CPU - Organizer

Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 announced with updated CPU and GPU, 144Hz display support

11:24 am | October 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: CPU, GPU | Comments: Off

Qualcomm took the wraps off its latest midrange chipset – the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4. It brings a few upgrades over the 6s Gen 3, like improved CPU and GPU performance alongside support for FHD+ 144Hz displays, mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 (SM6435-AA) is fabbed on TSMC’s 4nm process with claims of 36% improved CPU and 59% faster GPU performance. The Kryo CPU features 4x performance cores at up to 2.4 GHz and 4x efficiency cores at 1.8GHz. The GPU comes with HDR gaming support and OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP, and Vulkan 1.1 support. It also...

HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025) review: Incredible battery life and a top-tier display at an affordable price

9:20 pm | October 16, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, OLED | Comments: Off

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: One-minute review

The HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC (yes, that is its full name) has its flaws, but its strengths make those drawbacks easy to overlook. With over 16 hours of battery life, a stunning OLED display, an ultra-portable design, and an affordable starting price, it's hard not to recommend the OmniBook 5 14-inch, depending on what you're looking for in a laptop.

It starts at just $679 / £850 / AU$1,599 for a base configuration with a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display.

Somewhat frustratingly, the US base configuration only has 256GB of storage, while the UK and Australia's starting specs include 512GB of storage. Luckily, Best Buy has a middle-ground configuration for US users that offers great value for your money at just $20 more than the US base configuration.

Aside from a bit of pricing confusion, this OmniBook is a great pick for basic work and school-related tasks, especially if you want a laptop that's going to easily last all day, making it one of the best laptops for students and remote workers out there.

The lightweight design also makes this perfect for commuters. While the performance could be stronger, it's hard to complain at this price–and with such an impressive battery life.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Price & Availability

An HP OmniBook 5 14 Inch Next Gen AI PC on a desk — (Image credit: Future / Stevie Bonifield)

How much does it cost? Starting at $679 / £850 / AU$1,599
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? Directly from HP in the US, UK, and Australia, or at various retailers like Best Buy

The OmniBook 5 14-inch is available now in the US, UK, and Australia starting at $679/£850/AU$1,599 on the HP website. The base configuration in all three regions includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 CPU, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch OLED display.

The one big difference is that the US base configuration includes 256GB of storage while the UK and Australia base models have 512GB of storage.

With that said, an upgraded in-between configuration is available in the US at Best Buy for just $20 more than the base model on HP's website. That configuration has 512GB of storage and even bumps you up to a Snapdragon X Plus processor. So if you're in the US, I would definitely suggest opting for that version.

The US and UK prices for the OmniBook 5 14-inch are pretty reasonable, but the top configuration in Australia is a bit pricey for the specs you're getting (more on that below).

Value: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Specs

Lower starting storage in the US base configuration
All configurations include an OLED display
Upgrades available for CPU, RAM, and storage

My review unit is the US top configuration of the OmniBook 5 14-inch, which is priced at $899, but the base configuration starts at $679/£850/AU$1,599. There is also a middle configuration in the US available at Best Buy for $699, which includes 512GB of storage and a Snapdragon X Plus processor.

All starting configurations include a Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. However, it's important to point out that the base model in the US only has 256GB of storage, half of what you would get in the UK and Australia, which is why I suggest going for the Best Buy configuration instead if you're in the US.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC starting configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$679	£850	AU$1,599
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	16GB	16GB	16GB
Storage:	256GB	512GB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

The top configurations of the OmniBook 5 14-inch bump you up to a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor and 32GB of storage. The US and UK configurations also get 1TB of storage, which unfortunately isn't the case in Australia.

The top configurations in the US and the UK are a pretty good deal, especially if you can find them on sale, but the top specs in Australia are hard to recommend when you're not getting that storage upgrade. Even so, the improved processor and increased RAM could be worth paying extra for some users.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC Top Configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$899	£1,049	AU$1,999
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	32GB	32GB	32GB
Storage:	1TB	1TB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

Specs: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Design

Incredibly lightweight
Stellar OLED display
Build quality feels a bit low-end

The OmniBook 5 14-inch isn't pushing the envelope with its design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's very portable, weighing in at a mere 2.85 pounds. The chassis doesn't feel "premium", with its plastic-y keyboard deck and display bezels, but the low weight helps make up for that.

Plus, it's what's on the inside that counts, which in this case is a superbly snappy keyboard. HP's laptop keyboards can be pretty hit or miss for me, but I loved typing on this one. It has just the right amount of tactile feedback and key travel without being loud. However, I wish the power button was separated from the rest of the keyboard. It matches the rest of the function-row keys except for a little LED indicator.

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The touchpad is also pretty good. Considering the price point on this OmniBook 5 14-inch, I was expecting a mushy touchpad, but I was pleasantly surprised. It might not be the best touchpad I've ever used, but it has a satisfying amount of travel and feedback just like the keyboard. The speakers are also surprisingly decent and got plenty loud enough for my needs.

The real star feature here is the OLED display. I love OLED, and this display did not disappoint. Colors really pop on it, more than you would expect from a sub-$1,000 laptop. It passed our display tests with flying colors, too, reproducing 194.5% of the sRGB color gamut and 138.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. I genuinely enjoyed watching shows and movies on the OmniBook 5 14-inch and even playing a few games on it because the display looks phenomenal.

Design: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Performance

Performance could be better, but isn't bad, either
Weak graphics performance
Keeps up fine with basic daily tasks like web browsing

If you're mainly looking for a laptop for things like web browsing, replying to emails, word processing, or studying, the OmniBook 5 14-inch is definitely up to the task. This little laptop is more than capable of handling basic work or school-related tasks. I had no trouble managing over a dozen tabs on Firefox while working on the Omnibook. However, if you want to use resource-intensive apps, like Adobe Photoshop and the like, you may want to spend a little more elsewhere.

The OmniBook 5 14-inch's performance falls far short of the MacBook Air, which only costs $100 more than the top configuration. It came in over 1,000 points behind the M4 MacBook Air on the Geekbench 6 single-core test and lagged by over 3,000 points on the multi-core test. Of course, there are plenty of reasons you might not want a Mac or might simply want to save money, especially if you can find the Omnibook at a discount.

	HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC	MacBook Air M4 (13-inch)	Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2025)
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,414	£3,679	2,436
Geekbench 6 multi-core	11,309	14,430	11,321
Crossmark (Overall)	1,184	2,009	1,165
Crossmark (Productivity)	1,116	1,875	1,081
Crossmark (Creativity)	1,298	2,369	1,328
Crossmark (Responsiveness)	1,074	1,505	983

If you're only doing lightweight or web-based tasks, the OmniBook 5 14-inch's more humble performance scores probably won't be an issue, it's just worth keeping in mind. Plus, considering the starting price, it's hard to complain.

It's also worth noting that the OmniBook 5 14-inch is by no means a gaming laptop. It managed to run lightweight, 2D games fine, but really struggles with anything more. Wildfrost ran very smoothly at 60 FPS with no issues, but I was only able to get about 20 FPS in Death's Door and about 30 FPS in Risk of Rain 2. These aren't particularly demanding games, so definitely don't expect to be playing any AAA titles on the Omnibook, but games like Stardew Valley or Slay the Spire should run fine.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Battery Life

How long does it last before the battery dies? Just over 16 hours.
How long does it take to charge to 50%? About 30 minutes.

Battery life is by far the OmniBook 5 14-inch's biggest strength. It lasted a staggering 16 hours and 2 minutes in our battery test, which, for context, is 2 hours longer than the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air. While you're getting a notably less powerful processor in the Omnibook, you get really impressive battery life in exchange. For some, that could be a worthy trade-off.

My only complaint here is that the left side of the keyboard deck gets noticeably warm when the OmniBook 5 14-inch is charging. It's not uncomfortable, and you won't have to charge it often, but when you do, you can't miss how one side of your keyboard is warmer than the other.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC?

HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	Aside from a couple of quirky configuration differences, this laptop offers great value for your money, especially when it comes to battery life and display quality.	4 / 5
Specs	The base specs are a bit weak for the price, but every configuration includes a really impressive OLED display.	3.5 / 5
Design	While the build quality could be a bit better, the keyboard, touchpad, low weight, and stellar display easily make up for it.	4 / 5
Performance	Overall performance is somewhat lackluster, but good enough for basic daily tasks and lightweight games.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	With over 16 hours of battery life, the OmniBook 5 14-inch can easily last you all day.	5 / 5
Final Score	Despite a few flaws, this OmniBook 5 14-inch offers great value with incredible battery life and a stunning display at a relatively low price.	4 / 5

Buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC if…

Battery life is your top priority
The battery life on the OmniBook 5 14-inch is genuinely impressive. Depending on your usage, you can easily go a full day or possibly even two without charging.

You want an OLED display at a budget-friendly price
The OmniBook 5 14-inch's OLED display is one of the best I've tested, which is surprising given this laptop's relatively low price, even for the top configuration.

Don't buy it if...

Performance is your top priority
The Omnibook 5 14-inch is great for students, casual users, and lightweight work tasks, but it doesn't have the processing power for gaming or resource-intensive creative apps.

You want premium build quality
This laptop's design isn't bad, but it does feel like a budget-friendly laptop, with plastic bezels and a plastic keyboard deck that gets pretty warm while charging.

How I tested the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC

I spent about a week using the Omnibook
I mainly used it for web browsing and work-related tasks, with some light gaming
The OmniBook 5 14-inch went through our extensive battery of benchmark tests

I spent about a week using the OmniBook 5 14-inch mainly for web browsing and work-related tasks like answering emails and writing (this review included).

I also used it for watching movies and doing a bit of casual gaming. All the games I tried on the OmniBook 5 14-inch were played through Steam at native resolution with no FPS cap. With automatic graphics presets turned on, most games defaulted to low or medium graphics quality.

I've reviewed dozens of mainstream laptops, including other HP Omnibooks and budget-friendly laptops like this one. When I test these kinds of laptops, I'm looking for a good balance of price, performance, and features and considering who each laptop would be best for (or not best for) based on that price-to-performance ratio.

Originally reviewed October 2025

HP OmniBook 5 14-inch (2025) review: Incredible battery life and a top-tier display at an affordable price

9:20 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Windows Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, GPU, OLED | Comments: Off

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: One-minute review

It starts at just $679 / £850 / AU$1,599 for a base configuration with a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 14-inch (1920x1200) OLED display.

