Razer's New Blade 14: A Sleek Gaming Laptop That Doubles as a Work Machine

Why I'd still choose this 2024 Windows laptop over newer models - especially at this new price

It's affordable, sports the solid hardware, and has a long battery life; all packed into a form factor that weighs less than three pounds. The 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 has dropped to $640, a $160 discount. Act fast because the laptop is on clearance. Once all units are sold, they're gone. Among the plethora of work laptops, the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 stands tall. It performs incredibly well, has a comfortable keyboard, a long-lasting battery, and a bright, smooth display. There isn't a single category where this device doesn't excel. This Zenbook model was one of the best laptops I've used last year, and I still recommend it in 2025. Also: I tried Lenovo's new rollable ThinkBook and can't go back to regular-sized screens One of the reasons why the Zenbook is so great is its sheer versatility. The model I went hands-on with here featured the Intel Core Ultra 5, but there are additional configurations available, including with the Intel Core Ultra 7 and 9 processors supported by Intel's AI Boost. Its high degree of customizability, combined with the bold form factor, allows the model to still perform well among contemporary work computers. One of the Zenbook's shining features is its longevity. No matter which power mode the machine is set to, expect it to last most of the workday. I performed my usual test of running an endlessly playing YouTube live stream at 720p and 50% brightness. On Best Performance, the battery ran for about 6.5 hours before dying. On Balanced, it surpassed that time by going over 10 hours. Then, on Best Power Efficiency, the Zenbook 14 lasted a solid 12 hours. Keep in mind these times were all achieved without battery saver turned on. 12 hours in 2025 is still a decent amount of time. More powerful models like the 2024 Asus Pro P16 don't last as long. Also: At last, a Windows laptop that I wouldn't mind setting aside my MacBook Pro for Asus went with energy-efficient hardware for this laptop. My review unit has an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H bundled with an integrated Intel graphics card and 8GB of RAM. Make no mistake: that is not a particularly high-end configuration. But it doesn't need it. It manages to perform quite well thanks to a secret weapon: a neural processing unit (or NPU). Also: I was skeptical about big-screen laptops, but this Acer model is my new go-to for work NPUs were a new addition to laptops last year, with 2024 seeing large-scale integration. To oversimplify what they do, NPUs harness AI to boost the performance of CPUs and GPUs by taking some of the workload off them. For example, while testing this laptop, I was able to have 50 tabs open across six windows, all without experiencing a drop in performance. Alongside the energy-efficient hardware, Asus equipped this laptop with a 14-inch, Full HD OLED display that runs at a variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The screen covers the entire PCI-3 gamut, enabling bright, vivid colors. Full HD may not sound super impressive nowadays, but it still manages to output highly detailed images. Plus, the bezels around the display are very thin, resulting in a display with a 16:10 aspect ratio for wide-angle viewing. My praise for its design doesn't stop there. It weighs less than three pounds but manages to be quite durable since its exterior is made primarily from aluminum. Even the screen is tough, as Asus used Corning Gorilla Glass in its construction. However, since it's so thin, there aren't a ton of ports on this laptop. All it has is one USB-A input, two USB-Cs, a headphone/earphone jack combo, and an HDMI port -- at least the basics are covered. I appreciate laptops with great keyboards, and the Zenbook 14 does not disappoint. It comes equipped with the company's patented ErgoSense technology, making the keyboard ergonomically friendly. Each of the keys has a travel distance of 1.4mm travel distance, which lets you type on them without having to press the buttons all the way down. This alleviates some of the stress on your fingers. Also, ErgoSense replicates the key spacing on full-size keyboards, ensuring accurate typing. Now you may be wondering: what's the catch? Is the Asus Zenbook 14 as perfect as you say it is? Well, there are a couple of downsides. One: the speakers are at the bottom of the laptop, facing down. This results in the audio sounding muffled. Fortunately, they're still powerful enough despite their poor placement. Music sounds great coming from these speakers, but I did notice some audio distortion occurring at high volume. Also: Lenovo's new $749 ThinkBook may be the best-value Windows laptop of 2024. Here's why The biggest issue is the fact that it can run incredibly warm. You can't even type on the keyboard or have it on your legs without discomfort. Heat vents are found on the bottom and the side, but they don't offer much relief. This problem is exacerbated if you try to use the laptop while charging. There's so much heat that typing on the keyboard becomes uncomfortable. You're honestly better off not using the laptop during this time. The Asus Zenbook 14 is a solid laptop with decent performance, a crisp display, sturdy design -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't even mention the 1080p webcam, the anti-fingerprint coating covering the trackpad, or maybe the best part of all: the affordable price. You can purchase my review unit's configuration on Best Buy for $640. The laptop is on clearance, meaning once Best Buy sells all units, there will be no more. If you're looking for something with extra power behind it, Asus is selling the Zenbook 14 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor for $1,300.

One of the best work laptops I've tested has MacBook written all over it (but it's even better)

The Blade 16 has been Razer's flagship gaming laptop for years, but the thinner, sleeker design on 2025's Blade 14 (the thinnest Blade model yet) gives nothing short of a stunning first impression. The new model is 11% thinner and 11% lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 3.5 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, with a slick, matte black finish that looks and feels premium. The form challenges the brand's own aesthetic with a device that looks more like a Dell XPS 14 or MacBook Pro than a gaming laptop. Also: Is the Razer Blade 16 finally an everyday laptop? Its new slimmed-down design says 'yes' The physical build is certainly one of this laptop's best features. Despite its thin and light frame, it feels expressly durable, with minimal flexing or screen wobble. I also love the large rubber posts on the bottom of the device that keep it from sliding around and allow for more airflow. By highlighting this new and improved form factor, Razer is taking aim at competing 14-inch gaming laptops, particularly the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which reigns supreme as one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops out there (one of our favorites, as well). There are a handful of differences between these two laptops, however, with the Blade 14 trading a little bit of that power for its svelte form factor, opening up a use case as a device that's equally capable on the Steam dashboard as it is in the office. The 3K, 120Hz OLED display is gorgeous, going right up to the very edge with ultrathin bezels mere millimeters thick. Similarly, the trackpad is large (but not ridiculously so), going as far to the edges as it possibly can, exuding a precise, expertly crafted physical aesthetic. Also: I answered the million-dollar question about buying laptops - here's the ultimate guide There are trade-offs to this design, however. The thinner form means less robust cooling and limits hardware, which The Blade 14 opts for in exchange for the extra portability. You've got an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture in the GeForce RTX 50 series, up to the 5070, and up to 32GB of soldered RAM. Sure, it's not the powerful loadout you can get on a gaming laptop, but that isn't really the point here. Razer scaled things back with the Blade 14 for a capable machine that errs on the side of battery efficiency, rather than trying to strongarm performance with heavy hardware. For example, the Blade 14 supports 100W of total graphics power, going up to 115W with Dynamic Boost on, so technically this laptop has more than enough power to support a higher-end GPU like the RTX 5080. However, Razer likely opted for the 5070 to reign in heat and power consumption. To compare, the 14-inch Asus Zephyrus G14 has the 5080, and that thing gets hot. Even with the fans cranking (which are not quiet), the reality of gaming on a 14-inch means accounting for these factors, of which the Blade 14 mitigates with this hardware. Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd use at the office (even though it's for gamers) Gaming performance while plugged in is fantastic, with smooth, lag-free visuals in "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered", "Diablo IV", and "Cyberpunk 2077". The latter, at 3K resolution, pushes things to the top end, with an average right around 40 FPS and some light visual stuttering, but nothing that feels problematic. Swapping to a more manageable 1200p resolution drastically improved performance. In terms of benchmarking, the Blade 14 holds its own against two powerful 16-inch gaming laptops we've tested this year, the MSI Stealth 16 AI, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, but shows a slight dip in raw power to the hardware in those (much larger) systems. The Blade 14 has nice I/O coverage, as well. You've got two USB4 Type-C ports with Display Port 2.1 and power delivery support on either side, two USB-A ports on either side, an HDMI port (on the right side), and a MicroSD card reader. Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested On the left side, you also have the proprietary charging port for the 200W power brick. This is the most efficient form of power delivery, but it will charge via USB-C as long as you have the appropriate wattage. Just don't expect plugged-in performance if you're gaming on this with a 65W charger. The RGB lighting effects on the keyboard don't disappoint, either. Razer does a great job at maximizing the intensity and punch of each individual key, with minimal light leakage from the corners of the keys for a dramatic effect. If you like per-key customization, the keyboard here has all the effects you can ask for in the accompanying Razer Chroma app. If you want to dress things down with a more subtle, office-ready aesthetic, you can do that just as easily. The keyboard itself feels nice, with silent activation unless you're really hammering away. However, I can see some gamers not being completely satisfied with the travel distance, as although it feels premium, it errs more toward a MacBook or business laptop than an explicit gaming board. Conversely, the speakers are alright. They're better than average, but a little lacking in bass or richness. Also: I traded my business computer for a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't miss it The Razer Synapse app acts as the device's dashboard for controlling everything from performance modes to overclocking to at-a-glance metrics like operating temps and CPU usage. However, the app itself feels a little unfinished, and it became unresponsive a few times during my testing. It's useful enough to manage settings, however. Just note that when you're on battery, the laptop forces you into Balanced mode -- with no option to switch out of it. Obviously, this is the preferred setting for when you're untethered from the outlet, but eliminating the option for short sprints of performance on battery power isn't my favorite thing. Hopping into Balanced mode goes a long way toward maximizing battery life, however. Turning the refresh rate down to 60Hz and reducing brightness to half resulted in a little over nine hours of runtime during our battery testing -- very good for a gaming laptop. For sustained gaming on battery, you can expect two to three hours, which is more or less standard, although less demanding games will undoubtedly push that past that to four to five. The takeaway here is that the Blade 14 can stay alive in low-demand sessions or while idle much longer than most gaming laptops, which tend to be a lot thirstier. The Razer Blade 14 is a gaming laptop, but it's not limited to that use case. You can take it to the office or pack it in a travel bag just as easily as you can get those headshots in the latest top-tier gaming titles on Steam. It's a gorgeous laptop, and it resonates with me personally as a "mature" gamer whose all-day gaming sessions are (mostly) a thing of the past, but still enjoys a regular portfolio of games to log into. Also: I replaced my work PC with this Dell laptop, and it was one of my best decisions I'd recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a capable gaming laptop, but who is not interested in a massive 16- or 18-inch behemoth. In that sense, the Blade 14 speaks to the consumer who is comfortable with the trade-offs discussed and appreciates the lightweight form factor. The Blade 14 comes in several different configurations, with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of soldered RAM and either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 GPU. The most high-end loadout retails regularly for $2,999, which isn't exactly cheap and requires commitment to its niche use case. However, right now, it's on sale for $2,599 -- a price that's a lot more palatable.

