At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Beautiful high-refresh rate OLED display Good price for that OLED Solid performance per dollar Lots of ports Cons Doesn’t pull far ahead of RTX 5070-powered laptops NPU is too slow for Copilot+ PC AI features 12 GB VRAM is low for GPU-heavy AI models Bad speakers Our Verdict The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI feels like it was meant to be a gaming laptop and the marketing department wanted to slap “AI” on it. It’s a reasonable midrange gaming laptop with a stunning OLED display. If you want AI laptop features, though — look elsewhere. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is a 16-inch gaming laptop with solid hardware for a reasonable price. But if you’re looking for a true “AI laptop,” this isn’t it. The neural processing unit (NPU) is too slow to handle Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC AI features nor is it ready to run the most current AI tasks. Many buyers don’t realize that modern “AI laptops” often fall short of Microsoft’s advertised standards. Like other gaming laptops rebranded as AI laptops, this machine would excel at GPU-based AI tasks, but no more than any other gaming laptop. With 12 GB of VRAM, the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU here isn’t ideal for local AI models. (For example, OpenAI’s new gpt-oss-20B model is intended for GPUs with at least 16 GB of VRAM.) Moving beyond the AI branding, this is a fine laptop — if we treat it as a gaming laptop and not an AI laptop. And this OLED display at less than $2,000 is extremely impressive. So, for the rest of this review, I’ll just treat it like a gaming laptop. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Specs The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S is a 16-inch gaming laptop with a blazing-fast 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, a current-generation Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. That’s the Best Buy-exclusive configuration we reviewed, and it retails for $1,899. The RAM and storage are end user-upgradable, too. All you have to do is remove the bottom cover. Model number: PHN16S-71-98RF CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Memory: 32 GB DDR5 6400 MHz RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 12GB NPU: Intel AI Boost (up to 13 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 2560×1600 OLED display with 240Hz refresh rate Storage: 1 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C (1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps), 3x USB Type-A (2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI 2.1 out, 1x Ethernet, 1x microSD card reader, 1x combo audio jack, 1x DC power in Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 76 Watt-hours Dimensions: 14.06 x 10.9 x 1.01 inches Weight: 4.8 pounds MSRP: $1,899 as tested If you want a 16-inch OLED with 240Hz refresh rate for under $2,000, you should seriously consider this machine.” Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is a 16-inch gaming laptop that lands somewhere between the thinnest gaming laptops and the chunkiest ones. At just under five pounds, it’s still plenty portable for a gaming laptop. It’s all black, aside from a reflective Predator logo on the lid and a silver logo on the keyboard tray. The good news is that there’s no “AI” logo anywhere on this machine. While Acer doesn’t specify the materials in its reviewer’s guide, the lid appears to be made of a black aluminum, with much of the rest of the machine made of a black plastic. It feels solid. The hinge also feels nice and smooth, and it’s easy to open with a single hand. While the keyboard lights up with multicolored LEDs if you want it, the rest of the machine in its “Obsidian Black” color scheme is restrained, and it could pass for more of a professional laptop than a gaming laptop. There are no light bars or other effects elsewhere on the laptop. That silver “Predator” logo below the keyboard marks it as a gaming laptop, however. It’s a solid laptop. It feels sturdy, and the plastic finish doesn’t feel cheap. At an inch thick, it’s a reasonable thickness for a gaming laptop. But it doesn’t feel quite as luxurious to the touch as an all-metal laptop chassis. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI has a full-size keyboard complete with a number pad (there’s plenty of room for it) and four zones of RGB LED backlighting. That customizable backlighting lets you set up colorful effects without the cost of including more expensive per-key RGB backlighting. With 1.5mm of key travel, this is a standard membrane-style chiclet keyboard on a gaming laptop of this size. There’s plenty of room for enough key travel to make the keyboard feel nice without any extra tricks. It feels fine — not mushy — but it doesn’t feel as unusually snappy as when manufacturers go the extra mile to include a mechanical keyboard or one with extra actuation force. The trackpad is a good size, smooth, and responsive. The surface isn’t as smooth as a glass touchpad, and there’s perhaps a little more friction than on some other trackpad finishes I’ve used recently — plus the click-down action lands with a bit more of a “thunk” than a “click” — but it’s fine. It’s a standard touchpad, but nothing that stands out against its competitors. I game with a mouse, anyway, and I’d be happy using this while I wasn’t gaming. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI has a 16-inch 2560×1600 OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate and up to 400 nits of brightness (peaking a bit higher in HDR mode.) It supports HDR and Nvidia G-Sync, too. The display looks great — I’m a sucker for a good OLED. I’m excited to see an OLED with such a high refresh rate, too. For years, it felt like you had to pick between OLED or a high refresh rate on a gaming laptop. You can get displays that are brighter or even higher resolution on a gaming laptop, but this one looks good with the deep blacks you’ll find on an OLED. While this is very nice OLED, it’s not the best one I’ve seen. While playing Doom: The Dark Ages, the blacks on this OLED display looked nice and deep, but these aren’t the vivid colors and high brightness I normally see on an OLED-powered laptop. In a lot of ways, it reminds me more of a good IPS display. That’s not a surprise due to that 400 nits brightness. The blacks are nice and deep, but the colors aren’t as vivid as I see on brighter OLEDs. As an OLED, it’s a little glossy and prone to reflections, and that can be an issue in a bright room, more brightness usually helps overpower these reflections. I test the speakers on every laptop I review by playing Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The Helios Neo 16S AI’s two stereo speakers delivered plenty of volume. They did a better job in Get Lucky than in Aja with its precise instrument separation. But the upper midrange was a little harsh, especially at higher volume settings — something that really comes through in sounds like the singing in Get Lucky‘s chorus. I found the upper midranges fatiguing after just a few minutes in Doom: The Dark Ages, too. I don’t like the way the speakers sound, and I would really want to use headphones while gaming. