We all know that prices of memory, storage, and graphics cards have all shot up in price this year due to the insane AI-boom sucking up all the production resources, and the outlook for PC component upgrades is pretty grim, but luckily there are still a few ways to nab a gaming computer without emptying your bank account. Gigabyte's Aero X16 gaming laptop is down to $ 1,099.99 at Walmart, a $600 discount off the $1,699.99 list price. A gaming laptop or a pre-built gaming desktop is turning out to be the best value-for-money way to keep playing in the current climate.

● Check out this deal at Walmart

The Gigabyte Aero X16 features an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, an 8-core, 16-thread processor that can boost up to 5 GHz, paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 with 8GB of VRAM, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD for storage.

The Aero X16 laptop sports a 16-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, offering 100% sRGB color gamut coverage and up to 400 nits of brightness. The IPS panel supports a refresh rate of 165Hz with a 3ms gray-to-gray response time for a smooth gaming experience.

There's no unified soldered RAM or storage in this laptop either. There are dual memory and M.2 slots for upgrades, so that when the prices of RAM or SSDs hopefully subside a little, you can add some more capacity.

Other features of the Aero X16 include a single-zone RGB-backlit keyboard, a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2. For connectivity to peripherals and external displays, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports, a USB 4.0 Type-C port, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack, plus a network Ethernet port.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, Gaming Chair, Best Wi-Fi Routers, Best Motherboard, or CPU Deals pages.

We’re so used to testing cutting-edge, top-end laptops with high price tags that a decently equipped portable that isn’t priced around $2,000 can feel refreshing. And with price increases happening seemingly everywhere, the average laptop buyer probably feels the same.

Enter Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI, a 16-inch portable with an IPS touchscreen, a premium-ish metal shell, AMD Ryzen AI 7 445 processor, and 16GB of RAM paired with 1TB of storage, plus a 7-inch (diagonal) touchpad. It won’t break any performance ground, but it was a solid deal when it was on sale for $799. At its current MSRP price of $1,149, it’s a lot harder to argue for – especially when the silver-shelled Intel-based model (which halves the storage to 512GB but ups the screen tech to OLED) was on sale for just $699 at Best Buy when I wrote this.

Design of the Acer Swift Go 16 AI (Gorgon Point)

The design of Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI packs more positives than negatives, but it is still a mixed bag. Perhaps due to its size, it feels lighter than its 3.53-pound weight, and its aluminum shell (black with zig-zagging slim lines on the lid) puts it head and shoulders above budget offerings. It’s also fairly svelte for a big-screen laptop, at 14 x 9.9 x 0.63 inches.

Port selection is also good, with a pair of USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and HDMI on the left edge.

The right edge houses a Kensington lock slot, another USB-A port, a headset jack, and a microSD card slot.

Also here is the charging indicator light, which is an odd choice since the charging ports are on the other side of the laptop. After plugging the laptop into the charger on my test bench, I had to lean across the laptop just to see if it was charging.

The hinge also lets the screen recline all the way down to 180 degrees, although doing this makes viewing angle issues pretty apparent, as you lose most of the visible brightness.

The metal shell also has more than a little flex, both on the lid and the keyboard, though I noticed it more on the lid every time I closed the laptop. The lid also developed smudges that I couldn’t wipe away, even with a damp cloth and some elbow grease, during my time with it – and for a good chunk of that time it was just sitting untouched on my coffee table. Note, though, that the smudges are a lot less visible when the laptop isn’t sitting under photography lights.

Acer Swift Go 16 AI (the SFG16-A71T-R5UY) Specifications

A warning about magnetic watch bands

Before jumping into the test results, a quick note about a unique (at least to me) issue I had when using the laptop: About half the time when I moved my hands toward the keyboard to type or launch a program, the screen would briefly dim, and then I would be kicked out to the Windows 11 login screen. This eventually happened so frequently that I thought the laptop had some sort of electrical defect, and asked Acer about the problem.

However, as I was demonstrating the issue to a colleague in the office, he wondered aloud whether my watch band might be causing it. I hadn’t thought of that, as I’ve been testing laptops for well over a decade, much of that time while wearing a watch, and have never experienced this issue before. I’ve also had the current band for my Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 for about 14 months, during which time I’ve used countless laptops to a greater or lesser degree. But the band does have a magnetic clasp on the bottom, and sure enough, as soon as I took the band off, or even put it on my left wrist instead of my right, the issue where the screen went black and kicked me out to the login screen went away.

I tried replicating the issue with my watch band and several other laptops, but could not. So the Acer Swift Go 16 AI’s lid sensor does seem particularly sensitive to magnets (I was also able to replicate the issue on the Acer using other magnets and the magnetic band from someone else’s Apple Watch). But it’s a quirk that will mostly plague left-handed people who have magnetic watch clasps – or the odd people like me who wear their watch also on their right wrist.

Productivity Performance on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

We tested Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI in its sole AMD-based Best Buy configuration, sporting a Ryzen AI 7 445 (Gorgon Point) CPU and integrated Radeon 840M graphics, as well as 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB SSD.

The Ryzen AI 7 445 is a mid-range chip in AMD’s refreshed lineup, with six cores, 12 threads, and an NPU capable of 50 TOPS for all your Copilot+ and other local AI needs.

Most of the systems we’ve looked at this year are pricier than the Acer, which could make the laptop look bad in our charts. But our comparison systems also cost more. There’s Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air ($1,299) using a 10-core M5, followed by two 14-inch laptops: Dell’s XPS 14 ($2,199) leverages a Core Ultra X7 358H while Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition ($1,629) uses a Core Ultra 7 355.

On Geekbench 6, the Swift 16 AI was able to hang with Dell’s XPS 14, falling a bit behind in single-core, but landing ahead on the multi-core portion of the test. But the Arm-based laptops from Apple and Lenovo both easily outpaced the x86 competition.

Things looked worse for the Acer laptop in our 25GB file transfer test. Despite the company calling the laptop’s storage out as being PCIe 4, the tested speed of 847.88 MBps is less than half that of the drives in the competing laptops. Still, the Acer drive is fast enough that you won’t likely notice the difference in most common tasks.

On Handbrake, the Acer managed to best the XPS 14 once again (thanks largely to its extra threads). But again, the Arm-based competition, and particularly Lenovo’s Qualcomm-based Yoga Slim 7x, destroys the Acer, converting our 4K video to 1080p in roughly a third of the time it took the Swift Go 16 AI.

The Swift Go 16 AI’s average transfer speed in our 25GB file transfer test was a slow (ish) 847.88 MBps. That’s less than half the speed of any of its laptop competition here, but these are also all pricier laptops. Faster would certainly be better, but the drive in the Acer is plenty fast enough for typical mainstream tasks.

To stress test the CPU in laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The system started with a score of 2,315, ramped as high as 2487 by the fourth run, and held fairly steady, dropping back to 2468 on the penultimate run, before recovering and finishing at 2,480. During the test, the laptop’s Ryzen AI 7 445 CPU ran at an average frequency of 3.47 GHz.

Graphics on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The laptop’s 840M graphics are integrated. But thanks to being paired with an X86 CPU, they can certainly run more games than the Arm-based Apple and Lenovo laptop competition. But on paper, the competition has a clear edge.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the Acer Swift Go 16 AI turned in a score of 234, which is slightly less than half that of the Dell XPS 14 (with its four Xe3 cores) more than doubled that, while both the MacBook Air and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x quadrupled the Swift Go’s showing. Again, though, keep in mind that the Acer, while not as powerful on the graphics front, will run more PC games than either the MacBook or Qualcomm-powered Lenovo.

Display on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Acer sells the Swift Go 16 AI with a single panel in the AMD-based configuration, a 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The Intel-based version ups the ante with an OLED display, which sounds like an upgrade, but Best Buy lists that screen at just 250 nits. The IPS screen on our AMD model at least gets brighter than that.