The lightweight design also makes this perfect for commuters. While the performance could be stronger, it's hard to complain at this price–and with such an impressive battery life.

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Price & Availability

How much does it cost? Starting at $679 / £850 / AU$1,599
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? Directly from HP in the US, UK, and Australia, or at various retailers like Best Buy

The one big difference is that the US base configuration includes 256GB of storage while the UK and Australia base models have 512GB of storage.

The US and UK prices for the OmniBook 5 14-inch are pretty reasonable, but the top configuration in Australia is a bit pricey for the specs you're getting (more on that below).

Value: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Specs

Lower starting storage in the US base configuration
All configurations include an OLED display
Upgrades available for CPU, RAM, and storage

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC starting configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$679	£850	AU$1,599
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	16GB	16GB	16GB
Storage:	256GB	512GB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 5.3mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC Top Configurations
Region	US	UK	Australia
Price:	$899	£1,049	AU$1,999
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100
GPU:	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics	Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Memory:	32GB	32GB	32GB
Storage:	1TB	1TB	512GB
Screen:	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED	14-inch (1920x1200) OLED
Ports:	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack	1 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
Battery (WHr):	59 WHr	59 WHr	59 WHr
Wireless:	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter	1080p FHD IR webcam with privacy shutter
Weight:	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)	2.85 lbs (1.29 kg)
Dimensions:	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)	12.28 x 8.56 x 0.5 ins \| (311.9 x 217.4 x 12.7 mm)

Specs: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Design

Incredibly lightweight
Stellar OLED display
Build quality feels a bit low-end

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Design: 4 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Performance

Performance could be better, but isn't bad, either
Weak graphics performance
Keeps up fine with basic daily tasks like web browsing

	HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC	MacBook Air M4 (13-inch)	Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2025)
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,414	£3,679	2,436
Geekbench 6 multi-core	11,309	14,430	11,321
Crossmark (Overall)	1,184	2,009	1,165
Crossmark (Productivity)	1,116	1,875	1,081
Crossmark (Creativity)	1,298	2,369	1,328
Crossmark (Responsiveness)	1,074	1,505	983

Performance: 3.5 / 5

HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC: Battery Life

How long does it last before the battery dies? Just over 16 hours.
How long does it take to charge to 50%? About 30 minutes.

Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC?

HP Omnibook 5 14 inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	Aside from a couple of quirky configuration differences, this laptop offers great value for your money, especially when it comes to battery life and display quality.	4 / 5
Specs	The base specs are a bit weak for the price, but every configuration includes a really impressive OLED display.	3.5 / 5
Design	While the build quality could be a bit better, the keyboard, touchpad, low weight, and stellar display easily make up for it.	4 / 5
Performance	Overall performance is somewhat lackluster, but good enough for basic daily tasks and lightweight games.	3.5 / 5
Battery Life	With over 16 hours of battery life, the OmniBook 5 14-inch can easily last you all day.	5 / 5
Final Score	Despite a few flaws, this OmniBook 5 14-inch offers great value with incredible battery life and a stunning display at a relatively low price.	4 / 5

Buy the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC if…

Battery life is your top priority
The battery life on the OmniBook 5 14-inch is genuinely impressive. Depending on your usage, you can easily go a full day or possibly even two without charging.

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the HP Omnibook 5 14 Inch Laptop Next Gen AI PC

I spent about a week using the Omnibook
I mainly used it for web browsing and work-related tasks, with some light gaming
The OmniBook 5 14-inch went through our extensive battery of benchmark tests

I spent about a week using the OmniBook 5 14-inch mainly for web browsing and work-related tasks like answering emails and writing (this review included).

Originally reviewed October 2025

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition review: I tested this convertible business laptop and the pros far outweigh the cons

9:47 am | September 20, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: CPU, GPU, RAM | Comments: Off

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition is a convertible two-in-one laptop well-suited to both business and creative tasks.

It’s a highly portable machine, measuring 0.31 in - 0.64 in x 12.31 in x 8.57in and with a starting weight of 2.97lb (1.35kg). As I’d expect from a true ThinkPad - even a 2-in-1 model - it’s robustly built and ideal for home and office working.

As an Aura Edition laptop, it’s an AI PC running on an Intel Core Ultra chip which, according to Lenovo “accelerates your AI experience” without being a drag on the battery. Whether that’s a plus or a minus in your book will vary. In my experience it was…fine. But I’m not the world’s biggest AI user anyway.

But as a self-confessed ThinkPad fan, I was excited to check out the overall feel and performance.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Price & availability

Prices for the laptop start from $1892 / £1820 (currently discounted from £2250 at time of review).

At that price, the US version of the machine comes loaded with Windows 11 Home running on the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB RAM, and 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD.

In the UK, the base model runs W11 Home on the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip, 32GB RAM, and 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen5 SSD.

You can also spec-up the machine with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 268V vPro processor, 2TB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro operating system.

Either way, the base model 14in IPS touchscreen display panel has a resolution of 1920 x 1200, with Anti-Glare. It hits 100% sRGB, has a brightness of 500 nits, and a 60Hz refresh rate.

There are two other screen options, too - either the business-oriented display with its ePrivacy filter, which is otherwise identical to the base model. Or the more complex 2.8K OLED Low Blue Light display with HDR 500 True Black with 100% DCI-P3, 500 nits, VRR 30-120Hz, making it the better pick for creators.

The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition is available from Lenovo US and Lenovo UK, as well as online retailers.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Design & features

Specs

As reviewed:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
RAM: 32GB
GPU: Integrated Intel Arc 140V GPU (16GB)
Storage: 1TB
Display: 14in OLED
Brightness: 500 nits
Refresh rate: 30-120Hz
Color gamut: 100% DCI-P3
Ports & connectivity: 2x USB-A, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 1x Nano SIM, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x audio jack, 1x Kensington Nano Security slot, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 7
Operating system: Windows 11 Pro

The look and feel of the X1 2-in-1 is distinctly ThinkPad - I found it robust in hand thanks to its aluminum chassis, which boasts MIL-STD-810H construction. Not exactly a true rugged laptop, then, but durable enough for the most hardened commuters. Besides the silvery accents, the main body is a stylish space grey that I thought looked professional without being boring.

The 14in screen has a thin bezel that sits behind the glass, with an elevated notch where the camera sits. The camera itself is 5MP, comes complete with physical privacy shutter, and supports Windows Hello for a passwordless sign-in.

Along the right-hand side is a USB-A and two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a Nano SIM slot. To the left, there’s another USB-A port, as well as HDMI 2.1 port, audio jack, a Kensington Nano Security slot, and a discrete power button that sits flush with the frame. In a world where laptop makers are gradually stripping back connectivity, I find this array generous enough, and I didn’t feel the immediate need to hook up a laptop docking station. Another bonus here is the support for Wi-Fi 7, perfect for future-proofing connectivity.

Now, I’m a big champion of ThinkPad laptops (I use the T14s on a daily basis, but I’ve been a fan since I first got my trusty old T431s). In my experience, they easily offer the best typing experience compared to other laptop brands. Alright, the new Lenovo models may lack the key travel of the older IBM ThinkPads (1.5mm vs 1.8mm), but even still, they’re a joy to use.

In this regard, I was a little wary of trying out X1 2-in-1 Gen 10, as some older X1 laptops had previously used a keyboard with a stubby 1.35mm travel depth. Lenovo has, thankfully, done away with that - here, you get the same 1.5mm backlit board you’ll find on the T-series ThinkPads. As such, using this for long writing sessions is a total breeze.

However, I spotted a few differences here compared to your more traditional business laptops. Of course, there’s the iconic red Trackpoint, but there’s also a fingerprint scanner for signing in without a password and beside it, a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button - clicking this unlocks the AI assistant, while granting easy access to all the usual Office apps.

Interestingly, Lenovo has switched the Fn and Ctrl keys around here, bringing it in line with most keyboards. Older ThinkPads place the Fn key to the left, rather than the right, and I have to change this using the Lenovo Vantage app.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Display

My review model featured an OLED screen at 2880 x 1800 resolution with 60-120Hz refresh rate. Colors are vivid and bright, near-perfect in reproduction due to the 100% DCI-P3 gamut. For those looking for a general laptop for photo editing as well as productivity tasks, this is a pretty safe bet, I found.

The laptop operates in four ways - laptop, tablet, tent, and presentation mode, and all four work very well. I experienced no issues here at all, with the screen orientation changing swiftly and without lag when I switched from one configuration to the next. The movement feels sturdy and smooth, and pleasingly there’s no additional play to the 360-degree hinges.

What I didn’t like, however, was how reflective the screen was. Turn off the laptop and it’s like staring into a black mirror. That might not be a deal-breaker for some, but it certainly gave me pause and if you’re going to be using this outside or in direct sunlight, you’ll want to crank up the brightness to mitigate it as much as possible.

As a touchscreen device, this unit also included a stylus, which magnetically clamps to the right side of the screen. Using this in tablet mode was a total joy. Input was instant and the whole experience felt smooth.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Performance

I experienced no issues when using the laptop - running Microsoft’s Office suite, browsing the internet, opening many, many, many, many tabs in Chrome, at this level, nothing seemed to slow down this machine.

Under heavier workloads, there is a tendency for the X1 to run a little warm, and there, I did experience some minor slowing. But even, the impact felt negligible and it’s unlikely to prove an issue for professionals using this for general business tasks.

For a convertible business laptop, then, I found it well-specced and impressively powerful enough for day-to-day operations. Ok, it won’t deliver the same performance you’ll find from a mobile workstation or gaming laptop, but that’s not what it’s been designed for.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Battery life

One of the stand-out areas with the X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition is the battery life. The machine is rocking a 57Whr battery, which is hardly massive, but acceptable. Don’t let that fool you, though, because battery life is surprisingly spectacular.

The device itself is rated for up to 20.2 hours when benchmarked using MobileMark 25, according to Lenovo. But this assumes minimal use. Streaming video playback should net up to 16.3 hours. For those using this laptop on the go, it’s positively perfect.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition: Final verdict

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Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition - whether I was using it as a tablet or laptop.

It’s more than capable of handling the usual suite of business apps and software, and here, the laptop performs brilliantly. Everything feels smooth, responsive, and efficient, making it a good pick for those who prize productivity above all else.

True, it’s not the most powerful around, it’s expensive for what it is, and I’m still not a fan of the glossy screen, but all told, there’s little else to complain about.

Couple that durable design with a good port selection, excellent battery life, and a neat, multi-use design, and you have one of the best 2-in-1 laptops for professionals around.

