This Lenovo 2-in-1 laptop is discounted from $860 to $500 | Digital Trends
Lenovo
Lenovo continues its reign of offering some of the best laptop deals at the moment with the Lenovo Yoga 6 13-inch AMD model down to $600 from $860. A saving of 30% or $260 sounds pretty great although it’s always good to be a little cautious of Lenovo’s overly optimistic estimated value system. Still, what we do know for sure is that $600 for a stylish 2-in-1 laptop is a pretty sweet deal. If that immediately sounds like your kind of thing then hit the buy button otherwise, take a look below at what else we have to say about it.
Why you should buy the Lenovo Yoga 6
Lenovo is one of the best laptop brands out there with that reputation particularly extending to its 2-in-1 range. This particular model has an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor along with 8GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. As with the other best 2-in-1 laptops, it also has a great touchscreen. The display is a 13.3-inch WUXGA IPS panel with 1920 x 1200 resolution, 100% sRGB color, and 300 nits of brightness.
Above the display is a full HD IR Hybrid webcam with dual microphones and a privacy shutter. The Lenovo Yoga 6 13-inch AMD also comes with a Lenovo digital pen so you can be more accurate with your movements on screen while the backlit keyboard has a fingerprint reader for added security.
Adding to the useful features, the Lenovo Yoga 6 13-inch AMD also promises an all-day battery life like the best laptops along with rapid charge technology. There’s also support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos so you get vibrant colors and great audio, whether you’re watching a movie or calling someone. Combined with the laptop’s 360-degree hinge, it’s perfectly versatile for work or pleasure. Think of it as the ideal addition if you can’t decide if you need a tablet or a laptop.
Packed with more features than you’d expect at this price, the Lenovo Yoga 6 13-inch AMD is normally $860 at Lenovo. Right now, you can buy it for $600 so you save $260 off the regular price. A great 2-in-1 laptop for many different purposes, check out this doorbuster deal before it ends very soon.
Need a new laptop? Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is $400 off | Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
If you’ve been waiting for great laptop deals on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 range, you’re in luck. Best Buy currently has $400 off the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 so you can buy it for $900 instead of $1,300. A great option for students who want to look stylish or anyone who wants a laptop a little different from the rest, here’s a deeper look at what to expect before you buy it.
Why you should buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a pretty sleek option even if Microsoft has yet to break the best laptop brands world. It has an Intel Evo Platform Core i5 processor paired up with 8GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. Those are all the essentials you could need from this kind of laptop.
Even more of a highlight is the 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen. Looking good and offering a great resolution of 2,256 x 1,504, its 3:2 aspect ratio stands out from the crowd. As a touchscreen, you can always choose to be more hands-on with your work too if you prefer that over using conventional controls. The screen also has Dolby Vision IQ support for better visuals while there’s Dolby Atmos support for the speakers so it’s a good system for streaming movies on.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is also focused on portability as demonstrated by its 18 hour battery life, super sleek design, and lightweight build. It’s that laptop you can take to class or a coffee shop without worrying about it taking up too much room in your bag. Not needing the charger so often is a huge advantage too.
Available in a variety of colors at this price, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is suitably personal to you. It’s neat to be able to veer away from the standard black exterior that we usually see from laptops with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 feeling like it’s rivalling the likes of Apple’s range in terms of style. Speed wise, it won’t compete with most of the best laptops but as a general all-rounder, it’s still pretty appealing.
Usually priced at $1,300, you can currently buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 for $900 at Best Buy. A considerable saving of $400, this could be the perfect gift for a loved one this holiday season. Check it out now before the deal ends very soon.
Alienware Gaming Laptop with an RTX 4090 is $700 off Today | Digital Trends
Digital Trends
One of the best gaming laptop deals comes, predictably, from Dell. Today, you can buy the Alienware m16 gaming laptop for $2,800 thereby saving $700 off the usual price of $3,500. A high-end gaming laptop, this is one that will prove to be a fantastic investment for your gaming future. If you’re keen to learn more, take a look below at what we have to say about it or simply hit the buy button to get straight to the specs and making a purchase.
