Reviews
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Dell Revives XPS Brand with New Laptops
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Dell is reviving its XPS brand, introducing the XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops at CES 2026, after a brief rebranding to names like Premium and Pro. These new models feature sleek, thin designs, improved battery life, and Intel’s latest Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 processors, aiming to recapture the "Extreme Performance System" reputation. They come with enhanced features such as proper function keys, subtle trackpad boundary lines, and the option for bright OLED displays, though they lack discrete graphics. The XPS 14 and 16 start at $1,649.99 and $1,849.99 respectively, with configurations available in early 2026, and a new XPS 13 is teased to be the thinnest yet, set to arrive later in the year. This matters as Dell's return to the XPS brand could strengthen its position in the competitive laptop market by appealing to users seeking high-performance Windows alternatives to MacBooks.
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HyperX’s Customizable Gaming Keyboards Unveiled
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HyperX has unveiled its next-generation Origins wired keyboards at CES 2026, emphasizing performance and customization. The new Origins 2 and Origins 2 Pro models are 65-percent keyboards featuring high-profile keys with hot-swappable switches, allowing users to easily customize without soldering. The Pro model includes Hall effect switches with advanced features like rapid trigger and adjustable actuation points. Additionally, users can customize the keyboard's appearance by changing the housing and using 3D-printed designs. Both models offer an 8K polling rate for faster input registration, although the difference may not be noticeable for most users. This matters because it highlights the growing trend towards customizable and high-performance gaming peripherals, catering to both casual and competitive gamers.
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HP’s Omen Laptops Feature HyperX Branding
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HP's new Omen gaming laptops have undergone a branding shift, prominently featuring the HyperX name, a company owned by HP. While the exterior design remains largely unchanged from the previous year's models, significant upgrades have been made to the specifications. The Omen 15, replacing the Victus 15, offers a 15.3-inch display with options up to a 3K 120Hz OLED screen, and comes with the latest Intel or AMD processors and Nvidia RTX graphics cards. The Omen 16 and Omen Max 16 models provide further enhancements, such as higher screen resolutions and refresh rates, along with customizable RAM configurations. These changes reflect HP's focus on performance and customization in their gaming laptops, although pricing and release dates are yet to be announced. This matters as it highlights the evolving landscape of gaming technology and HP's strategic branding decisions to enhance market appeal.
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HyperX’s 2026 Gaming Monitors Unveiled at CES
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HP's 2026 lineup of HyperX gaming monitors, unveiled at CES, showcases advanced features and competitive pricing, particularly with the QD-OLED models. The HyperX Omen OLED 27q offers a 27-inch 1440p display with a 240Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium compatibility, expected to be priced around $400. The Omen 27qs elevates the refresh rate to 500Hz and introduces HyperX ProLuma for superior color accuracy, alongside a USB-C video port and KVM switch, although pricing is yet to be announced. Additionally, the lineup includes a 34-inch curved ultrawide QD-OLED with a 360Hz refresh rate priced at $1,199, and an entry-level 23.8-inch 1080p model aimed at budget-conscious gamers. These monitors highlight HP's commitment to delivering high-performance gaming displays with versatile features.
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MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX: Slimmer Design, Stronger Specs
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The MSI Crosshair 16 Max HX gaming laptop, unveiled at CES, offers improved specifications within a slimmer design, being 14.3 percent thinner than its predecessor. It features a second-generation Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series GPU, up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 16-inch 240Hz OLED display. The laptop supports MSI OverBoost Ultra, enabling significant boosts to both GPU and CPU performance, while maintaining a subtle design with minimal RGB accents. Scheduled for release in April 2026, it will start at $1,649, appealing to gamers seeking high performance in a more compact form. This matters as it reflects the ongoing trend of enhancing gaming laptops' power and portability, meeting the demands of modern gamers.
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Asus Unveils New OLED Gaming Monitors with RGB Stripe Tech
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Asus is introducing three new OLED gaming monitors featuring "RGB stripe" technology, promising enhanced texture clarity and color rendering consistency. This technology aligns subpixels in vertical RGB stripes, leading to improved clarity and color accuracy, making these monitors ideal for gaming, everyday computing, and content creation. The 27-inch ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM boasts Tandem OLED tech for superior brightness, color gamut, and longevity, with options for 4K 240Hz or FHD 480Hz, and includes advanced connectivity options. The 34-inch ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDN and ROG Strix OLED XG34WCDMS use quantum dot OLED panels for deeper blacks, with refresh rates of up to 360Hz and 280Hz, respectively, and they support true 10-bit color. These monitors are designed to enhance the viewing experience across various uses, though availability details remain unspecified.
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HP OmniStudio X: New Features and Specs
Read Full Article: HP OmniStudio X: New Features and Specs
HP's updated 27-inch OmniStudio X desktop features Intel’s next-gen processors and Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU, enhancing performance for users who need to share work efficiently. A notable addition is the adjustable webcam, which can tilt downwards to showcase the user's desk during presentations. The inclusion of Thunderbolt Share allows seamless file transfer between two Thunderbolt-connected PCs. While the RTX 5050 is not designed for heavy graphics tasks, HP offers models with integrated graphics for less demanding needs. However, some drawbacks include the lack of updates for the larger 31.5-inch model and a reduction in display resolution from 4K to QHD. Release dates and pricing details remain undisclosed. This matters because it highlights the trend towards more integrated and collaborative technology in professional settings.
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Chips Challenge Intel & AMD
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Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Plus chips, aiming to challenge Intel and AMD with claims of superior performance and efficiency for Windows PCs. The X2 Elite targets high-end laptops, while the X2 Plus is designed for budget machines, both expected to hit the market by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Despite fewer CPU cores, the Plus chips promise competitive performance against low-power Intel chips, and both chipsets boast impressive AI capabilities with an 80 TOPS NPU. While gaming performance might not be groundbreaking, Qualcomm is enhancing graphics driver support, and both chips offer significant power efficiency improvements, potentially leading to multi-day battery life. This development matters as it could shift the competitive landscape in the laptop market, offering consumers more choices and potentially driving innovation and cost-effectiveness.
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Audeze’s Maxwell 2 Headset: Magnetic Ear Pads & More
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Audeze, now under Sony's ownership, has introduced an upgraded Maxwell gaming headset featuring magnetically attachable ear pads for easy replacement. The Maxwell 2, available for PlayStation and Xbox, supports multiple platforms and boasts an impressive 80-hour battery life. Equipped with 90mm magnetic drivers, it offers a wide frequency range and minimal distortion, enhancing audio clarity from subtle sounds to powerful explosions. Additional enhancements include a ventilated strap, Audeze’s SLAM technology for improved bass, a removable AI-powered noise-canceling boom mic, and wireless connectivity via USB-C dongle or Bluetooth 5.3. This matters as it enhances the gaming experience with improved comfort, sound quality, and versatility.
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Anker’s AeroFit 2 Pro: Open-Ear or ANC Earbuds
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Anker has introduced the AeroFit 2 Pro headphones, which offer versatility with an adjustable ear hook design that allows them to function as both open-ear headphones and ANC earbuds. The headphones feature sensors that adjust the EQ for optimal sound performance in both modes and use six microphones with Adaptive ANC 3.0 for dynamic noise cancellation. However, the new model has a reduced battery life compared to its predecessor, offering up to 7 hours in open-ear mode and 5 hours in ANC mode. Anker also announced the Sleep A30 Special, which integrates ANC and Calm Sleep Stories, and the Boom Go 3i Bluetooth speaker with a 4,800mAh battery. These innovations highlight Anker's focus on providing flexible audio solutions for various user needs.