Should I buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Design	Convertible, durable, and distinctly ThinkPad in style	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performance	Perfect for office duties as well as lighter weight creative tasks	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price	A steeper cost than I'd like, but par for the course with a business laptop	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Buy it if…

You want a business 2-in-1: As a convertible laptop, this works superbly well in all its configurations. I especially like the smooth efficiency when using it as a tablet alongside the Yoga Pen stylus.

Battery life is a concern: I found the longevity of the battery to be superb here, and if you’re working on the go or away from a mains outlet, it’s perfect.

Don’t buy it if…

You need absolute power: Yes, it’s a powerful little machine, but with these specs, it can’t measure up to the performance of the ThinkPad P-series. This is, after all, a business laptop first and foremost.

You’re on a budget: Arguably the biggest issue with this device is the cost - it’s a pricey number, as business machines tend to be.

For more productivity performance, we tested the best business computers and the best business tablets.

I tested the Apple iPhone 17 Pro and I love its fresh style, powerful cameras, and long battery life in a pocket-friendly form

3:00 pm | September 17, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPhone Phones | Tags: CPU, Google Pixel | Comments: Off

Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Two-minute review

The time when you had to make a tradeoff between the full-featured iPhone Pro Max and the iPhone Pro has long since passed. Today, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro I'm reviewing here are fundamentally the same phone with only a few differences, and all of them relate to the size.

There's a smaller screen and therefore fewer pixels (but not a lower resolution). The battery on the iPhone 17 Pro is smaller, so you get fewer hours per charge. Finally, the storage options on the Pro top out at 1TB, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max goes up to 2TB.

With that in mind, virtually everything I say in my review of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is also true of this iPhone 17 Pro, right down to the fantastic camera system.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro REVIEW — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

This update is an inside-out refashioning, with a powerful new A19 Processor supported by a heat-wicking system in the form of a vapor chamber. I'm not sure it would have been as effective though, if not for the new aluminum unibody design, which helps distribute the heat throughout the chassis.

A reorganization of the components left more room for a larger battery, and that, in concert with the heat management system and new body, promises better battery life than before.

Inside, the A19 Pro makes every operation a breeze, as it easily handles everything from simple web browsing to 4K video editing and local AI operations.

We now get three 48MP cameras, including a stellar 4x optical zoom that's capable of an 8x optical sensor crop which also produces fantastic results.

The fact that you get all this in a more affordable and pocketable 6.3-inch package could make the iPhone 17 Pro the best choice for most who operate at a pro level.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Price and availability

Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999
Pre-orders opened on September 12, shipping from September 19

Apple announced the iPhone 17 Pro at its 'Awe Dropping' event on September 9. iPhone 17 Pro pre-orders began on September 12, and the new phone ships on September 19.

The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999 for the model with 256GB of storage, with that price rising to $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,399 for 512GB of storage, and $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,799 for 1TB of storage. If you need a 2TB device, look at the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Storage	US price	UK price	AU price
256GB	$1,099	£1,099	AU$1,999
512GB	$1,299	£1,299	AU$2,399
1TB	$1,499	£1,499	AU$2,799

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Value score: 5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Specs

	iPhone 17	iPhone 17 Air	iPhone 17 Pro	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Weight:	177g	165g	206g	233g
Display:	6.3-inch OLED	6.5-inch OLED	6.3-inch OLED	6.9-inch OLED
Resolution:	2622 x 1206	2736 x 1260	2622 x 1206	2868 x 1320
Refresh rate:	120Hz	120Hz	120Hz	120Hz
Peak brightness:	3,000 nits	3,000 nits	3,000 nits	3,000 nits
Chipset:	A19	A19 Pro	A19 Pro	A19 Pro
Rear cameras:	48MP wide (26mm, ƒ/1.6), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2)	48MP wide (26mm, ƒ/1.6)	48MP wide (24mm, ƒ/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom)	48MP wide (24mm, ƒ/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom)
Front camera:	18MP (ƒ/1.9)	18MP (ƒ/1.9)	18MP (ƒ/1.9)	18MP (ƒ/1.9)
Storage:	256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Colors:	Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender	Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue	Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue	Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Design

A redesign that works
New materials bring new color and cooling possibilities
Control and Action Buttons didn't get a rethink

Apple's iPhone 17 Pro (and the 17 Pro Max) is instantly recognizable as an iPhone, but I still contend that this is the most significant redesign in ages. The bold, nearly full-width plateau (time to stop calling it a "camera bump") is distinctive and more attractive than I expected.

Honestly, who needs a phone that can lie flat on its back anymore? I'd argue that consumers (yes, people like me) are more interested in performance and possibilities than balance.

I was curious about the switch from titanium (a light and sturdy material) to aluminum (an even lighter and perhaps more pliable one), but I'm now convinced that this was a good swap with some obvious benefits.

The first of those is the color choices. You have silver (not that exciting), the wonderful Deep Blue of the phone I tested, and the new Cosmic Orange of my iPhone 17 Pro Max test unit. I love the latter two colors, and don't think they would have been possible without the anodization process.

Because the iPhone body is carved out of aluminum means the iPhone 17 Pro has smoother corners, making the entire phone feel more comfortable in my hands. This smaller phone will be especially appealing to those with smaller hands.

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On the back is a large rectangular cutout for the Ceramic Shield back (the screen gets Ceramic Shield 2). This creates a sort of two-tone look that I rather like. It almost seems a shame to cover it with Apple's new Tech Woven cases.

After a couple of generations of getting used to new iPhone buttons, the iPhone 17 Pro holds fast on the two volume buttons and the Action Button on one side, and the Power/Sleep/Siri button and Camera Control button on the other. There's no new functionality there, but some may still find the customizable Action button and instant access to photography and controls through Camera Control useful. Of the two, I use the Camera Control most for instant access to the camera and, sometimes, as a physical shutter button.

Like the iPhone 16 Pro before it, the iPhone 17 Pro is IP68 rated for exposure to dust and water. Drop it in the toilet or, as I did, run it under water, and it will survive.

There are a few other minor differences, like an antenna cutout on the top edge and a larger speaker grill on one side of the base. Perhaps that's why the audio can get so loud and resonant and sound just as good in a voice call as it does streaming Better Call Saul on Netflix.

Design score: 5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Display

Super Retina XDR display still excellent
Brighter than ever
Possibly more resilient

While Apple took pains to remake the look and lines of the iPhone 17 Pro (and 17 Pro Max), it more or less left well enough alone with the Super Retina XDR display. This is not a problem since the OLED screen resolution, at 2622 x 1206 pixels, is still sharp and spectacular in almost every scenario.

Photos and videos look splendid on the screen thanks in part to its 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and wide color gamut. It's a great platform for stills and for fast action of AAA games, where the 120Hz screen refresh keeps gameplay butter smooth.

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The ProMotion technology not only provides that rapid refresh rate but can slow all the way down to 1Hz to support the always-on display, where I can see the time and my notifications on the sleep/lock screen.

This is a brighter screen, achieving 3,000 nits in direct sunlight. That combination with a new anti-reflective coating helped it beat the iPhone 16 Pro in my outdoor, direct-sunlight Netflix streaming tests.

As for the new Ceramic Sheiled 2 screen covering, I'm hesitant to rub any keys on it, but I will be curious to see what the display looks like two months from now.

The 6.3-inch display still features the Dynamic Island cutout, which provides space for the Face ID sensors and new Center Stage Camera. It's still larger than I'd like and appears in some games and videos as a black, pill-shaped cutout. If, like me, you appreciate the live information (like MLB scores) that space can provide, I doubt you'll be bothered by its existence.

Display score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Cameras

Three excellent rear 48MP cameras
Zoom is finally where I need it to be
Front-facing Center Stage Camera changes the selfie game

Apple has rewarded my fixation on photography with the three best 48MP lenses I have ever seen on an iPhone (plus an excellent new selfie camera). The list of lenses is identical across the Pro-line, which makes them no less desirable. FWIW, Camera performance on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max appears identical. Here's the list of physical lenses.

Main: 48MP ƒ/1.78
Ultra-wide: 48MP ƒ/2.2
Telephoto: 48MP (4x optical) ƒ/2.8
Selfie camera: 18MP (not called "Fusion")

The main camera defaults to shooting at 24MP, but you can shoot at full resolution or as a 2x optical sensor crop, which takes the best 12MP from the full 48MP for the final image.

The ultrawide also defaults to 24MP, while the same lens will shoot macro images at 12MP.

For me, though, the most exciting addition is the new 48MP 4x optical zoom lens that shoots 24MP, 100mm-equivalent photos and can, with another optical sensor crop, also shoot 12MP, 8x zoom photos. Even though the latter is not a true 8x optical zoom lens, it captures images like one.

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I was consistently impressed with the detail I could capture. In my experience, the best lens of the bunch is the 4x optical. It's great for portraits and still life.

The image quality across the multiple lenses and shooting styles owes credit, in part, to Apple's fantastic image pipeline. It gathers and processes so much information, but never turns an image into AI mush or an approximation. Images offer true colors and exquisite detail.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro REVIEW photo samples — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

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Portrait mode photography looks better than ever. I was especially impressed with how the cameras handled hair and lens frames. Every shot looked pro-quality.

The other major photographic highlight is the new Center Stage Selfie camera. Where the True Depth Camera was an able 12MP system, the Center Stage Camera is backed by a square 18MP sensor. It uses those extra pixels to automatically put groups in frame by zooming out a bit.

Better yet, this is the first smartphone selfie camera in my experience to let you turn from a portrait to a landscape mode selfie without turning the phone 90 degrees. Instead, you just tap a software button, and, yes, it works with photos and video. It's brilliant and I expect other smartphone competitors to follow suit.

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I shot in all kinds of lighting conditions, from bright and sunny to cloudy, rainy, and even nighttime darkness. Night photography is even better than ever. This was the phone I used to capture the 9-11 Memorial Lights (the city is 50 miles away). It was a feat I could not reproduce with the iPhone 16 Pro.

You can shoot video in 4K (up to 120fps). It looks good, especially because the sensor shift optical image stabilization handles even the roughest road.

During my first day with the phone, there was a huge rainshower, which I took as my cue to retry Audio Mix, Apple's AI-based audio cleanup tool. The rain shower was so loud that it pretty much overwhelmed my baseline video. All I had to do was select one of the options (In-Frame, Studio, Cinematic), and the iPhone 17 Pro did an excellent job of elevating my voice over the din. It does sound a bit processed, but also usable, which is not something I can say of the original video.

