Last November, Microsoft debuted two next-gen consoles — the Xbox Series X and the more affordable Xbox Series S. If you are looking for the more affordable next-gen Xbox, Best Buy has the console in stock right now.
The Xbox Series S variant costs $299, is smaller, and is less powerful than the $500 Series X. One other important thing to note is the Xbox Series S is a digital-only console, meaning it lacks a disc drive to play physical games.
Xbox Series S
$299
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The Xbox Series S costs $299.99. Compared to the Series X, it’s far smaller, less powerful, and it has half the amount of SSD storage built in. It also lacks a disc drive.
$299
at Best Buy
If you plan to buy this console, you may want to consider picking up a few accessories that will help you get the most out of your new gadget, most notably an additional controller if you are playing a game with a local co-op with a friend or family member.
As far as storage goes, both consoles have rather limited storage. If you plan to download some older games that do not take full advantage of the next-gen hardware and don’t want to deplete your limited SSD storage, you can grab an external hard drive. You can buy a 4TB external hard drive from Seagate for $100, and it includes two months of Xbox Game Pass, a Netflix-like digital video game subscription service for Xbox consoles. Or you can buy three months of Xbox Game Pass if you don’t have any games you’re interested in buying yet.
Of course, you can also upgrade your SSD as well, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Seagate is the only one with an SSD expansion card compatible with both consoles. Additionally, the SSD expansion card only comes in 1TB, and it is very expensive, costing $220.
The brief suspension of Samsung Foundry’s S2 fab because of freezing weather will impact about 1% to 2% of the global 300mm foundry capacity and therefore should not have a noticeable impact on the supply chain, though TrendForce notes that some price hikes are possible.
The unprecedentedly cold winter has already caused energy commodities prices to rise, but in many locations, power grids were not ready for freezing temperatures. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so in Austin, Texas, a local energy company asked multiple industrial customers to temporarily shut down their facilities on February 16 in a bid to ensure the utility could supply enough energy to homes. Samsung Foundry, Infineon Technologies, and NXP Semiconductors (which runs two fabs in Austin) were among the Austin Energy customers who had to temporarily shut down their semiconductor production plants.
Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s fab S2 in Austin, Texas, makes advanced chips using the company’s 14LPP and 11LPP technologies on one production line as well as chips using mature (28nm – 65nm) nodes on other production lines. The fab is responsible for about 5% of the global 300-mm wafer output per month, according to TrendForce. Therefore, if the fab remains offline for about a week, this will impact about 1% to 2% of the global 300-mm foundry capacity. Meanwhile, it is unclear when Line 2 will return to normal operation.
Samsung’s fab in Austin, Texas produces automotive chips for Tesla and Renesas, telecommunication chips for Qualcomm, and various products for the company’s own Samsung LSI division. In addition, the facility also makes various SSD controllers using 14 nm – 40 nm nodes.
Controlled suspension of a semiconductor fab typically does not lead to production losses, but it increases lead times for chips and causes a domino effect for other products, in this case cars, smartphones, and SSDs.
TrendForce believes that the impact of the Line S2 blackout on the industry will be relatively limited, but it may still cause some price hikes. Meanwhile, since Infineon and NXP also had to temporarily suspend the production of chips, the actual effect of the suspension on adjacent industries may be more significant.
Formerly under the Sony umbrella, Vaio’s Z-series notebooks are known for combining high performance with a light weight and sleek look. From time to time, Vaio redesigns these machines to offer something that its rivals do not, and this week it introduced its all-new Vaio Z-series notebooks in the U.S. These machines pack in a rather serious hardware into a unique 3D molded carbon fiber chassis for a hefty starting price of $3,579.
Various PC makers have used carbon fiber to build parts of their laptop enclosures since the mid-2000s. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Vaio’s Z-series have extensively used carbon fiber for about a decade. But so far, no PC has ever used a chassis made of 3D-molded carbon fiber or a carbon fiber unibody. The new Vaio Z lineup will compete with the best ultrabooks and premium laptops with just that. Essentially, all body parts of the new Vaio Z, except hinges, are made using a process that stacks the fiber sheets in three dimensions to maximize rigidity of the chassis without increasing weight.
(Image credit: Vaio)
The impressive, and to a large degree unique, Vaio Z machines are available for pre-orders from US.vaio.com. Starting from March, the notebooks will also be available in retail. Pricing of the new laptops starts at $3,579, which is unprecedentedly high. A lot of that high MSRP is because Vaio’s molded carbon fiber process technology is still very expensive.
“Vaio has developed a unique process of working with carbon fiber to achieve beautifully contoured lines and the flexible molding of carbon fiber, that was previously difficult to mass produce,” Kaoru Hayashi, Director, Vice President and Head of PC Business at Vaio Corp., said in a statement. “The achievement of harnessing carbon fiber’s full potential of lightness and durability is both revolutionary and evolutionary as we continue looking ahead.”
The good news is that the company implied that it will leverage carbon fiber going forward, which could eventually reduce costs, due to volume of scale.
“With this evolution, the new Vaio Z offers exceptional performance, lightness, endurance, now with true ruggedness and without compromise, all converging into one elegant design,” Hayashi said. “With Vaio Z as our flagship model, we hope it is the start of Vaio’s future array of laptop PC developments.”
Vaio Z Specs
(Image credit: Vaio)
The new Vaio Z is equipped with a 14-inch 4K resolution display that Vaio claims reproduce 99.8% of the DCI-P3 color space. The system measures approximately 12.60 x 0.48 – 0.67 x 8.69 inches and weighs up to 2.32 pounds, which is rather light for a 14-inch, high-end machine. For comparison, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches and 2.4 pounds.
(Image credit: Vaio)
Inside the Vaio Z is pretty powerful hardware. The notebooks take from Intel’s H35-series of CPUs targeting thin-and-light gaming laptops, specifically the Core i7-11375H. The processor has four CPU cores clocked at 3.30-5.0 GHz, as well as the Iris Xe Graphics with 96 EUs. The CPU has a TDP rating of up to 35W.
In the case of the Vaio Z, the CPU is further enhanced with Vaio’s TruePerformance technology, a combination of increased CPU power limits, a cooling system that can handle increased heat and a BIOS setting. According to Vaio, TruePerformance allows the CPU to work at its maximum Turbo Boost 2.0-defined frequency for up to 40 seconds, which is longer than on most notebooks.
The CPU inside the new Vaio Z is paired with 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR4-4266 RAM, as well as a 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD with a PCIe interface.
(Image credit: Vaio)
In the connectivity department, Vaio’s new Z-series laptops include a Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.1 adapter, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI display output and a 3.5mm connector for headsets.
(Image credit: Vaio)
As for media capabilities, the system is equipped with Dolby Audio-badged speakers, a stereo microphone and a 2MP webcam with a privacy shutter.
Vaio said that its new Z-series notebooks can work for up to 10 hours on one charge, but did not disclose capacity of its Li-poly battery or how it tested the battery life.
We recently reported about Expanscape, a startup developing battlestation laptops featuring up to seven displays and offering their prototypes to interested parties at undisclosed prices. Today we can share some more information about pricing, which tops out at an eye-popping $20,692 (after conversion) for the seven-screen model’s base configuration.
Expanscape’s Aurora laptops with five or seven screens are a work in progress, so every unit is unique to a large degree. The manufacturer says that it is getting closer to finalized pricing for its A7 prototype as it had standardized on specific hardware, but until now, the company hasn’t announced official prices of its multi-monitor laptops.
Expanscape currently has two types of laptop prototypes in three configurations. The ‘basic’ Aurora A5 notebook comes with five monitors: four 15.6-inch 4K displays and one 7-inch touchscreen integrated into its palm rest. This system packs an eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processor paired with 64GB of DDR4 memory, a 2TB PCIe/NVMe SSD, and a 2TB SATA SSD. This entry-level machine currently costs approximately £4,500, or $6,286 USD after conversion.
(Image credit: Expanscape)
The ‘full’ Aurora A7 laptops are equipped with seven displays and come in two configurations. One model features four 17.3-inch 4K monitors, two 9.7-inch 1536p monitors, and one 7-inch touchscreen. Another does not have the 7-inch touchscreen but comes with a 17.3-inch touch-enabled LCD in its base to replace the keyboard, which now extends from under the chassis.
Expanscape’s Aurora A7 notebooks with seven screens are naturally more expensive than their smaller A5 brethren. At present, these machines cost £15,000 ($20,952 USD after conversion) for a standard model, but the pricing goes up with all of the customizations required for the professional built-to-order systems.
All Aurora A7 machines come equipped with 128GB of DDR4 memory as well as 8TB of PCIe/NVMe and SATA storage.
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Notably, the current pricing of Expanscape’s Aurora machines is somewhat higher than several months ago because of component shortages and new policies at the UK border.
It is noteworthy that while Expanscape’s Aurora notebooks are still prototypes, they are rather clumsy and heavy. However, according to the manufacturer, demand for these systems is still fairly significant. Customers who bought the systems reportedly said that they needed them ‘yesterday.’