Why you should buy the Alienware m16 gaming laptop
Alienware is responsible for many of the best gaming laptops with a penchant for offering high-end hardware. This particular model boasts a 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor teamed up with a huge 32GB of memory and 2TB of SSD storage. Continuing its powerhouse reputation, it also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card with 16GB of dedicated VRAM. That’s a fantastic set of specs to ensure that you won’t have any trouble playing the latest games for a long time to come. If you’re looking ahead and want to make sure you can play games in style for a while to come, this is the solution for you. It won’t become out of date any time soon.
The Alienware m16 gaming laptop also has a great display with a 16-inch QHD+ panel with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 2ms response time, and 100% DCI-P3 support. Alongside that is Nvidia G-Sync + DDS support to ensure your games will always look fantastic. Above it is a full HD IR camera for taking video calls or recording reaction videos.
You might notice that Alienware isn’t listed among the best laptop brands but that’s because these days, it’s part of Dell, so you’re getting a ton of reliability here. The Alienware m16 gaming laptop uses Alienware Cryo-tech, an advanced cooling technology, to keep things ticking along nicely. There are also four fans with ultra-thin fan blades while seven heat pipes keep the internal temperature regulated. You also get exceptional audio thanks to Dolby Atmos support while even the keyboard is great thanks to being an Alienware M Series 1-Zone AlienFX keyboard.
Packed with all the features possible to make gamers excited, the Alienware m16 gaming laptop is currently down to $2,800 from $3,500 at Dell. A considerable saving of $700, this is your chance to grab a fantastically high-end laptop for less. Check it out now before it sells out.
These were the laptop trends that dominated 2023 | Digital Trends
In some ways, 2023 was a quiet year when it came to laptops. After coming off the high of PC sales during the peak of the pandemic, 2023 was the year of the correction. Many of the most popular lines received minor upgrades, and there weren’t many significant technological innovations that pushed laptops forward.
Even so, there were five trends in 2023 that are worth looking back on and that point toward what’s coming in the future.
Some prominent lines remained largely unchanged
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Manufacturers tend to perform major updates to their lines every few years. Sometimes, as in 2023, things line up in such a way that a number of prominent laptops receive only minor upgrades.
Dell’s XPS line is an important example. The XPS 15 and XPS 17 received CPU and GPU upgrades in 2023, but their designs remained exactly the same as we’ve seen for several years now. Even the webcam remains at 720p and the wireless connectivity is at Wi-Fi 6, not Wi-Fi 6E, demonstrating that Dell wasn’t interested in pushing their largest XPS machines forward this year. The newer XPS 13 Plus received minor CPU upgrades and still uses a 720p webcam and Wi-Fi 6, while the new near-budget XPS 13 design, introduced in 2022, wasn’t updated at all and still runs Intel 12th-gen processors with older components.
HP’s Spectre line also received minor CPU updates. The Spectre x360 13.5, for example, is unchanged from 2022 except for an upgrade to 13th-gen processors. Note that HP did introduce the Spectre Foldable PC, which is incredibly innovative and incredibly expensive at $5,000. But otherwise, the Spectre line hasn’t changed much.
HP Spectre x360 13.5Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Going through the list, Lenovo’s ThinkPad line is another example, with its flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon hitting its 11th generation with only moderate updates from the 10th-gen machine. And Microsoft’s Surface line had just two budget upgrades in the Surface Laptop Go 3 and Surface Go 4, along with a minor spec bump to the Surface Laptop Studio 2.
We’ll see if any of these lineups receive more meaningful updates in 2024. So far, though, they’re treading water.
Performance and battery life increases were incremental
Apple
For most users, Intel’s 13th-gen CPUs offered only incremental performance and efficiency improvements over their 12th-gen predecessors. AMD’s latest Ryzen processors are fast, but not game-changers. Both chipmakers have very fast CPUs at the high end, but that’s mostly of interest to gamers and creators. For mainstream productivity users, there’s been no real discernable improvement in either performance or battery life.
The same held true for GPUs. Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4000 series were improvements for sure, but the increase over the RTX 3000 series was only incremental. AMD wasn’t much of a player at all in mobile GPUs in 2023.
