Intel's Platform Engineering and Client Segments groups are actively looking into ways of reducing computer e-waste, and (in parallel) enhance product repairability. The company's newly proposed "Modular PC Design" is set to take a "sustainable approach" across three key modularity levels: factory, field and user. Team Blue's blog post goes into great detail about revised laptop and mini-PC designs—with the "right-to-repair" movement serving as a major influence. Many "consumer activists and environmental groups" have advocated for improvements in personal computer design—Intel appears to be listening, but a firm release timeline has not been set.

Intel's proposed new standards will revolve around repairability and upgradability—as explained in their blog: "the right-to-repair emphasizes the importance of being able to fix and upgrade PCs on one's own. Improving repairability requires fundamental changes starting from the design methodology." Team Blue's Modular PC program—for laptops—breaks away from the tradition of utilizing an "all-in-one motherboard." A reference diagram shows off three internal modules: a motherboard package and two "universal" left and right I/O units. These separate boards can be: "utilized across various platforms or market segments leads to cost savings by streamlining the duration of the design cycle and minimizing the engineering investment required. The I/O boards for Premium Modular designs are engineered to be common between the fan-less Thin & Light system, which operates within a 10 W power envelope, and the premium fanned designs, which function within a 20 W (single fan) and 30 W (dual fan, Wi-Fi only SKU) power envelope." Framework recently celebrated its fifth year of operation—its modular laptop designs have seemingly "inspired" a few copycats.

PNY today announced the specifications and availability of its high-performance DDR5 notebook memory, offered in 64 GB (2x32GB) and 32 GB (2x16GB) kits. Designed for tech enthusiasts, creators, and gamers who demand unrivaled performance, premium quality, and blazing-fast speeds, this new memory module harnesses the power of DDR5, runs at 5600 MHz, and features a CAS latency of 46.

Next Generation Technology
PNY Performance DDR5 is built to support the growing lineup of motherboards compatible with the new DDR5 memory standard. This cutting-edge technology introduces a host of new features previously unavailable or limited in earlier generations of notebook memory. DDR5 enables higher-density modules, with capacities up to four times greater per module than DDR4 and supports faster standard frequencies. PNY's Performance DDR5 memory offers speeds of 5600 MHz for outstanding performance and is available in 64 GB (2x32GB) and 32 GB (2x16GB) kits.

Expanding its AI PC leadership, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the Snapdragon X Platform, the 4th platform to join the Snapdragon X Series compute portfolio, designed to deliver performance, multi-day battery life, and Copilot+ PC experiences for even more users globally.

Redefining the PC Category for Mainstream Devices at $600
Utilizing the power of an 8-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Snapdragon X is delivering essential performance to the next-generation of PCs. This platform delivers up to 163% faster performance at ISO-power than our competitors who also require 168% more power at ISO-performance, the Snapdragon X processor balances performance and built-in intelligence with a 45 TOPS NPU that runs Copilot+ PC experiences more efficiently. With an integrated power efficient GPU, Snapdragon X supports dynamic graphics ideal for creating presentations, web browsing, or streaming content. Snapdragon X is an ideal solution for students, freelance workers, and budget-conscious consumers who need a reliable and powerful laptop that can keep up with their busy lives. Devices powered by Snapdragon X are expected to be available from leading OEMs including Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, HP and Lenovo in early 2025 enabling Copilot+ PCs in the $600 range.

The mobile cavalry has landed with the introduction of Area-51 laptops. These 18-inch and 16-inch laptops have an acute focus on power, performance and innovative engineering in a new otherworldly design language. Like its desktop counterpart, Area-51 laptops are an expression of maximum performance that cater to gamers seeking the preeminent gaming experience.

Armed to the nines with next-gen high-performance technology and enveloped in our brand-new industrial design, Area-51 symbolizes the next act for Alienware.