What remains to be seen is whether high demand for Expanscape’s Aurora A5 and Aurora A7 will enable the company to make them look and feel like commercial products and not just prototypes. Evidently, a more solid build will make these systems considerably more popular among interested customers.
Russia’s MCST Elbrus microprocessors made a splash last year, but it takes a lot mot than a microprocessor to develop a completely self-sufficient computing platform. Among other things such nationally-oriented platforms need is a proprietary SSD controller, and apparently server maker Kraftway has developed one and demonstrated it at a conference this week. The chip will enable building encrypted SSDs featuring a proprietary encryption technology.
The Kraftway K1942BK018 is an Arm Cortex-R5-based NVMe 1.2.1-compliant controller with eight NAND channels that supports up to 2TB of flash memory as well as up to 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM cache. The chip features an ONFI 200MHz interface and is compatible with NAND chips produced by Micron and Toshiba and then packaged in Russia by GS Nanotech. The controller connects to the host using a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface and enables building SSDs in an HHHL or U.2 form-factor. The chip is made using TSMC’s 40 nm process technology and comes in a BGA676 package. The developer claims that it consumes from 3.5W to 4W under load.
(Image credit: Kraftway)
The manufacturer claims that the drives powered by the new controller will deliver an up to 828 MB/s read speed as well as an up to 659 MB/s read speed.
(Image credit: Kraftway)
Surprisingly, the Kraftway K1942BK018 supports a rather outdated BCH 96-bit/1K ECC technology, which means that it may not support all modern types of 3D NAND.
(Image credit: Kraftway)
The key feature of the Kraftway K1942BK018 is that it was fully developed in Russia and uses proprietary management algorithms as well as cryptography standards. The primary customers that will use the controller are various government agencies, the ministry of defense, state-controlled companies and other entities interested in maximum security and proprietary algorithms.
Kraftway plans to produce 10,000 SSDs based on its K1942BK018 controller in the coming months in a bid to use them with its PCs aimed at those markets.
Interestingly, but in addition to the Arm Cortex-R5-based K1942BK018 controller there are also two RISC-V-based SSD and USB drive controllers designed in Russia and based on cores developed in Saint Petersburg.
(Pocket-lint) – The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has been around long enough to be considered an evergreen laptop series. It’s an XPS 13 with a full fold-out hinge. You can prop it up in a “tent” position, set it up as an in-bed mini TV, or use it like a laptop.
Big real-world upgrades for 2021 are all about the progress Intel has made. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has one of Intel’s Xe graphics chipsets. It lets you play games that just weren’t in the conversation for integrated graphics a while back, like The Witcher 3.
There are a couple of problems though: the latest XPS 13 2-in-1 costs a small fortune. And it has an extremely shallow keyboard that we don’t find all that comfortable for typing. You’ll have to decide how much these points matter to you, because the XPS 13 2-in-1 is otherwise hard to criticise in other respects.
Design
Dimensions: 297 x 207 x 14.35mm
Weight: 1.32 kg (1.29kg measured)
CNC machined aluminium casing
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is like a regular XPS 13 subjected to several dozen yoga retreats. It has the familiar carbon fibre keyboard rest, an ultra-stiff aluminium lid, and a metal underside. But the hinge folds all the way around until the back of the lid meets the bottom.
These hybrid laptops were more popular years ago. Real hot stuff, y’know. But it’s a good idea to have a think about whether you’ll actually appreciate the flexibility on offer for the added price premium.
Pocket-lint
That hinge obviously doesn’t come for free. But it is decent, avoiding much of the wobble often seen in less well-designed hybrid laptops. There’s also no glaring sign this 2-in-1 is actually a hybrid. The hinge isn’t big or built-up, there’s just a little more clearance around its main bits.
Real talk: we think the standard XPS 13’s minimalist keyboard plate is more attractive, but there’s not much in it.
Best laptop 2021: Top general and premium notebooks for working from home and more
By Dan Grabham
·
You buy an XPS 13 series laptop for its distinctive carbon fibre style and excellent build, not for show-off weight and thickness stats. However, Dell has done its best to minimise the 2-in-1’s footprint. Screen borders on all sides are slim, if not class-leading, and the display has a 16:10 aspect ratio rather than the usual 16:9 – making a laptop that’s less wide per inch of display diagonal.
Screen
13.4-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS LCD screen
500-nit brightens (550 nits measured)
Flexi-hinge touchscreen
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has a 13.4-inch IPS LCD touchscreen, which is available in two resolutions: more affordable versions have a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200 pixel) display; pricier ones have a UHD+ (3840 x 2400) one.
Ours has the lower resolution display. Your Windows 10 home screen icons and document fonts won’t look as sharp as they would on the 4K version, but the choice here isn’t simple as price versus quality.
Pocket-lint
The high-res XPS 13 2-in-1 will last significantly less long between charges. And, resolution aside, the low-res display is a top performer anyway. It is searingly bright – 10 per cent brighter than Dell’s own claim, we found – and about 50 per cent brighter than the average laptop at this price point.
This is great news if you want to work outdoors. And while the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has a glossy screen, it is much less affected by reflection than most as Dell uses a very good anti-reflective layer. This dulls the white block reflections so they are not so distracting.
Colour is excellent, fit for imaging work. Contrast is great – and once again around 10 per cent better than Dell’s own claim of 1500:1.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 may be Dell’s lower-end option with this FHD+ resolution, but this is no low-end screen. It’s a high-end one without the extra pixel density. This is a good excuse for the Dell’s high price.
There are just a couple of caveats to note. This is a 60Hz screen, not the high refresh-rate kind you see in gaming laptops. And despite Dell’s claim of HDR 400 support, Windows 10 recognises it as a standard dynamic range screen. HDR in laptops is only really worthwhile with OLED screens anyway.
Pocket-lint
The XPS 13 2-in-1 also supports a Dell active pen stylus – one with a graphics tablet-like 4096 pressure sensitivity levels – but you don’t get one in the box. Companies like HP and Lenovo tend to bundle their stylii.
Keyboard & Touchpad
MagLev keyboard
Textured glass touchpad
Integrated fingerprint scanner
The keyboard is the part of the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 we like the least. It is very shallow and clicky, lacking the mellow “clonk” key actuation of the best laptop keyboards.
Pocket-lint
There’s very little weight to the XPS 13 2-in-1’s keys, and we enjoy typing on almost all of the non-Dell alternatives more.
HP Envy and Spectre, Acer Swift, Lenovo Yoga and ThinkPad: all have meatier key setups. Apple started this trend for shallow, feather-light keyboards, even it has begun to step back by putting a chunkier mechanism in the MacBook Pro 16.
This isn’t a mistake, of course. Dell deliberately uses this keyboard. And just because it’s thin, high pitch and clicky, it doesn’t mean it’s low-quality hardware. We just don’t like its style much.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 does have a solid two-level key backlight, and a clever fingerprint scanner that’s built into the power button above the backspace key.
Pocket-lint
Dell’s touchpad has little in common with the keyboard. Which is a good thing. Its clicker has a darker character with a nice amount of resistance, and the surface uses exemplary textured glass. The pad is large too, just not MacBook large. So no major complaints here.
Performance
Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, Intel Xe graphics
16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x RAM
New Dell XPS models tend to arrive at a rhythm set by Intel’s processor releases. Most of these are not that easy to get excited about. A 12 per cent performance increase year-on-year when the predecessor already had enough power isn’t going to change lives.
For 2021 it’s a bit different, because of two little letters: Xe. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1’s Core i7i1167G7 has an Xe graphics chipset, which is Intel’s response to AMD having soundly beaten its integrated graphics performance for years.
Intel Xe is miles better than the UHD 620 and Iris Plus chipsets seen in older thin and light laptops. It genuinely changes how some might use this 2-in-1.
Pocket-lint
For example, you can comfortably play Euro Truck Simulator 2 at High graphics, with frame rates of around 30-40fps. Skyrim runs fine at Ultra settings. You can even play The Witcher 3, at 1200p, using the Low preset (or head down to 720p resolution for acceptable results at High graphics). Yes, The Witcher 3 hasn’t been a benchmark for gaming performance for some time now. But for a laptop with no dedicated graphics hardware, we think that’s pretty good.
There’s less change in the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1’s 11th Gen CPU side in real terms. It’s not because there is no performance boost compared to the last 10th Gen computers – there is, and quite a big one – but it is not the sort of jump that should make you want to upgrade if you already own a 10th, 9th or 8th Gen Intel-powered laptop. More exciting things are happening over at AMD’s and Apple’s processor labs right now.
Much of the pleasant smoothness of the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is down to its very fast SSD storage, which helps minimise app load times.
Pocket-lint
We’re also pleased by how little noise the laptop makes, even under strain. The XPS 13 2-in-1 has two fans, with a vapour chamber between. And while their tone is pretty high-pitch, which can be distracting, the noise never seems to get remotely loud in decibel terms.
Battery Life & Ports
51Wh battery capacity, 45W charger
2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has a 51Wh battery, a mid-size power source used to balance the size of the laptop with stamina. And it seems to have worked pretty well.
