Microsoft finally gave us more information about the Surface Laptop Ultra, including price, release date, and features, at a special event on October 7.

It's confirmed that the RTX Spark-powered PC will begin shipping on October 16, and preorders are live now, starting at $2,599.

The reactions to this announcement have been interesting. It seems like a fair number of people were expecting a higher baseline price, while others are just happy that Surface now has a true MacBook Pro competitor for the age of AI.

Here's what people are saying about the new Surface Laptop Ultra and its RTX Spark platform.

The Windows community reacts to the Surface Laptop Ultra's pricing

Starting at $2,599, the Surface Laptop Ultra is actually the most affordable RTX Spark laptop you can buy right now. You can have a look for yourself in my roundup of Spark devices available for preorder today.

Many of us here at Windows Central expected the price to kick off at $2,999, and that seems to be a common thread in the community as well.

Responding to Zac's post, X user @janekknaf said, "Quite cheap tbh I expected it to start at $2999."

Over on Reddit, the sentiment seems to be largely the same.

Responding to a Windows Central subreddit thread regarding other RTX Spark laptops and their pricing, user Icybubba noted, "And somehow the Surface seems to be the cheapest out of all those."

Another redditor, Valterri_Its_James, remarked, "Lowkey the pricing isn't absolutely horrendous. 32GB costs $3300 which is about the same as the ROG Zephyrus G14."

Not everyone is loving the Surface Laptop Ultra's pricing

Others aren't so sure that the Surface Laptop Ultra is a reasonable price, especially once they dig into the configuration options and see what's available for each chip.

For reference, the Laptop Ultra has two RTX Spark options available: a more affordable option with an 18-core CPU and 5120-core GPU, or a more expensive option with a 20-core CPU and 6144-core GPU.

The price difference between these two models is roughly $1,100, though the more powerful Spark defaults to at least 32GB of RAM (compared to 24GB) and a 1TB SSD (compared to 512GB).

Do you think the price hike for 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is too extreme? Let me know in the comments below.

How's everyone feeling about the breakaway USB-C Port?

The announced feature that seems to be getting a lot of attention alongside pricing is the Surface Laptop Ultra's breakaway USB-C port.

It's sort of a mashup between Apple MagSafe and Surface Connect, designed to pull out of the laptop rather than ripping it off a desk should you trip on the cable. It's designed to work with any USB-C cable, and the port offers full functionality.

Reddit user Oliver-Pearce called it a "Welcome feature!" and X user Psalter said, "Anyone who's ever tripped over a charging cable will appreciate this."

There are, of course, plenty of detractors noting that it took Microsoft this long to finally copy Apple MagSafe. That's not exactly true; Surface Connect was always magnetic and would break away if jarred. The move to the more ubiquitous USB-C form factor erased that failsafe, and Microsoft has now reintroduced it.

It's also worth pointing out that MagSafe does not handle any data and is for power only. The Surface Laptop Ultra's USB-C port handles both.

I want to know what you think!

We're a community here at Windows Central, and I'm always interested in your opinions. I want to know what you think about the Surface Laptop Ultra's pricing, configuration options, and features in more detail, so please be sure to leave a comment below!

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Microsoft finally revealed exactly how much its new Surface Laptop Ultra costs (starting at $2,599!), and preorders are now live for anyone who wants to get in on the first wave of PCs expected to ship on October 16.

While Microsoft was busy revealing new information about its most powerful Surface yet at the event, other laptop makers were busy setting their own prices and opening up preorders.

We now have a wide selection of RTX Spark laptops from the likes of ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI, and I'm expecting there to be more arriving in the near future. Until then, here's what you can preorder today.

RTX Spark laptops with confirmed pricing and release date (so far)

To make it easier for anyone hoping to land a new RTX Spark-powered PC, I've put together this list of laptops that you can now preorder.

Did I miss any RTX Spark laptops?

Did you spot a live preorder I missed? Let me know about it in the comments section below. I'd also love to hear your opinions regarding pricing on these models. Do you think it's too high? Too low? Just right? Tell me about it!

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The Surface Laptop Ultra with NVIDIA RTX Spark is now available to preorder following the October 7 Surface event in San Francisco. It arrives as a suped-up Surface Laptop 8 with a 15-inch mini-LED display, tons of ports, a sleek design, and, of course, NVIDIA's N1x chip with support for up to 128GB of unified memory.

It's a laptop that's marketed as the ultimate PC for creators, AI specialists, engineers, scientists, and developers who don't want to be tied down to a bulky workstation on a desk.

That's all fine and good, but having had the opportunity alongside my colleague Zac Bowden to use the Surface Laptop Ultra a couple of times, I can say that NVIDIA was not shy about showing off the PC's gaming prowess in closed demos.

I can also say that the gaming experience was super smooth, even in games with ray tracing, path tracing, and DLSS support. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle ran flawlessly when I tried it, and every other title seemed to be an easy task for the Laptop Ultra.

What's more impressive is that many of these demo games were run through Microsoft's Prism emulation layer due to the RTX Spark's ARM architecture (the same used by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X and X2 chips).

That begs the question: Is the Surface Laptop Ultra the ultimate laptop for PC gaming?

At the risk of breaking some pixelated hearts, I'll say that dedicated PC gamers should look elsewhere. Here's why.

The Surface Laptop Ultra's specs look ideal for gaming ... what gives?

It's well established that NVIDIA's RTX platform is the preferred way to play on PC for most gamers, mainly due to the excellent performance and additional support for features like ray tracing, path tracing, and DLSS.

Considering the Surface Laptop Ultra's RTX Blackwell GPU supports all of the latest features, wouldn't that make it a capable PC for gaming?

Well, yes. But there's more to the story.

The Surface Laptop Ultra was not designed to be a gaming PC. It was made to handle intricate AI workloads locally and to be the centerpiece of a professional's arsenal, and the fact that it can run plenty of games smoothly is simply a convenient effect of using NVIDIA's technology. Its starting price of $2,599 reflects that reality.

Sure, that cost is inflated due to the ongoing RAM and storage crisis, but in any case, you can buy a quality laptop made specifically for gaming purposes (suffering from the same RAM and memory squeeze) for considerably less money.

For my PC gaming money, I'd much rather buy a PC running standard Windows 11 rather than Windows on ARM (despite serious advancements in emulation and support). That way, you're guaranteed not to experience any compatibility issues with the games or their anti-cheat methods.

Gaming laptops also come tuned for gaming right out of the box, and their hardware is designed to support that initiative. Sure, you could tune the Surface Laptop Ultra to focus more on gaming, but that's really not what it was meant for.

