HP | The VergeThe Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.2026-06-02T16:03:48+00:00https://www.theverge.com/rss/hp/index.xmlhttps://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[This could be Windows’ M1 moment — but expect it to cost a ton]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9412152026-06-02T12:03:48-04:002026-06-01T16:02:31-04:00
Nvidia's announcement that it's getting into the consumer laptop chip space with RTX Spark is huge. Apple has proved for years that Arm-based chips can perform incredibly well while also delivering great battery life - at least on the Mac. In the Windows world, performance hasn't fully matched up under Qualcomm chips, mostly in the graphics department. There's clearly still untapped potential, and Nvidia seems to be promising to deliver it.
This could be Windows' moment to blow us away with a new generation of supremely capable chips, much like Apple's back in 2020, with the introduction of the M1. But why does this launch feel simultaneous …
]]>
Jess Weatherbed<![CDATA[These are the first Nvidia RTX Spark laptops]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9407942026-06-01T08:28:42-04:002026-06-01T07:29:52-04:00
A lot of details are still under wraps, but at least we know what the new Nvidia Spark laptops look like. | Image: Nvidia
Nvidia has officially entered the world of consumer laptop chips with the RTX Spark, and several device makers already have hardware lined up for it. Microsoft, Asus, HP, MSI, Lenovo, and Dell are expected to launch RTX Spark laptops sometime this fall, and some of those partner companies have shared details about what we can expect.
The common feature shared by all of the upcoming launches is that Arm-based Nvidia RTX Spark superchip, though several variations are in the pipeline. The flagship version unveiled by Nvidia at Computex includes 20 CPU cores, 6,144 GPU cores, and 128GB of LPDDR5X memory - making it near identical to the GB10 ch …
]]>
Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[These are the laptops I recommend for pretty much anyone]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9316382026-05-15T23:15:57-04:002026-05-16T08:00:00-04:00
Need a new laptop? It’s a tough decision. If you’re like most people, a laptop is one of the most expensive tech purchases you’ll make, and it’s something you’ll use and live with nearly every day for years to come. So there’s a lot riding on this pricey expense.
I’ve tested all kinds of laptops, from cheap Windows computers and Chromebooks to bread-and-butter MacBooks and over-the-top gaming machines. These are the ones I recommend the most and why I think they might be a good fit for you.
Though the MacBook Air is still the easy recommendation for most people, that doesn’t make it the go-to answer for everyone. What if you need more power for video or photo editing, or for crunching large datasets? What if you prefer to run Windows? What if you play lots of games and want to take them with you? Or what if you want something that’s super repairable, or something that’s unusual? We’ve got some recommendations, including a Chromebook or two, a laptop with two screens, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop with a Snapdragon X Elite chip.
The best answer for most people
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)
Score: 9
Pros
Cons
A little more speed never hurts
Starts with more storage that’s twice as fast
Still one of the best laptops around
Great battery life and speakers
Starting price is $100 more than M4 generation (though you get more storage for it)
The MacBook Neo now exists and costs less than half
CPU: M5 (10-core) / GPU: M5 (8- or 10-core) / RAM:16GB, 24GB, 32GB / Storage: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB / Display: 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, 2560 x 1664 or 2880 x 1864 , 60Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (13-inch) or 13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches (15-inch) / Weight: 2.7 pounds (13-inch) or 3.3 pounds (15-inch)
Just get the latest MacBook Air. It’s been a little same-y for a few years, but it’s still the best for a reason. Every part of it is good to great. It’s incredibly thin. Its keyboard is solid. Its haptic trackpad is excellent. Its speakers are loud and full-sounding (especially on the 15-inch). It’s got a very nice-looking display. Even its webcam is best in class. All that, and it balances a great level of performance with a battery that easily lasts around 13 hours.
Both the 13- and 15-inch models are great for just about everything outside of hardcore gaming, heavy-duty content creation, or 3D modeling. An Air will serve you well for years to come. Many of us at The Verge still use work-issued M1 MacBook Airs from 2020, and they’re holding up great after five-plus years of service. An M5 Air (or M4 if you can still find a deal) could last you the better part of a decade.
CPU: A18 Pro (6-core) / GPU: A18 Pro(5-core) / RAM: 8GB / Storage: 256GB, 512GB / Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 2408 x 1506, 60Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 11.71 x 8.12 x 0.5 inches / Weight: 2.7 pounds
Enter the MacBook Neo. Most inexpensive laptops are bulky and creaky, with bad keyboards and screens. Like the Air, the Neo nails the basics, just at a lower price. Its build quality is unbeatable for its $600 price (or $100 less for students and teachers). And while its A18 Pro processor is technically a smartphone chip, it’s faster than most Windows laptop chips in single-core performance — making it more than enough for everyday tasks. Its 8GB of RAM and relatively slow storage may feel lean for more intensive users, but the Neo performs great unless you really push it with dozens of Chrome tabs or heavier content creation apps.