Setting the laptop to stream at YouTube video at 1080p resolution the XPS 13 2-in-1 lasts 12 hours 15 minutes. This is the longest you can reasonably expect it to last in any realistic use scenario, but means there’s plenty of headroom to stay above eight hours of all-day use.
Pocket-lint
However, we can’t ignore that we’ve seen much better results recently from some AMD CPU-powered laptops like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7. That lasted almost 17 hours in the same test, while Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro last substantially longer, particularly under strain.
Still, if we’re at the point we can half-complain about 12-hour battery life, that’s a good place to be.
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 uses a USB-C socket to charge, and the adapter is tiny. That’s a bonus for travel use.
A complete lack of traditional USB ports is not, though, so you may need to pack an adapter. A simple USB-C (the ‘small port) to USB-A (the ‘big’ port) comes in the box. Actual on-board connections are minimal: there’s get a headphone jack, a microSD slot, and two USB-C ports – one of which will be used during charging.
Pocket-lint
However, both of these USB ports are Thunderbolt 4, meaning they are very, very quick. Top specs aren’t too different from the older Thunderbolt 3, but you’re guaranteed to be able to plug in two 4K monitors. Handy for home use.
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 also has reasonably good speakers. Their tone is relatively even and they have a small serving of bass, essential for games and movies. We’re not at MacBook level, as the max volume isn’t that great and higher volumes can cause ugly-sounding vibrations inside the chassis, but they do their job well enough.
Verdict
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is a top-quality laptop that makes you ask the question “do you need this upgrade?” in a couple of ways.
First, do you need the high-res UHD+ version? Probably not. The FHD+ resolution – as tested here – has excellent colour, brightness and contrast, and most likely significantly better battery life.
Do you need the flexible hinge? Consider that carefully, because you do pay a bit for it here. If not, the ‘standard’ Dell XPS 13 will suit your needs wonderfully.
Our favourite upgrade for the 2021 Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is Intel’s Xe graphic chipset. It makes this laptop more ready for fun than any XPS convertible to date.
However, we do wish the XPS 13 2-in-1 had a deeper keyboard. This flat and clicky one is no friend to those who spend much of the day typing.
All in all, the XPS 2-in-1 is a well-rounded convertible with some serious plus points.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Dell XPS 13
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How about the downgrade to the non 360-degree hinge XPS 13? The main differences are that it’s a bit cheaper and the footprint is less deep – the latter thanks to its use of a standard hinge. It also has deeper key travel, one of the best reasons to choose the non-convertible if you do a lot of typing.
Read our review
Pocket-lint
HP Spectre x360 13
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HP’s latest convertible is the 13-inch Spectre x360 (ok, so there’s a newer 14-inch model too). Benefits include a larger battery capacity and a lower starting price. It also includes a smart stylus. However, it is a little thicker and doesn’t have the Dell’s supremo display brightness.
Read our review
Pocket-lint
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 5)
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Head to Lenovo’s answer to the XPS 13 2-in-1 if you want a convertible with a deeper-dish keyboard. It also comes with a stylus that slots into the laptop body. However, at the time of review you can only get the X1 Yoga Gen 5 with 10th generation processors. And that means worse gaming performance.
Whether you’re a student, a professional or just want to stay connected and productive, a laptop is one of the most important tools of the trade. But some are better than others, with wide differences in keyboards, battery life, displays and design. If you’re looking for a powerful laptop that easily fits in your bag and doesn’t break your back, you want an ultrabook.
The “ultrabook” moniker was originally coined by Intel in 2012 and used to refer to a set of premium, super-thin laptops that met the chipmaker’s predefined standards. However, just as many folks refer to tissues as Kleenexes or web searching as Googling, the term ultrabook commonly refers to any premium ultraportable laptop, whether it carries Intel’s seal of approval or not.
Of course, there’s always new tech coming down the pipe. Intel has announced its 11th Gen Core “Tiger Lake” processors with Iris Xe graphics and Thunderbolt 4, with laptops shipping in time for the holiday season. And its likely that an AMD Ryzen refresh won’t be far behind, bringing USB 4 to laptops. That’s in addition to the possibility of Apple’s first Arm-powered MacBook coming this fall.
Get a good keyboard: Whether you’re using an ultrabook to browse the web, send emails, code, write or do other productivity work, the keyboard is one of your primary ways of interacting. Get something with responsive keys that aren’t mushy. Low-travel is ok if the keys have the right feel to them, but the last thing you want to do is “bottom out” while typing.
Consider what you need in a screen: At a minimum, your laptop should have a 1920 x 1080 screen. Some laptops offer 4K options, though it’s sometimes harder to see the difference at 13-inches or below. While 4K may be more detailed, 1080p screens give you much longer battery life.
Some laptops can be upgraded: While CPUs and GPUs are almost always soldered down, some laptops let you replace the RAM and storage, so you can buy cheaper now and add more memory and a bigger hard drive or SSD down the road. But the thinnest laptops may not have that option.
Battery life is important: Aim for something that lasts for 8 hours or longer on a charge (gaming is an exception). For productivity, many laptops easily surpass this number. But be wary of manufacturer claims, which don’t always use strenuous tests. Some laptops are starting to add fast charging, which is a nice bonus.
The HP Spectre x360 14 is everything a modern ultrabook should be. This laptop has an attractive design, but isn’t about form over function. It has both Thunderbolt 4 over USB Type-C, as well as a microSD card reader, all in a thin chassis.
But what really wows is the display. The
3:2 aspect ratio
is tall and shows more of your work or web pages, and is also more natural for tablet mode. The OLED model we reviewed also offered vivid colors, though you would likely get longer battery life with the non-OLED, lower resolution panel.
The other big plus is the Spectre x360’s keyboard, which is clicky and comfortable. Sure, it’s no desktop mechanical keyboard, but for a laptop, it’s very responsive and feels great to use.
The Dell XPS 13 has long been celebrated for both its form and function. The laptop is tiny, but packs a punch with Intel’s Tiger Lake processors and adds some extra screen real estate with a tall, 16:10 display (many laptops have a 16:9 screen).
We also like the XPS 13’s keyboard, with a snappy press and slightly larger keycaps than previous designs. The screen is bright, and we shouldn’t take its thin bezels for granted, as Dell continues to lead on that front.
Admittedly, the XPS 13 is short on ports, opting for a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports for booth charging and accessories. Its performance, portability and long battery life are likely to make up for that for those on the go.
Read: Dell XPS 13 (9310) review
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
3. MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1)
The Best Mac
CPU: Apple M1 | GPU: 8-core GPU on SOC | Display: 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600, True Tone | Weight: 3.0 pounds / 1.4 kg
M1 is powerful and fast
Runs cool and quiet
Apps just work, even if emulated
Long-lasting battery life
Strong audio
Limited ports and RAM options
Touch Bar isn’t very useful
Poor webcam
While some people may still want the power, large display and port selection of the
16-inch MacBook Pro
, Apple has proved with the 13-inch version that its own home-grown M1 chip is capable of the needs of plenty of people. This is Apple’s first step in breaking away from Intel, and it is extremely impressive.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro runs cool and quiet, while the chip is faster than its competition in most cases. It’s also efficient and ran for more than 16 and a half hours on our battery test.
Many apps run natively on the Arm processor and those that don’t use Apple’s Rosetta 2 software for emulation. Even then, users will barely know that emulation is being used at all. Everything just works.
The big difference between the Pro and the Air, which also uses M1, is that the Pro has a fan. Those who aren’t doing intensive work may be able to save a bit and get a very similar machine by going with the Air, and they will get function keys instead of the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
Read: Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1) review
MSI GE66 Raider (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
4. MSI GE66 Raider
The Best Overall Gaming Laptop
CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | Display: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080, 300 Hz | Weight: 5.3 pounds (2.4 kg)
Great gaming performance
300 Hz display
Well-executed RGB light bar
High-end build
Cramped keyboard
Tinny audio
The MSI GE66 Raider is a gaming laptop, and it’s saying it loud with a massive RGB light bar. It’s new look is aggressive, but it’s not just talk, with options going up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q.
For those looking for esports-level performance in games like League of Legends or Overwatch, there’s an option for a 300 Hz display.
And while it’s not the slimmest laptop around (or even MSI’s thinnest), it does feel remarkably portable considering the power inside, and we can’t help but appreciate high-end build quality.
Lenovo’s ThinkPads have always been favorites, and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) continues that trend with a slim design, excellent keyboard and an excellent selection of ports to keep you connected to all of your peripherals.
If you get the 1080p option, you can count on all-day battery life (the 4K model we tested didn’t fare as well, but that’s often the tradeoff for higher resolution among ultrabooks).
Of course, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon also attracts one other audience: fans of the TrackPoint nub in the center of the keyboard.
