Laptops

Apple was prepared this time for its M5 chip launch in the new MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, as it promptly included the new devices in its polishing cloth compatibility list. We got a bit of a scare last month when it took a couple days for iPhone 17 compatibility.

Hyper first announced its HyperSpace Trackpad Pro back in January, and it’s now taking orders via crowdfunding. The haptic trackpad offers an Apple Magic Trackpad-like experience for Windows users, with native software customization. It now costs $149.99 ($20 more than its initial estimation) and deliveries are expected in March 2026 , though there are discounts for early backers.

The Framework Desktop’s awesome $19 carry handle is just now going on sale, as is the Framework Laptop 12’s $59 stylus, and both systems are “wrapping up” preorders. You can find cheaper USI 2.0 stylii, but these aren’t just color-matched: you can remove and replace their batteries. Other Framework updates here.

Lenovo’s 14- and 15-inch ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition laptops are getting a glacier white color treatment for IFA 2025. The X9 may be polarizing to hardcore ThinkPad fans because it lacks a TrackPoint, but I dig this clean look.

Remember when I upgraded a laptop’s entire GPU in just three minutes and filmed it for you? It wasn’t the only first I filmed that day! Here’s my Today I’m Toying With video hands-on with Framework’s industry-first standards-based 240W USB-C PD charging system. Look ma: no barrel jacks!

This is the Framework Laptop 16, and the company tells me I’m the first journalist to do this thing: show proof that upgrading a laptop’s GPU can be as easy as upgrading a desktop one. Alienware whiffed on this idea, but Framework is delivering. More on this right here.

The modular PC company didn’t say when it’d upload the promised files; turns out it’s today! Find center, right-align, and left-align options here on GitHub, if you’d rather have a single unbroken palmrest instead of spacers. (But instead of grey, why not try sparkle or wood or marble filament?)

HP has one of the best Labor Day sales of all with its 16-inch OmniBook 5. Originally $729.99, it’s just $119.99 to buy. You can even customize the laptop config (hit “Customize & Buy”) to include a 300-nit OLED screen for no extra charge. Unsurprisingly, HP’s site is getting slammed, so be patient.

Want to run your video card through the ray traced ringer? 3DMark has an “Extreme” version of its Solar Bay benchmark, available as a free update for paid Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android users. It’s decked out in specular reflections, uses new ray tracing techniques, and includes a stress test.

The HP Omen 16 has a new configuration with an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti GPU, launching soon starting at $1,999.

Look at this thing. According to Videocardz and Tom’s Hardware, it’s a custom 12.5-inch 4K handheld with Intel i9-14900HX and Nvidia RTX 4090 chips from a gaming laptop. There are pics and a video of it playing games, but none showing the build or internals.

Remember when ThinkPads had seven rows of keys, sandpaper TrackPoint nubs, ThinkLights, and keyboards that transformed to become wider when you opened their hinge? The Register’s Avram Pilch caught up with David W. Hill, who ran ThinkPad design from 1995 to 2017, about all of them — and the attempts to bring some back!