One of the most powerful laptops I've tested has MacBook written all over it (but it's even better)

The Blade 16 has been Razer's flagship gaming laptop for years, but the thinner, sleeker design on 2025's Blade 14 (the thinnest Blade model yet) gives nothing short of a stunning first impression. The new model is 11% thinner and 11% lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 3.5 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, with a slick, matte black finish that looks and feels premium. The form challenges the brand's own aesthetic with a device that looks more like a Dell XPS 14 or MacBook Pro than a gaming laptop. Also: Is the Razer Blade 16 finally an everyday laptop? Its new slimmed-down design says 'yes' The physical build is certainly one of this laptop's best features. Despite its thin and light frame, it feels expressly durable, with minimal flexing or screen wobble. I also love the large rubber posts on the bottom of the device that keep it from sliding around and allow for more airflow. By highlighting this new and improved form factor, Razer is taking aim at competing 14-inch gaming laptops, particularly the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which reigns supreme as one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops out there (one of our favorites, as well). There are a handful of differences between these two laptops, however, with the Blade 14 trading a little bit of that power for its svelte form factor, opening up a use case as a device that's equally capable on the Steam dashboard as it is in the office. The 3K, 120Hz OLED display is gorgeous, going right up to the very edge with ultrathin bezels mere millimeters thick. Similarly, the trackpad is large (but not ridiculously so), going as far to the edges as it possibly can, exuding a precise, expertly crafted physical aesthetic. Also: I answered the million-dollar question about buying laptops - here's the ultimate guide There are trade-offs to this design, however. The thinner form means less robust cooling and limits hardware, which The Blade 14 opts for in exchange for the extra portability. You've got an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture in the GeForce RTX 50 series, up to the 5070, and up to 32GB of soldered RAM. Sure, it's not the powerful loadout you can get on a gaming laptop, but that isn't really the point here. Razer scaled things back with the Blade 14 for a capable machine that errs on the side of battery efficiency, rather than trying to strongarm performance with heavy hardware. For example, the Blade 14 supports 100W of total graphics power, going up to 115W with Dynamic Boost on, so technically this laptop has more than enough power to support a higher-end GPU like the RTX 5080. However, Razer likely opted for the 5070 to reign in heat and power consumption. To compare, the 14-inch Asus Zephyrus G14 has the 5080, and that thing gets hot. Even with the fans cranking (which are not quiet), the reality of gaming on a 14-inch means accounting for these factors, of which the Blade 14 mitigates with this hardware. Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd use at the office (even though it's for gamers) Gaming performance while plugged in is fantastic, with smooth, lag-free visuals in "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered", "Diablo IV", and "Cyberpunk 2077". The latter, at 3K resolution, pushes things to the top end, with an average right around 40 FPS and some light visual stuttering, but nothing that feels problematic. Swapping to a more manageable 1200p resolution drastically improved performance. In terms of benchmarking, the Blade 14 holds its own against two powerful 16-inch gaming laptops we've tested this year, the MSI Stealth 16 AI, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, but shows a slight dip in raw power to the hardware in those (much larger) systems. The Blade 14 has nice I/O coverage, as well. You've got two USB4 Type-C ports with Display Port 2.1 and power delivery support on either side, two USB-A ports on either side, an HDMI port (on the right side), and a MicroSD card reader. Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested On the left side, you also have the proprietary charging port for the 200W power brick. This is the most efficient form of power delivery, but it will charge via USB-C as long as you have the appropriate wattage. Just don't expect plugged-in performance if you're gaming on this with a 65W charger. The RGB lighting effects on the keyboard don't disappoint, either. Razer does a great job at maximizing the intensity and punch of each individual key, with minimal light leakage from the corners of the keys for a dramatic effect. If you like per-key customization, the keyboard here has all the effects you can ask for in the accompanying Razer Chroma app. If you want to dress things down with a more subtle, office-ready aesthetic, you can do that just as easily. The keyboard itself feels nice, with silent activation unless you're really hammering away. However, I can see some gamers not being completely satisfied with the travel distance, as although it feels premium, it errs more toward a MacBook or business laptop than an explicit gaming board. Conversely, the speakers are alright. They're better than average, but a little lacking in bass or richness. Also: I traded my business computer for a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't miss it The Razer Synapse app acts as the device's dashboard for controlling everything from performance modes to overclocking to at-a-glance metrics like operating temps and CPU usage. However, the app itself feels a little unfinished, and it became unresponsive a few times during my testing. It's useful enough to manage settings, however. Just note that when you're on battery, the laptop forces you into Balanced mode -- with no option to switch out of it. Obviously, this is the preferred setting for when you're untethered from the outlet, but eliminating the option for short sprints of performance on battery power isn't my favorite thing. Hopping into Balanced mode goes a long way toward maximizing battery life, however. Turning the refresh rate down to 60Hz and reducing brightness to half resulted in a little over nine hours of runtime during our battery testing -- very good for a gaming laptop. For sustained gaming on battery, you can expect two to three hours, which is more or less standard, although less demanding games will undoubtedly push that past that to four to five. The takeaway here is that the Blade 14 can stay alive in low-demand sessions or while idle much longer than most gaming laptops, which tend to be a lot thirstier. The Razer Blade 14 is a gaming laptop, but it's not limited to that use case. You can take it to the office or pack it in a travel bag just as easily as you can get those headshots in the latest top-tier gaming titles on Steam. It's a gorgeous laptop, and it resonates with me personally as a "mature" gamer whose all-day gaming sessions are (mostly) a thing of the past, but still enjoys a regular portfolio of games to log into. Also: I replaced my work PC with this Dell laptop, and it was one of my best decisions I'd recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a capable gaming laptop, but who is not interested in a massive 16- or 18-inch behemoth. In that sense, the Blade 14 speaks to the consumer who is comfortable with the trade-offs discussed and appreciates the lightweight form factor. The Blade 14 comes in several different configurations, with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of soldered RAM and either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 GPU. The most high-end loadout retails regularly for $2,999, which isn't exactly cheap and requires commitment to its niche use case. However, right now, it's on sale for $2,599 -- a price that's a lot more palatable.

Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd confidently use at work (even though it's for gamers)

However, the ultraportable form factor results in trade-offs when it comes to performance and upgradability. The Blade 16 has been Razer's flagship gaming laptop for years, but the thinner, sleeker design on 2025's Blade 14 (the thinnest Blade model yet) gives nothing short of a stunning first impression. The new model is 11% thinner and 11% lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 3.5 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, with a slick, matte black finish that looks and feels premium. The form challenges the brand's own aesthetic with a device that looks more like a Dell XPS 14 or MacBook Pro than a gaming laptop. Also: Is the Razer Blade 16 finally an everyday laptop? Its new slimmed-down design says 'yes' The physical build is certainly one of this laptop's best features. Despite its thin and light frame, it feels expressly durable, with minimal flexing or screen wobble. I also love the large rubber posts on the bottom of the device that keep it from sliding around and allow for more airflow. By highlighting this new and improved form factor, Razer is taking aim at competing 14-inch gaming laptops, particularly the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which reigns supreme as one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops out there (one of our favorites, as well). There are a handful of differences between these two laptops, however, with the Blade 14 trading a little bit of that power for its svelte form factor, opening up a use case as a device that's equally capable on the Steam dashboard as it is in the office. The 3K, 120Hz OLED display is gorgeous, going right up to the very edge with ultrathin bezels mere millimeters thick. Similarly, the trackpad is large (but not ridiculously so), going as far to the edges as it possibly can, exuding a precise, expertly crafted physical aesthetic. Also: I answered the million-dollar question about buying laptops - here's the ultimate guide There are trade-offs to this design, however. The thinner form means less robust cooling and limits hardware, which The Blade 14 opts for in exchange for the extra portability. You've got an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture in the GeForce RTX 50 series, up to the 5070, and up to 32GB of soldered RAM. Sure, it's not the powerful loadout you can get on a gaming laptop, but that isn't really the point here. Razer scaled things back with the Blade 14 for a capable machine that errs on the side of battery efficiency, rather than trying to strongarm performance with heavy hardware. For example, the Blade 14 supports 100W of total graphics power, going up to 115W with Dynamic Boost on, so technically this laptop has more than enough power to support a higher-end GPU like the RTX 5080. However, Razer likely opted for the 5070 to reign in heat and power consumption. To compare, the 14-inch Asus Zephyrus G14 has the 5080, and that thing gets hot. Even with the fans cranking (which are not quiet), the reality of gaming on a 14-inch means accounting for these factors, of which the Blade 14 mitigates with this hardware. Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd use at the office (even though it's for gamers) Gaming performance while plugged in is fantastic, with smooth, lag-free visuals in "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered", "Diablo IV", and "Cyberpunk 2077". The latter, at 3K resolution, pushes things to the top end, with an average right around 40 FPS and some light visual stuttering, but nothing that feels problematic. Swapping to a more manageable 1200p resolution drastically improved performance. In terms of benchmarking, the Blade 14 holds its own against two powerful 16-inch gaming laptops we've tested this year, the MSI Stealth 16 AI, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, but shows a slight dip in raw power to the hardware in those (much larger) systems. The Blade 14 has nice I/O coverage, as well. You've got two USB4 Type-C ports with Display Port 2.1 and power delivery support on either side, two USB-A ports on either side, an HDMI port (on the right side), and a MicroSD card reader. Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested On the left side, you also have the proprietary charging port for the 200W power brick. This is the most efficient form of power delivery, but it will charge via USB-C as long as you have the appropriate wattage. Just don't expect plugged-in performance if you're gaming on this with a 65W charger. The RGB lighting effects on the keyboard don't disappoint, either. Razer does a great job at maximizing the intensity and punch of each individual key, with minimal light leakage from the corners of the keys for a dramatic effect. If you like per-key customization, the keyboard here has all the effects you can ask for in the accompanying Razer Chroma app. If you want to dress things down with a more subtle, office-ready aesthetic, you can do that just as easily. The keyboard itself feels nice, with silent activation unless you're really hammering away. However, I can see some gamers not being completely satisfied with the travel distance, as although it feels premium, it errs more toward a MacBook or business laptop than an explicit gaming board. Conversely, the speakers are alright. They're better than average, but a little lacking in bass or richness. Also: I traded my business computer for a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't miss it The Razer Synapse app acts as the device's dashboard for controlling everything from performance modes to overclocking to at-a-glance metrics like operating temps and CPU usage. However, the app itself feels a little unfinished, and it became unresponsive a few times during my testing. It's useful enough to manage settings, however. Just note that when you're on battery, the laptop forces you into Balanced mode -- with no option to switch out of it. Obviously, this is the preferred setting for when you're untethered from the outlet, but eliminating the option for short sprints of performance on battery power isn't my favorite thing. Hopping into Balanced mode goes a long way toward maximizing battery life, however. Turning the refresh rate down to 60Hz and reducing brightness to half resulted in a little over nine hours of runtime during our battery testing -- very good for a gaming laptop. For sustained gaming on battery, you can expect two to three hours, which is more or less standard, although less demanding games will undoubtedly push that past that to four to five. The takeaway here is that the Blade 14 can stay alive in low-demand sessions or while idle much longer than most gaming laptops, which tend to be a lot thirstier. The Razer Blade 14 is a gaming laptop, but it's not limited to that use case. You can take it to the office or pack it in a travel bag just as easily as you can get those headshots in the latest top-tier gaming titles on Steam. It's a gorgeous laptop, and it resonates with me personally as a "mature" gamer whose all-day gaming sessions are (mostly) a thing of the past, but still enjoys a regular portfolio of games to log into. Also: I replaced my work PC with this Dell laptop, and it was one of my best decisions I'd recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a capable gaming laptop, but who is not interested in a massive 16- or 18-inch behemoth. In that sense, the Blade 14 speaks to the consumer who is comfortable with the trade-offs discussed and appreciates the lightweight form factor. The Blade 14 comes in several different configurations, with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of soldered RAM and either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 GPU. The most high-end loadout retails regularly for $2,999, which isn't exactly cheap and requires commitment to its niche use case. However, right now, it's on sale for $2,599 -- a price that's a lot more palatable.

Why my favorite MacBook Pro alternative is this Windows laptop with a striking design