When I watched the story trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine for the PS5, the dress Jean Gray wore in one scene was a vivid green, while the aura of her telekinesis popped in a hue somewhere between magenta and purple, while the often gore-speckled yellow of Logan’s suit looked a bit subdued. In general, colors looked good, and brightness was sufficient. But I did miss the inky blacks of the OLED screens on my Lenovo X9 laptop and my LG TV. That said, if this laptop panel was what I used for work every day, I don’t think I would have any serious complaints. It looks great unless you have something better to compare it to side-by-side.

Our display testing pegged the Acer’s screen at 336 nits, which edged out the Lenovo, but both the XPS 14 and Apple were significantly brighter. Still, the IPS Acer screen delivered more colors than the Dell or Apple laptops, with 121.8% of the sRGB gamut and 86.3% of the larger DCI-P3. In short, this is quite a good screen for a laptop that isn’t a flagship machine. It’s not the brightest of panels, and I did keep it mostly at 100% brightness while using it, it never once felt dimmer than I would have liked.

Keyboard and touchpad on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

I found typing on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI to be largely fine, with no major complaints. The flat keys don’t offer the best feel or the most generous key travel. And the left and right arrow keys look comically large compared to their up / down counterparts.

The real oddity here is the inclusion of a squished number pad. There clearly isn’t room for anything larger, and I am sure those who find a number pad a necessity would rather have narrow numbers on the right side rather than no numbers. But the layout here makes the keyboard look and – to some extent – feel cramped. Considering this is a pretty large, 16-inch laptop, that’s a somewhat impressive design achievement.

The large, 7-inch touchpad is one of the Swift Go 16 AI’s stand-out features, and while nothing particularly ground-breaking, there are more features to cover than are typical in a laptop.

The touchpad isn’t haptic, but it is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, and feels fairly premium. It worked well for basic and multi-finger gesture tasks during my time with it. And for tasks like media control and meetings, there are backlit touch buttons that appear when you, say, go to YouTube or launch Teams, letting you control media, volume, and switch to full-screen playback.

We’ve seen similar ideas from Acer and others. I’m not generally a fan of the general idea, but the touch features worked well enough to serve as controls while I watched YouTube. And Acer makes the buttons appear and disappear when you open compatible apps and websites, so it’s not something you have to think about much. You can also turn it off by hitting the X on the bottom-right corner of the touchpad when the lighting appears.

Audio on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The pair of downward-firing speakers on the Swift Go 16 AI are fine for meetings and casually watching video or listening to music at a desk, but don’t expect much in the way of bass or impressive volume. When I listened to my favorite test track, Buck-Tick’s “Muma - The Nightmare,” cranking the volume to 100% filled my home office space, but the sound was a little harsh at that volume. Dropping down to 80% or below resulted in better sound, but of course less volume.

If you’re the type that likes to fiddle with audio details, the DTS:X Ultra software is included. It lets you adjust the EQ and select from seven presets, but the Music setting was already enabled by default, so at least for listening, the Swift Go 16 AI’s speakers sound about as good as they can out of the box.

In short, the speakers are OK for basic audio tasks, and are easily loud enough for watching video clips. But if you want to enjoy your audio, especially at higher volumes, consider pairing a decent Bluetooth speaker.

Upgradability of the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Getting inside Swift Go 16 AI isn’t difficult, provided you have a Torx screwdriver set. Remove ten screws (the ones on the front edge are shorter, so be sure to keep them separate), and you should be able to pry off the bottom. I found a small plastic spudger helpful for getting started, but once I worked a few clips free, the metal bottom lifted right off.

There’s little to do while you’re in there, though. You could swap the standard 2280 M.2 boot drive, or replace the MediaTek wireless card. But as is standard for anything that isn’t a gaming laptop / workstation or a Framework these days, the RAM is soldered down.

Battery life on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Unplugged longevity isn’t exactly a strong suit of this Acer, but it still manages a respectable 9.5 hours in our battery test, which consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. That was enough to beat the more powerful Lenovo by 46 minutes, but the Dell and Apple laptops did significantly better. Keep in mind, though, that the Acer has a larger, 16-inch screen than the competition here, which are 13- and 14-inchers, and there’s not much to complain about. Battery life is solid, just like many aspects of the Swift Go 16 AI.

Heat on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

During our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test, the Swift Go 16 AI’s surface temperatures remained relatively tepid for a slim laptop. We measured a peak of 87 degrees Celsius on the touchpad, 100.5 between the G and H keys, and 114 C on the underside, near the back center. Internally, the Ryzen AI 7 445’s average temperature was 66.9 C across all cores.

Webcam on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The webcam on the Swift Go AI is a step above mainstream options, at least on paper. It has an IR sensor for Windows Hello login, and Acer says the sensor supports IR and is capable of recording video up to 1800p at 30 FPS. The Camera app limited me to 2560 x 1600, which is still good for a mainstream laptop. Colors were generally accurate, and I did notice more detail in my beard than most 1080p models. But the camera still struggles with blown-out light from nearby windows.

Acer claims there is Temporal Noise Reduction at play here to keep pixels from looking grainy. Generally, I didn’t see any graininess, but the process also results in images and video that look soft when viewed at full size. In all, webcam performance feels like more than an afterthought, but isn’t the best I’ve seen. At this price, that’s perfectly fine.

Software on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

There is a significant amount of adware and software bloat pre-baked into this Acer’s operating system. On the taskbar alone, you’ll find pins for Forge of Empires, Dropbox, and Booking.com. The start menu includes a couple more games: Elvenar and Amazing Block Blast, as well as WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and AcerSense. I also found ExpressVPN in the installed apps folder.

Oddly, AcerSense, the company’s own app for checking the status and health of the laptop’s various components, and changing power modes, wasn’t actually installed. When I clicked on it, a launcher started downloading. I would just delete it, like most of the cruft here. If you’re an absolute novice at recent versions of Windows, it might be a little helpful, but most of what it does and shows you is also available within Windows itself.

While I wouldn’t quite call this a serious excess of unnecessary and unhelpful software (in other words, I have seen worse), there is quite a lot here. When the laptop is on sale for hundreds off its MSRP, it feels like a necessary evil in these days of higher prices. But if you’re paying close to the $1,149 MSRP, you shouldn’t have to deal with this much bloat.

Acer Swift Go 16 AI Configurations

Acer sells AMD and Intel versions of the Swift Go 16 AI at Best Buy. Our black AMD-based model ships with a Ryzen AI 7 445 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Its price ranged significantly from $799 to the $1,149 MSRP while I worked on this review. A higher-end AMD model ups the RAM to 32GB, the CPU to a Ryzen 9 465, for $1,499.

On the Intel side, there’s an Intel Core Ultra 5 version that halves the storage (512GB) but opts for an OLED screen with the same 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. That was selling for an enticing $699 ($300 off) as I wrote this. If you can get it at that price, this model is the clear bargain of the bunch. But a beefier Intel option with a Core Ultra 7 355 and 32GB of RAM at $1,169 ($1,549 MSRP) also isn’t bad if you need more power and memory.

Bottom Line

If you’re after a larger-screen laptop that doesn’t feel like a budget machine, there’s a lot to like with the Swift Go 16 AI – especially when it’s on sale. The AMD-based model we tested delivered solid performance and a good IPS screen. The SSD is slower than its pricier competition, but it wasn’t so slow that you’re likely to notice during typical tasks.

There is also more bloatware than is typical in laptops around the $1,000 price point, but it’s easy enough to uninstall. Just keep an eye on the pricing, which swung significantly between $799, $999, and $1,049 in the weeks when I was working on this review. And don’t discount the silver Intel Core Ultra 5 322-based model, which drops the storage down to 512GB, but includes an OLED screen. That model dipped as low as $699 in recent weeks, but has now jumped back up to $999. Either model is worth considering, and both are great values when priced below $800.

