Platform reviewed: PS5 Pro Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Release date: February 17, 2026
Similar to those titles, Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy action role-playing game isn't just sloppy seconds on the PS5 and PS5 Pro, but rather the definitive edition of an already fantastic experience.
Avowed's arrival on Sony's consolesnot only benefits from a year's worth of additional polish and bug fixes, but also plenty of fresh content and PlayStation-specific bells and whistles, like brilliant DualSense Wireless Controller integration.
DuelSense-fueled fighting
(Image credit: Microsoft / Obsidian Entertainment)
While I began an Avowed playthrough on my Xbox Series X a year ago, I didn't get to dig very deep into its rich, potential-packed universe. What I remember most from my brief time braving the Living Lands as an envoy of the Aedyr Empire is the game's rewarding combat, which feels better than ever on the PS5.
Fast, fluid, and superbly supported by weighty impacts of blades, bullets, and arcane abilities, the monster-slaying action was already satisfying as hell. But the combat's been amped up significantly thanks to the DualSense's immersion-ratcheting capabilities.
Obsidian didn't sleep on the gamepad's proprietary tech, fully leveraging its adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to make every input – from meaty melee strikes to slow simmering spells – feel as fantastic in your hands as they look on the screen.
Of course, this also folds in that fresh content I mentioned above, as the game's massive anniversary update introduces a new Quarterstaff for wizard builds. No mere reskin of an existing melee weapon, this two-handed tool of destruction allows mages to crack skulls up-close – as well as unleash powerful spells – in an epic fashion that'd make Gandalf proud.
Coupled with its next-level DualSense effects, it's quickly become my favorite way to bring death to the Living Lands.
An update worthy of the gods
(Image credit: Microsoft / Obsidian Entertainment)
While the Quarterstaff is my personal favorite addition, this sorcerer's best friend barely scratches the surface of the brimming update.
A deep photo mode – with plenty of options for customizing effects, filters, and color gradients – as well as a New Game+ option, will keep both existing envoys and new recruits busy. Beyond that, a trio of new races – Orlans, Aumaua, and Dwarves – join the Humans and Elves, bringing more character customization, perks, and fresh personality and lore to this already layered fantasy universe.
Best bit
Wielding Avowed's new Quarterstaff weapon feels fantastic, allowing mage-leaning envoys to fluidly mix magic and melee attacks. More than just a flashy new tool to test out and toss back in my inventory, the two-handed death-dealer changed the way I approached combat, while also making the game's excellent enemy encounters even more engaging.
A slew of new difficulty modifiers also invite adventurers of all skill levels to tweak and tailor their experience to their hearts' content. Factor in the past year of smaller updates – adding everything from polish, bug fixes, and quality of life touches – and PlayStation fans are getting yet another definitive take on a title that was born on Xbox.
If the PlayStation version stumbles at all, it's in its lack of PS5 Pro-specific enhancements. It packs the now-standard quality (30 frames per second) and performance (60 frames per second) options, as well as a more in-the-middle setting for those with 120Hz displays. You can also chase faster performance by unlocking the frame rate, a welcome inclusion for sure. But there are no meaty ray-tracing features or other enhancements that allow you to truly harness everything under the Pro's hood.
And what is offered didn't seem to make much of an impact during my testing. In terms of both visuals and performance, my time playing on the Pro looked and felt pretty comparable to my Xbox Series X experience. Similarly, the standard PS5 and Pro seem to offer near-identical visual quality and performance, with no notable differences between the two.
Don't sleep on it a second time
(Image credit: Microsoft)
While Pro owners might pine for more features to justify their pricey hardware purchase, the finger can be partially pointed at the fact that Avowed already played smoothly and impressed visually upon its release a year ago. That same sentiment translates to many other elements of the game, including its fantastic storytelling, colorful character interactions, and vibrant, varied world, covered extensively in TechRadar Gaming's original review of the game.
Unsurprisingly, upon its release, Avowed was another compelling, polished action-RPG from a studio that's been honing and perfecting its craft for over two decades, starting with 2004's Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. Sadly, it got somewhat lost in the sea of last year's acclaimed genre entries.
Thankfully, that oversight can now be remedied with its PS5 release, which not only reintroduces everything that was great the first time we faced its fungal plague but also brings a brimming treasure chest of fresh features, enhancements, and content.
Whether you're a PlayStation owner craving the most immersive experience from behind the DualSense or an existing envoy ready to wield the Quarterstaff as one of the new races, Avowed's second coming is as impressive as a Living Lands sunset…which you'll definitely want to capture in photo mode.
Should you play Avowed on PS5?
Play it if...
You missed out on Avowed the first time Given the glut of awesome RPGs that landed last year, you could be forgiven for overlooking Avowed's original release.That said, there's no excuse not to jump in now, as one of 2025's best genre entries is better than ever. If you're a fantasy RPG fan who missed this one the first time around, you're in for a real treat.
You've played Avowed, but have been craving fresh content Even if you've already conquered the Dreamscourge, Avowed's anniversary update is reason enough to dive back in. Its New Game+, photo mode, and a trio of additional races offer fresh ways to experience the game, while its awesome, two-handed Quarterstaff is worth the price of admission (which is free if you already own the game) for wizard-wannabes.
You don't own an Xbox If you're a PlayStation stalwart pining for a new action-RPG, Avowed has you covered and then some. Like last year's Stalker: Heart of Chornobyl and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Obsidian's fantasy-fueled romp is another previous Xbox exclusive that arguably plays better on Sony's console thanks to its immersion-cranking controller.
Don't play it if...
You're a PlayStation 5 Pro owner looking to justify your purchase Avowed offers up a visual feast running at a peppy framerate on the PS5 Pro, but the same can largely be said for its standard PS5 and Xbox Series X versions. If you're looking for meaningful Pro features and enhancements, you won't find them here.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Accessibility features
Prior to its PS5 release, Avowed already offered an admirable slate of accessibility options for camera adjustments, subtitle settings, difficulty levels, and even an arachnophobia mode for those averse to creepy crawlies. But the game's new version builds further on this solid foundation, especially in the difficulty department.
A new "custom" difficulty setting allows players to tweak over two dozen modifiers, adjusting everything from player damage and stamina to carrying capacity, enemy attack speed, and much more. But while Avowed more than delivers in most accessibility areas, it still doesn't offer the suite of colorblind options that have become pretty standard in other games.
How I reviewed Avowed on PS5
I explored The Living Lands for just over 40 hours, adventuring primarily on my PlayStation 5 Pro, but also putting plenty of time into my standard PS5 and Xbox Series X for visual and performance comparisons. I found the best, most balanced experience playing on my Pro in quality mode with the framerate unlocked.
I focused on testing the game's anniversary update additions, specifically its custom difficulty settings, new Quarterstaff weapon, races, and photo mode. I played primarily on my budget TCL 4K display, with HDR enabled and using its built-in stereo speakers, paying particular attention to the game's DualSense controller integration for vibration and audio effects. I also played a few hours on my PlayStation Portal with PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds.
There’s a lot to like with the HP OmniBook 7 Aero, from its portability and somewhat unique look to its surprisingly robust performance. I would definitely recommend it as one of the best laptops out there for anyone wanting a lightweight Windows laptop to take on the road.
I also appreciate the port selection offered, as the best Ultrabooks typically come pretty limited in this department, usually limiting you to two USB-C ports. Digital nomads will like the quality of the webcam as well as the fact that it has a physical shutter. Really, it doesn’t feel like the thin and light nature of the HP OmniBook 7 Aero compromises on too much to get to its size or price point.
That said, there are a few things I'm not overly fond of. The keyboard is adequate, but with its low travel, it can get fatiguing during long writing sessions.
(Image credit: Future)
And even though the port selection is pretty good, HP decided to put both USB-C ports on one side, which is a little annoying when you need to plug into the wall on the other side. That might be a nitpick, but it's something that’s been a concern for many a laptop, including some iterations of the MacBook Air, and it’s a concern here.
Still, the pros make the HP OmniBook 7 Aero a good laptop to recommend for those looking for a lightweight, Windows laptop that works well, and it isn’t trying to look like a MacBook.
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Price and availability
How much does it cost? Starting at $949.99 (about £710 / AU$1,420)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US and Australia
The HP OmniBook 7 Aero’s price tag is reasonable, if a little high, for what’s on offer. If I weren’t impressed by its light weight and solid performance, I would think this would be more of a $600 computer, but a starting price of $949.99 (about £710 / AU$1,420) seems appropriate. Upgrading the CPU, RAM, storage, and screen ends up with a slightly harder to stomach $1,399.99 / AU$2,998 (about £1,040) price tag.
Looking at the competition, these prices aren’t outrageous, though it’s worth noting that, first, HP will regularly discount their laptops so it’s worth waiting for a sale (it’s 44% off the base configuration at the time of writing, for instance), and that, second, other comparable laptops are around the same price or even a little less, not to mention also regularly discount their laptops.
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, which impressed me with its solid performance and portability, starts at $949.99 (about £760 / AU$1,470). That’s a laptop with a better battery life and higher resolution at the lowest configuration that I actually felt was a little overpriced.
And if you’re not married to the Windows ecosystem, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is not only a strong choice thanks to its strong performance and great battery life, but the fact that at its base configuration is just a better computer than the base configuration of the HP OmniBook 7 Aero. Apple, however, does not offer quite the same discounts that HP does.
Value: 4 / 5
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Specs
Internally, the HP OmniBook 7 Aero only offers a few options for customization. You get either a six core AMD AI 5 340 CPU with integrated AMD Radeon 840M graphics or an eight core AMD AI 7 350 CPU with integrated Radeon 860M graphics.
The choices for RAM are either 16 or 32 GB (and you can only choose the higher RAM with the higher CPU), while the storage also comes in just two flavors: 512GB and 1TB (though there are a few different choices in terms of specific type of SSD).
There’s also a choice between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless configurations, though the latter, more expensive option comes with Bluetooth 5.3 instead of 5.4.
HP OmniBook 7 Aero base configuration
HP OmniBook 7 Aero review / max configuration
Price:
$949.99 (about £710/ AU$1,420)
$1,399.99 / AU$2,998 (about £1,040)
CPU:
AMD AI 5 340
AMD AI 7 350
Graphics:
AMD Radeon 840M Integrated graphics
AMD Radeon 860M Integrated graphics
RAM:
16GB
32GB
Screen:
13.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits
1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)
1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)
Wireless:
Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
Realtek Wi-Fi 6E (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.3
Camera:
5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones
5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones
Weight:
<2.2 lb
<2.2 lb
Dimensions:
11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)
11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)
The only spec-related option externally comes in terms of two screen options. Both displays are 13.3-inch anti-glare 400 nit screens, but one has a 1920x1200p WUXGA resolution while the other has a sharper 2560x1600p WQXGA resolution. You can get this laptop in either Ceramic White or Glacier Silver.
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Design
Attractive, light, and petite
Keyboard has a pretty short travel
Good port selection, though placement could be better
I have to say… I really like the way the HP OmniBook7 Aero looks. The Ceramic White colorway of my test unit is attractive in a way that doesn’t automatically make it look like HP was trying to copy Apple.
While the material is not machined metal, it is a very durable-feeling plastic that is still sturdy, and probably helps with the cost of the laptop. I can’t comment on the silver colorway other than to mention that HP does not mention that it uses machined aluminum for it, so it might look a little more like a MacBook, but it will still feel different.
I also appreciate how absolutely petite this laptop is. It has a 13.3-inch screen, weighs in at just over two pounds, and is a little over half an inch thick at its thinnest. Throwing it in a backpack to cart around doesn’t put any pressure on my back, not to mention it’s often the lightest device in my backpack.
(Image credit: Future)
Speaking of the screen, it has a very impressive accuracy of 0.29 delta E (closer to zero is better and under 2 is considered accurate) as well as a 112% sRGB color coverage. Its 79% DCI-P3 color coverage is not quite as good, though, so keep that in mind if you plan on doing any photo editing with HDR.
As such a diminutive laptop, I do find that the keyboard is more serviceable than amazing. This is particularly true for the keyboard as it has a fairly short travel – short enough that I notice it when typing out more than just an email. The trackpad is at least a little better as it is as responsive as one could ask. It handles gestures well as well.