Probably the most exciting laptop CPU and GPU update came from Apple. Its new M3 chips are a real jump in performance, particularly at the high end. The base M3 offers a meaningful improvement over the M2 that’s greater for typical users than Intel achieved with its 13th-gen CPUs. However, the M3 Max we tested provides a massive jump over the previous generation, particularly in GPU performance. Apple also increased memory capacity and performance, making the MacBook Pro 14 and 16 among the most powerful laptops creators can buy today. When you factor in the line’s phenomenal battery life, Apple made the most significant advances in 2023.
Displays kept getting better
Lenovo Legion 9iJacob Roach / Digital Trends
One trend in 2023 that was great to see was a continued improvement in displays. We saw several Windows laptops introduced with Mini-LED displays, and while most of them didn’t demonstrate the same performance as Apple achieved in its MacBook Pros, the Lenovo Legion 9i‘s mini-LED panel was spectacular.
In addition, we saw OLED displays make their way to several laptops priced at $1,000 or less. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED was our favorite affordable laptop, offering an OLED panel running at 90Hz for just $700. As of 2023, you no longer have to spend premium prices to get a great display.
Speaking of refresh rates, a significant percentage of the laptops I reviewed in 2023 ran at 90Hz or faster. Apple started the trend in 2020 with the original M1 MacBook Pros, and the industry has just started to catch up. Windows 11 is a much smoother experience with a display that runs faster than 60Hz.
Excellent laptops were more affordable
Asus ZenBook 14X OLEDMark Coppock / Digital Trends
The Zenbook 14 OLED wasn’t the only laptop I reviewed that offered more value than we’ve seen in previous years. In fact, I’d say that 2023 redefined the midrange laptop, with more excellent options showing up in the $800 to $1,200 range.
The Zenbook 14X OLED is a faster and slightly larger laptop than its sibling, starting at just $800 with a fast 45-watt Intel Core i5-13500H and a superior OLED display. That’s an incredible price for a laptop that will handle the most demanding productivity workflows.
Another great option is the HP Pavilion Plus 14, costing $850 and boasting a Ryzen 5 7540U and a high-resolution IPS display. Even when upgraded to a Ryzen 7 7840U and an OLED display, the laptop remains affordable at $900.
Those are just a few of the laptops introduced in 2023 that offer better performance, displays, and built quality than we usually see for less than $1,000. It’s perhaps the most important trend we saw in 2023.
A middling year in laptops
More affordable laptops with excellent displays is a nice trend. But otherwise, 2023 was a pretty boring year in laptop design. We didn’t see any groundbreaking new technologies that significantly advanced how we use laptops.
It’s looking like 2024 might be a little more exciting, especially in terms of performance and efficiency with Intel’s new Meteor Lake CPUs and potentially more competitive Windows laptops built around efficient ARM processors.
You really can spend less money on your next laptop | Digital Trends
If you’re in the market for a new laptop today, you’ll encounter a dizzying array of options ranging in price from a few hundred dollars up to the low five figures. You’ll find different build qualities, specifications, display types, and much more, all of which combine to make choosing the best laptop for you a challenge.
It’s tempting to get mesmerized by the latest and greatest machines and end up spending a lot more than you need to or should. The thing is, there are legitimate reasons to spend less on a laptop in 2023, and trust me — it hasn’t always been this way.
You probably don’t need more power
Asus ZenBook 14X OLEDMark Coppock / Digital Trends
I’m going to use the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED as an example of an affordable laptop that offers a winning combination of performance, features, and price. For just $700, you can buy the Zenbook with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED display. That’s a great price for a great laptop.
You might be tempted to think that a laptop that costs $700 can’t possibly compete in performance with laptops costing twice as much. And you’d be wrong. I reviewed the Zenbook 14 OLED’s entry-level configuration and it was roughly as fast as the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 with the Intel Core i7-1260P. At the time, the Lenovo cost $1,700.
The point is that you need to take a good look at your computing needs. If you use your laptop for typical productivity and media consumption tasks like email, web browsing, Office applications, and streaming content, then just about any laptop today will be more than fast enough. You’ll only start running into problems if you’re spending less than $500, and even then, you can find a laptop with enough performance if you look hard enough.