Razer's gaming keyboards rank among the best on the market, whether you're looking to crush the competition in games or type up school reports. However, if you've ever shopped around, you've probably noticed how many are on the higher end of the affordability scale.

• Crush the new semester with Razer keyboards

Fortunately, one of Razer's top-rated wired gaming keyboards, the Huntsman V3 Pro 60%, has managed to evade lofty pricing for a limited time, thanks to a 28% discount bringing it to $129.99 at Best Buy, giving you a chance to get a leg up on multiplayer and get a head start on your studies for less.

What buy the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini 60%?

For starters, this keyboard features Razer's Analog Optical Gen-2 switches, which grant it extremely precise and responsive input detection speeds, which can be enhanced further with a Rapid Trigger mode and adjustable actuation that ranges between 0.1 mm and 4.0 mm.

The Huntsman V3 Pro 60% also features textured double-shot PBT keycaps with a keystroke lifespan of 100-million clicks to help it endure many years of intense button mashing.

Other notable features include a sleek and compact 60% form factor that makes it very portable-friendly while saving tons of vital desk space, buttons that double as arrow keys, and a Razer Snap Tap feature, which prioritizes the latest input between two selected keys without letting go of the previous one for near-instant directional movements in action games.

The only noticeable drawbacks of this keyboard are the somewhat noisy switches with no sound dampening (as noted in GamesRadar's review), the lack of wireless connectivity, and its usually steep listing price of $179.99.

So, it's a blessing to see its high price taken down to somewhat more affordable levels thanks to Best Buy's 28% discount, especially during this general RAM crisis where almost everything else in tech has become so insanely expensive.

If you're looking for a high-quality wired gaming keyboard that doubles as a high-speed workhorse keyboard for helping you ace exams or assignments, you can't go wrong with the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro 60%.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Before Microsoft acquired Nokia, the company was heavily rumoured to be working on its own in-house Windows Phone device that was expected to ship in 2014 under the Surface moniker alongside its Surface Pro device. Unfortunately for Windows Phone fans, such a device never saw the light of day, but newly published images of a mysterious prototype might have just given us our first and only look at what Microsoft was exploring internally.

Possibly codenamed Raven, there isn't much information available about this prototype, other than the fact that it’s from the 2013-2014 time frame and is running an early pre-release build of Windows Phone 8.1. It’s powered by an unknown Qualcomm chip, has a 720p screen, features a Microsoft logo on the back, and a silver metal frame that matches the colour of the Surface 2 that released that same year.

We can see in the photos that it has dedicated hardware keys for navigation, which are also coated in the same silver color as the chassis. The build of Windows Phone that it’s running appears to be from September 2013, and is from an internal development branch building towards what eventually became Windows Phone 8.1.

While not viewable in the images, I understand the device features individual up and down volume buttons and a camera button on the right-hand side of the device, and a power button on the top of the device. It also features a micro-USB port and headphone jack on the bottom side, and a SIM card slot on the left side.

This is likely one of dozens of prototype designs that Microsoft’s hardware teams cooked up during this era, but it’s certainly a fascinating look at what could have been, and it does look so clean. Development on this device was likely paused once Microsoft moved to acquire Nokia in 2014.

Back in 2013, I remember hearing from sources that Microsoft was experimenting with the concept of a "Skype Phone," a Windows Phone device with mobile data that utilized Skype for calls and messaging instead of traditional carrier networks. Perhaps this device was going to be that? Who knows.

The Surface Phone we eventually got arrived as the Surface Duo, which started development in 2016 and launched to the public in 2020. In that time, Microsoft shipped Nokia designs in the form of the Lumia 640, 650, 950, and 550 running Windows Phone, before abandoning the platform in 2017.

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Dell's latest XPS 13 (DX13260) was unveiled at Computex 2026 and launched in June, starting at $599 for students and $699 for everyone else.

Not to be outdone, Acer also unveiled a new budget $699 Windows 11 laptop at Computex; the Acer Swift Air 14 is expected to launch in North America in August ... basically any day now.

Considering how closely matched these two PCs are in price, I thought it was best to put together a comparison to help you make the right decision.

Dell XPS 13 vs. Acer Swift Air 14: Specifications

Here's a breakdown of the specs that go into each of these laptops to give you a better idea of what you're buying.

TL;DR? Acer's Swift Air 14 is a larger laptop with a much larger battery capacity, and both PCs run on the same Intel Wildcat Lake chips. I break down the differences in some detail below this table.

These budget laptops feel like they should cost a lot more than $699

One major feature that sets these budget laptops apart from other PCs in the same price range is their aluminum frames. These are laptops with a truly premium feel despite their budget pricing.

Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden went hands-on with the new Acer Swift Air 14 at Computex, remarking:

Dell offers two colors — Storm or Sky — for its XPS 13, while Acer offers Sage Green, Frost Blue, Blossom Pink, and Lilac Purple colors for a bit of extra expression.

The Swift Air 14 is the larger of the two laptops due to its 14-inch screen. It's still only about 12.36 inches wide (basically the size that 13-inch laptops used to be), and it weighs in at just 2.75 pounds (1.25kg).

The XPS 13 has a width of 11.69 inches and weighs in at 2.2 pounds (1kg), which is considerably lighter. I'd say that both of these laptops are extremely portable, and there's a difference of just 0.1 inches when it comes to thickness.

The laptops feel premium, and that's really what matters with such affordable devices. Bowden, too, went hands-on with the new XPS 13, stating:

TL;DR: Both laptops have a premium design and build quality, and they're both relatively thin and light. Stick with the XPS 13 if you want to be as mobile as possible, though the Swift Air 14 isn't far behind.

Touchpads and keyboards don't suffer from budget pricing

As I mentioned, these laptops don't feel like they cost $699. Zac Bowden and I tested them both while we were at Computex, and it's clear that both brands put a lot of work into their keyboards and touchpads.

Dell skipped its lattice-free keyboard design on the new XPS 13 for a more traditional feel, and its mechanical touchpad (no haptics, unfortunately) is large and has a satisfying click.

In the same vein, the Swift Air 14's keyboard has decent travel and a comfy feel. The touchpad, again without haptics, is large and tracks well. You'll ultimately have to decide for yourself which setup you like more, but I can say that neither laptop skimps on the backlit keyboard and mechanical touchpad.

TL;DR: Your final decision will likely come down to personal preference, but I can say after testing both laptops that neither is likely to disappoint in terms of touchpad and keyboard.

Port selection might be the weak spot for some users

The XPS 13 with Intel's Wildcat Lake chips features dual USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) ports. If you spend more on a model with an Intel Panther Lake CPU, you'll get two Thunderbolt 4 ports instead.

The Swift Air 14 is a lot better on ports, with dual Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A 3.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

As for wireless connectivity, the XPS 13 has more modern Wi-Fi 7 connectivity paired with Bluetooth 6.0. The Acer Swift Air 14 falls back to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Is this a difference an average user will notice in day-to-day computing? Absolutely not.

TL;DR: Dell's most affordable XPS 13 models don't come with Thunderbolt 4, and there's no 3.5mm audio jack. Acer's Swift Air 14 comes with dual Thunderbolt 4 by default, plus it adds USB-A and an audio jack.

Both PCs have IR cameras for Windows Hello

Something you don't see very often in budget laptops is an IR camera for Windows Hello. This additional hardware built into the above-display cameras unlocks facial recognition for Windows 11, adding an invaluable layer of security for any type of user.

Both laptops have a regular 1080p camera for video conferencing and stills. We had limited time to test cameras during our hands-on, but each seemed to do a good job of handling varying lighting conditions.

TL;DR: There's not much difference here between the 1080p webcams with IR sensors for Windows Hello facial recognition.

Dell's XPS 13 has a superior display compared to the Swift Air 14

Measuring 13.4 inches with a 2560x1600 (2.5K) resolution, the XPS 13's display doesn't fail to impress. It's crisp, it has plenty of brightness at a 500-nit maximum, and an anti-glare finish makes it easier to see in bright conditions.