The bottom line regarding the Surface Laptop Ultra and PC gaming

The Surface Laptop Ultra should be treated as a pro-grade laptop that happens to have some more-than-decent gaming chops.

I know there are plenty of pros out there who love the idea of tackling AI workloads during the day and gaming at night, all from the same machine, and the Surface Laptop Ultra should be a hot ticket for those users.

For gamers at heart, however, I recommend taking a look at the host of quality dedicated gaming laptops before ever considering the Surface Laptop Ultra.

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Microsoft's Surface event today, October 7, revealed a lot more about the Surface Laptop Ultra with an NVIDIA RTX Spark chip inside.

For those who can't fathom missing out on the first wave of new laptops, I have good news. The Surface Laptop Ultra is now available to preorder starting at $2,599, with shipments expected to begin going out on October 16.

Surface Laptop Ultra — What configurations are available, and which one is best for me?

The Surface Laptop Ultra is set up so that configurations really only affect the performance hardware inside. Each model comes with a 15-inch mini-LED display, the same port selection, and the same killer design.

The baseline $2,599 model includes the RTX Spark platform with NVIDIA's 18-core N1X CPU and 5120-core RTX Blackwell GPU, 24GB of unified RAM, and 512GB of storage.

This is a decent option for those who need to balance price and performance, or for those who simply want to get their hands on this new hardware without overspending.

There's also a model with a 20-core CPU and 6144-core GPU for those who need utmost power. Configuring with 32GB of unified RAM (the lowest option) and a 1TB SSD (also the lowest option), you're looking at $3,699.99. This model is where I'd recommend most advanced users start.

Moving up from there, you can essentially trick out your PC with as much RAM and storage as you want. This is where things begin to get very expensive for pro users. The top-of-the-line model with the more powerful Spark, 128GB of unified RAM, and a 1TB SSD runs up to $5,899.99, reserving it for a select few.

Both models are available in Nightfall or Platinum colors.

Is the Surface Laptop Ultra's price too high?

I wasn't expecting the laptop Microsoft calls "Not Standard Issue" to be reasonably priced for most users.

It's a flagship PC with monster internals, and Microsoft clearly states that it's intended for creators, AI builders, scientists, engineers, and other power users who need an ultimate device to handle everything.

Those users are generally used to paying more for high-end hardware, but that doesn't make the price sting any less.

Take this high-end approach and tack on the macroeconomics of the ongoing RAM and storage crisis, and you get set prices much higher than I'm sure Microsoft ever intended.

Starting at $2,599 for a "baseline" model, you'll want to be sure this is the PC for you before you buy it.

As for the gaming angle, I've covered it in more detail in a separate post. Bottom line? You shouldn't buy the Surface Laptop Ultra as a dedicated gaming machine, but its NVIDIA Blackwell GPU will indeed power many games with ray tracing, path tracing, and DLSS in tow.

Are you preordering the new Surface Laptop Ultra today? If so, which configuration did you get? If not, what made you skip it? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Microsoft has finally given us the all-important pricing and availability details for its flagship Surface Laptop Ultra device, which it first unveiled back in June. During its October 7th keynote in San Francisco, Microsoft confirmed that Surface Laptop Ultra would begin shipping on October 16, with pre-orders going live today starting at $2,599.

That entry-level price is on the more expensive side, but it's not as bad as many were expecting it to be. That entry-level price nets you the Surface Laptop Ultra with a 15-inch mini-LED screen, a large haptic trackpad, three USB-C ports (one of which is very unique), and the 18-core RTX Spark with 5120 GPU cores and 24GB RAM.

While the entry-level model isn't for high-end local AI development and agent work, it should be more than capable for video editing, photo creation, data crunching, light gaming, and 3D modeling work.

Alongside pricing and availability, Microsoft also revealed that the Surface Laptop Ultra is the world's first laptop to feature a breakaway USB-C port, similar to Apple's MagSafe and its own Surface Connect. Breakaway cable design means if you ever trip over the cable while the laptop is plugged in, it won't yank the entire laptop off your desk.

Breakaway ports have only ever really been possible on proprietary ports, as they use magnets to ensure the cable remains attached when in use. It's never been attempted on a universal standard before, which is what makes the Surface Laptop Ultra's breakaway port so special. It's a standard USB-C port, capable of taking any USB-C peripheral you can throw at it.

Surface Laptop Ultra is Microsoft's most expensive and most powerful Surface PC ever made. The high-end configs are designed for intensive AI developer workloads such as running large 120B parameter models locally, enabling complex agentic AI workloads and experiences.

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For 48 hours during Amazon's Big Deal Days event (don't call it Prime Day), Samsung's fastest-ever (up to 14,700MB/s) 9100 PRO M.2 solid-state storage drives had dropped in price twice. The 1TB 9100 PRO was down to $196.64 $243.27, edging somewhat closer to the lower prices I preferred before the memory crisis, so it was actually a great time to buy.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

These are PCIe Gen 5 drives, which provide the fastest read and write speeds for commercial storage drives, as long as you have a compatible motherboard. If not, they'll fall back to PCIe 4.0 and can be transplanted into an upgraded rig later. Similarly, the 2TB 9100 PRO (had) dropped to $334.99 $399.99, which seems like it would sting, but was a relatively decent price for double the space.

For those with more of a stretchy budget, you could have also sprung for more space, since the 4TB 9100 PRO was 'down' to $734.99 (now, even further to $712.49). You can see where the value multiplier starts to slip, but it's still slightly better than it has been in the past. If you're lucky enough to own one of the rarer motherboards with two PCIe 5.0 slots, you'd perhaps consider picking up two 2TB drives instead.

On the other hand, you could go completely overboard and grab the 8TB 9100 PRO for.. $2,279.50. That's not a typo. It might be listed as a deal, but that's still within the realms of fantasy for most, especially when the dollars-per-gigabyte metric falls off so hard.

Then again, I know people with these kinds of drives. They're usually in massive home server units, powering self-made servers, but these things do sell. Either way, I have a couple of the 1TB 9100 PRO drives in mine and my wife's desktop PCs, and they've been running strong since day one. It was an expensive adoption, but I've had no regrets. This price was much more like it.

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We all love gaming, but like all pleasures in life, excessive indulgence can lead to damaging your health. For instance, staring too long at computer or TV screens that project blue HEV light can strain your eyes or even ruin your sleep cycle by disrupting your brain.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

Fortunately, apparel brand GUNNAR is here to save your eyes with its Fallout-themed Vault 33 Glasses, which are now on sale for $62.99 at Amazon (was $99.00) courtesy of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.

Other Fallout Gunnar Glasses are also on sale on GUNNAR's website (discounts are applied during checkout).

Why buy these glasses for gaming?

