AI-Powered Laptops Dominate CES 2025: A New Era of Computing

The best AI laptops we saw at CES 2025

All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. It wasn't difficult to find a common thread among the new Windows laptops showcased at CES 2025. Beyond your expected next-generation refreshes, tech's biggest trade show was all about getting more people to buy into the idea of AI-powered PCs this year. With consumers still hesitant to embrace AI laptops, prioritizing hardware upgrades over fancy software features, companies' selling points had to come from myriad angles. Most embraced affordability, committing to bringing Qualcomm's upcoming entry-level Snapdragon X processor to dozens of budget-friendly machines. (Copilot+ PCs that cost as much as nice Chromebooks? Yes, please.) Some explored new build materials, targeting eco-conscious consumers with chassis made from oyster shells and ultralight "plasma ceramic aluminum." One manufacturer straight-up renamed all of its long-standing laptop lines in the hopes of helping shoppers more easily find the AI PC that best suits their needs -- though it doesn't seem to have gone over so well. And then there's Lenovo, which launched a funky new "rollable" display AI laptop simply because it wanted to see what was possible with OLED technology. It's actually real this time, too. After countless hours on the Las Vegas Strip and much deliberation, here are our three favorite AI laptops we saw at CES 2025 -- plus a few noteworthy honorable mentions. Made from a magnesium-aluminum alloy called "Ceraluminum" that's sleek, tough, and 100 percent recyclable, Asus' new 14-inch ultraportable weighs as little as 2.18 pounds, depending on the model -- making it the world's lightest Copilot+ PC. It features a beautiful OLED display, a gesture-controlled touchpad, and a battery life of up to 32 hours per charge, which is an unrivaled number among the laptops in Mashable's testing database. Asus hasn't explicitly said as much, but all things considered, this is an obvious answer to the Apple MacBook Air. (Those digits in its name even look like the word "AIR.") It's quite competitively priced, too. Starting Jan. 13, a Snapdragon X Elite configuration will be available at Best Buy and Asus' website for $1,099.99. Look for a $899.99 Snapdragon X variant at Best Buy this March. Read Mashable's hands-on review of the Asus Zenbook A14. We saw it coming from miles away, but Lenovo's new 14-inch business laptop with a "rollable" OLED display is officially heading to market soon. Users can expand the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6's screen with a simple hand gesture or the touch of a dedicated key; the display slides smoothly up from under its keyboard, adding 50 percent more vertical real estate. Lenovo took two years to work on this design after introducing it as a concept, and it's super sturdy and polished in person. It's a compelling new alternative to dual-display laptops for serious multitaskers, provided you can afford it. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 will start at $3,499 when it launches sometime later in Q1 2024. Read Mashable's hands-on review of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. Acer's latest Aspire Vero 16 brings new meaning to the term "clamshell laptop": Its chassis is partially made from oyster shells harvested in Taiwan, where the company's headquarters is based. The shells are cleaned, crushed, and mixed with a blend of over 70 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, resulting in a durable gray case with a slightly speckled appearance. Under its hood, it runs on Intel's just-announced Core Ultra 200H processors. The Aspire Vero 16 will start at $799.99 when it goes on sale this coming April. Read Mashable's hands-on review of the Acer Aspire Vero 16. Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 Series announcement was one of the biggest moments of CES 2025, and we got brief looks at several upcoming gaming laptops that will use them. (That includes the refreshed Razer Blade 16, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16, and the HP Omen Max 16, which is pictured above.) We didn't actually get to play anything on them -- they just looped a few clips in our demos -- so we don't have much to say about them right now except that they all look really flashy and expensive. However, we look forward to reviewing a slew of them once they start trickling out in March. Next-gen PC gaming is nearly upon us. Asus dedicated a small corner of its CES showcase to its scented notebook made in partnership with fashion designer Anna Sui, which has a subtle, swappable fragrance diffuser built into the center of its lid. It's gimmicky, sure, but also extremely adorable. The notebook is available in four pastel finishes, including a purple one with butterfly accents and a matching quilted travel case. It's only available in China right now, but wider availability could be imminent. Put me down for one, please.