One other new feature that you might enjoy (or wonder why it's there) is Dual Camera. As the name suggests, this slightly hidden feature lets you shoot video with both the front and rear cameras. Your selfie video view appears as a small, movable window on top of the main video, presumably so you can offer commentary on the action. I used it at a wedding and found it fun, if not super useful.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro review dual cam — Put yourself in the video with dual cam (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The new camera app is so different that it might, at first, confuse people. A lot of what you would normally see when first opening the app is hidden. But, for instance, a touch and slide on the word "Photo" quickly reveals how you can slide to find all your main photography options.

In short, you will get used to it.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max REVIEW — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

As a package, this is by far the best camera array (including the front camera) Apple has ever produced. It shoots fantastic images that will make you the envy of all your friends. Plus, with its 4K Dolby Vision, it's a pro-level video platform.

If I needed any more proof that this is a pro-videoographer tool, I got it when I tested out Genlock support, which lets you capture and automatically sync multiple video streams.

To test this, I hooked up the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max video via a wireless connection to an iPad Pro 13. The iPad was running a FlightTest version of Final Cut Pro for iPad, and the phones were running Tesflight versions of Final Cut Cameras.

Final Cut on the iPad presented me with a single record button, and when I hit it, both cameras started to record. I was capturing two angles at once, and Final Cut presented them as two linked streams that I could edit to create a very nice pro-level, multicam video.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro camera samples

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Camera score: 5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Software and Apple Intelligence

iOS 26
Apple Intelligence adds some new features
The ultimate Siri still MIA

There may never be a more beautiful iOS than iOS 26. Liquid Glass, which glistens from almost every virtual surface, looks both polished and exciting. It's quite the programming feat to make pixels look like glass, giving unexpected substance to, for instance, buttons and widgets.

Generally, I am a fan, except for the times where Liquid Glass's fundamental translucency makes for a cluttered image. If you can see what's behind a text-entry box when you're trying to type in it, it can get a little confusing. I'm certain Apple can offer some Liquid Glass transparency adjustment in a future update.

Last year's star, Apple Intelligence, gets a few updates, like a better Image Playground and upgraded Visual Intelligence, which can instantly take info gleaned from an image and add it to your calendar.

Clean Up remains an impressive image editing tool. In one instance, I used it to remove a rope from in front of a horse. I drew one glowing line over the thin white fabric, then tapped the screen, and it disappeared, leaving the horse unscathed (and his face filled in) behind.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro REVIEW Clean Up — Clean Up is one of Apple's most useful AI-supported tools (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

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But Apple Intelligence's capabilities still pale in comparison to what I can get with Google Gemini or from partner OpenAI (and ChatGPT). I await the day Siri becomes as conversational and system-aware as these other platforms.

Software score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Performance

A19 Pro is Apple's most powerful mobile CPU
12GB is the memory you need

Going by by specs alone, the A19 Pro is a bit of a beast:

6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
6-core GPU, each with its own Neural Accelerator
16-Core Neural Engine

Performance scores are, based on Future Labs benchmarks, unsurprisingly, considerably better than the A18 Pro. In fact, the SoC maxed out some of our frame rate tests.

These numbers are on display in every operation the phone performs. It's an able console-grade gamer, playing Destiny: Rising with impressive levels of shading, reflections, fog, and fire. The A19 Pro's hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing surely has a hand in this.

There's now 12GB of RAM on board, which means there's likely more than enough headroom for ever-larger AI models. After all, Apple's preference is to do things like AI-assisted Live Translation locally.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro REVIEW gaming — (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

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This is an SoC that's completely comfortable both shooting and editing 4K video. It's a little powerhouse.

It's more, though, than just a workhorse. Apple's added a vapor chamber system that, along with the now more heat-efficient aluminum frame, helps capture heat off the chip and spread it throughout the iPhone 17 Pro body so there's no longer a hot spot.

In reality, this is one area where the smaller iPhone 17 Pro differs a bit from iPhone 17 Pro Max. I'm not sure if it's because there's more room in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but it felt cooler in my tests than the iPhone 17 Pro, which got slightly warm to the touch during an intense Asphalt 9 Legends round.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Battery

Battery life upgrade
Qi 2 support
No adapter included

All that efficiency and Apple reengineering the interior for a larger battery mean that this iPhone 17 Pro might have the best battery for an iPhone ever, leaving aside the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is now flirting with 2-day battery range.

In my anecdotal tests, the iPhone 17 Pro gave me between 25 and 30 hours of battery life. Applw rates it for about 30 hours if you do nothing but stream video. Mixed use, especially lots of gameplay play will shorten the charge duration. Even so, this is the best batter life I've ever seen on a base Pro model. The combination of a more efficient CPU, a bigger battery, and the energy-saving heat management appears to be paying real dividends.

This is a Qi 2- compatible system, which means it charges faster on a Qi2-ready charge pad. The phone doesn't ship with a charging adapter, just the USB-C woven cable, but if you buy the new, optionL, Dynamic 40W (up to 60W) charger ($39), you can also expect faster wired charging speeds. When I tried it, I was able to charge to 50% in 20 minutes.

Battery score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Apple iPhone 17 Pro?

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	A better phone is virtually every way for the same price as last year	5 / 5
Design	A refreshed design that also brings some performance dividends	5 / 5
Display	Display technology slight better thanks to more brightness and a toucher screen.	4.5 / 5
Software	iOS26 is gorgeous but someitmes a bit overdone. Still the overall software package, even without the ultimate Siri Apple Intlligence upgrade, is excellent.	4.5 / 5
Camera	The best camera array Apple has ever produced	5 / 5
Performance	A19 Pro is powerful and backed by more memory than every. Ready for any task.	5 / 5
Battery	A bigger battery means 30 hours of operation is possible.	4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want Apple Pro-level mobile power but not the size or price best
The iPhone 17 Pro is everything you can get from a Pro Max. All you lose is a bigger screen, crazy-long battery life, and the option to have 2TB of storage.

You want the best cameras Apple has ever produced
Great lenses, excellent image pipeline add up to truly great photo capabilities.

Don't buy it if...

You demand the largest screen
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro has a nice 6.3-inch display but it's pretty small compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 6.9-inch super Retina XDR display.

You need more space
The iPhone 17 Pro maxes out at 1TB of storage. The 17 Pro Max will give you 2TB...for a price, of course.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro review: Also consider

Apple's latest Pro iPhone not exciting you? Here are a few alternatives from the Android frontier.

Google Pixel 10 Pro
The Pixel 10 Pro is a fantastic addition to the Pixel line, with useful new features like magnetic charging and AI tools that are helpful and not overbearing. There is still room for improvement, particularly in terms of performance and battery life, but this is one of the best smartphones you can buy, aside from the Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung's ultimate Android phone is a welcome mixure of design and power that, yes, still brings the titanium. Ther'es also that 200MP sensor, something the iPhone 17 Pro Max still doesn't boast.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
For powerful versatility a surprisingly thin and light frame, nothing beats the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. It has excellent cameras, two screens, and powerful AI features. It's also considerably more expensive that the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

How I tested the Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Review test period: I received the phone on September 9 and tested it through September 16.
Testing included: everyday use, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback, and testing Apple Intelligence
Tools used: Geekbench 6, Geekbench AI, 3DMark

I tested the iPhone 17 Pro (and iPhone 17 Pro Max) alongside my iPhone 16 Pro Max. I took it with me everywhere and tried to use it as I would my own phone.

I've been testing smartphones for over 20 years, and I've been writing about the iPhone since it launched. I've also been tracking and writing about AI since the dawn of consumer-grade experiences more than a decade ago, and I've been covering technology for 39 years.

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Two-minute review

The new Razer Blade 14 (2025) really wants to be the ultimate portable gaming laptop, and after spending two weeks with it, I can say it mostly succeeds.

Packed into a lightweight 14-inch aluminum chassis, the Blade 14 houses the latest specs you can get for a 14-inch form factor, including AMD’s new Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and up to an Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU.

Those updated specs come at a price though, as the model I tested cost $2,699.99 / £2,299.99 / AU$4,144.95 (equipped with an RTX 5070, 32GB LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB SSD). Entry-level models start around $2,299.99 / £1,999.99 / AU$3,599.95, while top-end configs climb as high as $2,999.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,899.95.

What impressed me most wasn’t just raw gaming power—it was how well this machine stayed cool and quiet under load.

Running Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing at 1800p, I averaged around 50 FPS with DLSS and frame generation enabled, though to be honest, you’ll likely want to tone down the RT if you’re gaming at max resolution for best results, regardless of title. For most of the titles tested, you can comfortably get over 60 FPS at 1800p resolution without ray tracing, or about 60 FPS with ray tracing if you use DLSS upscaling.

Equally impressive is the OLED 2.8K 120Hz display. Colors popped, response times were lightning fast, and the DCI-P3 coverage made both games and creative work shine. Add in six surprisingly loud, clear speakers, and I found myself reaching for headphones less often.

The battery life on the Blade 14 isn’t great, lasting about five to six hours in my day-to-day work mix—emails, writing, streaming, light Photoshop—before I needed a charger. While this is pretty decent for a gaming laptop,it’s still not great for day-to-day productivity.

Design-wise, there’s not much to knock here other than the somewhat shallow keyboard and a chassis that picks up fingerprints pretty much instantly. Performance-wise, you’re almost certainly going to get a better value out of Razer’s various rivals, who often offer more raw power for less money. But as a total package, the Razer Blade 14 (2025) easily contends as the best gaming laptop released this year, even if it isn’t spotless.

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Price & availability

A Razer Blade 14 (2025) on a desk showing the Windows 11 desktop — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starting at $2,299.99 / £1,999.99 / AU$3,599.95
When is it available? It's available now
Where can you get it? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia through Razer’s website and other retailers.

The Razer Blade 14 (2025) is available now, starting at $2,299.99 / £1,999.99 / AU$3,599.95, coming in with an entry-level RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

My review unit, which comes with an RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD, comes in at $2,699.99 / £2,399.99 / AU$4,144.95. The top-spec config bumps up the storage to 2TB and the memory up to 64GB for $2,999.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,899.95.

It’s available in the US, UK, and Australia directly from Razer’s website, as well as major regional retailers like Best Buy and Currys.

