Intel has revealed the first of its Arc Alchemist graphics cards, and as we already knew, these initial offerings are laptop class GPUs.
Intel’s lower-end Arc 3 mobile GPUs will be the first to launch in gaming laptops starting from right now, with a pair of these unveiled by Intel. Then, an Arc 5 (midrange) product (there’s just a single GPU in this bracket) will follow in notebooks early in the summer of 2022.
That’ll be accompanied by top-end (high-performance) Arc 7 laptop graphics cards at the same time, and presumably when Intel says early summer, we’re talking June. So, let’s break these down in more detail and look at the exact specs.
The Arc 3 GPUs which will be available in gaming laptops right off the bat are the A350M and A370M, entry-level products with 6 and 8 Xe-cores respectively. Both have 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM on board with a 64-bit memory bus, with the A350M sporting a clock speed of 1150MHz and the A370M upping that considerably to 1550MHz.
Power consumption is 25W to 35W for the A350M, and unsurprisingly the A370M uses more juice at 35W to 50W (exact power draw depends on how the laptop maker configures these GPUs).
Looking further down the launch timeline, the mid-range Arc 5 mobile graphics card is the A550M which runs with 16 Xe-cores clocked at 900MHz, doubling up the VRAM to 8GB (and widening the memory bus to 128-bit). Power will sit at between 60W and 80W for this GPU.
Finally, the high-end cards are the A730M and A770M which bristle with 24 and 32 Xe-cores respectively. The lesser A730M is clocked at 1100MHz and has 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM with a 192-bit bus, and power usage of 80W to 120W.
Intel has clocked the mobile flagship A770M at 1650MHz and this GPU has 16GB of video RAM with a 256-bit bus. Power consumption is 120W to 150W maximum.
Never mind the raw specs, you may well be saying at this point: what about actual performance? Well, Intel does provide some internal benchmarking – add condiments as necessary when a company tests its own stuff as part of a launch, naturally – but only for the Arc 3 graphics cards which are coming out now.
The A370M is pitched as providing ‘competitive frame rates’ for gaming at 1080p resolution, exceeding a very smooth 90 frames per second (fps) in Fortnite (where the GPU hits 94 fps at medium details), GTA V (105 fps, medium details), Rocket League (105 fps, high details) and Valorant (115 fps, high details).
Intel provides some further game benchmarks showing over 60 fps performance in the likes of Hitman 3 (62 fps, medium details) Doom Eternal (63 fps, high details), Destiny 2 (66 fps, medium details), and Wolfenstein: Youngblood (78 fps, medium details).
All of those benchmarks are taken with the A370M running in conjunction with an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, and comparisons are provided to Intel’s Iris Xe integrated GPU in a Core i7-1280P CPU.
Intel broadly claims that Arc 3 offers up to double the performance of Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, and the benchmarks bear this out in some cases, with generally sizeable gains across the board (in rarer worst-scenario cases, such as Rocket League, the A370M looks to be only around 20% faster, which is still a noticeable boost of course).
(Image credit: Intel)
Analysis: A solid looking start, and we can’t wait to see the rest of Intel’s alchemy
As mentioned at the outset, the first laptops with Arc 3 GPUs are supposedly available now – we’d previously heard from Intel that they’d be out on launch day, or the day after – and the one Intel highlights is the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro.
Hopefully, there should be a good deal of models out there soon enough – from all major laptop makers, as you’d expect – featuring Arc 3 graphics, which will happily slot into ultra-thins like the Galaxy Book2 Pro, providing what looks like pretty solid 1080p gaming performance (running the likes of Doom Eternal on high details in excess of 60 fps). The pricing of these laptops is set to start from $899 (around £680, AU$1,200), Intel notes.
It’s a shame we didn’t get any indication of how the mid-range Arc 5 – which is something of an oddity with its base clock dipping right down to 900MHz – and high-end Arc 7 products will perform, but then they don’t launch for a few months yet. What Intel can pull off here will tell us much more about how Arc will pan out in this first generation, and how the much-awaited desktop graphics cards – also expected to land in Q2 – will challenge AMD and Nvidia in gaming PCs.
Also of note is that during this launch, Intel let us know that XeSS, its frame rate boosting tech (to rival Nvidia DLSS, and AMD FSR) won’t debut with these first mobile GPUs, but rather will arrive in the summer with the big gun Arc graphics cards. Over 20 games will be supported initially.
We recently heard a leak about the new iPad for 2022 - that's the entry-level slate that Apple refreshes every year. This leak suggested that the device could get a big design update, possibly including the removal of the home button and a sizeable reduction in the bezel size, to bring it more in line with Apple's more modern tablets.
If this information is true, Apple is bringing its last family of tablets in line with its new design, which it's slowly been rolling out to its different iPads for the last few years.
This design matches the specs of these tablets, and suits them well for businesspeople or creatives looking for a sleek device. But Apple seems to be forgetting something - it has a much wider audience than that.
A history of iPads
I first bought the iPad 9.7 in 2017 - I was a student at the time, and needed a device that I could take to campus and work on, that also wasn't as chunky or fragile as a low-end laptop.
For just £300 (around $395 / AU$525 - I got it for a discount, I don't remember why, but also bought a case that offset the saving), I had an incredibly portable device that served me well for years after.
We gave the 2017 iPad full marks in our review(Image credit: Future)
I used the tablet for university essays, creative writing (I minored in creative writing - yeah, I really wasted my youth), screenplays, watching movies at home, listening to music out loud and Duolingo too, which really took over one peculiar year of my life.
When my smartphone broke, I didn't buy a new one - I just used my old flip phone for calls and texts, and relied on the iPad for all social media.
I could use my iPad in the university library, in the media room for the student newspaper I was an editor at, in various cafes and pubs around campus, at home on my desk or bed, at my partner's house, even in the bath. It was a perfect utility device.
The main reason I loved it was its portability - I studied in a fairly small city that you could traverse without public transport, so I spent an hour or more every day on bikes and walking, and wasn't burdened by a massive laptop.