The Best Laptops of CES 2025

The 58th annual CES was an absolute whirlwind of computing news, the most jam-packed with new silicon in years. Every single major PC chipmaker involved in the laptop game -- AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm -- had new mobile processors debut at the show. Of course, with that came a deluge of new laptops from nearly every vendor, including Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, LG, and Samsung. This was also the year that the AI PC finally came alive. For starters, Nvidia launched its consumer-strength "Blackwell" GPU architecture for desktops and laptops with the GeForce RTX 50 series, rocketing us further into the age of AI-driven graphics processing. That'll have a knock-on effect for gamers, to be sure, especially in cases where Nvidia's upcoming DLSS 4 can push extremely high frame rates with AI help. Plus, now every major laptop chipmaker has CPUs capable of meeting Microsoft's requirements for running its suite of Copilot+ AI tools for Windows 11. Thanks to all of this new NPU-enhanced silicon, AI-based computing looks set to take off this year. To say this was the busiest CES for PC hardware in a long time would be a gross understatement, but the silver lining to all that hard work bringing you detailed and insightful coverage is that we found a surefire pick for every subcategory. We went hands on with each of the laptops we highlight below, seeing everything from a few hopeful MacBook Air killers to the most power-packed laptops to date. These are the nine best laptops of CES 2025. The Asus Zenbook A14 is not only our favorite laptop at the show but also the official Best Laptop of CES. This slick ultraportable represents an ideal blend of power and battery life with some unexpected features in an attractive, svelte design. A Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor gives it Copilot+ PC powers like AI summarization and text generation, intuitive photo editing, and the ability to search your media with natural language. A rich collection of ports (including USB-C and HDMI 2.1) and wireless connections are complemented by cool touches like tap-and-slide touchpad controls for volume, brightness, and track selection. Its OLED display looks gorgeous, its battery promises more than 30 hours of power, and the whole thing weighs less than 2.2 pounds, making it the thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC yet. The X Elite model we saw launches next week for $1,099, with a Snapdragon X Plus model coming in March for $899. -- Brian Westover The top-billed Asus Zenbook A14 is an ultraportable, but we can't ignore this standard-setter from Lenovo. Its ThinkPad X9 is also poised to combat Apple's MacBook Air at both screen sizes but uses Intel Core Ultra 200V processing to achieve Microsoft's Copilot+ PC certification. More to the point, however, is that Lenovo has developed a custom cooling system housed in a bar in the base to fan-cool the Intel chip while maintaining competitive thinness with Apple's laptop. It's quite an impressive arrangement to challenge the apple-shaped elephant in the room. Starting at $1,399 for a 14-inch screen and $1,549 for 15-inch, I just wish it were priced a bit more competitively. Regardless, the ThinkPad X9 is a remarkable feat of mobile engineering. -- Joe Osborne The Yoga Book 9i from last year was already a beautiful dual-screen system, and the new Lenovo Yoga Book 9i model debuting at CES is getting some key upgrades. The OLED panels are each growing an inch to 14 inches, and a bigger battery has been added, but despite this, it's also thinner and lighter than the previous version. Combined with the device's 360-degree hinge, the dual 120Hz touch displays with variable refresh rate support and wide color coverage make this a joy for content creators and media pros. You can use the bottom screen for extra productivity, connect a keyboard, or use the bottom screen as a drawing and input surface for the main display. This includes AI image generation, thanks to Intel's AI-ready Core Ultra 7 255H processor, adding to its creator chops. -- Matthew Buzzi The Titan 18 model we reviewed last year was the best-performing laptop we tested, so it's only natural that our eyes lit up when MSI showed us its updated model. The 2025 MSI Titan 18 AI is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, plus Nvidia's top-end new RTX 50 series mobile GPUs, and this beefy chassis has the thermal headroom to make those parts count. More than a gaming machine, the Titan is a professional-grade workstation with memory and storage that maxes out at 96GB and 8TB, respectively, while the 18-inch display is a 4K 120Hz mini LED panel. It's a true workhorse, with extra enhancements like Cherry MX mechanical keys and an RGB haptic touchpad. Plus, if you hadn't noticed, MSI has a limited-run dragon-themed Norse Myth edition of this Titan if you really want to turn some heads. -- MB This next-level workstation from HP takes one of AMD's latest AI Max Pro (aka "Strix Halo") processors. It unlocks the full potential of its unified, on-die memory architecture, which can allocate up to 96GB of its 128GB maximum RAM capacity for GPU tasks including AI processing. That's more than any desktop GPU can hope to have access to for quite some time. While I'm also excited to test out its relatively slim 0.73-inch thickness and feathery 3.3-pound weight, it's the potential for how far the Strix Halo chip can go with cutting-edge memory solutions that earn the ZBook Ultra 14 G1a our pick for top work laptop of the show. -- JO Surprising no one, Lenovo takes home another trophy for one of its 2-in-1 laptops. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition earns it this time with top-tier hardware construction and the latest, most potent silicon Intel has for AI processing. Not only is this laptop a gorgeous example of modern laptop design (at just 0.63 inch and 2.91 pounds, and with an 1800p OLED touch screen), but it's prepared for AI-assisted content creation work. The included and improved Yoga Pen stylus also earns the Yoga 9i bonus points toward its trophy. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 looks like a full-package premium experience that we're excited to test out later this year. -- JO This is not the first edition of this gaming-focused tablet we've seen from Asus, but it is the most capable yet. The 2025 Asus ROG Flow Z13 packs AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, the most powerful mobile chip announced in AMD's fresh CES lineup. We haven't been able to test it yet, of course, but it's a creator-tier chip that should crush professional workloads -- certainly more performance than you'll find in most tablets -- and the system's unified memory architecture (up to 128GB) can empower more capable graphics and AI performance. That still can't compete with discrete graphics, of course, so an ROG XG Mobile external GPU enclosure (sold separately) is available to make your Flow Z13 fully capable when you return to your desk or arrive at your destination. It connects easily through Thunderbolt 5 rather than any clumsy proprietary port. -- MB We were thoroughly impressed by the current iteration of the Zenbook Duo, so naturally, this upgraded version looks like a hit. The Zenbook Duo is our favorite execution of the twin-screen laptop concept so far, and now, it's powered by Intel's "Arrow Lake" AI processor platform. It runs up to a Core Ultra 9 285H CPU, with 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD to support media professional workflows. The design looks complicated, but the execution and versatility are elegant, and we can't wait to put it to the test in the lab. -- MB At a chaotic trade show, flashier is always better, so low-priced laptops have never really been CES stars. But Acer brings an impressive player for just $800, elevating its budget Aspire brand with Copilot+. Equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 200V processor with 22 hours of battery life and Wi-Fi 6E, the Aspire 14 AI brings many luxury laptop features down to the mainstream. It can even use some AI features, like the Acer Assist knowledge base, without an internet connection. That's more value than you're likely to find in most machines that ring up under a grand. -- JO