Understandably, the Blade 14 isn’t going to be making any best cheap gaming laptop lists anytime soon, given the laptop's premium pedigree, but it's still very expensive for what you're getting. A laptop like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which starts off about $200 cheaper at $2,099.99 in the US (though it is tougher to find in the UK at the moment, and what models are available in Australia end up being more expensive). The US starting configuration for the Zephyrus G14 does get you a better RTX 5070 GPU compared to the Blade 14's RTX 5060 starting GPU. You can also get up to an RTX 5080 on the Zephyrus G14, for some serious portable gaming power that simply isn't available on the Blade 14.

You’re ultimately paying the Razer tax here if you opt for the Blade 14, but if you want a Razer Blade laptop, this is pretty much par for the course, and there's no denying the laptop's other premium qualities that it brings to the table. Just be prepared to pay the higher bill at the end.

Also, in the US and UK, you have the option to select the Mercury colorway rather than the classic Razer Black, though it is only available on the RTX 5070/1TB SSD/32GB RAM configuration.

Value: 3.5 / 5

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Specs

The internal spec stickers on the palmrest of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Up to RTX 5070 GPU, 2TB SSD, and 64GB RAM
AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor
Not upgradeable and not a whole lot of configuration options

The starting configuration of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gives you the essentials for modern portable gaming: an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB LPDDR5-8000MT/s RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. That’s more than enough for strong performance in esports and AAA titles at 1080p, high settings, and medium raytracing enabled when using upscaling, but storage will feel tight if you're planning on installing a lot of big games.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) base configuration
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$2,299.99 at Razer	£1,999.99 at Razer	AU$3,599.95 at Razer
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365
GPU	Nvidia RTX 5060	Nvidia RTX 5060	Nvidia RTX 5060
Memory	16GB LPDDR5-8000MT/s	16GB LPDDR5-8000MT/s	16GB LPDDR5-8000MT/s
Storage	1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD	1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD	1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Display	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED
Ports	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack
Battery	72WHr	72WHr	72WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello
Weight	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg
Dimensions	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm

The top configuration quadruples the available memory and doubles the storage over the base spec while bumping the GPU up to an RTX 5070 GPU. That makes it a very solid mobile workstation for creatives in addition to being a fantastic 1440p gaming platform in an impressively thin 14-inch form factor.

The one knock I do have on the max spec is that other thin and light gaming laptops, like the Zephyrus G14, do manage to give you options for the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080, so those who want even more power do have alternatives to the Blade 14.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) top configuration
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$2,999.99 at Razer	£2,699.99 at Razer	AU$4,899.95 at Razer
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365
GPU	Nvidia RTX 5070	Nvidia RTX 5070	Nvidia RTX 5070
Memory	64GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	64GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	64GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s
Storage	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe
Display	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED
Ports	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack
Battery	72WHr	72WHr	72WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello
Weight	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg
Dimensions	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm

My review unit fell somewhere in between, with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. Of the available configuration options, it offers what I think is the best balance between cost and performance.

With this setup, I never worried about performance bottlenecks in games or creative workloads, and the 1TB drive gave me enough space for my go-to Steam titles, currently Helldivers 2, Satisfactory, and a heavily modded Baulder's Gate 3. But unless you're loading up on small indie titles, you can expect to have to do some storage juggling for this configuration.

It's also worth noting that this laptop is not easily upgradable, and the RAM here is soldered. There are also a limited number of configuration options to choose from, so it's not a very customizable laptop, opting for the MacBook route rather than a more DIY approach.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) review configuration
	US	UK	Australia
Price	$2,699.99 at Razer	£2,399.99 at Razer	AU$4,299.95 at Razer
CPU	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365	AMD Ryzen AI 9 365
GPU	Nvidia RTX 5070	Nvidia RTX 5070	Nvidia RTX 5070
Memory	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s	32GB LPDDR5x - 8400MT/s
Storage	1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe	1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe
Display	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED	14-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED
Ports	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB4 Type-C (Power, DP2.1 , Data), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack
Battery	72WHr	72WHr	72WHr
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Camera	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello	1080p IR w/ Windows Hello
Weight	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg	3.59 lbs \| 1.63 kg
Dimensions	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm	12.23 x 8.83 x 0.64 ins \| 310.7 x 224.3 x 16.2mm

Specs: 4 / 5

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Design

A Razer Blade 14 (2025) on a desk with its lid closed — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Thinner and lighter than Blade 14 2024
OLED Display
Black finish is a fingerprint magnet

The Blade 14 (2025) doesn't take any real risks with the design of the iconic laptop model, being more of a modest refinement of Razer's aesthetic.

The biggest move here is the display, which is a gorgeous-looking OLED panel rather than the more standard IPS of the Razer Blade 14 (2024). It also comes in thinner and lighter than last year's model, managing to shave off nearly half a pound of weight (about 0.2kg) and shrink its height by just over half an inch (nearly 2mm).

The chassis corner of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The CNC-machined aluminum chassis feels solid in the hands, with zero flex in the lid or keyboard deck. It carries that understated “MacBook for gamers” vibe that a number of the best thin and light gaming laptops hope to hit but often fall short of reaching.

The under-display ventilation ports on the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The matte black colorway on my review model looks sleek, but it attracts fingerprints almost instantly. I didn’t particularly care all that much, but if you do, expect to be wiping this laptop down almost constantly if you're sticking with the Razer Black finish.

The ports on the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Port selection is generous for such a compact laptop: two USB4 (with PD, DP2.1, and data), a pair of USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, an HDMI 2.1 output ports, and a microSD card reader, something creatives will appreciate.

A masculine hand tilting the Razer Blade 14 (2025) upward to show off the keyboard — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The keyboard offers per-key RGB customization through Razer Synapse, so you have lots of options for customizing the lighting design to your liking. While twinkly, the shallow 1mm key travel left typing feeling somewhat flat compared to a competing MacBook Pro or Lenovo Legion laptop, though the keyboard does feel more comfortable than that of the Dell 14 Premium.

The touchpad, by contrast, is excellent—large, smooth, and every bit as responsive as you’d find on the best MacBook.

One of the speakers along the side of the keydeck of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The six-speaker setup also deserves mention. I've been on a The Sword kick lately, and their entire catalog sounded fantastic, filling the room with surprising depth. Meanwhile, the chaos of Helldiver 2's recent updates never sounded better, making it one of the few gaming laptops where I felt I didn't need to bother with an external speaker or headphones.

The webcam of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The 1080p IR webcam is great, but the lack of a physical privacy shutter isn't, though you do get the enhanced security of Windows Hello.

Like Razer Blade 14s of the past though, the design of this laptop doesn't lend itself to much upgradability, so if you're hoping to spec-up in the future, you'll need to plan for that at checkout before you buy and configure it for the long-haul.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Performance

Helldivers 2 playing on a Razer Blade 14 (2025) that is surrounded by gaming peripherals — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Phenomenal gaming performance
Outstanding creative performance
Not always an improvement over previous-gen models

Day to day, the Blade 14 felt like a solid desktop PC stuffed into a svelte, lightweight 14-inch frame, making it easy to carry around with me and get things done on the go.

Over the course of about three weeks (including one week of dedicated benchmark testing), I used it for writing, photo editing, and heavy multitasking and didn't experience any real hiccups. Even with my downright abusive Chrome-tab-habits, adding Spotify streaming to the mix and some Photoshop and Lightroom exporting sent to the background, the Blade 14 (2025) stayed fluid and never stuttered.

In my CPU benchmarks, the new Blade 14 generally outclassed its predecessors, and while it doesn't really compete with the performance of the Apple M4 chip for professional workloads, it does generally come in second against Apple's best mobile workstation.

Naturally, the upgraded Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU in the new Blade 14 beats the last two Blade 14 models, both of which we reviewed with an RTX 4070 GPU. There aren't a lot of tests where we can use for an apples-to-razers comparison of the GPU in the MacBook Pro 14 and Blade 14, unfortunately, but at least in the cross-platform 3DMark Steel Nomad, it's not even a contest, as the Blade 14's RTX 5070 GPU scores about 3.6x better in this synthetic GPU test.

In terms of creative performance, the Blade 14 2025 more than holds its own against its predecessors and its main rival amongst the best Windows laptops for creatives, the Dell 14 Premium, falling behind only the MacBook Pro 14 in my Crossmark Creativity testing, and even then, not by much.

When it came to gaming, though, the Blade 14 really impressed me. At its native 2880×1800 resolution, Games like F1 2024 and Helldivers 2 ran well into the high double and even triple digits on ultra settings with balanced DLSS (not counting Frame Generation), while games like Satisfactory (my personal go-to) stayed above 100 FPS constantly.

Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing at 1080p pushed the GPU hard, averaging around 50 FPS, but enabling DLSS 4's Transformer model made it silky smooth at 1080p and very playable at 1440p, hovering between 50-80 FPS depending on the DLSS setting used.

Since the base frame rates are north of 50 FPS when using DLSS, you can turn on Frame Generation as well to push that FPS higher to max out the display's 120Hz refresh without having to worry about input latency, which wasn't noticeable in my time gaming on the laptop when I used the feature.

The key standout for me though wasn’t just raw average framerates—it was stability on the low-end. Minimum frame rates on just about every game I tested with balanced upscaling were well north of 50 FPS unless I did something like trying to run Cyberpunk 2077 on its max settings with Ray Tracing Overdrive at native resolution.

This means that for pretty much any title, you're going to get exceptionally smooth gameplay on the go, which is what a laptop like this is really all about.

Performance: 5 / 5

Razer Blade 14 (2025): Battery Life

The Windows 11 battery indicator on a Razer Blade 14 (2025) — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How long does it last on a single charge? It lasted about five hours on my standard 'performance' test settings
Proprietary charger required to charge it quickly, but you can use USB4 for slower charging

The battery life on the Blade 14 2025 isn't fantastic, but it's pretty solid for a gaming laptop, especially with some power-saving tweaks.

In my normal test settings, with max resolution and frame rate with the laptop set to Windows 11 Performance mode, the Blade 14 2025 fell behind a lot of other competing 14-inch laptops on the market, as well as its two immediate predecessors, with an average battery life of just five hours and one minute in our Web Surfing test.

It manages to do a little bit better on the gaming battery test, though it still lags behind its immediate predecessors. One thing to consider though is that of all the 14-inch laptops I tested here, only the Dell 14 Premium has an OLED panel to match what the Blade 14 is sporting, while the earlier Blade 14s and the MacBook Pro aren't bogged down by the OLED display's higher power consumption.

It is worth noting though that slowing down the refresh rate to 60Hz rather than 120Hz and you turn off the RGB lighting on the keydeck, you can stretch this battery life out to over eight hours.