• Elite Performance: Area-51 unleashes 280 W of power on next-gen NVIDIA graphics and a next-gen Intel Ultra CPU - this is the upper limit of performance on any gaming laptop, period.
• Robust Thermals: A new intricate thermal architecture enables Area-51 to move up to 35% more air through the system while being 15% quieter.
• Sophisticated Design: Area-51 laptop design exudes a mysterious identity that invokes curiosity while elevating comfort and functionality.

Acer today announced refreshes to the well-rounded Swift Go series and the eco-friendly Aspire Vero 16 laptops, combining enhanced computing performance, power efficiency, stunning displays, and sustainable designs in the evolving AI PC era. The Swift Go 14 and Swift Go 16 laptops offer seamless productivity and adaptability in any work environment, with streamlined AI task execution and multi-day battery life, wrapped in ultra-thin and light designs. Available with 3K OLED or 2K IPS touch display configurations, these laptops deliver striking visuals to complement their eye-catching exteriors.

The Aspire Vero 16, a carbon-neutral laptop and the world's first to incorporate bio-based oyster shell material, now features a chassis made from a combination of more than 70% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and bio-based material. The bold innovation from Acer offers a sustainable laptop option without compromising performance or durability. All the new laptop devices are equipped with Intel Core Ultra 200H series processors and built-in Intel Arc graphics built-in, engineered to scale accelerated AI performance and maximize efficiency for work and creation. Mobile workers will also appreciate the new Acer Connect 5G mobile Wi-Fi and Acer Wave D7 Wi-Fi dongle, providing high-speed internet connections anywhere, anytime.

Today at CES 2025, future business leaders will be wowed by new and powerful AI PCs and solutions from HP Inc. that empower them to collaborate and lead like never before.

Working with Purpose to Drive Impact
As the work landscape evolves, so do expectations for technology. That's why HP meticulously designed its latest lineup of commercial next-gen AI PCs to give professionals the right tools for their unique work experiences. With HP's newest EliteBooks, fast presentation creation, personalized emails, and a built-in recording studio are possible with just a simple click of a button, alongside built-in security and intelligence thanks to Wolf Security.

AMD today announced the Ryzen 9 9000HX and 9000HX3D line of mobile processors targeting enthusiast-segment gaming notebooks and portable workstations. These chips compete in the same market-segment as the Intel Core Ultra 200HX series. Codenamed "Fire Range," and powered by the "Zen 5" microarchitecture, the chip succeeds the "Zen 4" based "Dragon Range." This is essentially a thin BGA package of the desktop "Granite Ridge" chiplet-based processor, just the way "Dragon Range" relates to "Raphael." The chip has two "Zen 5" CCDs with full-sized "Zen 5" cores that are geared for high clock speeds, and have the full hardware FP implementation for AVX512, unlike the "Zen 5" cores on the "Strix Point" mobile processor.

AMD has, curiously, skipped single-CCD variants of "Fire Range," there are no Ryzen 7 9000HX models being announced today. There are just three processor-models—the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, the Ryzen 9 9955HX, and the Ryzen 9 9850HX. The 9955HX3D is AMD's flagship mobile processor for gaming notebooks. It features a 16-core/32-thread configuration, and features 3D V-Cache memory on one of the two CCDs. The chip hence comes with 144 MB of "total cache" (L2 + L3). It ticks at 2.50 GHz base frequency, and can boost up to 5.40 GHz for the CCD with 3D V-Cache. It comes with a configurable TDP range of 55 W and 75 W. There is no NPU, but the client I/O die puts out a boatload of I/O that includes 28 PCIe Gen 5 lane, from which 24 are usable, so the discrete GPU has a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 connection, besides two M.2 NVMe Gen 5 connections directly from the processor.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the global launch of the Galaxy Book5 Pro and Galaxy Book5 360, expanding the Galaxy Book5 lineup to meet a wider range of AI needs for all users. Powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) featuring NPUs up to 47 TOPs, these latest PCs come directly integrated with Galaxy AI capabilities like the innovative AI Select as well as cutting-edge features that deliver personalized experiences across the Galaxy ecosystem. With the addition of AI Select, PC users can easily search anything, anytime with a simple click, just like on their phone except on a much larger, immersive display.