MakeUseOf's Best Laptops of CES 2025 Awards

Quick Links Razer Blade 16 Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 6 Rollable Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Acer Nitro V 14 AI CES is always a veritable gold mine for new laptops. CES 2025 has absolutely lived up to expectations -- and these are our favorite picks from the world's leading tech expo. 1 Razer Blade 16 Close Razer is known for its Intel-powered gaming laptops, but the Razer Blade 16 is breaking tradition by coming with an AMD Ryzen AI processor -- the second model to arrive with a Team Red chip after the Razer Blade 14. But, more importantly for gamers, it will also come with Nvidia's RTX 50-Series laptop GPUs, allowing amazing gaming performance with this CPU and GPU combination. At its highest configuration, you could get the Razer Blade 16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with 12 cores and 24 threads and an NPU that hits up to 50 TOPS. You could even fit an Nvidia RTX 5090 laptop GPU in the laptop, giving you 24GB of GDDR7 VRAM and up to a 155-watt TDP for delivering the best possible graphics experience. You can see the amazing output of this laptop on its 16-inch OLED screen with a QHD+ resolution, a fast 240Hz refresh rate, and 0.2ms response time. Its thin 4.7-mm bezels also help with immersion, ensuring you won't get disturbed whether you're working, watching a movie, or gaming. More importantly, you get all this performance in a thin package, measuring just 0.59 inches tall, making it easy to bring your laptop anywhere. 2 Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen 6 Rollable Now, some might say that this is a gimmick, but I really like Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC -- even if the name is a little on the long side. Just like its long name, Lenovo's rollable laptop also has an extendable screen that can expand from its standard 14 inches (2000x1600 resolution) to a substantial 16.7 inches (2000x2350 resolution), which is why it scored a feature in our Best of CES 2025 Awards. That's around 50 percent more screen real estate, just tucked away there, waiting to be used. The screen looks good, too, with a 120Hz refresh rate, 400 nits brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable isn't just a fun screen, either. This laptop has some great specs, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2, 1TB SSD, and 32GB DDR5x RAM. This is one of those weird and wonderful bits of hardware that actually has a useful purpose, but it does have a couple of small stumbling blocks. One is the price: the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable will set you back a considerable $3,499. The other is that the rollable screen has an unfortunate whirring sound while opening, which Lenovo has opted to cover with a small jingle, which doesn't disguise the sound as much as draw more attention. But at the same time, you're more likely to be mesmerized by your screen magically extending. 3 Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition Lenovo's new laptops were the pick of the bunch for MakeUseOf at CES 2025, with one picking up an award and two others featuring on this list. Its new ThinkPad X9 comes in two different sizes: 14-inch and 15-inch. Both units boast a sublime 2.8K, 120Hz OLED touchscreen with 500 nits brightness, but can be swapped out for a WUXGA non-touch panel. Powering these delightful machines are a selection of Intel's Core Ultra 7 200-Series processors, up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 storage, and up to 32GB RAM. It also features Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, a HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. What's also useful about the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 is the removable battery. It seems like a small feature, but we've seen more and more manufacturers opt for integrated batteries, making it difficult to replace when the time comes. So, props to Lenovo for that. 4 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI Close Gamers always appreciate the extra performance afforded by gaming laptops, but not everyone loves the "gamer" aesthetic of angular shapes and RGB lights. This is why the many gamers who also need laptops for professional work will appreciate the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI. This slim laptop, measuring just around 19.9 mm or 0.78 inches thick, prioritizes performance over anything else, allowing it to remain discreet. This sleeper laptop hides an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU, allowing top-tier performance on the latest AAA games without lighting up your meeting with shiny RGB lighting. You can spec out the Predator Helios Neo 16S Ai with up to 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage, allowing you to keep several titles installed simultaneously and making multi-tasking a breeze for the PC. It also sports a 16-inch OLED WQXGA display with a fast 240Hz refresh rate and covers 100% DCI-P3 color space, ensuring you get the most accurate possible colors. 5 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Close The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is a laptop that prioritizes portability and style without sacrificing performance. This device features an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor with an NPU that outputs 48 TOPS, allowing it to take advantage of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC features. Aside from that, it has a 75Wh battery that could last up to 17 hours, so you don't have to worry about running out of battery power during the workday. When it comes to connectivity, the Yoga Slim 9i has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, allowing you to quickly transfer files and data. But what makes this laptop stand out is its ultra-immersive display. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i has a 14-inch 4K 120Hz OLED screen, and its PureSight Pro feature means that it has Delta E<1 and covers 100% of the sRGB, P3, and Adobe RGB color spaces. While all this is already an impressive feat, Lenovo did something else that would blow every other laptop out of the water -- it minimized the bezels on the display, giving it a 98% screen-to-body ratio. It did this by hiding the camera behind the screen, making this the world's first commercially available laptop with an under-display camera. 6 Acer Nitro V 14 AI Close Acer brought a bunch of new laptops to CES 2025, many featuring top-end chips and high-powered GPUs. But aside from its shiny new Predator models, its new Nitro V AI 14 is a tidy machine that packs some great hardware. Better still, it won't break your wallet! The Acer Nitro V AI 14 ships with either an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 or a Ryzen AI 7 350, which are both decently powerful and enable on-device AI functions. It can come with up to 32GB DDR5 RAM and up to a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, along with a useful Nvidia RTX 4050 laptop GPU. Its screen is also tidy and offers two configurations: 2560x1600 with a 165Hz refresh rate, or 1920x1200 with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both options have a maximum 300 nits brightness. There are also 15, 16, and 17-inch versions of the Nitro V AI laptop, but the 14-inch model hits the sweet spot.