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI has a 1080p webcam that looks fine for a gaming laptop. In fact, I’d say it’s on the better side for a gaming laptop, though the color and general image quality aren’t up there with business laptops optimized for video conferencing. Since Acer is pushing AI features for the webcam and microphone, it’s worth noting that the “PurifiedView” button in the PredatorSense app’s “Experience Zone” just opens Windows Studio Effects webcam settings — you’ll get these particular effects (automatic framing, eye contact, and background blur) on basically any laptop with this NPU. And you’ll get more on a Copilot+ PC that delivers extra features. The microphone setup was on the quiet side and not particularly high-quality. That’s normal for gaming laptops, but Acer markets this as a three-microphone setup for crystal-clear voice quality. You’ll probably be using an external microphone, anyway. This machine has Acer Purified Voice features you can tweak in the PredatorSense’s “Experience Zone,” and they’re an improvement over no effects. However, stronger microphone hardware would deliver a better voice input experience than these trendy AI effects do. You don’t need an “AI laptop” for background noise removal, anyway. This machine has an IR camera for facial recognition with Windows Hello, so you can sign in with your face. As usual on modern laptops, it works well. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI has a good collection of ports that are positioned well. But it also has one of the big problems I tend to see on laptops like these — USB port confusion. On the left side, the machine offers an Ethernet jack, a USB Type-A port, a microSD card reader, and combo audio jack. On the right side, it’s got two more USB Type-A ports. On the back, you’ll find a DC power in jack, HDMI 2.1 out, and two USB Type-C ports (one is Thunderbolt 4 and one is USB 3.2). That’s a great location and means cables like power in and video out are coming out the back of your laptop and aren’t in the way of your mouse and other things on your desk. The annoyance is the usual USB port confusion. On the back, one of the USB Type-C ports is a Thunderbolt 4 port while the other operates at USB 3.2 speeds. You’ll need to keep an eye on which is which if you have Thunderbolt 4 devices or you’ll find them operating at reduced speeds. This laptop features Killer Wi-Fi 6E hardware and Bluetooth 5.4 support, and it thankfully has that 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port for wired networking. It’s disappointing that Acer skipped Wi-Fi 7 here. It’s not a big deal, but Wi-Fi 7 support would make it more futureproof. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Performance I put the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI to the test in Doom: The Dark Ages, and it performed well — as it should with this CPU and GPU! Under load, the fans aren’t unusually loud for a gaming laptop. They blow hot air out of both the back and sides. I’d prefer if they only blew it out the back. The keyboard can also get a little toasty, especially in the middle. As always, we ran the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. This is an overall system benchmark, but the CPU is a huge factor here. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI delivered a solid score of 8,320 thanks to its speedy Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With an average multithreaded Cinebench R20 score of 13,072, this laptop was a bit behind some competitors with the same CPU, possibly suggesting cooling may be a factor. IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The Helios Neo 16S completed the encode process in an average of 562 seconds. That’s over nine minutes. Again, we see it slipping behind similar laptops that presumably have better cooling systems and need less throttling under load. If I were approaching this as an AI laptop and saying you might be looking to do CPU inference, I’d point out this is a real issue — you’d want a laptop with better cooling to run heavy CPU-crunching tasks for extended periods of time. (But, since we’ve left the idea of this being an AI workstation behind, it’s fine and likely won’t have a huge effect on gaming performance.) IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. First, we run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. The Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU here produced a Time Spy score of 13,528. A benchmark like this one is all about the GPU. What’s interesting here is the RTX 5070 Ti in this machine doesn’t pull very far ahead of the RTX 5070 in the Alienware 16X Aurora. It’s ahead, but only by a little bit. Comparing on-paper GPU speeds, it should be ahead by a lot! The cause is likely the TDP. In this machine, the RTX 5070 Ti is limited to 115 W max, so it can’t take full advantage of the 5070 Ti’s theoretically higher performance in the ideal world. (The Alienware 16X Aurora also runs its 5070 at a 115 W TDP.) IDG / Chris Hoffman Then, we benchmark some games. We start with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an older game, but a great way to compare performance across hardware. With an average FPS of 160 in our standard benchmark here, this machine is in line with other similar laptops and even ones with faster RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs. IDG / Chris Hoffman Finally, we benchmark a demanding game. We run the Extreme benchmark in Metro Exodus. With an average FPS of 56 in this benchmark, this comes in roughly where we’d expect to see it — behind RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 laptops. Again, this is only a hair faster than the RTX 5070 in the Alienware 16X Aurora. While the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S does have a faster GPU, the advantages are marginal at this TDP level. Overall, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI performed fine. But it doesn’t take full advantage of its hardware. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX doesn’t deliver the kind of sustained performance it can on competing PCs (likely due to the cooling hardware), for example. More importantly, while the choice of a faster RTX 5070 Ti GPU looks like a big on-paper win that will deliver faster performance than an RTX 5070, the TDP here means that the GPU in this machine performs similarly to machines with RTX 5070 GPUs running at the high end of what they can manage. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Battery life The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI has a 76 Watt-hour battery, which is middle of the road for a gaming laptop. Still, it helps keep weight down and you aren’t going to game on battery power anyway. IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. Also, since this laptop has an OLED screen that doesn’t have to use extra power to display the black bars around the video, that gives it a bit of an edge against competing laptops with IPS displays on this test. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI lasted for an average of 371 minutes in our benchmark — that’s just over six hours. You’ll get less in the real world, so this laptop won’t make it through a workday (maybe not even have a workday) before you must plug it in. That’s standard for gaming laptops with power-hungry Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processors. Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI: Conclusion If you want a 16-inch OLED with 240Hz refresh rate for under $2,000, you should seriously consider this machine. Asus’s ROG Zephyrus G16 is another 16-inch laptop with an RTX 5070 Ti, a slower Intel Core Ultra 9 285H CPU, and a 240Hz refresh rate, and Asus’s online store has it at $2,799 as I’m wrapping up this review. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI tries a few other gimmicks. The “AI” branding isn’t a reason to buy this PC over another gaming laptop. And the RTX 5070 Ti GPU — a win on paper — is held back and doesn’t deliver the theoretical high-end performance it might. If you aren’t excited by this OLED at this price, I recommend you consider other options. This display at this price is this machine’s standout feature, not AI. Read...