The iPad sat within my budget and fit my needs, and I couldn't find a laptop that did the same. And I'm not alone.
The iPad's audience
The entry-level iPad has remained a tablet designed for people exactly like I was - not particularly fussed about tech, who just want a useful, portable and inexpensive tablet to use.
Students don't need the iPad Pro(Image credit: Future)
I know plenty of people who don't care about tech but use their iPads all the time - seniors who find phones too small, musicians who need a big screen to see sheet music, reading fans who don't want a Kindle, the list goes on and on.
These people don't need the fastest, flashiest processor, or a super top-end screen, and also don't want to spend loads of money on a fancy tablet when they're only going to use 10% of the features.
And that's the thing Apple doesn't seem to realize.
The slow slipping of the iPad
iPads were great products for normal people, like I was as a student, but Apple's new tablets aren't catering to that kind of audience.
Admittedly the iPad Pro line was never designed for the everyday user - Pro is short for 'professional' after all - but the entry-level and Air lines used to be.
The iPad Air was once a great option for people who wanted something like the entry-level tablet, but with a larger display - well, that was the state of things by the iPad Air 3.
The fourth-gen option changed up the design quite a bit, eschewing the classic iPad design for iPad-Pro-inspired sleekness, and the fifth-gen option brought 5G connectivity and a super-powerful chipset.
The new device isn't one that any average buyer should consider. Not only is it more powerful than anyone needs (including professionals), but it's a lot pricier than the iPad Air 3, so people with limited budgets have been forgotten.
(Image credit: Future)
I'm worried that the standard iPad range is going to go the same way. Previously, these tablets have used the same processors as the iPhones, which makes them powerful enough as it is, without getting the unnecessarily powerful - and expensive - Apple M1.
This might seem outlandish - but the iPad Air getting the M1 also sounded unlikely, until it happened - and thanks to the high price tag, it's arguably a less tempting tablet compared to its predecessor as a result.
Students don't need the M1. Seniors don't need the M1. Musicians and readers and teachers and children don't need the M1. What all those people do need is affordable tech.
There might be some people who really want an M1 chipset in a tablet - but the only apps that will benefit from that are a select few work or creativity apps, so these people will be professionals. If only there was an iPad for them - an Pro iPad, say...
I wouldn't buy any of these
If I was a student now, in 2022, I wouldn't buy the iPad Pro or Air or even Mini - the iPad 10.2 from 2021 would be my only option. And if the new iPad for 2022 does bring some of the unnecessary improvements I'm expecting, and costs more as a result, it'll be ruled out too.
There have been several years of on-and-off recession where I live, and in many places around the world. There's currently a cost of living crisis going on, so buying tech isn't really a priority to many people.
That is to say, Apple should be making its tech more affordable, not bumping up the specs for no good reason. Sure, its new devices might be more tempting to current or aspiring creatives or professionals, but for the legion of Apple buyers who need a familiar and reliable device, there's nothing out there worth buying anymore.
If you predict that Apple will deliver updated components and a new iPad Pro this fall (likely October), you win the prize for stating the obvious.
There are dozens of stories now repeating what noted Apple prognosticator Mark Gurman has dug up on the next Apple iPad Pro. At TechRadar, we're chasing these rumors, too. I just don't know if we're all more devoted to the pursuit than a resolution, which – even with all these tidbits leading this way and that – may be a foregone conclusion.
With every new leak, we collectively pounce. It's a trained response, because Gurman is well-sourced and usually gets it right. He’s also treading on very safe ground.
Let’s start with Apple silicon. Gurman is predicting that the M2 chip, successor to the M1, will arrive with the new iPad Pro in the autumn. Okay, yes, that makes sense. We’ve been talking about the M2 for almost as long as we’ve had the M1 (now available in M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra varietals).
If Apple never wanted to change or upgrade Apple silicon, it would have called the first Chip 'M.' The minute you add a number to anything, the count starts. 'M2' is inevitable.
All these rumors start to blend after a while. News that the M2 won’t be a major performance boost over the M1 (still eight cores but using a more efficient 4-nanometer process) is not a revelation.
On the iPad Pro side, there are two on-the-nose predictions. The first is Apple shoving that M2 inside the new iPad Pro – a perfectly reasonable assumption, since the iPad Pro was the first Apple tablet to get the M1 chip.
It certainly won’t be sporting the A15 Bionic or, by then, the rumored iPhone 14's A16 Bionic. Yes, I know, Apple’s A-series and M-series are all now considered part of Apple silicon. However, the M1 line and upcoming M2 are positioned as the more powerful SoCs, and seem better suited to a Pro line of tablets.
Gurman's other prediction is even more of a slam-dunk if you understand Apple’s product unveiling cadence.
The last time Apple redesigned the iPad Pro line was in October 2018, when it unveiled the more industrial-looking third generation at a buzzy event in Brooklyn, NY. That look is now on every iPad except the basic, sixth-generation Apple iPad 9.7 (it’s an old-school hold-out like the iPhone SE). The first iPad Pro line arrived in November 2015.
There have been outliers, like a second-gen update in June 2017, but for the most part, iPad Pro time is in the fall. Gurman’s October prediction is a safe one.
One from column A and one from…
Lately, Apple product prediction feels like ordering from a Chinese menu: choose one cool feature from column A and another from column B.
Whenever we talk about rumored gadgets, people throw in MagSafe charging (column B), as if Apple is just sliding features off a shelf and slapping them together until it feels it has a good mix. Maybe it is, but I doubt it.
The feature from column A might be a mini LED display, which is already in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro model, being migrated downstream to the cheaper 11-inch iPad Pro.
Every one of these guesses feels risk-free. No one is predicting a surprise M3 with a different core count, an 8-inch iPad Pro, or a significant redesign.
Obviously, you can’t go out on a limb like that without whispers of information: leaked designs, surprise patent applications, prototypes left behind in a bar. None of that exists. So, we have just these basic predictions.
What I really want to know, though, is how Apple will position the iPad Pro line later this year and into 2023. With the iPad Air (2022) running an M1 chip 8GB of RAM and a pair of 12MP cameras, the jump to the pricier 11-inch iPad pro appears more incremental than ever.