All the laptops that piqued our interest at CES 2025

CES is filled with wild and wacky curios, to be sure, but there are also plenty of good old-fashioned laptops. Every year the big chipmakers announce new products and the big computer manufacturers unveil new laptops that take advantage of updated CPUs and GPUs. All told, companies announced nearly two dozen upcoming laptops at this year's conference. Some are bulky beasts made for gaming, while others are thin beauties intended for portability. The vast majority of them are filled to the brim with the AI tools that everyone loves so very much. Here are all of the laptops that piqued our interest at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, just in case you need to start saving some money for a purchase later this year. The ASUS Zenbook A14 is the MacBook Air competitor of our dreams. It weighs less than 2.2 pounds, which is actually a half a pound lighter than the Air. When it comes to specs, it actually outclasses Apple in nearly every category. There's a 14-inch OLED screen, up to 32 hours (!) of battery life and up to 32GB of RAM. It's also covered in a nifty ceramic coating that feels great to hold. It comes in two versions. There's one that includes a Snapdragon X Plus CPU and 16GB of RAM, which starts at $900. The higher-end model features a Snapdragon X Elite chip and 32GB of RAM, starting at $1,100. The laptops will be available on January 13. Just because laptops have been around for decades doesn't mean that companies can't get a bit weird with them. Case in point? The Lenovo Thinkbook Plus Gen6. This is a laptop with a rollable screen that expands and contracts with the push of a button. Lenovo first introduced this as a concept device, but now it's a real upcoming product. The 14-inch OLED display instantly transforms to a 16.7-inch panel, which effectively adds an extra 50 percent of screen real estate. The brightness is adequate, at 400 nits, and the performance looks solid. It comes with Intel's Core Ultra 7 CPU, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. It's also weirdly light, given the tech, at 3.6 pounds. We don't have official pricing or availability yet, but it's expected to cost somewhere around $3,500 and should hit store shelves this spring. We called the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 "the least ThinkPad ever" for good reason. This new iteration ditched the long-standing carbon fiber frames and Trackpoint nubs found with classic models in favor of a more minimalist approach. It's available in 14-inch and 15-inch versions, and both of these feature OLED displays. These laptops are powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 processors, which means that you can't upgrade the RAM because it's soldered on. However, the SSD and battery are easily replaceable. Both models should be available in February, with a starting price of $1,400 for the 14-inch model and $1,550 for the 15-inch version. The MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition adds some seriously-cool aesthetics to the most powerful laptop the company makes. There are a ton of unique design traits here, including a hand-drawn dragon on the lid that was acid-etched into the aluminum. As for specs, this laptop includes top-of-the-line components including next-gen Intel HX processors, NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs, PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage and Wi-Fi 7. There's a massive 18-inch mini LED display and low-profile Cherry MX switches on the keyboard. MSI has yet to reveal pricing or availability on this one. The Razer Blade 16 laptop is extraordinarily thin, at 0.59 inches. That makes it 32 percent slimmer than the 2024 model. There's a 16-inch QHD display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a response time of 0.2ms. The computer also includes the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 processor and one of the brand-new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs. There isn't a release date yet, other than soon, nor is there a launch price. Last year's model started at $2,700, so we can expect something in the same range. Samsung unveiled an updated line of Galaxy Book laptops at CES. There's the Galaxy Book5 Pro, which is available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen options, along with the Book5 360 with a 15-inch display. All of these computers are equipped with Intel's newest Arrow Lake Core Ultra processors and have been built for AI tasks. To that end, Samsung has touted a long list of on-device AI circles, like its own version of Google's Circle to Search. These laptops also include on-device photo upscaling and more. The Book5 Pro is a standard laptop, while the Book5 360 is a 2-in-one with a 15-6-inch AMOLED touch display. There's no pricing yet on any of these models, but the company has said they'll be available for purchase in February. Just like the ultralight Zenbook A14, the refreshed Vivobook 14 and 16 laptops ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip. These are mid-grade computers that offer up 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The company says that the internals have been updated to allow for 44 percent more performance than the last-gen models. The battery also got an upgrade and now will last nearly 20 hours per charge. Both computers make use of the company's not-at-all creepy "AI camera" which detects whether you're sitting in front of the screen or not. The ASUS Vivobook 14 and Vivobook 16 are available to pre-order now for $700 and $750, respectively. The tenth-generation Legion Pro 7i is a serious upgrade over its predecessors and should be a great option for gaming on-the-go. It supports up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, with an updated cooling system that enables 250W thermal design power. The laptop also supports up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor. On top of that, you can add up to 64GB of RAM. There's a 16-inch OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time. It's a beefy machine, however, coming at six pounds. The Legion Pro 7i will be available sometime in March, with a starting price of $2,400. It's been years, but Alienware's Area 51 branding is back in a big way. The Alienware Area 51 laptops are the company's latest flagship gaming devices. They are available in two display sizes, 16- and 18-inches, and support up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPUs, 64GB of RAM (at up to 7200 MT/s, the highest of any Alienware laptop), 12 TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage and next-gen NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs. Both models can handle up to 175 watts of total graphics power with an additional 105 watts reserved for the CPU. There's also a glass bottom to help with thermal regulation. They should be available sometime in the next couple of months. However, the laptops are launching in high-end configurations that start at $3,200, with less expensive "entry-level" models coming later in the year. The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a 2-in-1 hybrid that could absolutely shine as a gaming tablet. It supports up to a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU with unified memory. The 70Whr battery should get up to 10 hours on a single charge and the IPS panel boasts an impressive 180Hz refresh rate and up to 500 nits of brightness. This machine also integrates with the company's new XG Mobile graphics dock for a nice little upgrade in the visuals. The Flow Z13 is expected to start at around $2,000 for a version with a Ryzen AI Max 390 chip or $2,200 when configured with a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU. We don't have a release date yet.