As the world’s leading brand in photography accessories, Ulanzi has built its name on affordable, creator-friendly photography gear. It has unveiled its latest all-in-one control and connectivity station — the D200H Deck Dock — a device packed with a 7-in-1 docking station, 14 customizable LCD keys, and AI-powered automation, which greatly streamlines creative workflows for videographers, live streamers, photographers, and video editors. Priced at 50% less than competing solutions, the D200H delivers superior functionality with an impressive 92% user satisfaction rate from beta testing. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive deep into what makes this creator hub special. Hardware-Software Synergy: A Creator’s Dream Machine ?14 Customizable LCD Keys Meet 7-in-1 Docking Ulanzi D200H Deck Dock combines tactile control with unified connectivity in a way we haven’t seen before. The 14 LCD keys offer sub-millisecond response times—critical for live production environments where every millisecond counts. Creators can assign macros for everything from OBS scene transitions to Premiere Pro timeline edits to Zoom meeting controls. For all its specs, the D200H’s biggest win is how it simplifies the desk. It replaces: A USB-C dock An SD card reader A Stream Deck A separate lighting remote ?AI-Powered Workflow Automation One of the defining features of the D200H is its built-in AI trigger system. A single key can be assigned to launch ChatGPT for live chat moderation, auto-generate meeting summaries, or apply batch presets in Adobe Lightroom. With this single-button activation, creators can: Trigger ChatGPT for live chat moderation during streams Generate meeting summaries without leaving their workflow Batch-apply Lightroom presets across hundreds of photos This isn’t just about hardware—it’s about intelligent automation that adapts to your creative process. Beyond these two standout features, the D200H takes customization further with three groundbreaking innovations tailored to specific creator needs. Let’s explore how these scenario-specific enhancements transform workflows across different scenarios. For Gaming Live Streamers: No Lag Game streamers will appreciate the low-latency scene switching that minimizes alt-tab delays—a common frustration during intense gameplay. The chat interaction suite allows for: One-touch commands like “!clip” or “!drop” Automated moderation triggers Instant emote displays For Photographers & Designers: Photoshop Efficiency The D200H includes 39 instant-access Photoshop shortcuts—a game-changer for professionals. Frequently used functions like Free Transform, Redo, or New File creation are now literally at your fingertips. No more menu diving when inspiration strikes. Beta testers reported completing color grading tasks 40% faster and layer management 35% more efficiently compared to traditional workflows. Lighting Control: Ecosystem Integration Done Right Ulanzi has created something truly unique with its lighting integration. The D200H serves as a central command hub for: Ulanzi’s lighting products (VL series, AL series, etc.) Major smart home systems (Mi Home, Haier, Midea) Professional lighting setups via Home Assistant/HomeBridge The intelligent lighting recommendations automatically adjust based on your content type—whether you’re streaming, shooting portraits, or photographing products. View Ulanzi D200H Desk Dock at Amazon Conclusion The Ulanzi D200H Deck Dock is more than a control deck, and more than a docking station — it’s a hybrid device that recognizes how messy, multi-platform, and multi-purpose modern creative work has become. By blending tactile control, AI automation, unified connectivity, and environmental integration, Ulanzi has built a product that can serve as the literal and figurative hub of a creator’s workspace. Whether its primary role is to command a live broadcast, accelerate a Photoshop session, or keep a gaming stream smooth and interactive, the D200H appears ready to meet the challenge. Its combination of price, feature set, and compatibility gives it a competitive edge, while its integration with Ulanzi’s broader ecosystem hints at how the brand plans to connect its hardware line-up in the future. For creators who have been piecing together a mix of docks, decks, and control panels, the D200H’s all-in-one approach could prove both a space saver and a workflow upgrade. And for Ulanzi, it’s a signal that the company is no longer just making accessories — it’s building creative command centers. Buy the Ulanzi D200H Desk Dock You can pick up the D200H Desk Dock direct from Ulanzi, or via Amazon. Act now to take advantage of an early-bird deal, knocking $20 off the $89.99 retail price – but hurry, it’s only available for two weeks. Get Ulanzi D200H Desk Dock for just $69.99! View Early-Bird Price Read...

Remember back when Windows 11 first came out and Microsoft gave everyone a free pass to upgrade? On the surface, it was a generous move; in actuality, it was a ploy to lure us away from Windows 10. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Obviously, if Microsoft was giving something away, it was going to come with a catch. In this case, it’s all the ads that are being added to Windows 11, going above and beyond what we’ve seen in previous versions. Fortunately, we can disable those ads… for now, at least. If you’re fed up with all the ads and recommendations throughout Windows 11, there are plenty of ways to push back. Here are the settings you need to turn off to ditch Windows’ worst ads. Further reading: 13 important Windows settings to change immediately Shut down Start menu ads Jon Martindale / IDG The Start menu has been fertile ground for Microsoft’s “Recommended” apps since Windows 10, and it’s alive and well in the latest builds of Windows 11. Fortunately, it’s straightforward to turn off. Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Start, then look for the option titled “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more” and toggle it to Off. Ditch Windows notification ads Jon Martindale / IDG I’m not a fan of notifications. I have enough trouble concentrating on tasks day to day without pop-ups and alerts distracting me — and the last thing I need are ads disguised as important notifications. Let’s turn those off, shall we? And while we’re at it, let’s remove those pesky full-screen “Finish setting up” prompts, too. Navigate to Settings > System > Notifications. Scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find Additional settings. Click to expand those options, then uncheck the boxes for “Get tips and suggestions when using Windows,” “Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device,” and “Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what’s new and suggested.” Phew, what a mouthful. Stop suggested ads in Settings Jon Martindale / IDG Fed up with Microsoft’s “suggestions” for Copilot and other features in the Settings app? You can turn those off, too. Navigate to Settings > Privacy and Security > General, then toggle the option for “Show me suggested content in the Settings app” to Off. Remove File Explorer ads Jon Martindale / IDG OneDrive may not be one of our top-pick cloud backup services, but it’s still pretty good and affordable. The problem is, being bombarded with ads for it can be a huge turn-off — and if you’re like me, you’re probably sick of those ads in File Explorer. Here’s how to switch those off. Open File Explorer and select the three-dot menu in the actions toolbar. Select Options followed by the View tab. Scroll down to near the bottom of the list and look for “Show sync provider notifications.” Make sure it’s unchecked, then select OK. Eliminate widget feed ads Jon Martindale / IDG If you make use of Windows’ widgets, you know all too well that they often try to push you towards breaking