Read:Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) review
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
6. Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482
Best Dual Screen Laptop
CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 | GPU: Intel iris Xe | Display: 14-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) touchscreen, 12.6 inch (1920 x 515) ScreenPad Plus | Weight: 3.5 pounds / 1.6 kg
$999 starting price with an i5
Very good battery life
Loud speakers
Improved hinge mechanism and keyboard layout
Keyboard/touchpad are awkward
8GB of RAM in lower configurations
Asus has begun to refine the dual screen laptop. Sure, there’s a more powerful version, but for a laptop with two screens, this one is fairly light, and ran for over 10 and a half hours on a charge.
Windows 10 doesn’t yet natively support dual screen software, Asus’s ScreenPad Plus launcher has improved since launch, with easy flicks and drags to move apps around the display. For Adobe apps, there’s custom dial-based software.
The keyboard and mouse placement are the big compromises, as there isn’t a wrist rest and they can feel cramped. But if you want two-screens, this is as good as it gets for now.
If you’re going for a big screen, the Dell XPS 17 shines. The display on the laptop is bright and colorful, especially on the 4K+ option that we tested, and with minimal bezels around it, your work (or play) is all that’s in focus.
With up to an Intel Core i7 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, there’s plenty of power here. While it’s not on our list of best gaming laptops, you can definitely play video games on it, including intensive games that use ray tracing.
All of that comes in an attractive design similar to the XPS 13 and XPS 15, though the trackpad takes advantage of the extra space. It’s a luxurious amount of room to navigate and perform gestures.
Read: Dell XPS 17 (9700) review
CPU
GPU
RAM
Storage
Display
HP Spectre x360 14
Up to Intel Core i7-1165G7
Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
Up to 16GB LPDDR4-3733
Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
13.5-inch touchscreen, up to 3000 x 2000 resolution, OLED
Dell XPS 13 (9310)
Up to Intel Core i7-1165G7
Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
Up to 16GB LPDDR4x-4276
Up to 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
13.4-inch touchscreen, 1920 x 1200 resolution
MacBook Pro (16-inch)
Up to Intel Core i9-9980HK
Up to AMD Radeon Pro 5500M
Up to 64GB DDR4
Up to 8TB SSD
16 inches, 3072 x 1920
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Up to AMD Ryzen 4900HS
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with ROG Boost
Up to 16GB DDR4-3200 (8GB on-board, 8GB SODIMM)
1TB PCIe 3.0 M.2 NVMe
14 inches, 1920 x 1080, 120 Hz
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8)
Up to Intel Core i7-10610U
Intel UHD Graphics
Up to 16GB LPDDR3
Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
14 inches, up to 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR400
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481
Up to Intel Core i7-10510U
Nvidia GeForce MX250
Up to 16GB DDR3
1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
14 inch 1080p (1920 x1080) touchscreen, 12.6 inch (1920 x 515) ScreenPad Plus
Samsung’s 2TB 980 Pro delivers some of the fastest performance we have seen from a Gen4 SSD. Although costly, Samsung’s 980 Pro is a solid pick for those looking for one of the best SSDs you can get your hands on.
For
Responsive PCIe Gen4 performance
Sustained write speeds
Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
Aesthetically pleasing
Software package
5-year warranty
Against
Average endurance ratings
Costly
TurboWrite SLC cache not as large as competitors
No 4TB option
Features and Specifications
Update 2/17/2021: We have updated this article with new testing for the 2TB Samsung 980 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD on page 4.
Original Review published 9/22/2020:
Samsung’s 980 Pro is set to redefine the company’s product line up, and perhaps the entire high-performance market, with a combination of the speedy PCIe 4.0 interface paired with a new controller and flash, all of which delivers brutal performance in many types of applications. That isn’t too surprising given the drive’s rated speed of up to 7/5 GBps of sequential read/write throughput and 1 million IOPs.
For the first time, the company’s flagship Pro series SSD doesn’t come with 2-bit MLC flash. Instead, the 980 Pro uses Samsung’s latest 3-bit TLC flash to reduce costs, essentially making it the high-end evolution of the more economical 970 Evo Plus series. But, with a very robust PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe controller under the hood, the 980 Pro still ensures efficient and responsive performance along with AES 256-bit security for both gamers and prosumers alike.
Aside from its slower sustained write speed than the previous-gen 970 Pro, Samsung’s 980 Pro is the fastest flash-based SSD we’ve laid our hands on. The 980 Pro proves that even while Samsung no longer uses 2-bit MLC flash in the design, its newest 1xx-layer layer V6 V-NAND 3-bit TLC scales to new heights and brings impressive performance to the table.
Samsung’s 980 Pro is the SSD to get if you’re building a high-end gaming or work machine with bleeding-edge performance in mind. The 980 Pro also doesn’t cost too much more than Phison E16-based SSDs, like Seagate’s FireCuda 520 or Sabrent’s Rocket NVMe 4.0, making it surprisingly competitive against other prosumer-class drives at checkout, too.
Specifications
Product
980 PRO 250GB
980 PRO 500GB
980 PRO 1TB
980 PRO 2TB
Pricing
$89.99
$149.99
$229.99
TBD
Capacity (User / Raw)
250GB / 256GB
500GB / 512GB
1000GB / 1024GB
2000GB / 2048GB
Form Factor
M.2 2280
M.2 2280
M.2 2280
M.2 2280
Interface / Protocol
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3c
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3c
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3c
PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3c
Controller
Samsung Elpis
Samsung Elpis
Samsung Elpis
Samsung Elpis
DRAM
LPDDR4
LPDDR4
LPDDR4
LPDDR4
Memory
Samsung 1xxL V-NAND TLC
Samsung 1xxL V-NAND TLC
Samsung 1xxL V-NAND TLC
Samsung 1xxL V-NAND TLC
Sequential Read
6,400 MBps
6,900 MBps
7,000 MBps
TBD
Sequential Write
2,700 MBps
5,000 MBps
5,000 MBps
TBD
Random Read – QD1
22,000 IOPS
22,000 IOPS
22,000 IOPS
TBD
Random Write – QD1
60,000 IOPS
60,000 IOPS
60,000 IOPS
TBD
Peak Random Read
500,000 IOPS
800,000 IOPS
1,000,000 IOPS
TBD
Peak Random Write
600,000 IOPS
1,000,000 IOPS
1,000,000 IOPS
TBD
Security
AES 256-bit FDE; TCG Opal V2.0; IEEE1667
AES 256-bit FDE; TCG Opal V2.0; IEEE1667
AES 256-bit FDE; TCG Opal V2.0; IEEE1667
AES 256-bit FDE; TCG Opal V2.0; IEEE1667
Endurance (TBW)
150 TB
300 TB
600 TB
1200 TB
Warranty
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
Part Number
MZ-V8P250BW
MZ-V8P500BW
MZ-V8P1T0BW
MZ-V8P2T0BW
Samsung’s 980 Pro is available in capacities spanning from 250GB up to 1TB, but unlike the last-gen 970 Pro, the 980 Pro will bring back the 2TB capacity point. Unfortunately, Samsung will not release the 2TB model until late 2020. As expected of Samsung’s flagship SSD, each capacity commands a premium over competing drives. Prices range from $90 for the 250GB capacity up to $230 for the 1TB model, with the latter having the best price-per-GB.
The company rates the 980 Pro to hit peak sequential speeds of up to 7/5 GBps read/write and upwards of 1 million random read/write IOPS. These performance figures aren’t consistent across the capacity of the device like they were on the 970 Pro, however, so the larger drives are faster than their slower counterparts.
980 Pro – Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0
Capacity
Default
Intelligent
Total
TurboWrite
After TurboWrite
250GB
4GB
45GB
49GB
2,700 MBps
500 MBps
500GB
4GB
90GB
94GB
5,000 MBps
1,000 MBps
1TB
6GB
108GB
114GB
5,000 MBps
2,000 MBps
970 EVO Plus – Intelligent TurboWrite 1.0
Capacity
Default
Intelligent
Total
TurboWrite
After TurboWrite
250GB
4GB
9GB
13GB
2,300 MBps
400 MBps
500GB
4GB
18GB
22GB
3,200 MBps
900 MBps
1TB
6GB
36GB
42GB
3,300 MBps
1,700 MBps
2TB
6GB
36GB
42GB
3,300 MBps
1,700 MBps
Samsung’s 980 Pro features Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 to enable fast burst performance, but as we see with all SLC caching mechanisms, Samsung’s direct-to-TLC write speed is much slower after the cache fills. Samsung’s Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 improves upon the 97O EVO Plus’s implementation so that the end-user can write faster for longer, though.
Turbo Write (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Not only is the sustained after-TurboWrite performance higher across the board, but Samsung significantly increased the capacity of the TurboWrite cache. Samsung left the same static 4GB/6GB default cache values, but tweaked the dynamic cache by expanding its capacity to be up to five times larger.
Total Bytes Written and Warranty Ratings
Product
250GB
500GB
1TB
2TB
980 Pro
150 TB
300 TB
600 TB
1,200 TB
970 Pro
300 TB
600 TB
1,200 TB
N/A
Warranty
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
5-Years
Even with the new TurboWrite 2.0 implementation, Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) ECC, and 9% over-provisioning, Samsung still pulled back on the 980 Pro’s endurance ratings due to the TLC flash, matching the 970 EVO Plus within the same five-year warranty period.