Also, the Blade 14 2025 comes with a proprietary charging brick and port for the fastest charging and best plugged-in performance while gaming, but the USB4 ports do allow for USB-C charging, just at a slower rate.

Battery Life: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Razer Blade 14 (2025)?

A Razer Blade 14 (2025) on a desk with its lid facing the viewer — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Razer Blade 14 (2025) Scorecard
Category	Notes	Rating
Value	You are absolutely paying the Razer tax here, and you can get the same performance from other laptops for cheaper.	3.5 / 5
Specs	The specs are fairly solid for this laptop, but the lack of upgradability and high-end specs allow rivals to swoop in and offer more for enthusiast gamers.	4 / 5
Design	The Blade 14 2025 doesn't disappoint with its design, slimming down over the previous year and keeping true to its iconic style.	4.5 / 5
Performance	Fantastic performance all around makes this one of the best gaming laptops for on-the-go PC gamers who don't want to fuss with a PC gaming handheld.	5 / 5
Battery Life	The OLED panel on this laptop absolutely tanks its battery life, and anyone needing a work laptop for longevity are better off with a Snapdragon X Elite-powered system or a MacBook Pro 14.	3.5 / 5
Final Score	Overall, between iconic style and fantastic performance, the Blade 14 is a phenomenal slim and light gaming laptop, though it'd be great if it was just a bit cheaper considering its rivals can offer similar or better performance for less.	4.5 / 5

Buy the Razer Blade 14 (2025) if...

You want the best design the iconic Razer style can offer
The Blade 14 (2025) truly is the MacBook of gaming laptops, with a thinner and lighter form factor than last year.

You want the best OLED gaming laptop going
The OLED panel on the Blade 14 is fantastic, beating out mini-LED rivals and absolutely burying IPS laptops without breaking a sweat.

You want the perfect balance of performance and portability
If what you care about most is getting the fastest frame rates possible in your games, the Blade 14 won't beat any current S-tier gaming laptops, but if you're looking to maximize performance and portability, you'll find few better than the Blase 14 2025.

Don't buy it if...

You want desktop-replacement class performance
The Blade 14's performance is great, but if you're looking for face-melting framerates, a laptop with a RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 will be a better option.

You're on a budget
This laptop starts at two grand and only gets more expensive the better its configuration. A cheap laptop, this is not.

You don't want to deal with the quirks of OLED care
OLED displays are gorgeous, but they suffer from burn-in over time, which might be a dealbreaker for anyone looking to use this laptop for more than 3-4 years.

Also consider

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the best gaming laptops in this size, and it offers higher-level configurations than the Blade 14 2025 can, while its entry-level model comes in cheaper than the Blade 14.

Read more about the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024)
Creative professionals who might be considering the Blade 14 2025 will almost always get better creative performance from the MacBook Pro 14-inch across non-3D-modeling workloads, like video editing and photography.

Read the full Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) review

How I tested the Razer Blade 14 (2025)

I spent about three weeks with the Razer Blade 14 (2025)
I used it for everyday gaming, work, and creative tasks
I ran it through our standard suite of benchmark tests

I had the chance to test out the Razer Blade 14 2025 for about three weeks, which is about 50% longer than I usually have to devote to a single laptop review, so I really got to know this laptop.

I used it for day-to-day writing tasks (including drafting this review), as well as general productivity and creative work, including Adobe Photoshop for editing the photos shown above.

For gaming, I used it extensively as my primary gaming device, focusing on more demanding titles like Helldivers 2, Satisfactory, as well as more requirement-friendly titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong.

I've reviewed dozens of gaming laptops for TechRadar over the course of half a decade, ranging from the very best desktop replacements to the best budget gaming laptops, so I know what the market has to offer. I leverage that insight and expertise to help readers by offering the best advice I can on what gaming laptops offer the best value, and which are worth the splurge.

First reviewed September 2025

iPhone 17 series early Geekbench scores show minor CPU gains

1:55 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: CPU | Comments: Off

The iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air are now official, and a few Geekbench runs have emerged, giving us our first glimpse at how the Apple A19 and A19 Pro chips fare in synthetic benchmarks. Apple A19 and A19 Pro chips iPhone 17 (iPhone 18,3) managed a single-core CPU score of 3,608 and a multi-core score of 8,810. A quick comparison reveals a 10% jump in single-core score and 11% improvement for the multi-core department compared to the outgoing iPhone 16. The new listing also confirms the iPhone 17 is equipped with 8GB LPDDR5x RAM. iPhone 17 (18,3) Geekbench CPU and GPU...

iPhone 17 series early Geekbench scores show minor CPU gains

1:55 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: CPU | Comments: Off

I tested the AI-enhanced Geekom A9 Max mini PC – and the superb performance makes it a must-have pro-grade office machine

9:02 pm | September 6, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets | Tags: CPU, GPU, Indiana Jones, RAM | Comments: Off

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: 30-second review

The Geekom A9 Max is a stylish, premium-styled mini PC that incorporates the latest AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with NPU and integrated AMD graphics. It is a small, stylish machine that has been designed to handle general office work, AI workloads and applications that utilise an AI, such as CoPilot or Photoshop, are given a generative boost.

As I've seen from this line of mini PCs before, the machine is well equipped, with the review sample arriving with 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD that backs up the powerful CPU and integrated GPU. Sure enough, through the test, it proved to be an exceptional office-focused machine with more than enough power to handle heavy-duty day-to-day tasks, such as Microsoft Office and more intensive applications to a point.

The speed of handling large files and browsing documents on a 4K monitor all worked well within the processing abilities of this small machine. I also liked the fact that there were plenty of connectivity options, with LAN ports enabling me to plug directly into my NAS as well as the network for increased transfer rates.

Other connectivity options, such as Wi-Fi 7, proved robust, although I did have a few connection issues with the Eero 6 router. Once swapped to an updated Wi-Fi 7 network, the connection transformed in speed and reliability.

In use, the machine handled 1080p video editing in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve with ease. However, as I started to tackle a couple of 4K video edits, it became apparent that although the CPU was capable, the integrated GPU slightly held it back.

For social media edits, the machine proved superb, offering plenty of power and flexibility, especially in CapCut. One aspect I liked about the design, especially if you need to handle larger files, is the ability to install a secondary M.2 SSD to boost internal storage.

The volume of connection options came in handy, enabling easy integration within an office or studio setup, with four USB ports in a line across the front. Working in the creative sector, it's also always nice to see an SD card slot at the side to quickly offload image and video files.

By the end of the test, I was genuinely impressed with the performance. It handled Windows, Office, and creative applications with relative ease, up to a certain point, where the GPU seemed to hold back its potential.

A key feature of this machine is that it's enhanced for any application that has AI integration, such as Photoshop, Copilot, Zoom, Teams background blur, noise cancellation, and real-time translation. During testing, I used the AI NPU in Photoshop and Lightroom for AI-powered selection, upscaling, and background removal.

The AI CPU also supports running local machine learning models and your own AI test bench, if that's your thing.

I finished the test with a bit of gaming. The limitations of the GPU became more apparent at this point. While gaming at 1080p was OK, once graphics were enhanced and resolution increased, frame drops became noticeable. Lighter games like DiRT Rally ran fine and were playable.

However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle required all graphics settings to be reduced, and even then, there were still occasional image breakups.

It was clear this stylish machine has been finely tuned for office and creative space use. It's an ideal option with robust connectivity options and enough power for day-to-day office tasks and a bit more. It can handle many standard creative tasks, such as video editing and image enhancement, without many issues. Only when stepping up to high-resolution, high-bitrate 4K video did its limits become clear.

If you're in the market for one of the best mini PC units, with high-quality, high-performance for the home or office, then the Geekom A9 Max is a superb option.

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $999 / £999
When is it out? Now
Where can you get it? Widely available

The GEEKOM A9 Max AI Mini PC is available directly from Geekom US for $999 and Geekom UK for £999 at time of review. This includes 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB PCIe SSD.

It's also available from most major online retailers, including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Value: 4 / 5

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Design

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
Graphics: AMD Radeon 890M
RAM: 32GB Dual Channel DDR5-5600 SODIMM (128GB MAX)
Storage: 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD, 1 x M.2 2230 SSD
Front Ports: 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 3.5mm stereo headphone
Rear Ports: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, USB 2.0 Type-A, USB 4.0 Type-C DP-Alt mode / PD, USB 4.0 Type-C DP-Alt mode, 2 x RJ45, 2 x HDMI 2.1, DC
Side Ports: SD Card slot
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: 3.5mm Audio in
Camera: N/A
Size: 1135 x 132 x 46.9 mm
OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro
Accessories: VESA Mount

The A9 Max is a premium mini PC with a CNC-machined aluminium chassis, offering a durable and sleek aesthetic. Lifting it out of the box, there's no doubt this machine has a distinct premium feel.

It measures 135 x 132 x 46.9 mm, making it fairly average in size for this style of computer, and with a slightly heavier weight, it feels more substantial than many cheaper mini PCs on the market.

The premium build and extensive connectivity pitch this mini PC towards professional and mid-to-high-end home environments. It wouldn't look out of place in any design studio with its minimalistic design.

One feature that's instantly apparent over many other mini PCs is the sheer volume of connectivity options, both wireless and wired. Around the body of the machine, there's a row of four USB-A ports across the front, all of which are USB 3.2 Gen 2. The rest of the front is relatively minimalistic with just a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.

On the side, there's an SD card 4.0 slot to quickly download files from your camera or other devices.

Around the back, there's another USB 3.2 Gen 2 alongside a USB-A and USB 2.0. Also present are two USB 4.0 ports, one of which supports PD power. These are joined by two RJ45 networking ports, two HDMI 2.1 FRL ports, and the DC-in socket.

Inside, once opened, both RAM and storage are upgradeable. The RAM is dual-channel DDR5 5600 MHz, upgradeable to 128 GB. Storage includes two M.2 2280 SSD NVMe Gen 4 slots, and our review sample came pre-installed with 2 TB.

The aluminium chassis also contributes to cooling, integrating with a large heatsink, heat pipes, and a fan. While not fanless, the cooling system is necessary for the powerful CPU, NPU, and GPU.

A VESA mount is included, so it can be wall-mounted or attached to the back of a monitor.

Ultimately, the A9 Max offers a stunning minimalistic design that offers plenty of processing power, connectivity and a boost in performance for applications that support AI.