With a 5MP IR camera, I do find the webcam to reproduce a sharp, smooth image – I don’t get any choppiness as long as I have a strong internet connection – plus it has those useful effects on hand, such as blurring the background, reorienting the eyes so that they seem to look at the recipient and not the camera, and automatically reframing when one moves their head. More importantly, it comes with a physical privacy shutter.
(Image credit: Future)
One thing that smaller laptops like the HP OmniBook 7 Aero often sacrifice are the ports, usually offering just a handful of USB-C. Luckily, this laptop bucks that trend. There are, of course, two USB-C ports that support power delivery and DisplayPort 2.1, though they are unfortunately on just one side of the laptop. But there are also two regular USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port. Not bad for such a little guy.
Design: 4.5 / 5
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Performance
Surprisingly robust performance
Has enough power for AI
Audio quality is just okay
Despite the fact that the HP OmniBook 7 Aero fits more into the light and portable category of laptops, aka Ultrabooks, its performance is surprisingly robust. There’s no discrete graphics, but the integrated Radeon Graphics were enough to run some computer games, not that you should really consider this for a gaming laptop.
I managed to run Indiana Jones and the Great Circle off Game Pass at low settings without any latency, lags, or stutters. I also managed to run Cyberpunk 2077, though that got low enough frame rates to not want to use this laptop to play it.
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Benchmarks
Here's how the HP OmniBook 7 Aero performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Fire Strike: 6078; Time Spy: 2732; Night Raid: 24031; Steel Nomad: 396
Of course, the fans go full blast when running any demanding task, and the keyboard does pass on some of the internal heat. But again, this really isn’t a laptop meant for these kinds of heavy-duty tasks, even if there’s more power here than expected.
Also, be aware that it can get a little hot if pushed hard. This is a fairly thin laptop after all. We registered temperatures of up to 103.8F between the G and H keys when really pushed into overdrive.
For productivity work, this means that the HP OmniBook 7 Aero can keep up with internet hounds and research junkies. If you need 20 tabs open at once, you won’t have to worry about slowing this laptop down. I found it to switch tabs instantaneously even with that many tabs open.
(Image credit: Future)
On the AI side of things, whether you find CoPilot+ useful or not, it’s here and works relatively quickly. I was more limited by the speed of the server the laptop was engaging with more so than the laptop itself when generating an AI image thanks to the CPU’s 50 NPU TOPS.
Lastly, the audio quality is not bad for a lightweight laptop like this, though nothing to write home about. There’s no low-end so audio can come off as a little thin, but the detail is decent. I do recommend using some headphones for any serious listening.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
HP OmniBook 7 Aero: Battery life
Battery life is long enough for a full day’s work, but just barely
Fast charging capabilities make up for smaller battery
With a battery life of 8:51:07 (according to our battery benchmark), the HP OmniBook 7 Aero is both underwhelming compared to many of the light and thin laptops out there – some are reaching times of over 15 hours – and still more than enough battery life for most people.
Since it can reach almost nine hours on a single charge, it still has plenty of juice to get one through an entire day of work without needing to find an outlet.
(Image credit: Future)
Once you do find an outlet though, its fast charging capabilities make up for that small 3-cell, 43 Wh battery. If turned off, the laptop will recharge up to 50% of its battery in 30 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.
Battery life: 4 / 5
Should I buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The price is about what one would expect for this kind of laptop, though its value goes way up when on sale.
4 / 5
Design
It’s thin, light, comes with a privacy shutter, and, most importantly, looks a bit unique.
4.5 / 5
Performance
This lightweight laptop can somewhat overdeliver when it comes to performance.
4.5 / 5
Battery
The battery life is good enough, but underwhelming when compared to the competition.
4 / 5
Average rating
Its portability and performance set it apart from the more middle-of-the-road act-like-a-MacBook laptop that comprise its competition.
4.5 / 5
Buy it if…
You want a very portable laptop
The HP OmniBook 7 Aero is so light and thin that when I throw it in a backpack, I barely notice that it’s there. If you want a laptop that travels easily, this one will more than do.View Deal
You want robust performance in small package
While this isn’t going to go head-to-head with a gaming laptop for any kind of heavy-duty performance, it does better than one would expect on what looks to be a lightweight laptop (in terms of specs).View Deal
You want a laptop that looks a little different
The white version of this laptop at the very least is a somewhat unique-looking laptop, making it attractive for anyone tired of the machined metal laptops all trying to look like but not be a MacBook.View Deal
Don’t buy it if…
You want a really long battery life
The almost nine hour battery life is enough to get through the day, but it’s underwhelming compared to the other options out there.View Deal
You type all day
The shallow keyboard does fine for basic use, but if you’re typing up reports or articles all day long, it can get fatiguing. There are other portable laptops with better keyboards.View Deal
Also Consider
If our HP OmniBook 7 Aero review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a little bigger than the OmniBook 7 Aero with its 14-inch screen, but it’s just as portable. It also comes with a 1600p screen, snappy performance thanks to its Snapdragon CPU, and quite the long battery life.
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is, like just about every MacBook Air before it, the trendsetter for Ultrabooks, setting the standard in laptops trying to strike a balance between performance and portability. It also has a very long battery life and is cheaper than its previous iterations.
I used the HP OmniBook 7 Aero for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some semi-serious gaming. I played around with the AI as well.
After spending time with the HP OmniBook 7 Aero, it’s clear that this is meant for those that want a Windows laptop that works great on the road.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.
Not necessarily a new model, but still a great one, the Drop + Epos PC38X is an excellent wired gaming headset and comes through with the promise of delivering top-shelf audio for the discerning gaming sound enthusiasts among us.
Featuring immensely enjoyable audio, no matter the game, a simple wired connection, a reliable mic, solid build quality, and a level of comfort that makes it a joy to wear for hours on end, it really is a do-it-all wired gaming headset that can be a one-stop solution across platforms.
The standout feature is easily the audio. I’ve tested some of the best and most expensive gaming headsets of the last decade, and only a few really blow me away; the Drop + Epos PC38X does that, too, for a sub-$200 price tag. It’s even played beautifully with an external sound card as well.
It’s by no means a flashy or outlandish gaming headset when it comes to design and build, but it does sport the level of quality you’d expect from Sennheiser and Epos. A symphony of piano black, the headset is slick, and its over-ear, open-back earcups are robust but supremely comfortable. The only blemishes on the scorecard here are a slightly plasticky-feeling build and that the microphone is a bit of a chunky one, despite it being a handy flip-to-mute model.
In brief, if you’re happy to be (or prefer being) a wired gamer, then the Drop + Epos PC38X is a superb option. It’s now my go-to wired headset - though it’s in constant battle with my Sennheiser HD 550s - and I’ve had a blast listening to all my music and entertainment, and playing games across PC and PlayStation 5 with it.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Drop + Epos PC38X review: Price and availability
Current approximate prices as of early 2026: $199 / £180 / around AU$305
Availability is spotty, but it represents excellent value for money
Pricing puts it in the mid-to-high range for gaming headsets, but good value for audiophile sets
The main point of discussion around the Drop + Epos PC38X gaming headset’s price and availability in 2026 is that it is not as readily available as its competitors. I’ve seen listings come and go at retailers, both US and UK, and prices go up and down like yo-yos, too.
There’s also some variation in the headset’s name when it comes to retailer listings. However, if you can find one of any Drop + Epos PC38X, DROP PC38X, or Drop + Sennheiser PC38X (or similar), know that it’s the same headset regardless of name, and you’re still getting a quality product.
Despite stock wobbliness, Drop’s own website has been a reliable seller of the headset, and currently has it in stock for $199, but has had it as low as $169 at times, too. It does very much look like you’ll be limited to the all-black variant if you do find it in stock, though - the version that had yellow-colored cups appears to not be available for purchase anymore.
Given that ‘roughly $200 / £200’ price point, that does put it in pretty lofty territory and in the company of some absolute belters - in both gaming headset and headphone territory. I’ve been comparing the PC38X most closely to my Sennheiser HD 550 headphones ($299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479) and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset ($279.99 / £249.99 / AU$565); both are wired, both have great audio, and both are a little bit more costly, but are viable alternatives for gamers wanting seriously strong audio.
Drop + Epos PC38X review: Specs
Drop + Epos PC38X
Price
$199 / £180 / around AU$305
Weight
8.9oz / 253g
Drivers
Size officially unspecified
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile
Connection type
3.5mm audio jack (2.5m 2 x 3.5mm cable, 1.5m 1 x 3.5mm cable)
When it comes to design, the Drop + Epos PC38X doesn’t really stand out. It’s a slick black-on-black unit, with only black metal covers for the open earcups and mic punctuating the cloak of darkness. There used to be a slightly more exciting green/yellow colorway, but I haven’t been able to spot a listing for that in all my time testing this black model.
Away from aesthetics, it does feel like any other gaming headset to wear, too, in all honesty. The frame is a little plasticky, and there’s nothing too special here - but there are upsides to that. It’s just an easy-to-wear, very comfortable headset with padding in the right places, and a deliberate and appropriate use of materials.
The cables provided make for easy connection too: you get both a mic-and-headphone split cable perfect for those who prefer the split (or to use their headphones with other devices), as well as a straight-up 3.5mm audio jack connection too - perfect for use with a gaming console controller.
My only small criticism is the boom mic, which is a chunky monster. Located on the left cup, every part of it feels large in the hand, and when inspecting or holding the headset.
The caveat to that is - when it’s flipped up, especially - it’s totally out of sight anyway, and is in no way an immersion or multiplayer-ruiner. It feels like something from one of the older Sennheiser gaming headsets, too, so it doesn’t feel out of place either. Completing the onboard set, the volume dial on the right cup is the only onboard control and is intuitive and easy to interact with.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Drop + Epos PC38X review: Performance
Brilliant, immersive audio
While massive in design, the mic is crisp and clear
Comfortable to wear for long periods of time
The audio on offer from the Drop + Epos PC38X is excellent, across the board. It certainly punches above its weight and can certainly hold its own against even the most recent of premium headsets.
Bass notes are rich and thumpy without being muddy and unpleasant, mids are rich and full, and highs are always crisp and punchy, but not piercing. It really does channel some excellent Sennheiser and Epos pedigree that makes its out-of-the-box audio some of the best I’ve tested.
On PC, the echoes and spookiness of The Oldest House in Controlwere beamed to my brain superbly, while hearing every detail of my cities in Frostpunk 2, and every crunch and thwack in encounters in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 were joyous. On my PS5 Pro, I experienced some wonderfully atmospheric and rich audio in Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, which really upped my immersion to brilliant heights.
Elsewhere, every punch of a Nazi’s face inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle was fulsome and full of oomf, and gunfire in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, as well as Battlefield 6, were excellent, giving me the right balance of rich chaos, but punchy action and crisp gunfire audio. No matter what I played on either platform, the Drop + Epos PC38X really did excel, and I can’t sing its audio praises high enough.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
As an everyday work headset, it also performed admirably, transporting my voice beautifully down the internet as well as giving me clear audio on calls and meetings, and also becoming a stalwart companion for a range of music and entertainment.
While that mic is chunky, it’s easy to use and doesn’t impact the comfort of the headset during use. I wore the headset for hours and hours at a time without ever feeling uncomfortable, and the mic being flip-to-mute at least makes for a convenient design.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in this review, I’ve also been able to test the Drop + Epos PC38X with external sound cards. This enabled me to get even more out of the headset - so if you have the luxury of having one of these devices in your setup already, or fancy adding one, then know that it’s an ideal combination. Be it on PS5 or PC, adding an extra layer of excellence to augment the experience the Drop + Epos PC38X gave me was great - but I still defaulted to the out-of-the-box audio on more than one occasion away from the sound cards.
All in, however, you won’t need an external sound card at all with the Drop + Epos PC38X. If you can find it in 2026 and are after a top wired gaming headset with pedigree and sublime audio, then it won’t let you down.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Should I buy the Drop + Epos PC38X?
Buy it if...
You’re after a top wired gaming headset - and can find it in stock Honestly, if you are committed to finding a top wired gaming headset that’ll cover you across platforms, offer you excellent audio across the board, superb comfort, and a solid mic, then the PC38X is a no-brainer for me to recommend.
You want an audiophile-quality sound in your wired headset The PC38X’s audio quality is genuinely some of the best I’ve heard and is right up there with some of my other favorites like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, the Audeze Maxwell, and headphones like my Sennheiser HD 550s.