These gaming glasses are more than novelty items meant to cater to Fallout fans; they're all useful for protecting the wearer's eyes during long hours of gaming or work staring at computer screens that project blue light all day.

For those unaware, prolonged exposure to blue light (which can be emitted from modern monitors and phone screens) can cause annoying eye strain, headaches, migraines, and even disrupt your sleep pattern. This is because blue light can trick the brain into stopping the production of melatonin, a crucial hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle.

With GUNNAR's Fallout Gaming glasses, you won't have to worry about that anymore, as they can block blue light from monitors. Additionally, they're also equipped with 100% UV protection, so they can double as stylish sunglasses.

I wear Gunnar glasses every day

I saw Alex covering these Gunnar glasses and knew I had to jump in. I wear a pair of Gunnar glasses every day at my desk, and I often wear them outside as well.

I was sent a pair of Gunnar Novata Onyx glasses to try out and was surprised by how much of a difference they made. They reduce glare and adjust the contrast of what I see, which helps my eyes feel less strained throughout the day.

I've used screen filters and built-in device settings in the past, but they weren't as effective because they only changed the output of a specific display. Gunnar glasses, by contrast, affect everything I'm looking at and help reduce the impact of harsh ambient light as well.

As someone who spends most of the day staring at monitors, I've found the glasses help reduce the tired, dry-eye feeling I sometimes get after long work sessions. — Sean Endicott

Alternate gaming glasses also on sale

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Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event has officially kicked off, and as usual for these types of events, I've been scouring the web for the best deals on PC components.

I'm not talking about fake deals where the original price is inflated just to make it seem like a discount is larger than reality. I've been using CamelCamelCamel to verify pricing history and axing any deals that are only designed to steal your dough.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

With all that in mind, I've collected 9 great PC component deals ranging from processors and graphics cards to SSD storage, motherboards, and power supplies. If you're building or upgrading a PC in the near future, you don't want to miss these discounts.

Best Prime Day PC Component Deals

FAQ

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Amazon's Prime Big Day Deals are here to give gaming laptops a much-needed price-drop reprieve after prices were inflated by this year's ongoing RAM crisis.

One line-up getting this treatment is Acer's Nitro gaming laptops, which feature dedicated GPUs, crisp displays, plenty of RAM to keep them running, and upgradeable storage space.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

However, these Acer gaming laptop deals, like the mid-range Acer Nitro V 16S (ANV16S-61-R9TR-US) for $1,231.99 or the entry-level Acer Nitro V (ANV16-I31-54PT) for $1,119.99, are only available to shoppers who are subscribed to Amazon Prime.

Which of these discounted Acer gaming laptops offer the best value?

Out of all these laptop deals, I'd say the Nitro V 16S (ANV16S-61-R9TR-US) offers the best value for money.

While it's slightly cheaper than its initial launch MSRP of $1,299.99 in 2025, its discounted price of $1,231.99 at Amazon is a much better proposition compared to its current MSRP of $1,449.99, caused by the market-disrupting RAM Crisis this year.

As for Acer Nitro V 16S's specs, our colleagues at Tom's Hardware praised the Acer Nitro V 16S for performing in all the same categories that are important to us at Windows Central.

These categories include a crisp and vibrant 16-inch IPS display with a 1920x1200 resolution with 180Hz refresh rates, high-performance rates for 1080p and 60fps+ gaming and productivity tasks thanks to its 16GB RAM and RTX 5060 GPU, a wide variety of HMDI, microSD, and USB ports, and a long-lasting battery life of 10+ hours under heavy workloads.

On top of that, the Acer Nitro V 16S's specs not only perform reliably well for 1080p gaming but they're also good at helping it complete productivity tasks efficiently on the side, making it a decent jack-of-all-trades laptop.

Alternate Acer gaming laptops on sale

As a reminder, alternate configurations of this laptop and other Acer Nitro gaming laptops are also on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deals Day at the following prices:

• Acer Nitro V 16S AI Copilot+ PC Gaming Laptop (ANV16S-61-R3Z0) (AMD Ryzen 7 350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SDD) — $248 off $1,649.99 for $1,401.99 at Amazon.
• Acer Nitro 16S AI Gaming Laptop (AN16S-61-R7YL) (AMD Ryzen 7 350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SDD) — $225 off $1499.99 for $1,274.99 at Amazon.
• Acer Nitro 16S AI Copilot+ PC Gaming Laptop (AN16S-61-R5FY) (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD) — $200 off $1,849.99 for $1649.99 at Amazon. 
• Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop (AN16S-61-R5FY) (Intel Core 5 CPU 210H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 GPU, 8GB DDR5, 512GB SSD) — $180 off $1,299.99 for $1,119.99 at Amazon.

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Geekom is serving up a bountiful buffet of its reliable mini PCs for Amazon Prime's Big Deal Days for hardworking keyboard warriors looking to get work done efficiently while saving desk space at lower prices.

Some of these mini PCs are on sale at Amazon itself, while others are being discounted on Geekom's own store to give PC users a wide variety of options depending on their budget and needs.

Do note that some of these deals will require entering discount codes during checkout to apply the price drop, as provided below. The codes are valid from October 1, to October 7, 2026.

• You can find more deals on Geekom's entire lineup at Amazon from everyday computing solutions to high-performing mini-PCs between October 6, to October 7, 2026.

Amazon deals

Geekom deals

Which of these deals are worth your money?

With the RAM crisis driving the prices of regular PCs and laptops to cost hundreds or thousands of dollars even with discounts, mini PCs have become a hot commodity for folks looking to get work done without breaking the bank.

These Geekom deals are fine examples of mini PCs, and the best value for money among them is the Geekom A5 Pro, which is available for $499.00 at Geekom when bought with the discount codes "TYT3XDFB" or "WCT3XDFB".

Our sister site TechRadar gave it a glowing 4/5 review, praising its performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen 5 7430U CPU and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, its versatile range of USB, HDMI, and LAN ports, and 'IceBlast 2.0' cooling system to keep it from overheating during extensive workflow tasks. It's all the same kind of quality we look for when we test Geekom mini PCs ourselves.

On top of that, it has a compact yet durable aluminum build, an SD card reader that can download images and videos reasonably fast, and a three-year warranty so you can replace it if it suffers any accidental damage.

• As a reminder, you can find more discounted Geekom mini PCs and other Geekom desktops on sale at Amazon's Prime Day sale from October 6, to October 7, 2026.

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Prime Big Deal Days are here, and that means big savings on the hottest tech. Microsoft Surface sales slash hundreds of dollars off the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and Surface accessories.