The Blade 16 has been Razer's flagship gaming laptop for years, but the thinner, sleeker design on 2025's Blade 14 (the thinnest Blade model yet) gives nothing short of a stunning first impression. The new model is 11% thinner and 11% lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 3.5 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, with a slick, matte black finish that looks and feels premium. The form challenges the brand's own aesthetic with a device that looks more like a Dell XPS 14 or MacBook Pro than a gaming laptop. Also: Is the Razer Blade 16 finally an everyday laptop? Its new slimmed-down design says 'yes' The physical build is certainly one of this laptop's best features. Despite its thin and light frame, it feels expressly durable, with minimal flexing or screen wobble. I also love the large rubber posts on the bottom of the device that keep it from sliding around and allow for more airflow. By highlighting this new and improved form factor, Razer is taking aim at competing 14-inch gaming laptops, particularly the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which reigns supreme as one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops out there (one of our favorites, as well). There are a handful of differences between these two laptops, however, with the Blade 14 trading a little bit of that power for its svelte form factor, opening up a use case as a device that's equally capable on the Steam dashboard as it is in the office. The 3K, 120Hz OLED display is gorgeous, going right up to the very edge with ultrathin bezels mere millimeters thick. Similarly, the trackpad is large (but not ridiculously so), going as far to the edges as it possibly can, exuding a precise, expertly crafted physical aesthetic. Also: I answered the million-dollar question about buying laptops - here's the ultimate guide There are trade-offs to this design, however. The thinner form means less robust cooling and limits hardware, which The Blade 14 opts for in exchange for the extra portability. You've got an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture in the GeForce RTX 50 series, up to the 5070, and up to 32GB of soldered RAM. Sure, it's not the powerful loadout you can get on a gaming laptop, but that isn't really the point here. Razer scaled things back with the Blade 14 for a capable machine that errs on the side of battery efficiency, rather than trying to strongarm performance with heavy hardware. For example, the Blade 14 supports 100W of total graphics power, going up to 115W with Dynamic Boost on, so technically this laptop has more than enough power to support a higher-end GPU like the RTX 5080. However, Razer likely opted for the 5070 to reign in heat and power consumption. To compare, the 14-inch Asus Zephyrus G14 has the 5080, and that thing gets hot. Even with the fans cranking (which are not quiet), the reality of gaming on a 14-inch means accounting for these factors, of which the Blade 14 mitigates with this hardware. Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd use at the office (even though it's for gamers) Gaming performance while plugged in is fantastic, with smooth, lag-free visuals in "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered", "Diablo IV", and "Cyberpunk 2077". The latter, at 3K resolution, pushes things to the top end, with an average right around 40 FPS and some light visual stuttering, but nothing that feels problematic. Swapping to a more manageable 1200p resolution drastically improved performance. In terms of benchmarking, the Blade 14 holds its own against two powerful 16-inch gaming laptops we've tested this year, the MSI Stealth 16 AI, and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, but shows a slight dip in raw power to the hardware in those (much larger) systems. The Blade 14 has nice I/O coverage, as well. You've got two USB4 Type-C ports with Display Port 2.1 and power delivery support on either side, two USB-A ports on either side, an HDMI port (on the right side), and a MicroSD card reader. Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested On the left side, you also have the proprietary charging port for the 200W power brick. This is the most efficient form of power delivery, but it will charge via USB-C as long as you have the appropriate wattage. Just don't expect plugged-in performance if you're gaming on this with a 65W charger. The RGB lighting effects on the keyboard don't disappoint, either. Razer does a great job at maximizing the intensity and punch of each individual key, with minimal light leakage from the corners of the keys for a dramatic effect. If you like per-key customization, the keyboard here has all the effects you can ask for in the accompanying Razer Chroma app. If you want to dress things down with a more subtle, office-ready aesthetic, you can do that just as easily. The keyboard itself feels nice, with silent activation unless you're really hammering away. However, I can see some gamers not being completely satisfied with the travel distance, as although it feels premium, it errs more toward a MacBook or business laptop than an explicit gaming board. Conversely, the speakers are alright. They're better than average, but a little lacking in bass or richness. Also: I traded my business computer for a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't miss it The Razer Synapse app acts as the device's dashboard for controlling everything from performance modes to overclocking to at-a-glance metrics like operating temps and CPU usage. However, the app itself feels a little unfinished, and it became unresponsive a few times during my testing. It's useful enough to manage settings, however. Just note that when you're on battery, the laptop forces you into Balanced mode -- with no option to switch out of it. Obviously, this is the preferred setting for when you're untethered from the outlet, but eliminating the option for short sprints of performance on battery power isn't my favorite thing. Hopping into Balanced mode goes a long way toward maximizing battery life, however. Turning the refresh rate down to 60Hz and reducing brightness to half resulted in a little over nine hours of runtime during our battery testing -- very good for a gaming laptop. For sustained gaming on battery, you can expect two to three hours, which is more or less standard, although less demanding games will undoubtedly push that past that to four to five. The takeaway here is that the Blade 14 can stay alive in low-demand sessions or while idle much longer than most gaming laptops, which tend to be a lot thirstier. The Razer Blade 14 is a gaming laptop, but it's not limited to that use case. You can take it to the office or pack it in a travel bag just as easily as you can get those headshots in the latest top-tier gaming titles on Steam. It's a gorgeous laptop, and it resonates with me personally as a "mature" gamer whose all-day gaming sessions are (mostly) a thing of the past, but still enjoys a regular portfolio of games to log into. Also: I replaced my work PC with this Dell laptop, and it was one of my best decisions I'd recommend this laptop to anyone looking for a capable gaming laptop, but who is not interested in a massive 16- or 18-inch behemoth. In that sense, the Blade 14 speaks to the consumer who is comfortable with the trade-offs discussed and appreciates the lightweight form factor. The Blade 14 comes in several different configurations, with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of soldered RAM and either the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 GPU. The most high-end loadout retails regularly for $2,999, which isn't exactly cheap and requires commitment to its niche use case. However, right now, it's on sale for $2,599 -- a price that's a lot more palatable.

At last, a Windows laptop that I wouldn't mind setting aside my MacBook Pro for

It also means it has the same problems as before, such as running hot. If you're familiar with Asus' creator-focused laptops, you'll feel right at home using the 2025 ProArt P16. It is nearly identical to its predecessor in terms of design and purpose, as the laptop is meant for creative professionals looking for a high-performance machine. It sticks with what worked last time, making a few key adjustments. Also: The best laptops for graphic designers: Expert tested First off, the ProArt P16 has a lightweight physical design, making it easy to carry around. I found the keyboard to be too mushy for my liking. It doesn't have a great typing feel, but the keycaps are quiet, so that's a plus. The touchpad takes up a large portion of the wrist rest, enabling better comfort and ease of use. On either side of the keyboard is a pair of Harman/Kardon speakers delivering strong audio output. So far, things are looking good for the ProArt P16, and things get even better once you look inside. My review unit came loaded with some solid hardware, indeed. It houses an AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. Yes, you can game this; no, I don't recommend doing so. It overheats fast, and the display only has a refresh rate of 60Hz. Large heat vents are located at the bottom, expelling hot air. I do not recommend placing the computer on your lap unless you want your legs to be cooked. Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I'd use at the office (even though it's for gamers) Asus' ProCreator Hub greatly contributed to my enjoyment, and it reminded me of MSI's Center app, which has a similar function. The app has various laptop features in one central location, one being the ability to instantly change how the device performs without having to go into BIOS. By making the right adjustments to the hardware, the ProArt P16 can exceed expectations for performance and battery life. Below is a benchmark test results table comparing the 2025 ProArt P16 to its predecessor, as well as the M4 MacBook Pro and the MSI Stealth 16 AI, another laptop with a similar purpose. You'll notice that Asus' new machine outperforms most of its rivals across the various benchmark rendering tests. There are instances where it falls behind, but it isn't a large gap. If you're looking for a powerful alternative to your old MacBook, this ProArt laptop is your best bet in 2025. The Creator Hub offers utility beyond tweaking performance. The WorkSmart tool lets you group multiple apps together. So when you click one of these groups, all those apps open simultaneously, saving you time. Color Control allows users to actively adjust the screen output on the fly. For example, you could tweak the blue light output so it's easier on your eyes or change which color gamut is being shown. You might change the gamut to DCI-P3 to show off "movie-grade colors". Display P3 is best "suited for displaying vivid colors on mobile devices and laptops." You don't have to mess with the output, since the screen is impressive on its own. Asus' ProArt P16 has a high-quality 16-inch 4K OLED display. Images are stunning as colors practically leap out. The screen had two downsides: the 60Hz refresh rate, as mentioned earlier, and the display's glossiness. So much light is reflected that it can be hard to see the screen under bright conditions. Up in the upper left-hand corner of the touchpad is the DialPad, which allows you to customize your own controls in each app. The physical design offers more precise control than the touchpad, which makes cycling through different tools easier than you'd assume. I tried incorporating the DialPad into my workflow to edit a video on CapCut, a photograph on Pixlr, and render 3D models in Blender using the DialPad, and found out that it's best used in conjunction with the touchpad. It works best as an supplemental tool for quick access to change brush sizes or cycling through video clips, but it isn't designed to replace the touchpad or mouse altogether. Alone, it's great at executing delicate procedures, like cleaning up specific areas in a photo. The problem is that it lacks haptic feedback: pressing down doesn't result in the "click" you'd expect. So to click and drag an effect on a video's timeline or grab the corner of a model in Blender, you'll have to use the touchpad. Fortunately, using both simultaneously isn't difficult. Your left hand can be the DialPad while your right is on the touchpad, and it all feels natural. Using just the touchpad is an option, but it's difficult to maintain the same level of accuracy. Also: This ultraportable Asus laptop is my favorite MacBook Air alternative (and it's better in some ways) I also have to give credit to the hardware. Rendering 3D environments in Blender took very little time to complete. I was able to hop between my 4K editing and 20 different Chrome tabs without any hiccups. The only time I experienced any slowdown was when I was playing 10 different livestreams in 4K on YouTube -- but apart from niche cases, it's solid. Over at Best Buy, the Asus ProArt P16 is on sale for $2,500, which is more than what I was expecting. Last year's ProArt is retailing for just $2,000. I recommend grabbing the 2025 laptop if you want the best of the best and don't mind paying a bit more. As shown in the performance tests, there is a sizable gap between the two devices. That said, the 2024 version is definitely still competitive, so if you're looking for a powerful graphics-minded laptop and want to save some money, I'd highly recommend it, especially if it sees some additional price drops.

