Laptops are adapting to our new normal in 2022

Laptops are adapting to our new normal in 2022

This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.

The years 2020 and 2021 served as a reminder of just how central computers are to work, school, home and just about everything we do. It started around March 2020, when many people took their work laptops home, and then didn't return to the office for over 18 months, if at all. 

During that time, we changed how we attended meetings, collaborated on projects and learned new things. But, for the most part, our work-from-home and learn-from-home tools were the same as the ones we had before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Unfortunately, that work laptop just wasn't designed for all-day video meetings, or for sitting in a virtual classroom. Case in point: Most laptops during this time still had lousy webcams and merely adequate microphones. You could always tell when someone had a hard-to-find full-HD standalone webcam (or better) with a good eye line and clear image. Many people were stuck with something like a MacBook Air, with a tilted up-the-nose shot and soft and blurry image. 

It's not that we didn't know that turning every home office into a primary office would mean more people would want better cameras, mics, displays and more. But reacting to that need -- by designing a new product or new features, then getting something manufactured and into stores -- is a multi-year process. That's why it's only as we step into 2022, at CES and beyond, that we're starting to see even simple features like full-HD webcams go mainstream. 

The pandemic also made one-laptop-per-person even more of a rule than it already was. That's because every single household member, adults and children, needed their own full-time system. You might have your office laptop with you -- but it might be old and junky enough (or so corporate) that you'd want something else. You or your spouse might be a freelancer and need their own laptop. Meanwhile, every school-age child in the family suddenly needed a separate laptop for remote schooling -- no more sharing a system for the kids or having a centrally located family PC. 

Here's how these trends, pushed into high gear by the pandemic, are going to be reflected in the new PCs and laptops of 2022 and beyond.

HP's ultralight Elite Dragonfly laptop.

HP

Easy fix: Betters webcams and mics

For years, the 13-inch MacBook Air was the single most universally useful laptop most people could buy. With one significant flaw – the mediocre 720p webcam. See enough of these and you could almost tell who in your Zoom meeting was on a MacBook, just as some experienced radio DJs can tell which microphone someone is using just by the sound. 

To its credit, Apple started rolling out better cameras right away, starting with the 2020 version of the 27-inch iMac. I appreciated its 1080-pixel camera so much I ended up dragging it from one corner of my house to the other just to use the webcam and mic in meetings and TV appearances. The trend continued in the 24-inch iMac and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. 

Now, and into 2022, you can expect many more full-HD cameras in laptops from Lenovo, Dell and others. It won't be in every model, as it's still an additional expense and frankly may require a larger camera unit, but it gets closer to becoming the universal standard every day. And whether you're working from home, in an office or both, that's a good thing. 

The latest MacBook Pro laptops already have upgraded 1080p webcams. 

Dan Ackerman/CNET

New recycled ideas 

Everyone wants their product to be green, and sometimes it's even for non-publicity reasons. I've heard about laptops and accessories that used a certain amount of recycled plastic, or recycled paperboard in computer packaging, but 2022 means even more laptops will be built around recycling materials and reusing parts. 

Dell impressed me recently with a new concept demo called Luna. The idea is that your laptop will have many more user-accessible parts, not so much so that you can upgrade them later on (although I'd still like to see that), but more so you can swap out old or defective parts and Dell can reclaim the unused ones without junking the whole laptop. It also makes it easier to trade in a used laptop so the hard drive, CPU, RAM and other components can be stripped out and slotted into new machines. 

The Luna is just a concept project, not a real laptop line, but I'm hoping some aspects of it will make it into real products sooner than later. 

What you can look forward to from computers in 2022 is more recycled material in laptop packaging and even power adapters, even if that's tougher to do with the laptop body itself. 

The new Dell XPS 13 Plus also sported a few cutting edge upgrades, including a capacitive touch function key row and an all-glass front lip.

Dan Ackerman/CNET

New ways to work 

Some upcoming innovations promise to ease a little of the awkwardness that remote work brings. A few of these have already been announced, like Dell's Flow concept, which automatically connects and disconnects a laptop from a secondary display based purely on proximity. I also liked Dell's Pari webcam prototype, which is wireless and able to stick itself anywhere on your screen to get the perfect eye line. Or you could just pick it up and aim it anywhere, from the whiteboard across the room to the brilliant idea you sketched out on a cocktail napkin. 