Whatever Apple unveils in October or November will set the strategy for the Pro line. A minor upgrade might indicate the slow devolution of the iPad Pro. In that case, Apple pumps up the Air until it’s Pro-ready, and then makes a wider line of Apple iPad Airs that range all the way up to a 12.9-in Apple iPad Air Max (M2, 16GB of RAM, 2TB max storage, mini LED, pro-motion screen, and LiDAR).
My point is, let’s not trip over ourselves to applaud these latest Apple rumor morsels. What we’re hearing is all according to a well-worn Apple script. Call me when someone gets up on that Apple Theater stage and does something wild.
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If you’ve been holding out for the iPad Pro (2022) then you might have to keep holding out for quite a while longer, as the latest information on the slate suggests that it won’t be landing for at least around six months.
That’s according to Mark Gurman (who has a good track record for Apple information) in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Gurman claims that the next iPad Pro will likely land this ‘fall,’ meaning between September and November.
That would probably mean a launch alongside the iPhone 14 range and the Apple Watch 8, both of which are expected to land in September – though it’s possible that Apple will hold two events during that period, like it did in 2020.
In any case, whenever it does arrive, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently feature an M2 chipset. This will reportedly have the same octa-core CPU as the M1 found in the iPad Pro (2021) range, but potentially with more GPU cores, along with speed and efficiency improvements, due to being made on a 4nm process.
Additionally, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently support MagSafe, like the iPhone 13 range, allowing – among other things – wireless charging. This is something we’ve heard a number of times now.
Gurman doesn’t say anything more than that about the iPad Pro (2022), but if it really is that far out, then it’s not surprising that news about the slate is limited.
Of course, we’d take Gurman’s claims with a pinch of salt, but given his track record and the fact that there’s no imminent sign of the iPad Pro (2022), there’s a high chance that he’s right.
An iPad Pro 12.9 2021(Image credit: TechRadar)
Analysis: don’t wait, just buy
With the prospect of a wait of six months or more, you might be wondering whether it’s worth holding out for Apple’s next iPad, and the answer is probably not.
The M1 chipset in the iPad Pro (2021) is already more powerful than most apps or users need, and by the sounds of things the M2 will only be a fairly small upgrade anyway. MagSafe meanwhile is more of a nice-to-have feature than an essential one for most people.
And beyond that? Other leaks have suggested that the 11-inch iPad Pro (2022) could get a mini-LED screen, which actually is quite a big change, though the current model’s display is already great. And the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) already has a mini-LED screen, so no significant changes are expected for its bigger sibling's display.
Indeed, the screen sizes will probably remain the same too based on current leaks, so despite the potentially long wait for the 2022 models, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be very big upgrades at all.
Intel’s first Arc Alchemist graphics cards will be officially revealed on March 30, in just a few days, and will be followed in short order by the launch of the initial batch of gaming laptops carrying these GPUs.
We’d already been told about the press event on March 30, although now we know the exact timing – 8am PST (which is 3pm GMT) – and a fresh teaser tweet (showing a video of a closed laptop to indicate that these will be laptop graphics cards) was accompanied by an interesting reply from the Intel Support account on Twitter.
Yes! We are about to launch our brand-new Intel Arc graphic solution. The OEM devices featuring Arc GPUs will be launched by the end of this month. You may take a first look at our discrete graphics for laptops on March 30th at 8 AM, PST via https://t.co/rKmNtFEPYFMarch 26, 2022
See more
As you can see, that latter tweet clarifies that this launch is for the first Arc graphics cards, and that “OEM devices featuring Arc GPUs will be launched by the end of this month” (meaning laptops, of course).
So, apparently we’ll get our first look at Alchemist cards on March 30, with multiple notebooks carrying these GPUs being launched at the same time, or the day after.
Analysis: Arc finally launches – but when will we see the big guns?
As VideoCardz, which spotted the tweet, points out, there are several leaks around laptops expected to carry the first Arc GPUs, and these include the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and Acer Swift X which have been spotted via retailer listings that jumped the gun.
As for the Alchemist graphics cards revealed, these are expected to be the lower-end laptop models (likely two of them). More powerful gaming laptop GPUs will be in the pipeline, and also coming later will be Intel’s desktop graphics cards which are pencilled in for a Q2 launch. As some of the more cynical online comments point out, maybe the date to mark in your diary is the second-to-last day of June.
Joking aside, the launch date for desktop Alchemist GPUs is still likely to be a fair way down the road – as in at least a couple of months, or that’s what we’ve heard most recently from the rumor mill. Speculation has indicated a May or June launch, and this makes sense given the delays we’ve seen from Team Blue so far.
As we’ve said before, we think it’s sensible for Intel to take its time and get these cards (and graphics driver) right, rather than risk a poor first impression when they go on sale; a perception that might hang over the Arc range for some time thereafter, even after any missteps have been corrected.
New rumors doing the rounds suggest that Apple could release a new 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023. This could either be the best decision Apple has ever made – or a big mistake.
The rumor comes from a report by Display Supply Chain Consultants which suggests that Apple is working on a MacBook Air that has a screen around 15-inches in size, which will launch alongside a “slightly larger” 13-inch MacBook Air.
This isn’t the first time a 15-inch MacBook Air has been mooted, of course. As MacRumors points out, Apple has apparently been toying with the idea as far back as 2008. However, so far, the company has kept to a 13-inch form factor for its thin and light laptop.
The idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air has certainly excited a lot of people. At the moment, if you’d like a MacBook with a screen size larger than 13-inches, you need to buy a drastically more expensive MacBook Pro. Not only are the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros more expensive, they offer a level of performance aimed at professionals, so many people wanting a MacBook for more casual use would be paying for features and specs they simply don’t need.
A 15-inch MacBook Air could be the ideal solution, then, offering a more affordable large-screen MacBook with sensible specs. If done right, it could very well be the best laptop ever made, like the 13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 2020) currently is, but if these rumors are true (and that’s a big ‘if’) I won’t be buying one.