You want a simple solution that you can still tailor externally The PC38X is at its heart a plug-and-play gaming headset; there’s no software, and even its onboard controls are minimal. However, I’ve really enjoyed using its baseline audio excellence and tinkering it somewhat with external soundcards to get even more out of the PC38X’s sound, and it has really played exceptionally well with such devices.
Don't buy it if...
You’re looking for a compact mic Overall, the design of the PC38X is agreeable, but in 2026 its large flip-to-mute mic does stand out as a bit of a chonker - if you want something more subtle and tidier, then a product from the likes of SteelSeries would be a better fit.
You’re looking for flawless build quality The PC38X is solid enough, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve definitely tested more robust and stronger-feeling sets, so if you think you’ll need something that can offer more durability, you may have to look elsewhere.
You like to use software to tinker with audio settings and EQs The PC38X doesn’t have any software, so there’s no app or program in which to alter your EQs or manipulate your sound. If that’s a must-have for you, then this plug-and-play option may not be the right fit.
Drop + Epos PC38X review: Also consider...
Still not sold on the Drop + Epos PC38X? Here are two competitors that might hit the mark instead.
Drop + Epos PC38X
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Sennheiser HD 550
Price
$199 / £180 / around AU$305
$279.99 / £249.99 / AU$565
$299.99 / $249.99 / AU$479
Weight
8.9oz / 253g
16.08oz / 456g
8.35oz / 237g
Drivers
Size officially unspecified
40mm
38mm
Compatibility
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mac, mobile (where audio jack is present)
Connection type
3.5mm audio jack (2.5m 2 x 3.5mm cable, 1.5m 1 x 3.5mm cable)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro One of my absolute favorite wired gaming headsets, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is truly brilliant. If you’re looking to spend a bit more to go even more premium, have a retractable mic, a wonderful USB DAC unit, and some of that sweet, sweet SteelSeries audio and build quality, then this is the wired competitor for the PC38X to go for from the brand.
Sennheiser HD 550 Keeping it even more simple than the PC38X and really focusing on providing top- level audio for your games and nothing more, the Sennheiser HD 550 is one of my favorite sets of headphones that target gaming performance. That known Sennheiser quality shines through here, and a simple audio jack connection is all you need. An easy alternative to recommend.
Used across multiple platforms and with multiple devices, including USB sound cards
Compared performance across game types and against other headsets and headphones
I used the Drop + Epos PC38X on and off over a period of around six months, on PC and PS5, and for games, music, entertainment, and work. I was able to compare it to a bunch of other headphones and headsets to gauge its place in the market in 2026.
When testing the headset on my old RTX 3090gaming PC and my newer RTX 5070 gaming PC (provided by Acer), I dove into a host of games such as Frostpunk 2, Control, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3, while also using the headset daily for music, entertainment, and daily work commitments and calls.
There’s something slightly familiar about the Chuwi CoreBook Air. Once again, it follows the recent trend of 14-inch Windows laptops offering a premium build with aluminium alloy casing and a solid yet lightweight build. The specification list considering the price is also impressive, with more on offer than you would usually anticipate for a little under £500/$500.
From the outset, there are several features that really appeal. Obviously, the CPU, GPU and memory specifications all prove more than enough to run all productivity apps, but then there’s a good volume of ports. Through the test for normal use, a bit of word processing and browsing the internet, the battery was sufficient for a day's worth of work.
While the specifications hit the mid-range, making it ideal for most office-based tasks, I found that the CoreBook Air had enough to run Blender and CapCut without issue. Although limitations to the ability were pushed with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which did load but was just too jittery to play with any success.
For general use, such as Excel and PowerPoint, the machine was more than capable of handling large documents. What really impressed me was that, despite it only being a 14-inch machine and not a particularly expensive one, the screen clarity was exceptionally good, and the screen surface was able to limit reflections exceptionally well.
One of the other aspects you often find with a cheaper laptop is that it uses a proprietary power supply. However, here, the laptop is supplied with a 65W USB-C charger, which means if you do leave your charger at home, you can more than likely borrow somebody else's. Again, for a laptop of this size to have three USB-C ports, two on one side, one on the other, and a full-size HDMI just gives you even more connectivity options, as well as the ability to plug into other accessories, devices, systems, and drives.
Like some laptops of this type, slim and lightweight, while the quality is exceptionally good and the cooling is better than expected (though the fans do kick in and are audible), the keyboard area and trackpad do feel lightweight and less responsive than I personally like.
Neither the track pad or keyboard feel 100% precise in their mechanics, with the keyboard actuation lacking the satisfying feel of those featured in our guide to the best business laptops. I also found the trackpad wasn’t quite as precise, and you really needed to accurate about your click action in the bottom left. I’d also often mis-click, and the precision that you get with the likes of the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra just isn’t there, but then you could buy four of these laptops for a single unit of that machine, just to put that in context.
However, for a laptop at this price, the fact that it can handle all productivity, web browsing, word processing, light multimedia editing, and a little bit of gaming is impressive. If you’re in the market for a cheap laptop that will see you through the demands of productivity applications for work, and a little bit of media use, as well as downtime playing games and watching multimedia, then this machine should suffice. If you're looking to do heavier media editing or play top-tier games, this might be a little more restrictive, and you’d need to spend a bit more for a bit more power.
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Price and availability
How much does it cost? $479 / £404 RRP
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Directly from Geekom andAmazon.com
At present, the Chuwi CoreBook Air has a UK price of £404 and a US price of $549 and can be purchased directly from the Chuwi US and Chuwi Global websites.
Chuwi is offering TechRadar Pro readers a 13% discount on the purchase price when you use the code TechRadarAir.
Value: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Specs
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (6-core/12-thread, up to 4.5GHz) Graphics: AMD Radeon 660M RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz Storage: 512GB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD Left Ports: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1 Right Ports: USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity: Wi-Fi , Bluetooth Audio: 2W stereo speakers Camera: 2MP with privacy shutter Size: 298 x 221 x 16.3 mm, 1.08 kg OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro Accessories: 65W USB-C PD charger
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Design
The Chuwi CoreBook is a slim, lightweight Windows 11 Pro laptop that has been perfectly designed for portability and mid-range power use, essentially ideal for students, business users, and anyone looking for a home laptop that’s both robust and powerful enough for the entire family. The balance of the CPU and GPU means that it’s great for general use, but if you’re looking for the latest cutting-edge graphics power, then this is a mid-range machine. While powerful, it won’t be able to run some of the more top-tier games or multimedia software, although they will load.
With that in mind, portability is one of its key focuses. At just over 1kg, 1.08 kg, and measuring 298.4 x 221.3 x 16.3 mm, it will fit into almost any backpack or laptop bag without issue. It’s also one of the smallest and lightest laptops out there. The design is very similar in style to the Geekbook X14 Pro, although that had slightly more squared-off corners and a few key differences in the port configurations and, of course, internal workings.
Taking a look around the side of the machine, starting on the left, there’s a full-size HDMI 2.1 TMDS port to easily connect to larger displays or projectors. Next to this are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, and these are fully featured, perfect for connecting to ultra-fast external SSDs or delivering power to other devices. On the right-hand side is another USB Type-C (data only), a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port.
Looking around the body, this is pretty much it for ports and buttons, but up on the top edge of the screen, it’s nice to see there’s a sliding camera privacy cover. It’s mechanical, but this is often the best solution; you know you have absolute privacy once that camera is covered.
On the base of the machine, there’s a huge vent panel, and again on the back with very minimalistic profiling. There’s a good amount of venting between the body of the laptop and the hinge for the screen. As the machine really starts to work, especially when playing games, you can feel the warmth filtering up through the gap between the screen and keyboard. As you open the screen, the hinge feels good and secure, showing little loss for everyday use. The keyboard layout and trackpad are of a decent size.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Looking around the body, this is pretty much it for ports and buttons, but up on the top edge of the screen, it’s nice to see there’s a sliding camera privacy cover. It’s mechanical, but this is often the best solution; you know you have absolute privacy once that camera is covered.
On the base of the machine, there’s a huge vent panel, and again on the back with very minimalistic profiling. There’s a good amount of venting between the body of the laptop and the hinge for the screen. As the machine really starts to work, especially when playing games, you can feel the warmth filtering up through the gap between the screen and keyboard.
When you open the screen, the hinge feels good and secure, showing little loss for everyday use. The keyboard layout and trackpad are of a decent size.
Design: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Features
Looking at the feature set, one of the bigger appeals here is just how small and lightweight this laptop is, just a kilogram. It will easily slip into a laptop bag or backpack without adding too much weight, and with its full aluminium alloy casing, it does feel nice and robust.
Opening up the laptop reveals the 14-inch Full HD screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution. It’s not the highest resolution we’ve seen in this style of laptop, but at this price, it’s all pretty decent and should suffice for day-to-day use. The screen itself is a 14-inch WUXGA display with a 16:10 aspect ratio that offers 315 nits of brightness. In brighter conditions, you might need to shade it a little bit. However, the surface of the screen seems to be of exceptional quality and helps reduce reflections and glare.
Complementing the visuals are dual custom box-tuned speakers that help provide audio—a step up from many speaker systems found on mid-range laptops.
Inside, powering Windows and other applications is an AMD Ryzen 5 processor with 6 cores, 12 threads, and up to 4.5GHz. This is coupled with a Radeon 660M (RDNA2) integrated GPU, which should be more than enough for most mid-range games. It also includes 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage.
Ensuring the laptop has enough power for everyday use, there’s a 55Wh battery, which, while not the largest capacity, will still provide plenty of power for a day’s work, and shouldn’t take too long to charge using the 65W USB-C PD charger, charging up to 60% in just 55 minutes.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Features: 4 / 5
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Performance
Benchmark scores
CrystalDiskMark Read: 3064.43 CrystalDiskMark Write: 1289.67 Geekbench CPU Multi: 5389 Geekbench CPU Single: 1397 Geekbench GPU: 7734 PCMark Overall: 5850 Cinebench CPU Multi: 8634 Cinebench CPU Single: 1429 Fire Strike Overall: 4492 Fire Strike Graphics: 4851 Fire Strike Physics: 18743 Fire Strike Combined: 1667 Time Spy Overall: 1720 Time Spy Graphics: 1528 Time Spy CPU: 5985 Wild Life Overall: 8748 Steel Nomad Overall: 214 Windows Experience Overall: N/A
Starting out with the Chuwi CoreBook Air is straightforward. Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed, so all you need to do is run through the last few steps to get up and running. When I did this, it took about 15 minutes, signing into Microsoft and Google accounts, and making sure the system was fully updated.
One thing I also had to do was ensure all the AMD graphics drivers had been installed. While the AMD application was pre-installed, the final driver software wasn’t, so that’s something to note if you plan to buy this laptop.
Without those AMD drivers installed, even with the software there, the performance is considerably restricted. But once all updates were done to both Windows 11 Pro and AMD, the uplift was instantly apparent. As I started to load Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, all three applications loaded quickly. Opening documents and presentations, the machine handled them without much issue.
The only thing I’d note is that while Microsoft Word worked fantastically well, Excel and PowerPoint felt a little restricted on the display with that lower resolution. However, since the USB-C ports on the side are fully featured, you can always connect to a 4K display without too many issues, and that 4K resolution is easily supported by this machine.
Using Word to write this review, the speed of the machine was perfect for general work and productivity, and I was easily able to switching between Word, PowerPoint and Microsoft Edge. Later, while compiling a PowerPoint presentation for an evening lecture, I was able to gather multimedia content and design the presentation again the laptop was able to handle everything smoothly.
Taking a closer look at PowerPoint, while it’s very usable on the 1920 x 1200 resolution screen, I always prefer more screen space, especially when flicking between slides. Here, connecting to a 4K monitor did help with that process. Although even on the Full HD screen, PowerPoint was very usable, and if you were on a train putting together a presentation, the clarity and brightness of the screen would suffice.
One thing I did note about the screen, aside from the resolution, was screen brightness. Brightness is limited to 350 nits. During the UK winter months, when daylight is at a premium, this isn’t too much of an issue, as most of the time it’s quite dark, and 350 nits is probably more than enough. But on a bright day in the office, with sunlight streaming through the window, that brightness was starting to be challenged. If you are planning to use this outdoors or in well-lit environments, then 350 nits is around the minimum you’d want.