Design: 5 / 5

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Features

The core highlight of this machine is its AI potential. Alongside the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU, there's an integrated AMD Radeon 890M GPU and NPU powered by the XDNA 2 engine. This offers up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance and a total AI acceleration of 77–80 TOPS, ideal for Copilot, local LLMs, object detection, voice recognition, and any AI-integrated applications such as Windows 11 and Adobe Photoshop with generative features.

On the back, display options include two HDMI and two USB4 ports, supporting up to 8K monitor output.

The machine also offers ample flexibility for upgrades. Dual-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM slots can be upgraded to 128 GB, and the two PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD slots support up to 8 TB, which is substantial for a machine of this size.

Network connectivity is also good with Wi-Fi 7 and dual LAN for fast wired and wireless connections, making it suitable for both setups and streaming. The fact that it comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro means that it's ready to be used as part of a mid to large scale business, but if you're not a Windows fan it will also support alternative operating systems such as Ubuntu.

Features: 4.5 / 5

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Performance

CrystalDiskMark Read: 6234.88MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 5371.08MB/s
Geekbench CPU Multi: 15190
Geekbench CPU Single: 2938
Geekbench GPU: 41100
PCMark Overall: 7638
Cinebench CPU Multi: 20802
Cinebench CPU Single: 2026
Fire Strike Overall: 8631
Fire Strike Graphics: 9396
Fire Strike Physics: 30023
Fire Strike Combined: 3222
Time Spy Overall: 3622
Time Spy Graphics: 3284
Time Spy CPU: 10559
Wild Life Overall: 19157
Steel Nomad Overall: 546
Windows Experience Overall: 8.2

Getting started with the Geekom A9 Max is straightforward. Simply run through the Windows 11 Pro setup, which takes around five to ten minutes, then after the updates, it's ready for your choice of applications to be installed.

Windows 11 Pro runs extremely smoothly from the outset, with the only issue I encountered being the wireless connectivity with my Eero 6 router. After switching to a Wi-Fi 7 router, both speed and reliability significantly improved, suggesting a conflict between the A9 Max and the Eero 6, which I've experienced before with Wi-Fi 7-enabled machines.

Running Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office applications went without issue. Using Microsoft Word with Copilot was fast and responsive, and that performance was pretty much reflected across all Office applications. In Adobe Photoshop, the generative fill feature processed quickly with good results.

Because applications were able to use the local AI CPU and NPU, there was no reliance on cloud-based AI, essentially helping to speed up the amount of processing time, especially with the Adobe Creative Apps, compared to machines that aren't AI-enhanced.

The performance in Photoshop and Lightroom was impressive and far smoother than I expected for a machine of this size, which led me on to testing higher resolution video. Using CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve, initially for a simple 1080p edit with effects, the A9 Max handled everything smoothly. The 2 TB SSD and fast transfer speeds meant it could manage social media and small-scale video production, making it ideal for small-scale creative work.

However, when working with 4K footage shot on a Sony A7 IV, the GPU began to show its limits. Fans ramped up under load, timeline rendering slowed, and clip import times increased. That said, for a small form factor, performance remained impressive, and fan noise was generally well managed.

In gaming tests, DiRT Rally performed well, though it isn't graphically demanding. Tekken 8 also played well, though effects had to be reduced; however, when it came to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the performance was less fluid, with dropped frames and occasional stuttering. The gaming highlighted how the integrated GPU is adequate for light gaming, but not for graphics-intensive titles.

Benchmark results confirmed real-world impressions. Windows 11 Pro and Office are performing well, reflected in a PCMark score of 7638 and a Windows Experience Index of 8.2, both typical for premium mini PCs. Office applications such as Excel and PowerPoint loaded quickly and allowed for fast multitasking, thanks to strong Geekbench CPU single and multi-core scores.

Creative applications also performed well as a whole, with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom running smoothly, and the Geekbench GPU score of 41100 highlighted the machine's potential for mid-range graphics processing.

SSD speeds were particularly impressive, with a read speed of 6234 MB/s and a write speed of 5371 MB/s. These speeds helped with video editing, especially when handling larger files.

In Premiere Pro, 1080p editing went well, but at 4K, performance dropped as effects were applied. DaVinci Resolve was less stable overall and demanded more from the graphics system. While usable at 1080p, the experience was definitely less fluid as I had to wait for the renders to catch up.

By the end of testing, it was clear that the A9 Max is very capable for Windows 11 Pro, Office, and general productivity tasks. With internal upgrades available, there's good potential. Even the base 32 GB RAM and 2 TB storage are enough for social media editing at 1080p. It's worth noting that, like other Geekom machines of this level, replacing the RAM and SSD is relatively easy; simply take off the base, remove the antenna wires, and then remove the next plate to gain access. While some machines enable you to leave the antenna wires in place, here there isn't quite enough length, and if you do leave them in place, they'll disconnect from the wireless card, and refitting them can be a tedious and painstaking task.

Through the test the speed of the machine generally impressed with the only significant slowdown occurring during editing of high-bitrate 4K footage from a mirrorless camera. Standard 4K from a smartphone was manageable, though it has lower data rates by comparison.

In gaming, performance was average. The machine is clearly designed more for work than play. The extensive connectivity, four front USB-A ports, USB4 at the back, and dual LAN make integration into an office network easy, making it a great office-based solution.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Final verdict

The Geekom A9 Max is a great mini PC that looks fantastic, with a CNC-machined aluminium chassis that fits perfectly in any office or studio.

Its standout features include build quality and upgradeability, essentially as your needs grow, internal storage and RAM can be increased. For multimedia editing, more RAM would help with higher-bitrate video and effect-heavy workflows. Storage can also be expanded from 2 TB up to 8 TB, reducing the need for external drives.

The dual LAN ports allow high-speed connections to a local network or NAS. For small office setups, this is a real advantage, although it's worth noting that LAN speeds are capped at 2.5 GbE, rather than the 5 or 10 GbE you might expect in a premium system.

If you find yourself regularly plugging and unplugging accessories, the row of front USB-A ports is a big time-saver; however, it's a shame there's no USB-C on the front for faster devices.

I also liked the fact that there's the inclusion of the SD card reader, which makes it easy to quickly offload image and video files to the internal SSD, which offers exceptionally fast read/write speeds and helps significantly in workflows involving large files or media.

By the end of testing, it was clear this is a premium-level office machine. There are some omissions, such as the lack of a front USB4 port or faster LAN, but for its main purpose as an office-based machine, it delivers.

Should I buy a Geekom A9 Max Mini PC?

Value	A great machine that is a perfect solution for office use, though the quality does come with a price premium	4
Design	The solid CNC-machined aluminium chassis looks fantastic and feels incredibly robust	5
Features	With AMD's latest CPU, NPU, and GPU all integrated into a single chip, this machine is office-ready	4.5
Performance	With AMD's latest CPU, NPU, and GPU all integrated into a single chip, this machine is office-ready	4.5
Overalls	A great option for any office, especially if you use Copilot or other applications that utilise AI integration	4.5

Buy it if...

You want an AI-ready PC

The latest CPU with NPU enables full use of AI services through local processing, which helps speed up results and improve workflow.

You need a future-proof option.

With the latest CPU, USB4, and Wi-Fi, this system includes new technologies that should remain relevant for years.

Don't buy it if...

You need discrete GPU performance.

The integrated graphics are good, but for high-end creative tasks or gaming, a dedicated GPU is still preferable.

You're on a tight budget.

This is a premium mini PC with premium pricing. Entry-level models may offer better value depending on your needs.

For more professional-level tech, we've tested the best business computers and best business laptops around.

I reviewed this 25-inch portable monitor – I just wish it lived up to its huge potential

9:47 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets | Tags: CPU, RAM | Comments: Off

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: 30-second review

From the outset, the potential of the KTC MegPad A25Q5 is obvious, essentially offering a completely portable touchscreen monitor with the Android 14 operating system that gives you full access to the Play Store and all of the apps that come with it.

Starting out, everything looked positive with a solid build and great design, so I started by looking at some of the usual Android apps that I use when testing other Android devices. The integration proved to be good, especially if you want to watch streaming video from YouTube or your favourite streaming service.

However, while it's great seeing the Android 14 at such a scale, some apps seemed soft in clarity, as if the scale of the display was slightly beyond the limits of the screen size, as there was sometimes a lack of crispness of icons and text in some but not all apps.

The more I started to delve into video and games, the more I started to see the limitations of this monitor that's pushing physical size with the display resolution. It still looks good, but sit too close and you'll notice that the colour lacks tonal graduation and details are smoothed in much of the video content. The HD resolution just starts to make everything look a little bit soft, especially when I'm so used to high-resolution monitors 4K and above.

The ability to plug into a laptop is handy with that 25-inch screen. However, once again, because the pixel depth is reduced, the clarity of the text on screen, whilst perfectly readable, just isn't as crisp and smooth as I've come to expect with the latest laptops, phones and tablets, even at the entry level. And once again, there's the fine detail, and the colour that once again lacks. So if you are thinking of this as a portable monitor for creative or even office use, then it is going to be a little bit limiting.

I really did like the fact that it has an internal battery and gives you a relatively decent amount of usage time, but once again, if you're thinking about using this portable monitor out on site, then that battery life at 5 hours will be a limit. Whilst it's fine for the odd meeting or lengthy presentation, anything ongoing just isn't possible.

The other aspect to consider is if you think this monitor could be useful for gaming, but again, with a 1080p resolution and maximum refresh rate of only 60Hz, games lack the impact of other smaller portable monitors, and that refresh rate does make some games look a little bit jerky, and then there's the actual power of the processor and CPU to contend with.

So, whilst the design and build quality of this monitor is good and I love the concept, it lacks the quality of hardware to enable it to reach its potential.

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $399
When is it out? Now
Where can you get it? Widely available

At present, the KTC MegPad A25Q5 is available directly from the KTC US website and is priced at US$399, with the usual regular price of US$599.

In the US, I'm also seeing it on Amazon.com for $390 and on Newegg, where it's priced at $346.

Value: 4 / 5

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: Design

Specifications

CPU: Qualcomm SM6115 (Snapdragon 662-class)
Graphics: Adreno 610 (integrated)
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4
Storage: 128GB internal (expandable)
Left Ports: USB-C, DC in
Onboard controls: Power button, volume rocker
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
Audio: Dual stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack
Camera: 720p front camera with privacy slider
Size: 568 × 332 × 39 mm
OS Installed: Android 14
Accessories: Remote control, charger,

The aesthetic design of the KTC MegPad A25Q5 is striking, with its matte cream finish giving it a stylish and friendly aesthetic. The body is nicely curved with a textured back and fabric carry handle with a robust fold-out stand that enables you to position the monitor in both landscape and portrait orientation.