This is a bit of disappointment, not only for us, but also for the potential buyers who have already expressed some grief on forums. This change is a calculated move by Samsung, though. According to Samsung’s statistics on over 661,000 NVMe SSDs, the company says 99% of users write up to 156 TB of data within five years, and 99.7% write less than 600 TB.
Furthermore, unlike most SSDs on the market, Samsung’s 980 Pro supports AES 256-bit hardware-accelerated encryption that is TCG Opal V2.0 and IEEE1667-compliant for protection of data at rest. It supports secure erase via the Format NVM command and crypto erase capability, as well as S.M.A.R.T. data reporting and Trim.
Software and Accessories
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From drive monitoring to benchmarking and security configurations, Samsung Magician leads the market in both SSD Toolbox design and capability. The company also supports NVMe SSDs with a custom driver tuned by the company. And for those who need to migrate their existing data over to their new Samsung SSD, the company provides its Samsung Data Migration Software to clone it over easily.
A Closer Look
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Overall, Samsung’s 980 Pro looks to be an overhauled and scaled up 970 EVO Plus. The 980 Pro comes in an M.2 2280 form factor and features a quality black PCB and components. The SKU numbers on the top sticker take away from the aesthetic appeal of the 980 Pro, though. The company could have easily placed these markings on the backside along with the compliance information.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
With the 980 Pro’s small footprint yet massive performance, the device is bound to generate some heat. To help keep it cool, the company continues to use a copper heat spreader on the backside of the device to help absorb the thermal load when heavy workloads hit. Additionally, the controller features a nickel coating that Samsung says imProves cooling by roughly 7%.
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The drive also supports Active State Power Management (ASPM), Autonomous Power State Transition (APST), and the L1.2 ultra-low power mode to regulate overall power consumption, as well as further refinements to dynamic thermal guard (DTG) technology that allows you to write for longer without the device slowing down.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The new SSD controller, dubbed Elpis, measures 16.5 x 16.5mm and features a DRAM-based multi-core Arm architecture built on Samsung’s 8nm manufacturing process node. While the previous-gen Phoenix leveraged five Arm Cortex R5 cores, Samsung hasn’t specified what type of cores, or how many, power this new controller. Samsung also doesn’t specify the channel count, although it’s probably an eight-channel design.
Samsung did mention some other interesting points on the controller’s IO processing capability, however. The company states that the new PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3c controller can natively process up to 128 concurrent I/O queues, which is up from 32 queues on the previous PCIe 3.0 controller, leading to a more responsive latency profile.
The 980 Pro leverages DRAM for caching its FTL metadata, and for this task, the company outfitted the SSD with LPDDR4. These DRAM ICs interface at up to 1866 MHz and need as little as 1.1V to operate. The 250GB and 500GB models come with 512MB of DRAM while the 1TB and 2TB receive 1GB and 2GB, respectively.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Over the years, Samsung has led the way in NAND design, and the company’s V-NAND was the first vertical-channel 3D charge trap flash brought into volume production. Samsung’s 1xx-layer V6 V-NAND TLC is the company’s most refined flash yet – it scales the layer count up to new heights and consumes 15% less power than the V5 flash.
Although it hasn’t confirmed, Samsung’s V6 V-NAND reportedly features up to 136 layers, up 40% from the 970 EVO Plus’s 92-layer count. Unlike competing types of 3D flash, Samsung didn’t need to use a multi-stack design to achieve such a high layer count. Instead, the company uses its unique channel hole etching technology to enhance scalability within a single stack. By sticking with a single stack design, the company says it can maintain high-quality production and achieve good yields without the risk of stack channel hole misalignments.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
There are just two NAND packages onboard the 980 Pro’s PCB, which applies to all capacities. The 250GB to 1TB 980 Pros come with 256Gb dies while the 2TB model, when available, will feature 512Gb dies. This means that both the 1TB and 2TB models feature 32 dies in total for optimal interleaving and peak performance characteristics. To boost performance, Samsung’s V-NAND features two planes per die (independent regions of die access) for further interleaving.
Competitors like SK hynix and Micron now feature four-plane designs, which doubles parallelism, but this adds to overall periphery circuity, which in turn takes up precious die space. To overcome that die space limitation, most companies use, or are transitioning to, Periphery Under Cell (PUC) or CMOS Under Array (CUA) technology.
NAND Flash
Samsung V6 V-NAND
SK hynix 4D NAND
Micron
Kioxia BiCS4
Layer Count
1xxL
128L
96L
96L
Bit count per cell
3-bit / TLC
3-bit / TLC
3-bit / TLC
3-bit / TLC
Die density (Gb)
512
512
512
512
Die area (mm^2)
101.6
63.2
81.8
86
Bit density (Gb/mm^2)
5
8.1
6.3
6
By placing the additional periphery, page buffer, and other select circuitry under the cell array rather than its border, companies can increase bit density per wafer. Lacking this design component, Samsung’s V6 V-NAND suffers in regards to bit density. Samsung’s next-generation V7 V-NAND will most likely implement both multi-stack and Cell Over Periphery (COP) concepts for improvement.
The current design splits each of the two 16kB plane cell arrays into two 8kB sub-planes with even/odd sensing for even faster performance capability with the limited space budget. This, in conjunction with some other modifications like an enhanced bit line precharge scheme, couple-capacitance-minimizing technique, progressive Vth window scheme, and random pre-pulse sensing scheme, enables Samsung’s V6 V-NAND TLC to respond 10% faster to both read and program requests over the last generation of flash. The new flash operates down to 45/450 microseconds (820/82 MBps) read/write, respectively.
Although the company didn’t specify the exact speed that the flash interfaces with the controller at, Samsung specified the flash operates at Toggle DDR 4.0 speeds, which ranges from 800 MTps up to 1,400 MTps, at a 1.2V supply voltage. This most likely matches the speed of SK hynix’s 128-Layer TLC, which is 1,200 MTps.
The HP Spectre x360 14 is a beautifully constructed 2-in-1 laptop with a vibrant 3:2 OLED touch screen to showcase your work. It has an excellent keyboard and a variety of ports for all of your accessories. Those who prioritize battery life may want to consider a non-OLED configuration, however.
For
Sleek, attractive design
Vivid 3:2 display shows more of your work
Clicky, responsive keyboard
Thunderbolt 4 and USB Type-A ports
Against
OLED model doesn’t last all day
Difficult to upgrade SSD
There’s no need to beat around the bush: the HP Spectre x360 14 ($1,219.99 to start; $1,699.99 as tested) is one of the best ultrabooks we’ve tested in the last several months. It’s exquisitely designed with a 13.5-inch, 3:2 display that showcases more of your work, whether it be words, numbers, or code.
You’ll pay a premium price for it, but it sure feels premium, with a sleek chassis, clicky keyboard and both USB Type-C and Type-A ports, as well as a microSD card reader.
The model we reviewed had an impressive
OLED
screen with a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution. It looks great, but if you want all-day battery life, you may consider alternative configurations.
Design of the HP Spectre x360 14
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HP makes a handsome laptop. The Spectre x360 doesn’t make a ton of changes to what has largely become a tried and true design. It’s an aluminum notebook with solid construction. Ours came in “nightfall black” with copper accents, which I think is a bit showy for my tastes these days, but you can also get in “Poseidon blue” or my likely choice, “natural silver.”
The back two edges near the 360-degree hinge are chopped off, one of which makes room for a Thunderbolt 4 port. It’s a divisive choice, but it’s grown on me. That placement lets you flip from a laptop into a tablet while it’s charging and barely move the cable at all.
When you unfold the laptop for the first time, you’ll notice the big difference with this Spectre: a 13.5-inch, 3:2 display that feels incredibly luxurious compared to the 16:9 screen on the smaller
Spectre x360 13
that we recently reviewed. There’s minimal bezel around it, putting the focus on your work. It also creates a slightly longer profile for the whole device.
Unlike many 2-in-1s, the power button is on the keyboard, rather than the side of the device. As a person using it primarily as a laptop, I prefer this choice, though tablet-heavy users might be annoyed. There’s also a fingerprint reader next to the arrow keys, this, combined with the IR camera, allows for security options beyond a password whether in tablet or laptop mode, which I appreciate. The speaker grilles above the function keys make for a nice accent.
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There aren’t a ton of ports on the Spectre x360 14, but there’s enough for most people’s everyday use. Most of the action is on the right side, where you’ll find two Thunderbolt 4 ports (one on the right corner), a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD card. On the right, there is one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port. The rest of that side of the notebook is magnetized to fit the included HP Tilt Pen.
At 2.95 pounds with an 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67-inch footprint, the Spectre is fairly compact. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 is 2.9 pounds and 11.69 x 8.15 x 0.56 inches — a bit smaller — but also has a 13.4-inch screen in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The MacBook Pro is a 3 pound clamshell and measures 11.95 x 8.36 x 0.61 inches, and the Asus ZenBook Flip S UX371 is 2.7 pounds and 12 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches.