"We are thrilled to make Galaxy AI and cutting-edge innovation accessible to more people than ever before, addressing their unique productivity needs on PC and other Galaxy devices," said Changtae Kim, EVP & Head of New Computing R&D Team, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "Alongside our trusted industry partners, we are delivering an AI experience on Galaxy Book that empowers users to work, create and connect in more intelligent ways through our growing ecosystem."

We previously covered the announcement of the One-Netbook OneXPlayer G1, a hybrid handheld gaming laptop with a unique removable keyboard and trackpad module that hides PS Vita-like game controls, but a launch date for the Ryzen-powered Windows handheld was unknown until now. One-Netbook has now officially launched the Indiegogo crowdfunding page for the OneXPlayer G1, providing more details about the upcoming hybrid's launch configurations and confirming a January launch date. Still missing from the Indiegogo page, though, are any indications of pricing or memory configurations for the G1.

Notebookcheck also says it received confirmation from One-Netbook that the OneXPlayer G1 will launch on January 9, and that it will only be available initially via Indiegogo. As for launch configurations, the G1 will be equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, a 144 Hz, 8.8-inch, 2.5 K, IPS touchscreen display, and a 14,283 mAh battery. It will also offer OcuLink and dual USB4 ports, for enhanced connectivity and compatibility with a variety of eGPU solutions.

Today marks the debut of the brand-new ASUS V16 (V3607), an entry-level 16-inch gaming laptop that broadens the appeal of the innovative ASUS laptop portfolio. Featuring futuristic uber-cool design details and unparalleled performance from its up to Intel Core 7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPU, ASUS V16 is built to win—or create—in distinctive style.

Its fast 16-inch 16:10 144 Hz FHD IPS display, with an impressive 89% screen-to-body ratio, ensures fluid gaming visuals, while Dirac audio technology and ASUS Audio Booster provide powerful and immersive sound. Offering an outstanding user experience, the laptop also includes a large touchpad and a comfortable ASUS ErgoSense keyboard, along with AI noise-cancelation technology and 3DNR for enhanced video conferencing.

Flexible OLED tech has come a long way and started sharking up the smartphone and tablet market, but Lenovo now apparently wants to use rolling OLED displays to increase screen real-estate on its laptops without actually making them much bigger. According to notorious leaker, Evan Blass, in a post on X, Lenovo will launch the sixth-generation of its ThinkBook Plus line-up with a rollable OLED display that can extend upwards to give it significantly more screen real-estate. Blass claims that the new ThinkBook Plus will launch at CES 2025, which is slated to take place between January 7 and January 10, 2025.

Looking at the renders that were shared alongside the leaks, and based on the size of the keyboard, the new ThinkBook will have a tall—it looks like 3:4 aspect ratio—screen that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 inches before the screen is fully unrolled. After unrolling, though, it appears to be able to fit two 16:9 windows on top of each other. Previous iterations of the ThinkBook Plus 17 had a small secondary display on the keyboard deck to the right of the keyboard, and the ThinkBook Plus 13 models consisted of the Gen 5 hybrid model with a detachable display and the Gen 4 variant, which had a 360° hinge and a color e-ink display on the back of the main OLED. While these designs all made compromises, whether in the suboptimal ergonomics of the mini screen of the 17 or the fact that you could only use one display at a time on the e-ink version. Previous ThinkBook versions were also compatible with an MPP stylus for handwriting, note-taking, and even image editing or sketching. It's unclear if the new ThinkBook Plus will be compatible with pen input, but there do not seem to be any images online showing the leaked laptop with a stylus in the same image.

TrendForce reports that the global notebook market in 2024 is projected to recover at a moderate pace, hindered by high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties. Annual shipments are forecast to reach 174 million units, marking a 3.9% YoY increase. Looking ahead to 2025, reduced political uncertainty following the U.S. presidential election and the Federal Reserve's rate cuts in September 2024 are expected to stimulate capital flow. Combined with the end-of-service for Windows 10 and demand for commercial device upgrades, global notebook shipments are predicted to grow by 4.9% to 183 million units in 2025.

