Last month, a confidential presentation in China gave AMD's laptop partners their first glimpse of what's coming next. The slides hinted at modest clock-speed improvements and the addition of more entry-level models, all under the codename "Gorgon Point." Not long after, NBD's shipping manifests today show a series of new FP8, FP10, and FP12 product codes. These identifiers don't match any existing "Strix Point" or "Kracken Point" chips, so it's clear AMD is gearing up for a Ryzen AI 400-series refresh set to roll out around mid-2026. Despite the new name, Gorgon Point sticks with the same winning formula. It still uses Zen 5 and Zen 5c CPU cores alongside RDNA 3.5 graphics and XDNA 2 neural accelerators. Core counts haven't changed, so you'll see configurations ranging from 4 to 12 cores just like before, with up to 4x Zen 5 and 8x Zen 5c cores.

What's different, according to the leaked partner slides, is a slight bump in boost clocks. The top-end Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 and 470 chips are now rated for up to 5.2 GHz, a slight but welcome increase from the previous 5.1 GHz, while maintaining a 28 W default TDP. AMD is also broadening its reach into budget laptops. In addition to the Ryzen 9 HX upgrades, the company will introduce new Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 models. Early leaks mention parts numbered 440 and 430, as well as a mystery Ryzen 3 SKU. These entry-level chips will use the same Gorgon Point silicon but will be tuned for cost-sensitive devices. Branding will likely follow AMD's recent pattern. Given how AMD has renumbered previous families, slotting Gorgon Point into familiar retail channels should be straightforward. Until AMD makes an official announcement, these shipping manifests and partner leaks are the best clues we have about the performance and efficiency gains in the next wave of AI-accelerated laptops.

AMD began rolling out its latest AGESA ComboAM5 microcode for Socket AM5 platforms, as confirmed by an ASUS BIOS update for its ROG Crosshair X870E Hero motherboard. The company will likely get motherboard vendors and prebuilt OEMs to release BIOS updates with the new AGESA 1.2.0.3e microcode for both AMD 600-series and AMD 800-series chipset motherboards. Version 1.2.0.3e patches a security vulnerability with the firmware TPM (fTPM) component needed to establish a hardware root of trust. This is also a minimum system requirement for Windows 11. The vulnerability discovered by Trusted Computing Group, involves an OOB (out of bounds) read method that could compromise the root of trust.

Interestingly, the ASUS change-log mentions that AGESA 1.2.0.3e introduces support for an "upcoming CPU." We know from older reports that this upcoming CPU is the Ryzen 9000G "Gorgon Point" desktop APU. These processors are based on the 4 nm "Gorgon Point" monolithic silicon, which is a revision of "Strix Point," similar to how "Hawk Point" was to "Phoenix Point." There are no changes to the IP of either the CPU complex, or the iGPU, or even the NPU, but updates to their clock speeds or boosting algorithm. The CPU consists of two CCX, one with four "Zen 5" cores sharing a 16 MB L3 cache; and the other with eight "Zen 5c" cores sharing an 8 MB L3 cache. The iGPU is based on the RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture, and comes with 16 compute units. The NPU is based on XDNA 2, and offers at least 50 AI TOPS, giving the chip Microsoft Copilot+ local acceleration capability. The PCIe complex is Gen 4, and the main PEG interface is narrowed down to PCI-Express 4.0 x8.

During a recent Computex keynote presentation, Qualcomm announced the next edition of its Snapdragon Summit. This year's event will take place in Hawaii, starting on September 23 and concluding on the 25th. The company's 2024 new product showcase took place last October, so an earlier than expected scheduled follow-up has caused industry observers to raise a collective eyebrow. Insiders foresee an unveiling of Qualcomm's next-gen flagship notebook/slimline laptop processor; mid-April leaks produced a smattering of elevated (generational) performance numbers. Late last week, Roland Quandt weighed in with fresh pre-release theories: "SC8480XP aka SD X2 Elite in testing with 64 GB RAM... looking like (an) 18-core thing, more and more."

Not long ago, the tenured semiconductor industry watcher linked the alleged Snapdragon X2 Elite flagship chip to a SK Hynix 48 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD-equipped SiP (System-in-Package) test platform. Mid-March "import-export database records" pointed to early evaluations of 18-core processor designs. The very best current-gen Snapdragon X Elite SoC leverages a 12-core "Oryon" design. Additional murmurs have driven speculation about diversified Snapdragon X2 Elite chips; allegedly powering desktop applications. Q1'25 rumors suggested the existence of setups configured with 120 mm AIO cooling solutions.