These developments are still in the concept or prototype stage, so don't expect them any time soon. But I think we will see more innovative helper apps and features this year, like laptops that can alert you when someone is peeking over your shoulder or that can log you in with facial recognition, even when you're wearing a mask. 

The final frontier may be the smart desk. What will it look like and what will it do? I don't think there's universal agreement on that yet, but I suspect it'll start with wireless charging and may move into secondary displays, ergonomic adjustments and more. 

Wider chip choices 

Two big forces are helping laptops and other computers move away from being so dominated by Intel chips. One is that wide adoption of Chromebooks, especially from students engaged in some level of remote learning, is opening the door to more ARM-based laptops, which were previously nonstarters in the Windows world. 

Second, Apple's aggressive timeline for shifting the entire Mac lineup from Intel to its own M-series chips has shown that laptops that skip Intel or AMD chips don't have to skimp on performance. In fact, the latest M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks are miles faster than most of the Intel models they replace. Google is said to be prepping its own chip, specifically for Chromebooks, as well. 

Still, Intel controls roughly 75% of the computer market, and this widening of the playing field may be affected by many factors, including ongoing chip supply shortages. And since so many people had to splurge for an emergency upgrade to a new laptop over the past 18 months, those people may be reluctant to upgrade again so soon. 

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Lenovo Yoga C940 vs. Yoga C740: Which 2-in-1 is right for you?

Lenovo Yoga C940 vs. Yoga C740: Which 2-in-1 is right for you?

Lenovo currently makes two of the best two-in-one laptops you're going to find in the Yoga C740 and Yoga C940. Both have a premium look and feel, but the streamlined C740 starts at less than $800, while the premium C940 jumps off around $1,100. Although some of the price difference is performance-related, there are also a few key features that bump the C940 up to the next level.

That said, the C740 is an excellent general-purpose laptop that'll meet the needs of many people, even if you never intend to use it as a tablet. Sometimes you simply don't need to spend a lot of money to get what you need. Before you jump on the higher-end C940, here are the features differences to weigh. 

Read more: Best 2-in-1 laptops for 2020

Write out of the box

The C940's active pen stores in the back. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

One of the biggest extra features of the C940 is its active pen. Stored in a charging garage on the back right edge of the laptop, the pen is always within reach and slides out and is ready to draw or write on the display. 

The C740 is pen-enabled, but Lenovo doesn't include a pen, so you'll have to buy one on your own. If you're not 100% certain you're going to use it, however, this is a good feature to drop, especially since you can always pick a pen up later if you change your mind. 

Hinges great and small

No matter what position you're using the screen in, you still get clear audio. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

It's one of those things you might miss if you don't look closely. The C740 has two small 360-degree hinges that allow you to flip the display around to the back of the keyboard to use it as a tablet. The C940 has one long hinge that not only lets you change from laptop to tablet but is filled with speakers. The design means no matter what position you're using the screen in, you still get clear audio. 

Also, the C940's audio is actually good. While laptop makers frequently talk up their speakers and audio processing, most never live up to the hype. However, the design paired with its integrated Dolby Atmos processing sounds better than most ultraportable laptops. I mean, you'll still be better off with a larger desktop speaker set or good headphones, but the C940's speakers are enjoyable. 

Some lakes are deeper than others

Sarah Tew/CNET

Intel didn't exactly make things easy for consumers with its current Core i-series mobile processors. They're all considered 10th-generation chips, but their architectures are not the same. The C740 uses Intel's 10th-gen Comet Lake processors, while the C940 has 10th-gen processors using its Ice Lake architecture. The Ice Lake chips deliver better performance across the board including integrated Iris Plus graphics. 

The Ice Lake CPUs also includes support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11x), which gives you a little futureproofing, assuming you haven't already jumped to the latest wireless standard. And Thunderbolt 3 is integrated into the CPU die (instead of as part of a supporting chipset) so extra drivers for it aren't needed. (The C740's USB-C ports are not Thunderbolt 3.) Ice Lake just gives you all-around faster performance and a deeper feature set. 