It features Dolby Vision certification for HDR content, it has a 30Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate, and Dell clocks it at 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

The only aspect I can see Acer winning with the Swift Air 14's display is sizing. It measures 14 inches, giving some users a much-needed boost for multitasking. It also hits 100% sRGB color.

It does, however, have a lower 1920x1200 resolution and less brightness at 350 nits. It's unclear if the Swift Air 14's display has a variable refresh rate: it's listed as 120Hz only. That's a nice smooth picture, though the variable aspect can help conserve battery life.

TL;DR: The XPS 13's higher resolution, variable refresh rate, and Dolby Vision certification make it an attractive option, though some users will prefer a full 14 inches from the Swift Air 14 for easier multitasking.

Intel Wildcat Lake CPUs help keep prices down

Dell's Wildcat Lake Core Series 3 processors are driving both of these $699 laptops, so I don't expect there to be much difference in performance. However, there is some nuance.

The XPS 13 is currently only available with a Core 5 320 chip; a Core Ultra 7 355 chip from the more powerful Panther Lake series is expected to arrive at some point in the future. If you want the most power possible and don't mind spending more, this is the configuration I'd hold out for.

I'm expecting the Swift Air 14 to launch with the same Core 5 320 CPU in its $699 model, but Acer also lists a Core 7 350 for those with a bit more to spend. Both laptops come with 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and only Dell plans to release a 32GB config for its upcoming Intel Core Ultra model.

TL;DR: The use of Intel Wildcat Lake CPUs in both laptops means performance should be close. If you want more power, only the XPS 13 is expected to offer an Intel Panther Lake alternative.

Acer's Swift Air 14 has a much larger battery capacity, but Dell has a secret weapon

The Intel Wildcat Lake chips used in these laptops are geared to offer exceptional battery life.

Dell says its XPS 13 with a 52Wh battery can go for up to 17 hours when streaming video, and that's boosted by the use of 800ED battery cells that hold more power while taking up less physical space.

Acer's Swift Air 14 has a larger 70Wh battery, though it doesn't have Dell's extra-dense cells. This results in an estimated 19 hours of video playback, or 16 hours of web browsing, according to Acer.

We'll have to perform our own tests on these laptops to discover the true battery life, but I can say that both PCs should be able to get through a day of work or study without needing a charge.

TL;DR: The Swift Air 14's larger battery capacity is offset by Dell's use of denser battery cells. Both PCs should be able to go for most of a day without needing a charge.

Dell XPS 13 vs. Acer Swift Air 14: Which should you buy?

Acer's Swift Air 14 is expected to launch sometime in August, starting at $699. When it does, Dell's XPS 13 — which is available now — will have some new competition in the budget-but-premium space.

Which laptop you ultimately choose should come down to several personal preferences. Want a larger display even with a lower resolution? Acer's laptop is the way to go. Want a larger battery capacity? The same goes.

But Dell's XPS 13 drops its price to $599 if you're a student, which makes it a particularly spectacular deal. Combine that with a higher-res 2.5K display, snappy performance, and long battery life, and you have a PC that's tough to beat.

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One of the best laptop deals of the year is live, though I'm worried stock won't last. The Dell XPS 14 (2025) is up to $1,350 off.

I highlighted Dell's discount on the XPS 14 recently, and the deal has since gotten even better. I didn't think I'd see a laptop with these specs at this price in 2026. 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and 3.2K OLED touch display for $1,549.99 is, quite frankly, ludicrous.

My only concern is that the laptop dropping in price quickly suggests Dell is almost out of stock and wants to clear out 2025 models to push the newer XPS 14 laptops from this year.

Why buy the Dell XPS 14?

The XPS 14 is a pretty laptop built for productivity. At one time, there were a bunch of variations for this PC, but the options have been trimmed down as stock dips. The 3.2K OLED touch display in this model stands out, especially at this price.

The XPS 14 has a zero-lattice keyboard that packs large keys into a relatively small laptop body. The haptic touchpad of the XPS 14 is invisible, creating a clean look when the laptop is open.

That touchpad can take some time to get used to, but it was praised by Tom's Guide in their review:

"The keys have good travel distance and just the right amount of resistance when pressed. Once you get used to how tightly packed they are, typing is a breeze. And now that I’m used to it, the invisible touchpad doesn’t bother me. As before, I like the haptic feedback the touchpad produces, which also helps me know its location."

As a reminder, the Dell XPS 14 (2025) was originally called the Dell 14 Premium. Dell abandoned that naming scheme and resurrected the XPS brand earlier this year and retroactively renamed older models.

While I love the design of the XPS 14, it has battery life that's just OK. Our colleagues at Tom's Guide got 8 hours and 16 minutes in their testing. For context, 10 hours of battery life is considered "pretty good" in that same test.

The discounted XPS 14 model I highlighted retails for $2,899.99, but it is from last year. Many laptops from this year with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage cost well over $2,000. The new XPS 14 with those specs is $2,119.99 right now, and that's after a $630 discount. That version also has a 2K non-touch screen rather than the 3.2K OLED touch screen seen in the XPS 14 (2025) highlighted here.

FAQ

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Razer's gaming keyboards have consistently ranked as some of the best you could buy, and, of course, they double up as generally excellent options for work and studies. Because let's be honest, if a keyboard doesn't feel good for actual typing, then is it even doing its job?

• Crush the new semester with Razer keyboards

We already praised the Huntsman V3 Pro as "the world's most advanced gaming keyboard", and for now, the downside of its high price has been solved as the tenkeyless (TKL) model drops to $124.99 at Best Buy. Compared to its original MSRP of $219.99, it's instantly a much more tempting pick.

That $95 price drop stands alongside a discount on the full-size variant that we tested, bringing that to $180.74 with a much more specific $69.25 discount. Either way, you'll gain access to Snap Tap, Razer's solution for perfect counter-strafing in FPS games that prioritizes the most recently pressed button.

What makes the Huntsman V3 Pro so good?

Adjustable actuation is one of those phrases that crops up around keyboards, and it's a feature that shines when you have the time to dig into it. Essentially, you can change the depth at which the optical switches underneath the keys detect a valid press, usually opting for shallow pushes during gaming and more deliberate, deeper pushes for typing.

If you're into tweaking and personalization, you'll get a lot out of it by fine-tuning the actuation and saving it to one of the on-board memory profile slots. That, paired with its brushed aluminum chassis and double-shot PBT textured keys for more durable lettering, makes for a comfortable typing experience.

On the flip side, we noted in our (full-size) Razer Huntsman V3 Pro review that the leatherette wrist rest isn't perfect, but it is magnetic, so if you'd rather use it only for typing and remove it for a night of gaming, it's easy to detach. I'd recommend giving it a fair try, as it's generally better to use something to support your wrists than nothing at all, but your mileage may vary.

Overall, this discount makes the Huntsman V3 Pro, whether TKL or full-size, an absolute bargain. Even if you don't make use of all the extra dials at first, diving into customization would help you assign them to your most-used features soon after. It's a quality wired keyboard that works just as hard for daily typing, so you could probably argue it's a back-to-school expense if you tried.

Frequently Asked Questions

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In an age where the best laptops are being price-gauged for everything they're worth thanks to AI eating all our RAM and memory, sometimes laptops we never took a shine to can end up being smarter financial alternatives, provided they have redeeming qualities and discounts to back them up.

One such flawed but capable laptop is the 16-inch, 2-in-1 Lenovo Yoga 7i, a laptop that doesn't quite get the "2-in-1" part right but makes up for it with all-day battery life, a strong SSD for fast boot-up times and decent storage space, and more enticing features that are now 20% off for $799.99 at Best Buy (was $999.99).

Why buy the Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 laptop?

Now, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16-inch isn't the greatest laptop in the world. When our laptop expert, Ben Wilson reviewed it, he remarked that its "sub-par IPS panel prevents its tablet mode from appealing to creatives who demand accurate color reproduction."

