I tried Asus ZenBook A14. Now I can't imagine using a different Windows laptop

Table of Contents
Table of Contents It's a breath of fresh air A nice dose of practicality Delivers where it matters
Over the past four years, the MacBook Air has been the primary driver of my computing duties. My prerequisites for finding a light, powerful, and reliable laptop that suits my digital nomad lifestyle often led me to the Apple Store, despite testing my fair share of Windows laptops over the years.
Things started to look promising when I tested my first Windows on Arm machines powered by the Snapdragon X series processors. After spending some time with the stunning Dell XPS 13 and Asus ProArt PZ13 tablet, I switched to the Asus ZenBook A14.
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It's the best anti-MacBook Air I've come across so far. But this stunning laptop has a lot going for it besides eyeball-grabbing looks. In fact, it eclipses the Apple rival in a few practical areas that make or break buying decisions. Plus, the price tag attached to the laptop in my home market is even lower than Apple's machine, so there's that crucial advantage.
It's a breath of fresh air
By far, the best-kept virtue of the ZenBook A14 is its fantastic build and featherweight bulk profile. The ZenBook A14 is over 23% lighter than the MacBook Air. That's no small feat, but you really need to hold this laptop in your hands to realize the sheer engineering excellence here.
You almost don't feel the weight of this laptop in a backpack. It's so thin and light that I exclusively carried it like a notebook everywhere I went. Asus has experimented with some bold laptop designs over the years, but for the ZenBook A14, it has taken a unique route to minimalism.
Complementing the looks is the material and the one-of-a-kind surface finish. The material is called Ceraluminum. Technically, a specialized alloy of Magnesium, this material is 30% lighter than aluminum, but nearly thrice as strong.
I was worried that this lightweight laptop wouldn't be able to take mechanical stress or accidental bumps. I am particularly concerned about this aspect due to my on-the-move workflow. Moreover, every MacBook I have owned so far has suffered flattened corners, scratched paint, and scuff marks.
With the ZenBook A14, I haven't seen any such battle scars so far. And I am sure it will fare a lot better owing to its US MIL-STD-810H military-grade build. The surface finish is another standout aspect. The trim I used had a beautiful cardboard-like color with a lovely matte texture over it.
It does a better job of avoiding smudges than my MacBook Air in its light blue shade. Asus says it performed a test entailing 18,000 sessions of rubbing to ensure that the surface color doesn't fade off, so there's that assurance.
Overall, this is one of the nicest-looking laptops out there, which also happens to be extremely light, yet surprisingly resilient. There is nothing quite like it in the laptop ecosystem out there.
A nice dose of practicality
One of the biggest wins that Asus landed with the ZenBook A14 is the focus on practicality. Despite its slim waistline, the laptop offers a pair of USB-C (v4.0) ports, a USB-A port with 10 Gbps output, and an HDMI 2.1 port. The Apple competition restricts users to a pair of USB-C ports.
It's not just the number of ports that matters here, but also the versatility. I recently found myself in a situation where I had to plug in a much larger dock so that I could use my wireless mouse and keyboard while the MacBook Air was connected to an external device.
With the ZenBook, two of the most common types of peripherals — external screens and 2.4GHz wireless input — are independently covered. That means even if one of the USB-C ports is permanently occupied for power draw, the other one is still vacant for hooking up more devices.
I also love the keyboard. The keys are well spaced out, offer a springy feedback, and offer a decent amount of travel. In fact, I managed to hit a higher typing speed on the ZenBook A14 than I have achieved on my MacBook Air, the 13-inch Magic Keyboard, or even the Satechi SM3 Slim mechanical keyboard.