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 / GPU: Qualcomm Adreno / RAM: 16GB / Storage: 256GB, 512GB / Display: 12-inch (2196 x 1464) 90Hz touschscreen / Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 inches / Weight:1.5 pounds
Microsoft’s entry-level Surface Laptop 13-inch and Surface Pro 12-inch are sleek little Windows computers. One is a conventional clamshell and the other a convertible tablet, so you can take your pick from two very well-built devices with metal chassis, great screens, and good keyboards and trackpads. Their Snapdragon X processors are fast enough for everyday tasks and some creative work. But one of their biggest strengths is their extra-long battery life and lengthy standby times. Both the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro can easily tackle a standard workday on a single charge, plus a few more hours, and barely lose any charge overnight, unlike most Windows laptops. Unfortunately, Microsoft recently jacked up its Surface prices due to RAMageddon, so they’re not as competitive with the MacBook Air as they used to be. (This is a problem across the industry; other Windows computers are also getting more expensive.)
Alternatively, if you want something that feels even nicer and runs an Intel chip for wider app and game compatibility, check out the new Dell XPS 14. I’m still working on my review of it, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see how good the XPS is again after I loathed the XPS 13. I’m glad to see Dell resurrected its most notable brand, and it’s actually good — great hardware, a lovely tandem OLED screen, and nice performance from Intel Panther Lake chips. But it starts around $1,900 and climbs much higher with options.
The Asus Zenbook A16 is as impressive as it is beige. It’s meant to be a MacBook Air fighter, and it’s a formidable alternative, with Qualcomm’s powerful X2 Elite Extreme chip inside. At $1,699.99, it isn’t cheap, but you get a massive 48GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and a huge 16-inch OLED display. (A similarly priced 15-inch MacBook Air comes with 32GB of RAM and just 512GB of storage.) Despite this large, lovely screen, the A16 weighs just 2.87 pounds / 1.3kg — only a smidge more than the much smaller MacBook Neo. It’s the lightest 16-inch laptop around, and it’s even got an SD card slot, which I love. I’ve experienced firsthand how it’s powerful enough for some heavy photo editing under pressure.
For a fairly affordable Chromebook that’s still solid, stick with the tried and true Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 for about $400. It’s got an older 12th-gen Intel processor, 8GB of RAM, and a basic 1080p screen. But it’s one of the cheapest Chromebooks around with the “Plus” designation, meaning it’s one of The Good Ones.
Chromebooks are in a bit of a weird spot now that Googlebooks are on the horizon and we don’t know a lot about them just yet. Our former top pick, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, remains an excellent laptop — the best of the best Chromebooks. But in recent times it’s shot up from a fair $650 starting price to $800 to $1,000. Yikes. At this point, only get the Lenovo if it’s on a big sale. Otherwise, just get a MacBook Neo.
Okay, here’s what I’d actually buy myself if I could only own one computer
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Balanced performance, battery life, and portability
The laptops I’ve outlined above are all fantastic. They’re also just a liiiiittle boring, because they don’t take into account playing lots of games, which is what first got me into PCs as a kid. That’s why my personal choice for one computer to do it all are the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16. They strike a great balance between work and play, being sleek and travel-friendly and offering good battery life during the workday. But once you sign off, their discrete Nvidia GPUs and lovely OLEDs offer a whole lot of fun for gaming.
The 2025 models of the Zephyrus G14 and G16 are still easy recommendations in 2026, especially if you can find a deal. The 2026 revision is a small update that mostly bumps the chips to Intel Panther Lake, though I’ve got my eye on the new G14 since it’s making the switch from a microSD card slot to full-size SD. Just brace yourself for how expensive it might be. Asus didn’t announce any pricing at CES, and since then all its 2026 models have landed at significantly higher prices than last gen. If you’re shopping for a deal on the 2025 models, I like the entry-level Zephyrus G14 with RTX 5060 GPU (which is thinner than the higher configs) and the G16 with RTX 5070 Ti (a good sweet spot for the larger model).
Now, here’s the MacBook I’d buy for myself if I’m just focusing on creative work
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2025, M5)
Score: 9
Pros
Cons
Everything good about the M4 model, with just a little more speed
Still a very good value for an all-purpose creative workflow machine
Best-in-class battery life
Just a snoozer of an update
Space black finish can still be a little smudgy
Apple’s price structure may still have you longing for M4 Pro / Max
CPU: M5 (10-core / GPU: M5 (10-core) / RAM: 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB / Storage: 512GB (discontinued), 1TB, 2TB, 4TB / Display: 14.2 Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 x 1964, adaptive refresh up to 120Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 / Weight: 3.4 pounds
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 is my personal sweet spot for content creation without spending tons and tons of money. The 14-inch size makes it easily portable, and it’s powerful enough to fit my needs as a part-time pro photographer. It’s also a great starting place for a college student or young professional getting into creative fields.