The C740's 10th-gen Comet Lake processor didn't disappoint and was plenty for typical work and entertainment use, plus battery life was impressive at more than 11 hours on our streaming video test. 

Bigger and better

Sarah Tew/CNET

Both models come in 14- and 15.6-inch screen sizes. The 15.6-inch C740 is essentially the same as the 14-inch, but with a larger display and a keyboard with a number pad. The larger C940, however, can be configured with more powerful processors including a ninth-gen Intel Core i9 and discrete graphics courtesy of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1650. Also, like the 14-inch C940, the 15.6-inch can be configured with a 500-nit UHD-resolution display with DisplayHDR 400 support. 

Both of these laptops are excellent, but if you don't need the faster performance and pen features of the C940, it's a reasonable choice to save a few hundred bucks and go with the C740. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

Whether you go with the 14- or 15.6-inch model, you're getting the best features Lenovo offers in a consumer two-in-one. That includes things like a 4K UHD HDR display; speakers that you'll actually want to use; Thunderbolt 3 for power, speedy data transfers and external display support; faster integrated graphics and the option for discrete graphics on the 15.6-inch; and an included active pen that stores in the body. And it's all still wrapped up in a sturdy, but lightweight metal body.

Read our Lenovo Yoga C940 (14-inch) review.

More laptop buying guides

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga review: A first-class 2-in-1 for business travelers

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga review: A first-class 2-in-1 for business travelers

The X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ThinkPad ever. At 11.5 millimeters (0.45 inch) and with a 13.5-inch 2K-resolution 450-nit display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, it doesn't take up much more space in a backpack than a spiral-bound single-subject notebook. It also weighs just 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms), which is barely more than the X1 Nano, Lenovo's lightest ThinkPad to date at 2 pounds (907 grams). Despite the thin-and-light frame, though, the X1 feels solid enough to hold up to being banged around on flights or an everyday transit commute. And that tall screen means you're getting more vertical space to work but the laptop is no wider than a 13.3-inch laptop. My point is, this is a great design for frequent business travelers and I didn't even mention all the privacy and security features yet. The X 1 Titanium Yoga is a first-gen model, however, and while it's good, there's some room for improvement.

Like

• Thin, strong 2-in-1 body
• High-quality 3:2 display
• Lots of security and privacy features
• Lenovo Precision Pen included

Don't Like

• Performance, battery life are nothing special for the price

Prices for the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga currently start at $1,355, £1,670 in the UK and AU$2,949 in Australia. The configuration I tested, which you can see in the chart below, is $1,440, which is more than reasonable for what you're getting. But that's the price as I'm writing this. A few days ago it was $2,147, making this a much more difficult laptop to recommend. Needless to say, if you're interested in buying this laptop, you'll want to look for a sale or contact Lenovo directly to get the best pricing.  

Business laptops are typically more expensive than consumer models, though, because of things like better security and remote IT features, repairability and greater durability. For the X1 Titanium Yoga that means a Mil-Spec-tested chassis constructed of titanium and carbon fiber for the lid and magnesium-aluminum alloy on the bottom; a match-on-chip fingerprint reader (the biometric info is stored on the reader, not the computer) with anti-spoofing technology; and an IR camera for facial recognition. The BIOS is self-healing, too, meaning it can repair itself from a backup in case of a malicious attack or a failed or interrupted update. 

The titanium lid is new to ThinkPads. 

Josh Goldman/CNET

The X1 Titanium Yoga also has an ultrawideband radar sensor that can tell when you walk away from it and quickly lock the laptop. It can also sense when you return and automatically wake and unlock it. Called Human-Presence Detection, it's simultaneously awesome and a tad creepy. This setting and many more can be controlled through the laptop's Commercial Vantage app. 