HP Spectre x360 14 Specifications
CPU
Intel Core i7-1165G7
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory
16GB LPDDR4-3733
Storage
1TB PCIe NVMe SSD with 32GB Intel Optane
Display
13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000 OLED touchscreen
Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5
Ports
2x Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, Headphone/microphone jack, microSD card reader
Camera
720p IR
Battery
66 WHr
Power Adapter
65 W
Operating System
Windows 10 Home
Other
HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen
Dimensions(WxDxH)
11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches / 298.45 x 220.22 x 17.02 mm
Weight
2.95 pounds / 1.34 kg
Price (as configured)
$1,699.99
Productivity Performance on the HP Spectre x360 14
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Our HP Spectre x360 14 review unit came with an Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM and a 1TB PCIe
NVMe SSD
with 32GB of Intel Optane memory. In my use, it could handle plenty of browser tabs and streaming video without an issue.
On the Geekbench 5 overall performance benchmark, the Spectre earned a single-core score of 1,462 and a multi-core score of 4,904. The ZenBook Flip S was in a similar range. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 had a higher score in multi-core performance (5,639). The MacBook Pro, too, had a higher multi-core score when emulated through Rosetta 2 to run the same version of the test (5,925).
The Spectre transferred 25GB of files at a rate of 533.61 MBps, faster than the XPS 13 2-in-1, but slower than the ZenBook Flip S (979.37 MBps).
In our Handbrake test, which transcodes a 4K video to 1080p, the Spectre x360 14 finished the task in 18 minutes and 5 seconds. While this was four minutes faster than the ZenBook, the XPS 13 2-in-1 was speedier and the MacBook Pro led the whole pack, even while emulating x86 instructions.
To stress the Spectre, we ran it through 20 runs of Cinebench R23. It was fairly consistent in the low 4,000’s, though there were some peaks up to around 4,300. The CPU ran at an average of 2.61 GHz and an average temperature of 74.07 degrees Celsius (165.33 degrees Fahrenheit).
Display on the HP Spectre x360 14
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The 13.5-inch touchscreen on the Spectre x360 has a 3:2 aspect ratio, making it taller than it is wide. It’s an opulent amount of space, especially for doing work. You’ll see more text, code, spreadsheet cells or whatever else you’re working on because the screen is taller. It’s a big improvement over 16:9 displays, and makes for a more natural shape as a tablet, as it’s similar in shape to a piece of paper.
Our main review configuration was an OLED model with a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution. It looked incredible, with deep blacks and vibrant colors, as has been the case on most OLED monitors we’ve seen to date. Of course, most videos are still 16:9, so when I watched the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong, it was letterboxed on the top and bottom. The beginning of the trailer features the titular ape on a barge during a sunset, and its blue and orange hues were beautiful as jets flew overhead.
The OLED screen covers 139.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut (the non-OLED, 1920 x 1280 screen covered 74.6%). The next best was the ZenBook Flip S, also with an OLED display, at 113.1%. The MacBook Pro measured 78.3% and the XPS 13 2-in-1 covered 70%.
The Spectre’s display measured an average of 339 nits on our light meter. This never seemed like an issue in regular use, though the ZenBook, XPS 13 2-in-1 and MacBook Pro all got far brighter.
Keyboard, Touchpad and Stylus on the HP Spectre x360 14
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The keyboard on the Spectre takes up as much room as possible, moving from edge to edge of the
chassis
. This gave HP room to include a full keyboard, including an extra column for home, page up, page down and end keys. The tilde key is a little squeezed, but not enough for me to be inconvenienced.
The keys are clicky (they even have a bit of a clicky sound!), and I really enjoyed typing on them. On the 10fastfingers typing test, I reached 105 words per minute with my usual 2% error rate.
There’s a fingerprint reader built into the keyboard on the right side, next to the arrow keys. On the function row, there’s a key to kill the camera. The F1 key is sort of wasted, though, in that it is programmed exclusively to open the browser and search for “how to get help in
Windows 10
.”
HP has equipped the Spectre x360 with a 4.5 x 2.8-inch touchpad. It’s slightly smaller than the MacBook Pro (5.1 x 32 inches), but is still plenty spacious. With Windows 10 precision drivers, it responded immediately to every gesture.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
A rechargeable stylus is included with the laptop, the “HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen.” (MPP is short for Microsoft Pen Protocol.) It’s round with one flat edge that connects to the left side of the laptop with magnets. That flat side also has two customizable buttons
The Spectre’s palm rejection worked pretty well, and the stylus worked well with both tilting and shading in supported applications. In Paint 3D, using the crayon tool required extra pressure for a deep hue, just like the real thing. I do wish, like some of Microsoft’s styluses, that HP would add an eraser to the end.
HP claims it lasts 30 hours on a charge. When you slide up the top of the stylus, a USB-C port is revealed, which is a neat addition. A ring light on the very top tells you its charging status.
Audio on the HP Spectre x360 14
HP’s collaboration with Bang & Olufsen has produced winning laptop audio for a while now, and the Spectre x360 14 is no exception.
These things get loud — too loud, even. As I listened to Spotify, I turned the volume down as Fall Out Boy’s “Bob Dylan” stormed through my apartment. The drums, vocals and guitars were clear. Bass was a bit quiet. I tried changing that manually in the Bang & Olufsen control center, but to a little effect. There are presets in that app, but I found most of them to be overkill.
Upgrading the HP Spectre x360 14
Unfortunately, HP has made upgrades and repairs to the Spectre x360 14 more difficult for the average person than they need to be.
There are two visible Torx screws on the underside of the laptop, but underneath the rear rubber foot, there are four more Phillips head screws. The feet are applied with adhesive and could rip when you remove them. HP makes extras available to authorized repair shops.
If you did get into the laptop, per
the maintenance manual
, you would find that while the RAM is soldered down, the SSD, WI-Fi module and battery are user replaceable.
Battery Life on the HP Spectre x360 14
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Like most laptops with OLED screens, the Spectre x360 14’s battery life isn’t exceptional. It will last you most of the day, but you’ll want to bring the braided USB Type-C charger with you.
On our test, which continuously has laptops browse the web, run OpenGL tests and stream video over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, the Spectre ran for 7 hours and 14 minutes. A non-OLED version with a 1920 x 1280 screen ran for 12:11, should you value battery life over image quality.
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 lasted 10:52, while the ZenBook Flip S (also with OLED) ran for 8:11. The MacBook Pro with Apple’s M1 processor lasted the longest at a whopping 16:32.
Heat on the HP Spectre x360 14
We took skin temperature measurements on the 14-inch Spectre x360 while running our Cinebench R23 stress test.
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The center of the keyboard measured 34.8 degrees Celsius (94.64 degrees Fahrenheit), while the touchpad was a cooler 29.4 degrees Celsius (84.92 degrees Fahrenheit).
The hottest point on the bottom was 47.1 degrees Celsius (116.78 degrees Fahrenheit).
Webcam on the HP Spectre x360 14
It’s a shame this beautiful, high-resolution screen wasn’t paired with a beautiful, high-resolution
webcam
. Like most laptop cameras, the Spectre x360’s is still stuck at
720p
.
An image I took at my well-lit desk was color accurate, catching my navy shirt, blue eyes and the mixed shades of brown in my hair and blue. But overall, the picture was grainy, and light coming in from some nearby windows was blown out.
On the bright side, it works with Windows Hello for facial login. While there’s also a fingerprint reader on the keyboard, this is better for logging in when it’s a tablet.
Software and Warranty on the HP Spectre x360 14
While the Spectre x360 is undoubtedly a premium device, it has the kind of bloat you would expect from some budget machines.
HP has a lot of its own software. I wish it would combine more of these disparate programs into the main app, HP Command Center, which lets you make performance adjustments based on temperature and sound and also lets you decide which software gets network priority.
There are separate pieces of software for choosing among different display modes, switching between headphone and speakers, changing HP telemetry settings and adjusting the buttons on the stylus. There’s also HP Quick Drop to move files between your phone and the laptop.
On top of all that, there is MyHP, which gives you your serial number and is otherwise filled in with some fairly vapid tips for using your PC. HP has also added LastPass, ExpressVPN, Netflix, trials of Adobe software and a promotion with Dropbox for new users to get 25GB of free space. There’s also a suite of McAfee software, including McAfee LiveSafe, Personal Security and File Lock.
Amazon Alexa is also preinstalled, which may be divisive. It sure is more useful than Cortana. Either way, it’s not actively listening. Instead, you have to sign in to your Amazon account.
Of course, there’s also some bloatware that’s included in most Windows 10 installs, like Hulu, Roblox and Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure.
HP sells the Spectre x360 14 with a 1-year warranty.
HP Spectre x360 14 Configurations
We tested the Spectre x360 14 with an Intel Core i7-1165G7, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD with 32GB of Intel Optane memory, a 3000 x 2000 OLED display. It comes in black and costs $1,699.99 at Best Buy as of this writing.