Analysis: 13-inch for the win
(Image credit: Daria Photostock / Shutterstock)
There are lots of reasons to love the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), but chief among them is the fact that it’s thin, light and easily portable. A lot of this is thanks to the fact that it has a 13-inch screen, and I’m concerned that any MacBook Air that comes with a larger screen could lose that portability.
Dell, one of Apple’s great competitors, has shown with the XPS 15 that it is possible to make a thin, light and stylish 15-inch laptop, but over the many years I’ve been reviewing and using laptops, I’ve always preferred 13-inch laptops.
For a start, I often work while commuting on bus and train, and a 13-inch laptop is much more comfortable to do that with. My old work machine was a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but it was simply too large to use on a pull-out tray on a train.
Work has since replaced the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 13-inch Surface Laptop Go, and while on paper that may seem like a downgrade, I’ve actually found myself using the Surface Laptop Go a lot more than I ever used the 15-inch MacBook Pro, due to it being so easy to carry around and use on public transport.
It’s also why I fell in love with the MacBook Air, and why I recommend it to basically anyone looking for a new laptop. It’s also why I preferred the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) to the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021). Despite them essentially having the same specs, the smaller 14-inch model just felt more impressive and more convenient.
So if there is indeed going to be a 15-inch MacBook Air in the future, and even if it’s the best laptop ever made, I still probably won’t buy it. But, for those of you who like larger laptop screens, it could be a genius move by Apple.
If you’re looking for a cheap laptop or a deeply discounted premium machine, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured the web for savings and rounded up all the genuine deals in one neat place.
You’ll find we’ve covered everything from budget browsing machines to high-performance powerhouses, so you’ll no doubt find something here to match your needs.
We’ve highlighted a selection of the latest deals that we’ve sniffed out, and if you scroll further down, we've rounded up some of our favourite laptops in a dedicated buying guide.
This Dell XPS 13 matches an 11th-gen Intel i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, so you can expect a decently powerful machine. It manages to have an excellent battery life too, but our review found this laptop’s audio output is a little lacklustre. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, this model is down to AU$1,399 on Dell’s official eBay store, you just need to enter the code DELL20P at checkout.
We think the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is the best laptop in Australia. It’s worthy of this spot thanks to Apple’s own M1 chip, which has greatly improved both performance and battery life for the laptop. It’s carrying a price tag that’s decently competitive with Windows rivals too (finally). This price is available from Apple’s Education Store.
We rate the HP Spectre x360 as one of the best laptops around, and this discount gets you 25% off the machine. This model comes with an Intel i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a very healthy 1TB SSD, which will give you great performance for day-to-day work. We also like the large, comfortable keyboard, and Intel’s Evo platform gives you a long battery life too. Now AU$850 off direct from HP.
This 17.3-inch gaming laptop from HP comes strapped with an RTX 3080, which explains its mighty high price tag. If you’re looking to get this kind of power in a portable machine, this discount directly from HP is one to consider. It’s also outfitted with an Intel i7-11800H CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Rounding out the package is a fantastic 165Hz QHD display. Save AU$960 directly from HP.
This is the 2021 edition of the Lenovo Legion 5, and it’s a rather stylish gaming laptop. It’s packing AMD’s excellent Ryzen 7 5800H processor, matched with Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card. The rest of the package is pretty great for the price – it’s got a 17.3-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and comes loaded with Windows 11 Pro. Get this machine down to AU$1,959 by entering the code AUTUMNAU.
This gaming laptop is exceptionally well-equipped, with an Intel i7-12700H CPU and an RTX 3070 Ti GPU. The 15.6-inch 1080p display has a refresh rate of 165Hz as well, so it promises super-smooth gameplay – we’ve yet to review it on TechRadar though, so we can’t speak to its real-life performance. This machine is retailing for AU$3,299 on Dell’s website, but head to Dell’s official eBay store and enter the code DELL20P to get it for AU$2,199.
The Alienware x14 is a gorgeous gaming laptop, with a slim, lightweight chassis and 14-inch display. With a 12th-gen Intel i7 chip and an RTX 3050 Ti inside, it’s not the most powerful gaming machine, but it’ll deliver solid performance at a very reasonable price. Anyone can get this deal from Dell’s eBay store, all you need to do is enter the code DELL20P at checkout.
If you want a slightly bigger screen, you could go for this 15.6-inch Alienware x15. It’s packing an Intel i7-12700H chip, an RTX 3060, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. We absolutely love the design, with Alienware’s X-series delivering big power within its slim and sleek clamshell, making it perfectly portable. Nab it from Dell’s eBay store using the code DELL20P to get 20% off the listed price.
Find great bargains and compare Australian prices on the latest tech at Getprice
The best deals on our favourite laptops
Over the years we’ve reviewed plenty of laptops, and as a result, we’ve seen what to avoid and what to jump on when there’s savings to be had. Check out the prices on some of our favourite laptops below and see if anything has dropped enough to spark your interest.
To say that we’re big fans of the Dell XPS 13 is a huge understatement. This 13-inch Ultrabook has appeared in our list of the best laptops for several years running, and there’s good reason why.
This iteration came out in late 2020 and it’s known as the Dell XPS 13 9310. It’s equipped with Intel’s latest 11th generation processors while the Intel Iris Xe handles the integrated graphics (and almost doubles the graphical prowess from the previous model). Both work together to bring a decent amount of power to these gorgeous laptops, and some light gaming is also possible thanks to the specs.
There are barely any bezels to speak of on these laptops, and it can be configured with a Full HD+ or a 4K HDR screen (OLED panels are also available). The sleekness of the XPS 13 comes at the expense of ports, and the speakers are a little lacklustre, but these are small exceptions in an otherwise premium laptop.