stories, stock updates, and other content that may be irrelevant to you. To disable those, you can either turn off specific feeds or disable widgets entirely. To remove an individual widget feed, select the widget icon at the bottom-left of your screen, then select the cog icon at the top-right of the widget window. Select Show or hide feeds and switch the feed(s) to Off. To remove widgets entirely, right-click on your taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Then, toggle “Widgets” to Off. Disable manufacturer bloatware ads Joel Lee / IDG If you bought your PC or laptop from a major manufacturer like Dell, Lenovo, or HP, there’s a good chance it came preloaded with unsolicited apps (“bloatware”) you don’t want or need. If you don’t want to uninstall them altogether, you can at least cut down on notification spam. Navigate to Settings > System > Notifications and look through the list of apps until you find any named after your PC’s manufacturer. Disable those ads by toggling those notifications to Off. Sometimes they give their apps names that are less obviously identifying. If you spot any suspicious or unusual apps, do a quick Google search on them to see if they’re worth disabling. Block lock-screen and background ads Jon Martindale / IDG The Windows Spotlight feature dynamically changes your background and lock screen images to keep your desktop feeling fresh and interesting. But Microsoft has occasionally shown ads for various games with it, and the related tips can be a little ad-like at times, too. Unfortunately, the only way to stop that for now is to turn off Windows Spotlight. If you’d rather resort to static images that you change yourself, here’s what you can do: Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Background. Then, next to Personalize your background, use the drop-down menu to select anything other than Windows Spotlight. Also, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. Then, next to Personalize your Lock Screen, use the drop-down menu to choose any option that isn’t Windows Spotlight. Hide the highlight ads in Windows search Jon Martindale / IDG Ah, Windows search, how I love and loathe thee. You’re good at finding apps as long as I type them out correctly, but I don’t need you to show me ads and suggested shopping content. Let’s turn that off. Navigate to Settings > Privacy and security > Search permissions. Scroll down until you find “Show search highlights” and toggle it Off. No more personalized ads Jon Martindale / IDG While all the above settings will prevent Microsoft from serving you as many ads within Windows itself, they won’t stop the operating system from collecting your data to serve you personalized ads in the future. You can put a stop to that now so that even if an ad does somehow get through, it won’t be highly targeted to you and your activity. Disable Windows device usage tracking by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Device Usage and toggling Off all the options there. You can also disable further gathering of diagnostic data by navigating to Settings > Privacy and security > General and toggling all the options there to Off as well. Further reading: All the ways Windows 11 collects your data Read...

It’s worth looking outside your phone manufacturer’s ecosystem when it comes to accessories, as you might find features the tech giants don’t match. Read...

TL;DR: Replace your Adobe Acrobat monthly fee with a lifetime subscription to PDF Agile on sale for $40. Adobe Acrobat isn’t the only PDF editor around, and it’s certainly not the cheapest. If you want a low-cost alternative that doesn’t rope you into a monthly subscription, check out PDF Agile. Normally $119, this all-in-one PDF editor is now only $39.99 for a lifetime subscription. PDF Agile is simple and easy to use. It can edit text, images, or scanned files directly, and convert between PDF and Microsoft Office formats without losing your fonts or formatting. If you work with a lot of documents, there are tools to merge files, split them up, reorder pages, crop layouts, and even reduce file size without sacrificing quality. OCR is also included, so you can extract text from images or scanned documents with just a few clicks. The app includes a full set of annotation tools like highlighting, freehand drawing, and comment bubbles, along with features to redact sensitive content or add electronic signatures. You can also use slideshow mode to present your PDFs without having to convert them into PowerPoint. PDF Agile runs on Windows, and each license works on two devices. Once activated, your access is permanent, with updates included and no recurring fees. If you don’t want to pay monthly for Adobe Acrobat, then here’s your chance. Right now, it’s only $39.99 to get PDF Agile for life. PDF Agile for Windows: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

The Saturday edition of the Mirror features a photo of a three-year-old boy currently being treated for malnutrition. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Access your data and personal digital media from anywhere Supremely easy setup OS and phone apps Cons Lacks many of the features of a mainstream NAS box Synology account required for setup Plex is great, but it’s your only choice in supported media servers Our Verdict The BeeStation Plus personal cloud (for streaming, storage, client backups, and more) is supremely easy to set up and use, and it lets you easily access your data and personal digital media from anywhere on the planet. But it lacks many of the features Synology’s–and its competitors’–more mainstream NAS boxes offer. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Synology BeeStation Plus (8TB) Retailer Price $409.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Want your own personal OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, or Google drive without the mega corporation or advanced network savvy that’s typically required? Perhaps you’re looking to set up a personal streamer for your massive collection of digital music and movies you’ve ripped from discs over the years. If you are, you should take a look at Synology’s BeeStation Plus, a NAS box that can operate as your own personal cloud and streaming service. The BeeStation Plus not only allows you to access your data and personal media from anywhere and on any compute-capable device–laptop, mobile phone, tablet, and so on–it’s exceptionally easy to set up. You don’t even need to add storage, there’s already an 8TB hard disk drive inside. The only possible issue is that Synology’s rigorous focus on simple-to-set-up-and-use means many of the features found in the company’s other NAS boxes are missing here. NAS aficionados–the acronym stands for Network Attached Storage, by the way–will care about that; the mainstream audience Synology is targeting with this product probably won’t. Specifications and features The 8TB Synology BeeStation Plus has USB-A and -C ports and a single gigabit ethernet port on its rear I/O panel.Jon Jacobi/Foundry As you might have guessed from my introduction, the BeeStation Plus is a simplified NAS box and media server. Stripping out some of the other features that NAS boxes are known for render it much easier to set up and use than more robust products that might interest hardcore users or the SMB crowd (allow me to spell out that acronym, too: it stands for Small to Medium-sized Businesses). the BeeStation Plus is certainly easier to set up than any other NAS box I’ve tested. So much so that it probably deserves its own classification. The box itself is a well-ventilated, rounded-corner, dark gray rectangle measuring 5.8 x 2.5 x 7.7 inches (HxWxD). It weighs in at just north of two pounds, with its mechanical hard drive no doubt accounting for most of that bulk. The front and sides are barren except for