HP sells other configurations on its own website, starting at $1,219.99 with an Intel Core i5-1135G7, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD with16GB of Intel Optane memory and a 1920 x 1280 touchscreen. Changing to black or blue adds $10 to the price, and for more money, you can go up to 2TB of storage (up to an extra $320).
Bottom Line
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The HP Spectre x360 14 is the best 2-in-1 laptop you can get right now. The 3:2 display highlights your work in laptop mode and is more natural than 16:9 or 16:10 screens in tablet mode. It offers solid performance, has a variety of ports, includes a stylus and has an excellent keyboard.
If battery life is your priority, the OLED screen won’t do you any favors, but the 1920 x 1280 model might be more your speed. The
MacBook Pro with M1
, a clamshell alternative, is top of the class in endurance. If you prefer a smaller footprint, the
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310
is still very good, though it has fewer ports and a 16:10 screen rather than 3:2.
But the Spectre x360 14 largely has it all, making this one easy to recommend if you’re willing to pay a premium price.
Apple’s new Mac mini with the M1 chip is on sale at select retailers. If you are looking to buy the base configuration, which has 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage, you can grab it for as low as $600 at Costco, but please note membership is required. If you don’t want a Costco membership, you can buy that same configuration for $664 at Amazon or $669 at B&H Photo.
If you need a bit more storage, B&H Photo also has the model with 512GB of SSD (with 8GB of RAM) for $849.
If you prefer a laptop, the M1-powered MacBook Pro is one of the best-performing laptops on the market. Both Amazon and B&H Photo have marked the late-2020 MacBook Pro base model, which includes 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, down to $1,199, which is the best price on this laptop yet.
Sony’s PlayStation Plus online subscription service includes many perks outside of the ability to play games online with friends. An active PS Plus membership also nets you access to exclusive discounts from the PS Store, along with free games that rotate out on a monthly cadence. Eneba is offering Verge readers based in the United States the opportunity to stock up on service by purchasing two one-year subscriptions for only $54 when you enter code VERGE27AYEAR at checkout, while supplies last. If you want to buy one year only, it’s $29, no promotional code required.
If you are an early adopter of either the PS5 or the Xbox Series X and you’re looking to find a TV that can take full advantage of the next-gen hardware, LG’s CX OLED TVs are a good option. Right now, you can save $600 on the CX series 55-inch model at Amazon and Best Buy, bringing the price down to $1,350 at both retailers. Please note that if you are interested in buying the TV at Best Buy, you will need to be signed in (or sign up; it’s free) to your My Best Buy account.
LG CX 55-inch OLED
$1,350
$2,000
33% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
LG’s CX series OLED is basically the ultimate TV for next-gen gaming consoles — and it delivers gorgeous image quality for everything else, too. Available in 48-, 55-, 65-, and 77-inch sizes, the CX is one of those TVs you’ll get enjoyment from every time you power it on.
Crucial’s X6 is an affordable and very portable USB Type-C SSD that dishes out fast and responsive performance, but its relatively small cache results in reduced performance during larger sustained data transfers.
For
Sleek, compact, and light design
Responsive performance within the cache and fast to recover
Against
Lacks an activity light
Lacks USB-C to USB-A adapter
Lacks hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
Slow after cache write is exhausted during sustained workloads
Features and Specifications
Crucial’s X6 is a well-designed USB 3.1 Gen-2 Type-C SSD that’s highly portable and compatible with nearly any host with a USB port. With a heavy focus on value over blazing-high speeds, the X6 is based on similar hardware as the company’s popular BX500 SSD and pushes out up to 540 MBps of sequential read throughput.
In fact, at just $0.09 per GB, the X6 is one of the cheapest portable SSDs at the 2TB capacity point, and it will provide ample performance for your games library or backing up your files, but it falls short under heavy write workloads due to the slow native write speeds of its QLC flash.
Specifications
Product
Crucial X6 1TB
Crucial X6 2TB
Pricing
$104.99
$189.99
Capacity (User / Raw)
1000GB / 1024GB
2000GB / 2048GB
Interface / Protocol
USB-C / USB 3.2 Gen 2×1
USB-C / USB 3.2 Gen 2×1
Included
USB Type-C Cable
USB Type-C Cable
Sequential Read
540 MBps
540 MBps
Sequential Write
N/A
N/A
Interface Controller
ASMedia ASM235CM
ASMedia ASM235CM
NAND Controller
Silicon Motion SM2259XT
Silicon Motion SM2259XT
DRAM
Crucial 96L QLC
Crucial 96L QLC
Default File System
exFAT
exFAT
Endurance
Drop-resistant up to 6.5 ft (2 m)
Drop-resistant up to 6.5 ft (2 m)
Security
N/A
N/A
Dimensions (L x W x H)
11 x 69 x 64 mm
11 x 69 x 64 mm
Weight
42 g
42 g
Part Number
CT1000X6SSD9
CT2000X6SSD9
Warranty
3-Years
3-Years
Crucial’s X6 comes in two capacities of 1TB and 2TB that retail for $104.99 and $189.99, respectively. Crucial rates the X6 to deliver up to 540 MBps of sequential read speed, but the company doesn’t provide an official write speed rating.
The X6 relies on SLC caching to hit its peak measurements, and based on our testing, the 2TB model comes with a cache that measures roughly 250GB. The cache is dynamic, so so it will scale down in available capacity as you fill the device.
The Crucial X6 comes formatted from the factory with the exFAT file system, and it is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Android, as well as devices such as the iPad Pro, Xbox, and PlayStation gaming consoles. You’ll need to format the portable SSD with an NTFS file system if you want to take advantage of the TRIM functionality.
Accessories
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Crucial’s X6 comes with a nine-inch long USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C cable (10Gb/s) but lacks a USB Type-C to Type-A adapter (sold separately for $9.99). Unfortunately, the SSD lacks an activity light.
A Closer Look
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Measuring 11 x 69 x 64 mm and weighing in at under 42 grams, the Crucial X6 is a very compact portable SSD. The Crucial X6’s casing is plastic, but with such a small size and shape, the drive is pretty durable. It’s rated to withstand drops up to 6.5 feet, but it can definitely survive higher falls. We tested the drive by throwing it 15 feet into the air and allowing it to land on concrete, and it withstood the challenge.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Internally, Crucial took care to ensure the X6 could remain cool, even under heavy usage. Not only is the device wrapped in copper foil, but it also comes with thermal pads that cover both sides of the PCBs.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Like Crucial’s X8, the X6 comes packed with QLC NAND flash, but rather than leverage an NVMe SSD like the X8, the X6 uses a BX500-like SATA 6Gbps SSD and a small Type-C adapter. The X6 features Silicon Motion’s SM2259XT SSD controller, and the device connects to the host via an ASMedia ASM235CM USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 to SATA 6Gbps bridge chip.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The SM2259XT is a DRAMless SATA 6Gbps SSD controller built on the 28nm node for low cost and power efficiency. It has a four-channel, single-core design that uses Silicon Motion’s proprietary NANDXtend ECC (1KB codeword LDPC + RAID) and end-to-end data path protection to help ensure data integrity with the Micron 96-Layer QLC flash in either 2-plane or 4-plane operation.
A report has emerged that Adata has altered its XPG SX8200 Pro again by swapping in SK Hynix flash, making this the fourth known SSD configuration. According to the report, the latest revision is purportedly 23.6% percent slower in sequential read speed than the previous revision, and it also takes a 14.3% haircut in sequential write performance. As before, Adata ships this drive with the same model number as the original SSD.
Adata’s XPG SX8200 Pro was once hailed as the best SSD in its category in terms of offering the best bang for your buck. Unfortunately, the SSD also received its fair share of bad press as Adata switched out the original components for slower parts, without publicizing the change. While swapping out different types of flash certainly isn’t unheard of, Adata’s tactic involved swapping the SSD controller, a first. In addition to the original SX8200 Pro, our testing identified two more revisions that delivered substantially lower performance than the original SSD.
Now it appears that Adata has quietly revamped the SX8200 Pro again. Redditor svartchimpans recently purchased an SX8200 Pro that doesn’t match the specs of any previous revisions we’ve tested. That means there could now be a total of four different variants of the SX8200 Pro. However, given the timeframe, we don’t expect to find the original SX8200 Pro anymore.
As a quick recap, the original SX8200 Pro had a Silicon Motion SM2262ENG SSD controller clocked at 650 MHz with IMFT 64-layer TLC (triple-level cell) NAND. The other versions shipped with the slower Silicon Motion SM2262G controller at 575 MHz.
The type of NAND you received varied depending on the SSD lottery. Some arrived with Micron 96-layer TLC NAND, while others came with Samsung 64-layer TLC NAND. The fourth and latest variant reportedly retained the SM2262G controller but used SK Hynix’s 96-layer TLC NAND.
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro Revisions
Product
Controller
SSD Controller Clock
NAND
Flash Interface Speed
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro v1
SM2262ENG
650 MHz
IMFT 64L TLC
650 MTps
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro v2
SM2262G
575 MHz
Micron 96L TLC
650 MTps
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro v3
SM2262G
575 MHz
Samsung 64L TLC
525 MTps
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro v4
SM2262G
?