Otherwise, the screen is very good, perfect for productivity, although a little limited when it rolls over into creative applications.
Having experienced decent performance throughout all the Microsoft Office applications, I moved on to some creative tasks, first, loading Adobe Photoshop, which ran surprisingly smoothly. I opened up images from the Sony A7 IV for other reviews, cropping, resizing, and doing some basic image enhancement. Photoshop was more than capable of not only handling those high-resolution image files but also applying effects. Once again, the only drawback was that with a screen of this resolution, the available workspace felt a little limited.
Switching to an application that feels more at home on this screen size, I tried Lightroom, which worked incredibly well. Enhancements and adjustments were applied quickly, and although the screen resolution felt a little low, Lightroom Classic was more than sufficient. Even when it came to bulk exporting adjusted images, the machine had no issue handling the load.
I then moved on to some higher-demand applications, including Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, to test 4K video. It became instantly apparent that this wasn’t going to be possible. While video was rendered on the timeline, as I dragged files across into the timeline in both applications, things began to slow down dramatically. I had to wait for the system to catch up, and the fans kicked in due to the increase in processing.
I retried the process, this time using 1080p footage downscaled in Adobe Media Encoder. Here, the footage was editable, and again I was impressed with the performance. while, the fans did kick in to help keep things cool, editing a relatively complex five-minute video was manageable. Switching to a less processor-intensive app like CapCut might be a good idea for light editing.
After modest results with video editing, I switched over to a little bit of gaming, loading Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I had to reduce all settings right down to the lowest and even drop from Full HD to 720p. Still, the game was jittery and not a great experience, despite it technically being able to run.
I then tried Red Dead Redemption 2, and again saw similar issues with scaling and choppy graphics. So really, if you’re looking to play the latest games, while the Radeon 660M integrated GPU is quite good for multimedia creation, when it comes to gameplay of higher end games, it just doesn’t have the power.
Performance: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Chuwi CoreBook Air: Final verdict
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
The Chuwi CoreBook Air proves itself as a very competent day-to-day machine for use in and out of the office. It’s a decent size, lightweight, strong and robust. While the keyboard and trackpad might not be premium, they are of decent quality, and for most users, typing on them will feel perfectly fine.
What’s impressive is the pure performance of the mid-range CPU and GPU combo. While they aren’t AI-enhanced for applications, they’re perfectly good for day-to-day use, as well as watching multimedia and browsing the internet, this small laptop is more than powerful enough.
I also really liked the volume of connectivity options. The Wi-Fi connection speed seemed exceptionally good and robust, especially when connected to the Netgear Nighthawk M7 for the majority of testing. With three USB-C ports, two fully featured and one for data only, you have plenty of connection options, and that important flexibility of being able to charge the laptop with almost any modern charger.
While the 55Wh battery might not be the largest, it was more than sufficient for a good day’s light work, handling spreadsheets, Word, and PowerPoint. But as soon as you start pushing the processor, battery life drops rapidly. It’s good to see that you can get a 60% charge from a flat in just over an hour.
What really strikes me about the CoreBook Air is the price. You’re effectively getting a powerful laptop for everyday use for not a great deal of money. Okay, the screen resolution might be a little low, and the brightness a little dim compared with some, but when it comes to the strength of the build quality and the abilities of that mid-range CPU and GPU combo, for most people and most workloads, this laptop will be more than sufficient.
Should I buy the Chuwi CoreBook Air?
Value
Excellent value for money considering the performance you can get from this mid-range laptop
4
Design
Good, strong build quality with the aluminium casing giving it a premium feel at a mid-range price
4
Features
Well-balanced set of features that aren’t groundbreaking but provide you with a good workhorse of a machine
4
Performance
Real performance is good for productivity. OK for creative applications. Best to look elsewhere if you want to do gaming
4
Overall
Overall, a well-balanced machine that’s great for most office work, light creativity and gaming
4
Buy it if...
You want on-the-go productivity This ideal if you need a lightweight machine that handles office, browsing, and creative tasks smoothly in a travel-friendly size.
You want good general performance on a budget The CoreBook Air delivers decent all-around performance and the ability to go slightly beyond simple productivity applications without spending a fortune.
Don't buy it if...
You want upgradability With the RAM soldered in place, there’s no option to upgrade, which could limit compatibility with future applications.
You need top-tier media tools. This laptop includes everything from speakers to a webcam and a relatively decent GPU, but if you're a content creator, they’re just not at the level required.
Out of the box, the GeekBook X14 Pro instantly strikes you as a premium laptop, with the magnesium alloy build not only contributing to the lightweight and robust design of this 14-inch laptop, but also giving it the unmistakable look and style of many other premium laptops of this size, most notably the MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface machines.
While it is lightweight and sleek, Geekom have ensured there is a decent amount of connectivity. If you're a business user, the fact that it has two USB4 and a full-size HDMI 2.1 port means it’s easy to connect to networks and other accessories, and any larger display. If the number of connectivity options isn’t enough for you, then in the box alongside the laptop is a hub that boosts the connection options and includes a dedicated LAN port.
The internal processing power is also impressive, and the fact that the small machine features one of the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processors, coupled with Arc graphics and an integrated NPU, means it's AI-ready and a perfect option if you rely on Copilot to help with your productivity.
One of the other key features here is the 2.8K OLED display, which is relatively bright at 450 nits, although with its glossy surface, reflections in brighter environments can be a bit of an issue.
Overall performance is exceptionally good, and opening up Microsoft’s main productivity apps, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, proves how well-tuned this machine is for day-to-day office work. If you want to touch on some creativity, then the 2TB SSD offers plenty of storage capacity for small projects, and this is backed up by the CPU and GPU power, which is more than capable of handling 1080p and 4K video. Through the test, I was able to put together a short video shot on a Sony A7 Mark V without too many issues. However, during the editing process, it is worth noting that as the production reached about five minutes, the machine took a little longer to process the footage and edit in DaVinci Resolve.
Switching down to an application such as CapCut, again with 4K video shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, the laptop is more than capable of swiftly enabling all edits as well as supplying effects and templates with ease.
Taking a look at photo editing and Lightroom, again, this is a machine that, while small and lightweight, is more than powerful enough to handle both of those applications. In Photoshop, using Generative Expand as well as some of the generation tools that are native to that application, the AI enhancements offered through the integrated MPU helped to speed up the image generation process.
Finally, when it came to looking at games, once again, this small laptop was extremely impressive. Taking a look firstly at DiRT Rally, it was able to cope with the graphics without too many issues, and I was able to do a few laps of various courses, although the fans did kick in trying to keep the small machine nice and cool.
Likewise, pushing the GPU a little bit further with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, again, the machine was able to cope with settings reduced. When the fans did kick in, the design seemed to be sufficient to keep that fan noise down to a bare minimum. However, you could really feel the heat building up.
Geekom GeekBook X14 Pro: Price and availability
How much does it cost? $1249 RRP
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Directly from Geekom and Amazon.com
At present, the GeekBook X14 Pro is available directly from the Geekom website, where the Core Ultra 5 model discounted to $1049 and the Core Ultra 9 model is $1249 at the time of review.
Both models are also available for the same price at Amazon.com here. However, currently, the laptop looks to only be available in the US.
Right now, you can save 10% at both Amazon and Geekom when you use the code TECHX14 PRO
Value: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Specs
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 125H / Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Graphics: Intel Arc integrated RAM: 32GB LPDDR5x Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Left Ports: 2× USB4, 1× USB-A 3.2 Gen2, HDMI 2.1 Right Ports: USB-A 3.2 Gen2, 3.5mm combo jack, microSD Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 Audio: DTS:X Ultra stereo speakers Camera: 1080p with privacy shutter Size: 312 x 215 x 16.9 mm, 999g OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro Accessories: 65W GaN USB-C charger, user manual
GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Design
The GeekBook X14 Pro has been designed as a premium 14-inch laptop, and the magnesium alloy casing certainly reinforces that. From the moment you lift the machine out of the box, the matte silver finish is reminiscent of the MacBook Pro machines, with a slight wedge-like design that enables a bit more ventilation towards the back.
When it comes to size and weight, the laptop weighs in at 1030g, although the list weight is just under 1KG, and measures 312mm by 215mm by 20mm. The wedge shape makes this in line with the small MacBooks and Microsoft Surface.
The laptop is left minimalistic, just with the GEEKOM logo. Flipping over to the base, you have three large rubber feet to help keep it nice and secure when placed on a desktop.
Taking a look firstly at the left-hand side of the machine, you have the HDMI 2.1 port and two USB4 ports of the Type-C design. On the right-hand side, you have a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (labelled 5GB/s), a 3.5mm headphone combo port and a camera on/off slide switch to disable the webcam.
When it comes to power, this is all provided through a 65W PD GaN fast charger, which is USB-C to USB-C, so if you don't have the proprietary charger with you, you can use others to give this laptop a charging boost.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Opening up the machine, you’re presented with the 14-inch OLED display at a resolution of 2880 x 1800. This display is capable of showing 100% DCI-P3 colour at 450 nits of brightness, with a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, which is good for creativity as well as gaming and multimedia.
When it comes to the keyboard, it is of a decent size, although not full-size. GEEKOM have really thought about the layout, with backspace, enter and shift keys on the right side being a little larger than the other keys. The cursor keys also give you two-thirds left and right, and half-sized up and down keys, making it quite easy to navigate through documents.
The touchpad is also a decent size, measuring 120 x 71 mm, and supports multi-gesture control. It's made of Mylar, ensuring that it has a good, long life and is perfect for day-to-day use.
Design: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Features
The premium looks of the GeekBook X14 Pro give you some idea of the quality of the electronics within, and the small machine features one of the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPUs. This is coupled with Intel Arc graphics and an integrated NPU.
One of the other big selling points is the high-resolution 2.8K OLED display, capable of displaying the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 100% with a 120Hz refresh rate and brightness up to 450 nits.
The Intel Core Ultra 9 mobile processor offers 16 cores, 22 threads, 24MB onboard cache, and a 5.1GHz turbo boost. This is more than sufficient for a workflow of most creativity apps and top-level games. I’ll be using Indiana Jone and the Great Circle to test this out later.
The Intel graphics are similarly impressive with the Xe-LPG architecture that enables XeSS upscaling, support for DirectX 12.1, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This allows you to play far more power-intensive games than you'd expect from a laptop of this size. For creatives, there is AV1 and H.265/HEVC support for video, and it's also AI-ready for graphics, which I was able to test using the Adobe Creative Suite.
The GeekBook X14 is one of a growing number of new laptop releases that feature an NPU alongside the Intel CPU and GPU. This enables greater hardware processing for AI, so if you utilise Copilot or some of the AI features within applications, then this NPU will help speed up the process.
Inside, there's a relatively large 72Wh battery that will last up to 16 hours for light use and can be fast-charged using the 65W GaN adapter. It also supports USB-C charging, so even if you don’t have your charger with you, you should be able to find some other way to charge.
The laptop also supports USB4, enabling ultra-fast transfer rates as well as connectivity to networks and high-resolution external displays without too many issues. One of the features that really caught my eye was the inclusion of a full-sized HDMI port, so it's easy to connect to a display when giving presentations.
As well as the wired connectivity features, Wi-Fi 6E offers fast networking and transfer rates. Whilst there is no wired network port, GEEKOM have gone to the effort of including a slimline USB4 hub in the box, which gives you a standard network connector as well as additional ports. This is a great addition that enables you to keep the laptop nice and slim but expand the ports if and when you need.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Features: 4.5 / 5
GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Performance
Benchmark scores
Benchmark Results: CrystalDiskMark Read: 6994.18 MB/s CrystalDiskMark Write: 6188.09 MB/s Geekbench CPU Multi: 12,600 Geekbench CPU Single: 2,382 Geekbench GPU: 30,577 PCMark Overall: 7,536 Cinebench CPU Multi: 12,133 Cinebench CPU Single: 1,700 Fire Strike Overall: 7,513 Fire Strike Graphics: 8,107 Fire Strike Physics: 23,448 Fire Strike Combined: 2,925 Time Spy Overall: 3,780 Time Spy Graphics: 3,427 Time Spy CPU: 9,087 Wild Life Overall: 23,102 Steel Nomad Overall: 701 Windows Experience Overall: 8.2
Getting started with the latest Windows laptops just involves running through the last few setup screens of Windows 11, and in this case, the Pro release. Whether you're doing this yourself or have an IT team handling it, the process is relatively quick and easy, with the usual registration of existing Microsoft or Google accounts before the main Windows 11 Pro interface opens up.