logos, while on the back there’s the power button, USB-A and -C ports, a reset pinhole, a gigabit ethernet port, and a power jack. There’s no video output, as some boxes have, so your only access to the files stored on the box is through Synology’s online portal and its local client apps, at least initially. You can enable SMB access to reach the unit locally via Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) as well as via a browser without routing through the portal after initial setup. (In this context, the acronym SMB stands for the protocol Server Message Block.) The BeeStation Plus will serve as a destination for macOS Time Machine backups (with a 4TB limit), and the local desktop client will sync folders to the BeeStation. There are also BeeFiles apps for backing up your Android and iOS devices. The BeeFiles app for iOS. Synology offers a full backup option in BeeProtect, an online storage service that costs $120 per year for up to 8TB ($60 for the 4TB BeeStation model). Those prices aren’t half bad given the amount of storage get, but there’s a 3-month free trial if you want to give it a test drive first. Synology pushes its BeeProtect online backup solution. Less obvious is the small text link below the BeeProtect ad that tells you that you can also back up to external storage, another NAS box, or Synology’s own C2 cloud storage service if you have an account. But only one is allowed; so without BeeProtect, you’ll need to improvise a third copy of your data. That makes this as good a time as any to remind you that this is single hard disk drive storage that must be backed up if there’s any irreplaceable data on it. While HDDs are far more reliable than they used to be, they’re still mechanical devices and far more prone to failure than SSDs. The BeeStation Plus supports up to eight users, and each one gets their own private storage area. At the moment, the only functionality beyond file storage and backup is media streaming via Plex media server (with a 4TB limit on media files). More on that in a bit. Note that when you attach external storage, it doesn’t show up until you utilize a function that requires it. The storage section of the interface didn’t show either of the USB SSDs I attached, though I could still use them for transfer functions and see them as USBShares in Windows Explorer and macOS Finder. The BeeStation desktop app will create a local folder that later syncs with the BeeStation’s internal storage, a la DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and other services. Basically, this is for performance: Transfers across the local network will be relatively snappy without it, not so much across the internet The BeeStation Plus is NAS for people who don’t know, care about, or care to learn about NAS. Plug in its power cord and an ethernet cable, follow the prompts, and you’re good to go. Mostly. How easy is the BeeStation Plus to set up? The BeeStation Plus setup, while not the browse-to-a-local-URL (e.g., 192.168.1.101) approach I’m accustomed to, is by far the easiest I’ve encountered. At least for the basics. And by “easier-than,” I’m including personal cloud devices from industry stalwarts such as Seagate and Western Digital. No, the “personal cloud” pitch is not new. To get underway, you first surf to the Synology BeeStation Web portal. (There’s a QR code for mobile devices, although it just takes you to Synology’s website.) Next, you create an account, and then download the desktop app. You’ll need to be physically close to the BeeStation for a couple of steps, including the one below. Just one of the steps in the lengthy but largely idiot-proof BeeStation setup. One-time setup is rather tedious, but the wizard-like approach ensures that even the least experienced user can get the BeeStation Plus up and running. That said, I did find one step to be puzzling: With all of the focus on ease of use, why would Synology force you to tediously download and install the operating system? Just pre-load it at the factory and have it check for updates, guys. Anyway, setting up the Plex media server (for streaming movies, music, and photos) isn’t quite as easy as getting online and connecting. Mostly because it’s less-than-intuitively located under the heading “Integration” in the main web page. Perhaps it would be better to label this “Apps,” Synology? Also, as Plex is currently the only app available and intimately linked to the BeeStation Plus’ usefulness, why isn’t it pre-installed? The Plex media server is used to stream media. It requires its own account if you want to stream remotely. Tip: Use the BeeStation’s “Upload media files to Plex” function, which opens the browser-based BeeFiles at the correct location. If you try to add media within the Plex server, you’ll be confronted with a rather daunting list of Linux system folders that precede the folders you actually want. Assuming of course, you would actually know what those folders were. As mentioned above, if you want to use Windows Explorer/macOS Finder to manage files instead of a web browser or Synology’s desktop app, you’ll need to enable local access and SMB in the BeeStation web portal’s advanced settings. Why it’s disabled to begin with, I can’t say. The Local Account and SMB options must be enabled if you want to browse the BeeStation files using your operating system, or access the web browser interface without going through the portal. This image is the web browser interface via the Synology portal. I’m very accustomed to local SMB folder access, so I turned that on. But to be honest, I often found the web browser interface and BeeFiles easier to use. It supports drag-0and-drop file transfers and you don’t need to guess which folder is which. How easy is the BeeStation to use? While it’s not as dead easy as the initial setup, using the BeeStation is certainly easier than your run-of-the-mill NAS box, including handy dedicated functions for transferring your media from existing online services; specifically, those used by Android and iOS devices. That will cover most folks. I must say that iCloud support was a bit of a surprise. Apple is famous for denying access to third parties. The BeeStation Plus makes it easy for you to back up your Android or iOS photos. Viewing your media files, and even PDF and Office files, can be done via the web portal, right within the browser. It’s remarkably quick given a local network connection, which the BeeStation automatically uses if available. What NAS features are missing from the BeeStation Plus? What became obvious during my hands-on time is that the BeeStation Plus is either a software work-in-progress (should sales warrant it), or laser focused on being a personal cloud and nothing else. That’s admirable and great for the target audience, but there’s a lot missing that you could have in a perhaps less friendly, more traditional NAS box such as Synology’s own single-bay DS124. These are just a few of the apps available in Synology’s mainstream NAS boxes. Just some of the missing features are: Hybrid Backup/Sync (software that backs up remote computers without the need for local clients), security camera surveillance, virtualization (Docker and the like), BitTorrent, two-way sync, the HybridMount cloud storage manager, access to other network locations, and quite a lot more. Also missing is the ability to expand internal storage. Multi-bay NAS boxes allow you to add drives, and/or mirror them for increased safety and availability. All this makes a strong case for advanced users to go old-school. What’s this portal thing you’re rattling on about? Portals are remote servers that relay data from one location/URL to another. Basically, you log in to the portal with your data source device (e.g., the BeeStation Plus), which registers its existence, your ownership, and its internet location. Then, when you log