When does it make sense to spend more money to get more power? Mainly, you’ll want to look at more expensive laptops if you’re a creator with a demanding video-editing workflow or a gamer who wants a laptop that can maintain high frame rates at 1440p or higher. In those cases, you’ll want a more powerful CPU and a fast discrete GPU, and both of those things tend to drive up a laptop’s price.
The best displays are more affordable than ever
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
If you’re looking for a great display that offers dynamic colors, inky blacks, and great high dynamic range (HDR) performance, then a quality OLED panel fits the bill. Once again, I direct your attention to the $700 Zenbook 14 OLED, which offers exactly that. The Zenbook’s display provides wide and accurate colors, incredibly high contrast, and plenty of brightness, and even runs at a fast 90Hz.
It’s pretty incredible how little you have to spend on a great display. The Zenbook isn’t the only option, and even IPS displays have gotten a lot better over the last several years. The Apple MacBook Air M1 and M2, both of which can be had for less than $1,000, have outstanding IPS displays, and the same can be said for many, if not most Windows laptops.
Probably the only display technology that’s truly priced at a premium is mini-LED, which so far has arrived only on expensive Windows machines and Apple’s MacBook Pros. But you’ll have other reasons to buy those laptops, including a need for very high performance. I can’t stress enough that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a spectacular laptop display.
Don’t think you need the latest generation
Digital Trends
Some people are inclined to believe that you need to buy the latest generation of a laptop, and many hold off on purchasing in the hope that something better is coming along. For the most demanding users, once again those who need the best available performance, that might make some sense.
But for many people, the previous generation offers more than enough features and performance while often costing a lot less. In fact, one good reason to wait for the release of a new generation is that the previous generation often remains available at significantly lower prices.
Apple is a prime example. Right now, the company is still selling the MacBook Air M1, the first generation to use Apple’s new Silicon chips, for $1,000. If you’re OK with buying from a third party, then you can often find the base model for $850. At that price, the MacBook Air M1 is a great machine, offering plenty of performance, phenomenal battery life, and a great display to go with Apple’s excellent build quality.
Overspending simply doesn’t make sense
There may have been a time when you had to spend $1,500 or more on a laptop to get a decent machine. If so, then those days are long past. Today, you can spend under $1,000 and get good performance, long battery life, and a solid build, and you don’t have to sacrifice on things like display quality. I’ve focused on just one laptop, but there are many others.
This welcome trend will likely continue through 2024. But, don’t let that stop you from buying a laptop right now. Just make sure to do your research first.
This HP Gaming Laptop is Discounted from $1,099 to $699 | Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
One of the best gaming laptop deals is ending very soon at Walmart and if you’re looking for a mid-range laptop for less, you seriously don’t want to miss out. For now, you can buy the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop with a GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card for $699 reduced $400 from the usual price of $1,099. An exceptionally tempting deal, here’s what else you need to know about it before you make your purchase.
Why you should buy the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop
As one of the best laptop brands, you’re in safe hands with anything from HP. With the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop, you get an Intel Core i5-12500H processor along with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage space. The graphics card is an important component of any gaming system and this one has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 card paired up with a 15.6-inch full HD screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and anti-glare properties. It’s a great mid-range package but it also adds some neat extra details.
This includes a backlit keyboard with numeric keypad which looks great while also giving you plenty of room for different key binds. The display has wide viewing angles of up to 178-degrees so it’s good for watching your favorite shows as well as gaming. The system manages to offer up to 11 hours of battery life but consider that to be lower if you’re midway through an intense gaming session that’s pushing the capabilities of the system.
The HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop also supports the latest protocols such as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 while there’s a HP Wide Vision camera with AI noise removal for any time you need to take a video call. It’s not quite up there with the best gaming laptops but it’s still pretty good and an ideal option for those seeking a mid-range gaming laptop for less.
Perfectly designed to appeal to anyone who wants to game on the move without spending a fortune, the HP Victus 15.6-inch gaming laptop is super appealing while on sale. Normally costing $1,099, you can buy it from Walmart for $699 but you need to be fast. The $400 discount is going to end very soon and you really won’t want to miss out.
The thinnest laptops of today are paper-thin compared to their predecessors, and though they aren’t literally that trim, they’re getting pretty close. In recent several years, one of the biggest advances made to the modern laptop is that the chassis continues to shrink. Best of all, battery life and performance continue to improve. It’s a no-compromise situation — and we love it.