Plus, no bundled-in stylus pen combined with a stiff screen hinge makes the laptop's tablet mode not as useful or enjoyable compared to its competition.

DEAL: Get Surfshark VPN 86% OFF with Windows Central 🦈

However, that doesn't mean the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is worthless, as it has plenty of redeeming qualities.

It features above-average performance rates for crushing productivity tasks thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor (2024) and 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD to help store vital data files and boot its systems quickly, a 70Wh battery that will last over thirteen hours, and solid Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to ensure you never lose connection with the internet and never wait forever for web pages to load.

It's also got a built-in fingerprint scanner that acts as a secondary security measure for your precious work files, a 2K touchscreen with 60Hz refresh rates and 1080p resolution so you can view documents and spreadsheets with clear clarity, and competent performance rates for tackling AI-related tasks thanks to its integrated Copilot+ feature and a Neural Processing Unit capable of 40 TOPS.

So if you're looking for a reliable mid-range laptop that won't cost you over $1,000 to tackle work reports or school exams while travelling, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 that's now 20% off at Best could be the best unlikely weapon you didn't know you needed for slaying productivity backlogs.

FAQ

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Back to school season is upon us again, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, there are plenty of student-friendly Chromebooks worth considering in 2026. We test these devices every year to ensure that they still meet Android Central's rigorous standards, and I was pleased to see that my personal favorite for students on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, is currently chilling with an impressive $220 discount at Best Buy.

The class-ready Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 just scored an epic discount at Best Buy

Whether you're studying, drawing, or streaming your favorite series after class, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is one of the best Chromebooks for students because of its overall versatility and bang for the buck. 

Straight out of the box, you get a vibrant 14-inch 1080p display with a touchscreen and a durable enough build that you can easily throw the laptop into a backpack or briefcase. The Chromebook will also last up to 18 hours on a single charge, so you don't have to worry about juicing up mid-class or during those long study sessions. 

The IdeaPad Slim 3's MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor with 4GB of RAM is capable enough for studying, streaming, and browsing the web, plus you get plenty of ports (including a microSD card slot) for all of your devices and storage needs. 

So what's the catch? Well, as the saying goes: you get what you pay for. The IdeaPad Slim 3 is a basic laptop that's built for basic tasks, and as it's a 2023 device, you shouldn't expect the latest software features as soon as you boot it up. 

If you want a cheap laptop that's reliable and durable enough to bring with you wherever you go, the Slim 3 is a great pick. But if you want something with a bit more power and innovation under the hood (and you don't mind paying for it), there are plenty of other outstanding Chromebooks to consider this semester. 

If you’re looking for the absolute best performance in a gaming laptop, then you’ll likely want to consider a desktop replacement. If you’re in the market, the HyperX Omen Max 16 makes a strong case with a 16-inch form factor and a thick chassis that accommodates some beefy hardware.

Our review unit carries a sticker price of $4,699, packs a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, and includes an RTX 5090 GPU. It also tips the scales at 6.56 pounds, making it a more suitable companion for your desk than for lugging around while traveling.

Despite its imposing dimensions and beefy hardware, the Omen Max 16 doesn’t quite pass muster in performance against its slimmer competitors among the best gaming laptops.

Design of the HyperX Omen Max 16

“Solid, solid as a rock,” is the phrase that comes to mind when describing the Omen Max 16. The laptop feels like it was forged from a solid piece of granite, but in actuality, it’s aluminum. It’s also thick, measuring 1.13 inches at its thickest point (at the rear).

To my eyes, the Omen Max 16 is attractively designed with no outrageous styling gimmicks. The aluminum is coated in a matte black finish, and design flourishes (like the O16 printed vertically along the deck and the HyperX logo on the lid) are subdued and don't draw significant attention. There’s also a laser-etched grille that runs nearly the width of the chassis that sits above the keyboard.

The only thing that really clues you into the gaming nature of the laptop (other than its sheer size) is the per-key RGB lighting for the keyboard, and a single LED strip on the bottom front edge of the chassis that you can configure with the Omen software.

When it comes to external ports, the Omen Max 16 has a USB-A (10 Gbps) port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left. On the right side of the chassis, you'll find another USB-A port. The back panel of the laptop is home to an HDMI 2.1 port, a 2.5 GbE port, and a proprietary power port (a 460W GaN power adapter is included).

The Omen Max 16 measures 14.04 x 10.59 x 1.03 inches and weighs 6.56 pounds. For comparison's sake, the Razer Blade 16 is 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.69 inches and weighs 4.71 pounds. The MSI Raider 16 HX comes in at 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.14 inches and weighs 5.73 pounds. The Alienware 16 Area-51 weighs 7.49 pounds and measures 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches.

HyperX Omen Max 16 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 5090 GPU (175W TGP). Given these specs and a sizable chassis to aid cooling (300W total system power), I was expecting strong numbers from the Omen 16 Max. Instead, the laptop was relegated to the back of the pack, except for one game benchmark: Far Cry 6.

My game of choice these days is Battlefield 6, running at native resolution in Overkill detail mode, with DLSS Quality and frame generation enabled. Using these settings, I was able to average between 100 and 110 frames per second.

For the competitive set, we have the Blade 16 (Core Ultra 9 386H at 25W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), MSI Raider 16 Max HX (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), and the Alienware 16 Area-51 (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5080 at 175W TGP). It should be noted that the Omen Max 16 uses slower DDR5-6400, whereas systems like the Blade 16 use faster LPDDR5X-9600.

We started our benchmarking spree with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest setting), and here the Omen Max 16 achieved 171 FPS at 1080p, putting it in last place behind the Razer Blade 16 (182 FPS). At 1600p, it landed in a comfortable third place (114 FPS) behind the Alienware 16 Area-51.

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra settings) wasn't a strong showing for the Omen Max 16, either. It brought up last place at 1080p (59 FPS) and 1600p (37 FPS).

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) was the lone bright spot for the Omen Max 16, as it garnered 144 FPS at 1080p and 125 FPS at 1600p, easily putting it in first place. Both of these results far outpaced the rest of the field, with the next closest competitor being the MSI Raider 16 Max HX at 119 FPS and 114 FPS, respectively.

Moving to the Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings) benchmark, the Omen Max 16 again wound up in last place, hitting 93 FPS at 1080p and 65 FPS at 1600p. However, in this instance, the margin between the Omen Max 16 and The Blade 16 at 1080p was just 1 FPS.

The Omen Max 16 again had trouble during the Borderlands 3 (Badass settings) benchmark, falling well off the pace set by its three competitors. The laptop hit 146 FPS at 1080p, nearly 20 FPS off the pace of the third-place Alienware 16 Area-51. At 1600p, it mustered just 113 FPS.

Metro Exodus is our go-to benchmark for laptop stress testing. Our review unit averaged 141.62 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX benchmark preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 4.91 GHz, and the efficiency cores averaged 3.95 GHz. The RTX 5090 GPU ran at 1.81 GHz.

Productivity Performance on HyperX Omen Max 16

With its Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, the Omen Max 16 fared better in the productivity tests than it did with gaming.

On Geekbench 6, the Omen Max 16 with the Core Ultra 9 290HX was able to muscle past the Blade 16 with its Core Ultra 9 386H on both the single-core (3,182) and multi-core (17,989) benchmarks. However, the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX, which use the same Core Ultra 9 290HX processor, achieved much higher multi-core numbers (each surpassed 20,000).

The PCIe 5.0 SSD used in the Omen Max 16 performed quite well in our 25GB file transfer test, coming in second place at 2,439.22 MBps. The Alienware 16 Area-51 was a few ticks ahead at 2,738.90 MBps.

The soft performance of the Omen Max 16 continued with our Handbrake test, which involves transcoding a 4K video file to 1080p. Here the laptop performed the task in 2 minutes and 59 seconds. However, at least one other laptop with the same Core Ultra 9 290HX did the deed in less than two minutes.