on to the portal with your other devices and the appropriate client, the portal directs traffic to/from the data-serving device. Portals generally provide web interfaces that allow you to configure them, as well as manage the files on the server. The BeeStation Plus’ portal is top notch in both regards. The BeeStation web portal main page. The major upsides to portals are ease of setup and hassle-free access from anywhere (given internet freedom, which is not universal). You also needn’t unduly expose your server (the BeeStation) to the internet, as you would if you configured your router to forward ports to it. Said configuration can also be quite trepidatious for less experienced users. On the other hand, I can name at least two portals (Cisco NAS, and PogoPlug) that disappeared, rendering the products that relied on them far less useful. Additionally, your info is passing through someone else’s servers, which could potentially lead to data breaches. Companies can promise all the security and encryption in the world, but when all is said and done, if they decide they want to access your data, they can. That comment is not aimed at Synology in the slightest, I’ve had nothing but good experiences with the company. It’s simply inherent to the technology and it also applies to Microsoft, Google, Apple, and every other company in the modern connected world. How much does the BeeStation Plus cost? The 8TB BeeStation Plus retails for $409, which isn’t a ton more than Synology’s own single-bay DS124 when populated with an 8TB HDD (around $340 combined). There’s also a far more affordable 4TB BeeStation for $209 available if you think that will hold your movie, image, and music collections. As HDDs are available in up to 36TB these days, I’m a bit surprised there aren’t more capacious options. The BeeStation Plus is warrantied for three years, which includes the HDD as far as I can tell. How fast is the BeeStation Plus? The BeeStation’s gigabit ethernet and hard drive are more than fast enough for most file operations, as well as for streaming media. Indeed, the data rates required for multimedia delivery aren’t nearly as great as some might think. Even streamed 4K video is generally only several megabytes per second, depending on the codec. Blu-ray can be much higher, but that’s a different beast. Audio requires far less bandwidth, and images a relative trickle. The BeeStation Plus clocked in at around 115 megabytes per second reading, and 90- to 100MBps writing. That’s slightly below average for a gigabit box, but it’s still in the ballpark. Transfer speeds to and from a remote location will, of course, depend on your broadband connection. While not fantastic for a NAS with gigabit ethernet, these speeds are in the ballpark and more than adequate for streaming, file transfers, and client backups. AmorphousDiskMark was largely in agreement with Disk Speed test (shown above) when it came to transfers across my home 2.5Gbps network. An Apple Studio with an M4 Max and a 10Gbps ethernet port was at the other end. The Intel Celeron J4125 CPU made the web interface quite responsive. Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised at how quick the BeeStation Plus navigated, downloaded apps, and changed settings. The latter especially can be laggardly on NAS boxes. I had several people simultaneously test the Plex streaming and there were no issues. Admittedly, it was all 1080p video and music, and you might get fewer streams with 4K in play. But there were no complaints. In total, the BeeStation Plus will get the job done handily, although I wouldn’t complain if it had a 2.5Gbps ethernet port. Should you buy the BeeStation Plus? If you want an easy-to-set-up-and-use personal cloud for file access, media streaming and viewing both in your home and from afar, either the BeeStation Plus or the smaller-capacity BeeStation are fantastic options. Tech-savvy users who want more server-grade features will be better off with a straight-up NAS box that offers far greater capabilities, likely for a few less bucks. There’s also less chance that such a product could end up orphaned. Read...

Microsoft is currently testing a new AI feature in Edge called “Journeys,” reports Windows Latest. The aim is to create AI-generated summaries and interactive cards of your browsing history and open pages, making it easier to resume projects or continue ongoing tasks. But there’s a catch with this feature: it’s only available if you have a Copilot Pro subscription, which costs $20 per month. The subscription also provides AI capabilities in other Microsoft apps such as Word, PowerPoint, Paint, and Notepad. (Yup, those last two actually have AI features.) When Journeys is activated, an AI model analyzes your browsing activity. Microsoft emphasizes that the data is stored locally on your device and is not used for training AI models or targeted advertising. Instead, Edge uses small language models such as Phi-4 and Phi-mini, which allow the calculations to take place directly on your computer. The Journeys feature is not yet available in the stable version of Edge, and as of this writing can only be enabled via Edge Canary. It’s currently unclear when Journeys will be made widely available. Read...

Today, I’ve found an incredible deal on one of the best higher-end gaming laptops you can get if you prioritize value. This HP Omen features a stellar configuration and a gorgeous display at a fantastic price—get it now for just $1,250 at Best Buy, a whopping $330 off its $1,580 MSRP. I’m not kidding when it comes to this laptop’s powerhouse performance for the price. It’s running on an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor, a spacious 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM, and the superb RTX 5060 graphics card that just came out this year, unlocking access to Nvidia’s DLSS 4, ray tracing, and other gaming features. Throw in a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD for fast boot times, quick file transfers, and tons of space for apps, games, and everything else, and it’s an absolute dream. And this HP Omen 16 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to visuals either. You’re looking at a 16-inch IPS display with a crisp 1920×1200 resolution and a speedy 144Hz refresh rate—all of this translates into a great gaming experience during boss fights and other action-packed scenes, plus it’s also great for streaming Netflix and YouTube. This thing is packing ports, too. On the left side, you get USB-C video and a high-speed USB-A and a 3.5mm headset jack. On the right side, another high-speed USB-A. Then along the back, another high-speed USB-A plus HDMI 2.1 and a LAN port, plus the laptop’s smart AC charger port. The HP Omen 16 is a bargain for $1,250, so grab it fast at Best Buy while you still can if you’re interested in a high-performance gaming laptop at a fantastic price. But if you’re on a tighter budget, check out our favorite gaming laptops under $1,000. Save $330 on this Ryzen-powered RTX 5060 gaming laptopBuy now from Best Buy Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros High-end internals at a fair price 4K display with a 200Hz refresh rate Dual 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports and quad M.2 drive bays Cons Heavy and thick Needs tweaking to perform competitively Cooling setup isn’t ideal Our Verdict The Maingear Ultima 18 is a brick of a gaming laptop. The internals are impressive, but it isn’t quite as polished an experience as some other modern gaming laptops. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Maingear Ultima 18 Retailer Price $3,699 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Fifteen years ago, I had a gaming laptop that was a big heavy brick. I loved it! That’s what gaming laptops were back then. The 18-inch Maingear Ultima 18 feels like a modern spiritual successor to big-and-heavy gaming laptops. That’s awesome, but it also shows where these designs stumble. To create the Ultima 18, Maingear packed a big Clevo laptop chassis full of high-end components. It goes overboard in some interesting ways with hard-to-find specs. But for $3,599, it’s competing with modern high-end gaming laptops that deliver a more polished experience. Those polished machines — with their software tweaks and cutting-edge cooling systems — often edge out the Ultima 18 on performance, and they’re available at a similar price. It’s a good machine. I’m just not sure whether it’s your best option around this price point, unless you’re smitten by the unique features it offers. And you might be! Maingear Ultima 18: Specs The Maingear Ultima 18 combines a blazing-fast 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor with other high-end components. Our review model had an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 processor, but you can also get this with a top-of-the-line RTX 5090 GPU. While our $3,599 review unit had 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2 TB SSD, you can get this machine with up to 192 GB of RAM. This machine has two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports for wired networking — I haven’t seen a dual Ethernet setup like that on another modern gaming laptop. Plus, there’s room inside this monster of a laptop for four M.2 SSDs. And the Ultima 18 has an 18-inch 4K display, too — with a fast 200Hz refresh rate. Maingear isn’t playing around. Features like the two Ethernet ports and four M.2 drive bays are way above and beyond. Some people will surely hunt down this specific laptop just for those features. Model number: Maingear Ultima 18 RTX 5080 CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Memory: 32 GB DDR5 RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 NPU: Intel AI Boost (13 TOPS) Display: 18-inch 3840×2400 IPS display with 200Hz refresh rate Storage: 2 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C), 2x USB Type-A, 2x 2.5Gb Ethernet, 1x combo audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.1 out, 1x microSD reader, 1x Kensington lock slot, 1x DC power in Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Ethernet Biometrics: IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 98 Watt-hours Dimensions: 16.14 x 12.56 x 1.42 inches Weight: 8.8 pounds MSRP: $3,599 as tested Features like the two Ethernet ports and four M.2 drive bays are way above and beyond. Some people will surely hunt down this specific laptop just for those features. Maingear Ultima 18: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman The Maingear Ultima 18 takes me back. This 18-inch laptop weighs 8.8 pounds and is 1.42 inches thick at its thickest point — it’s a brick. It’s based on a Clevo chassis. (Clevo produces laptop designs that system builders like Maingear use to create and release their own laptops.) If you’re looking for a brick of a gaming laptop, however, it’s designed well. With a metal lid and palm rest, it doesn’t feel plasticky. But it also doesn’t feel like a single piece of metal, like some other high-end gaming laptops. The hinge is easy to open with one hand. It feels solid for an 8.8 pound 18-inch gaming laptop, but this is the kind of machine you’ll need to be careful with — I wouldn’t pick it up from the corner with one hand. The design features a lot of black, broken up by the “Maingear” name below the display and the logo on the lid. With animated RGB lightbars at the rear of the machine and RGB lighting on the keyboard, that’s where the “gamer” aesthetic comes from — but, of course, it’s customizable. IDG / Chris Hoffman Somewhat unusually for a modern gaming laptop, this laptop has small LEDs on the front edge, to the right of the touchpad. In normal use, the left one will be lit when your laptop is on, the middle one will be lit when your laptop is plugged in, and the right one will blink as your laptop uses its storage. These used to be much more common, but they’re the kind of thing most manufacturers omit these days. The design is traditional in another way: The laptop blows hot air out of both sides of the laptop as well as the back. I prefer modern designs that don’t blow hot air toward my mouse hand. However, most of the hot air does come out the back, so it’s not too bad. The cooling also keeps the WASD area of the keyboard fairly cool. The fans get loud under load, though — this is closer to the traditional “jet engine” fan profile on a brick laptop, whereas many modern laptops have found ways to make them quieter. Maingear proudly proclaims that this is a “zero-bloatware Windows 11 installation,” and that’s excellent to see. You get a few utilities for your hardware — from Maingear, Nvidia, and Creative — and that’s about it. There are no nags to pay for antivirus software here. Our review model also came with Windows 11 Pro, which is nice. Maingear Ultima 18: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman The Maingear Ultima 18 has a full-size chiclet membrane keyboard complete with a number pad. It has per-key RGB backlighting for maximum customization. With 1.5mm of key travel, the keyboard feels good to game on. It doesn’t quite feel as premium as the rest of the machine, though: It’s no mechanical keyboard, like you’ll find on some versions of the Alienware 16 Area-51, and it doesn’t have the stronger actuation force you’ll find on machines like the Razer Blade. I prefer a clickier experience. The trackpad is large and makes good use of the available palm-rest space. It’s nice and smooth — Maingear says it has a “low friction finish.” While it’s not quite as smooth as the swankiest glass touchpads I’ve used, it gets most of the way there. The click-down action feels crisp. Maingear Ultima 18: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman The Maingear Ultima 18 has an 18-inch 4K IPS display (3840×2400 resolution). That’s impressive when other laptops in this class often deliver WXGA (2560×1600) displays instead. The display has a 200Hz refresh rate and support for Nvidia G-Sync, too. Brightness could be better: 400 nits is fine, but many laptop displays go brighter. At that brightness, you not getting HDR. The display is exactly what it sounds like on paper — a big 18-inch 4K display with a high refresh rate. It’s nice. But resolution isn’t everything, and gaming laptops with lower-resolution displays often deliver more brightness and extra-vivid colors with bonus features like HDR in games — especially if they have OLED displays. (And, as you might expect, this isn’t a touch screen.) This machine includes a subwoofer as well as two main speakers and two tweeters. It’s also powered by Sound Blaster Studio Pro 2. The bass is pretty good for a laptop, which is no surprise — most laptops don’t have subwoofers! I test every laptop I review with Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. There’s more than enough volume here, and there’s enough bass to make the sound feel “full” in songs like Get Lucky. You aren’t getting audiophile-grade detail here, though — the instrument separation in Aja isn’t as crisp as it would be on a high-end pair of speakers, with the sounds blurring together a bit instead of separating. The speakers provided good sound in Doom: The Dark Ages — with a chunky sound to the shotgun blast, for example. But the lack of clean separation of sounds at the high-end — plus those loud fans — would push me to use a good pair of headphones. (That’s normal for any laptop, though.) Maingear Ultima 18: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Maingear Ultima 18’s 1080p webcam looks decent. It’s a tad grainy, and I’ve seen business laptops with higher-end webcams. For a gaming laptop, this is good — but not mind-blowing. It also has a physical