It seems as though an official international launch for the elusive AMD Ryzen 9000G APUs might still be on the cards for later this year, after all. While an announcement was expected at Computex 2025, along with a full-scale retail launch later this year, AMD was suspiciously quiet about its CPUs at the electronics trade show. Now, it looks as though Gigabyte has seemingly started preparing its B650 motherboard line-up for the arrival of AMD's Ryzen 9000G APUs.

On Gigabyte's B650 Gaming motherboard memory compatibility page, the hardware maker seems to have replaced any mention of Ryzen 9000 series CPUs with "Ryzen 9000 G-series CPUs," altogether. It's unclear whether this change means the same memory compatibility table will apply for both AMD Ryzen 9000 and 9000G CPUs, but that seems to be the case. At any rate, this leak suggests that previous rumors claiming a Q4 launch may have been correct. Those same leaks suggested that the Ryzen 9000G APUs would feature AMD Zen 5 CPU cores paired with AMD RDNA 3.5 iGPUs, with the top-spec iGPU likely being capable of running at least some lighter-weight games and e-sports titles. As it stands, the iGPUs found in recent AMD Ryzen CPUs are merely there for basic video output and diagnostic purposes, while the G-series APUs are generally intended for use without a dedicated GPU. It seems reasonable to expect AMD to launch at least one variant in the AMD Ryzen 9000G APU series equipped with the Radeon 890M, which also powers some of the most popular Windows gaming handhelds on the market.

ZOTAC made a notable impression at Computex 2025 by unveiling a range of compact gaming and AI-ready machines combining high performance and tiny footprints. The highlight was the second-generation ZOTAC Zone handheld prototype, now powered by AMD's top-tier Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. Equipped with Radeon 890M graphics, the Zone achieves smooth 1080p gameplay on its 7-inch AMOLED display, which offers a 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 800 nits of brightness. Despite its size, the device packs either 24 GB or 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory alongside a 1 TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD to ensure rapid load times and efficient multitasking.

For wireless connectivity, ZOTAC has included Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, dual USB4 ports, and a microSD slot. A built-in kickstand adds flexibility to handheld play, and Hall-effect joysticks, precise triggers, and twin trackpads provide a control scheme designed for accuracy. A 48.5 Wh battery that should support extended gaming sessions is powering all this. ZOTAC also previewed its Manjaro Linux distribution on the Zone, featuring a dedicated handheld interface and Wine-based compatibility for Windows titles.

AMD is preparing the next-generation mobile processor based on Zen 6 "Medusa Point" APUs. According to industry leaker HXL, the new lineup will feature a surprisingly high core count, especially on the top-end Ryzen 9 model, which is expected to pack 22 CPU cores. Under the hood, the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 Medusa Point APUs will use a hybrid layout that combines four high-performance classic cores, four dense cores optimized for efficiency, and two ultra-low‑power cores. On the graphics side, these chips will offer eight RDNA 3.5+ compute units, an upgrade from previous designs but still modest compared to some rivals. What really stands out is the Ryzen 9 variant, which reportedly adds a second Core Complex Die from AMD's desktop lineup. That extra 12‑core CCD joins the main ten-core die, bringing the total to 22 cores. While this pushes the CPU core count, AMD keeps the integrated graphics configuration unchanged, with just eight compute units.

Initial performance data hints that this trimmed-down GPU might run about 20 to 25 percent slower than the 12‑CU Radeon 890M used in earlier models. The eight CU GPU is half the power of current generation "Strix Point" with 16 CUs, but Medusa Point packs some RDNA 3.5+ upgrades. Even then, the raw CPU power should appeal to users who rely on heavily threaded applications, particularly in ultraportable laptops and mobile workstations. Medusa Point is built on the FP10 package, allowing for a slightly larger die size that houses the new core arrangement without sacrificing efficiency. Including dedicated low-power cores also marks AMD's first embrace of a heterogeneous x86 approach, similar to Intel's recent Core Ultra series. While more serious graphics work will mandate a combination of discrete GPUs for demanding workloads, Medusa Point will set new expectations for integrated CPU performance in thin, light notebooks.

Lenovo has announced the ThinkStation PGX, a compact, personal AI developer workstation. The ThinkStation PGX is ideal for AI researchers and developers, data scientists, practitioners, students, and application engineers who need a purpose-built, compact, and powerful AI desktop solution that works immediately out of the box. Built on the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip providing up to 1 PetaFlop (1000 TOPS) of AI performance, the ThinkStation PGX can tackle large generative AI models of up to 200 billion parameters. With 128 GB of coherent unified system memory, developers can experiment, fine-tune, or inference the latest generation of reasoning AI models. To double down on computing power, developers can connect two ThinkStation PGX systems together to work with even larger AI models up to 405 billion parameters.