Display on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 uses a 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate. As is the case with most OLED displays that we test, this one had a glossy finish.

Instrumented testing on the OLED panel showed it excelling against the competition, covering 131.2 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and 185.2 percent of sRGB. Even better, the Omen Max 16 nudged past the Raider 16 Max HX to also take the crown for panel brightness (464.6 nits versus 455.6 nits).

OLED panels rarely disappoint, and I was more than impressed with the overall quality and brightness. The brightness was high enough that I was able to game while on my back porch during a partly cloudy day with minimal interference from reflections on the glossy panel.

I also viewed the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer using the display, and besides getting a tiny bit emotional while watching it, was delighted with the color reproduction, particularly in the short battle between Gambit and Shang-Chi, with flashes of purple playing cards and orange rings.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 features a full-size RGB backlit keyboard (with per-key lighting) and NKRO anti-ghosting technology. RGB effects are customizable using HP's Omen app or directly from within Windows 11.

The keys felt quite springy when typing, and I found it incredibly comfortable to rest my fingers and click away. And while some keyboards audibly make their presence known as you type at a furious pace, the key actuation on the Omen Max 16 was whisper-quiet.

Turning my attention to the Keyhero.com typing test, I plugged away at 95 words per minute with 97% accuracy, which is definitely on the high side for me (I’m usually in the mid-80s realm).

Given the Omen Max 16 price tag of over $4,500, I was disappointed that HP didn’t go with a haptic touchpad. Instead, we get a top-hinged trackpad that is just OK. It gets the job done, but for this much money, I’d prefer to be able to click anywhere on the touchpad surface without hitting a dead zone. At least while gaming, you probably use a mouse or controller.

Audio on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Audio quality is another area where I think HP missed the mark. To beat a dead horse, but this is a laptop that retails for $4,699, and it only comes with stereo speakers. Would it have killed HP to add another pair of speakers in this tank of a chassis?

While the speakers had good overall volume levels, I felt the sound lacked some depth compared to similarly priced laptops with four (Raider 16 Max HX) or even six speakers (Blade 16). While I was more than happy listening to Keane’s “Fly to Me” from the album Hopes and Fears, I was disappointed in the sound while playing Battlefield 6.

When it came to gunfire, vehicle sounds, and background explosions while gaming, I wasn't impressed. I prefer throwing on a pair of the best gaming headsets, but there’s still no excuse to drop the ball at this price point.

Upgradeability of the HyperX Omen Max 16

Six screws need to be extracted to remove the bottom aluminum panel. While that was easy enough, it’s only half the battle. All of the serviceable components (save for the readily accessible battery) are underneath an extensive metal shield. That shield is held in place by roughly a dozen screws, making upgrades a bit tedious.

Once the shield is removed, you’ll find access to the M.2 slot for the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, two SO-DIMM slots (both of which were filled on our review unit), and an additional M.2 slot for a second SSD. Yet another metal shield covers the first M.2 SSD slot, although I didn’t go through the process of removing another dozen screws to uncover it.

Battery Life on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Despite its considerable girth, the Omen Max 16 is equipped with just an 83 WHr battery. For comparison, the thinner and lighter Blade 16 manages to squeeze in a 90 WHr battery.

The Omen Max 16 lasted 5 hours and 7 minutes on our battery test, which consists of web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and OpenGL testing with the screen brightness set at 150 nits. This was over three hours shorter than the Raider 16 Max HX, while the Blade 16 lasted over twice as long on a charge (12:46).

Heat on the HyperX Omen Max 16

During the Metro Exodus stress test, we measured the Omen Max 16's keyboard at 106 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, while the touchpad was 84.9 F.

The hottest part of the laptop was near the rear center of the bottom of the chassis, which measured 114 F.

While running the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU measured 87 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 was cooler at 75 C.

Webcam on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Another area where it feels like HP skimped is with the webcam. Rather than going with a higher resolution unit, the Omen Max 16 features a bog-standard 1080p unit that looks about as good as one you’d find in a $1,000 entry-level gaming laptop.

The camera didn’t do particularly well with a nearby window where light was shining through, and there were a lot of noise artifacts in less-than-ideal light conditions. In addition, the camera didn’t really pick up fine details well, which is disappointing considering the price.

Software and Warranty on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Like many HP laptops, the HyperX Omen Max 16 comes loaded with additional software bloat that you can mostly ignore or simply delete. Scrolling down the list of “H” apps in the Start Menu, HP basically set up camp with no less than eight apps/shortcuts—everything from HP Documentation to HP Privacy Settings to HP TV+. In addition, you’ll find the usual third-party add-ons like McAfee and promotional links for Dropbox, Adobe, and Booking.com.

The only really useful preinstalled app is the Omen Gaming Hub. It gives you control over power modes, lets you see CPU/GPU/RAM utilization, and provides plenty of configuration options for the onboard RGB lighting.

The Omen Max 16 comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty.

HyperX Omen Max 16 Configurations

Our Omen Max 16 came configured with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of DDR5-6400 memory, a 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, RTX 5090 GPU, and a 16-inch 1600p 240 Hz OLED display. The MSRP on our review unit was a staggering $4,699.99.

There are also several less expensive options, with the cheapest being a $2,699 SKU with a Core Ultra 7 270HX processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an RTX 5080. For $3,099, you can swap the Core Ultra 7 270HX for an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 and double the SSD capacity to 2TB.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Omen Max 16 represents a swing and a miss. When I first saw the enormity of the chassis, I was looking forward to some impressive gaming performance given the 55W processor and 175W RTX 5090 onboard. Instead, what I was left with was a $4,699 gaming laptop that lingered in last place for most of the gaming benchmarks, and often by a large margin. Even the Razer Blade 16 with its 25W processor managed to get the upper hand in most benchmarks.

But the gaming wasn’t the only disappointment. Given the price tag, I would have expected a better-equipped machine. Where’s the haptic trackpad, and why do we only get two speakers? And on a minor annoyance angle, while I appreciate the two M.2 slots for storage and replaceable memory, why do I need to remove another dozen screws just to access those components?

In the end, the Omen Max 16 could have been so much more. Quite frankly, it would make sense to spend the extra $200 and grab a Razer Blade 16. Not only is it thinner and lighter (by two pounds), but it offers double the battery life.

Boy, sure is a hot one today, huh? Okay, I get the irony: that's a take so cold you could use it to replace your freezing Wim Hof showers. But when the metaphorical mercury creeps this high, you've got to keep your cool. The same goes for your laptop, which is why you might want to grab a laptop cooling pad this summer.

Fortunately for you, I've spent this week testing every laptop cooling pad I can get my hands on to see which offers the superior AC for your computer. Not only that, but I've brought receipts — this piece has more graphics and graphs than election night coverage. So if you want objective numbers about which pad is genuinely gusty and which is all bluster, I've got the data you need.

I get that it can be tempting to overlook cooling your laptop during warm weather — I've been more worried this summer about tracking down a fan to keep myself cool than my laptops. But you overlook the best laptop cooling pads at your peril.

I still have vivid memories of the summer I redlined my laptop during a heatwave. While the video skittering should have been a hint, it was only when it stopped booting up and started bleeping SOS in Morse code that I began questioning my life choices. Turns out I'd burnt out the memory — quite literally: there were scorch marks on the inside of the case.

So at this time of year, it's worth considering whether a laptop cooling pad can help you out. And I can definitely help out there.