In this test, I started off with some of the Microsoft productivity applications as well as browsing the internet, putting together a slide presentation on darkroom photography for a course I’m presently running. Windows 11 Pro was able to handle Microsoft Word and PowerPoint with absolutely no issues, and as I added to Excel sheets on development times and chemical mixture ratios, it was able to handle relatively large slides and images. What stood out here was that 2.8K resolution screen, which just enables a little bit more real estate when it comes to handling Excel, which is a huge advantage even on this relatively small 14-inch screen.
The bezel around that 14-inch screen is also very slight, so you get maximum coverage. Whilst the screen looks good, bright and very clear, with good tonal graduation and overall quality, it was apparent from the outset that it has slightly more reflection than some of the laptops I’ve looked at recently, including the far more expensive ASUS ExpertBook. But still, considering this is almost £1000 cheaper, it holds up extremely well, as long as you're not in a bright location where screen reflections could make it a little tricky to see what you're doing.
As expected from most Windows laptops these days, the ability to handle Microsoft applications goes without saying. If you're looking for a straightforward, powerful laptop for general day-to-day business processing, then the GeekBook X14 Pro is a superb option.
However, I had to push this a little further. Having now used quite a few machines with the new Intel Core Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 CPUs, I was keen to see how good it was at handling DaVinci Resolve with some straight 4K video footage shot on the Sony A7 Mark V. This 4K footage isn't the highest bitrate, but it is good standard quality video you'd use for YouTube or social media content. DaVinci Resolve was able to handle a five-minute edit without too many issues, and the large 2TB SSD offered fast transfer rates, both read and write, around 6000 MB/s, while the USB4 connectivity enabled me to connect to a fast SSD, allowing smooth editing. This surpassed what I thought it would be capable of.
Where it did start to struggle was when effects were applied, and the fans kicked in to keep everything cool. There was a little lag on render times, but as long as you dragged the footage into the timeline, waited a second or two to settle and render, and then made the edit, the process was relatively smooth.
Switching in DaVinci Resolve to 4K video shot on the iPhone 15 Pro and opening that in CapCut, the experience improved further. CapCut is a far more lightweight video editor and much better suited to a small machine like this. It handled the 4K footage without issue, and as effects and templates were applied, there were no problems with slowdown. While once again you could feel the heat building up, it was able to stay on top of thermal throttling, enabling fast and smooth edits and uploads. While I was initially worried that the machine is limited to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, with no option to upgrade, through the review process, this proved more than enough, not only for day-to-day office use but also for relatively light video editing work.
Switching over to stills imaging and looking at Lightroom and Photoshop, again, this small machine was able to handle both without issue. Lightroom catalogues were created and adjustments made in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC at speed, showing that it’s a great option if you are a photographer looking for a very lightweight yet powerful small laptop. Likewise, Photoshop ran exceptionally well, and with AI enhancements like Generative Expand and image generation, the onboard processing made the experience relatively quick.
Finally, I loaded up a couple of games to see how it could handle them. Starting off with DiRT Rally, that CPU and GPU combo was far more powerful than the game required. I didn’t push the graphics, and the gameplay was smooth. However, the keyboard wasn’t the greatest for gaming; the keys lacked the responsiveness you’d want, so switching over to a dedicated controller is, as ever, a far better idea.
Then, really pushing the system, I loaded up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The graphics quality needed to be lowered to get decent gameplay, and even then, you could feel a little stutter as the machine warmed up. But ultimately, the game was playable, really highlighting the leap forward these mobile CPU and GPU combos have made in the last year.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro: Final verdict
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
For creative applications, I was impressed across the board. Whilst there was a little bit of a delay and waiting in DaVinci Resolve, it could handle pretty much anything I threw at it. My one issue was that I couldn’t quite get the hang of the trackpad; it wasn’t as responsive as many others, and the double-click on the left corner wasn’t as precise as I would’ve hoped.
There was also a feeling of slight lightness to the keyboard, and it didn’t have that precision of key press that I find with some of the more premium models. But then again, considering the price, you’re paying for the quality and speed of performance rather than the precision of the keyboard and trackpad.
Whilst the screen proved to be of decent quality with good tonal graduation and a relatively bright 450 nits of brightness, I did find the surface just a little overly reflective. It’s an issue in cafés, but if you’re sat in an office or on a train, that should be absolutely fine, just make sure you’re not sat with your back to a bright window.
Audio quality was also better than expected. With DTSX built in, the small speakers were able to produce a decent sound, not quite as deep and full-bodied as you’d get from a MacBook Pro or Microsoft Surface, but you’d only notice if you had those machines side-by-side.
Overall, if you’re looking for a very decent, premium-styled 14-inch Windows laptop for work and some light creative and gaming use, then the GeekBook X14 Pro is a superb option.
Should I buy the GEEKOM GeekBook X14 Pro?
Value
Considering that this is a powerful laptop for around the $1000 / £1000 price mark, it’s extremely impressive
4.5
Design
Good quality outer shell and design, let down slightly by the trackpad and lightweight keyboard
4
Features
Good range of features, with the power of the CPU, GPU and MPU really standing out
4.5
Performance
Able to handle all productivity and light-to-medium creative and gaming tasks
4.5
Overall
A relatively cheap premium laptop that will suit those who require power in a lightweight and relatively robust form
4.5
Buy it if...
You want lightweight portable power This is a good Windows laptop that's as light as a tablet but strong enough for real work on the go.
OLED display matters If you’re a content creator, the 2.8K OLED screen and colour fidelity are definitely a big advantage.
Don't buy it if...
You need upgrade options If you're the type who wants to swap out RAM or storage later, the soldered design isn’t for you.
You like to relax with gaming Integrated Arc graphics are solid, but not meant for high-end 1440p/4K gaming—although they do pretty well.
For a machine that just fits the mini PC classification, the Minisforum MS-S1 is something on another level and almost by definition, and this is reflected in the near £2,500 / $2,500 price tag. That price affords the latest components and technology inside, as well as an incredibly solid build. If you're thinking about buying this powerful mini PC, there are a few things to consider.
First and foremost, this isn't your average desktop machine. Sure, it will run all the usual applications like any other mini PC or desktop, but it goes far beyond, with its AI-tuned AMD CPU/GPU providing a perfect localised development workstation for AI or AI-enhanced applications.
It's also worth considering that the major components of this machine are soldered in place, so there's no option, unlike a desktop, to replace the CPU, GPU or RAM. However, there are plenty of options to boost the internal storage capacity, or even boost the graphics with a discrete card, as the machine has space for a full-sized PCIe x16 expansion, though you do need to consider that this is a mini PC, so whatever card you opt for will need to be relatively small.
Looking through the rest of the specifications, all features are cutting-edge, and Minisforum haven’t held back on any part of this machine, with unified RAM, those AI processes, USB4 and PCIe 4.0, with the ability to install up to 8TB of internal storage in the M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot.
The specification of this machine is impressive, but it’s only once you navigate Windows that you can really start to feel that boost in processing power and the speed at which Windows 11 Pro operates. Applications open almost instantly. When you load Microsoft Office, everything is exceptionally fast and responsive. Copying and pasting huge documents from one application to another presents no issue, and even when you start to load up memory-hungry applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, this machine just takes them in.
The real difference comes when you start to utilise the AI features in those applications, and even in Premiere Pro, with the CPU and GPU capable of processing Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro’s AI-at-heart features quickly, both locally and utilising remote processing options.
If you are into AI development, then the AI setup is going to work as a perfect starting point, with the ability to install a local LLM such as LM Studio on your machine.
Throughout the test, the machine just impressed. While the AMD Radeon graphics lag slightly behind Nvidia alternatives, it is still incredibly capable, flying through all video production I threw at it, as well as performing well when it came to gaming.
The Minisforum MS-S1 Max is essentially a specialist machine, especially when you consider its price point and the fact that it has been made to fit neatly into a U2 rack system, meaning that whether you use it on your desktop as a very compact and powerful mini PC for content creation, or as a machine that can take full advantage of most programs’ AI-enhanced features, or you’re looking to use the best mini PC for local AI development, the Minisforum MS-S1 Max is an option, especially when you cluster it with others.
What really appeals to me is that because of its small size and its durability, thanks to its full aluminium build, it’s also a great option to utilise in the field, offering a relatively compact and lightweight, yet extremely powerful machine that rivals many desktop video workstations.
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Price and availability
How much does it cost? From £2399 / $2499
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Directly from Minisforum or Amazon
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16-core Zen5) Graphics: AMD Radeon 8060S (Integrated) RAM: Up to 128 GB LPDDR5x-8000MT/s Storage: M.2 2280 SSD Left Ports: 1× USB4 v2, 2× USB-A, Mic jack Right Ports: 1× USB4 v2, Power, DisplayPort, HDMI, PCIe slot Connectivity: Dual 10GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Audio: 3.5mm combo jack Camera: None Size: Compact chassis; fits on desktop or 2U rack. OS Installed: Windows 11 Pro Accessories: Power cable, mounting options
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Design
While the Minisforum MS-S1 Max is classed as a mini PC, you can tell from the outset that it is something far more, with a matte black industrial design that feels a level up from even standard premium mini PCs. The design is exceptional, with rubber feet on one of the longer edges as well as the base, so you have plenty of options for how to position it on your desk. It’s also been designed to fit directly into a U2 rack, so if you want to place it alongside your server, that’s easy enough.
The size, whilst not as small as most mini PCs, is still relatively compact at 222 x 206 x 77 mm, and it comes in at 2.8 kg, so it's substantially heavier than we usually expect.
However, unlike most mini PCs that remain small and compact yet always come with a power adapter that is almost the same size and weight as the actual machine, here with the MS-S1 Max, the power supply is built-in, so all you need is a standard kettle lead for the power.
Checking over the body of the machine, there are plenty of connectivity options. Very neatly on the front, there’s a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A with 10Gb/s transfer rate and 2 USB4 offering 40Gbps DP 2.0, PD power out (15W), and next to this is a 3.5mm audio combo jack enabling you to use standard headphones and mic.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Round the back, the selection of ports is equally impressive, with an HDMI 2.1 capable of providing 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB4 v2 (80Gbps, DP 2.0, PD out 15W), two USB 3.2 Gen 2, two 10GbE LAN RJ45 ports, anti-theft lock, and a reset hole to help clear the CMOS if you’ve been doing some development that’s gone wrong.
All these connections and interfaces are cutting-edge, but most mini PCs would stop there. Here with the MS-S1 Max, there’s a little bit more to it - and a feature that makes this closer to a desktop PC than a mini PC.
Opening up the machine (which is done by removing two screws at the back), the whole backplate and internals of the machine can be removed from the metal casing, revealing the SSD slot and the PCIe 4.0 expansion slot. While the connector is full-size, you will need to be a little bit wary about the size of the expansion card you purchase, but it still gives you plenty of options for discrete graphics and possibly AI enhancement cards in the future.
Design: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Features
For a mini PC, the specification and feature list are slightly abnormal, featuring the latest AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, and this is coupled with an AMD Radeon 8060S GPU. It’s also backed by an AMD Ryzen AI engine that gives this machine the full range of AI potential. The configuration of this machine has been built so that you can run large AI models locally, with all-scenario AI compute that offers up to 126 TOPS and runs 128B+ LLMs locally, such as LM Studio.
One of the other points about this machine is that it’s been designed so that you can either use it as a single machine or as part of a dual-unit 235B cluster or 2U rack cluster to really boost your AI workflow and development. In the marketing material, Minisforum actually state it’ll run the 235B Q4 large model locally if configured in that dual configuration, although that does obviously mean two of these machines and double the price.
If two machines aren’t enough for what you want to do, then that 2U rack deployment is also possible, where even more MS-S1 Max machines can be distributed into a cluster. Again, in the marketing material, Minisforum states that a four-unit cluster is powerful enough to run the DeepSeek-R1671B Q4 large model locally, which is impressive, firstly considering the size of the machines, and secondly, the fact that it comes in at less than $10,000 / £10,000.
What’s impressive here is that Minisforum have created a bespoke cluster design, which means that once configured and wired up, utilising the reserved cascade power-on header, you can then power on and off all machines in one go as if they were one.