One of the thinnest laptops around is the Apple MacBook Air M2 at just 0.44 inches thick. It’s incredibly thin but provides awesome performance and battery life thanks to Apple’s excellent M2 CPUs. There are some other excellent laptops that are also incredibly thin. Here are some of our favorites.
Apple MacBook Air M2
One of the thinnest laptops ever, and it’s a MacBook
One of the thinnest laptops ever, and it’s a MacBook
Pros
Incredibly thin
Upgraded webcam and speakers
Shockingly good performance
Battery life stomps the competition
Screen and keyboard are world-class
Cons
Worryingly hot internal temperatures
Still only supports one monitor
Why should you buy this: It’s an incredibly powerful laptop packed into an incredibly thin chassis.
Who’s it for: Anyone looking for an incredibly portable MacBook without compromises.
What we thought of the Apple MacBook Air M2:
Apple’s MacBook Air M2 is a complete redesign of the venerable MacBook Air, incorporating the blockier chassis of the larger MacBook Pro machines and dropping the iconic MacBook Air wedge shape. But now it’s super-thin throughout at just 0.44 inches while weighing just 2.7 pounds.
Even though it’s incredibly thin, it’s a fast laptop sporting the Apple M2 CPU that’s a step up from the original M1 and considerably faster. It’s fanless, and so completely silent in operation, and it still manages to be an ultrafast thin and light machine. Its 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is excellent, with a ton of brightness, wide and accurate colors, and excellent contrast. The MacBook Air M2 sports the same outstanding Magic Keyboard as its predecessor and a large haptic touchpad.
Just make sure you opt for a larger solid-state drive (SSD) than the entry-level 256GB version. You’ll get faster storage that maximizes overall performance.
Apple MacBook Air M2
One of the thinnest laptops ever, and it’s a MacBook
Arif Bacchus/ Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 (0.50 inches)
An ultra-thin convertible 2-in-1
Pros
Incredibly thin and light
OLED display
Intel 13th-generation CPUs
Up to 32GB RAM
Full HD webcam
Why should you buy this: It’s one of the thinnest laptops around and offers the Windows 11 2-in-1 experience.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a super-thin 2-in-1 with pen support.
What we thought of the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360:
Next to the MacBook Air M2, one of the thinnest laptops available today is the Samsung Galaxy Book3 360. It’s a 16-inch-inch convertible 2-in-1 with a spectacular 16.0-inch 16:10 2880 x 1800 OLED display and an Intel 13th-gen CPU that’s just 0.50 inches thick and weighs just 3.66 pounds. Some bold color options and a minimalist design provide a laptop that’s as good-looking as it is well-built.
You still get a solid build and Samsung’s S-Pen support. If you’re a Samsung phone and tablet user, then you can integrate the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 into Samsung’s excellent ecosystem. Ports are a decent, with two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, an HDMI port, a USB-C 3.2 port, and a microSD card reader.
A Full HD webcam with Auto Framing and Face Effect round out the niceties. Performance is provided by 28-watt Intel 13th-gen CPUs such as the 12-core/16-thread Core i7-1360P.
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 (0.50 inches)
An ultra-thin convertible 2-in-1
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
Apple MacBook Air 15 (0.45 inches)
The thinnest 15-inch laptop
Pros
More screen!
Excellent speakers
Long lasting battery
Shockingly thin
Extra performance is welcome
Cons
Only supports one external display
Why should you buy this: It’s an incredible thin large-screen laptop.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants extensive battery life and capable performance in a trim design.
What we thought of the Apple MacBook Air 15:
Apple introduced a new MacBook Air in 2023, a 15-inch model that takes the excellent build of the 13-inch version and blows it up. Somehow, while fitting in a 15.2-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple managed to keep the MacBook Air 15 an incredibly thin 0.45 inches. It’s the thinnest 15-inch laptop around, and it makes no compromises.
Performance is excellent thanks to its 8-core CPU/10-core GPU M2 processor. It’s not fast enough for serious creators, but for everyone else it will churn through the most demanding workflows. The display has wide and accurate colors, plenty of brightness, and deep contrast, and it’s sharp at 2880 x 1864 pixels.