I commuted with this laptop for a week, and its power, robustness, and connectivity didn't fail to impress

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. The Portégé X40-M is a premium business laptop, and from the outset, it's obvious that it has been designed for the professional market and those looking for a solid, no-fuss machine that enables focus on work rather than entertainment. The design is sleek and minimalistic, with the dark grey finish giving it the look and style that we've come to expect from premium machines. It also features a tough aluminium alloy case that finishes off the look whilst also reinforcing the high-quality style and robust build. While the main aesthetics and functions of this machine are in line with the best business laptop expectations, the 180-degree flip-down screen does mark it out as something a little different. Essentially, in a meeting, you can lay the monitor flat, making it easier for everyone to see. However, the screen itself isn't touch-enabled, although there is an option to add a touch-enabled screen when ordering. Getting started with the laptop, it's instantly apparent just how powerful the new Intel Core Ultra processor is, able to handle Windows 11 Pro without any issues, and all Microsoft Office applications load quickly and function smoothly. As you start to develop the work that you do on the laptop, you realise that whilst this might not have high-end integrated graphics like many other laptops of this quality, the generic graphics actually do a superb job for the most part, enabling you to do moderate image and video editing in Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere Pro without too much issue. Even pushing the system a little bit further and playing the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which you would think with an integrated graphics chip as appears with this machine would ordinarily see the machine struggle, in this case, still enable decent gameplay, although the settings are set at low to mid quality. Whilst the overall performance of the machine is exceptionally good from general Microsoft Office work through to processing the Internet, creative applications including CapCut and playing the odd game or two, I did find the review configuration was only really let down by the lack of hard drive space, with just 512GB, there's also a 256GB version which would really limits its use. Whilst I can see the benefits of the rest of the configuration for a purely business-focused machine, that 512GB storage is quickly consumed, meaning additional external drives are an essential addition. One other aspect that stood out to me, and I feel would be beneficial to all in a working environment, is the volume of connectivity options around the sides. There are a number of ports, including a microSD, meaning that you can quickly transfer large volumes of data from mobile phones, action cameras and drones. There's also a standard-sized network port, meaning that if you're going from one location to another, you can get that wired connection into the network. Then there are also plenty of generic ports, including full-size HDMI and two USB ports, giving you plenty of connectivity options wherever you are. Alongside the usual features, there are several security options that will again appeal to business users, including the more standard options of Windows Hello and fingerprint recognition, and then the more advanced security option in the form of DynaBooks' native BIOS. Overall, the high-quality build, robust feel, additional security and exceptional performance from the Intel Ultra 5 CPU make this a great machine for business-focused users. My only reservation is that small 512GB hard drive, which does quickly get consumed, so if I were looking at this machine, I would recommend looking at an option with greater storage and possibly a touchscreen. At present, the price for the Dynabook Portégé X40-M isn't widely available without requesting details with your own configuration and order numbers, with the laptops starting at around $1500/£1500 per unit. You can check it out on the official Dynabook site by clicking here. The Portégé X40-M has been designed for business users and has a slick and stylish finish. It's very minimalistic without some of the fanfare that we see with more gamer- and consumer-focused laptops, and I personally much prefer this understated look and design. The X40-M is relatively lightweight and slimline, measuring in at 313.2 x 221.75 x 18.6 mm, ensuring it will comfortably slip into most laptop bags and backpacks. The laptop's weight starts at 1.38 kg, but that weight can vary depending on the configuration, and with my Intel Ultra 5 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, that weight came in at 1.39kg, still nice and lightweight for this style and design of laptop. The build quality stands out and despite the simple corporate aesthetics, the aluminium alloy chassis ensures it can withstand more than most being tested to MIL-STD-810H military standards, proving that through the development it has been dropped, dust, humidity, temperature and shock tested. Opening up the lid and the 14-inch WXGA 16:10 display with an anti-glare coating, 300 nits of brightness, and IPS technology provides a decent enough screen. The maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 is a little limited but good for office work, and sure enough, in use, that display does prove usable in most situations, other than the brightest daylight, where it will need some shielding. The keyboard is also a good size, featuring a frameless full-size layout that is spill-resistant and offers backlit keys, so it is easy to use even in lower light. It also features a dedicated Copilot key to access the AI features. Like the keyboard, the touchpad is of a good size and quality, offering all the usual multi-gesture control and functionality that you can customise through the generic Windows options. Taking a look at the ports around the edge, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports with Thunderbolt 4, which support data transfer, power delivery and DisplayPort functionality. There are also two more traditional USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports for older accessories and devices. A full-sized HDMI 2.1 is available, supporting up to 4K 60Hz with an external 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo socket, so it will take most standard headphones and microphones. There's also a microSD card slot to quickly download footage and files from mobile phones, action cameras and drones. Built into the screen is a small webcam, and this offers 5 million pixels and features a shutter slider for privacy, which is a really nice touch. Powering the X40-M is a large 4-cell 60Wh lithium-ion polymer battery that enables four hours of battery life with just a 30-minute charge and around eight hours for normal use. If you want to run it from the mains, there is a 65W three-pin USB-C AC adapter. At the heart of the laptop is an Intel Core Ultra 5 225U CPU with a clock speed of up to 5.1 GHz, 16 cores, 24MB of cache and 13MPU TOPs pairing that AI potential, and this is coupled with Intel Arc graphics. My review sample arrived with 16GB of RAM, but when you order, you can configure the laptop to your business needs with the option of 8, 16 or 32 GB, and it can be expanded up to 64GB maximum. When it comes to internal storage, you have 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of NVM M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD, and once again, my review sample came with 512GB of storage that I did feel was just a little small for most uses. Complimenting the screen visuals are the stereo speakers with DTS audio processing and AI-assisted noise reduction. Finally, alongside the physical ports, there's Intel Wi-Fi 6E dual band wireless, Bluetooth 5.3 and Intel Ethernet connection that offers up to 1000 Gbps, making it a perfect option for most workplace scenarios. The results from the real world and benchmarking tests highlighted that the Portégé X40-M is a laptop designed for business use. Everything from its solid build to multiple ports and connection options to the high-powered CPU lends itself to a machine that enables you to focus on work without stepping too far into the realms of content creation or gaming. If you do a direct comparison against other business-related laptops of this design and quality, then you really have to think of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon or Dell XPS 14, both of which are superb work-focused options. During the performance test, several things really stood out. First of all was the size and durability, and the fact that the screen folds down to 180° so it lies flat on the table. Whilst this is useful, without a touchscreen it does seem like a slightly odd choice, however, once again, when configuring the machine, you can opt for a touchscreen display, which does make a lot more sense. Still, even without touch ability, it does make it slightly easier to use and angle when you're sitting reading through documents on your own or with a group. From a business angle, the fact that it features so many connection options is one of the major highlights here, and with all the ports down the sides, including that direct network LAN port and the HDMI socket, it enables good connections into your local area network as well as connecting up to larger monitors. If you are using this between home, the commute and the office, then it makes a great option. Digging down into the results of the benchmarking and the real-world test, using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom showed both applications open and run smoothly for editing images from a Sony A7 IV. Both in Photoshop and Bridge, the small machine was able to handle the image files with ease and applying effects had no effect on slowing down the workflow, and this was reflected in the benchmarking results by a Cinebench single result of 1685 and a multi of 6708. Whilst the Geekbench GPU score was lower than you would expect from a dedicated GPU at 18154, it was still relatively high, backing up the real-world performance that I witnessed. Using Photoshop and other high-demand applications shows just how much processing power this machine has packed inside, and the fact that it has AI-accelerated features through the NPU and Intel Arc graphics pushes this beyond what you would usually expect from integrated graphics. In short, if you're looking for one of the best laptops for photo editing, this machine can handle it. As I started to push the machine a little bit more with video editing, I was impressed that Premiere Pro, DaVinci and CapCut again all opened with relative ease, and editing 1080p and 4K video was relatively straightforward for short edits up to about 5 minutes. Here, you could start to see the graphic strain. One thing to point out here was that because of the lack of internal capacity, an external SSD needed to be connected through one of those Thunderbolt 4 ports, with the image and video files stored on the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. CapCut, which is already optimised for lower-end GPUs, ran exceptionally smoothly and will be an ideal option for business use. Although this is very much a dedicated business machine, I decided to test out a few games, and playing Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Dirt Rally all loaded and more remarkably proved playable. When playing Indiana Jones, I did have to reduce the resolution and the frame rate, and whilst it was dropped, it was still smooth and very playable. Hogwarts Legacy, loaded and again with the resolution dropped, along with some of the effects options, it ran and was playable. Switching over to a much older game, Dirt Rally, and this ran absolutely perfectly. As this is a work-focused machine, keyboard and touchpad, along with the screen, are three major points of focus. Starting with the HID and the keyboard offers decent actuation, and while the enter and cursor keys are half height, the rest of the keyboard is comfortable to use. Likewise, the touch pad with integrated fingerprint reader is responsive, although I found the click action a little light, but generally works well and provides a comfortable typing experience. The screen again for the most part is good with the 300 nits of brightness providing a decent display for work, and the quality of the visuals overall seemed exceptionally good. Running a Monitor rating test with DataColor SpyderX2 showed an overall result of 3 out of 5, while this doesn't look great, it highlights excellent contrast and screen uniformity while scoring less on colour accuracy and tone response, all scores that you would expect for a business-focused rather than creative use monitor. In normal use, editing review articles and a few images on the go, the machine proved more than capable. On my journey to and from London, with over two and a half hours each way and another two hours at least sitting in a café, the laptop provided ample power and still had a little power left when I returned home. In normal use, you can expect to get between six and eight hours of standard use, although that will diminish if you do go into multimedia editing or content creation. The build itself all seemed good and strong, and throughout the test, the laptop, despite being used on the train, in the studio and office, remained in excellent condition and didn't seem to mind the odd knock and bash as it was carried around. One aspect that really did start to hinder its use was the fact that it only had a small-capacity hard drive, just 512GB, and this isn't upgradeable, so you need to make sure that you get the right capacity at the time of purchase. I would definitely opt for at least a terabyte. However, the fact that it has two Thunderbolt 4 ports that enable ultra-fast file transfers does mean that you can connect a fast portable SSD to expand on the internal storage, which is essential if you are going to be using this to do any type of content creation using Premiere Pro, Lightroom or Photoshop. The good thing here is that whilst the RAM was limited to 16GB, there are two SODIMM slots, so it is possible to upgrade the RAM to 64GB, which for a business laptop is quite unusual. Overall, however, considering this is a work-focused laptop, the processing power is really what's key and needed for Microsoft Office as well as many other work-related applications, and this, when coupled with the durability and design, makes it an ideal fit for its intended audience. At the end of the test, I was once again impressed with the processing and, to be honest, the GPU power afforded to the Dynabook Portégé X40-M by the Intel Core Ultra 5. It's able to handle Windows 11 Pro as well as any machine that I've tried, and when it came to Microsoft Office apps from Word to PowerPoint and Excel, this machine was highly optimised, producing one of the best benchmark results that I have seen for the Windows Experience, coming in at 8.3. Most media editing was also extremely well handled, and Photoshop and Lightroom ran surprisingly well, with both opening quickly and enabling quite advanced image edits as well as batched commands without too much of an issue. Having a dedicated GPU might have sped up the process, but if this is all you have to use, then you'll still be impressed by the performance. The only thing that could be an issue is the size of that internal hard drive, and on two or three occasions during the test, I did need to rely on an external SSD in order to fully test out the capabilities of this machine, solely due to a lack of space. Taking a look at the gaming aspect, it was really quite surprising just how much this slimline, work-focused laptop could handle, and whilst it's not the greatest gaming experience, the fact that you can still play highly demanding games, albeit at a lower resolution and with many effects minimised, is still impressive. Keeping in mind that this is a work-focused laptop, the main highlights have to be the full range of ports that you have access to on either side of the machine, including Thunderbolt 4, full-sized HDMI and LAN socket that enables you to easily integrate with almost any location that you need. I also like the added security aspects, such as the face recognition and the biometric fingerprint through the sensor on the touch pad. There's also its own in-house BIOS, which enables far more advanced protection and should appeal to businesses who are looking for an extra level of protection. While there is a lot to like about this laptop, you also need to consider that you are paying a price premium for the build quality and durability alongside that latest release CPU, and at £1500/$1500 for the base unit, it is expensive, especially considering the low spec of the entry-level SSD capacity.