As well as the future potential and upgradability into cluster systems, out of the box with just one unit, there are also a few key AI features, such as precise voice recognition with the AI noise-cancelling mic that will support mainstream AI models and help with speech-to-text and other voice commands.
Many of the internal components are also soldered to the motherboard, and it features 128GB of unified LPDDR5X-8000 MT/s RAM.
There an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot that’s able to take up to 8TB of storage.
As you look over the body of the machine, there are several things that really stand out. One of those features that’s really appealing is the inclusion of dual USB4 v2 and dual 10GbE LAN ports alongside Wi-Fi 7, enabling ultra-fast transfer speeds from external storage and accessories, and also the ability to connect to a local area network, and more importantly, a system for network editing.
Another of the huge differences between this machine and many others is the volume of I/O options. Including the latest USB4 v2 enables up to 80Gbps transfer rate, but on top of that, it also offers PCIe 4.0 x4, which offers space for full-length x16 slot expansion cards, giving you plenty of capability options from the outset.
As I previously mentioned, unlike other mini PCs, the PSU is actually incorporated into the casing of the machine and offers 320W, which is huge for this size of machine, but obviously needed for all the computing power it holds.
One of the other big features is the design, with the slide-out structure that enables you to slide the main computer out from the casing, so that upgrading and maintenance are exceptionally easy and fast.
There’s a lot going on with the MS-S1 Max, and cooling is essential. Here, they’ve tried to tackle this with an aerospace-grade aluminium chassis that offers both durability and superb airflow through the componentry.
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Features: 5 / 5
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Performance
Benchmark scores
CrystalDiskMark Read: 6061.76 MB/s CrystalDiskMark Write: 5374.64 MB/s Geekbench CPU Multi: 19,653 Geekbench CPU Single: 2,904 Geekbench GPU: 95,729 PCMark Overall: 8,425 Cinebench CPU Multi: 34,648 Cinebench CPU Single: 2,042 Fire Strike Overall: 26,639 Fire Strike Graphics: 29,838 Fire Strike Physics: 35,196 Fire Strike Combined: 12,283 Time Spy Overall: 1,106 Time Spy Graphics: 11,056 Time Spy CPU: 10,732 Wild Life Overall: 65,580 Steel Nomad Overall: 2,135 Windows Experience Overall: 9.1
Running through the setup process, it was apparent that the MS-S1 Max was quite a different machine from most of the mini PCs I tested, only the Sapphire Edge Ai 370 having hints of the same AI enhancement. The Windows 11 Pro setup required the usual final steps, signing into Microsoft and Google and downloading and installing updates.
What’s apparent with that Wi-Fi 7 connectivity is the speed at which you can connect to the wireless router (if, of course, your wireless router supports Wi-Fi 7).
Another noticeable point about this machine right from the outset is not only the number of connection options, enabling you to quickly connect up to 4K monitors. It is worth noting at this early point in the testing that the fans kick in from the outset, and this is far from a silent runner. Obviously, a lot is going on in this machine, and like any server, those fans and the cooling are consistent, unlike the almost silent running we’ve become used to with most mini PCs.
I started off with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These all loaded almost instantly, even when I threw large documents at the machine, including a large PowerPoint presentation I’d already created on another PC. It was very evident just how well this machine can handle those larger files, and again, there was literally no lag or wait time when it came to saving the files down or editing and adjusting images within any PowerPoint presentation.
As I moved over to some of the imaging applications, such as Photoshop and Lightroom, again, it was apparent that the images from the Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R5C posed absolutely no issue for this machine. Whilst the Radeon 8060S isn’t quite as powerful as some of the discrete graphics cards, the pure power of the CPU and iGPU is more than enough for these two applications. When it came to running the AI features, it proved just how capable this machine was, running those AI functions locally.
Moving on to Adobe Premiere Pro, I went straight in with some Pro 4K footage shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, and instantly, it was apparent that this machine was going to have no problems with that footage. I then went a level up with some RAW footage from the Canon EOS R5C.
While you could see a little bit of slowdown when it came to 4K after effects and grading, it could still handle a 15-minute edit with absolutely no issues whatsoever. If I were going to do a longer edit, I might consider putting in discrete graphics, but for most people, this machine out of the box will handle pretty much anything you throw at it when it comes to video editing.
One key point here was that I needed to transcribe one of the videos, and the speech-to-text was exceptionally fast, including expanding clips in the timeline, where the AI processing really becomes incredibly valuable.
When it came to CapCut (essentially a far lighter video editor than Premiere Pro and ideal for creating social media content for YouTube), there were no issues. Applying templates gave a really smooth experience; editing was fast and extremely agile.
Of course, this being an AI machine, I had to give some of the more in-depth AI features a go. So here I downloaded and installed LM Studio, as it’s free and has a very easy-to-use interface. Again, the performance was exceptional, and I was able to run that language model locally on the machine. While I’m still investigating the full use of LM Studio and its features, I have to say I was extremely impressed with the speed at which it was able to give responses and compute.
Finally, after trying to figure out the complexities of the AI features, I sat back for a little bit of gaming. This is where the machine starts to have a few issues, mainly because the Radeon 8060S, which, while incredibly powerful, does lag behind most discrete graphics cards I’ve recently seen in the latest Asus ProArt P16 laptop.
Still, playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Hogwarts Legacy, both were more than playable, getting good smooth motion, although not all settings could be turned up beyond medium.
Essentially, this is an extremely powerful mini PC and sits in between a dedicated desktop workstation and a smaller format machine. The power and capability are, of course, reflected in the price. This is a machine that’s been designed with a specific purpose, to utilise the power of AI locally, either as a single machine or as part of a cluster. For that purpose, while the price of the machine might seem high, it actually offers exceptional value for something this powerful and AI-ready.
Performance: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Minisforum MS-S1 Max: Final verdict
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
This isn’t the machine that’s going to suit everyone. Even for content creators, where this machine excels with 4K video editing and image enhancement, there are cheaper and better-suited machines out there. You’ll get the same performance for Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro from machines that cost considerably less and include a dedicated GPU.
Likewise, for gaming, all the games I tried on the system worked perfectly well, even at mid to low effects and graphic settings, but again, there are gaming PCs that are far cheaper and better suited for that purpose.
This machine, then, is really designed for AI developers, engineers, and users who want to investigate what the future of computing holds. The fact that it is a single machine, relatively well priced, and offers plenty of upgrade options, with the ability to put in up to 16TB of internal storage, USB4 V2, and with a PCIe 4.0 slot for expansion cards, gives you plenty of future potential.
What’s really interesting is that this machine is not just designed as a single standard unit, but as one that can be added to, so you can run it as a dual cluster or even build it into a far larger system as your budget and needs increase. For AI developers and engineers, this is an incredibly neat and simple out-of-the-box solution.
So for AI developers, this is a superb option that, while similarly expensive, is actually cheaper than many other alternatives. For everyone else, it would be a nice machine to own, but it might be a little overkill and not really tuned to mainstream use.
Should I buy the Minisforum MS-S1 Max?
Value
Extremely high-end AI computing in a compact box at a surprisingly balanced price
4
Design
Superb design that helps to dissipate heat, offers expansion options and cluster potential
4.5
Features
The big excitement here is the AI CPU and iGPU, alongside PCIe 4.0 expansion and cluster support
4
Performance
Closely matched to mid- to high-end desktops. This mini PC is in another class compared with what we normally expect
5
Overall
AI-focused compact workstation as a perfect option for AI developers
4
Buy it if...
You’re an AI developer
You’re running LLMs, multimodal models, or training workflows locally and need 128 GB RAM with 100+ TOPS AI compute
You want a true creative workstation
It's a top choice if you’re editing 4K video, building 3D models, or running simulations where GPU and fast RAM make a difference.
Don't buy it if...
Budget is tight While this is at the affordable end of AI development machines, if you’re looking for an affordable mini PC for browsing or light media use, this is complete overkill.
You're focused on upgrading everything
If you want to swap RAM and CPU later, unified memory and soldered components mean limited future-proofing.
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
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Design
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
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
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
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
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
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
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
Geekom A9 Max Mini PC: Final verdict
(Image credit: Alastair Jennnings)
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.
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 is a direct update to last year's impressive MagicBook Art 14 2024, and as you would expect, it boosts almost every aspect of the specifications and performance.
The new model is just as slim and light; however, the performance takes a huge leap forward. When it comes to the performance, it's worth noting that the "Art" is more in the name rather than indicating a creative focus for its use.
The ultrabook's slimline profile and weight are key features, which meant that throughout the review period I was able to take it comfortably with me without it adding too much weight or bulk; an additional kilo really doesn't feel like a great deal in a backpack.
There's also the build quality to consider, which once again feels good and robust. The main chassis is made from aerospace-engineered magnesium alloy, while the keyboard utilises titanium. The ceramic-style surface also gives the machine one of the best aesthetic finishes I have seen, especially with the way it reflects the light.
Away from the build and style of the machine, the performance is equally impressive. Although the "Art" label is once again a little confusing, this really refers to the art of the machine rather than it being aimed at the creative market, such as the ASUS ProArt series.
This laptop is aimed at those looking for a high-end office, lifestyle or general machine that looks great and has a decent amount of power to match.
Through the benchmark and real-world tests, the high-level performance became apparent, and there was no doubt about just how good the new Intel Core Ultra CPUs are. Microsoft Office apps ran quickly, with the high-resolution display affording greater screen real estate for spreadsheets and Word documents. Likewise, utilising cloud-based office applications proved strong with a stable internet connection.
Used for general office work, the machine is exemplary, keeping up with demands placed on it as well as enabling superb audio for media playback. The integrated Arc graphics handled all day-to-day tasks with ease, although it did start to struggle under more intensive tasks such as video production and gaming.
However, as an office-focused machine that's slimline, lightweight and looks great, there is little to fault in one of the best ultrabooks (and best-looking) on the market.
HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025: Price & availability
How much does it cost? $950 / £950
When is it out? Available soon
Where can you get it? Widely available
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 will be available soon with several different iterations. No US pricing is available yet, but in the UK, it's retailing for £1499.99.
You can check it out on Honor's official site by clicking here.
Value: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Design
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 225H / Ultra 7 255H Graphics: Intel Arc Graphics 140T (integrated) RAM: 32 GB LPDDR5x Storage: 1 TB or 2 TB SSD Left Ports: Webcam dock, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 4 Right Ports: USB‑A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, 3.5 mm audio Connectivity: Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Audio: 6-speaker setup, DTS spatial audio Camera: 1080p removable magnetic webcam Size: 316.8 × 223.6 × 11.3 mm Weight: 1.03 kg OS installed: Windows 11 Home Accessories: USB-C charger, cable, webcam, documentation
The quality of the build, style, design and materials really do stand out. Like the previous version that offered an attractive matte green surface, my review sample of the Art 2025 features a white ceramic finish that accents colours in different environments. It's instantly striking, sometimes looking like a flat colour and other times as though there's a gradient.
The size and weight of ultrabooks are always important factors, and here the machine measures 316.77 x 223.63mm x 11.5mm and weighs approximately 1.03kg, much the same as the previous version. Once again, the chassis is made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy with a triangular topology that helps provide the strength of the design. Titanium alloy is used for the keyboard, and there's an aluminium alloy fan inside, helping to keep the components cool while also keeping the weight down.
Around the edges of the machine, there's a small but good selection of ports including USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, USB4/Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.0, HDMI 2.1 and 3.5mm audio jack.
The screen is one of the big features of this machine. At 14.6 inches with a resolution of 3120x2080, it's also a touchscreen and offers a massive 1600 nits of brightness, making it a great solution for use at a café or other outdoor venue.
While the laptop isn't designed for creative use, it still offers decent colour accuracy with 100% DCI-P3, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 60/120Hz refresh rate.
Another feature I liked in the previous model that once again appears here is the removable webcam. This inserts into the side of the laptop and can be removed and popped on top as required. This means there's no break in the screen or thick bezel to house the camera, it's a great solution and one that obviously increases security as well.
On biometrics, the laptop features a dedicated fingerprint recognition key in the top right of the keyboard, enabling fast access when needed.
Design: 5 / 5
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Features
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
Delving into the features of this ultrabook, there's a little bit more to this machine than most. Firstly, there's the ultra-slim design that houses the Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 255H and integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU. The machine is available in a series of configurations depending on your needs, with the review sample featuring a 1TB SSD and 32GB of LPDDR5x 8400MT/s.