The ThinkStation PGX comes preconfigured with the NVIDIA DGX OS, and the NVIDIA AI software stack, along with familiar tools and frameworks like PyTorch and Jupyter. Developers can instantly prototype, fine-tune, and inference large AI models from the desktop and seamlessly deploy to the data center or cloud. "By collaborating with NVIDIA to deliver a high-performance, yet compact device, Lenovo is empowering AI developers, researchers, data scientists, and students to accelerate their workloads and adoption of breakthrough innovation in generative AI."—Rob Herman, Vice President, Worldwide Workstation and Client AI Business at Lenovo.

Late last month, data miners unearthed a wide variety of unannounced AMD Ryzen processor IPs. A "Sound Wave" product category received less attention, but Team Red's curious codename has reemerged in the middle of May. Thanks to fresh Kepler L2 theorizations, this mysterious mobile APU family has a potential end destination. Leaks from 2024 suggested that company engineers were working on an unusual Arm-based processor branch. AMD is cozily well-versed in all things x86, but an alleged present day diversification—into Arm (x64) territories—has confounded a fair few industry watchdogs.

In a tangential conversation—forking off from speculative "Zen 6" and PlayStation 6 APU chatter—Kepler L2 reckons that Team Red "Sound Wave" chips will be deployed in 2026, possibly within a refreshed Microsoft Surface lineup. Current-gen Arm-based offerings—leveraging Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors—have generated mixed user impressions (press and public alike). Microsoft and Qualcomm's "Windows on Arm" (WoA) platform partnership was elevated earlier on in May (with cheaper options), but troublesome hardware-to-software compatibility issues have reportedly caused some rifts in this relationship. As of last week, evaluators seemed to be poking around with NVIDIA's rumored Arm-based "N1" chip series on Windows. In theory, AMD's futuristic "Sound Wave" designs could do battle with (claimed) Team Green and MediaTek collaborative efforts.

Officially, AMD Ryzen AI Max "Strix Halo" mobile processors are only available in complete systems—e.g. laptops, notebooks, and mini desktop PCs. Upon learning about this release status, DIY enthusiasts were left disappointed. After all, these impressively potent all-in-one solutions have picked up considerable praise pre- and post-launch. Team Red's "Strix Halo" flagship—the Ryzen AI Max+ 395—is the subject of much online debate, but cost of entry is steep. Under normal circumstances (i.e. no leveraging of promotional discounts), potential buyers are looking at $2000+ pre-built systems.

Separate BGA packages have turned up for sale in China—specifically on Goofish; Alibaba's second-hand trading platform. A past weekend VideoCardz investigative piece covered these curiosities. At this stage in time, viable custom motherboard designs are not yet widely distributed—effectively making individual "Strix Halo" units expensive paperweights. At the time of writing, seller "The Eraser in My Mind" offers the best Ryzen AI Max+ 395 deal: 3998 RMB (~$555 USD). This Suzhou-based trader also lists Ryzen AI Max PRO 390, and 380 SKUs. Product descriptions indicate that some of these processors are already powering mysterious handheld gaming devices (likely regional exclusives). Four Goofish accounts are displaying the same set of images; distinctive Team Red branding and "Made in Taiwan" tags are clearly visible across specimens—mostly mounted on plastic transport trays.

MSI's European spare parts website has listed a rear plate that can fit on its previous and current generation 7-inch handheld gaming PCs. Eagle-eyed investigators noted the presence of a third unannounced option within a compatible device list: "Claw 7 A2HM (MS-1T41)." In addition, observers noticed that the Japan Audio Society had granted certification back in February. These discoveries have fired up online debates once again; regarding a theorized AMD Ryzen Z2 APU-powered portable gaming device. An early 2025 leak suggested MSI's preparing of an unusual Claw model; apparently breaking away from their "traditional" selection of Intel SoCs. Last month, Haze2K1 reiterated their belief that the manufacturer would eventually release a new handheld with Ryzen Z2 Extreme silicon onboard. Given the complete lack of a "AI" tags/branding, MSI's speculated "Claw A2HM" SKU could arrive with a less potent NPU (or completely disabled). Current-gen marketing campaigns have hyped up the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+'s Copilot+ credentials; driven by Team Blue's "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra 7 258V all-in-one processor.