Best Buy and other retailers are running competing sales alongside Prime Big Deal Days, so the best Surface deals are spread across the web. You'll also see prices fluctuate as stock runs out or sits for too long. I've scoured the web for the best Surface deals, and our team at Windows Central will keep this piece up to date with the best discounts.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

You'll notice that I don't list the Surface Pro 12-inch or Surface Laptop 13-inch below. That's because those PCs have new versions with Snapdragon X2 processors launching next week. You can still buy older models with first-gen Snapdragon X chips, but I'd recommend waiting until the new generation ships to see where prices fall on older devices.

Surface Pro (13-inch)

Surface Laptop 8

Accessories

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After much waiting, Gears of War: E-Day has fully launched for all players to enjoy on Xbox and PC, yet its base game's 115GB install requirement is going to take a big chunk out of your preferred platform's storage.

Fortunately for PC players, Prime Big Deal Days has cut down the insufferably inflated price of the Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB SSD from "$679.97" to $349.99 at Amazon, so they can more easily fit Gears of War: E-Day and other games into their gaming PCs.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days discounts

While it's still higher than its original launch MSRP of $299.99, it's still a relatively decent price, considering the current state of tech thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis — just take that previous '$600+' listing with a pinch of salt. $349.99 for 2TB is more like the new normal these days.

Why buy the Samsung 9100 SSD?

The Samsung 9100 Pro comes in multiple storage sizes, including 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB. It also features 14,700/13,400 MB/s sequential read/write speeds, and random read/write speeds of up to 1,850K/2,600K IOPS.

With these advanced technological features combined, you have a powerful PC storage hard drive capable of storing tons of important work files, 4K videos and images, and video games while being able to transfer data with blazing speeds.

The only major criticism of this SSD is that its current MSRP on Amazon is a whopping $679.97 (while the highest detected price on Amazon was $505.46 according to CamelCamelCamel), which is ridiculous considering it originally launched with an MSRP of $299.99.

However, this isn't necessarily this SSD's fault because this price hike was mainly caused by the ongoing RAM crisis this year, driving the market price of all tech-related products to unaffordable levels every single day to offset the memory demands of AI.

Frankly, I'm surprised we're seeing a price drop on the Samsung 9100 Pro or any SSD at all during this crisis, as the way things are going, I fear there may come a point where we might never see a decent price drop on ANY SSD or any tech product ever again.

So, if you're looking for a long-term solution for your gaming PC's storage woes before its MSRP gets permanently untenable, then Amazon's Big Deal Days discount on the 2TB variant of the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD couldn't have come at a better time because it's now on sale at the same time as Gears of War: E-Day's public launch.

This long-awaited prequel to Xbox's iconic Gears of War franchise has a huge 115GB install requirement for the base game alone, a number that will no doubt grow with post-launch updates.

With this discounted 2TB SSD, you will be able to more easily fit Gears of War: E-Day and prep your PC for all its future updates and other upcoming games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

Alternative models and SSDs

Additionally, the 1TB model of the Samsung 9100 Pro is also on sale for $206.99 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $339.99) if you just want its solid performance at a lower price. Plus, the 4TB model of the Samsung 9100 Pro is on sale for $699.00 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $1,359.99) if you're willing to break the bank for the most storage possible.

However, if you're looking for an even cheaper SSD on the Samsung Pro line, the Samsung 990 1TB SSD with 7,150/6,450 MB/s sequential read/write speeds (which we gave a glowing 4.5/5 review to) is also on sale right now for $189.99 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $228.95).

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Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days are almost over, but arguably the best laptop deal of the month is still here. A $200 discount on the XPS 13 drops the XPS 13 to $799.99. There's even a version of the XPS 13 discounted to $599.99 if you only need 8GB of RAM.

Of course, it isn't actually a Prime Big Deal Day deal. The discount is through Best Buy, making it a "Techtober" deal. But do you really care why you're saving $200 on what our expert calls "the perfect starter PC"?

Laptops this good are rarely in this price range due to the ongoing RAM crisis and other component shortages. Dell created this version of the XPS 13 to be more affordable, but premium laptops with this feature set and design now normally cost $1,000.

👉Is Windows 11 on 8GB of RAM really that bad?

The XPS 13 that came out this year earned a 4.5 out of 5 from both Tom's Hardware and Tom's Guide. Our colleagues complimented the laptop's 2.5K screen, incredible battery life, and excellent speakers.

Matt Safford from Tom's Hardware called the new XPS 13 "an excellent Windows-based answer to the MacBook Neo." I agree with his take, though I question how many people genuinely debate between a Windows laptop and a MacBook.

The XPS 13 is a thin-and-light laptop with a refined design. It has several features that "discount" laptops lack (I'm looking at you, MacBook Neo). For example, the XPS 13 has backlit keys, an IR sensor for facial recognition, and support for Wi-Fi 7. Toss in a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 120Hz display and it's easy to see why our Zac Bowden said he was "shocked" at the value of the laptop when he went hands-on with the XPS 13.

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A lot is happening this week in the world of Windows and Surface. Today is the fifth anniversary of Windows 11, a milestone that snuck up on me and plenty of other users. Perhaps it's because I dragged my feet while making the move permanently from Windows 10.

On October 7, Microsoft is hosting a Surface event where it's expected that NVIDIA's RTX Spark chip and the Surface Laptop Ultra lineup will be further discussed (and hopefully better explained).

This collision of Microsoft-related software and hardware news got me thinking about a quote from the original architect of Microsoft's Surface lineup, Panos Panay:

The quote comes from an interview with TechCentral circa 2020, well before Panay departed Microsoft in 2023 to join Amazon's Devices and Services segment. The quote does a great job capturing the original reason why Surface exists at all.

Microsoft originally wanted hardware that showcased the best of Windows software, and it believed its goal could only be achieved with in-house development. Surface became the bridge between software and hardware that Panay alludes to with his quote, and it's had a (mostly) great run.

Where is Surface headed in 2026?

What has me most confused about the upcoming Surface event is that Microsoft already revealed its new Surface Pro 12-inch (Gen 2) and Surface Laptop 13-inch (Gen 2) devices.

They showed up on September 23 as part of Qualcomm's annual Snapdragon Summit, a full two weeks before the Surface event. Sure, it makes some sense due to the new Surface PCs using Snapdragon X2 chips inside, but why not save the juice for the main event?

My colleague Sean Endicott attempted to answer this question at the time of the Surface/Qualcomm reveal last month. As he stated, "we can now cross two more items off the list of potential things we will see at the Windows and Surface event," noting that the October 7 Surface event also "falls after many improvements have shipped to Windows 11 or entered testing with Windows Insiders."

So what is Microsoft planning to reveal at its Surface event? The Surface Laptop Ultra was already revealed at Computex 2026, but we should get more information. We might also get a glimpse of the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, especially considering NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang is part of the show.