Performance-hungry creatives need look no further than the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. At Creative Bloq, we test a whole range of different laptops, covering entry-level, budget-friendly machines all the way up to high-end, premium powerhouses. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI is most definitely the latter. At £2,199/$2,899, the laptop is far from cheap, but you absolutely get what you pay for. Under the hood is a top-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, which are perfectly paired to deliver outstanding performance. With that combination, I knew, before I even began benchmarking it, that it was going to be one of the best laptops for video editors and 3D modellers. That's a 30,000-foot summary, though; read on as we dive into the nuances of the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI. * Edgy design delivers a fantastic aesthetic * Well built with robust engineering I recently tested and wrote about the ASUS V16. It's a 16-inch laptop, weighing in at 1.95 kg (4.29 lbs). That's a portable laptop I can get on board with. The Predator Helios Neo 16 AI, on the other hand, weighs 2.22 kg (4.9 lbs), with the extra 270 grams adding more bulk than I would have liked. I won't be porting this laptop around, and I doubt you will want to either. Then again, the extra weight can be attributed to the incredible hardware and superior build quality that the laptop oozes. It's very difficult for laptop manufacturers to pack in performance and durability without increasing the weight, but I won't begrudge Acer for that. This is a well-built machine that will stand the test of time, even if it'll just sit on your desk and never see the true light of day. The OLED display serves up a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, and I can tell you it's really nice to have the extra clarity beyond a standard Full HD alternative. It also boasts a 240Hz refresh rate, which animators, motion graphics artists and gamers will love. The case is made of a black anodised aluminium with a matte finish that looks fantastic but is prone to collecting fingerprint smudges. Sharp corners and harsh bevels give it a classic 'gaming' look, although I doubt creatives will be put off by it. The hinge sits 2cm forward of the rear edge, which allows for a special strip at the back which houses a transparent top, two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a DC connector. I love this design decision, as it keeps power and monitor cables trailing right out the back, ensuring that they stay out of the way. All other ports are located on the left and right-hand sides with three USB-A, Ethernet, microSD readers, and an audio jack. Acer has really thought about where to position every single one of their ports, and it shows in enhanced usability. The keyboard and trackpad are pretty standard, although the numpad is a little squashed. As the design limits portability, I would expect most people to have it permanently hooked up to a dedicated keyboard and mouse. I think that would be advisable given the poor performance of the trackpad in particular. The keys are backlit with LEDs, which I wanted to turn off immediately, but my nine-year-old said was "just so fancy". Let's just say those types of features are subjective. This is a laptop that will stand the test of time and look fantastic while you concentrate on your creative or gaming endeavours. First up is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, which we first saw at the beginning of 2025. It's part of Intel's Arrow Lake-HX series, designed for high-performance mobile computing. This is a high-end laptop processor that is ideal for demanding tasks like gaming and content creation. More on whether it achieves this in our performance section below. The Intel CPU is backed up by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU with 992 AI TOPS. This GPU is built on Blackwell architecture (GB205 GPU), which delivers excellent performance, efficiency, and ray tracing capabilities compared to the previous Ada Lovelace (RTX 40 series) generation. We've already covered some of the display specs in the design section, but it's worth noting that it supports 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. This is a gamut that is particularly good for creative applications, particularly those involving video, digital art, and high-fidelity image work. As you can imagine, all of this hardware is going to need cooling, which is why the laptop has an advanced cooling system with 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans. These, alongside precision-engineered airglow and liquid metal grease, help to keep the system working optimally. The laptop contains a 90 Wh battery, which is a little on the light side, especially given the power-hungry nature of the aforementioned processing units. More on this below. Feature score: 4.5/5 We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes: * Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks. * Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run 3D software such as Cinema 4D and Redshift. * UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test. * Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion. * PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video. * ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process. We take the total time taken to resize the images and divide by 5. * Excellent results, especially for video-editing * Very poor battery performance As Acer has seen fit to include 'AI' in the name of this laptop, I suggest we begin there. We run Geekbench AI, Topaz Video AI, On1Resize AI, and Procyon Image Generation benchmarks to get a firm idea of how machines perform in this area. We found the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI to be a mid-range AI performer, which is evidenced across our select tests. If you're solely working with AI image generation or similar, then you'll want something like the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 instead. Comparable performers to the Neo 16 AI are the ASUS ProArt P16 (2025) and ASUS V16. In terms of photo editing, the Neo 16 AI is a strong part of the chasing pack alongside the likes of the HP Omen Transcend 14 and Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1. All fall short of the MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Max), though, which completely redefines photo-editing performance. Interestingly, it is the Neo 16 AI that redefines video editing performance. With a score of 80,993, the laptop scores four times the amount that the ASUS V16 managed. That's truly exemplary and clearly demonstrates the laptop's suitability for demanding video-editing workflows. If you're thinking of using the Neo 16 AI for 3D visualisation and rendering, then you'll be pleased to know it scored well in the Cinebench multi-core test. It was also high-performing when rendering on the GPU if that's a key part of your workflow. Enough said about the laptop's hardware performance. From the moment of studying the laptop's specs, I had concerns about the battery life, and I hate to say it, but I was right. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is known as a power guzzler, and the 90 Wh battery just couldn't cope. Not even lasting 2 1/2 hours, the Neo 16 AI will need to stay permanently plugged in. If you had any hopes of portability, then I imagine they've just been dashed. All in all, I wouldn't let the battery life put you off, though. This is a high-performing laptop that will deliver for many years to come. Performance score: 4.5/5 The ACER Predator Helios Neo 16 AI that I've been reviewing costs £2,199/$2,899, although you can get a slightly inferior model for £1,799/$2,439. If you're planning on really pushing the limits of your content creation, then I would highly recommend paying the extra £400. We've not reviewed it yet, but if you'd like ASUS' competitor to this laptop, then you'd be looking at the ASUS ROG Strix G16. The Predator Helios Neo 16 AI from Acer is a beast of a machine with the price to match it. The CPU and GPU combination is perfect for powering demanding workflows as well as games that rely on raytracing technology. If you're a casual creative, then this will be more hardware than you need, but serious creatives will lap it up.