Very recently, the Taiwanese tech firm introduced a "Polar Tempest Edition" 8-inch flagship spin-off—industry experts posit that MSI is attempting to elevate the Claw 8 AI+'s profile, following a reportedly stuttery early 2025 global rollout. Closer analysis of the "officially" leaked "A2HM" identifier points to a possible "Arrow Lake-H" visitation. As outlined by VideoCardz, this handheld could be based around some sort of Intel Core Ultra 200H chip. Elaborating on their thought process, the online publication commented: "this platform does not use Xe2 GPU cores but instead features Alchemist+ or Xe-LPG+, which is also said to deliver solid gaming performance thanks to XMX core support. Arrow Lake-H also lacks a powerful NPU, which means it doesn't meet the criteria for Copilot+ PC, so Core 200H makes sense." Three months ago, Team Blue's Robert Hallock revealed "big plans" involving futuristic "Arrow Lake-H" and "Panther Lake" portable gaming products. Given recent-ish certification to retail release timelines, handheld enthusiasts could be sizing up MSI's "Claw 7 A2HM" by late summer.

Last December, MSI announced the launch of its Intel "Lunar Lake" APU-powered Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ PC gaming handhelds. Almost two months later, international buyers were left puzzled by a seemingly staggered new product rollout. Despite proudly exhibiting finalized "Sandstorm-colored" units at CES 2025, North American buyers missed out on experiencing a (semi-promised) mid-January release. By March, the brand had fired up its new-gen Claw device marketing campaign again. It is not clear whether MSI shipped a lot of stock to international markets, but fresh news reports indicate an upcoming arrival of their "Polar Tempest Edition" 2 TB variant. As disclosed by Notebookcheck, this special model popped up momentarily earlier on last month.

Re-upped listings point to a potential mid-July launch; starting prices in the US are hovering around the $999 mark. Amazon Germany is accepting orders; €1107.21 (including VAT) grants access to MSI's slightly redecorated Core Ultra 7 258V-powered flagship. The manufacturer's dedicated product page states: "(our) Polar Tempest Edition features a new color scheme and MSI's custom-formulated polyurethane coating, evoking ice-blue crystals on a snow-white landscape." Despite Intel's recent boosting of "Lunar Lake" integrated graphics solution performance, the Claw 8 AI+ (and its 7-inch sibling) face strong "next-gen" competition. ASUS seems to be readying a ROG Ally sequel—according to leaks, this portable PC will make use of AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. A distant "third-gen" MSI Claw design could be equipped with futuristic Intel gaming chipsets; in "Arrow Lake-H" or "Panther Lake" form.

ASUS has unwillingly revealed its upcoming ROG Ally 2 handheld through FCC filings and certification images, offering an early glimpse at two distinct models. According to Indonesian certification entries and a linked US FCC listing, the Ally 2 will launch in both black and white finishes. The black version includes a dedicated Xbox button, suggesting tighter integration with Microsoft's gaming services, while the white model adheres to the traditional ROG control scheme. This latest reveal follows ASUS's April 1st teaser of "Project Kennan," which showed an animated fusion of an ROG Ally and an Xbox controller, hinting at a formal collaboration between the two companies. Under the hood, the black edition of the Ally 2 represents ASUS's most ambitious handheld to date. It employs AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, an eight‑core chip rated at 36 W, paired with 64 GB of LPDDR5X‑8533 memory. In contrast, the white model will feature AMD's Aeirth Plus APU with four cores operating at 20 W. These hardware choices position the black version as a high‑performance Xbox-linked system, while the white version aims to balance power efficiency and sustained battery life.

Both variants are confirmed to sport a 7‑inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Notably, the screen bezels appear unchanged from the original Ally and the higher‑end Ally X. The new design instead focuses on ergonomics, with larger rear grips that resemble those of a traditional controller. The top-mounted I/O includes a pair of USB Type‑C ports, and side‑view images suggest a somewhat bulkier profile. However, the final weight and comfort will depend on ASUS's manufacturing refinements. No powered‑on images have emerged, so details about display quality or software remain unverified. We assume it could support the standard Windows 11 OS, with SteamOS being an option since we reported multiple software patches for ASUS ROG Ally on SteamOS. With multiple certifications now completed in Indonesia, the United States, and Korea, ASUS seems poised to announce the ROG Ally 2 at Computex 2025. Enthusiasts are now left to await official specifications, pricing, and availability when ASUS takes the stage next month.