Laptop cooling pads: cooling

Temperature Rise Using Laptop Cooling Pad

The temperature rise during a stress test while using the laptop cooling pad on max settings

Temperature difference (°C)Temperature difference (°F)

Baseline

31.9

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

22.8

Klim Mistral

20.4

Klim Wind

19.5

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

18.4

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

17.9

Klim Ultimate

15.5

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

15.3

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

12

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

8

010203040

Temperature difference (°C) Data

Product	Value
Baseline	31.9
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	22.8
Klim Mistral	20.4
Klim Wind	19.5
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	18.4
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	17.9
Klim Ultimate	15.5
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	15.3
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	12
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	8

Baseline

57.4

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

41

Klim Mistral

36.7

Klim Wind

35.1

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

33.1

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

32.2

Klim Ultimate

27.9

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

27.5

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

21.6

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

14.4

015304560

Temperature difference (°F) Data

Product	Value
Baseline	57.4
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	41
Klim Mistral	36.7
Klim Wind	35.1
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	33.1
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	32.2
Klim Ultimate	27.9
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	27.5
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	21.6
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	14.4

Lower values indicate better cooling.

Assessing which laptop cooling pad is a breezy wonder and which is a wheezy blunder ultimately comes down to how frosty each model's cooling is. That's why I went through every pad I could get my hands on to see how much each one prevented our gaming laptop from heating up during a 3DMark stress test.

As you can see, by far the weakest cooling offered by any laptop cooling pad I tested was from the TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad. Compared to the 57.4°F / 31.9°C baseline rise of our gaming laptop alone, the C12 was only able to limit it to a 41°F / 22.8°C rise — that might be better than frantically waving a dish towel in its general direction, but only barely.

Probably the biggest disappointment of these tests was how the Klim Mistral performed. Not only did it seem to perform worse than the more affordable Klim Wind — resulting in 36.7°F / 20.4°C warming compared to the Wind's 35.1°F / 19.5°C — but it was pretty inconsistent to boot, achieving even worse results on a retest.

Skipping ahead a little, the laptop cooling pad I was most surprised by was the TECKNET. Although it's cheaper than quite a few of the pads I tested here, setting me back just $21.59 / £21.99, the 32.2°F / 17.6°C warming it presided over put it firmly in the top half of the pack. It's the little laptop cooling pad that could.

Given that the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad and Klim Ultimate both achieved an almost photo finish, it would be easy to assume there's not much daylight between them. However, like a bottle of wine, you really need to weigh up what you're spending here to calculate its true value. And as the Liangstar costs $20.99 / £23.59 versus the Klim Ultimate's $44.97 / £44.97 price tag, that definitely takes the edge here.

But, frankly, there's a reason Llano is the absolute GOAT in my eyes. As you can see, it took both first and second place on my cooling pad podium. While the Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad stopped our gaming laptop from warming up more than 21.6°F / 12°C, the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad kept it down to just 14.4°F / 8°C of warming. This boi makes liquid nitrogen look positively toasty.

Laptop cooling pads: noise levels

Previous

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Next

Noise Level — cooling pad alone

Noise level of the cooling pad or laptop alone taken at head height and from 3 inches away

Head heightNear

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

71

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

64.5

Klim Mistral

52.6

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

45

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

43.5

Laptop alone

42

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

37.4

Klim Wind

36.2

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

36

Klim Ultimate

36

020406080

dB

Head height Data

Product	Value
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	71
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	64.5
Klim Mistral	52.6
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	45
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	43.5
Laptop alone	42
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	37.4
Klim Wind	36.2
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	36
Klim Ultimate	36

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

85

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

77

Klim Mistral

62.6

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

59

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

58

Laptop alone

60

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

50.2

Klim Wind

48.8

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

60

Klim Ultimate

46

0255075100

dB

Near Data

Product	Value
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	85
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	77
Klim Mistral	62.6
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	59
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	58
Laptop alone	60
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	50.2
Klim Wind	48.8
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	60
Klim Ultimate	46

Noise Level — cooling pad & laptop

Combined noise level of the cooling pad and laptop taken at head height and from 3 inches away

dB Head heightdB Near

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

64

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

57.5

Klim Mistral

51.5

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

45

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

45

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

45

Klim Ultimate

44.4

Klim Wind

44

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

44

020406080

dB Head height Data

Product	Value
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	64
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	57.5
Klim Mistral	51.5
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	45
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	45
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	45
Klim Ultimate	44.4
Klim Wind	44
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	44

Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad

79

Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad

69

Klim Mistral

61.5

TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad

58.5

TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad

58

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

59

Klim Ultimate

55.2

Klim Wind

58.5

Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad

61

020406080

dB Near Data

Product	Value
Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad	79
Llano V10 Gaming Laptop Cooling Pad	69
Klim Mistral	61.5
TopMate C12 Laptop Cooling Pad	58.5
TECKNET Laptop Cooling Pad	58
Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad	59
Klim Ultimate	55.2
Klim Wind	58.5
Almiuzi F2 Plus Laptop Cooling Pad	61

You may think that your gaming laptop makes a lot of noise. But believe me: that's scarcely more than a murmur compared to some cooling pads. Given they're essentially just an LED-adorned box with a whopping great fan inside, they can get pretty shouty. That's why I grabbed the sound level meter from my utility belt and started measuring like the world's nerdiest superhero.

Perhaps predictably, the pad that blows coolest blows loudest. While I love the Llano RGB Laptop Cooling Pad's glacial chilling, I can't get away from the fact that it's pretty noisy. I'm 5 foot 11 inches tall, and from my head height, I clocked it at 71dB — according to the Center for Hearing and Communication, that's roughly as loud as a coffee grinder or freeway traffic. In my book, that's a worthy price to pay for keeping your laptop cool, but it might not be ideal if you're planning to use it in the office.

In fact, you might assume there's an inverse relationship between cooling and fan noise. And while that does hold true for the most part, there are some interesting exceptions. For example, while I found the Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad offered the third best cooling in my tests overall, it was substantially quieter than either of the Llanos, clocking in at a much less brash 45dB.

Conversely, the Klim Mistral manages to buck the trend in the other direction, running surprisingly loud compared to some of the other competitors here. At 52dB, it kicks out a similar level of noise as a fridge — which is pretty ironic given it offered some of the worst cooling in my testing.

And there are some surprising candidates for the winner's podium when it comes to sound levels. The TECKNET offers far from the worst cooling, and yet it ties for first place as the quietest pad on test here at 36dB — again, not at all bad given its super affordable price tag.

Honestly, though, if you want whisper-quiet running without sacrificing performance, my pro tip would be to check out the Klim Ultimate. Unlike Klim's two cheaper cooling pads, it offers very credible chilling while also measuring noise levels of 36dB from head height — that's apparently quieter than a library, which isn't known for being a raucous place.

Fundamentally, noise levels probably shouldn't be the deciding factor when picking your perfect laptop cooling pad. Both cooling power and budget come higher up the pecking order in terms of my personal preferences. But that doesn't mean you should ignore it completely — depending on where and how you use your laptop, you could find strapping a jet engine to the bottom of it to be a bit of a deal breaker.

Do I even need a laptop cooling pad?

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MacBook Air M5 encode test

Performance after an hour during a standard encode test both with and without cooling

Versus Comparison Data

Attribute	Benchmark — MacBook Air M5	Klim Ultimate — MacBook Air M5
Average FPS	2.52	2.77
Estimated encode time	122	114

Benchmark — MacBook Air M5Klim Ultimate — MacBook Air M5

VS

Benchmark — MacBook Air M5Klim Ultimate — MacBook Air M5

Average FPS (fps)

2.52

2.77+10%

Estimated encode time (minutes)

+7%122

114

Re-encoding a 4K stereo .mov file at highest quality, the MacBook Air M5 showed a modest reduction in throttling in terms of average FPS and encode time when using the Klim Ultimate laptop cooling pad.

Acer Predator Helios 300 encode test

Performance after an hour during a standard encode test both with and without cooling

Versus Comparison Data

Attribute	Benchmark — Acer Predator Helios 300	Klim Ultimate — Acer Predator Helios 300
Average FPS	2.8	2.8
Estimated encode time	115	113

Benchmark — Acer Predator Helios 300Klim Ultimate — Acer Predator Helios 300

VS

Benchmark — Acer Predator Helios 300Klim Ultimate — Acer Predator Helios 300

Average FPS (fps)

2.8

2.8

Estimated encode time (minutes)

+2%115

113

Re-encoding a 4K stereo .mov file at highest quality, the Acer Predator Helios 300 showed essentially no reduction in either average FPS or estimated encode time, suggesting limited heat-related throttling took place.