TrendForce notes that notebooks remain primarily productivity tools, with shipment growth driven largely by deferred replacement demand. The impact of AI-integrated notebooks on the overall market remains limited for now. However, AI features are expected to naturally integrate into notebook specifications as brands gradually incorporate them, resulting in a steady rise in the penetration rates of AI notebooks.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, further expands its line-up and affirms its foothold in PC accessories with the announcement of the new Razer USB 4 Dock. Engineered for superior performance, this dock represents a leap into the future of connectivity, combining high-speed data transfer and dual-display functionality to meet the demands of high-stakes gaming and intensive productivity.

"With the Razer USB 4 Dock, we're unleashing the next level of high-performance docking," Travis Furst, Head of Notebooks and Accessories at Razer. "This powerhouse is engineered to deliver blazing-fast data transfer and stunning dual-monitor 4K display output, all through a single cable solution to the laptop, making it the ultimate tool for gamers and professionals alike."

The 2024 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) has named three groundbreaking laptops—Cyborg 14 AI, Stealth 18 AI Studio, and Titan 18 HX—as "Featured Finalists" for their outstanding innovation and design. These laptops, each representing the cutting edge of gaming technology, push the boundaries of user experience with their unique aesthetics and high-performance capabilities.

The Cyborg 14 AI offers a visually striking fusion of biological and mechanical elements, The 14-inch compact and lightweight body echoes the convenience of gaming on-the-go. The Stealth 18 AI Studio, modeled after stealth combat aircraft with top-tier gaming performance, precisely carried out the task, where thin meets powerful. The Titan 18 HX, MSI's flagship gaming laptop shares a kindred spirit with hardcore gamers. The voracious gaming appetites with PC specifications and high-grade thermal efficiency by all means sets the bar extraordinarily high.

ASUS today announced ExpertBook B1, a durable, reliable and versatile laptop that's ready for the rigors of the modern business world. ExpertBook B1's lineup of powerful features includes up to an Intel Core 7 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, up to 64 GB of memory and ample storage, plus a vibrant screen with a tall 16:9 aspect ratio - all encased in a sleek 1.4 kg chassis. ExpertBook B1 is designed for seamless connectivity, featuring up to WiFi 6E and a comprehensive array of I/O ports. In addition, it offers military-grade durability and incorporates an eco-friendly design that reflects a commitment to sustainability and accountability.

Robust performance
ExpertBook B1 is engineered to enhance business capabilities, providing the fast and responsive performance essential for today's demands—enabling seamless multitasking, advanced data handling, and streamlined operations. Powered by up to an Intel Core 7 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, ExpertBook B1 delivers the robust performance needed to get the job done.

Acer today unveiled the new TravelMate P6 14 AI, leading the market with Copilot+ PCs under 1 kg. This new Windows 11 Pro laptop delivers exceptional performance, mobility and AI capabilities for businesses and institutions. It is powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) with a built-in NPU boasting up to 120 total platform TOPS AI performance in a compact, carbon fiber chassis.

This latest TravelMate boasts a stunning 14-inch WQXGA+ (2880x1800) 16:10 display with IPS technology or WUXGA (1920x1200) panel featuring high 400 nit brightness and 100% sRGB color gamut, supporting outstanding picture quality. Thin bezels and a high 82% screen-to-body ratio maximize the screen area for more immersive viewing experiences.

LG Electronics (LG) is excited to announce that its newest LG gram laptop featuring the Intel Core Ultra processor (Series 2) will be showcased at the Intel Core Ultra Global Launch Event from September 3-8. Renowned for its powerful performance and ultra-lightweight design, the LG gram series now integrates advanced AI capabilities powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processor. The LG gram 16 Pro, the first model to feature these new Intel processors, will be unveiled before its release at the end of 2024.

