Desktop PC, Laptop and tablet news and discussions

[weatheriscool]

I am starting this thread so we can show case the latest laptops and desktops. I also feel that the smart phone thread from the other sub should be moved to the computer subforum. They're all computers?


Apple's Upcoming 15-Inch MacBook Air Rumored to Use TSMC's 3nm Process

Cupertino will reportedly use the second-generation 3nm process for its newest member of the Air family.
By Josh Norem April 11, 2023
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/a ... nm-process

Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air has been in the rumor pipeline for some time, but questions have lingered about what SoC it would be outfitted with. As we all know, the second-generation M2 chips arrived in the revamped 13-inch MacBook Air in 2022 but only offered a modest upgrade over their M1 predecessors. That was because Apple used TSMC's 5nm process for M1 and its 4nm node for M2, which is just a refined version of the original fabrication process. Now Apple appears ready to tap TSMC's all-new 3nm node for the newest Air, and it might even use the second-generation N3E version for even more performance, likely making it the most powerful MacBook Air yet by a wide margin.

[wjfox]

We already have an Apple thread, so this could have gone there, but okay.

[weatheriscool]

HP’s new Envy x360 laptop will be the first ‘IMAX’ PC / HP has announced its new line of Envy x360 laptops, bringing improvements to the screen and keyboard and a new aspect ratio for Disney Plus subscribers.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/20/2369 ... nouncement

By Monica Chin / @mcsquared96
Apr 20, 2023, 5:00 AM PDT|
Share this story

HP has revealed the details of this year’s additions to its midrange (and generally quite good value) Envy line. This year, the company is all in on webcams, fan blades, and... IMAX?

Yeah, I’m not quite sure either. HP claims that its new HP Envy x360 15 (well, 15.6 inches, to be precise), available later this month for a starting price of $949.99, is the first “IMAX Enhanced certified PC.” IMAX Enhanced is a home theater certification program that’s been kicking around for a few years, but it’s generally applied to, like, TVs and projectors and stuff. Now, it’s on a laptop I guess!
The HP Envy x360 15 on a white background angled backwards with a stylus in front of it.

[weatheriscool]

The new Asus Zenbook S 13 is like a MacBook, only better
Jacob Roach
By Jacob Roach
April 20, 2023 9:30AM

Asus’ Zenbook range has always been overshadowed by brands like HP and Dell on the list of the best laptops, offering great quality and unique features, but usually with a catch, be it inconsistent performance, poor battery life, or strange configuration options. The Zenbook S 13 OLED could break that pattern, especially in the way that it compares to the MacBook Air.
Contents

Specs and configurations
Elevated Zen design
World-class OLED display
Still a lot to test

A new look helps elevate the laptop beyond the storied designs of other flagships machines, and the OLED display is second to none. We still have some more testing to do to fully see where the Zenbook S 13 OLED lands, but my initial time with the machine has been very positive.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing ... 23-review/

[weatheriscool]

New Philips Monitor Has an E-Paper Secondary Screen
A standard LCD plus e-paper for reading long documents could make this the perfect display for someone out there.

Staring at screens all day can be murder on your eyes, but e-paper screens offer a reprieve for those who spend a lot of time reading text. What is one to do when that reading happens on a computer? Well, Philips has created a product just for that, even if no one asked for it. The latest Philips display is a 1440p LCD monitor with a little something extra: an e-paper display bolted on right next to the traditional screen. Best of both worlds or a well-intentioned nightmare?

With a wild concept like this, the monitor really deserves a fancy name. Alas, it's just the 24B1D5600 Dual Screen Display. The LCD portion of the monitor measures 23.8 inches diagonal with a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440. There's no high-refresh option or support for in-game frame rate sync—it tops out at 75Hz. This is more of a productivity display, anyway, which is why you have a 13.3-inch e-paper display attached to the right side.

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics ... ary-screen

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Larger iMac With Around 32-Inch Display Reportedly in Early Testing
Sunday July 9, 2023 8:41 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple is experimenting with larger iMacs, including a model with around a 32-inch display, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said these iMacs are still in early development, so he does not expect them to launch until late 2024 or at some point in 2025 at the earliest.

iMac Pro 2022 27 and 24 iMac
Gurman previously said Apple was developing a larger iMac with over a 30-inch display, and he has now specified that the display will be around the same 32-inch size as Apple's high-end Pro Display XDR monitor. Released in December 2019, the Pro Display XDR has 6K resolution for Retina-quality content and starts at $4,999.

Apple discontinued the Intel-based 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro over the past few years, and has yet to launch a larger-screen iMac with an Apple silicon chip as a replacement. Instead, Apple offers the 27-inch Studio Display, which can be connected to the Mac Studio or another Mac with Apple silicon, but this is not an all-in-one solution like the iMac.