Our favourite Apple laptop: Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The best MacBook Air ever
CPU: Apple M1 | Graphics: Apple M1 GPU | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600) LED | Storage: 256GB – 512GB SSD
Battery life is great
Silent in use
Fanless design could impact performance
No new design
When Apple ditched Intel’s chips for its own M1 silicon in 2020, it was a real game changer for the laptop market – Apple or otherwise. The new processor gives the MacBook Air a serious performance boost, which thankfully, has not come at the expense of battery life (our testing found it lasting an impressive 11 hours and 15 minutes in continuous movie playback).
Despite the significant power upgrade, Apple has priced this laptop at a better RRP than its predecessor, and it even gives other premium Ultrabooks such as the Dell XPS 13 a run for their money – something we never would have anticipated from Apple. You can expect to pay AU$1,499 for the model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, or AU$1,849 for the 512GB SSD version.
If you do have a couple hundred bucks to spare, we’d also suggest taking a look at the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020). That’ll get you better-sounding speakers, a more comfortable keyboard and a neat Touch Bar. The MacBook Pro also keeps its cooling fans (while the MacBook Air doesn’t) so it should be able to run more intensive tasks before performance is throttled.
We rate the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 as the best gaming laptop around. It’s outfitted with AMD’s Ryzen 4000 and 5000 series processors, which lend a lot of power to the Zephyrus G14. As for graphics, Asus has mixed with Nvidia to bring the latest RTX cards to the laptop.
Despite that seriously impressive power, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is reasonably priced and can be found for a fair whack less than the competition. There’ve been a few concessions to keep it that way though – the laptop is without a webcam, and it’s not as particularly good looking as the Razer laptops of the world.
With that said, the Zephyrus G14 is a thin and light laptop that also manages best-in-class battery life despite its gaming laptop status.
The Asus ZenBook Flip 13 moves easily between laptop, tent and tablet mode with its 360° hinge, and Asus promises it’s good for 20,000 cycles. It’s a solidly built, stylish piece of kit, and it comes packing Intel’s latest 11th generation chips, making it a powerful 2-in-1 laptop.
Housed within the body is a beautiful 13-inch screen with ultra-thin bezels on all four sides, so you’re able to make the most of the 1080p display. The front-facing Harman Kardon speakers sound genuinely good too, which can be rare on even the best of laptops.
With space at a premium, Asus has done something clever to keep the number pad too. It’s been integrated into the trackpad, and it appears in illuminated LED lights when you need it – pretty neat if you ask us.
If you’ve got the cash to spare for a MacBook Air, we’d argue that it’s the best student laptop in Australia, but if you’re just after something that’s cheap, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is a great choice. It’s a 2-in-1, and for the unit itself paired with a detachable keyboard and stand cover, you’ll pay just AU$499 (and it’s often on sale too).
The internal specs aren’t anything to write home about, but what really matters here is Chrome OS, which we’ve found to be a richer experience than the equivalent Windows 10S. Google’s fantastic apps will be right at your fingertips, so it’s ideal for someone who does the majority of their schoolwork online (using Google Docs and the like).
You won’t be able to load up on Chrome tabs with reckless abandon, but for general web browsing, video streaming and basic productivity, the Duet does exactly what you want it to do. All told, this is the best value you’re going to find in a portable device of this kind.
Honor yesterday introduced the new Honor MagicBook X14 and X15 series here in the UAE. With a productivity focus, the Honor laptops come with the same collaborative features that we first saw from Huawei.
Price and availability
The Honor MagicBook X14 is available to purchase in the UAE for AED 2399 on Honor’s official online store, Sharaf DG and Noon. The Honor MagicBook X15 is available at the same channels for AED 1849.
With both laptops, customers can get free gifts worth AED 397 including Honor Choice Earbuds X, a backpack and 1-year extended warranty. These offers are on till April 10th2022. Users can also get an extra AED100 off by subscribing to Honor’s official online store right now.
The Honor MagicBook X14 features 10th gen Intel Core i5 processors while the X15 features i3 Intel processors. Both laptops come with up to 8GB RAM. Both devices are pretty slender with the Honor MagicBook X 14 weighing 1.38 kg and being only 15.9 mm thin, while Honor MagicBook X15 weighs just 1.56 kg and is only 16.9 mm.
If you’re one of those who spends a lot of time in front of the screen, the Honor MagicBook X14 and X15 comes equipped with TÃœV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification, TÃœV Rheinland Flicker-free certification and the company’s new DC Dimming technology.
On the inside, the Honor MagicBook X14 is powered by a 56W high-density battery while the MagicBook X15 comes with a 42W battery. Both laptops come along with a 65W type-C fast charger which can power the device up to 70% in just 1 hour.
(Image credit: Honor)
Honor Magic-Link
Looking to build an easy working environment, both Honor’s new laptops are enabled with their collaborative feature, Magic-Link. Using the ‘upgraded version’ of their Multi-Screen collaboration, you can connect your smartphone to your laptop with a tap and have access to your phone screen as well as your files, all on your laptop display.
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What if instead of buying your next iPhone or even spreading payments out for the nearly $1,000 device across multiple months, you leased it, like you would a car?
Bloomberg is reporting this week that the Cupertino tech giant is investigating the possibility of launching yet another subscription service to stand alongside iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Fitness+. But instead of accessing digital services and online programs of video-conferenced exercise gurus, you'd pay a subscription fee for iPhones and iPads (and maybe other Apple hardware).
The details in the report are thin. The rumored service would charge a monthly fee for access to hardware. The benefit, as it is with leasing, is that someone might be able to get an iPhone 13 Pro Max (worth $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,849) for no money down, but the agreement to pay a monthly recurring fee for as long as they have the phone.
It's not clear if the program would work exactly like leasing and allow you to turn in the phone at the end of the lease agreement to start a new one with a replacement or upgraded phone, buy the phone from Apple at whatever value the company ascribes to it, or walk away with no phone and the sunk costs of the subscription.
While this could be a smart way for someone to quickly access a powerful new iPhone or iPad (and maybe a MacBook or Mac Studio), it could also be a clear win for Apple.
A bigger business
The company is already home to a vibrant subscription business that makes billions each quarter and has grown into a sizeable part of its overall revenue picture (iPhone sales still generate the most revenue).