Over the past week or two, next-gen processor fanatics have been combing through AMD's Technical Information Portal—many truth seekers are trying to determine details of new product lineups; likely in anticipation of official unveilings (at Computex 2025). Super sleuths are still trying to find Team Red's mythical Ryzen Threadripper PRO "9995WX" processor; an alleged 96-core "Shimada Peak" range-topping beastie. Going against forward progress grains, VideoCardz has uncovered much older technologies—harking back to the days of Zen 3+ and RDNA 2. Revisiting late summer 2023, Team Red-related leaks suggested the potential arrival of (6 nm) Ryzen "Rembrandt" 6000G series desktop APUs.

We now know that AMD skipped a couple of AM5-bound steps, and eventually released its Ryzen "Phoenix" 8000G (Zen 4 and RDNA 3) family early last year. The discovery of an "AMD AM5 Functional Test Vehicle APUs (Family 19h Models 40h-4Fh) are based on the Zen 3+ 6 nm core with Radeon Navi Graphics" entry within Team Red's technical info database, has reopened online discussions about forgotten/abandoned intellectual properties. VideoCardz believes that the "19h" tag denotes "Rembrandt" family origins—additionally, their curiosity was piqued by the possibility of 6000G prototypes units escaping out into the wild. Looking ahead, the AM5 platform is expected to welcome (next-gen) Ryzen 9000G "Gorgon Point" desktop (Zen 5 + RDNA 3.5) processors.

One of the interesting long-term trends in the commercial market is the shift in how people are functionally using PCs. Over the past few years, AI has gone from a dinner party conversation piece to practical use cases. Hand-waved discussions of future benefits are now concrete benefits in the here-and-now, from writing and validating software code to shaping customer communication. While many of these early AI workloads were executed in the cloud, we are seeing new use cases that require new local PC capabilities - capabilities AMD has been working to develop as part of its larger AI PC initiative. We've seen AI deployment accelerate in PCs, particularly as Microsoft builds these functions right into the operating system via its Windows 11 Copilot+ PC program.

In just two years, we've moved from an environment where the NPU was an unsupported, unknown proposition, to integrating NPU support into first and third-party applications. Commercial OEMs are expected to introduce AI PCs and Copilot+ PCs at a variety of price points throughout 2025, making local AI support more available and affordable. That's an important factor for corporate customers, many of which will be simultaneously negotiating the end of Windows 10 support and a historically large, pandemic-related system refresh wave. AI presents a further variable. The nature of the AI question has evolved over the last couple of years from "Does AI have a future in the enterprise?" to "What are the best practices for enterprise AI and AI PC deployment?" That's a significant shift, and it's worth unpacking in a little more detail.

Two weeks ago, unannounced APU model names—"Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" and "Ryzen Z2 A"—were leaked by Hoang Anh Phu. AMD introduced its Ryzen Z2 series at CES 2025; officially consisting of three options: Z2 Extreme, Z2 and Z2 Go. Technical make up of the two alleged new additions remained a mystery, but watchdog theorizations positioned the rumored "Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" as the (expanded) lineup's flagship—likely due to the enablement of an integrated XDNA 2 NPU. The vanilla Z2 Extreme APU is a handheld gaming-oriented product; existing as a spin-off from Team Red's "Strix Point" mobile processor design—utilizing Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies. By similar deduction, the leaked "Ryzen Z2 A" SKU was viewed as a "Hawk Point" (Zen 4 + RDNA 3) processor, possibly with a "switched on" AI aspect. Earlier today Hoang Anh Phu provided a new follow-up claim—this morning's social media post proposes a return to "Van Gogh" pastures.

The not-yet-official "Ryzen Z2 A" APU design could be derived from the Steam Deck's Zen 2 + RDNA 2 package. Valve and AMD's collaboration resulted in the "Van Gogh" custom chip design—also known as "Aerith"—debuting back in 2022. A die shrink—from 7 nm to 6 nm—arrived in the form of Steam Deck OLED's "Sephiroth" chipset (2023). Phu's latest prediction places the "Ryzen Z2 A" closer to the already unveiled Ryzen Z2 Go, graphics technology-wise. As discussed in the past, this entry-level "Phoenix 2" solution sports an RDNA 2 iGPU, albeit paired with Zen 3 processor cores. The Ryzen Z2 Go chipset powers Lenovo's Legion Go S handheld gaming PC—in the near future, this offering will be made available with two different operating system options: Windows 11 or SteamOS. As extrapolated from Phu's fresh prediction, similar-ish lower end devices—prepped with Valve's proprietary OS—could arrive with "Ryzen Z2 A" APUs onboard.

