once, the resolution on the monitor, data transfer speeds, the overall build quality of the hub and general usability factors, like the placement of the ports and the length of the cords. And, finally, the price-to-value ratio helped determine the best ones for a few different use cases.

There’s a lot to like about HyperDrive’s Next 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches long, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the high-speed data transfers are great. It has the coveted two USB-C data ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The only thing that holds back a full-throated endorsement is the way our unit handled a streaming light. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker every time. The issue went away at 75 percent brightness, but the same problem didn’t happen on any other hub I tested.

There’s nothing wrong with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In fact it’s a current recommendation in our iPad accessories guide and it comes at a great $35 price. It gives you two USB-A ports as well as SD slots. But at this point, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which only supports 4K resolution at 30Hz feels a little retro. There’s also just a single USB-C downstream port and the data transfer tests proved to be a touch slower than the other hubs. But if you’ve got a lower resolution monitor and don’t need more than one USB-C, you won’t be disappointed with it.

It was a tough call between the UGreen Revodoc Pro 109 and the Anker 555 8-in-1 for our top recommendation. Both have a similar port array with an HDMI, Ethernet, two USB Type A, a PD USB-C and a USB-C 3.2 on the 555. And the Anker USB-C hub is $15 cheaper. We went with the UGreen hub for its more premium build, extra USB-A port and longer cord that gives you two extra inches to work with. But if you want to save a few bucks this hub is a worthwhile pick. 

I only became aware of Startech when I started researching for this guide. The quality is decent and the yellow accents are a welcome bit of color in the otherwise very gray world of hubs. The performance is solid, with no hiccups that I encountered. The brand’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a long cord that wraps around the hub itself, which is unique. It doesn’t bother with power delivery, which isn’t an issue if you can power your computer directly. But the four USB ports (three Type-A and one Type-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and unfortunately for it, there are cheaper ways to get a few more USB ports for your setup.

January 2026: Added an honorable mention from Satechi. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss

Apple’s 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro is $300 off

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Those seeking a good deal on a powerhouse MacBook need not look much further. The base M3 14-inch MacBook has dropped to its lowest price to date. Apple's laptop is available for $1,300 from Amazon when you apply a $99 coupon.

This was already the most affordable M3 MacBook Pro. But thanks to this deal, you can grab the laptop for $300 less than the regular price.

This model comes with the standard M3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. We typically recommend opting for a configuration with at least 16GB of RAM, especially if you plan to use your MacBook Pro for video editing. But given this deal, there's currently a $600 gap between the base model and one that has 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. However, if you just need more storage, a model with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD will run you $1,500 when you apply a coupon. That's also $300 off.

The M3 MacBook Pro is our pick for the best MacBook for creatives, especially if you're able to swing a higher-specced configuration. But the base 14-inch model still has a lot going for it. There's a great MiniLED Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate, for one thing. While there's a 16-inch M3 MBP available, the 14-inch form factor strikes a nice sweet spot in terms of portability and screen real estate.

The six-speaker array and built-in mics do an excellent job of handling the audio side of things. The MacBook Pro also has far more ports than the current MacBook Air as you'll get an SD card slot, headphone jack, HDMI port and two Thunderbolt 4 sockets as well as the MagSafe charging port. The 14-inch MBP's battery, meanwhile, lasted for 20 and a half hours in our video rundown test.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-is-300-off-154142961.html?src=rss

Apple’s 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is $250 off right now and cheaper than ever

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No matter how many years have passed since I had to prepare to go back to school, I can't help but feel like August requires getting some new equipment. If you're the same, then it's worth looking at the 23 percent sale on Apple's 2024 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop with an M3 chip. The MacBook is currently available for an all-time low price of $850, rather than its usual $1099. The 15-inch model is also on sale, down to $1,050 from $1,299 — a 19 percent discount.

This model is our choice for Apple's best MacBook overall. We gave it a 90 in our review thanks to a solid bump in power over its predecessor and reliable features. It comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. It also has 256GB of storage, 8GB of memory and up to 18 hours of battery life. Plus, we love the solid quad-speaker array, sturdy, sleek design and fast performance.

If you're in the market for a very heavy-duty laptop, then check out the 24 percent discount on Apple's 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop with an M3 Pro chip — our choice of best MacBook for creatives. The 512GB model with 18GB of unified memory is available for $1900, down from $2,499. The 2023 MacBook Pro offers a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with an Extreme Dynamic Range and 1000 nits of sustained brightness. This is the model to look into if you're going to be completing high-speed editing and incredible clarity.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-13-inch-m3-macbook-air-is-250-off-right-now-and-cheaper-than-ever-140221470.html?src=rss

Intel makes good on CPU instability issues by extending warranties by two years

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Intel is extending the warranties for its controversial Core 13th and 14th-gen processors by two years, it has announced in a community post. The company says it will share more details in coming days, but for now, customers just waiting for their computers to conk out can at least know that they may not have to spend money to replace their processors. Intel revealed in July that after extensive analysis, it found that elevated operating voltage was causing these particular processor models' instability issues for a lot of people.