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/07/09/ap ... inch-imac/

[weatheriscool]

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, Laptop Go 3 Details Leak
Microsoft is revamping its cheapest and most expensive laptops.
By Ryan Whitwam September 19, 2023


https://www.extremetech.com/computing/m ... tails-leak

Microsoft has an event later this week, on Thursday, Sept. 21, where it will remind us again that it has baked ChatGPT into all its products. The company will reportedly also reveal something more substantive: the newly updated Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Laptop Go 3. A series of leaks has laid bare most of the details, including new ports, updated CPUs, and a higher starting price.

In advance of its announcement, Microsoft provided retail images and marketing materials for retailers. Over at WinFuture, they've spotted several leaks at European retailers.

Microsoft's first-gen Studio slotted in above all its other laptops, but it's fallen behind the competition over the past two years. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 will get an upgrade to the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors in the form of the Core i7-13700H or Core i7-13800H. It will offer 16, 32, and even 64GB of RAM in the computer.

[weatheriscool]

Onyx launches eye-friendly color ePaper tablets for work and play
By Paul Ridden

October 20, 2023
https://newatlas.com/mobile-technology/ ... ultra-pro/

Onyx International has announced two additions to its 10-inch color ePaper tablet lineup. The Boox Note Air3 C shapes up as an Android reading and writing slate, while the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro is a productivity workhorse that's easy on the eyes.

Both of the new tablets are built around E Ink's Kaleido 3 technology for 4,096 colors at 1,240 x 930 resolution or 2,480 x 1,860 for black/white, in addition to the usual promise of extra long battery life and usage that's friendlier to the eyes than LCD displays.

Housed within a sturdy yet attractive aluminum shell, the Note Air3 C's 10.3-inch color screen is topped by a thin glass panel with a film on the upper surface to give a pen-and-paper feel when jotting down thoughts and doodling.

There's adjustable front lighting for nocturnal reading, plus a feature that can display two apps on the screen at the same time via nifty split-screen chops.

[weatheriscool]

Apple Announces World's First 3nm SoCs for Laptops With M3, Pro, and Max
The company has taken the unusual step of announcing its M3 lineup in one fell swoop, including a new M3 iMac.
By Josh Norem October 31, 2023

Apple is switching things up to revive its flagging Mac sales by unveiling three new M3 chips at its October hardware event. In the past, it unveiled the standard SoC first and followed up several months later with the Pro and Max chips. This time, it dumped all three chips on the table at once, along with upgraded MacBook Pros and iMacs as well, all available beginning Nov. 7. It's an attempt by Apple to reinvigorate its lineup and appeal to holdouts still using Intel-based Macs who would see a huge boost in performance by upgrading.

The M3 is the first SoC to use TSMC's 3nm process, ending speculation that it might not arrive this year due to tight supplies from Taiwan. Apple is making some big changes with its rollout, too, as it's no longer launching M3 first with the MacBook Air as the company did with its M1 and M2 predecessors. Instead, the M3 is available in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which is a first. All previous versions only offered the Pro or Max chips, and that's only the case now with the 16-inch model. At the same time, it seems to have finally killed off the ancient 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, as it was not part of the rollout and has been removed from Apple's website as.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/a ... ro-and-max

[weatheriscool]

Onyx offers note-takers a cheaper monochrome ePaper tablet option
By Paul Ridden
December 12, 2023
https://newatlas.com/mobile-technology/ ... onochrome/

Back in October, Onyx International announced a pair of 10-inch color ePaper tablets called the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro and the Note Air3 C. Recognizing that not everyone wants color E Ink, the company has now launched the monochrome Note Air3.

The new notepad is much the same as the earlier release, but sports a 10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen instead of Kaleido 3 color technology, and the lack of the Super Refresh Technology necessary for the color tablets.

Display resolution is 1,404 x 1,872 pixels, it's topped by a "close-to-paper film" for a pen and paper feel, and there's a warm/cold frontlight so users don't need to seek out sunlight or artificial lighting. The enote comes packing the latest firmware, which includes a Smart Scribe feature that converts handwritten notes and annotations into shapes, highlights, underlines and more.
The Note Air3 features an E Ink Carta 1200 screen at 227 ppi, offers "comprehensive note-taking tools" and supports 17 ebook formats

[weatheriscool]

First transparent laptop shows Lenovo's clear vision for future working
By Paul Ridden
March 03, 2024

https://newatlas.com/laptops/lenovo-thi ... p-concept/

Lenovo has unveiled a ThinkBook concept that boasts a futuristic transparent display and combined touch keyboard/drawing pad. The concept is part of the company's new tech offerings announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.

From phones to televisions to store windows, see-through display technology is moving from sci-fi movies to the real world. Lenovo is aiming to offer mobile creators a new way to look at productivity with the ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop Concept.

Up top on this impressive-looking mobile workstation is a 17.3-inch Micro-LED display panel that manages up to 55% transparency when the pixels are turned off. When the visuals are fired up, users can look forward to "high color saturation combined with exceptional contrast and 1,000-nit brightness [up to 3,000 nits peak]," according to Lenovo.