Sony and Microsoft seem to be involved in the development of handheld gaming consoles, but insiders reckon that respective next-generation offerings will not directly compete with each other. Xbox and ASUS have signalled some sort of collaborative ROG Alloy-esque device; potentially releasing later on in 2025. Whispers of a futuristic PlayStation portable model's chipset design emerged mid-way through March; courtesy of Kepler_L2. The notorious leaker has recent history of reporting inside track knowledge of AMD CPU and GPU architectures/technologies. They alleged that Sony and Team Red's collaborative PS6 APU design project had reached a finalized stage of development, possibly around late 2024/early 2025. Returning to March/April events; Kepler_L2 theorized that a "PS6 Portable" would not be capable of surpassing PlayStation 5 (home console) level performance upon launch in 2028.

The mysterious handheld is said to be powered by a "15 W SoC" manufactured on a non-specific 3 nm node process. Elaborating further, they posit that PlayStation's rumored handheld is capable of running PS5 generation games—bandwidth and power restrictions could reduce resolution and frame rates below that of Sony's current-gen system. Kepler_L2 pictures "PS6 Portable" gaming performance being somewhere in-between Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 (non-Pro). According to rumors, the handheld's chipset is not related or derived from the PS6 home console's internal setup. Kepler_L2 envisioned a mobile SoC with fewer than 40 compute units (CUs)—several media outlets have added their interpretation of this data point; with a sub-36 count. PlayStation 5's GPU aspect consists of 36 CUs, while the Xbox Series S graphics solution makes do with 20 units. Sony's speculated return to portable territories will be welcomed by owners of older handheld models—namely the Vita and PSP. Famously, these portable products struggled to keep up with competing Nintendo devices.

Over the years, we have witnessed plenty of product leaks via webpages that went live well before they were supposed to. Something similar appears to have happened with Lenovo's Malaysian site, granting us a glimpse at the upcoming ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 powered by up to the full-fat 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU. The leaked product specifications, as listed below, reveal that the P14s will support up to a whopping 96 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, although only with the lower-end Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 and Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 variants.

Compared to the previous edition ThinkPad P14s with AMD's Ryzen 7 8840HS APU, the highest-end variant with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 will undoubtedly be substantially faster in both single and multicore performance. The Radeon 890M iGPU will also handily outperform the 780M, although the difference is unlikely to be earth-shattering. Like its predecessor, the Gen 6 will continue being available with a 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display, with a higher peak brightness of 500 nits and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The port selection, as can be expected from a ThinkPad, is plenty admirable, packing dual Thunderbolt 4 (with DisplayPort 1.4), HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, dual USB-A, optional nano sim and smart card reader, as well as a headphone jack.

A few months ago, the OneXPlayer X1 Pro gaming handheld became one of the first in its category to boast AMD's 12-core Ryzen AI HX 370 'Strix Point' APU. The product also packed a pretty large 10.95-inch 120 Hz, 2560 x 1600 display as well as up to 64 GB of memory and a whopping 4 TB of internal solid-state storage. Now, the company behind the product has introduced a fresh new limited-edition variant named 'EVA' with a Neon Genesis-based theme and Arrow Lake-H internals. To be specific, this variant will boast Intel's Core Ultra 7 255H processor along with an eye-watering $1650 price tag.

The 16-core Core Ultra 7 255H will be paired with 64 GB of LPDDR5X memory, and 2 TB of SSD storage will be on offer. Unlike the AMD-powered variant, lower-end SKUs with 32 GB of memory and lesser storage space are not available. In terms of performance, the systems are quite neck-and-neck, which makes sense considering that the equivalent configurations are priced identically. The AMD APU has the lead in multicore performance, while the Intel part leads in single-core. In terms of GPU performance, the Arc 140T is quite a bit faster than the Radeon 890M, at least in synthetic tests. Real-life gaming performance is very similar, although performance varies heavily depending on the game being played.

Not too long ago, Storm City Retro's Ebay store listed an unusual Steam Deck model—the original asking price was $2999.99, although potential buyers were allowed to bid with "best offers." The sales page was titled: "Early Valve Engineering 34 Prototype Steam Deck 256 GB, Tested, Please Read!" Gary_the_mememachine—a member of the Steam Deck subreddit—reported an eventual successful transaction, on April 8. The seller—a "primarily online" Kirkland, Washington-based retro video specialist—managed to attract a buyer; who apparently bagged "Engineering Sample No. 34" for a cool two thousand bucks. Given the presence of a sticker that states "not for resale," Valve is likely not enthused by the appearance of pre-commercial phase hardware via second hand channels. The company's Bellevue HQ is located not too far away from Storm City Retro's placement; both being in the Greater Seattle (Pacific NW) area. Kotaku reached out to its contacts at Valve, but a spokesperson has not provided a comment regarding the alleged leak of an AMD "Picasso" APU-powered engineering sample.