In the app, you'll find everything from battery and power settings to audio tweaks for its mics and speakers to turning on and off the keyboard's various hotkeys. As you might expect, the controls are designed to improve your work experience, such as setting the laptop's mics -- there are four of them -- and speakers to improve your VoIP call quality while also suppressing keyboard noise. 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

Price as reviewed	$1,440
Display size/resolution	13.5-inch 2,256x1,504-pixel touch display
CPU	2.1GHz Intel Core i7-1160G7
Memory	16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4X (onboard)
Graphics	128MB Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage	512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking	802.11ax wireless, Bluetooth 5.1
Connections	Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (x2), 3.5mm audio jack
Operating system	Windows 10 Pro (2H02)

There are always trade-offs when you make a laptop this thin and light but Lenovo manages to keep things comfortable. For instance, it has a 13.5-inch display that gives you some extra vertical room to work compared to a 16:9 display. Also, its 2K resolution is a fair compromise between full HD and 4K, and it can hit a 450-nit brightness level (for working in bright conditions) and covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut. The display looks good right out of the box. 

The keyboard is good, but the haptic touchpad needed some adjustment.

Josh Goldman/CNET

Also, despite its thinness, the keyboard is comfortable. I've seen user complaints about how this model's keyboard isn't as good as past ThinkPads and to some extent that's true. However, those better keyboards were in far thicker bodies. Again, given what Lenovo was working with here, it's a good keyboard. 

The touchpad, on the other hand, could be better. It's small, partly because this model has the familiar ThinkPad TrackPoint nub and its associated mouse buttons above the touchpad. It also matches the display ratio, so it's simply not that wide. Lenovo also used a haptic touchpad made by Sensel that eliminates moving parts but also means the click is simulated. The out-of-the-box settings caused me some frustration with tracking and click detection. But the touchpad has its own control panel, and once I adjusted it some, it worked just fine. 

The laptop's body is barely thicker than the included active pen. 

Josh Goldman/CNET

The port assortment on the X1 Titanium Yoga is limited to two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headset jack -- though Thunderbolt 4 handles all your connection needs and power with a single cable and the right USB-C hub. Plus, it charges fast using Thunderbolt 4, too, but I wish the two ports were split up so you could charge from the left or right. Speaking of charging, battery life is a little disappointing at 9 hours, 29 minutes on our streaming video test. 

This laptop isn't quite the workhorse you might expect for a premium device either -- a cost of being so thin, perhaps -- but it is snappy for typical office productivity. Like the X1 Nano, the value in the X1 Titanium Yoga is in its durable lightweight design, high-quality display and all those extra features that make it easier to pick up and start using fast. Not to mention the security and privacy options. Also, the two-in-one design gives it an edge over the Nano, in my opinion, so if you're choosing between the two, the Yoga wins. 

The X1 Titanium Yoga stays thin even in tablet mode. 

Josh Goldman/CNET

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Best Cell Phone Trade-In Options for iPhones and Android Phones

Best Cell Phone Trade-In Options for iPhones and Android Phones

With smartphone technology advancing at a lightning pace, it can be downright irresistible to snag the latest models, even if you already have a great device in your pocket. You might want more storage, a better camera, or you might just want the latest color. It may even be that your other personal needs have changed between the time you originally got your smartphone and now. Whatever your reasons for wanting to upgrade, you'll most likely want to get the best phone trade-in you can for your current model. 

Furthermore, with the pandemic squeezing pocketbooks, there's a rising demand to get your money's worth out of a mobile trade-in. That's where the CNET directory of gadget trade-in providers comes in. We'll look at a few of the best phone trade-in options like ItsWorthMore and others where you can get top dollar for your devices.

Read more: Best Places to Sell Your Used Electronics in 2022

To evaluate the merchants on our list, we looked at a composite picture of each business. We ranked merchants based on our research into Better Business Bureau ratings, CNET staff reviews, online reputation among resellers and how easy or hard it is to get in touch with someone at each business, among other factors.

Every service is different, though, and trade-in values change by the day. They also assign values based on the condition of the cell phone you're trading in, and take into account things like the device's color. This means that preowned phones in good condition are likely worth more money or store credit.

So you're going to have to shop around. Below the list of merchants is our basic FAQ of carriers, buyers and online marketplaces for your best phone trade-in experience.