Asus's new Vivobook laptops put AI and power efficiency first

Asus has fronted CES 2025 in Las Vegas with a strong lineup of Vivobook laptops, once again making its presence known in the lightweight and portable laptop category for creators, gamers, and casual users. The lineup includes refreshed models featuring new Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel processors that put AI power as well as power efficiency on display. Power efficiency being a strong presence in these laptops' chips, they're likely to propel battery runtimes to the forefront of our PCWorld laptop performance stats in 2025. Asus's Vivobook 14 and 16 laptops will come in Qualcomm Snapdragon X and AMD Ryzen AI 300 flavors in 2025, with five configurations on offer. Asus is really talking up its Qualcomm models, which comprise a single 14-inch (X1407QA-BS56) and corresponding 16-inch model (X1607QA-DS54). As well as benefiting from a high 45 NPU TOPS AI processing power, these laptops deliver a 44 percent performance boost over previous generations and long 19.8-hour battery video runtimes, according to Asus's own tests. Both models also boast Qualcomm Adreno graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 1920x1200p resolution IPS-grade LCD displays, as well as FHD 1080p IR webcams for enjoying clear and smooth video conferencing. On the connectivity side, they both support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. Additional support for Microsoft Phone Link allows users to filter notifications, receive calls, and use phone apps on their PC. Zooming in on the essential facts, the Vivobook 14 model weighs 3.06 pounds and measures 0.70 inches thick. It's available in Cool Silver for an MSRP of $699.99 as of January 27th this year. The Vivobook 16 model is slightly heavier and thicker at 3.88 pounds and 0.78 inches, but with an MSRP of $749.99 it costs only slightly more than its stablemate. It's available in Quiet Blue and ships January 20th, 2025. The Vivobooks 14/16 with AMD's Ryzen AI 300 processors are no less impressive. They consist of one 14-inch configuration and two 16-inch configurations, with either an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 or AMD Ryzen 7 350 processor and AMD RDNA 3.5 graphics. Prices start at a MSRP of $749.99 with the first of these laptops expected to ship March 3rd, 2025. All of these new Vivobook 14 and 16 laptops will feature enhanced AI tools for enhancing productivity and creativity. Two of them include Asus's StoryCube app, which allows users to automatically categorize files based on their content and Live Captions, which provide subtitles in real time. This year's Vivobook Pro 15 looks to be as versatile as previous generations for creative work and gaming. Although it drops a GPU tier from last year's Nvidia RTX 4060 to an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, its GPU pairs with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, which means users are still likely to enjoy efficiency gains. Could we see the Pro 15 last more than the 20-hours for light use? Here's hoping! Other notable features include its 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a 15.6-inch Asus Lumina 120Hz OLED display, and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. This laptop once again sports an Asus DialPad, which creators will find useful for more easily navigating apps and shortcuts. Creators are also going to really dig the generous port offerings on offer, which includes four USB ports, an HDMI port, and an SDcard reader. It ships February 17 with an MSRP of $1,399.99. The Vivobook S is Asus's sleek laptop designed for on-the-go productivity and entertainment. This year the S Series features 14-inch and 16-inch configurations, ranging in price from $1,099 to $1,299.99. Vivobook S laptops in 2025 specifically boast refreshed Intel Core Ultra Series 2 and AMD Ryzen AI 300 chips which, along with their high capacity, the 75Whr batteries should deliver noticeable year-on-year power and efficiency benefits for users. The lightest and most portable of the Series is a single 14-inch configuration (model M5406WA-BS99) powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and AMD RDNA 3.5 graphics. It weighs just 2.87 pounds and is 0.63 inches at its thickest point - so it's remarkably portable and lightweight. This laptop also sports a 14-inch 1920x1200p 60Hz OLED display, 32GB of LPDDR5X onboard RAM, and a 75Whr battery. It ships for $1,099.99 on February 25th, 2025. The cream of the crop of the larger 16-inch Vivobook S configurations is the Vivobook S 16 (model S5606CA-DS99). This laptop boasts an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, Intel Arc graphics, a 16-inch (2880×1800) 120Hz Asus Lumina OLED display, and 32GB of LPDDR5X onboard RAM. It's available come February 11th for an MSRP of $1,299.99. All Asus Vivobook S Series laptops also come with the company's IceCool thermal technology, which includes dual 97-blade fans that work in conjunction with two air vents to cool the machine. Harman Kardon-certified speakers with Dolby Atmos will deliver the laptops' immersive audio as well.

Asus unveils the 'world's lightest Copilot+ PC' with a 32-hour battery life at CES 2025

The new Asus Zenbook A14 will be available in Iceland Gray (left) in January 2025 and Zabriskie Beige later this quarter. Credit: Asus Asus showcased a fresh lineup of AI laptops during its "Always Incredible" virtual launch event at CES 2025, including an all-new notebook called the Asus Zenbook A14. There's a good reason why its model number looks a lot like the word "Air": Starting at just 2.18 pounds, it's the lightest Copilot+ PC ever. Asus says the Zenbook A14 achieves this feat thanks to Ceraluminum with magnesium, which takes the aluminum-ceramic hybrid released in the Zenbook S 14 and adds magnesium alloys, helping achieve an even more lightweight build overall. Asus also credits this material with the laptop's shock, smudge, and scratch resistance. The Zenbook A14 marks more than one first for Asus, as it's also the Zenbook line's first Qualcomm Snapdragon model, offering both Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X processors, featuring a 45 TOPS NPU. In other words, it's plenty to power a Copilot+ machine, whether you're using AI features like live captions, Cocreator in Microsoft Paint, or super resolution in the photos app. The 32GB of memory on board and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD are also there to help give you the smoothest experience possible, alongside the dual fan that keeps your machine running efficiently without getting too hot. Perhaps even more impressively, with all that power the Zenbook A14 is still rated at up to 32 hours of offline video playback on a single charge. (For reference, the longest-lasting laptop that Mashable staff has ever tested lasted almost 23 hours per charge.) The estimated battery life for online video streaming sits at a nearly as impressive 28 hours, with web browsing clocking in last at 19 hours. Other notable features on this Zenbook include a 14-inch OLED display with 600 nits of peak brightness, a speaker system with Dolby Atmos support, and a full set of IO ports, including one USB 3.2 port, two USB 4.0 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. On Jan. 13, the Asus Zenbook A14 will be available for purchase in the colorway Iceland gray at the ASUS Store and Best Buy for $1,099, with no preorder period. Another configuration of the laptop in the color Zabriskie beige is projected to become available for $899.99 in late winter or early spring 2025.