One of the fetaures that I liked when I reviewed the precious version was the small detachable magnetic webcam. While the quality is relatively low at 2.1MP and a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080, this is more than enough for most conference calls. What I do like is that it can also be placed to face forward or backwards.
The screen is superb and fully touchscreen, and the hinge has been designed to enable easy one-hand opening and offers a good range of movement, although it won't lie fully flat.
In use, complementing the screen are the six small DTS audio speakers that give good depth of sound in line with other premium laptops.
Despite the sleek design, the keyboard and touchpad are full-sized, with only the up and down cursor key half sized. The touchpad is also large and responsive, with several preset gestures for volume, brightness, screenshots and more.
Alongside the impressive array of features, there's enough processing potential to take the workflow beyond spreadsheets. As this machine offers the latest AI-enabled CPU, it can handle more than most machines of this size. HONOR has ensured the internal cooling can cope and it stays impressively quite at just 3dB.
Overall, when it comes to features, from aesthetics, build materials to ports and connectivity, this is a machine clearly focused on those looking for a premium work laptop with plenty of power.
Features: 5 / 5
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Performance
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
CrystalDiskMark Read: 7114.89MB/s CrystalDiskMark Write: 6352.79MB/s Geekbench CPU Multi: 2659 Geekbench CPU Single: 13615 Geekbench GPU: 32073 PCMark Overall: 5752 Cinebench CPU Multi: 14375 Cinebench CPU Single: 1970 Fire Strike Overall: 8436 Fire Strike Graphics: 9128 Fire Strike Physics: 27605 Fire Strike Combined: 3233 Time Spy Overall: 4323 Time Spy Graphics: 3933 Time Spy CPU: 9884 Wild Life Overall: 25169 Steel Nomad Overall: 839 Windows Experience Overall: 8.4
From the outset, the MagicBook Art 14 2025 impressed, especially with Windows 11 Home edition installed as standard. Opening apps and general use felt fast and responsive, and the quality of the screen and touchscreen responsiveness stood out.
One aspect that impressed me was the power of the small speakers, that despite the slim chassis, they delivered a decent depth of sound.
Opening large spreadsheets, I found that the increased resolution enabled easier viewing of more content than expected from a laptop this size. The screen throughout is a strong feature, with the 1600 nits maximum brightness allowing it to be seen in most situations, even outside a café. However, as is common with office-focused machines, the reflective surface did reduce visibility in bright environments.
For office and Windows-based tasks, including web browsing and multimedia playback, this machine performs as well as any I've used. This was reflected in a Windows Experience score of 8.4, one of the highest I've recorded.
RAM and storage are well balanced, and during testing, the machine easily handled switching between multiple apps. When using CapCut to edit a quick video, the speed of the SSD really stood out. While it doesn't quite reach PCIe 5.0 speeds, with read speeds of 7114MB/s and write speeds of 6352.79MB/s, it is still one of the fastest laptop SSDs I've used, this also means it boots up exceptionally fast.
As I started to push the system further, the CPU performance boost became clear. The Cinebench Multi result of 14375 showed that CapCut, Lightroom and Photoshop were all handled easily. Even with multiple layers and high-resolution images from the Canon EOS R5 C, performance remained good. However, storage became an issue, and I needed an external SSD. Fortunately, the Thunderbolt 4 port enables ultrafast SSDs, such as the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5, to be connected.
Impressed by the image enhancement, I moved on to video editing. iPhone 15 Pro 4K footage was handled well in CapCut, allowing fast social media edits with some complexity. However, switching to Log3 footage from a Sony A7 IV pushed the machine to its limits, and performance began to falter.
Having reached the limits for work, I tested a few games. I was initially surprised that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle loaded, but while initially playable, there were plenty of dropped frames and frequent crashes. Other newer titles also struggled, though I did manage a round of DiRT Rally.
When pushed, the fans do kick in, but they remain well-balanced and quiet.
The final note is on the 60W battery, which provided around 4 to 6 hours during multimedia, office and light creative work. For pure office use, I'd expect closer to the quoted 10 hours. Gaming would naturally yield much less.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025: Final verdict
(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 is an impressive ultrabook that will suit anyone looking for a powerful, premium machine for office and general use.
The aesthetics are stunning, and I think that this is one of the best-looking ultrabooks available, with a slimline design and lightweight build that means it will easily slip into a backpack or laptop bag without adding much bulk.
In the office or on the move, there are plenty of connectivity options, and while there's no network port, Wi-Fi speed and signal strength proved impressive during testing.
In use, the screen really impressed with its large, bright, crisp display and touchscreen functionality. I just wish it would fold flat or, better yet, fold over to be used as a straight tablet.
The power for most tasks is impressive. As long as you don't plan on playing the latest games or editing high-bitrate, high-resolution video, it can handle most creative applications. When it comes to Windows and Microsoft Office, this laptop handles everything with ease with the best Windows Experience score I've seen which was ultimately reflected in the real world use.
If you're after a premium ultrabook, the MagicBook Art 14 2025 is a great option.
Should I buy a HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025?
Value
A premium laptop with a price and build quality to match
4
Design
The materials ensure that the laptop remains lightweight and strong, with one of the nicest finishes I've seen
5
Features
A strong set of features for a powerful laptop for general use, while remaining compact
5
Performance
Keeping in mind this is a high-performance office machine, it supplies power where needed
4.5
Overalls
Outstanding machine for office and general use with a great look and premium feel
4.5
Buy it if...
You need a work-focused machine.
Everything from the premium build to the hardware configuration has been optimised for business use and portability.
You need something small and ultra-light
The fact that this laptop is so thin and light makes it ultra-portable, yet it still offers good levels of connectivity.
Don't buy it if...
You're a creative
While this machine packs plenty of power, it shouldn't be seen as a creative option, as that integrated GPU and the storage will struggle.
You want to play games.
Again, while the Intel Arc graphics are exceptionally good for all-around use, they lack the power required for modern gaming.
Released at the tail end of 2024 on Xbox Series X|S and Windows, action-adventure gameIndiana Jones and the Great Circle quickly established itself as not only one of the year's best games, but an incredibly immersive, cinema-rivaling romp that perfectly captured the spirit of Spielberg's beloved trilogy. Surpassing expectations, the first-person game didn't deliver the Uncharted or Tomb Raider rip-off many assumed we'd get. Nor did it turn out to be a shooter similar to developer MachineGames' successful Wolfenstein games.
Review information
Platform reviewed: PS5 Pro Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Release date: April 17, 2025
While either of those approaches probably would have worked just fine, the Swedish studio and publisher Bethesda Softworks went off the beaten path – much like Dr. Henry Jones Jr. himself – to produce an ambitious, story-driven, sublimely satisfying experience that's on par with the archeologists' best big screen adventures. As a result, it's now one of the best PS5 games and best PS5 Pro games you can play.
A thrilling ride worthy of the films
(Image credit: Bethesda)
For those yet to don the fedora, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle spins an original canon yarn set in 1937, between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade (remember, Temple of Doom serves as a prequel to Raiders). The globe-trotting tale finds Indy exploring the likes of Vatican City, Thailand, Egypt, and beyond in his quest to uncover the secrets and mysteries behind the titular Great Circle.
For fans, this means participating in plenty of relic-hunting, puzzle-solving, and Nazi-pummeling antics across incredibly detailed, semi-open world maps. But it's the deft pacing and organic implementation of these various elements that make the game shine brighter than the Ark of the Covenant. Puzzles hit the sweet spot between being challenging but never to the point that frustration overshadows the fun, while the combat – which sees you fighting fascists with everything from fly swatters to frying pans – is a visceral blast.
Best bit
(Image credit: Bethesda)
It feels fantastic wielding Indy's signature whip and pistol, but beating up baddies with every random object – from spatulas and brooms to candlesticks and various musical instruments – is a surprisingly satisfying way to thin the Third Reich's ranks, especially with the DualSense's bells and whistles upping the immersion.
On the subject of putting Hitler's heavies in their place, the game, of course, arms you with Indy's trusty pistol and bullwhip. But rather than regularly relying on these items, you use them smartly and sparingly, supplementing them with lots of sneaking around, stealth takedowns, and improvisational melee combat. Seriously, breaking a mandolin over a baddie's head never gets old.
This sort of balanced, organic approach also translates to puzzle-decryption and environmental exploration, as you'll rarely find yourself simply mimicking on-screen prompts, chasing down shiny symbols, or following icons. Instead, you'll rely on Indy's intuitive camera and info-packed journal to naturally progress through objectives.
And while the critical path will keep you busy, the expansive sandboxes are brimming with optional collectibles, secrets, and surprises worth seeking out. On that note, expect to discover plenty of manuals that help you upgrade Indy's abilities, an especially cool feature that forgoes the usual, game-y skill trees in favor of a leveling system that more naturally suits the character.
Whether you're cracking ancient conundrums or Nazi skulls, the game offers an absorbing visual and audio experience that seamlessly blends its first and third-person perspectives. Most of the action unfolds from the former, while the latter perfectly frames some platforming sequences – like climbing and swinging – as well as cutscenes. Toss in some epic set pieces and Troy Baker's spot-on Harrison Ford performance, and the Great Circle puts the whip in your grip like never before.
PS5 fortune and glory
(Image credit: Bethesda)
All that said, the game's original release did suffer from some graphical and performance issues, especially on the Xbox Series S. With this PlayStation 5 version - particularly when played on a PS5 Pro - however, those problems have been squashed like a crypt-inhabiting creepy crawly beneath Indy's boot.
Where many titles on both the standard PS5 and Pro consoles offer a choice between Performance and Fidelity modes, the Great Circle ditches those options for a beefy default that delivers both native 4K resolution at 60fps. Supported by advanced ray tracing tech – putting some of the prettiest lighting and reflection effects I've ever seen on screen – the result is an absolutely stunning, incredibly sharp visual presentation complemented by performance that feels as smooth as a poison-dipped date.
Of course, the PS5 release also cranks the immersion through the DualSense controller's nuanced haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, LED lighting, and touchpad effects. Whether feeling the building rumble of Raiders' iconic boulder trap, splintering a guitar over a goose stepper's head, or pulling your whip as it wraps around a foe's limbs, you'll never experience the same tactile sensation. Smaller touches, like the LED light flashing green when you apply a life-saving bandage, further make you feel like you're actually under the hat.
More than a mere port, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 is easily the definitive version of the game, thanks to the various features, upgrades, and enhancements that this version built for Sony’s consoles brings to the adventure.
Should you play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for PS5?
Play it if...
You love the Indy films Highly evocative of Indy's Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade era, The Great Circle offers an incredibly immersive action-adventure romp that's as close as you'll come to a playable Indiana Jones movie. A must-play for fans of the franchise.
You have a thirst for adventure While the Great Circle puts you under the hat like never before, you needn't be an Indy nerd to enjoy it. The rewarding mix of deep exploration, puzzle-solving, collectible-gathering, and improvisational combat will satisfy any fan of the genre’s thirst for adventure.
You've been waiting for the best console version of the game PlayStation owners may not have gotten Indy's latest interactive adventure when it arrived late last year, but the wait was worth it. While the Great Circle impressed on Xbox platforms, its PS5/PS5 Pro release is the prettiest, most immersive console version of the game.
Don't play it if...
The content didn't get you cracking the whip the first time Indiana Jones and the Great Circle receives notable graphics and performance upgrades on the PS5/PS5 Pro, but its content is identical to that of the Xbox and PC versions released last year. If you're looking for different or new content – like the upcoming Order of Giants DLC – you won't find it here.
Accessibility
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle goes pretty deep in terms of accessibility features, offering a solid suite of options for those looking to tweak and tinker. Both the size and color of the user interface elements can be adjusted, while subtitles and closed captions can also be personalized to your preferences. Camera modes, like motion blur and screen shake, can also be turned on or off.
There are also protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia color filter modes for color blind players, as well as various HUD adjustment settings. The game also offers a number of difficulty settings for both its action elements, which can tweak enemy quantity and behavior, as well as adventure aspects, which can adjust puzzle difficulty and toggle objective markers.