• Smartphones: Yes
• Tablets: Yes
• Laptops: Yes
• iPods: Yes
• Action cameras: Yes
• Wearables: Yes
• Other: Kindles, books, video, more

Not surprisingly for the king of online commerce, Amazon offers trade-in pricing for a large number of items, including phones and tablets, as well as books and videos. Because Amazon also has its own marketplace, you can also choose to list pretty much anything and expect to have a chance to sell it through Amazon.

We focused specifically on the Amazon Trade-in offering only. If you're not a regular Amazon customer, you might be disappointed to find that Amazon only pays in Amazon Gift Cards. For those of us who are dedicated Prime users, that's pretty much the same as cash, but you need to decide.

There's long been a rumor that Prime customers get better trade-in prices than non-Prime customers, but when we asked Amazon, we were told that everyone was treated equally. 

In terms of the mechanics of the trade-in, Amazon will send you a prepaid shipping label you can print out. Pack the device yourself in your own packaging (like an old Amazon box) and send it back. You should clear your phone of data, but Amazon will also do that for you. Make sure you don't dawdle when shipping your item. The quote time is valid only for seven days, and you should get paid in about 10 business days.

Angela Lang/CNET

• Smartphones: Yes
• Tablets: Yes

Apple offers two ways to trade in your iPhones and iPads. You can either walk into an Apple Store or use an online service run by Apple partner Phobio. 

Either way, don't expect to trade in your iPhone and get money you can use to go out and buy that hot new Google Pixel 4 phone. Apple's trade-in services only give you Apple Gift Cards. If you're staying in the Apple ecosystem, this might work for you. If you're jumping ship or just need the money, you'll need to look to another alternative.

I liked the convenience of a walk-in trade-in, assuming you're near an Apple Store. If you go the online route, quote time is valid only for 14 days, and you should get paid quite quickly, with the company promising two business days in most cases.

Like Amazon, going with Apple is a bit of a no-brainer, but only if you're OK with its limits: iPads and iPhones only, exchanged for Apple Gift Cards only. 

Gadget Gone

• Smartphones: iPhones only
• Other: Contact merchant directly 

If you want to sell your iPhone (and only your iPhone) to a company with a fun tag line, GadgetGone is for you. The site has "Goodbye iPhone. Hello Moola" plastered on the front page, just in case you didn't understand what it does. It claims to take items other than iPhones, but its online estimator only works for iPhones. You have to email to find out what else it's interested in.

The company pays by check and PayPal, but also will pay you using a "printable echeck." While printable checks are a pretty standard practice for some businesses, you probably should ask your bank whether they'll accept a check printed out on your inkjet.

I like the company's "two days to payment" policy, but GadgetGone stumbles on its lack of security practices and price offer guarantees. It also provides no clear method for phone support, and offers almost no background on the company itself on its website. 

igotoffer

• Smartphones: Yes
• Tablets: Yes
• Laptops: Yes
• Wearables: Yes
• Other: Macs

If you dig deep in its menu system, you will find Samsung and Google phones listed for trade-in at igotoffer, but this is mostly an Apple-branded trade-in shop. Not only does it make offers on Apple phones, but also on Mac Pros, Apple Displays and Apple TVs. 

That said, igotoffer doesn't let you know how long its offer quote is good for, and it doesn't specify whether it provides a security wipe on your data (you should do it anyway). There also appears to be no telephone support.

If you do want to trade in your iPhone, the company will email you a prepaid shipping label you can print out. That's workable, but I prefer the full shipping kit with a box designed to protect your device. igotoffer says it pays within three business days by check, PayPal or Amazon Gift Card.

It'sworthmore

• Smartphones: Yes
• Tablets: Yes
• Laptops: Yes
• iPods: Yes
• Wearables: Yes
• Desktops: Yes

Most of what It'sWorthMore accepts are Apple products, but the company also lists Android devices and some other laptops and tablets.

The company provides a 14-day offer quote guarantee and a prepaid shipping label, and it pledges to pay within three business days. It also provides phone support.