Why the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a is the Best Laptop of CES 2025

HP's workstation-class ZBook Ultra blew us away thanks to its powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max chipset and a sub-4 pound weight. Our prestigious best laptop of CES 2025 selection goes to HP this year for its outstanding ZBook Ultra G1a. This is largely driven by the AMD Ryzen AI Max chipset found inside, our pick for the Best in Show for CES 2025. While we'll have to get it in our labs to see precisely how it stacks up against the typically 7+ pound competition in the workstation market, there's every indication that the HP ZBook Ultra G1a will hold its own, weighing under 4 pounds. HP's putting the MacBook Pro 14 M4 on notice with this release, offering Windows users their own portable powerhouse for creative and AI endeavors. Why it wins We cannot often praise a workstation laptop as the best of CES. Windows workstations are typically a niche product category, and innovation between generations often just means iterative hardware updates and increased panel options. However, this CES had an absolute gem of a powerhouse workstation that offers incredible power thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI Max chipset in a compact form factor. The HP ZBook Ultra 14 g1a weighs less than 4 pounds, but thanks to its Ryzen AI Max chipset, the ZBook 14 can run intense Black Magic DaVinci Resolve workloads like auto-transcriptions in just moments. While the HP ZBook Ultra 14 is an AI PC workstation with access to Copilot+ AI, the true beauty of this machine is not just its AI capabilities but its massive on-package memory that can boost performance across all three hardware accelerators. Release and availability wrap-up HP has not released pricing or availability on the ZBook Ultra 14 G1a yet, but we expect to see models available by March 31, 2025.

The CES 2025 Best-in-Show Laptop Laurel goes to the AMD Ryzen AI Max

In all the hustle and bustle of the showroom floor, it's easy to lose yourself in the mix of new and exciting products that dominate CES 2025. But don't forget the chips and silicon that kicked off this year's event -- we didn't. And how could we? These new generations of chips powered several new laptops we tested during CES, and we had plenty to write home about. However, one chip from AMD stayed at the forefront of our minds throughout the event: the AMD Ryzen AI Max, which claimed our best-in-show Laptop Laurel. Look. We're Laptop Mag. Usually, this spot goes to a laptop. Sometimes, it goes to a GPU or GPU series. But AMD decided to try something new this year, and it paid off fantastically. The new Ryzen AI Max chipsets were codenamed "Strix Halo" and offer powerful gaming, content creation, and AI performance across the full APU. With up to 128GB of memory on package that can be allocated between the CPU, GPU, or NPU as needed, the Ryzen AI Max chipset is an absolute beast of a processor. We watched the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 crush an intensive DaVinci Resolve task in seconds on the HP ZBook Ultra 14 g1a, and we even took the non-workstation Ryzen AI Max+ 395 for a few slick encounters in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on the Asus ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet. The performance capabilities we've seen from the Ryzen AI Max and its sheer boundless potential have us so incredibly excited we couldn't even think of a laptop that would top "Strix Halo."