Handheld gaming device experts have analyzed saved screenshots and photos; prototype number 34 seems to of February 2020 vintage. It was compared to various "officially revealed" prototype units—as seen in an informative infographic. An exact match was not found in this compilation, but it is obvious that No. 34 differs greatly—externally and internally—when lined up against final retail models. In 2022, Pierre-Loup Griffais—one of the architects of SteamOS—provided some insight about a similar looking proto device: "the best part is that they (mostly) all still boot, serving as an exciting reminder of how far things have come since. This one has a Picasso APU, at about half of the GPU power of the final Deck. The flatter ergo was an interesting experiment and taught us a ton about comfort." The Steam Deck LCD model launched back in early 2022, with a custom 7 nm AMD Ryzen "Aerith" APU onboard—utilizing Zen 2 + processor cores and RDNA 2 graphics architecture. An OLED refresh arrived over a year later with a die shrink; now 6 nm. Team Red had kindly prepared a more efficient Ryzen "Sephiroth" mobile processor design.

Lonely City Hardware has discovered an intriguing new ASUS ROG Strix gaming laptop, equipped with a mildly mysterious AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX APU and a familiar NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile 12 GB graphics solution. Potential customers—in China—can part ways with 13999 RMB (~$1907 USD) for the pleasure of ownership. A Weibo bulletin alluded to Team Red's secretive approach with the quiet release of Ryzen 8000HX mobile chipsets. Lonely City Hardware could not find this specific SKU within official company listings/web presences.

According to VideoCardz's interpretation of events, AMD was expected to unveil "Dragon Range Refresh" processors at CES 2025—instead, fresher Ryzen 9000HX "Fire Range" options were prioritized. Going against the grain, MSI allegedly published press material that mentioned a new Ryzen 9 8945HX-powered laptop. Previous leaks have indicated that refreshed "Dragon Range" Zen 4 APUs sport slightly elevated boost frequencies. The Ryzen 9 8940HX can go up to 5.3 GHz; 100 MHz greater than its unmodified sibling; Ryzen 9 7940HX. Team Red's "Dragon Range" processors utilize older RDNA 2 integrated iGPUs, so laptop/notebook manufacturers will likely pair Ryzen 8000HX APUs with the latest-gen discrete graphics solutions.

Three months ago, AMD unveiled its Ryzen Z2 APU series at CES 2025—purpose made for deployment in next-gen handheld gaming PCs. The officially announced flagship—Ryzen Z2 Extreme "Strix Point," utilizing Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies—was previously alluded to by leakers in late 2024; albeit with some curious claims regarding an "odd 3+5 core configuration." Last week, Hoang Anh Phu (@AnhPhuH) presented an alleged expanded lineup of Ryzen Z2 processors—headlined by a mysterious "Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" SKU.

PC hardware watchdogs believe that this speculative variant will eventually arrive with an enabled XDNA 2 NPU (a first for the series); likely readied to take on Intel's Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processor family. MSI's Core Ultra 7 258V-powered Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ handhelds launched not too long ago, boasting all sorts of Microsoft Copilot+ capabilities. Mid-way through March, an Xbox executive introduced "Copilot for Gaming." Team Red and manufacturing partners are likely jumping onto this "AI gaming" bandwagon with the aforementioned "AI Ryzen Z2 Extreme" chip, as well as Phu's fanciful "Ryzen Z2 A" model. The latter could be a spin-off of AMD's vanilla Ryzen Z2 "Hawk Point" design, with a "switched on" XDNA NPU.

Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident soothsayer of Apple inside track info—has disclosed predictive outlooks for next-generation M5 chip-based MacBooks. Early last month, we experienced the launch of the Northern Californian company's M4 MacBook Air series—starting at $999; also available in a refreshing metallic blue finish. The latest iteration of Apple's signature "extra slim" notebook family arrived with decent performance figures. As per usual, press and community attention has turned to a potential successor. Gurman's (March 30) Power On newsletter posited that engineers are already working on M5-powered super slim sequels—he believes that these offerings will arrive early next year, potentially reusing the current generation's 15-inch and 13-inch fanless chassis designs.

In a mid-February predictive report, Gurman theorized that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro design. A radical reimagining of the long-running notebook series—that reportedly utilizes M6 chipsets and OLED panels—is a distant prospect; perhaps later on in 2026. The Cupertino-headquartered megacorp is expected to stick with its traditional release cadence, so 2025's "M5" refresh of MacBook Pro models could trickle out by October. Insiders believe that Apple will reuse existing MacBook Pro shells—the last major redesign occurred back in 2021. According to early February reportage, mass production of the much-rumored M5 chip started at some point earlier in the year. Industry moles posit that a 3 nm (N3P) node process was on the order books, chez TSMC foundries.