It'sWorthMore pays by check and PayPal, but here's a kicker. If you ask for payment via PayPal, the company deducts 3% to cover its PayPal fees. It's a little too nickel-and-dime for our tastes and makes us wonder whether it'll be generous in its final payment determinations, or if it will be just a little too cheap. If you use this service, let us know how it did from quote to final payment in the comments below.

Decluttr

• Smartphones:  Yes
• Tablets: Yes
• Laptops: Yes
• Wearables: Yes
• Other: Media, Lego, Games

If you want to get money for your clutter, Deculttr Is the place to bring your stuff. They take in many different smartphone models, some tablets, some Kindle models, game consoles and games, DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays and Lego products (Hey, don't knock the Lego. That stuff has a pretty high resale value, especially with full sets).

Although they don't provide a shipping kit, we liked how they suggested filling a box (they say any box will do) with up to 200 items and send it into decluttr.com. It's a great way to clear out a pile of gear and get some money back.

Plus, you can trade-in your device an earn an extra 10% of trade-in value (maximum $40) code CNET10EXTRA. 

We don't like that the company doesn't clearly specify how long their price quotes are good for, and that it doesn't explicitly state that it wipes your technology on receipt. Instead, they have some FAQ entries about how you can do that yourself.

That said, the company does offer solid phone support and a great way to check the value of products before shipping, and free insurance on items you ship to them. 

What about Gazelle?

Gazelle has lived on this list for a long time, but after refining our review criteria, we've removed it. The change comes in light of an increased number of poor customer reviews and recent complaints to the BBB. We will continue to update this list over time.

FAQ: Carriers, buyers and online marketplaces

When looking for value from your old phone, there are four types of organizations you can work with: retailers, buyers, marketplaces and carriers. The characteristics of each are quite different:

Retailers: These are the brick-and-mortar stores in your neighborhood, ranging from Walmart and Target all the way to the remaining Radio Shack locations. In many cases, you can walk into the retailer, hand over your old Apple, Google or android phone and walk out with a new one, with a healthy discount applied. Many of these retailers won't just give you money for your old phone. They want the deal for your new business and give you a trade-in offer, so keep that in mind. Some also offer online trade-ins.

Carriers: These are the cellular service providers and almost all of them have some sort of mobile phone trade-in program, to encourage you to trade up to the next model and keep their service. Good news: this doesn't necessarily mean that the phone needs to be in working condition.

Buyers: These folks want your phones and will give you money or credit for them. A buyer generally won't force you to buy a new device from them (although expect some deal sweeteners if you go that way). Some of them will send you packaging to send your device back to them. This is the group we look at in this guide because they generally send you real money in return for your device, which means you're free to buy anything you want once you get your green.

Marketplaces: This option includes the classic resell methods like Craigslist and eBay, along with some specialty referral marketplaces like Flipsy, which are built around the idea of trading in gadgets. Here, you're often dealing directly with individual buyers (or bulk buyers who are scooping up phones for other markets). Straight talk, though: There is substantially more risk when selling to individuals than companies with known reputations.

Keep those concepts in mind as you look for the best deal for your device. 

More phone advice 

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Lenovo's new Legion gaming laptops appear at CES, ready for VR and more

Lenovo's new Legion gaming laptops appear at CES, ready for VR and more

Lenovo has always been a bit of a stealth force in PC gaming. For years, the company has turned out some very good gaming laptops and desktops, with just a bit of gamer-y flair, excellent performance, and prices that are as good or better than the competition.

At CES 2017, Lenovo is rebranding its gaming line, hoping to make it more of a player in a category dominated by Dell's Alienware and HP's Omen on the mainstream side, and boutique players like Origin PC and Falcon Northwest on the custom side.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The new name is Legion, and it's launching with two new laptops, the Y720 and Y520 (keeping the Y-series designation from Lenovo's previous gaming laptops). Why that name? Lenovo says: "Just as the Roman army shared a common purpose that bound them together as a force to be reckoned with, Lenovo Legion is all about our growing community of gamers and their passion for gaming." So, there's that.