The pricier M5 Pro / M5 Max models set the high mark for performance across video production, 3D rendering, and pro work. If you’re a full-time creative professional or developer, the upgrades to an M5 Pro or M5 Max are worth it. If that’s you, take your pick of 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros and get the best one you can comfortably afford. It’s sure to provide you with excellent performance for well over five years. I saw that in my M5 Max MacBook Pro review, where I retested the M1 Pro and M1 Max models and heard firsthand from professional users how well those were still holding up.
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2026, M5 Max)
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Still the best
Amazing performance and battery life
Double the starting storage, and it’s blisteringly fast
Still very expensive, with a $400 price increase over the M4 Max (though you get extra storage)
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 / RAM: 32GB / Storage: 2TB / Display: 16-inch Mini LED 2560 x 1600, 240Hz display / Dimensions: 13.94 x 10.55 x 0.9 to 1.21 inches / Weight: 6.17 pounds
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both excellent gaming laptops with Intel Arrow Lake processors and high-end Nvidia RTX graphics. I tested both with RTX 5080 Laptop GPUs, and they proved powerful enough to play the latest games on high settings in 2.5K resolution — even 4K for some slightly older or less-demanding ones.
Both laptops have lots of RGB lighting, great keyboards, and 16-inch displays with high 240Hz refresh rate. The Asus usually had a slight performance edge, but the Legion gets extra points for having an OLED display. Either of them are great options if you want a thicc-boy-style gaming laptop.
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16-inch, Intel)
Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i is a well built gaming laptop with a lovely 2.5K OLED display and a powerful RTX 5080 GPU, enough to handle 4K gaming on an external monitor. Its only major downsides are a lack of face or fingerprint unlocking and Lenovo’s tendency to pre-load some annoying bloatware.
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Great performance at 2.5K and even at 4K on an external monitor
Beautiful OLED screen
One of the best keyboards in this class of gaming laptops
No face or fingerprint unlock
Numpad makes things slightly cramped, with off-center trackpad
Lenovo’s apps are slightly more invasive with notifications than others
By god, it’s the Asus Zenbook Duo’s music! You can connect a second display to any laptop, but a laptop with two screens is even better. The latest Zenbook Duo is very expensive at $2,700, but you get two 14-inch OLEDs, a great detachable keyboard and trackpad, and an Intel Panther Lake chip that’s great on both performance and battery life. The integrated Intel Arc B390 GPU can even do some respectable 1200p gaming while you have Discord or your work Slack (or both) open on the other screen. The multitasking freedom you get from these two screens (in both landscape and portrait orientations) is a big part of the fun here. Plus, you can flex on everyone else at the coffee shop.
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340, AI 7 350, AI 9 HX 370 / GPU: Radeon 860M / RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 48GB, 96GB / Storage: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB / Display: 13.5 inch IPS, 2256 x 1504 60Hz or 2880 x 1920 120Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 11.68 x 9.01 x 0.62 inches / Weight: 2.87 pounds
There is no better laptop for a tinkerer than the user-repairable, user-upgradeable Framework Laptop 13. There’s also the Framework Laptop 16 if you want something bigger with discrete graphics, but it’s not as easy of a recommendation due to its clunky, Erector Set-like build.
Framework has been cooking with its latest releases, and its upcoming Laptop 13 Pro and updates to the Laptop 16 also look promising. But the standard Framework Laptop 13 with AMD Ryzen AI 300-series chips is a great all-rounder. It performs well whether you’re running Windows or your Linux distro of choice. You pay a premium for the flexibility Framework offers, but the potential for upgrades and easy self-service make it a better long-term investment. Plus, they’re the only laptops in production that allow you to choose your own ports and hot-swap them on a whim. It’s just awesome.
Framework Laptop 16 (2025)
Score: 6
Pros
Cons
Fully user-repairable and upgradeable
Sizable boost in gaming performance with RTX 5070
Amazing levels of customization, from ports to keyboard / trackpad alignment
Nice quality high-res, high-refresh LCD
A concerning amount of BSOD crashes during testing
Lid still has lots of flex
Side spacers are still uneven and creaky
Auto brightness is erratic and jumpy
Still feels a little janky, like a Franken-laptop
Original owners need to buy a new display for G-Sync
]]>
Stevie Bonifield<![CDATA[ISS astronauts are getting new laptops]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9163002026-04-21T17:56:01-04:002026-04-21T16:12:02-04:00
Astronaut Chris Williams and the rest of the Expedition 74 crew are getting new laptops. | Photo: NASA
Even astronauts need to level up their laptops once in a while - including the crew of Expedition 74 on board the ISS, which NASA announced last week is in the process of some computer upgrades. According to NASA, the crew met on Friday to review plans to "first replace network servers then activate their new, more powerful laptop computers." In a statement to The Verge, NASA spokesperson Joshua Finch confirmed the new laptops the astronauts will be using: "The International Space Station Program has selected the HP ZBook G9 Mobile Workstation as the next laptop for the space station."