A microcode algorithm has apparently been sending incorrect voltage requests to the processor, causing users' computers to crash. The company is working on a patch that it plans to release in mid-August, but for some people, it may be too late: As Tom's Hardware notes, the patch will not fix processors that are already crashing. An indie gaming studio called Alderon Games reported that based on its personnel's observations, the processors' failure rate is 100 percent. Even CPUs that work well deteriorate and fail in the end. That's why an extended warranty is very much welcome, especially since some models only have a year-long warranty. 

"Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process," the company wrote in its announcement. It also admitted that "this has been a challenging issue to unravel and definitively root cause." For now, Intel advises those who purchased systems from computer manufacturers to reach out to the brand's support team. Meanwhile, people who purchased boxed CPUs for their PCs can contact Intel's customer support.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intel-makes-good-on-cpu-instability-issues-by-extending-warranties-by-two-years-130010567.html?src=rss

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM is $200 off right now

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Apple’s M3 MacBook Air combines Apple’s lightest and thinnest laptop design with the impressive horsepower of third-generation Apple silicon. B&H Photo Video has the 2024 laptop on sale for $200 off. Usually $1,299, the variant with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is only $1,099.

The 2024 MacBook Air adds the M3 chip, Apple’s silicon with a 3nm process that crams more electronic components into a smaller space compared to its predecessor. Apple’s Neural Engine, which will become more crucial with the introduction of Apple Intelligence AI features this fall, is also 15 percent faster in the M3 family than the M2. While the M3 MacBook Air may not provide a dramatic speed boost over the M2 in day-to-day tasks, it has a higher ceiling for intensive work and is more future-proofed.

The M3 model adds support for dual screens with the lid closed. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E’s faster speeds and lower latency if you have a compatible router.

Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar praised the device in his review from earlier this year, describing the two sizes of the laptop as “great computers with excellent performance, gorgeous screens and incredible battery life.” The M3 MacBook Air lasted over 10 hours in our video-playback battery stress test.

Although the $200 off deal at B&H is for the 13-inch model, the retailer (which operates online but also has a robust Manhattan retail outlet) has the 15-inch model for $150 off. If you like more real estate for your apps and desktop (or, like me, need larger text for aging eyes), the larger model may be the better choice.

One thing to keep in mind before ordering is that B&H’s return policy states that it won’t take computers back for a refund once the packaging has been unsealed. Although you can contact customer service for an exchange if something is wrong out of the box, buyer’s remorse alone won’t cut it for getting your money back. This contrasts with competitors like the Apple Store, Amazon and Best Buy, so consider that before proceeding. However, apart from that footnote, B&H has been an Apple partner for nearly a decade and has built a solid reputation with customers since its 1973 founding.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-m3-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-is-200-off-right-now-165605741.html?src=rss

Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro laptop with an M3 Pro chip is $300 off at Amazon

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Apple's well-specked 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of memory and 512GB of storage is on sale for the lowest price we've seen yet at Amazon. You can pick one up for $1,699, a savings of $300 (15 percent) and the lowest price we've seen to date on this particular model. We're also seeing discounts across the board on various 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Ad we noted in our review, Apple's MacBook Pro is one of the best ultraportables you can buy today thanks to the fast and efficient M3 Pro chip, gorgeous 14-inch screen, useful port selection and excellent keyboard and trackpad. It's particularly strong for content creation thanks to real-time decoding of commonly-used pro video formats — a feature missing on many PC laptops.

One issue we had with the MacBook Pro is that updates to the processor, RAM or storage add a lot to the price, and those things are important for video or photo editing. That makes this model a particularly good deal, because it's already well-equipped with 18GB of unified memory and an M3 Pro processor. 

If you don't need the M3 Pro's horsepower, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip is on sale for $1,749 and nets you 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Or, if your budget doesn't permit that, the 8GB/512GB M3 model is available for $1,399 or $200 off. 

You can also grab a 16-inch M3 Pro model with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2,249, a savings of $200 (10 percent) over the list price. Another great deal is on the 16-inch M3 Max model with 36GB of memory and 1TB of storage at $3,099, or $400 off.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-14-inch-macbook-pro-laptop-with-an-m3-pro-chip-is-300-off-at-amazon-123042013.html?src=rss

This Prime Day MacBook Air deal is already great, but spending more makes it an even better value

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Update, July 18: Amazon has dropped the $50 on-screen coupon for this product since Prime Day ended, but it's still considerably cheaper there versus shopping at the Apple Store and elsewhere.