The new models look like slightly slimmer versions of Lenovo's previous Y-series laptops, with red accents and keyboard backlighting (red-only on the 15-inch, multicolored on the 17-inch), and a wide central hinge connected to an angular body. Inside both of these, you'll find new seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processors and Nvidia graphics, up to the current GeForce 1060 (in the 17-inch model). The 17-inch Y720 also includes a Thunderbolt 3 port for fast connections to accessories and external displays, and an optional 4K display with an anti-glare coating.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The 17-inch Y720 is also the first Windows laptop with built-in Dolby Atmos, which is a surround-sound-like ecosystem of hardware and supported content for excellent positional audio, which is certainly important for games.

My favorite new feature in the Y720 is the integrated Xbox One wireless receiver. The standard dongle you need to plug into a PC to use an Xbox gamepad is huge (and frequently buggy). Having that built in is one of those small touches that means a lot.

As of right now, it seems that the 15-inch Y520 model is missing most of these high-end extra features, and only supports the Nvidia 1050 graphics chip, which means it won't work with the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Considering other PC makers put Nvidia 1060 or better GPUs into even 13-inch laptops, it seems like something we'd like to have in a future revision. Even the 17-inch tops out at the Nvidia 1060, not the faster 1070 or 1080, but in my hands-on testing in other laptops, the 1060 is perfectly fine for virtual reality and full-resolution, high-detail-level gaming.

The Legion Y720 starts at $1,399 or AU$2,699 (around £1,145) and is coming in April, while the Legion Y520 will be available in February, starting at $899 or AU$1,999 (around £735).

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Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 review: 1080p AMD gaming with style

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 review: 1080p AMD gaming with style

Old flagship gaming laptops never die, they just fade into the neutral zone. That's what's become of Alienware's m15 laptop line with the introduction of its thinner, more cutting-edge and far more expensive x15 line. The company seems to differentiate between the two by the display choices; it tags the Intel-based R6 models as the ones with "boundary-breaking visuals," which translates to... 1440p G-Sync display options. Along with the repositioning, Alienware brings back its first AMD CPU-based m15 in a l-o-o-o-ng time.

There's nothing wrong with being a better-than-average-looking meat-and-potatoes gaming laptop, though. It just means you can no longer look to the m15 for a top-end processor (the RTX 3080 and Intel Core i9-10980HK are only available in the m17, though you can get the excellent Ryzen 9 5900HX on the Ryzen Edition). It maxes out at a GeForce RTX 3070 and a 15.6-inch 240Hz 1440p display with Nvidia's G-Sync adaptive refresh technology and Advanced Optimus support. 

The latter is probably the best 1440p laptop display available for the moment -- the base configuration is a 1080p 165Hz screen that's a good match on both a price and performance level for the RTX 3060. You can't configure the system with more than 32GB of RAM, but you can upgrade it yourself. You can also upgrade the SSD, but owners have complained about getting the necessary proprietary part from Dell in order to do so.

It's amazing how much price impacts my perception of the laptop. A week ago, the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 configuration I tested was $1,617 (nominally $1,650). For that, it's just not worth it given the performance, though that's a pretty typical price for the components. The Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition has set the speed bar at the $1,650-or-so price level, though each model has its own issues (Asus has been taking some hits for its liquid metal thermal paste smoking GPUs).

At its suddenly lower price of $1,395 (nominally $1,600), it becomes a much better midrange gaming laptop choice, with a more powerful processor and faster display than you usually get for the money. 

Unless the price rises again, the GeForce RTX 3060 model with the $45 upgrade to 512GB is the configuration sweet spot. The entry-level RTX 3050 Ti-based system has only 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which are insufficient for a gaming laptop and possibly even as a general-use laptop (unless you're OK with your system feeling leaden; Windows needs 16GB of RAM). If you play mostly online games, such as Fortnite, then 256GB isn't so bad. But you could probably get away with a cheaper system as well.

