… At one time, Microsoft did have plans to take on the low-end Chromebook market, with devices like the Surface Laptop Go and the Surface Go, and their various iterations like the Surface Laptop Go 3. …
… The only twist, if there is one, is that a 5-year-old laptop wasn't close at hand. Instead, I unearthed a lightly used, 7-year-old laptop instead: the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, a device from the pre-pandemic Before Times. …
… Meet the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, the second Surface device to use the RTX Park platform after the Surface Laptop Ultra, and the latest product to inherit Microsoft's terrible naming tradition. …
… The new Surface Ultra laptop, the first major expansion to Microsoft's in-house line since Snapdragon, will run on the RTX Spark N1X. And yeah, "Ultra" is a bit of a harbinger in this context. It'll be far more powerful than the standard Surface machines, at least if you believe the hype. …
… For the Surface Laptop Ultra and the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, Andrew Hill, corporate vice president of Surface, said, “We're not ready to talk about pricing yet until we get closer to availability,” but did confirm a fall release. …
… But display reflections aside, the Acer Swift 16 AI shines thanks to its Intel hardware, OLED display , and Acer’s awesome trackpad. Panther Lake is a real generational leap. As one of the first Panther Lake laptops I’ve spent time with, this may be one of the best laptops I’ve ever used. …
… The trackpad is decently sizable and has a good, smooth surface. But it doesn’t feel all that great otherwise. It has a cheap-feeling hardware click and even a bit of rattle when simply tapping to click. …
… The speakers are primarily directed towards the user, which provides a clear path for the sound and prevents it from becoming muddled if the laptop is used on a softer surface. …
… One demo I saw this week was Alan Wake 2 running natively on Arm, with Nvidia showing off the game and its DLSS 4.5 enhancements on a Surface Laptop Ultra. …
… Next to Consumer laptops, its performance doesn’t impress, and new Panther Lake hardware threatens it at every turn. …