Barring the surprise reveal of more new Surface hardware — the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 with Snapdragon X2 chips launched this summer, so I'm not expecting anything new there — the October 7 Surface event is shaping up to be a tad lopsided.

Is Surface drifting without Panay's anchoring presence?

It's been six years since Panay dropped his famous Surface quote. It's been three years since he left Microsoft for Amazon. And since then, Surface really hasn't felt the same.

Rather than pushing OEMs to improve their own devices by providing a quality benchmark, Surface seems to be fairly stagnant, fragmented, and largely riding on its reputation.

For me, someone who agrees with Panay's sentiment, a successful Surface event should include software that really only makes sense on the Surface Laptop Ultra with RTX Spark. If it's just another laptop with the chip inside, well, I won't be very excited.

On that note, it'd be great to see some tuning choices that directly benefit Surface with RTX Spark. The hardware-software relationship often shows its cracks in this area, so some assurance will go a long way.

Ultimately, the upcoming Surface event should be a defining moment. Will Panay's original vision carry forward as partnerships become more complicated? Will the quote remain relevant?

Or will Surface become just another laptop brand alongside OEMs like Dell, HP, and Lenovo? Either way, you can tune in to the livestream on October 7 at 1 PM ET to check it out with the rest of us.

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Last month, Windows Central exclusively covered a Signal65 report that showed Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme outperforming Intel and AMD in a premium laptop showdown.

Now, a new follow-up study by Signal65 just published suggests the more important story may involve the version most people are likely to buy (Qualcomm’s Extreme chip is basically in one laptop, albeit an awesome one).

The independent testing firm's latest research examined the standard 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100 in Lenovo's Slim 7x, comparing it against Intel's Core Ultra X7 358H inside Dell's banger XPS 14 and AMD's Ryzen AI 7 445 in Lenovo's Yoga 7a 14.

This time, the focus shifted from large 16-inch flagship laptops to the increasingly important premium 14-inch category, where thermal constraints, battery life, and efficiency matter just as much as peak performance.

Luckily for Qualcomm, which commissioned the study, the results largely mirror the earlier Extreme-chip study. Qualcomm's platform led in CPU performance, AI workloads, productivity, and most battery-focused tests while also coming in significantly below the price of the Intel system evaluated.

However, that does not mean Qualcomm won everything. Intel continues to hold meaningful advantages in graphics performance (exemplified to perfection in MSI’s latest handheld gaming PC), and the XPS 14 remains one of the most premium Windows laptops available today. Still, the latest findings strengthen the argument that Snapdragon's lead is no longer limited to a halo product, nor a quirk of its Extreme chip.

Let's dive into the numbers, and then break down what it really means, as there is some nuance here.

Strong CPU results, even without the flagship chip

In Geekbench 7, the Snapdragon-powered Lenovo Slim 7x posted a multi-core score of 24,016, compared to 18,360 for the Intel-powered XPS 14. Single-core performance also favored Qualcomm, with a score of 3,237 against Intel's 2,602.

According to Signal65, that translates into leads of 31% and 24%, respectively, favoring Qualcomm.

Those numbers are especially notable because they are not solely the result of having more CPU cores. While Qualcomm's 18-core design certainly helps in heavily threaded workloads, the single-core advantage points to meaningful architectural gains from the second-generation Oryon design as well.

The company also maintained substantial leads in Cinebench 2026 rendering tests and across Microsoft's Office applications as measured by UL Procyon. In the productivity benchmark, Snapdragon led Intel by 10% in Best Performance mode and retained a smaller advantage in the default Balanced profile.

For buyers who spend most of their day in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Edge, and Teams, those productivity-oriented results may matter more than synthetic benchmark scores.

Qualcomm's AI advantage continues

AI remains one of Qualcomm's strongest categories.

In UL Procyon AI Computer Vision, the Snapdragon system scored 4,360 compared to Intel's 2,302. Even in the newer AI CV 2.0 WinML benchmark, which routes through Microsoft's Windows ML framework rather than a vendor-specific path, Qualcomm maintained a lead of roughly 31% over Intel.

That distinction is important because it better reflects the way many Windows AI experiences are expected to work going forward. Basically, a benchmark that favors proprietary software optimizations is useful, but a benchmark that preserves the advantage through a common Windows layer is arguably more relevant.

Battery performance remains a major story

One of the headline findings from the earlier Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme study was that Qualcomm gave up remarkably little performance when running unplugged. Qualcomm has been touting this advantage since the first gen of Snapdragon X.

The trend continues here.

Across six benchmarks, the Snapdragon system retained an average of 97% of its plugged-in Balanced-mode performance. Intel retained 95%, while the AMD system retained 74%. According to Signal65, the Snapdragon-powered laptop led every CPU, productivity, and AI benchmark tested on battery.

Critically, we must remember that OEMs, especially on Intel and AMD systems, have leverage on AC/DC performance choices, meaning a company like Lenovo could have its AMD system perform worse on battery ... in order to get better battery life. Companies do this to find what they think is a balance for their intended customer, even if the explanation is opaque.

I wrote about this AMD-throttling issue back in 2021, because I found it frustrating, deceptive, and disappointing. Not much has changed in 2026, apparently.

The battery life data was also favorable for Qualcomm, particularly because the three laptops used nearly identical battery capacities.

The Slim 7x (Qualcomm) lasted 16.1 hours in local video playback compared to 14.4 hours for the XPS 14 (Intel). In a Chrome browsing rundown, the Snapdragon laptop reached 11.2 hours versus 8.6 hours for Intel's machine.

There was one significant exception. Intel won the sustained Procyon Office battery test, posting 17.4 hours compared to Qualcomm's 14.3 hours. Signal65 argues that Snapdragon completed more work during that test, making the outcome more nuanced than a simple battery-life loss, but the result remains one of Intel's clearest victories in the report.

The XPS 14 deserves context

This is where I think the conversation becomes more interesting than benchmark charts.

The Snapdragon machine tested was a $1,999 Lenovo Slim 7x. The Intel competitor was a $2,749 Dell XPS 14. That $750 difference looms over nearly every chart in the report.

At the same time, it is difficult to discuss the XPS 14 purely as a processor comparison.

Dell's laptop is widely regarded as one of the most premium Windows notebooks on the market, with exceptional build quality, materials, industrial design, and one of the best displays available in the category. The Signal65 report acknowledges that these are comparisons of complete retail systems rather than isolated silicon measurements.

That matters because buyers are not choosing between just processors. They are choosing between laptops, aka the full package.