As the first on-device AI laptop from the LG gram series, it offers up to an impressive 48 neural processing unit (NPU) tera operations per second (TOPS), setting a new standard for AI PCs and providing the exceptional performance required for Copilot experiences. Powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processor, the LG gram 16 Pro is now more efficient thanks to advanced AI functionalities such as productivity assistants, text and image creation and collaboration tools. What's more, its extended battery life helps users handle tasks without worry.

Acer today introduces two new Acer Chromebook Plus Enterprise laptops, both designed with powerful technology and Google AI capabilities that ensure businesses, their workforces and frontline employees are equipped with the latest technology to work in the cloud more efficiently and securely.

Both new Chromebook Plus Enterprise models - the Acer Chromebook Plus Enterprise 515 and Acer Chromebook Plus Enterprise Spin 514 - come with the business capabilities of ChromeOS unlocked, ensuring best-in-class security, simple management, flexible access, and enhanced administrative support, all coupled with double the speed, memory and storage. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (CP514-4HN) is also available for consumers or individuals.

Today, Sightful unveiled Spacetop G1, the best laptop for productivity, bringing the power of spatial computing to daily life. Spacetop G1 is the first device that combines the familiarity and utility of a laptop with the power of spatial computing. Designed for the "work from anywhere" world with a 100" virtual workspace rather than a 13" LCD, Spacetop G1 gives users what they need most: space to do their best work everywhere. Combined with 48 TOPS of AI compute, the result is a monumental shift for the laptop market, which has seen only incremental change for decades, and a critical adoption path to bring spatial computing to reality. The new Spacetop G1 ships later in 2024 for $1900, and customers can reserve theirs for $100 at sightful.com

Originally introduced through an invite-only Early Access program, Sightful set out to work with and learn from early tech adopters to fine-tune Spacetop for a broader audience. Over the course of the program, Sightful incorporated feedback from Early Access users to upgrade Spacetop's hardware and proprietary operating system, SpaceOS, before making the Early Access Spacetop generally available.

Acer today debuted two new premium Chromebook Plus laptops - the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 and Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE - that combine versatile designs with a 2x faster Intel Core processor and up to double the memory and storage, giving people the power to do even more all at once.

As Chromebook Plus devices, the two new models support enhanced generative AI features for connectivity, creativity, and collaboration, such as a "help me write" feature available with just a right click, Google Photos' Magic Editor, Gemini, and more. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a slim convertible optimized for on-the-go productivity and connectivity with a 360-degree hinge that allows it to be used in myriad ways and places, and the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is a next-generation cloud-gaming Chromebook with the latest gaming-centric hardware to stream and play AAA games with NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Boosteroid, Amazon Luna and more.

Acer today launched its first Copilot+ PC with the Swift 14 AI laptop, in collaboration with Microsoft and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., ushering in a new AI era with brand new user experiences and AI capabilities on Windows 11. The Swift 14 AI has multiple device models, powered by Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus platforms, and both feature one of the world's fastest NPUs for laptops to enable on-device AI processing. Users can streamline everyday tasks with smarter PC functions and tackle complex workloads more effectively.

"Engineered for AI from the inside out, the Swift 14 AI is the first among many Acer Copilot+ PCs to come," said Jerry Kao, COO, Acer Inc. "These next-generation AI PCs see significant leaps in AI processing power, unlocking brand new experiences that we know users will love."

Samsung Electronics today unveiled the Galaxy Book4 Edge, the next-generation of AI PCs. With 45 TOPS NPU AI computing performance and cutting-edge hybrid AI integrations, the Galaxy Book4 Edge amplifies the PC experience and offers the most hyperconnected mobile AI ecosystem yet. Together, Samsung and leading industry partners are propelling AI innovation and unleashing a next-generation AI PC with the Galaxy Book4 Edge.

"The Galaxy Book4 Edge expands our vision of AI connectivity—bridging the gap between mobile and PC, while democratizing AI experiences that change the way we operate each and every day," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "This next-generation AI PC unlocks new levels of computing performance, made possible by our proven Samsung Galaxy interface and open collaboration with industry leaders to bring our users world-class hardware and software solutions."

