The latest MSI Crosshair gaming laptop announced at CES today doesn't make any major changes, but does manage to fit improved specs into less space. According to MSI, the Crosshair 16 Max HX is 14.3 percent thinner than its predecessor, a difference of 2mm. The slightly more svelte chassis comes with slightly updated specs, including a second-generation Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series GPU, up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 16-inch (2560 x 1600) 240Hz OLED display. The revamped Crosshair also supports MSI OverBoost Ultra, allowing users to boost the GPU by up to 115W and the CPU by 85W (or 140W when focused exclus …Read the full story at The Verge.

OLEDs make everything better. MSI is announcing a revamped Prestige business laptop line for CES 2026 with thinner designs, OLED displays, 2-in-1 options, bigger trackpads, and Intel's new Panther Lake chips. The Prestige 14 AI Plus and Prestige 16 AI Plus are the flagship clamshells of the line, and there are also 2-in-1 versions on offer called the Prestige Flip. Each of them, Flip or non-Flip, comes standard with a 1920 x 1200 OLED display, while the 16-inch models can also be configured with a higher-res 2880 x 1800 / 120Hz OLED.The Flip versions also include an MSI Nano Pen stylus that's stored in a charging slot on the laptop's underside. The tiny stylus has a ti …Read the full story at The Verge.

Get used to seeing this brand in place of HP’s on gaming products moving forward. | Image: HP HP's branding is missing on its new gaming laptops (and gaming monitors) announced at CES 2026 - HP-owned HyperX has gotten a big promotion in its place. This swap is the biggest aesthetic change in the Omen lineup (the logo is on the lid and on the screen's bottom bezel). In other words, not much is different on the outside compared to 2025's models. But there are some spec strides worth noting across the lineup.The Omen 15, which replaces the Victus 15, has a 15.3-inch 16:10 aspect ratio display that starts at 1,920 x 1,200 but can be configured with up to a 3K 120Hz OLED screen. Every configuration has a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard t …Read the full story at The Verge.

As we continue to chug ahead and technology changes, you may find that there is a wider range of 'budget-friendly' laptops on offer which can allow those who don't want to spend a pretty penny to still get a device that suits their needs. However, the reality of the situation is that a premium laptop you bought five years ago would probably outperform most modern, budget laptops with just a few tweaks and changes.

From laptops to monitors, HyperX is the brand you'll see on much of HP's new gaming-focused products launched at CES 2026. And despite the branding switch, this year's slate of monitors might be the company's most competitive batch yet.The cheapest of the three QD-OLEDs announced is the HyperX Omen OLED 27q, a 27-inch 1440p model with a 240Hz refresh rate and variable refresh rate with Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, plus AMD FreeSync Premium. It has a DisplayPort 1.4 input, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a headphone jack. It'll ship with an adjustable stand (supporting height, tilt, swivel, and pivot tweaks), though it has a 100 x 100mm VESA mount …Read the full story at The Verge.

It feels like only a year ago that Dell killed all branding on its laptops, telling journalists we were wrong when we almost universally told them they were crazy. That's because it was only a year ago, but the company has seen the error of its ways and it's bringing back XPS, starting with a new Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16.

Well, it's that time of the year again. With CES 2026 underway, we have XDA folks on the show floor checking out everything we can expect from the coming year in terms of product releases. Whether you like it or not, AI made a huge impact on CES, with companies showing off their AI-enabled devices at the show.

Each model’s housing can be replaced with a different color if you’re not digging black. | Image: HP The next generation of HyperX's Origins wired keyboards debuted at CES 2026, and the company has focused on adding more performance and customization. For example, its new Origins 2 and Origins 2 Pro are both 65-percent options with high-profile keys that boast a PCB with hot-swappable switches that doesn't require soldering to tweak.The Origins 2 features HyperX's pre-lubed linear red switches (this model is compatible with most three- and five-pin mechanical switches), while the Pro model has Hall effect switches (HyperX claims that most two-pin magnetic switches are supported, if you want to hot swap them). The Hall effect switches supp …Read the full story at The Verge.

Forget Premium, Pro, and Pro Max — Dell backtracked so hard its new laptops don’t even say Dell on top. Nearly one year ago to the day, Dell killed off its long-standing XPS brand name in favor of milquetoast Premium, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max monikers - but it's back for CES 2026. The new XPS 14 and XPS 16 laptops look to win back fans of the "Extreme Performance System" with Dell's thinnest designs to date, a row of proper function keys, improved battery life, and Intel's new Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 processors. Dell even went as far as putting the XPS brand name on the lid, and finally marking the edges of its seamless haptic trackpad with subtle glass etching lines. The XPS 14 and 16 are launching in select configurations on January …Read the full story at The Verge.

Like most laptop-makers, HP had a ton of announcements at CES 2026. At the top of its lineup are the new OmniBook Ultra and EliteBook X, and the company was kind enough to send some pre-production units to sample. Sorry, but that means no performance testing.

Thanks to the versatile nature of home labs, you can accommodate everything from consumer-tier PCs and cheap thin clients to bulky enterprise hardware into your experimentation lab. But what about the opposite? Considering that used server components tend to be available at low prices on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and other retailers, you might be tempted to pick one up for everyday use.

Wayland is no longer a future-facing experiment. For a growing number of Linux distributions, it is simply the default desktop experience today. Some distros made the switch quietly, while others rebuilt major parts of their identity around it. What unites them is a belief that the Linux desktop is better served by moving forward rather than maintaining long-standing legacy systems.