How I reviewed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
I playedIndiana Jones and the Great Circle for over 40 hours, with about a third of that time invested in optional activities and additional exploration. I reviewed the game on the PlayStation 5 Pro, but also put several hours into the Xbox Series X version to compare the visuals and performance. I also tested all the new DualSense-specific features. I played on my budget model TCL 4K display with HDR enabled. For audio, I used my television's onboard stereo speakers, but also tested with PlayStation's Pulse Explore earbuds.
This thing is heavy, seriously... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
It's simple. If you're out for a powerful gaming laptop, capable of reaching high and smooth frame rates with minimal performance issues, the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is your answer. Using Nvidia's RTX 5080 laptop GPU and AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX processor, gaming is a breeze at its native 2560x1600 resolution without using Team Green's DLSS upscaling technology; however, when it is used, achieving high frame rates is a cakewalk.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had very little trouble reaching over 100fps, and edged close to the 100fps mark when running on ECO-Silent mode (which is incredible as I'll dive into later), helping reduce the workload and high temperatures, thanks to MSI Center's user scenario options.
With a 240Hz refresh rate, playing less demanding titles like Hades that can reach such frame rates, was an immersive and astonishing gaming experience. I know I've previously said that 144 or 165Hz refresh rates are more than enough for gaming, but with any game that can stay at 240fps without any significant dips, it's very impressive.
It's not all perfect though; this laptop is not ideal for long trips or playing on the go, as it's incredibly heavy (especially when including its 400W power adapter), and you'd need a large backpack to fit the 18-inch laptop in for travels. I found it difficult to use for long hours on a sturdy mini bed desk, with worries that it would snap its legs in pieces, and even at my main gaming desk, with its power adapter taking up space – so, portability isn't the best here.
This isn't an inexpensive system either - however, if you can afford the expense and you're looking for one of the best gaming laptops to provide great gaming performance, look no further.
MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Price & Availability
How much does it cost? Starting at $2,999.99 / £3,199 / AU$6,599 (for RTX 5080 configuration)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? In the US, UK, and Australia
There's no denying that the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is a very expensive piece of hardware, instantly locking most gamers out of a potential purchase. However, for those who can afford it, you're getting the bang for your buck with a system that is capable of matching a variety of desktop builds.
With both a powerful AMD processor and Nvidia GPU, it's more than enough to satisfy most gamers' performance needs; the Ryzen 9 9955HX excels at single-core and multi-core processes, which you'll see later below.
With this configuration (A9WIG-006UK), there is no OLED or mini-LED display available, which would've slightly softened the blow of the high price, with an immersive and brighter screen – but that shouldn't hinder the gaming experience here.
The issue is that it's more or just as expensive as some pre-built gaming PCs, which is somewhat reasonable since it's using a CPU as powerful as those in high-end desktops – but the RTX 5080 discrete desktop version is the stronger GPU.
Regardless, this is a gaming laptop that packs plenty of processing power in a beefy and sturdy chassis, cooled very well with its Cooler Boost 5 tech using a 'Dedicated Cooling Pipe', so it's not very surprising to see it cost so much.
Still, the point remains; unless you're adamant on travelling with the Vector A18 HX A9W and using it on the go (which I wouldn't recommend because portability isn't that great here), or just want a PC you can move around your home easily, it might be a better choice to buy a desktop rig.
Value: 2.5 / 5
MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Specs
You knew you'd see Resident Evil 4 at some point in this review... I'm obsessed with it (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
I absolutely love the chassis of the Vector A18 HX A9W as it has a sturdy build, and perhaps most importantly, a great cooling pipe design. Even when gaming on Extreme Performance, temperatures were never too high, often hitting a maximum of 77 degrees Celsius.
Its speakers aren't particularly a standout, but are serviceable and get the job done, especially with an equalizer and 3D surround sound available to improve audio immersion. It's also always easier to use Bluetooth speakers or headphones that have much better bass and clarity.
The two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports present are ideal for fast file transfers and for those who aren't keen on expanding internal storage with a new SSD, who would rather use an external one. It also features an HDMI 2.1 port on its rear, right next to its power adapter port – and one particular aspect I don't like is the slightly short length of the wire, which often forced me to place the chunky adapter on the desk.
With an 18-inch screen, you're getting the best you could possibly ask for when it comes to portable gaming – and if you've got a spacious desktop setup, it's a great experience.
However, the screen size and the weight are the only two main issues I have in this region, as you're going to have trouble fitting this in most backpacks for travel, and it's very heavy to carry around.
At 7.9 lbs, it had me paranoid that it would make my mini desk meet its demise, and while it's understandable considering all the powerful components, you should be aware that this laptop isn't built for portability (especially while carrying the adapter around, too).
Regardless, this is a beefy gaming laptop power-wise, and these gripes weren't too significant to spoil my experience overall.
Design: 4 / 5
MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Display
(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
My review model of the Vector A18 doesn't exactly have the best display available, as it's neither OLED nor mini-LED – both of which offer greater contrast and brightness. However, that doesn't stop it from being an immersive display that I found ideal for intense and competitive multiplayer gaming sessions.
It's thanks to the 240Hz refresh rate and 2560x1600 resolution, which matches up well with the horsepower of the RTX 5080. There aren't many games that are going to run at 240fps (unless you significantly lower graphics settings or resolution), but the ones that do, look absolutely incredible.
I must admit, coming from the consistent use of an OLED ultrawide, it took a little bit of an adjustment to become accustomed to an IPS LCD panel again – but that's to be expected when scaling down from one of the best display types (and it would be unfair to knock points off here because of that).
It's worth noting that HDR isn't present either, which often goes a long way at providing better color accuracy and detail in both brighter and darker images.
Regardless, the Vector A18 HX A9W has a 100% DCI-P3 coverage, so I never once felt dissatisfied or urged to calibrate or adjust color profiles. It also helps that you're getting a full 18-inch screen, which I believe is the sweet spot for portable laptop gaming (besides it probably being why it's so heavy).
The one downside I ran into is playing games that don't have 16:10 aspect ratio support. To put it simply, if you dislike black bars filling out portions of your screen while gaming, you're not going to like it here. So, it's definitely worth considering before committing to a purchase, but there are no other gripes from me.
Display: 4 / 5
MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Performance
Sweaty Call of Duty lobbies... we love to see it (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
RTX 5080 is a beast of a laptop GPU
The combo with AMD's Ryzen 9955HX processor is fantastic
The CPU's performance is incredible, matching desktop processors
The biggest highlight of the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is its performance, almost across the board. It shouldn't come as a surprise for me to say that the RTX 5080 laptop GPU is an absolute powerhouse, and crushes the 2560x1600 resolution in most triple-A games – and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is a game changer when used where necessary (essentially anything as demanding as Cyberpunk 2077).
In CPU-bound games, AMD's Ryzen 9955HX processor shines bright with 16 cores and 32 threads, ensuring the Blackwell GPU can do its job without any major bottleneck. In synthetic tests, both single-core and multi-core scores soared above chips like Apple's M1 Max in Cinebench 2024, and in real-world gaming tests, the results were consistent, as I didn't notice anything ominous regarding performance frame rates and frame pacing.
Most importantly, MSI Center features three different user scenario modes: ECO-Silent, Balanced, and Extreme Performance, which can all be used in any of the three Discrete, MSHybrid, or Integrated Graphics modes.
For the best results, I stuck with Discrete Graphics mode, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how great ECO-Silent was, in particular. Using a lower TDP (power consumption), temperatures are significantly decreased, and the fans are silent, hence the name ECO-Silent – but I came away shocked at the frame rates I was hitting using this mode.
At 1600p on ECO-Silent, Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum graphics settings without ray tracing and DLSS Quality, it ran at a solid 77fps, sometimes reaching the low 80fps mark, with a 1% low of 66fps.
In Assassin's Creed Shadows – a game that is arguably nearly as demanding on PC hardware as Cyberpunk 2077, and frankly, needs Frame Generation for higher FPS – ran at an average of 40fps on maximum graphics settings at 1600p, using DLSS Quality on ECO-Silent.
With the same graphics settings applied to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, it hit an average of 62fps; if that doesn't indicate how impressive ECO-Silent mode is, then I don't know what will. It's the best option for gamers who are bothered by fan noise and higher temperatures, while you still get very impressive performance results.
It gets even better with Balanced and Extreme Performance; the former has fans only a little louder than ECO-Silent, and is the way you should use the Vector A18 HX A9W for gaming (it's also MSI's recommended option), as it gives you a true reflection of what this machine is capable of, evident in the performance charts above.
Sticking with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Balanced mode was 41% faster than ECO-Silent, with an average of 94fps and 1% low at 77fps.
In the case of Extreme Performance, expect a whole lot of fan noise and higher temperatures, in favor of the best possible performance. In most cases of casual play, I hardly needed to use this mode, as the FPS boost wasn't significant enough coming from Balanced mode. However, it's absolutely essential for gaming at 4K, especially if you're using ray tracing.
It mustn't go without mention that DLSS Multi Frame Generation (when you have a decent base frame rate) is an absolute treat. It makes Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive path tracing preset playable without needing to adjust graphics settings; yes, increased latency is worth noting, but I honestly didn't think it was too impactful in this case.
Performance: 5 / 5
MSI Vector A18 HX A9W: Battery
This heavy adapter is your best friend... forget about the battery (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
As it is with most gaming laptops I've used, the battery life isn't terrible, but it's also not great either – so, decent at best. We're still seemingly a long way off from battery tech improving, especially for gaming laptops and handheld gaming PCs, but I give the Vector A18 HX A9W its plaudits for being at least average here.
It has a 99.9WHr battery, and switching MSI Center's user scenarios, battery life can vary. While playing Resident Evil 4 remake on Hybrid mode and Extreme Performance, the laptop lasted a full hour, starting at 85% before draining. Knocking the scenario settings down to Discrete mode and Balanced (with 50% brightness) allowed it to last another 10 minutes from the same battery percentage.
If you ask me, I wouldn't even bother gaming without the power adapter because, as expected, performance is significantly worse. Bear in mind, there's a 400W power adapter ready to handle the combined 260W of power from the RTX 5080 and the Ryzen 9 9955HX.
On the other hand, while web surfing in Balanced mode and Integrated Graphics, results were a little bit more impressive; at 59% battery, it took exactly 51 minutes to fall to 6%. When at 100%, it lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes during YouTube playback, so it's decent enough for those who want to use this laptop for work or multitasking.
However, the biggest downside is the charging time, as it takes a total of 2 hours to fully charge. It's already not great that the battery drains within 3 hours outside of gaming, but the addition of a long charge time isn't beneficial if you're looking to use it while on the go.
Portability isn't a strong suit, and these battery results are one of the main reasons why, especially when paired with the hefty design.
Battery: 3 / 5
Should you buy the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W?
Buy it if...
You're looking for one of the best gaming laptops
The MSI Vector A18 HX A9W is one of the best gaming laptops you can find on the market, providing fantastic performance results in games with Nvidia's powerful Blackwell RTX 5080 GPU and AMD's desktop-rivalling Ryzen 9955HX processor.
You want an immersive high refresh rate display
It's great for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 or Counter-Strike 2, which rely on fast refresh rates, with access to 240Hz here. The laptop GPU is capable of achieving high frame rates with the right graphics settings.
You plan on moving around your home with a powerful gaming machine
The Vector A18 HX A9W is great for those who wish to move around their home using different displays in different rooms, without a big desktop PC case taking up space.
Don't buy if...
You need a laptop with long battery life
While the Vector A18 HX A9W's battery life isn't bad, it's also not the best either, as you might find with most gaming laptops, and you shouldn't consider this if that is a dealbreaker.
You want to game or work on the go
Coinciding with its average battery life, you won't get great performance without using its 400W power adapter, which is required to utilize the RTX 5080 and Ryzen 9955HX's combined 260W of power.
It's also very heavy and won't fit in most backpacks due to the display's 18-inch size.
You want an affordable gaming laptop
Affordability and the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W are completely distant, as all configurations have an eye-watering cost using either the RTX 5070 Ti or the RTX 5080.
How I tested the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W
I tested the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W for three weeks, running multiple games and synthetic benchmarks. It kept me away from my main desktop gaming PC for a while, with Multi Frame Generation being a significant reason in why, and while I don't want game developers to become over-reliant on Nvidia's DLSS tech, it's great when implemented properly.
Navigation and web browsing was a breeze too, with 32GB of RAM and a powerhouse CPU giving me all I needed to acknowledge that this was a gaming laptop that enthusiasts won't want to miss out on.