Apple already has a monthly installment plan for iPhone called The iPhone Upgrade Plan, which for $35.33 (and up) a month ensures you always own the latest, greatest iPhone every single year. You can't get a new phone before you've made 12 monthly payments. A subscription program might offer more flexibility, though, it would also likely mean that you would never own the iPhone.
If nothing else, launching such a hardware subscription business would align hardware with the wide array of subscription services Apple already offers. It's also clear that Apple likes to consolidate things as it did in 2020 when it unveiled Apple One, which, at the top tier ($29.95 / £29.95 / AU$39.95), offers Apple Music, Apple TV+, Arcade, News, Fitness+ and 2TB of iCloud storage.
A win-win?
Some industry watchers see this potential service as a boon for Apple and consumers. "This is a more convenient way to offer hardware and services and [Apple] could open it up to include other Apple hardware devices in a Chinese menu format," Chief Analyst and Creative Strategies Chairman Tim Bajarin told us via email, adding, "It would also tie their customers into a long-range services model that is more predictable."
Such a subscription model might also address the stress consumers feel as their shiny new, and expensive, iPhones quickly turn into last year's slowing and obviously less-valuable devices. The problem of rapid depreciation could, with a subscription model, fall in Apple's lap.
You already use all these services on Apple hardware. The question is, would you pay for an Apple One Premium Plus (we're guessing at a name, here) subscription that includes your choice of a leased iPhone, iPad, and (maybe) AirPods, Apple TV box, and MacBook or Mac? And what would you pay each month for such service?
Apple has offered no comment on the Bloomberg report. Apple also declined to comment to TechRadar on the matter.
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Apple's entry-level line of iPads hasn't seen a significant redesign since the iPad 2 in 2011, but finally - finally - we might see a new look for this affordable tablet.
The Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) have released a quarterly report which includes discussion of future Apple products, in particular the new iPad for 2022.
Apparently, this upcoming tablet will see a redesign to bring it in line with the company's other tablets.
In addition Ross Young, one of the authors of the report, suggests that the new iPad will have a new display size, though doesn't say if this will be a growth or shrinkage from the 10.2-inch display of the iPad (2021).
Over the last few years Apple has been upgrading its mid-range tablets to resemble the iPad Pro line, with the iPad mini (2021) and iPad Air (2020) introducing the design to their respective families.
It sounds like, by the end of 2022, the entry-level iPad will get this upgrade too, which would make it the last of Apple's tablet series to see the upgrade.
This is exciting news, but it's not been confirmed just yet. We're expecting to see this device in September 2022, alongside the iPhone 14, but perhaps leaks in the meantime will give us a better idea.
Analysis: a redesign means big changes
If Apple does opt to change how its entry-level iPad looks, there are some big changes in store.
Firstly, the home button will have to go if Apple is going to emulate its other tablets - we'd likely see Touch ID shifted to a power button on the side, like in the iPad Air.
Apple's iPad redesigns have typically brought with them a change from Lightning Ports to USB-C, the industry standard, and we'd likely see the same here too.
If the iPad's port changes, then the entry-level tablet wouldn't be able to use the original Apple Pencil, as it requires a Lightning Port to charge - instead, we could see the iPad make the jump up to the Apple Pencil 2, which the other lines use. A design change could also allow for a magnetic charging pin, which is used for charging the tablet.
So we could see the death of the original Apple Pencil too, news that'll likely be received well by people who are sick of its silly means of charging.
As we said, we'll wait until nearer the iPad launch before we get too excited, but it sounds like Apple's iPad reinvention could soon be complete.
Samsung has unveiled a new Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 over at the BETT show, promising that this hybrid device takes flexibility to the next level.
The new Galaxy-branded Chromebook has a 360-degree hinge as the name suggests, meaning it can be used as a laptop, or a tablet (with the keyboard deck folded right back against the display), or in other ways such as stand mode.
It offers a 12.4-inch display which is a touchscreen, and boasts a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600, with a brightness of 350 nits, meaning it’s brighter than the Samsung Chromebook 4, the company observes.
The notebook is built around an Intel Celeron N4500 processor backed with 4GB of system RAM, and storage options are 64GB or 128GB eMMC.
On the wireless front, this laptop comes with Wi-Fi 6E support (so you can use the 6GHz band, if your router supports it as well, of course), plus for when you’re out and about, there’s 4G LTE as an optional extra too.
Claimed battery life runs up to 10 hours and the Chromebook is nicely portable, weighing 1.28kg with a thickness of 16.9mm.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung is also pushing the benefits of close integration with Android smartphones, with the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 sporting a feature called Phone Hub.
This offers all sorts of tie-ins with your phone like ‘Nearby Share’ that allows for easy and secure sharing of files between the laptop and Android mobiles, and the ability to automatically and seamlessly join a Wi-Fi network with your Chromebook if your Android handset has already been hooked up to that network.
So, what about pricing? The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 goes on sale April 15 and starts from £419 for the basic Wi-Fi model with 64GB storage, rising to £499 if you want LTE with 128GB storage.
(Image credit: Samsung)
Analysis: Looks like a solid choice for students
It’s good to see Samsung bolster its range of Chromebooks with another Galaxy model, and this one looks like a decent Chromebook for students, as a proper 360-degree hybrid that can be used as a tablet, offering a good quality screen, with that LTE option for working (or entertaining yourself) on the move.
That said, the core component specs seem a little underwhelming – following very much in the footsteps of existing and cheaper Chromebooks from Samsung – but of course Chrome OS isn’t the most demanding operating system in the first place, which is part of the advantage of these devices.
Let's cut to the chase — the iPad is a formidable tablet, but it's far from the only choice. If you're an Android fan or simply someone looking to enjoy all the latest bleeding-edge features that can outclass even Apple's offering, look no further than the recently launched Galaxy Tab S8 range from Samsung.
Available in three flavours — the Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra — Samsung's latest flagship tablet range features beautiful design, insanely powerful innards, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect.
And yes, they all include the creativity-unleashing S Pen stylus as standard, at no extra charge (unlike a certain popular rival).