And to top it all off, battery life is exceptional. It will keep you running for a day and a half, with at least twice as much longevity as you’ll find with most 15-inch machines.
Apple MacBook Air 15 (0.45 inches)
The thinnest 15-inch laptop
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Alienware x14 R2 (0.57 inches)
A gaming laptop that’s both extremely thin and surprisingly fast
Pros
Thinnest 14-inch gaming laptop
Fantastic battery life
Solid performance
USB-C charging
Comfortable keyboard
Cons
Tiny trackpad
Only one USB-A port
Middling screen
Why should you buy this: It’s one of the thinnest gaming laptops around, and it’s plenty fast.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a gaming laptop without the usual thickness.
What we thought of the Alienware x14 R2:
Imagine packing a 45-watt Intel Core i7-13620H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 into a 0.57-inch chassis that weighs just 4.22 pounds, and you’ll have the Alienware x14 R2. It’s an incredible accomplishment, providing excellent gaming performance in a laptop that’s thinner and lighter than many mainstream ultrabooks.
It’s not the fastest gaming laptop, but that’s not the point. It manages to compete with some thicker and heavier laptops and, in fact, is among the fastest RTX 4060 laptops we’ve tested. That’s a testament to the excellent thermal design that manages to keep the CPU and GPU cool without the usual space inside.
The 14.0-inch 2560 x 1600 display provides surprisingly wide and accurate colors and tons of contrast, making it a great display for gaming and productivity work. If you’re looking for solid 1080p gaming in an incredibly thin and light laptop, then the Alienware x14 is the best option.
Alienware x14 R2 (0.57 inches)
A gaming laptop that’s both extremely thin and surprisingly fast
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Dell XPS 13 (0.55 inches)
A redesigned classic that’s extremely thin
Pros
Thin and light chassis
Edge-to-edge keyboard
Modern, sleek aesthetic
Affordable
Cons
No 3.5mm audio jack
Limited to Intel 12th-gen CPUs
Why should you buy this: It’s a gorgeous redesign of one of the best laptops ever.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a great-looking, well-built 13-inch laptop.
What we thought of the Dell XPS 13:
The Dell XPS 13 has been one of the best laptops for several years, with its iconic aluminum and carbon fiber design. Dell mixed things up in the latest generation, creating an all-aluminum design that’s thinner and lighter than before. It’s just 0.55 inches thick and weighs 2.59 pounds.
You’ll find 15-watt Intel 12th-gen CPUs inside that balance performance and efficiency, along with an excellent Full HD+ display that offers wide and accurate colors and excellent contrast. Larger internal speakers promise improved bass and increased volume, making for an outstanding media-consumption device. Up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD offer plenty of memory and storage for the most demanding productivity users.
Dell XPS 13 (0.55 inches)
A redesigned classic that’s extremely thin
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED (0.46 inches)
A 13-inch laptop that’s surprisingly powerful
Pros
Solid productivity performance
Above-average battery life
Attractive and solid design
Excellent keyboard and touchpad
Thin and light
Cons
Performance dropped from previous generation
Speakers are lackluster
Why should you buy this: It’s an incredibly speedy 13-inch laptop that’s still thin and light.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants an easy-to-carry laptop that’s fast enough for real work.
What we thought of the Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED:
The latest version of the Zenbook S 13 OLED uses Intel’s Core i7-1355U, a CPU that blends performance and efficiency. Asus also trimmed the laptops thickness to 0.43 inches in front and 0.46 inches in back. That gives the MacBook Air M2 a run for its money.
The ZenBook S 13 OLED is a sleek and trim laptop that looks great and is just as well built. Its 13.3-inch 16:10 2.8K OLED display is spectacular and enables a tiny chassis, thanks to slim bezels. Even so, it manages to perform well in multithreaded applications like Handbrake and Cinebench R23, promising relatively strong performance in creative applications.
The laptop’s keyboard is outstanding, and the touchpad is surprisingly large and incorporates Asus’s NumberPad 2.0, which embeds an LED numeric keyboard for fast data entry. The Full HD webcam rounds out the modern features, and battery life is long for a thin and light laptop with such fast performance.