This cheap and cheerful Acer laptop will just keep on going

The best AI laptops are everywhere, and Acer is right at the heart of bringing AI into consumer laptops. In recent memory, I've reviewed the Acer Swift 16 AI, the Acer Swift 14 AI, the MSI Cyborg 15 AI, and the MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo review. Throwing 'AI' into the name of a laptop appears to be all the rage at the moment. Most of what I've seen so far has been a little disappointing for high-end creative users, with the current niche for AI laptops being amongst low-intensity users who will benefit from flashy and fancy AI features such as real-time transcription of meetings and automated content generation for documents. The Acer Aspire 14 AI is a lightweight laptop that aims to position itself as one of the go-to options for students and home users who do most of their work through a web browser rather than power-intensive applications. In this review, we put the laptop through its paces with our eyes set on whether it deserves any mention among the best laptops for graphic design or photo-editing. We'll take a look at its design, build, features, and performance to see what's good and not so good about one of Acer's smallest AI laptops. * Lightweight and portable * Plastic and aluminium material mix lacks durability The most positive thing to say about the Acer Aspire 14 AI is that the size and lightweight materials make it perfectly portable for hybrid workers and students. At 16.90 mm x 318.9 mm x 225.1 mm and 1.4 kg, the laptop isn't the lightest on the market, but you'll have no problems popping it in your bag while you travel between locations. The light weight is a result of the plastic and aluminium material mix, and even though I would have preferred an all-metal chassis, it's hard to complain considering the price point. Unfortunately, what you gain in portability, you lose in durability. There is some definite flexing in both the screen and the base panel, something that I'm never very forgiving about. I wouldn't expect this laptop to last more than a few years, especially if you're moving it around daily. The display boasts a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, which will be fine for almost all users except 4K video editors. In reality, high-end editors are not going to touch this laptop with a bargepole anyway, so there are no concerns regarding the display size and resolution. I like the tall aspect ratio, which provides more vertical height when scrolling long documents and web pages. The display itself lacks brightness, and even though you'll be able to open it up in any location you like, you'll want to make sure the environment is not overly bright. I imagine it also goes without saying that the colour accuracy is not sufficient for photo editors or colour graders. Aside from this, you'll benefit from a full-size keyboard and a reasonably sized trackpad. There's nothing to write home about here, though, and I'd opt for a dedicated mouse over the trackpad every day of the week. Oh, and there's also a middle-performing webcam built in. In summary, I'd say that the design of the Aspire 14 AI is okay, but if you're particularly fussy about any specific element or you like a well-designed and -built laptop, then you'll be left wanting. Design score: 3/5 * AI features including Copilot and Cocreator * A respectable range of I/O options The primary focus of the Aspire 14 AI feature set is, you guessed it, AI! Copilot takes centre stage as an assistant that provides answers and inspiration across the web. If you're concerned about productivity, then Copilot will enable you to spend less time on laborious tasks and more time on what matters most. With creatives in mind, you'll also get access to Cocreator, which generates image interpretations from text or image prompts. I wouldn't use it over and above Midjourney or DALL-E 3, but if you need it for basic image generation, then I'm sure it'll come in handy from time to time. The laptop serves up real-time subtitles in video calls and can even translate instructions from other languages. This is particularly helpful for those working in multilingual teams or for those who travel a lot for work. Additionally, I like the inclusion of video call enhancements that allow for lighting improvements and the removal of noisy distractions. Acer advertises creative performance as a result of up to 67 TOPS of AI performance on the built-in Intel Arc GPU. This should provide smoother gameplay as well as faster photo and video editing, but this wasn't my experience. Read the 'Performance' section for more on that. In terms of connectivity, the laptop provides a range of I/O options. The inclusion of two USB-A and two USB-C ports provides enough versatility to cover a range of peripherals. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 will also help to keep you connected. Feature score: 4/5 We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes: * Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks. * Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run Cinema 4D and Redshift. * UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test. * Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion. * PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video. * ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process. We take the total time taken to resize the images and divide by 5. * Basic photoshop work is fine but video editors should stay clear * Reasonable performance for basic AI tasks Boasting an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V CPU and an integrated Intel Arc Graphics 130V GPU, I wasn't expecting any fireworks when it came to performance, and I wasn't surprised. In terms of overall power, the Aspire 14 AI performs comparably to the Dynabook Tecra A60-M, a laptop that we said lagged "rather too far behind similarly priced rivals to bother pro photo editors' wishlists." The same is true for the Acer. This was made clear not only by the laptop's middling benchmark results during Photoshop tests but also by its inability to even run our Premiere Pro tests. I would urge you not to throw too much at this laptop, and you'll be just fine. AI performance was more of a mixed bag, with basic AI benchmarks performing well, but once you started throwing some serious weight at the processor, it quickly came unstuck. This was evidenced by the reasonable Geekbench AI results, which suggest all Copilot features will work without a hitch, but video AI generation or image resizing could come unstuck. A short word for demanding creatives is important. Please don't expect the Aspire 14 AI to mask over its hardware cracks with AI. Cinebench rendering performance was no better than the MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1V. It continues to be true: if you're working in 3D visualisation or similar intensive fields, then you'll need a high-end CPU with a dedicated GPU. More positively, the Aspire 14 AI performed incredibly during our battery tests, managing 21.5 hours while playing a looping video with the screen on all the time. This puts it firmly alongside the HP Elitebook X G1i and further reinstates the laptop's credentials as a portable laptop. If you're set on buying Acer but are undecided as to which model, then it's worth noting that other than photo and video editing, the Acer Aspire 14 AI actually performed similarly to the Acer Swift 16 AI. The latter will serve you better for high-end creative workflows, but if that's not what you need, then the Aspire 14 AI, along with its budget-friendly price, will serve up enough performance for most. Performance score: 3.5/5 The Acer Aspire 14 AI ships from a very affordable £479/$879.99, although some base models run on a Snapdragon CPU rather than the Intel one we had in the review unit, which at the time of writing will set you back £849 in the UK. I think coming in under £500/$900 makes it instantly more appealing to a wide range of customers. As a result, it'll no doubt be a favourite among students who want a reliable and portable laptop that goes beyond the functionality of a simple Chromebook. The Acer Aspire 14 AI has two main things going for it. The first is that it performs reasonably, especially given the price. The second is that it's a 14-inch laptop, which makes it perfectly portable. As a result, this laptop is ideal for hybrid work and is one of the best laptops for students. If you're working in high-end creative disciplines, including video editing and 3D rendering, then you'll need a laptop with a higher-end CPU and GPU.