You can order all three variants from AO right now, where you can benefit from all sorts of extras. These include a price match guarantee, 100-day return policy, free Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds, 12 months of free Disney+, and an additional £100 on top of the up-to £280 trade-in value when you trade in your old tablet.
And all from a trusted retailer that offers next-day delivery with over 280,000 five-star Trust Pilot reviews. Not too shabby eh?
As for why you'd want a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 tablet? Well, that's easy:
Incredible screens
The Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra have some of the best screens in the world right now, period. At 11, 12.4, and 14.6 inches respectively, you can choose whichever one best suits your needs.
The S8+ and Ultra's extra large screens particularly stand out, letting you enjoy movies and games in the same way that you would on a laptop or Ultrabook, for impressive immersion.
All Galaxy Tab S8 models have pixel-packed 120Hz displays, which, simply put, makes them best in class. Without diving into the technical details too much, this means they're insanely crisp, and buttery smooth (the 120Hz refresh rate is amazing for gaming in particular).
The AMOLED screens of the Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra also mean you'll get bright punchy colours, with gorgeously deep blacks to boot.
Power in spades
The Galaxy Tab S8 variants are all powered by the blisteringly fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
These specs make these some of the most powerful devices in the world, with more than enough power for multitasking, apps and the latest demanding games, serving you well for years to come.
Throw in all-day batteries with speedy 45W fast charging, the latest and greatest version of Android 12 (infused with Samsung's clever One UI software tricks) and microSD slots for expanding memory, and you've got yourself the full package, regardless of which model you go for.
(Image credit: Samsung)
Unleash your creativity
All three tablets include Samsung's incredible pressure-sensitive S Pen stylus as standard. Magnetically attachable when not in use, the S Pen unlocks a whole new world of natural note taking, doodling and artistic expression, thanks to its ability to mimic real-life drawing and writing implements.
Paired with an optional keyboard, you can transform the Tab S8 range into a bona fide working machine too, rivaling even the best laptops for productivity.
Snap happy
Gone are the days of mediocre tablet cameras. All three variants have a 13MP main camera along with a 6MP ultra-wide camera for capturing more subjects in shots.
The Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra also have a 12MP selfie cam, while the Ultra also has an additional 12MP ultra-wide selfie cam making it ideal for squeezing more people into group shots and video calls.
Beautiful by design
Despite all the tech and stylus tricks crammed into each tablet, the Tab S8 range manages to remain sleek and svelte, demanding attention the moment you lay eyes on them.
Available in Wi-Fi and 5G models, all variants are available in a smart Graphite finish, while the Tab S8 and S8+ also offer Silver and Pink Gold options.
The S8 also features a handy side-mounted fingerprint scanner for security, while the S8+ and S8 Ultra feature a cleverly under-display scanner for an even sleeker look.
Grab yours today
You can order the Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra from AO today, taking advantage of all the extras including a price match guarantee, 100-day return policy, free Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds, 12 months of free Disney+, and an additional £100 on top of the up-to £280 trade-in value when you trade in your old tablet
Samsung’s latest flagship tablet range features beautiful design, insanely powerful innards, and all the bells and whistles you’d expect. And yes, they all include the creativity-unleashing S Pen stylus as standard
If you're after a new smartphone too, then you're also welcome to consider the incredible Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra — all three of which feature the same bleeding-edge specs, industry-leading cameras, and beautiful design.
Apple is many things, secretive, sometimes expensive, but it's not sloppy. To build new Apple iPad Air tablets that creak when you hold or press them, that would be sloppy or worse.
On Reddit, there are some new iPad Air owners accusing the tech giant of shoddy workmanship. They say the back panel of the iPad Air (2022) is thinner than the fourth-generation iPad Air and that they can "almost feel the battery through the plate when you hold the device."
Wait. What?
The claim is that the aluminum back is so thin that somehow their digits can feel a battery or component through it? Maybe it's this Reddit member's insufficient powers of description at work. The back would have to be paper-thin to "feel" something through it. One would have to assume that they mean the back isn't as stiff or rigid as it should be.
Looks like I’ve got one of the creaky iPad Airs… 👀😬 pic.twitter.com/8iW1SDPWptMarch 21, 2022
See more
Elsewhere, we have a video (above) from Lewis Painter, a Macworld UK reporter who shows how when he presses with his thumb on the 10.9-in device's back it makes a sound. Because everyone else has described it as "creaky," Painter calls it that, too. Though the sound I hear is more of a click.
As you know, we have a couple of these new M1-based Apple iPad Air tablets at TechRadar. One with me in New York and the other with our Global Editor in Chief Gareth Beavis in the UK. Beavis did not report any build issues in his iPad Air review, nor did I in my "24 hours with the iPad Air."
When I heard about these reports, though, I grabbed the blue tablet, removed it from its Smart Cover, and started pressing the 0.24-inch-thick frame (the exact same thickness as the iPad Air 4). It is a rigid piece of metal and glass and resists bending even when you twist it. It feels solid and there's no place where I can press it and feel, for instance, some sort of gap underneath.
I absolutely do not feel any components.
There are a couple of spots where if I put my index finger on one side and thumb on the other and press, I can hear the faintest of soft clicks like I closed the sub-millimeter distance between two pieces of something. To hear it, though, I have to press my ear up against the tablet.
I hear nothing when I pick up the device by any corner. Nothing. Zilch.
Still, there's no argument that the new iPad Air is in some crucial ways different than its predecessor.
Inside the fifth-generation iPad Air is a new Apple Silicon M1 Chip and 8 GB of RAM. These are different components than you'd find in the last iPad Air, which means the inside is different and, yes, the aluminum chassis could be thicker, thinner, or the same, depending on what Apple needed to do with the chips and battery.
Looking back at Reddit, I searched on "iPad creak," and found the fresh posts complaining of these build issues. I also found this and this.
People have been reporting sounds of some sort or another with this iPad Pro chassis-style iPads for years. It's not a new concern, but I'm also far from convinced it's a widespread problem.