[Powers]

[Tadasuke]

[weatheriscool]

Bigme's latest 10-inch color E Ink tablet is first to run Android 13
By Paul Ridden
March 19, 2024
https://newatlas.com/mobile-technology/ ... ndroid-13/

China's Bigme has launched a color E Ink tablet that's billed as the first to run Android 13 out of the box. The latest InkNote has access to Google Play, sports a 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 color display with stylus support, and comes packing front and rear cameras.

For the InkNoteX e-note, black/white text and imagery is displayed at 2,480 x 1,860 pixels (300 ppi) but the resolution drops to 1,240 x 930 at 150 ppi for color.

The Kaleido 3 touchscreen is able to display 4,096 colors – which isn't going to compete with more common digital tablets in terms of vibrancy and richness. But it does boast a relatively quick refresh rate of 15 fps, and is of course readable under bright sunlight but also benefits from a 36-level eye-friendly front light that can run warm or cool, or a blend of the two.

[weatheriscool]

Razer Announces Blade 18 Gaming Laptop With Thunderbolt 5, 4K 200Hz Panel
The world's first Thunderbolt 5 laptop is loaded to the gills with high-end hardware.
By Josh Norem April 5, 2024

Razer has expanded its lineup of Blade gaming laptops with a new 18-inch model that is the first in the world to sport a Thunderbolt 5 interface. In addition to that novel feature, it's also packing top-of-the-line everything, with a price to match once you option it out.

The Razer Blade 18 offers several firsts for the laptop world. The most notable is Thunderbolt 5, which was just announced in late 2023. It offers double the bandwidth of the previous versions at 80Gb/s and up to 120Gb/s of bandwidth with a new Boost mode. It allows up to three 4K 144Hz external displays, fast storage options (when they arrive), and new docking possibilities, which is helpful for a machine that will likely sit on a desk for most of its life.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/raze ... 00hz-panel

[Tadasuke]

My current laptop has a much more durable metal chassis and it lasts significantly longer on a single charge than the previous one. It also features a camera that offers a better quality image despite being very small. OLED screens as well as 120 Hz are now becoming common.

[Tadasuke]

In 2017, LPDDR4X in 8 GB modules were the most cutting-edge. They allow for 68.256 GB/s in dual channel and 34.128 GB/s in single channel.




During this year 2024 LPDDR5X in 32 GB modules will be the most cutting-edge DRAM available with 33% higher capacity, 25% higher speed and 25% higher energy efficiency than LPDDR5X-8533 from 2023. Built on the 12 nm Samsung process technology. Mass production of 10.7 Gbps LPDDR5X is scheduled to begin by the second half of 2024, following verification with mobile application processor and mobile device providers. It will allow for 171.2 GB/s bandwidth in dual channel and 85.6 GB/s in single channel configuration.

[weatheriscool]

MSI Shows Off the First AI-Powered Desktop PC at Computex
A glimpse of the future, perhaps?
By Josh Norem June 6, 2024
https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/msi- ... t-computex

So far, all the AI PCs that have been announced have all been laptops. Though the discrete GPU nestled inside a desktop gaming PC is a lot more powerful than a neural processing unit (NPU) embedded in a CPU, for whatever reason, it's been decided that AI PCs will be laptops, at least for now. Now, MSI is looking to change that dynamic with its MEG Vision X AI PC, which, as far as we can tell, is the first desktop AI PC announced. The company showed it off at Computex this week, and it certainly has some interesting features.

The star of the show here is a gigantic touch screen that adorns the entirety of the mid-tower's front bezel. MSI calls this an AI human-machine interface (HMI). According to MSI, the front-facing display can show hardware temps, clock speeds, and other system-related information, but it's also integrated with MSI AI engine software. This "AI engine" can detect running applications, such as games or content creation apps, and automatically optimize the system's performance for the currently running app. We're unsure if that means overclocking, changing fan speeds, or what, but we'd be curious to hear more details.

[weatheriscool]

Thin and lightweight e-note embraces productivity on the Go
By Paul Ridden
June 24, 2024

Onyx International has launched a new series of lightweight E Ink devices as part of its Boox line, starting with an ultra-thin monochrome 10.3-inch ePaper notepad that saves paper (and your eyes) plus a color e-reader.

Even with the appearance of tablets a few years back, I much preferred using a pen and paper notepad setup to make notes at press conferences, jot down ideas while out and about or even add items to a shopping list. Scribbling things down and reading back seemed to help me remember stuff.

But then E Ink ePaper notebooks put my old school approach to bed, offering a similar paper-like experience but without all of the resource/waste issues associated with the real thing. I still misplace the stylus as much as I did my pens though.

The Go 10.3 is the latest such device from Onyx Boox, and offers a similar experience to the reMarkable 2 we reviewed a few years back. Where that e-note launched with a thickness of 4.7 mm (0.185 in) and tipped the scales at just over 400 g (14.2 oz), Boox has put its latest contender on a strict diet and managed to shave off a whole millimeter – essentially by removing the front light layer from the display sandwich.

https://newatlas.com/mobile-technology/ ... ader-eink/