Lenovo Thinkpad P1 Gen 7 review: A beautifully built but painfully pricey mobile workstation

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. Lenovo's laptops are nothing if not reassuringly familiar, no-nonsense machines that major on functionality and quality. That applies to the new Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 as much as any previous model. The question is, does that traditional vibe cut it in an age of AI-accelerated applications and demanding multimedia? In short, can this Lenovo portable compete with the best laptops for graphic design, digital art or even 3D modelling? On paper, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 certainly ticks a lot of boxes. There's a modern Intel processor with an NPU for AI acceleration, not to mention a discrete professional-class Nvidia GPU. Add in plenty of RAM, a quick SSD, a generously proportioned 16-inch display, good connectivity and a hefty 90Wh battery, all crammed into a pretty slim chassis, and you have a strong all-round proposition. Of course, the devil is often in the detail with laptops for creative pros, and the precise configuration tested here doesn't quite nail it for all creative workflows. We'll get into the specifics momentarily, but most obviously, the GPU spec and display option will leave some users wanting more. Hold those thoughts. * Fantastic build quality * Understated design * Strong feature set Undoubtedly, design and engineering are where the Lenovo Thinkpad P1 Gen 7 really delivers. To be sure, this is a sober-suited laptop. But it oozes quality thanks to a magnesium frame and aluminium top and bottom chassis covers. In short, it's beautifully built and feels extremely solid. At the same time, it's reasonably slim and portable, with minimal bezels around the 16-inch display. Starting at 1.82kg, depending on configuration, it's not exactly a flyweight. But, again, for a 16-inch model, that's pretty good going. For context, the admittedly more powerful Apple MacBook Pro 16 starts at 2.14kg. Likewise, you get a generously proportioned and responsive trackpad, plus one of the best keyboards in the business, which sports a reassuringly solid bed and a quality feel to the keystrokes. Lenovo's signature pointing stick is also included. Much like other aspects of the design, it dates back to the origins of ThinkPad under the IBM brand. It's an esoteric inclusion, but one that a certain niche of ThinkPad fans will be glad remains. Connectivity is well catered for via a pair of USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with a further USB-C socket, USB-A, HDMI and an SD Express 7.0 card reader. DisplayPort is also catered for via alt-mode supported by both USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. Up top, there's a 5MP webcam which supports Windows Hello and has a physical shutter for security. Speaking of security, the power button includes a fingerprint reader. All told, this is a high-quality, well-designed and intelligently specified laptop. It's clearly been designed to get proper work done and to be pleasant and reliable to use when doing so. In short, it's a laptop for grown-ups. For the Lenovo Thinkpad P1 Gen 7, Lenovo has stuck with Intel's Meteor Lake generation of CPUs, rather than the newer Lunar Lake chips. In terms of raw CPU performance, the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H specified here has plenty of grunt thanks to six Performance and eight Efficient cores. However, the performance of the Meteor Lake NPU is a little lacking. Rated at 10 TOPS, it doesn't qualify on its own for Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC standard, which requires an NPU with at least 40 TOPS of performance, something not only Intel's own Lunar Lake chips offer, but also AMD's latest Ryzen AI APUs and Snapdragon X Arm-based chips can also deliver. However, this Lenovo also has a discrete Nvidia GPU to up not only this Lenovo's AI ante, but also its graphics performance. The problem is that the configuration tested here gets the entry-level professional-grade GPU in the RTX 1000 Ada. It's based on the same AD107 chip as the RTX 4050, so it's a very modestly specced GPU by Nvidia's standards. You can opt for an RTX 4070 or RTX 3000 Ada. Those still aren't truly high-performance GPUs, but they do lift the GPU memory from 6GB to 8GB and add more CUDA and Tensor cores for AI and graphics processing. Another arguable configuration misstep is this model's mere 1,920 x 1,200 resolution 16-inch IPS display. It's rated at 400 nits and comes X-Rite calibrated from the factory. But the optional 2,560 x 1,600 resolution 500 nit IPS and 3,840 x 2,400 OLED touchscreen alternatives that are also available are far more appealing, especially for creative workflows like image and video editing. That said, this configuration does at least come with plenty of RAM at 32GB, plus the ability to upgrade later to fully 64GB if required. The 1TB SSD isn't hugely generous. But, again, you can go up to 8 TB at the point of sale. Elsewhere, there's a hefty 90Wh battery, two speakers, dual far-field microphones, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Ultimately, if there's a problem here, it's the specific configuration of this review machine. You can spec this laptop up to cater for most creative needs. Feature score: 4/5 We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes: * Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks. * Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run Cinema 4D and Redshift. * UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test. * Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion. * PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video. * ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process. We take the total time taken to resize the images and divide by 5. * Strong CPU performance * Entry-level discrete Nvidia GPU * Stellar battery life For the most part, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7's core components are known quantities, and they don't throw up many surprises. The Lenovo Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a good all-round mobile performer and will turn its hand to most creative tasks, be that image editing or video encoding. It's also well complemented by 32GB of RAM. The Nvidia RTX 1000 Ada GPU is less of an unambiguous success, however. For starters, it only has 6GB of VRAM and a 96-bit bus. So, both GPU memory capacity and bandwidth are at a premium. Stable Diffusion, for instance, generally requires at least 8GB of VRAM and 12GB or more is optimal for generating higher resolution images. Moreover, the RTX 1000 Ada GPU itself is hardly a beast, either. To be sure, it's better than running on integrated graphics. And in tests like Topaz Video AI upscaling, it'll show a clean pair of heels to, say, Apple's entry-level M4 chip. But if your workflows hinge on strong GPU performance, there are better options, including the more powerful GPU options Lenovo offers in this very laptop. Pure NPU performance is also a weak point. Exactly how important that is will depend on your specific needs. Currently, there aren't very many professional or creator apps that depend on NPU as opposed to GPU performance for matrix math performance and AI acceleration. But where that does apply, the Intel CPU's weak NPU performance is something to bear in mind. Intel Meteor Lake CPUs are the only option for this laptop. All that said, one area that is unambiguously excellent is battery life. This is a 16-inch laptop with discrete graphics that offers true all-day battery life. And then some. 24 hours of video playback with the screen set to half brightness is actually achievable. Performance score: 3/5 In this exact configuration, you're looking at $3,755.75 on Lenovo's US website and £2,567.50 in the UK. That's pretty horrific in the US and merely painful in the UK. That's because to hit this configuration in the US, you have to choose "build your own", and the prices are bananas. However, among the preconfigured deals, you can get this model upgraded to RTX 4070 graphics and the 2,560 x 1,600 IPS panel for $2,829.00. There's also the same config with the RTX 3000 Ada professional GPU for $3,019. Add the OLED panel and it's $3,229, which would be our recommendation. That's still very steep. No doubt, you can get similar performance for much less money, or much more performance for similar money, especially on the GPU side of the equation. In the UK, you can upgrade to the OLED panel and the RTX 3000 Ada GPU for a total price of £3,377.50. That's still very expensive. In short, you're paying handsomely for the elevated build quality and the professional certification features like Intel vPro and RTX Ada graphics. Value score: 2/5 * Digital professionals who demand a workstation-class portable The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 is a workstation unambiguously aimed at professionals. If you need a laptop with certified pro-grade video drivers, Intel's vPro security features and so on, then this laptop can make sense. But for most creative pros, there's better value to be had elsewhere.