]]>
Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[HP’s laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8783332026-02-13T09:37:13-05:002026-02-13T08:00:00-05:00
Nice laptop. It’d be a shame if someone were to, say, lock you into some convoluted terms and conditions for it. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
There's been some hullabaloo over HP's laptop subscription service, recently brought to light by a Linus Tech Tips video. And for good reason: it feels like everything is a subscriptionthese days. But it's not just the dystopian feeling that companies are happy to sell you access to movies, music, games, phones, printers, and now even laptops without you actually owning them. HP's subscriptions for its consumer and gaming laptop lines are just a bad deal.
HP offers subscriptions for four productivity laptops and four gaming laptops, starting at $34.99 per month and $49.99 per month, respectively. There's no starting fee or down payment, ju …
]]>
Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[HP ZBook Ultra G1a review: a business-class workstation that’s got game]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8776882026-02-17T11:57:01-05:002026-02-12T07:00:00-05:00
Business laptops are typically dull computers foisted on employees en masse. But higher-end enterprise workstation notebooks sometimes get an interesting enough blend of power and features to appeal to enthusiasts. HP's ZBook Ultra G1a is a nice example. It's easy to see it as another gray boring-book for spendy business types, until you notice a few key specs: an AMD Strix Halo APU, lots of RAM, an OLED display, and an adequate amount of speedy ports (Thunderbolt 4, even - a rarity on AMD laptops).
I know from my time with the Asus ROG Flow Z13 and Framework Desktop that anything using AMD's high-end Ryzen AI Max chips should make for a co …
]]>
Andrew Liszewski<![CDATA[The best tech announced at CES 2026 so far]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8541592026-01-09T10:01:23-05:002026-01-09T08:53:49-05:00
The CES show floor officially closes its doors at the end of the day, but there's still a trickle of announcements and reveals coming out of Las Vegas. If you're struggling to stay on top of all the new tech, gadgets, concepts, and AI-powered devices as the final day of CES gets underway, we're still rounding up the best hardware and upgrades that have debuted so far so you can quickly get up to speed.
]]>
Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[The coolest laptops we saw at CES 2026]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8588972026-01-08T15:20:05-05:002026-01-08T15:20:05-05:00
Gamers, roll up!
CES is always jam-packed with new laptop announcements, acting as a barometer for the year's upcoming releases. The proofs of concept at the show display what could potentially come further in the future. 2026 will soon bring us new chip options from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. While I'm excited to see how the latest horse race shakes out, some of the new designs and form factors displayed at the show are easily more compelling.
There was a myriad of new models shown from Asus, Lenovo, Dell, MSI, Acer, and HP. Here's my shortlist of all the ones I'm most looking forward to testing - or hoping that there will even be an opportunity to test in …
]]>
Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[HP crammed an entire desktop computer into this keyboard]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8519652026-01-07T11:59:15-05:002026-01-05T22:30:00-05:00
There’s a whole computer in there. This kind of rules?
HP is announcing a new mini desktop computer at CES 2026, and the whole thing is housed in a compact keyboard. The Eliteboard G1a looks like a normal office keyboard with either a captive or detachable USB-C cable, but inside it is an AMD Ryzen AI 300-series chip, stereo speakers, RAM, storage, a fan, and ports - all the things that make up a computer. You just plug this keyboard into a monitor (up to dual 4K displays via daisy-chain connection), turn on the included and pre-paired Bluetooth mouse, and you're good to go.
Pretty nifty, eh? This isn't a totally new idea, as the similar Raspberry Pi 500 exists. But that's a single-board comput …
]]>
Cameron Faulkner<![CDATA[HyperX’s 2026 gaming monitor lineup includes a 500Hz QD-OLED]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8457062026-01-05T13:21:50-05:002026-01-05T18:00:00-05:00
From laptops to monitors, HyperX is the brand you'll see on much of HP's new gaming-focused products launched at CES 2026. And despite the branding switch, this year's slate of monitors might be the company's most competitive batch yet.
The cheapest of the three QD-OLEDs announced is the HyperX Omen OLED 27q, a 27-inch 1440p model with a 240Hz refresh rate and variable refresh rate with Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, plus AMD FreeSync Premium. It has a DisplayPort 1.4 input, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a headphone jack. It'll ship with an adjustable stand (supporting height, tilt, swivel, and pivot tweaks), though it has a 100 x 100mm VESA mount …