The display difference is particularly worth mentioning. Signal65 did not evaluate screen quality, but Dell's OLED-equipped XPS 14 has generally been considered one of the standout displays in the Windows ecosystem. Some buyers may reasonably decide that premium construction, display quality, and graphics performance justify paying more.

Others may look at a $750 premium and conclude that Intel's advantages are simply not large enough, which is fair, too. After all, we reviewed the Yoga Slim 7x back in May and gave it very high marks.

It's also worth pointing out that Dell's display is a VRR 120Hz at 2880 x 1800, while the Slim 7x is just 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz (both are OLED). Anyone worth their salt in comparing laptops and battery life knows the display is, by far, the number one draw on power, so while I do believe Qualcomm's chip here is better, a pinch of salt is needed for battery life results.

Intel still has a meaningful win: GPU

The strongest argument for Intel remains graphics, something the company has been working very hard at in recent years.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, Intel's Arc B390 outperformed Qualcomm's Adreno X2-90 GPU by roughly 23% in both DirectX 12 and Vulkan testing. That's the same GPU powering the beastly MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ gaming handheld, which crushes AMD in the same space.

For users who prioritize integrated graphics performance, gaming, or creative workloads that benefit from stronger GPU hardware, Intel still has a compelling case.

That advantage becomes harder to defend when price enters the discussion, which is why Signal65 ultimately concludes that Snapdragon delivers better performance per dollar across the tested systems. According to the study, Qualcomm's laptop delivered roughly 2.15 times Intel's value when normalized across selected CPU, rendering, and AI benchmarks.

Final thoughts

As with the previous report, this study was commissioned by Qualcomm, a fact readers should keep in mind. Signal65 remains an independent testing organization, but commissioned research naturally benefits from additional scrutiny.

Even with that caveat, the broader pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. I also trust the results.

The earlier Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme report established that Qualcomm's flagship laptop chip could outperform competing Intel and AMD systems. This latest study suggests those advantages extend well beyond the top, hard-to-find SKU.

That may be the more consequential finding.

Flagship products are important for headlines, but the laptops that shape a market tend to be the mainstream premium systems people actually purchase. If Qualcomm can deliver strong CPU performance, class-leading AI results, competitive battery life, and lower pricing with a standard 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite, the company has moved beyond proving a point and started building a sustainable competitive position in the Windows laptop market.

From my experience with both systems, I prefer Qualcomm since they usually run cooler and quieter, and my overall Windows 11 experience feels faster and smoother. That said, I have to admit Intel’s Core Ultra 3 series has really closed the gap — they’re genuinely impressive chips.

If anything, the bigger subtext with this story is just how far AMD has fallen out of this space. We recently covered how no modern Surface PCs opt for AMD, and it's not because of "not enough product" as Microsoft claims. It's because Microsoft knows they're not as good as what Intel and Qualcomm offer, full stop.

The bigger takeaway from these results is not that Qualcomm won another benchmark comparison. It's that Qualcomm appears to have successfully scaled its advantages beyond a halo product. Intel now faces a more difficult reality: competing not only against Snapdragon's fastest chip, but against the one that is likely to ship in far more laptops.

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Panasonic's TOUGHBOOK lineup turns 30 this year (see my earlier coverage of the new TOUGHBOOK 55), and after attending the company's product briefing in a very rainy New York City, I'm convinced the future of rugged computing isn't just about surviving drops, rain, and extreme temperatures.

It's about becoming the intelligent edge computer that sits at the center of everything.

That might sound like marketing fluff until you see the demos. One station showed a military drone feeding reconnaissance data back to a TOUGHBOOK for local analysis. Another demonstrated how police fleets can connect vehicle diagnostics directly into a TOUGHBOOK-based management system, allowing departments to track everything from VINs and odometer readings to fuel levels, fault codes, and maintenance schedules.

In other words, Panasonic's new TOUGHBOOK 34 and TOUGHBOOK G3 are increasingly becoming mission-critical data hubs for the people who protect, rescue, repair, and support the rest of us.

And yes, they're still absurdly rugged.

Thirty years later, the mission remains the same

One theme came up repeatedly throughout Panasonic's presentation: purpose-built computing.

As Panasonic executives noted, their customers aren't buying laptops to answer email from a coffee shop. These systems are deployed in police cruisers, ambulances, utility trucks, military vehicles, warehouses, disaster zones, and industrial sites where failure is not an option.

As Panasonic put it during the briefing, "our devices are purpose-built," adding that workers are often operating in "extreme heat, extreme cold, vibration, water, dust" and environments where "lives are on the line."

That philosophy has helped TOUGHBOOK carve out a niche that practically nobody else occupies.

While consumer laptops compete over OLED displays and thinness, Panasonic spends its time figuring out how to keep a device communicating over private 5G networks during storm response operations.

Meet the TOUGHBOOK 34 and TOUGHBOOK G3

This launch introduces two new fully rugged 2-in-1 systems.

The TOUGHBOOK 34 serves as the successor to the long-running TOUGHBOOK 33 that I've reviewed, while the TOUGHBOOK G3 replaces the TOUGHBOOK G2 that I also previously reviewed and described as one of the most modular and rugged PCs on the market.

According to Mike Smola, Senior Director of Product Management at Panasonic Connect North America:

"No two workers, no two vehicles, and no two workflows are exactly alike. Some jobs call for a larger product with more workspace and more versatility."

That's really the story here.

The TOUGHBOOK 34 features a larger 12.4-inch display and is designed for users who spend significant time in vehicles, command centers, or managing information-dense workflows. The G3 uses a more compact 10.1-inch form factor that's easier to carry into the field.

As one Panasonic executive explained during the public safety discussion:

"Fire and EMS leverage both sizes: the larger TOUGHBOOK 34 for in-vehicle CAD and command control, and the compact G3 in the back of ambulances for patient care."

The biggest upgrade is AI

The headline feature across both devices is the move to Intel's latest Core Ultra platform.

Both systems now offer Intel Core Ultra 5 335H and Ultra X7 368H processors complete with onboard NPUs and AI acceleration capabilities. Panasonic is increasingly positioning these devices as AI-ready edge computers capable of processing information locally without relying on cloud connectivity.

That matters more than you might think.

During the federal customer panel, Panasonic highlighted a scenario that's becoming increasingly common in military and government environments.

As Panasonic's federal team explained:

"Deployed military personnel aboard ships or in tactical environments often operate without network connectivity due to operational security." AI-capable processing on TOUGHBOOK devices allows personnel to perform tactical, medical, and technical searches without depending on a remote connection."

For most consumers, AI means generating images or summarizing documents. But for military users, it can mean analyzing information locally while disconnected from networks entirely.

That's a very different use case.

From military drones to local AI analysis

The most interesting demonstration I saw involved a tactical drone setup.