So it's pretty clear which cooling pads offer ice-cold AC and which sound like a tumble dryer breaking the sound barrier. But I've left the biggest question until last — do you actually need one at all?

Aiming to prove my theorem that 'cold CPU = good', I whipped up a quick encode test designed to stress out the CPU of several laptops over a longer period. In theory, after an hour, their core temperature should have risen, their CPUs throttled, and the length of the encode spiked and the encode rate dropped. Running the same test with one of our top cooling pads, the Klim Ultimate, would then show how much it could reduce this throttling.

On my MacBook Air M5, after an hour of using its passive cooling alone, the total estimated encode time had crept up to 122 minutes, and the average encode rate was sitting at 2.52 FPS. When I reran the test with the Klim Ultimate running on max cooling, that total encode time was trimmed to 114 minutes, and the encode rate had increased to 2.77 FPS. That's not a huge difference, but it shows the Klim Ultimate was able to trim back some of that temperature-related throttling.

Running the same test on our Acer Predator Helios 300 was a much more ambiguous experience. During my first run, the encode crashed within minutes, and during the second it crashed moments after the test concluded. So it was honestly far from stable.

I was able to eventually get some results, however, and they showed... nothing. Whether I was using the Klim Ultimate or not, the test results were essentially identical, with Handbrake clocking an estimated encode time of 115 minutes uncooled and 113 with the Klim's help. Meanwhile, the encode rate remained steady, sitting at a reasonable 2.8 FPS.

What does that mean? That I've wasted several hours of my life? Not quite. There are a couple of key conclusions to take away from this. One is that a performance laptop with whacking great fans built in is already pretty good at keeping itself cool. Shocking revelation, I know.

But probably the more critical takeaway is that the mileage you get out of a laptop cooling pad is going to vary depending on how well optimized it is for handling heat, as well as the kind of tasks you're doing. Had I tried to run Cyberpunk 2077 on max graphics settings with ray-tracing switched on, the Predator Helios 300 would likely have caused it to melt into the earth's core.

There's also another caveat. While it's definitely been warm the last week or so in the TechRadar testing lab, it hasn't reached the kind of desiccating highs that have hit both the US and UK in recent months. Past a certain point, any laptop will struggle in the heat. Forget CPU throttling — in that heat, I'd be more worried about your components liquefying like a chocolate bunny on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

In light of that, I'd say a laptop cooling pad is still worth exploring, especially if you tend to do a lot of resource-intensive tasks like 3D work, Photoshopping or gaming.

Any thoughts or personal experiences you'd like to share? Please feel free to chime in down in the comments!

I’ve used thousands of laptops over the years, between testing and trade shows, so it isn’t often that an issue pops up that I haven’t encountered before. But that’s exactly what happened recently while working with Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI (review coming soon). This unassuming mid-range portable packs AMD’s Gorgon Point silicon, alongside a large IPS screen and a roomy 7-inch touchpad – nothing groundbreaking, but a solid, svelte system with a metal shell and an affordable price (at least when it’s on sale).

But pretty quickly, when I started setting it up and photographing it, I noticed that the screen would often go black, briefly, when I tried typing, and I would then get kicked out to the Windows lock screen. Since I was using a local account with no password to type in, this was only a minor annoyance at first. But it kept happening – not every time I tried to use the laptop, but often enough that I pretty quickly decided that the review unit must be faulty. Eventually, I reached out to Acer to explain and show them the problem.

Company engineers thought it might be a software conflict, and suggested I reset the system, which I did, to no avail. The screen was still flashing black and kicking me out to the lock screen. In fact, after some experimenting, I could sometimes make the issue occur when I was barely even touching the touchpad. I discussed it with colleagues, sent them the same video I had sent to Acer, and became convinced it was some kind of strange electrical fault with the touchpad. I eventually got a second review unit of the laptop, but by that time I was onto other priorities, so it sat for a week or so, until I decided to at least bring the original “faulty” laptop back to the office so I could box it up and return it to Acer.

Before I boxed it up to send back to Acer for their evaluation, though, I decided to show another colleague, Tom’s Guide’s lab tester Arif Bacchus, in our New York office. He watched me demonstrate the problem for about ten seconds before casually suggesting, “I think it might be your watch.”

This hadn’t even occurred to me, but as soon as he said it, everything started to fall into place in my mind. I had been wearing my Galaxy Watch 7 this and every time I had the issue, because I wear my watch pretty much whenever it isn’t charging. And my watch band (which Amazon tells me I’ve had since May of last year) has a magnetic clasp on the bottom, which sits a few inches behind my right wrist when I’m wearing it. And as I moved my wrist across the lower-right edge of the laptop, the screen went black for a second, and I was once again kicked back to the Windows lock screen.

The touchpad was never the issue, and the laptop isn’t faulty – although it does have a lid sensor that is triggered by a magnet embedded in the upper-right bezel, which can also be triggered by most other magnets if they get close to the bottom-right of the deck. I was able to duplicate the issue with a fridge magnet, a magnetic Qi 2 accessory, and a borrowed Apple Watch, which also had a band with a magnetic clasp.

While perhaps not the greatest of design choices, this is, to be clear, an issue that probably won’t affect a large portion of people. To run into the problem I had with this laptop specifically, you’d need to have a magnetic watch band and either be left-handed or the odd right-hander like me who also likes wearing their watch on their right wrist.

I wasn’t able to replicate this issue on any of the four other laptops (Dell, Apple, Lenovo, and Framework models) around my desk area. And the issue must be quite rare as, again, I have been wearing this watch band every day for 14 months or so, at CES in Las Vegas and two Computexes in Taiwan, where I put my fingers on dozens of laptops, and have never encountered screens that dim or turn off as my hands land on the keyboard deck.

There are definitely other documented instances of this happening, though. Once I knew what to look for, it was easy to find a few (but not particularly a lot) of discussions about this and related issues, on Reddit, Apple, Dell, and Acer forums, and a Medium article about Chromebooks confusing Apple watches. Some older mentions also note that magnetic bracelets can cause the same issue (somewhat obviously).

Clearly, this isn’t a new problem, but it isn’t well known. It was confusing enough that I was convinced the laptop was faulty and asked for a replacement. If I owned this Acer, it probably would have led me to return it and deal with an RMA process, only to eventually get another laptop that, even more frustratingly, would have the same issue. And yes, the replacement Swift Go 16 AI that Acer sent was also fooled by my watch band.

So what do you do if you have a laptop with a lid sensor that is triggered by your watch band? Your options should be pretty obvious.

You could get a new, non-magnetic band. I do love the convenience and easy removal of my current band, but this is probably the simplest solution.

You could learn to love wearing your watch on your opposite arm. For most people, this might be tough, but I do switch up watch arms now and then when my right wrist gets irritated by the fact that I track nearly every waking and sleeping moment of my life with my smartwatch. And if you aren’t using your PC during most of your waking hours like me, switching your watch to your other arm or taking it off just while working or gaming might be easy enough.

Also, if you just bought a laptop that is triggered by your favorite watch band, and you don’t want to give that up, you could return the laptop for something else.

The good news is that it’s unlikely any other random model you choose will have the same problem. Perhaps this magnetic sensor issue is more common on Chromebooks (which I tend to avoid), but none of the dozens of other laptop models I’ve put my wrists on since May of 2025 have been triggered by my watch strap. So if you’re unlucky enough to be struck by the curious watch strap laptop curse once, it probably won’t happen with the next laptop you choose. Still, it’s always good to check out a laptop in a store, if you can, for this and several other reasons.