When it comes to the size, it measures in at 22.37 in x 13.09 in (568.3 mm x 332.5 mm) with the thickness just 1.54 in (39 mm). Overall, the build quality of the monitor is exceptionally high, not quite premium, but not far off.

Taking a look around the body of the monitor, there are only two ports: the first is for the power, and the second is for the USB-C connection that enables you to plug into a laptop or tablet so that the machine can be used as an external display. Alternatively, you can plug in an external storage device. Otherwise, the only other physical feature is the small webcam with a privacy slider that enables you to slide a physical cover over the camera.

The display itself has a gloss finish that handles reflections well, with bezels that are relatively thick at roughly 10 mm, although, as they're flat to the display, these days, you would expect a slightly thinner design.

The diagonal of the display is essentially 25 inches, which does give you a good viewing area, especially for a portable monitor. And as well as being an IPS, it also offers 10-point touch functionality, which, for the Android operating system,. However, if you're connecting to a laptop with touchscreen functionality, that touchscreen functionality isn't carried across to the monitor for Windows 11 or macOS.

Alongside the monitor comes a very handy remote control that enables you to sit back and actually interact with the monitor without needing to get up and touch the screen. The layout of the remote is intuitive, with physical buttons that make it easy to navigate around the Android screen interface and also adjust volume and the monitor settings, and has a nifty pointer option, which is more intuitive to use when using streaming and TV apps.

As a portable monitor, there is quite a lot on offer here. The fact that it can be used as a touchscreen Android tablet at scale for streaming and watching back web content, and also used as an external monitor for your laptop or tablet, and will playback media from external storage devices does give it plenty of potential, especially with a design and build quality that means it's durable enough to easily be carried around, making it a seemingly ideal solution for many creative and business users.

Design: 4 / 5

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: Features

The feature list here is impressive, with the standout feature being the pure portability, thanks to the built-in internal battery that supplies it with a good few hours of use. Unlike other portable monitors, there's also an integrated Android device with full Android 14 OS, including the Play Store, readily accessible once powered up.

The monitor has also been exceptionally well conceived, so it's simple plug and play, so when you plug your laptop or another tablet device into the monitor through the USB-C connection on the side, the monitor instantly recognises that it is being required as an external display and automatically swaps its usage type from tablet to external display.

Going into some of the features and settings within the Android operating system enables you to adjust a lot of the visual settings, including the brightness and screen colour temperature. Through this test, I found that the default screen brightness of 55% was actually a really good balance for everyday use.

Internally powering the Android 14 operating system is 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is relatively good for storing apps on the system. While the internal storage isn't huge, there is the option to connect other external storage devices through the side USB-C port, and this supports the ExFat file format, which is quite generic and widely used.

As I mentioned in the build section, there is an 8 million pixel webcam, which is good enough for 720p quality, not as high as you'd find on many premium mobile phones, but decent enough for a bit of web conferencing. One of the things I liked about the webcam is that it has a privacy shutter, so you can be absolutely 100% sure that when the shutter is slid across the lens, you won't be broadcasting.

If you're looking for a portable monitor for use as part of a display, then the touchscreen functionality is obviously quite handy, especially for presentations or interactive displays where you want people to interact with the monitor itself, as long as what you're using is Android-based.

There's also a physical remote control, so if you are using it for media or kiosk use, then you can interact with it using the remote from a distance. Whilst the remote is simple, it does give you lots of control over all of the options and settings, including playing back media.

Again, when it comes to the features, it is a shame that there is no HDMI, DP input, or Bluetooth; there's just that one USB-C port. However, through the test, I did find that the Wi-Fi connection was extremely robust.

Features: 4 / 5

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: Performance

Display quality:

GAMUT: 4.5
Tone response: 3.5
White point: 2.5
Contrast: 2.0
Luminance uniformity: 3.5
Colour uniformity: 4.5
Colour accuracy: 3.5
Overall rating: 3.5

Hardware performance:

Disk Speed Test Read 822 MB/s
Disk Speed Test Write 185 MB/s
Geekbench Single 319
Geekbench Multi 948
Geekbench GPU 297
3DMark Wildlife: 504
3DMark Slingshot: 1732

The KTC MegPad A25Q5 has, from the outset, so much potential. The design is elegant, it feels really robust, and with that carry handle on top, it is ultra-portable. So, if you need to carry it around the office or you're at a show and need to use this as a kiosk display, then its portability is a real bonus.

Personally, I also really like the simplicity of the design. The front of the screen is just nice and clean, and although it does have that rather thick bezel going all the way around, it isn't overly distracting.

While the number of input/output ports is relatively meagre, just the power and USB Type-C, they do offer enough to make this an extremely flexible portable monitor in use. With the ability to use it as a large-screen Android tablet, an external monitor for your laptop, or if you plug in external storage, it can be used as a playback device, obviously using the Android 14 operating system.

I started the test by taking a look at the Android functionality. And whilst at 25 inches the screen does push the Android operating system user interface, it still looks nice and clean and is very easy to navigate. In use, with that 8GB of RAM and decent volume of storage, the operating system does seem to run exceptionally smoothly. Loading up web streaming services from Netflix to YouTube, the streaming quality of video does seem exceptionally good. And whilst the screen is limited to 60Hz, for most TV and movies, the smoothness of motion is perfectly adequate.

However, I will say that with the resolution limited to just 1080p, you can really see that downscaling, detail and tonal graduation compared with a laptop or even many other higher resolution portable monitors.

I will say, however, that the two built-in speakers do provide a good depth of audio, which gives a far better audio experience than many other monitors, portable or otherwise.

Flicking through a few of the other Android apps, and for the most part, there is just enough processing power supplied by this Android operating system to plough through most tasks without too much issue.

Applications such as CapCut enable some video editing, although you do need to keep it light, and delving into a few Android games, while nice to see them on the larger screen, the system did struggle. But there again, the resolution is a little bit of an issue, as is the rather low refresh rate for gaming.

Where it did excel was with Google Docs and the Google Suite. That larger screen gave a much larger interface to type up and read documents, and whether it was typing on a document or scrolling through spreadsheets, the large font and space just make things nice and fluid.

Starting to push the processing again, and I loaded Lightroom to edit some photos again, which showed that there was a real issue with the lack of resolution for apps when displayed at this size. Essentially, it felt like the colour depth and the gradient handling just weren't up to scratch, and any issues just seemed to be amplified with this huge screen; however, the actual use and processing were absolutely fine.

As I started to run through the benchmarking tests, they reinforced that this is a mid-level Android device, perfectly good for basic use, browsing the internet, and streaming content. However, at all times, the lower resolution at 1080p on a 25-inch display just highlights those visual issues of lack of colour depth and detail.

Whilst you can weigh up the balance of cost, as this portable monitor does only cost $399, you can excuse some of that visual quality. And if you're looking for a portable display that can be used in meetings or in show kiosks, then it is actually a good option.

Through my test, running a series of benchmarking, streaming, and productivity tests on the monitor, I was able to get 5 hours of use. For me, I feel that's relatively decent. But if you want a monitor that lasts the distance, say half a day to a full day, then you will need to look at some sort of external power source for the monitor.

Performance: 2 / 5

KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor: Final verdict

The KTC MegPad A25Q5 has so much potential. It looks great and, on paper, everything about it seems to point at a product that will meet many different criteria, from a sleek portable monitor that you can use at home or in the office to stream back content, do video calls, watch TV and play games. And, of course, you can do all of this.

It also offers a full Android 14 touchscreen tablet experience, so you can utilise all the usual Android apps, and you have full access to the Google Play Store, which does give it plenty more potential.

So, when it comes to a functional smart display, the KTC A25Q5 could have been exceptional. However, it's limited by the quality of the actual display, with all of the innovation seemingly put into its workflow and functionality rather than its main focus, display quality.

From the outset, the quality of the display just seems to lack clarity. The Android 14 operating system, whilst working perfectly and generally giving a smooth experience (aside from gaming, where it's a little bit limited), just looks a little bit soft on this 25-inch screen. And the reason for that is not the size of the screen, but the resolution, which limits its pixel density.

As I started to run through the performance tests with Geekbench and 3DMark, it highlighted the limited processing power of the monitor. Then, as I delved into the more important feature, the qualities of the display, using Datacolor Spyder X2, it really started to highlight the limitations.

Across the board, the results in the Spyder X2 were average, again reinforcing the lack of detail and clarity that I was seeing, either using Android or a direct connection into a laptop, for both Mac and PC. So, whilst this portable monitor has huge potential, it really is limited by that display.

The battery was a highlight and I wasn't expecting much, however, it did seem to last the distance with a decent 5 hours of use. All things considered, especially the price that this monitor offers, is pure flexibility.

The fact that it could be used as a large-scale Android tablet so that you can watch back media at okay quality, that you can plug it into your laptop to give a bigger display when giving a presentation, and the ability to plug in external media so that you can play back content on the larger display using the Android operating system, still makes it extremely useful, just not the high quality that I would've expected.

Essentially, the concept for this monitor is absolutely spot on, and it's very easy to see how useful and how much potential this monitor has. It's just so unfortunate that the quality of the display underdelivers and lacks the sharpness and polish that I wanted.

Should I buy a KTC MegPad A25Q5 monitor?

Value	Great value for money considering that you get a large-scale Android tablet, external display and media playback monitor in one	4
Design	The build quality, design and aesthetics all look great, and with a simple carry handle, it just finishes off the design nicely	4
Features	Checking through the features, and on the surface at least it certainly has potential	4
Performance	While the MegPad shows potential, the lack of processing power and low resolution let it down	2
Overall	The concept is valid and the design aesthetically pleasing, but it is let down by the real-world performance	3

Buy it if...

You want a large Android display

Having the Android OS on such a large scale is definitely handy, and native apps run smoothly with good integration into Google's ecosystem.

You want a meeting screen with Android support

Running meetings through the tablet offers a large display with a relatively decent webcam for PC-free conferencing.

Don't buy it if...

You need to watch movies.

For both movies and gaming, the power of the hardware is slightly lacking, and the depth and low resolution really highlight the image issues.

You need to edit creative media.

Again, while the large screen lends itself to use for creative media, the lack of power and low resolution cancel this out as a viable option.

For more top computers, we've tested the best business computers, best business laptops, and the best business tablets.

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