Panasonic demonstrated how rugged computing platforms can work alongside systems such as the Teledyne FLIR ION-series tactical reconnaissance drones that are commonly used by military, government, and emergency-response organizations.

While separate physical controls handle flight operations, the TOUGHBOOK effectively becomes the intelligence terminal. Drone imagery and reconnaissance data can be brought onto the device, recorded, analyzed, and processed locally using onboard computing resources.

I didn't watch the drone take flight during the event, but seeing Panasonic position the TOUGHBOOK as the AI-capable analysis point for tactical aerial systems offered a very real glimpse into how these machines are used beyond traditional laptop duties.

That use case also aligns with Panasonic's announcement that both devices support unmanned systems control and UAV ground-control applications in federal environments

TOUGHBOOKs are becoming smarter police tools, too

The police vehicle demonstration may have been even more compelling.

Rather than focusing on dispatch software alone, Panasonic showed how TOUGHBOOK systems can act as fleet intelligence platforms.

Through Panasonic's TOUGHCommand ecosystem, agencies can connect vehicle systems and pull operational data directly into the computer. Information such as vehicle identification, odometer readings, fuel levels, speed data, maintenance information, and diagnostic information can all be surfaced through a centralized dashboard.

The really interesting layer sits on top of that data.

Panasonic's new Command Intelligence features allow IT teams and fleet managers to query those systems using AI and natural-language questions rather than digging through massive databases manually.

That turns the TOUGHBOOK into something closer to a command-and-control platform, instead of just a rugged laptop.

For organizations managing hundreds or thousands of vehicles, that could be a substantial value-add beyond the hardware itself.

The modularity advantage nobody else offers

Having reviewed the G2 and covered Panasonic's rugged lineup for years, the thing that continues to impress me isn't the drop testing or waterproofing.

It's the modularity.

The TOUGHBOOK 34 and G3 both feature Panasonic's xPAK ecosystem, allowing users to swap hardware modules as needs change. Options include barcode scanners, additional USB ports, serial ports, smart card readers, fingerprint readers, networking hardware, and more.

Panasonic's goal is simple: one device should adapt to many jobs.

A warehouse worker can add scanning capabilities. A utility technician can prioritize GPS and connectivity. An automotive technician can add legacy ports for vehicle diagnostics.

Instead of replacing the entire computer when requirements evolve, customers can reconfigure it. More importantly, this can be done locally without sending out the TOUGHBOOK back to Panasonic to be reconfigured. Not only is that time-consuming, but if the PC is used by the government and it has sensitive data on the drives, it limits who can even touch that laptop.

That's a surprisingly rare concept in modern computing.

Better displays, stronger connectivity, longer life

The hardware itself receives meaningful updates, too.

For the TOUGHBOOK 34, Panasonic increased the screen size from 12 inches to 12.4 inches while moving to a 3:2 aspect ratio that's better suited to productivity work. Executives noted that the revised resolution and scaling choices allow users to view more information with less scrolling.

The G3 retains its 10.1-inch format but benefits from updated display tuning, 2-to-1000-nit brightness control, and improved readability for outdoor work.

Panasonic also highlighted a new glove and rain touch experience on the TOUGHBOOK 34.

As the company explained:

"You don't want the end user to take off gloves to touch the screen." Users can switch between glove and standard touch modes using programmable controls.

I actually tried this myself, and while it's still a bit clunky to operate a touchscreen with heavy gloves on, it can be done through this technology.

Connectivity receives substantial improvements as well.

Compared to the older G2 generation, the G3 moves from 4G LTE options to modern 5G support, upgrades Wi‑Fi 6 to Wi‑Fi 7, and advances Bluetooth 5.1 to Bluetooth 5.4 while adding broader support for private cellular deployments.

For the people actually relying on these systems, those upgrades matter far more than benchmark scores.

A reminder that some PCs have jobs to do

The most fascinating thing about Panasonic's new TOUGHBOOKs isn't that they're rugged. We already knew that, but what's changing is their role.

Thirty years after the first TOUGHBOOK arrived, Panasonic increasingly views these systems as secure, connected, AI-capable edge computers that happen to survive conditions most laptops would never tolerate.

Whether they're helping analyze drone feeds, supporting first responders through FirstNet and private 5G networks, managing vehicle fleets, or keeping utility workers connected during outages, the TOUGHBOOK 34 and G3 demonstrate that laptops can still be specialized tools built for serious missions.

And after an afternoon spent getting hands-on with Panasonic's latest hardware, that may be the most interesting thing about them. Panasonic is building the computers that many of the people protecting, rescuing, and serving the rest of us depend on every day, and I still find that inspiring.

You can find out more about these devices from the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK website.

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Henry Cavill is famous for quite a few reasons. He's played iconic characters such as Superman and Geralt from the Witcher. He wowed Tom Cruise by "reloading" his fists in a Mission Impossible film. But around these parts and among many gamers, Cavill is best known for his genuine nerdiness.

Cavill famously built a gaming PC and shared a video of it on social media, proving that you can be considered both a conventionally handsome man and a PC gamer. But the star has found a new computing passion: Googlebooks.

Android is officially partnering with Cavill by having him test a Googlebook. The actor is shown using an HP Googlebook in a promotional post on X.

A Google blog post details Cavill's plans to use a Googlebook. "After being hands on and spending some time with their team, I believe this has the potential to be the start of something rather special," said Cavill.

There's always a chance that Cavill still loves gaming on a desktop PC and that he uses a Googlebook when he's on the go or doing light work. Of course, there's also a chance Cavill doesn't use a Googlebook at all.

Cavill would not be the first Justice League star accused of endorsing a product while using a competing device. Gal Gadot infamously posted on social media how much she loves Huawei from an iPhone. Gadot denied doing so, but her post clearly indicated that it was made from an iPhone.

Marques Brownlee was the first to notice Gadot's gaffe. That post was later deleted and reposted from an Android phone. I believe Brownlee is still blocked on X by Gadot.

The tactic of hiring a person well-known for advertising or endorsing a competing device is not new. Paul Marcarelli, also known as "Verizon's 'Can you hear me now' guy, was hired to advertise for Sprint. Marcarelli has since joined Buzz Aldrin in an ad for Verizon. Justin Long, the "I'm a Mac" guy, did an ad campaign for Intel.

Comedian Dave Chapelle once joked that he's done ads for both Coca-Cola and Pepsi and that he just hypes whichever company paid him most recently.

Google alluded to Cavill's "maker" fame it its announcement:

"To kick off our partnership, we couldn’t resist the chance to tap Henry's inner maker. This November, Henry is teaming up with Google to build a video game using Googlebook."