SK Hynix 96L TLC
?
The Redditor purchased his three SX8200 Pro 2TB drives at the same retailer with the same product number at different points in time. Because the model number is always listed as “SX8200 Pro,” there really is no way of finding out which variant you’re buying until you actually have the drive in your hands and benchmark it.
In fairness, Adata doesn’t guarantee a specific SSD controller or type of flash for its SX8200 Pro. That’s understandable, because companies don’t always have access to all the original components to manufacture their products, and sometimes it’s necessary to use substitutes. However, in this case, the new components seem to have had a negative effect on performance.
For reference, the SX8200 Pro is rated for sequential read and write speeds up to 3,500 MBps and 3,000 MBps, respectively, and random read and write speeds up to 390,000 IOPS and 380,000 IOPS.
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SM2262EN + Micron 96L TLC (Image credit: Reddit)
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SM2262G + Samsung 64L TLC (Image credit: Reddit)
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SM2262G + SK Hynix 96L TLC (Image credit: Reddit)
Synthetic benchmarks don’t always paint the entire picture, and we would need to thoroughly test the new revision to see how much slower it is compared to the other three variants. According to the Redditor’s results, however, the SX8200 Pro with Samsung 64-layer NAND (the previous revision) delivered up to 30.8% and 16.7% higher sequential read and write speeds than the latest variant that comes with SK Hynix 96-layer NAND.
Keep in mind that the user was testing the two other drives that he bought with nearly all of the capacity used while the SK hynix-powered version was empty. A full drive is always much, much slower than an empty one. So the delta between the drives would be further apart if they were all at the same usage level.
For instance, the empty drive with SK Hynix flash delivered 2.8% higher sequential read performance than the 94% full drive with Samsung flash. However, the latter still pumped out 7.6% higher sequential writes than the empty drive with SK hynix flash.
Performance is just one side of the coin, though. It remains to be seen whether the new NAND will impact the SX8200 Pro’s endurance. The SX8200 Pro is available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities. Adata rated the original drives with endurance ratings of 160TBW, 320TBW, 640TBW and 1,280TBW. Given that Adata hasn’t modified these values in the specification sheet, we can only assume that the SK Hynix drives should be as durable as the original ones.
As one of the world leaders in digital technology, Samsung pretty much makes any type of electronic device you can think of. Their products are used by millions of people around the world.
Being a leader in DRAM and flash memory production, it comes as no surprise that they are also a huge player in the SSD business. Their EVO and PRO Series SSDs are highly popular among upgraders, system builders, and enthusiasts.
Today, we’re reviewing the Samsung 980 Pro SSD, which is a high-end M.2 NVMe drive that introduces support for the PCI-Express 4.0 interface. Internally, the Samsung 980 Pro uses Samsung’s new eight-channel “Elpis” controller. Everything on the 980 Pro is produced by Samsung—the flash chips are their V-NAND v6, which uses between 110 and 136 layers of TLC. A DRAM chip is also included—it provides 1 GB of storage for the mapping tables of the SSD.
Samsung offers the 980 Pro in capacities of 250 GB ($90), 500 GB ($135), 1 TB ($230), and 2 TB ($460). Endurance for these models is set to 150 TBW, 300 TBW, 600 TBW, and 1200 TBW respectively. Samsung provides a five-year warranty for the 980 Pro.
Western Digital has expanded its formidable SSD portfolio with the new line of WD Green SN350 SSDs. The drives, which adhere to the M.2 2280 form factor, will be available with capacities ranging from 240GB to 960GB.
The SN350 is an entry-level SSD that slots perfectly into the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. The model of the SSD controller and the type of NAND used for the SN350 remains unknown. However, the low endurance ratings on these drives suggest that Western Digital uses QLC (quad-level cell) NAND in the SN350.
The manufacturer rates the SN350 960GB, 480GB and 240GB drives for 80TBW, 60TBW and 40TBW, respectively. As a reference point, the WD Blue SN550 250GB and 500GB drives, which leverage TLC (triple-level cell) NAND, have a 150TBW and 300TBW rating, respectively.
WD Green SN350 Specifications
SSD
Part Number
Capacity
Sequential Read (MBps)
Sequential Write (MBps)
Random Read (IOPS)
Random Write (IOPS)
Endurance (TBW)
Warranty
Pricing
WD Green SN350 960GB
WDS960G2G0C
960GB
2,400
1,900
340,000
380,000
80
3 Years
$99.99
WD Green SN350 480GB
WDS480G2G0C
480GB
2,400
1,650
250,000
170,000
60
3 Years
$54.99
WD Green SN350 240GB
WDS240G2G0C
240GB
2,400
900
160,000
160,000
40
3 Years
$43.99
The SN350’s performance will vary depending on capacity, so larger drives will deliver the maximum performance. The SN350 flaunts sequential read and write speeds up to 2,400 MBps and 1,900 MBps, respectively. In terms of random performance, you can expect the SN350 to supply random read and write speeds up to 340,000 IOPS and 380,000 IOPS, respectively.
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WD Green SN350 (Image credit: Western Digital)
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WD Green SN350 (Image credit: Western Digital)
Performance-wise, the SN350 shouldn’t be too far behind the SN550. However, the SN350 is less durable and only comes with a limited three-year warranty instead of the five-year warranty on the SN550.
The 240GB and 480GB models sell for $43.99 and $54.99, respectively, while the 960GB model will set you back $99.99. Compared to the SN550, the SN350 is around $10 to $30 less expensive at similar capacities.
Being the most popular microprocessor architecture, Arm powers tens of billions of devices sold every year. The company says that in the fourth quarter of 2020 alone, the Arm ecosystem shipped a record 6.7 billion Arm-based chips, which works out to an amazing production rate of 842 chips per second. This means that Arm outsells all other popular CPU instruction set architectures — x86, ARC, Power, and MIPS — combined.
6.7 Billion of Arm Chips Per Quarter
Arm’s Cortex-A, Cortex-R, Cortex-M, and Mali IP powers thousands of processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and graphics processing units from over 1,600 companies worldwide. As the world is rapidly going digital, demand for all types of chips is at all times high, giving a great boost to Arm given the wide variety of applications its technologies are used for.
(Image credit: Qualcomm)
Arm says that as many as 842 chips featuring its IP were sold every second in the fourth quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that although Arm’s Cortex-A-series general-purpose processor cores get the most attention from the media (because they are used inside virtually all smartphones shipped these days), Arm’s most widely used cores are its Cortex-M products for microcontrollers that are virtually everywhere, from thermometers to spaceships. In Q4 alone, 4.4 billion low-power Cortex-M-based microcontrollers were sold.
“The record 6.7 billion Arm-based chip shipments we saw reported last quarter is testament to the incredible innovation of our partners: from technology inside the world’s number one supercomputer down to the tiniest ultra-low power devices,” said Rene Haas, president of IP Products Group at Arm. “Looking ahead, we expect to see increased adoption of Arm IP as we signed a record 175 licenses in 2020, many of those signed by first-time Arm partners.”
CPU Architectures by the Numbers
(Image credit: Panasonic)
At Tom’s Hardware, we mostly cover PCs and therefore the vast majority of processors we talk about are based on the x86 instruction set architecture. But x86 is not even the second most popular ISA after Arm, as there are at least two unrecognized champions.
In 2020, worldwide PC shipments totaled 275 million units, according to Gartner. Shipments of x86-based servers totaled 11.75 million units in 2019. The vast majority of PCs use one x86 processor, whereas most servers come with two CPUs, so it is safe to say that these applications consume around 300+ million processors every year. When devices like game consoles, communication equipment, storage equipment, single-board computers, industrial tools, and supercomputers are added to the mix, it is still safe to say that shipments of x86 CPUs hardly exceed 350~360 million per year. Meanwhile, the absolute majority of x86 designs are high-performance processors for demanding applications.
In contrast, about 1.5 billion products based on Synopsys’ ARC processor IP are shipped every year. Yet, ARC barely receives as much attention from the media as x86 and Arm. Meanwhile, just last year Synopsys introduced its all-new DesignWare ARC HS5x and HS6x processor IP families for high-performance embedded applications, such as SSD controllers, automotive control & infotainment, wireless baseband, wireless control, and home networking.
The MIPS architecture is yet another unsung hero of the CPU and microcontroller markets. When Imagination Technologies acquired MIPS in 2012, it said that, since 2000, over 3.6 billion MIPS-based chips had been shipped. MIPS is not used for game consoles or supercomputers (and personal digital media players have died), but various microcontrollers, consumer electronics SoCs, communication equipment, and a variety of low-power devices still use the technology. Hundreds of millions of such products are sold every year, so it is safe to say that the architecture is still used widely. Yet, because MIPS is barely evolving, it cannot really make headlines.
Unlike Arm, CPU developers AMD, IBM, Intel, MIPS Technologies, Synopsys, and Via Technologies do not share their unit shipments. Meanwhile, it looks like Arm ISA outsells all the other CPU architectures combined.
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