Courtesy of ASUS Vietnam (via @rquandt on X/Twitter), we now have an idea of what ASUS' first Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite notebook will look like, but also what the main specifications are. It will share the Vivobook S 15 OLED branding with other notebooks from ASUS, although the leaked model carries the model number S5507QA-MA089WS. At its core is a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 SoC which is the base model from Qualcomm. The SoC consists of 12 Oryon cores, of which eight are performance cores and four are energy efficient cores. A peak, multi-threaded clock speed of 3.4 GHz and 42 MB of cache, as well as a 75 TOPs AI engine rounds off the SoC specs. The SoC is also home to a Qualcomm Adreno GPU, but so far Qualcomm hasn't released any useful specs about the GPU in the Snapdragon X Elite series of chips.

ASUS has paired the SoC with 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory of an unknown clock speed, although Qualcomm officially supports speed of up to 8,448 MT/s in a to PC users unusual configuration of eight channels at 16-bit wide, for a bandwidth of up to 135 GB/s. For comparison, Intel's latest Core Ultra processors max out at LPDDR5X 7,467 MT/s and up to 120 GB/s memory bandwidth. Other features include a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, a glossy 15.6-inch 2,880 x 1,620 resolution, 120 Hz OLED display with 600 nits peak brightness and a 70 WHr battery. It's unclear what connectivity options will be on offer, but judging by the screenshot below, we can at least expect an HDMI out as well as a pair of USB Type-C ports, a micro SD card slot and a headphone jack. As far as pricing goes, Roland Quandt is suggesting a €1,500 base price on X/Twitter, but we'll have to wait for the official launch to find out what these Arm based laptops will retail for. ASUS Vietnam has already removed the page from its website.

After two years of decline, the worldwide traditional PC market returned to growth during the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24) with 59.8 million shipments, growing 1.5% year over year, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Growth was largely achieved due to easy year-over-year comparisons as the market declined 28.7% during the first quarter of 2023, which was the lowest point in PC history. In addition, global PC shipments finally returned to pre-pandemic levels as 1Q24 volumes rivaled those seen in 1Q19 when 60.5 million units were shipped.

With inflation numbers trending down, PC shipments have begun to recover in most regions, leading to growth in the Americas as well as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). However, the deflationary pressures in China directly impacted the global PC market. As the largest consumer of desktop PCs, weak demand in China led to yet another quarter of declines for global desktop shipments, which already faced pressure from notebooks as the preferred form factor.

An unusual memory configuration has been spotted on an HONOR MagicBook Pro 16 AI laptop—Golden Pig Upgrade (via Weibo) has shared a brief snippet of footage from a Task Manager session. It confirms that non-binary symmetrical LPDDR5(X) memory is now operating within portable Windows 11 devices, at least in China. Crucial 12 GB capacity DDR5 SODIMM products were uncovered a couple of days ago—at the time, tech enthusiasts wondered whether other options were due in the near future. Recent Geekbench Browser entries have unveiled several "HONOR DRA-XX" Intel Core Ultra-powered devices that sport 24 GB memory configurations.

Manufacturers have been deliberating over new 12 GB, 24 GB, and 48 GB standards for roughly two years—we witnessed the release of commercial desktop products last year. It has taken longer for OEM options to arrive, but HONOR seems to be pioneering a rollout within the slimline laptop segment. VideoCardz has analyzed Golden Pig Upgrade's short clip—they believe that the demoed MagicBook Pro 16 (dual-channel) has a soldered-on: "total capacity of 24 GB based on LPDDR5X technology. Instead of relying on SODIMM modules, this laptop has eight individual memory chips, each with a capacity of 3 GB, totaling 24 GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory." Upcoming enthusiast-class portable systems—with quadruple SODIMM slot setups—could be fitted with maximum 48 GB capacities. The latest developments signal a pleasing breakaway from traditional laptop system memory limits of 16 and 32 GB.