Asus Launches Snapdragon X Zenbook A14, Refreshes Lineup With AI Chips

The A14 is a super-portable Copilot+ PC and the first Zenbook to embrace Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. The updated Zenbook Duo and Zenbook 14, configurable with AMD or Intel chips, join the new Zenbook lineup. The Zenbook A14 will launch on January 13, while the Zenbook Duo and Zenbook 14 will be available in February. See them in action above, and read on for our impressions, details, and pricing. The Zenbook A14: A Portable Entry-Level Qualcomm Solution We've reviewed many 14-inch Zenbook laptops at PCMag, but the A14 provides something unique. Asus claims this system is the world's lightest Copilot+ PC, weighing as little as 2.18 pounds (varying slightly by configuration) while meeting the requirements of the Copilot+ AI-ready laptop program. Moreover, despite its featherweight build, the laptop is made with Asus' premium-feeling Ceraluminum material -- the first Zenbook to have its entire chassis made of this ceramic magnesium aluminum solution. It comes in either beige or gray, and those are also tied to two slightly different configurations. I'll touch on that in a moment, but first, here's what the models have in common. All feature an eye-catching 14-inch, 1,920-by-1,200-pixel OLED display, an FHD IR camera, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and a 70WHr battery. Ports include one USB Type-A port, two USB Type-C ports, an audio jack, and -- a bonus these days for a thin notebook -- an HDMI connection. The price difference between the configurations and components is not immediately intuitive, and one color is tied to each. For example, the system with the slightly more powerful chip is less expensive because it has less RAM and storage. Here's the breakdown: The gray model is $1,099.99 and comes with the new Snapdragon X base chip, 32GB of onboard DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD. This is the only model available at launch, specifically through the Asus store and Best Buy online. In late Q1, the beige edition will also become available at Best Buy with a lower starting price. For $899.99, it's equipped with the punchier Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100), 16GB of onboard DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Both models use Qualcomm's integrated Adreno GPU for graphics. The X Plus is only a modest step up, the first chip in the Plus tier, but it's set at faster clock speeds and boost frequencies regardless. I'd still rather bank on the doubled memory and storage, but it's an acceptable baseline if you don't want to spend an extra $200 (and can wait). Also, the beige color looks a bit more chic and classy. All considered, the cost is competitive for an ultraportable with a better-than-average design for its price tier and the advantages of a Copilot+ PC. We've tested a decent number of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X laptops since the platform launched, so while I have a rough idea of what these chips can do, I look forward to testing the A14 when models are available. The Main Zenbook Updates: New Guts for the Duo and Zenbook 14 The Zenbook A14 has the most going for it as a unique proposition, given its price and quality level, while these next two are chiefly component refreshes on existing designs. They're still high-end systems, though; their predecessors last year are both product lines we highly regarded. Neither reinvents the wheel, but they bring the latest AMD and Intel processors into the equation. Let's start with Asus' twin-screen notebook. Zenbook Duo: Refreshed With Intel 'Arrow Lake' Among the increasingly common dual-screen laptop solutions, Asus' Zenbook Duo is our favorite existing approach, so I'm curious about an updated model. Design-wise, not much has changed in this refreshed edition -- this is about new components, not a design overhaul. This is fine, given that executing a complicated concept well is difficult, and the original version was surprisingly elegant. Some dual-screen laptops fumble the execution, and past Zenbook models tried one smaller screen and one "full size" display, which we generally found less helpful than this. And so, the same design is kept intact: dual 14-inch 3K OLED screens, a detachable keyboard, and a 180-degree hinge plus a kickstand to convert and set up the Duo in different orientations. You can stack both screens on top of each other with the kickstand for a complete