Next to Black Friday, Prime Day is a great time to buy hardware from Amazon and Apple. On the latter brand, we’re seeing some of the best prices to date for the latest models of iPads, AirPods and AirTags, to name a few. And if you’re in the market for a new laptop, it’s also a great time to buy a MacBook, with prices starting at a record low $849 for the latest MacBook Air. It's currently Engadget's top pick on our best laptop list.

But I’m here to argue that you should spend $1,249 for that MacBook Air instead.

Here’s why: They get you in the door for that sub-$1,000 price, which is an enticing $250 less than you’d spend at the Apple Store. But Apple is notoriously stingy on memory and storage for its devices: The baseline model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB drive. That’s fine if you’re only using your laptop for the basics – say, social media, streaming video and light document creation. But even with cloud storage, that SSD will fill up very quickly with photos, audio and video if you’re doing anything creative. (Yes, you can get external USB drives, but they're slower and ruin the lines of Apple’s sleek laptop.) And while Apple does a great job of managing software resources on the Mac, that 8GB of memory feels like a low ceiling.

So here’s what I did when Amazon ran a version of this same deal a few months ago: I paid to double both specs. For $1,249 (after clipping that same $50 on-screen coupon), you get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Yes, a terabyte or more would be even better, but you pick your battles. And this configuration still saves you a cool $250 off the Apple Store price for the same configuration, while being a lot more future-proofed. For instance, if you’re laptop shopping for a high school or college student, this stepped-up model will survive a 4-year academic stint with more comfort than that $849 version.

If that’s still too steep, you can split the difference with the 512GB MacBook Air M2. It doesn’t have the extra RAM, but the otherwise identical slightly older model still gets you a very capable, modern Apple laptop with decent storage for just $999. But don’t wait: these laptop deals end today, and we don’t know if we’ll be seeing them again before Black Friday.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-prime-day-macbook-air-deal-is-already-great-but-spending-more-makes-it-an-even-better-value-154304978.html?src=rss

The OmniBook Ultra 14 is HP’s first AMD-powered next-gen AI PC

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Windows laptops are in a bit of transition thanks to the recent introduction of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs. However, that designation currently only applies to systems featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips. But now, with some help from AMD, HP’s OmniBook Ultra 14 is packing even better AI performance in a thin and light chassis.

Powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series chips, the OmniBook UItra 14 is said to deliver up to 55 TOPS of AI performance, which is more than the 45 TOPS you get from the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus’ Hexagon NPU. HP claims this will support a range of new features including faster AI image generation, improved camera effects in video calls and more. Meanwhile for non-machine learning-related tasks, the OmniBook Ultra also sports an integrated Radeon 980 GPU. But perhaps most importantly, because AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 silicon is based on x86 architecture, you won’t run into app compatibility issues as you do with the existing crop of Arm-based Copilot+ PCs. That means you can play games like Fortnite and League of Legends whose anti-cheat systems have not yet been updated to work on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips.

To help expand the OmniBook UItra’s AI abilities, HP also created its own AI Companion app, which includes the company’s Wolf Security system, an improved version of its Smart Sense performance optimization tool, support for Windows Studio Effects and Poly Camera Pro and more. Notably, HP says the laptop will also get a free update that will unlock all of Windows 11’s current AI features like Image Creator and real-time transcription, which will make the OmniBook Ultra 14 an official Copilot+ PC. That said, there’s no official timetable for when that patch will be available.

As for the rest of the system, careful observers may have already noticed that the OmniBook Ultra sports a very familiar design. That’s because unlike HP’s Qualcomm-powered OmniBook X which was built using a brand new chassis, for its latest AI PC, HP reused the frame from one of its Spectre laptops for the Ultra. This is why the notebook features those distinctive angled corners. 

The OmniBook Ultra also has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (a first for any AMD-powered HP laptop), one USB Type-A slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. And while both the OmniBook X and OmniBook Ultra are 14-inch systems, the latter features a larger 68 Wh battery (versus 59 Wh for the OmniBook X), resulting in a slightly bulkier device that weighs 3.5 pounds and measures 0.65 inches thick (compared to 2.98 pounds and 0.57 inches for the X).

Unfortunately, at this point, it remains to be seen if AMD’s new AI-focused chip can deliver the same level of longevity we’ve gotten from current Copilot+ PCs, though HP is touting around 13 hours of life in Mobile Mark and up to 21 hours of continuous video playback.

The HP Omnibook Ultra is slated to go on sale sometime in August starting at $1,450.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-omnibook-ultra-14-is-hps-first-amd-powered-next-gen-ai-pc-143126124.html?src=rss