Over the past weekend, GMKtec's Weibo channel announced that pre-orders for its recently unveiled EVO-X2 mini PC model will start on April 7 (through JD.com), for customers located in China. Almost two weeks ago, the manufacturer boasted about its brand-new offering being the "world's first AI mini PC" equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI "Strix Halo" Max+ 395 APU. Extra international attention was gained, due to Lisa Su's autographing of a showcased unit during proceedings at the 2025 AI PC Innovation Summit (held on March 18, in Beijing). Pricing and availability were not mentioned during this press event, but GMKtec's Saturday (March 29) bulletin has revealed a (roughly) $2067 USD price point for the EVO-X2 launch model.

The manufacturer's blog entry stated that the: "EVO-X2 AI supercomputing host is coming, 128 GB + 2 TB priced at 14999 yuan, pricing reconstructs the desktop computing power boundary! Equipped with AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 flagship processor, 16-core 32-thread architecture with 5.1 GHz acceleration frequency, combined with 128 GB LPDDR5X memory and 2 TB high-speed storage, it can realize local deployment of 70 billion parameter large models, and AI performance exceeds NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090D graphics card." This potent compact AI-crunching solution is tempered by GMKtec's "innovative" Arctic Ocean cooling system. They advertise this design as using: "dual-turbofans and VC heat sinks to achieve silent heat dissipation at a peak power consumption of 140 W. The body adopts a recycled aluminium suspension design, equipped with HDMI, DP and USB4 interfaces, and supports Wi-Fi 6 + 2.5G network access." The brand has not yet announced an international release, but their EVO-X2 mini PC could face serious competition. Late last month, Framework debuted its Desktop product range—consisting of configurable 4.5L Mini-ITX systems—with a top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (128 GB) model starting at $1999.

Successors to AMD's current-generation lineup of Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs are reportedly in the pipeline—according to the latest HXL/9550pro predictive declaration, finalized units could arrive at retail later this year. They propose that an "AMD AM5 New APU" family could arrive alongside an unannounced MSI Unify-X enthusiast-grade motherboard design, within the final quarter of 2025. Press interpretations of this inside track information point to possible upcoming "Ryzen 9000G" processors, utilizing Team Red's Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies. This potent combination already exists, albeit in mobile form—namely within Team Red's stable of Ryzen AI "Strix Halo, Strix Point," and "Krackan Point" APUs.

Industry experts opine that AMD will most likely deploy high-end "Strix Point" silicon to desktop, or more fancifully: "Gorgon Point." The latter codename turned up via leaks last week. Around early 2024, we witnessed Team Red's transfer of "Phoenix"—from original mobile formats—to their AM5 desktop platform. TechPowerUp's W1zzard evaluated the Ryzen 5 8500G "Phoenix 2" APU last summer; this plucky budget-friendly model sports Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. Theoretically a flagship "Ryzen 9000G" SKU could emerge with twelve processor cores (4x "Zen 5" + 8x "Zen 5c"), a Radeon 890M iGPU, and an XDNA 2 NPU.

Shipping manifests have served as fairly reliable sources of pre-launch information—Everest (aka Olrak29) has discovered many juicy details in recent times. Their latest sleuthing session—combing through NBD documents—has indicated AMD's (alleged) prepping of a larger socket design for next-generation mobile processors. A leaked document alludes to the existence of various "MEDUSA01" jig and block "FP10" socket validation parts. Current-generation Ryzen AI "Strix Point" 300 series APUs utilize the FP8 socket format. Based on the "MEDUSA01" shipping manifest, it seems that a successor will arrive with a larger footprint—measurements of 25 mm x 42.5 mm are repeated throughout the leaked description list. Industry watchdogs surmise that "Medusa Point's" BGA FP10 socket will be approximately 6% larger than its predecessor.

Mid-way through last month, insider theorizations pointed to "Medusa Point" being a chiplet-based design. A "single 12-core Zen 6 CCD" was linked to a TSMC 3 nm-class node, with "N4P" reportedly selected for a separate mobile client I/O die. Readily available 4 nm Ryzen AI "Strix Point" processors are monolithic in nature. Initial inside track info mentioned RDNA 4 technology in the same equation as "Medusa Point," but recent Team Red's recent-ish targeting of "GFX1153" places RDNA 3.5 as the de facto choice.