vertical setup, put the bottom screen flat on your desk and use the wireless keyboard, or even put the keyboard on top of the flattened bottom panel and use one screen. Despite all of this, both then and now, the Duo weighs just 3.64 pounds. While I'm glad Asus didn't stray from this success, what is new? Asus selected Intel's Core Ultra 9 200H processors for the latest edition of the Duo, ramping up the power and performance for modern (and lightly AI-based) workloads. This system runs up to a Core Ultra 9 285H processor, 32GB of memory, and a 2TB SSD. The original Duo ran up to the Core Ultra 9 185H, so we're not making a big leap here, just updating to a more recent option -- Intel's "Arrow Lake" platform. You'll also find a lesser Core Ultra 7 chip available. The Duo will launch on February 10 at $1,699.99, and additional configurations (one at $1,599.99) will be available later in Q1 of this year. Zenbook 14: The Chic Ultraportable Meets Latest AI Chips Finally, Asus has the Zenbook 14, which has much in common with the A14 in its design and features but with a higher performance ceiling and a more premium touch. This is a super-slim (0.59 inch) and light (2.82 pounds) system with an all-metal chassis. I appreciate the current design with the geometric lid, which we reviewed well on models like the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Touch (UM3406) last year. It looks chic, and this updated edition comes in blue, silver, or black. Like the Duo, the most recent processor options are the main upgrade. Unlike the other two systems, you can choose which processor brand you prefer; models with either Intel Core Ultra 200H or AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors are available. On the Intel side (model UX3405), you can choose between the Core Ultra 7 265H or Ultra 9 285H, both with Intel Arc graphics. For the AMD version (model UM3406), you can select a new Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. All models max out at 32GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. You'll also notice some display differences between Intel and AMD. The Intel version flaunts a 14-inch, 120Hz 3K (2,880 by 1,800) OLED panel. The AMD version, meanwhile, packs a less-sharp 14-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels. The Zenbook 14 launches first with the Intel model on February 10 starting at $1,299. The AMD version will launch late in Q1, starting at $999.99. We look forward to testing all of these systems as models become available, so check back for our full reviews.

ASUS brings Qualcomm's latest chip to the Vivobook 14 and 16

ASUS is leaning even harder into Copilot+PCs with it's new Vivobook 14 and 16 at CES 2025. And unlike the laptops the company introduced last fall, this time ASUS is going all in on Qualcomm chips. Just like the new ultralight Zenbook A14, both the Vivobook 14 and Vivobook 16 come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip, and in the case of both sizes of Vivobook, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. ASUS claims these new internals mean both laptops are 44 percent more performant than last generation Vivobooks and should last longer too, with a battery life of up to 19.8 hours. Regardless of whether you buy the 14-inch or 16-inch laptop, you'll get a 60Hz, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display. Like past ASUS laptops, both Vivobooks will also use the company's "AI Camera" which can detect when you're not sitting in front of your screen and automatically dim the display to stretch battery life further, or lock your computer for added security. You'll have plenty of options if you need to plug something in, including two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port and an audio jack. ASUS imagines the draw of all this new hardware will be the AI features they enable, like Generative Fill and Erase for editing photos or Live Captions for automatically adding subtitles to the audio on your computer. A more powerful laptop that lasts longer is more immediately appealing, though. Alongside the new Vivobooks, ASUS is announcing two new enterprise-focused laptops, the ExpertBook B5 and B3. Both laptops come with up to an Intel Core Ultra Series 2, up to 64GB of RAM and plenty of security features to keep your data safe. ASUS hasn't shared the availability or price of the new ExpertBooks. The ASUS Vivobook 14 and Vivobook 16 are available to pre-order now for $700 and $750, respectively.