Why the most powerful laptops of 2024 might use old chips | Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Intel’s about to add a whole lot of new chips to its list of top processors, and we just got a peek at a few of them out in the wild ahead of time. According to a new leak, upcoming Dell XPS and Alienware laptops will feature some of Intel’s latest Meteor Lake CPUs, including the Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9. However, Intel’s previous-gen Raptor Lake processors are also making a surprising appearance in the lineup, which isn’t a great sign.
Windows Report posted an exclusive leak that shows us a whole range of high-end laptops, which the publication predicts should be announced during CES 2024. This includes ultrathin Dell XPS 13, 14, and 16 laptops, but there are plenty of options for gamers too, including the Alienware m16 R2, x16 R2, and m18 R2. All of these laptops are said to feature Nvidia’s best GPUs from the RTX 40-series.
More laptops are always great, and Dell’s plans for next year are certainly interesting in their own right. But what caught my attention is the way Dell has, reportedly, chosen to utilize Intel’s CPUs. You’d think that a new range of notebooks coming out in 2024 would be all about Meteor Lake, but Dell dips back into the Raptor Lake range for its most impressive Alienware m18 R2 laptop, which is said to feature a 14th-gen HX CPU.
It appears that the rest of the range has moved on to Meteor Lake. We don’t know which chips are going to end up in which laptop, but the Core Ultra is a high-end lineup, so we’ll most likely see the likes of the Core Ultra 9 185H or the Core Ultra 7 equivalent. The Core Ultra 5 is a possibility, but seems less probable due to the fact that these laptops are of the premium kind.
The choice might feel odd at first — why would the most powerful laptop in the range get what should, in theory, be last-gen hardware? However, it might have a lot to do with the fact that the Raptor Lake chip could deliver better performance compared to Meteor Lake when given access to sufficient power. There’s no doubt that the Alienware m18 R2 will be one power-hungry beast, spending most of its time plugged in. That explains why Dell might have felt it was fine to skip Meteor Lake.
The question is, how much will these new Intel-powered laptops cost? We’ve seen conflicting leaks in that regard so far. A few MSI laptops spotted on Newegg were surprisingly affordable, delivering an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU combined with Arc graphics for as little as $1,049. However, pairing the Intel chip with Nvidia graphics is sure to bring the price up, so these Alienware laptops will likely cost a pretty penny. We’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Intel before anything is certain.
Best Walmart Deals: Laptops, TVs, Tablets, Appliances & More | Digital Trends
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Walmart is reliable source of all kinds of deals — whatever you’re looking for, the retailer has something that will meet your needs and budget. We’ve rounded up the best Walmart deals below so that you won’t have to browse the thousands of offers on its website, but you should know that these bargains won’t last forever. Stocks of the more popular devices are probably already running low, so if you want to take advantage of any of these discounts, you need to do so now while they’re still online.
Best Walmart TV deals
Hisense
If you’re looking for TV deals, Walmart has them in spades. Whether you’re planning to buy a simple screen or one of the best TVs, you can get one from the retailer with huge savings. You should check out our 4K TV buying guide to help you determine what features you need, as well as our list of the best TV brands for the most trusted names in the industry.
Vizio 50-inch V-Series 4K TV —
Hisense 58-inch R6 Series 4K TV —
LG 70-inch 70UQ7070ZUD 4K TV —
Samsung 75-inch Q60CB 4K QLED TV —
LG 65-inch B2 Series 4K OLED TV —
Best Walmart Apple deals
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends / Digital Trends
Apple devices, including but not limited to iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, AirPods, and Apple Watches, aren’t always on sale. However, if you want to buy one with a discount, Walmart is one of your best bets for Apple deals. If you’re already deep in the Apple ecosystem, or if you’re thinking about getting your first Apple products, check out the bargains we’ve rounded up below.
Apple AirTag (4 Pack) —
Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) —
Apple Watch SE 2023 (GPS, 40mm) —
Apple iPad 9th Gen (Wi-Fi, 64GB) —
Apple iPhone 12 Straight Talk (64GB) —
Best Walmart tablet deals
Samsung
There are all kinds of tablets, ranging from basic devices for browsing the internet to high-end machines for creative work. Whatever type of tablet deals you’re searching for, there’s something from Walmart, but you need to hurry if you want to get one of the best tablets with a discount because these offers usually don’t last long.