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Price as reviewed	$1,395, £1,499, AU$2,239
Display	15.6-inch, 1,920x1,080, 165Hz
PC CPU	4.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
PC Memory	16GB DDR4 3,200MHz
Graphics	6GB GeForce RTX 3060
Storage	512GB SSD
Ports	1x USB-C (DP), 3x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, combo audio jack
Networking	Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x, Bluetooth 5.2, Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 10 Home 20H2
Weight	5.3 pounds (2.4kg)

On the other end, you pay $250 for the RTX 3070 over the RTX 3060, and that model might not be your best choice for the money compared to competitors like the currently $1,500 Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. Alienware's RTX 3070 model also got off to a rocky start with 10 of the GPU cores disabled in the BIOS on some systems, a bug that was fixed earlier this month, but in conjunction with the SSD upgrade issue it doesn't inspire confidence.

Given its heritage, the m15 Ryzen Edition R5 unsurprisingly looks quite sleek for its price class, with understated lighting on the lid and rear. It's not a lightweight -- 5.3 pounds for a 15-inch gaming notebook is about average -- and the 240-watt power adapter is huge and heavy. The laptop feels well built, though, and it does have one of the most fingerprint-resistant finishes I've seen.

You can configure the rear lighting as understated. There are a few ports on the back; on the Ryzen Edition, a USB-C with DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1 and USB-A.

Sarah Tew/CNET

You do have the option for the new Cherry MX keyboard, which you might want to consider. The standard four-zone version isn't awful, but if you're picky about feel, the Cherry upgrade may be more to your liking (CNET's Josh Goldman loved it on the m17). 

I do have one huge gripe about the standard keyboard, though: The backlight doesn't illuminate the shift characters, which makes it impossible to see them if you work in the dark like I do, or if you play games with macros attached to them. The touchpad is also pretty small compared to more recent 15-inch laptops we've seen.

Our evaluation unit performed exactly as you'd expect it to with its combination of the RTX 3060 and Ryzen 5800H: It should be able to handle almost any game you throw at it in 1080p, and with DLSS it should be able to tip some borderline 1440p frame rates into the respectable zone. Its CPU test results are nearly identical to the Legion 5 Pro, which uses the same processor, and graphics performance lies roughly between the same to about 20% slower than the RTX 3070 in the Lenovo.

We've only tested one other laptop with the RTX 3060, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE, which the Alienware blows past by about 20%. That's anomalous, however, because the aggressively power-saving Triton 300 SE is debilitated by the silly low-power Intel Core i7-11375H chip, choked PCI bus (it has the lowest bandwidth of any current-gen system I've tested) and slashed GPU power (75 watts vs. 125 watts for the Alienware). 

There's no backlighting on the shift keys like "\" or parentheses. Grrr.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It does feel randomly laggy every now and then for general tasks like application switching, in the "why the $%#^% is this taking so long??" sense. And at one point I was having issues with power plan resets and getting the fans out of jet-engine mode (even while component temperatures were cool), which magically resolved themselves just before I was about to hit send on my email about it to Dell. 

Battery life is solid, not quite up to the 9 to 10 hours of modern competing gaming laptops on our streaming video playback test, but at between 8 and 9 hours it's still far better than most people expect from gaming laptops.

I generally like the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5, and by extension, the Intel-based R6, for 1080p gameplay in a sleeker-than-usual body. It just has a lot more hard-to-beat competition at its original, higher price.

Geekbench 5 (Multicore)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R23 CPU (Multicore)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Cinebench R23 CPU (Single core)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Far Cry 5 (1080p)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming test (1080p)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Time Spy

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

SpecViewPerf 2020 SolidWorks (1080p)

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G533QS)

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition (G513QY)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

Configurations

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (20H2); 4.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060; 512GB SSD
Alienware m17 R4	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (20H2); 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-10980HK; 32GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,933MHz; 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 512GB SSD + 953GB RAID 0
Asus ROG Flow X13	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2004); 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 4,266MHz; 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650; 1TB SSD
Asus ROG Strix G15 AMD Advantage Edition	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (21H1); 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 12GB AMD Radeon RX 6800M; 512TB SSD
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro; 3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX; 32GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 10GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080; 1TB SSD
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (20H2); 4.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070; 512GB SSD
Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)	Microsoft Windows 10 Home (2009); 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-10875H; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3,200MHz; 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Max-Q; 1TB SSD

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