When Apple introduced the Pro-style, which sandwiches components between two flat and perfectly parallel panels, I think they created a better environment for a tiny amount of body and screen give. The original iPad Air design gradually bends the bottom edge up toward the screen creating a curve that probably moved less around the edge (I'm sure it still had some tiny give in the middle).
Unless Apple were to build a solid piece of metal that magically worked as a tablet, I think it's impossible to engineer out all of the give.
I would not want loud "clicks," or "creaks," or a screen that moves up and away from the tablet body, but unless the iPad is broken or from a bad batch, I'm not buying that there's a real issue here.
Are you "holding the iPad Air wrong?" No, but I think we're making a "creak" out to be a roar.
Check out the best iPads and see how the new iPad Air holds up
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I'm not easily impressed, and I'm also easily bored - as a tech reviewer, this cocktail means I can shrug off super-fast chipsets, wonderful cameras and amazing-looking screens as though I couldn't care less. But there's one Amazon Kindle feature that keeps me constantly pleased.
I've been using the Amazon Kindle Oasis for going on three years now. That makes it one of the few gadgets I've used past the initial test period, alongside my iPad Pro (2018) and Sony WH-100XM3 headphones.
And that's not by accident either, and not simply because I like reading. I actually prefer physical books (I'm a literature student hipster, they'd revoke my degree if I said otherwise), but the Kindle has an unexpectedly amazing feature that I bet you don't use at all: it does PDFs.
The PDF viewer
You can convert PDFs from the internet and send them to your Kindle very easily - we've got a guide on it here that you can use. On its own, it's not a groundbreaking feature. But hear me out.
As someone who doesn't have the disposable income to spend on new books (I always buy my physical ones second-hand), I avoid the Kindle Store. But this PDF feature gives me an incredible new way to use the Kindle ereader that I wouldn't otherwise.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
I'm currently reading The Strand Magazine, a classic short story periodical published from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. It's impossible to find physically, and tricky online, but luckily the fantastic Project Gutenberg digital library has loads of issues available. I can easily download Strand issues and send them to my Kindle to read at my leisure.
I've done this for loads of classic novels and novellas over the years - in lockdown I really got into the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley and Edgar Rice Burroughs (yeah, four sci-fi / adventure / fantasy writers, and one that's the stark opposite).
Gutenberg lets me download free copies of classic (and some less-than-classic) works by these authors, and gives me mileage for my Kindle that I otherwise wouldn't get.
If I didn't have the Kindle, I don't think I would have read the Strand Magazine, for example. sure, I could still download the PDF and read it on my PC or phone, but that's not exactly the same. Simply being able to read something like this free on a device designed for reading makes it that much better.
I can't get over it
The commercial and capitalist tech industry is bent on selling you things. You buy a phone, then buy apps and accessories for it. You buy a games console, then buy games for it. You buy a camera, then buy lenses and tripods for it.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
It's gotten to the point where loads of people define themselves by the gadgets they spend money on. There are Android fans versus iPhone fans, PlayStation fans versus Xbox fans, Windows fans versus Mac fans.
Usually, the main way to make the most of an expensive gadget is... to spend more money on it. And as a cash-strapped 20-something, I don't really have much of that.
Tech companies want your money,- it's no secret - which is why I'm so surprised that I still have a free wonderland of books, plays and poems at my disposal. I can get countless hours of entertainment without having to spend a penny.
Every time I know someone who buys a new Kindle, or I write a guide on Kindles around Black Friday or Christmas, or I do any coverage at all about new Amazon ereaders, I make sure to sing from the rooftops about this PDF conversion feature.
It's one of the few times in the tech gadget world where you can really get something for nothing, without having to sacrifice money or data or time to get it, and that surprises me and pleases me in equal measure.
In fact, I always feel a little cheeky sending free books to my Kindle, and it wouldn't surprise me - though would certainly disappoint me - if Amazon looked into monetizing this feature. But for now, I'll enjoy it while it lasts, and I'd encourage you to do the same.
Apple has pushed back the next-gen MacBook Air to later in 2022, and no more high-end MacBook Pro launches are expected until next year – but there will be a Pro 13-inch overhaul, or at least that’s the latest word from the rumor mill.
All this comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a well-known Apple leaker, who broke this latest speculation via his newsletter (as flagged up by MacRumors).
Gurman asserts that it was Apple’s original intention to launch the fully redesigned MacBook Air powered by a next-gen M2 chip at the end of last year, or early in 2022, but obviously that didn’t happen (the refreshed Air was certainly a strong tip for Apple’s most recent launch event – but didn’t show up).
Apple hasn’t been able to stick to this original timeframe, apparently, and so is now planning on launching the MacBook Air in the second half of 2022.
As for other MacBooks, we won’t see any new MacBook Pro 14-inch or 16-inch models this year, so Apple will not be debuting anything in that category until 2023, Gurman observes. When those refreshed higher-end MacBook Pro versions do turn up, they will likely sport M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs.
However, the Apple leaker believes that we could see a revamped MacBook Pro 13-inch – the base model – turn up at some stage this year, and that could sport the M2 chip which is also destined for the next MacBook Air as mentioned.
Analysis: Evidence for the Air is gathering weight
Of course, with the MacBook Air being so strongly rumored in recent times, it’s a good bet that it’s still in the cards to appear from Apple, and the most likely launch slot would be at a big Apple event in the fall. This ties in with another heavyweight Apple leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, predicting that the redesigned MacBook Air could hit mass production in Q3 (or maybe late Q2), and so would be launched not too far down the line after that.
Elsewhere on the grapevine, inside sources who spoke to 9to5Mac have theorized that we will see a new MacBook Air and fresh MacBook Pro 13-inch later in 2022, both with M2 chips – echoing the forecast just provided by Gurman.
So, this latest prediction backs up what has been floating around via the rumor mill already, and seemingly underlines the likelihood of seeing at least the new MacBook Air at some point later this year. And of course maybe a Pro 13-inch refresh, as mentioned, on top, which could run with a pretty basic overhaul (just pepping up the processor to an M2 model, and that’s about all).