I just wish the button layout were a bit different, with just one Ctrl key in the far left corner. However, I quickly got used to this format within a day. The touchpad is also spacious and offers a proper physical click experience across each half.
Then we have the Windows Hello authentication system powered by an infrared camera array. It works just as well as the Face ID system on Apple hardware. I actually find it more convenient than having to reach out for a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button.
I rely heavily on Passkeys for all my web log-ins, and some of the native Windows features, such as Recall, are also now locked behind biometric authentication. Even in a completely dark room where my face was lit only by the display at nearly 40% brightness, the face unlock worked flawlessly.
Delivers where it matters
The strongest leg-up that the Asus ZenBook A14 has over its Apple rival and a bunch of other x86-based Windows laptops is the screen. The laptop offers a 14-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. It's a gorgeous screen, also happens to be less reflective than the IPS LCD panels on machines such as the MacBook Air.
It produces beautiful colors, deep blacks, and offers wide viewing angles. Thankfully, the bezels flanking it are also quite slim, and there is no notch to contend with. I only wish this were a faster panel, but for my day-to-day work, a 60Hz refresh rate works just fine.
Talking about workflow, this machine handled mine smoothly. All the apps that I require on a daily basis work without any stutters across the Microsoft 365 portfolio and Google Workspace ecosystems. Irrespective of whether they are now native on Arm or run atop the Prism emulation layer, the performance was usually without any red flags.
The dual-fan design definitely lends a hand, especially when Chrome was aggressively eating into the memory, while other apps such as Slack, Teams, Trello, Outlook, and Copilot were running in the background. Compared to the MacBook Air or the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Dell XPS 13, the Asus machine ran cooler
Single-core performance, thanks to the Oryon cores, is quite impressive. Under sustained load, however, the multicore performance takes a dip. The Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite fare much better, though their graphics performance still has some catching up to do.
Editing tasks across the Adobe suite run fine, and you won't have much trouble editing full-HD clips across AV1 and H. 264 codecs. Technically, you can go up to 4K 60fps decoding and encoding at 30fps, but the system memory starts becoming a bottleneck and creative effects addition show signs of fatigue.
I tried editing a few short clips for social media, and things were mostly smooth. However, for some reason, Da Vinci Resolve kept crashing when I installed it for heavier workloads. An overwhelming majority of Adobe's apps are now running natively on Windows, so you're covered on that front.
What I loved the most was that the internal fans run pleasingly quiet in the default mode. Battery life is another aspect that I love about the laptop. I was able to easily get eight hours of sustained work, and idle power draw is also on the lower side.
For its target audience, this machine can easily last a full day. Asus also provides a neat battery care mode that limits charging to the 80% mark. Apple offers this battery health convenience on its newer iPhones, but not on the MacBook lineup.
On the software side, this is a Copilot+ machine, so you are getting meaningful benefits such as Live Captions, image generation and editing, native AI-assisted search, to name a few. Asus also offers its own set of touchpad and related shortcut customizations within the MyAsus app that come in handy.,
Overall, there is a lot to like about the Asus ZenBook A14. For my workflow, which is heavily dependent on the web and cloud-based applications, it got the job done without any major hiccups. But it's the phenomenal build and breezy weight profile that truly won me over. And to such an extent that every other Windows laptop now seems boring to me.