Onn 8-inch Kids Tablet (32GB) —
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (32GB) —
Lenovo Tab M9 (32GB) —
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 (32GB) —
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (64GB) —
Best Walmart phone deals
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
There’s always high demand for offers involving the best phones, made by brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google. You can find discounts on these devices from Walmart’s phone deals, especially if you’re fine with going for older models. Stocks are extremely limited though, so you need to push through with your purchase before they sell out.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Fe Straight Talk (128GB) —
Samsung Galaxy S22 (256GB, refurbished) —
OnePlus 10T Ace Pro —
Apple iPhone 14 (128GB, refurbished) —
Google Pixel 7 Pro (128GB) —
Best Walmart laptop deals
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Laptops come in all shapes and sizes — student laptops, Chromebooks, office laptops, gaming laptops, and more. They’re all included in the laptop deals of Walmart though, so there’s an offer here that will surely catch your attention. However, as there’s a possibility that these bargains may end at any moment, you need to make your purchase quickly.
Asus Vivobook Go —
HP Chromebook x360 —
Lenovo Flex 5i —
HP Envy x360 —
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 —
Best Walmart soundbar deals
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
The purpose of soundbars is to improve the audio output of your home theater setup. If you find the speakers of your TV lacking, then you should check out these soundbar deals. It’s up to you if you just want louder volume or a complete surround sound system, but one thing’s for certain — Walmart can get you a good deal for one.
Are you just starting to build your smart home setup, or are you looking to add more components to it? Either way, Walmart has an abundance of offers such as robot vacuum deals and security camera deals. The discounts from the bargains we’ve collected here will let you buy more devices to complete your smart home faster.
Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) —
Arlo Essential XL Outdoor Camera —
Google Nest Doorbell (2nd Gen, Wired) —
iRobot Roomba 676 robot vacuum —
Ecovacs Deebot N8+ all-in-one robot mop and vacuum —
Best Walmart small appliance deals
Keurig
Walmart is a great source for savings on small appliances, including coffee maker deals and air fryer deals, among other kinds of discounts. If you want additional machines in your kitchen or other parts of your home, these are the offers that you should be looking at.
This Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop is 62% off right now | Digital Trends
Lenovo
Lenovo probably has one of the widest laptop offerings of any brand, so if you’re looking for a work laptop, then Lenovo has some great options. For example, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is made to be the quintessential work laptop with a lot of quintessential business-related features. You can grab it now from Lenovo for just $1,200 rather than the usual $3,229, although it is important to note that, while it may seem like a large discount, Lenovo does have a tendency to over-rice the list price of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. That’s not to say it’s a great deal; taking the laptop as is without the MSRP, the $1,200 is still excellent.
Why you should buy the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11
Under the hood, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has an Intel Core i7-1365U vPro Processor, which is a mid-to-high-end processor in the latest generation, so you’re getting something up-to-date. It also means that you’re going to be able to handle pretty much all productivity work without issue, and that includes everything from document processing to slideshow making. It can also likely get some editing work done, which is handy if you need a couple to do a bit of simple photo editing now and again. Besides the powerful processor, the 32GB of DDR5 RAM will give you an overall solid day-to-day experience. Plus, it’s a good amount of RAM to have if you’re a programmer or do a lot of CAD stuff.
As for the laptop itself, it’s very portable with a thickness of just 0.6 inches, it’s easy to throw in a back and carry it around with you, especially since it doesn’t weigh much more than 2.5 pounds all told. The 14-inch screen runs a 1920 x 1200 resolution with a peak brightness of 400nits, which is good enough for everything but direct sunlight, so you can work pretty much anywhere. It also has a fingerprint reader, which has become an important addition, as is the 1080p camera that lets you get on Zoom calls with better quality. You’ll also get about 13 hours of battery life out of it, which is excellent since it gives you a huge chunk of time you can work before needing to charge it.
All in all, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is an excellent business laptop, and well worth the $1,200 price tag from Lenovo. That said, there are some other solid business laptop deals you can take advantage of too.