privacy cover, which is always great to see. This 18-inch laptop has a microphone that works and certainly picks up enough volume. This is a pretty standard gaming laptop mic, but the noise cancellation wasn’t great — it picked up the whirring of fans in the background. The microphone isn’t up to the audio quality I see on many business laptops, which are optimized for online meetings — you’ll want an external microphone to chat while gaming. This machine has presence-sensing hardware, too. If you want, you can have Windows automatically wake your PC when you sit down in front of it or put it to sleep when you step away. The Maingear Ultima 18 has an IR camera for Windows Hello sign-in support. You can log into your PC with your face, and it works well. This machine doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. Maingear Ultima 18: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman The Maingear Ultima 18 offers a lot of connectivity options. On the left side, this machine has a combo audio jack and two USB Type-A ports — both are 10Gbps, and one has Power Delivery. On the right side, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C) ports as well as a microSD card slot. This being a high-end gaming laptop, it’s great to see future-proof Thunderbolt 5 — even though few peripherals are taking advantage of it yet. On the back, you’ll find the power adapter connection, a Kensington lock slot, HDMI 2.1 out, and two Ethernet jacks (both 2.5Gbps.) That two Ethernet jack setup is completely over the top — most people buying this laptop won’t take advantage of it — but it’s impressive and unusual. This machine has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, too, so it supports the latest standards. I had no problems with the Wi-Fi. Maingear Ultima 18: Performance The Maingear Ultima 18 delivered solid gaming performance — once I configured it. Out of the box, benchmark results were on the slow side compared to other similar laptops. Once I went into the Maingear Control Center and set it to “Performance” mode — and then went into Windows 11’s Settings and set it to Best Performance while plugged in — the performance ended up where I expected to see it. The benchmarks below were performed with these settings changed. On many gaming laptops, this is now automatic: The manufacturer-provided software automatically switches your gaming laptop into higher-performance modes when you launch games. On this machine, you’ll be doing it yourself. However, this is strong hardware, and it performed well in real-world gaming. The results were impacted by a few things, though. In Metro: Exodus, for example, I only saw competitive performance once I disabled the integrated GPU in the Maingear control center.  And I do feel like machines like the Alienware 16 Area-51 have a more efficient cooling setup that seems to lead to higher top-end performance. As always, though we ran the Maingear Ultima 18 through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. It’s designed to be a holistic benchmark, but the CPU is a major factor in this test. With an overall PCMark 10 score of 8,700, this machine delivered impressive performance on par with other Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX-powered machines like the Alienware 16 Area-51. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. The Maingear Ultima 18 produced a multi-threaded Cinebench R20 score of 14,502, right in line with other laptops with the same CPU. IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period of time. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The Ultima 18 completed the encode process in an average of 458 seconds, which is just over seven and a half minutes. That’s about what we’d expect to see with this CPU, although it lags a little behind laptops like the Alienware 16 Area-51 and HP Omen Max 16, which suggests those machines may have better cooling setups to avoid throttling due to heat. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. First, we run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3Dmark Time Spy score of 19,168, this machine comes in about 10 percent behind other similar laptops on graphics performance. (Performance on this particular benchmark went up by five percent after disabling the integrated GPU in the Maingear control center. With a score of about 19,902, it was more in line with similar laptops.) IDG / Chris Hoffman Then, we benchmark some games. We start with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an older game — but a great way to compare performance across hardware. With an average FPS of 190 in our standard benchmark here, this machine is in line with other similar laptops with RTX 5080 and even RTX 5090 GPUs. IDG / Chris Hoffman Finally, we benchmark a demanding game. We run the Extreme benchmark in Metro Exodus. For this benchmark, the laptop was consistently coming in far behind with an average of 73 FPS. After I went into the Maingear control panel and disabled the integrated Intel GPU — setting it to the discrete Nvidia GPU only — and rebooted, performance went up. After that change was made, the Maingear Ultima 18 delivered a competitive 87 frames per second in this benchmark. While that’s competitive, it still comes in a few frames behind laptops like the Alienware 16 Area-51, likely thanks to their better cooling designs. And those machines didn’t need any extra tweaking. Overall, the performance is competitive, but it needs tweaking — and the cooling setup just isn’t as impressive as it is on many other gaming laptops. That leads to a reduction in performance. Maingear Ultima 18: Battery life The Maingear Ultima 18 has a huge 98 Watt-hour battery. That’s as big as it gets — any larger and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration wouldn’t allow it on an airplane! An 18-inch brick of a gaming laptop like this one isn’t designed for long battery life, however. IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The Maingear Ultima 18 lasted an average of 288 minutes during our benchmark — that’s just under five hours. You’ll be able to get a few hours of work out of it, if you need to, but you’ll need to plug in for maximum gaming performance, anyway. Maingear Ultima 18: Conclusion The Maingear Ultima 18 impressed me when I unboxed it. The design is somewhere between an old-school gaming laptop brick and a modern gaming laptop, and features like four drive bays, two Ethernet jacks, two Thunderbolt 5 ports, and a 4K 200Hz display feel nicely over the top. While it feels big and heavy, the hardware justifies it. But the impressive specs become a bit less than the sum of their parts. Compared to this machine, many modern gaming laptops are lighter, have a more impressive metal design, a more advanced cooling system, don’t need this much tweaking to perform well, and have other high-end touches like a mechanical keyboard and more carefully tuned speaker setup. Don’t get me wrong — this is a good laptop! I’d be happy to use it. But it’s also $3,599. And it has a lot of competition at that price range. Still, the hardware alone shines. The Alienware 18 Area-51 gaming laptop has similar hardware, but taking it to an RTX 5080 will bring you to a $3,800 retail price — and you’re not getting a 4K display. The Razer Blade 18 with an RTX 5080 and a higher-resolution display will cost you $4,100 at retail price. (It’s worth noting that both the Alienware and Razer laptops are on sale on their respective online stores for less than their retail prices at the time I wrapped up this review, but those are marked as limited-time discounts.) The specs here are good. For the price, though, I just wish it came together better. Other high-end gaming laptops may cost a little bit extra, but the software integration, lighter weight, and higher-end metal designs shine. Read...