We'll have to wait to see what type of game Cavill creates on his Googlebook. I'd love to see a tie-in to Warhammer 40,000, but I doubt that will happen.

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Amazon Prime's Big Deal Days event is just a week away, starting on October 7, 2026. However, Amazon's competition isn't waiting to host enticing counter deals for it by then, as some early competitor deals are already cropping up.

One such deal is this 44% discount for the Dell 14S laptop, which has taken its steep $1,599.99 listing price down to a more affordable $899.99 at Best Buy.

Why should you buy a Dell 14S laptop?

The Dell 14S laptop boasts a wide variety of tech that makes it a more-than-competent productivity companion for students and desk jockeys alike.

This configuration of the Dell 14S laptop features an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 CPU with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. These enable it to run web browsers with multiple tabs open, edit photos in Photoshop, and even play 4K YouTube videos in the background, all at once without a significant drop in performance.

Additionally, it features a 14-inch 2K LED screen to display images and videos with sharp details and vibrant color gamuts, a premium-quality build to protect its vital components, a comfortable-to-use keyboard with a trackpad, and a powerful battery life that will last you over 20 hours before needing to recharge.

Finally, the Dell 14S is a Copilot+ PC (a name that's starting to disappear) with an NPU capable of 49 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This means that it can operate AI-empowered programs like Cocreator or Recall with ease, and use AI search engines to help you research information more quickly online.

So, if you're looking for a straightforward laptop that's purely focused on powering through light workflow tasks at school or work all day without a break, you can't go wrong with the Dell 14S.

Dell 14S's discounted $899.99 price tag at Best Buy is certainly cheaper right now than its more powerful yet more expensive Dell XPS 14 counterpart, which usually runs for a retail price of $2,249.99 at Dell.

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Premium laptops rarely cost under $1,000 these days. But a $310.99 discount on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x drops the price of the PC to $989.99. The Yoga Slim 7x already delivered excellent value for its price, so it's even more attractive after a discount.

The model that's on sale has a Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. Those specs are more than enough for everyday computing and getting work done.

Our Cale Hunt reviewed the Snapdragon X2 Elite version of the Yoga Slim 7x and came away impressed. The Snapdragon X2 Plus model has the same excellent build, keyboard, camera, and battery life.

The Yoga Slim 7x is a thin laptop. Its bottom half is barely thicker than a USB-C port. Even when closed, the entire laptop is 0.55 inches thick and weighs just 2.73 lbs. But despite its thin body, the laptop is rigid, resisting any reasonable bends and not creaking when pressured.

Along the top of the Yoga Slim 7x's screen sits a notch housing a 9.2MP camera that beats many webcams seen in similar laptops. As you'd expect from a premium laptop, the Yoga Slim 7x supports Windows Hello facial recognition.

Unlike some laptops in the same price range, the Yoga Slim 7x supports Human Presence Detection (HPD), which can unlock or lock your PC automatically when you leave or approach the computer.

The keyboard of the Yoga Slim 7x is well-spaced and comfortable. I share Hunt's wish for the PC to have a haptic trackpad, but the standard trackpad on the laptop is fine.

You can upgrade to a Yoga Slim 7x with higher specs if you'd like. The laptop is available with up to a Snapdragon X2 Elite. But you have to spend significantly more to get that chip (at least $1,549 from what I've found).

If you want an excellent laptop that lasts all day and is more than enough for everyday computing, the Yoga Slim 7x with a Snapdragon X2 Plus is an excellent choice.

Is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x a gaming laptop?

The Yoga Slim 7x is an excellent laptop that's easy to recommend, especially with the Snapdragon X2 Plus inside. But it is not a gaming laptop. Don't get me wrong, it can play some games. But I wouldn't recommend buying the Yoga Slim 7x (or any PC running a Snapdragon X processor) to a gamer.

Snapdragon X-powered PCs used to struggle with just about any game. They are now capable of running some games thanks to improvements by Microsoft and Qualcomm.

👉RELATED: What testing 200 games on a Snapdragon X teaches us about Windows 11 on Arm

If you do get a Yoga Slim 7x, gaming can be a fun experiment to see how far Windows 11 on Arm has come, but it shouldn't be a driving force behind the purchase.

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Get ready, players, because Gears of War: E-Day is nearly here, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best games in the Gears of War franchise and the biggest gaming blockbuster of the year, second only to Grand Theft Auto VI.

However, there is one caveat Xbox players must be aware of before buying it on October 6 (or October 1, if they've secured early access via pre-ordering the game), and that is its required install space of 115GB (as confirmed on its Steam page).

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That’s about one-tenth of a standard Xbox Series X’s 1TB storage space, and that’s just for the base game alone without any DLC. Plus, the developers plan (confirmed by GameSpot) to update Gears of War: E-Day’s Horde Mode with new classes, missions, modifiers, and seasonal content, along with adding other in-game items like gun cosmetics and character skins, so that 115GB install requirement is going to bloat fast.

So, we have sought out the best Xbox Series X|S storage expansion devices, from external SSDs to plug-and-play SSD cards, to help you fit in Gears of War: E-Day while having tons to spare for its post-launch updates and other awesome Xbox Series X|S titles for your Xbox.

External hard drives

Now, granted, finding Xbox external storage upgrades is a lot harder these days thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, jacking up the prices of all things tech-related while making their availability scarcer.

One of the more affordable and available options is external hard drives, which can offer tons of storage space ranging from 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, and even 4TB. In addition, they can be formatted to store all kinds of media, not just Xbox games, depending on what platform you intend to use it for.

The drawback is that you can’t play Xbox games directly from an external hard drive, you have to manually transfer them from the hard drive onto your Xbox’s internal hard drive if you wish to play them.

Plug & Play expansion cards

Plug & Play expansion cards are scarcer and more expensive, but more convenient Xbox storage expansion units compared to external hard drives.

They fit easily into an Xbox’s dedicated expansion card slot, so they don’t take up desk space, and they let players play games installed on the cards directly without needing to shuffle them into the Xbox’s internal SSD, saving you from tedious file management.

However, you can’t reformat these Plug & Play Xbox expansion cards for other devices, as they were purely designed for Xbox consoles.

Are you ready for Gears of War: E-Day?

And there you have all the best options to upgrade your Xbox’s Storage size in time for Gears of War: E-Day. Are you looking forward to playing Gears of War: E-Day? Will you be sticking around to play its Horde Siege mode months after launch to see its post-game updates?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please send them to the comments section below, or our Discord, Reddit, or cast a vote in the poll above.

Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), Xbox Game Pass, and PC via Windows and Steam on October 1, 2026, for early-access players who pre-ordered the game, and then October 6, 2026, for everyone else.

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