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CNN

29 minutes ago

• CNN

The 4 best noise-canceling earbuds, according to years of editor testing

The best noise-canceling earbuds we tested Best noise-canceling earbuds overall: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Best noise-canceling earbuds for Apple users: Apple AirPods Pro 2 Best budget noise-canceling earbuds: EarFun Air Pro 4 Best noise-canceling earbuds for working out: Beats Fit Pro Thanks to the best noise canceling earbuds, you no longer have to wear a bulky set of cans to quiet down the chaos around you. The latest wireless earbuds from top brands like Bose, Apple and Sony boast some incredibly strong levels of ANC, to the point where you can confidently walk through a crowded city street with them on and not end up with a complete headache. Of course, not all noise cancelling earbuds are created equally, which is where we come in. We've spent years testing the most popular ANC buds on the market, braving packed subway trains, snoring housemates and airplanes filled with crying babies to see which ones can actually drown out the noise and bring you some relaxation and focus. After near-endless hours of listening, here are our four favorites — all of which make great alternatives to over-ear noise-canceling headphones. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Earbuds The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer the best and most customizable noise cancelation of any buds we've tested, complete with Immersive Audio for 360-degree our review Apple AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C The AirPods Pro 2 offer superb ANC and a smart Adaptive Audio mode that can adjust to your surroundings, all while delivering great audio quality and seamless connectivity with your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Read our review EarFun Air Pro 4 The EarFun Air Pro 4's excellent noise cancellation belies its budget price, as do its great sound quality and plethora of useful features. Use our exclusive code EPRO4CNN to save extra at our review Beats Fit Pro The Beats Fit Pro get you AirPods Pro-quality noise cancellation within an extra-snug design that's tailor-made for working out. Bose has long held the top spot in our best noise cancelling earbuds category, and now that the QuietComfort Ultra are here, we don't see that changing anytime soon. The company's class-leading ANC isn't just blissfully suppressive — it's also more adaptive and customizable than almost all of the competition. The buds' handy ActiveSense feature can automatically adjust ANC levels based on your surroundings, while CustomTune analyses your ears to deliver the most optimal noise cancellation possible. You can also toggle between up to 10 sound profiles via the Bose app, and assign a custom ANC level (1 to 10) to each one. Bose knows noise cancellation isn't one size fits all, and we love the array of options on here. Once we got our settings right, we enjoyed a delightful amount of quiet whether we were on noisy flights, crowded trains, busy parks or chatty rooftop bars. Heck, even a crying baby couldn't break our tester's focus. And once it was time to switch to Aware mode to return to the real world, we could easily carry on conversations without taking the buds out. The QuietComfort Ultra's top-of-the-pack ANC helps accentuate its big new feature: Immersive Audio. Similar to Apple's Spatial Audio, this feature allowed us to enjoy our favorite songs in immersive 360 degrees — something that especially stood out when listening to live recordings. And unlike some other spatial audio options, Immersive Audio can convert just about any stereo content into three-dimensional sound. The fact that this superb ANC and audio is packed into a luxurious-looking (and water-resistant!) design complete with Google Fast Pair support for Android users and a healthy amount of customization options only rounds out the package more. The Ultra's battery life (6 hours with ANC on, 4 hours with it off) won't blow you away, but it's still better than the AirPods Pro 2's ANC runtime of about 5 hours. The earbuds don't support wireless charging out of the box; you'll need to get a separate $49 wireless charging cover, which we don't love. But if you're willing to invest in the best and most versatile active noise cancellation you can get from a pair of earbuds, Bose's are the ones to get. If you're one of the few folks that use an iPhone and aren't rocking a pair of AirPods Pro, the latest model's excellent ANC is one of many reasons to jump on the bandwagon. As someone who used the original AirPods Pro extensively, the increase in noise cancellation quality was immediately evident — annoying construction sounds that once broke through were now reduced to a mercifully manageable hum. Apple claims that these buds have up to twice as much ANC power as the original model, and I'd say they're not very far off. But while the AirPods Pro 2's noise cancellation impressed me off the bat, it's the way they've evolved over time that have kept them in my daily rotation. A recent software update introduced Adaptive Audio mode, which delivers a blend of ANC and Transparency based on your surroundings. It's been my go-to on dog walks, where I want to hear nearby cars and pedestrians but don't want my ears blown out by the sound of a high-rise being built. There's also Conversation Awareness, which automatically lowers your playback volume once your AirPods Pro detect that you're talking. With these features combined, you can let your earbuds adapt to what you're up to instead of constantly fidgeting with controls. When you're not trying to drown out the outside world, Transparency mode works as well as ever for amplifying your surroundings and making it feel like you're not wearing earbuds at all. And thanks to the new extra-small ear tip option on this latest model, more people than ever can enjoy that tight seal you need for good noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro 2's great ANC make it easy to get lost in the buds' superb sound quality and spatial audio capabilities, the latter of which make some of my favorite albums sound extra-immersive; almost like I'm hearing them live. And then you have all of the usual Apple perks like effortless pairing to your iPhone, iPad and Mac and hands-free Siri controls. Heck, you can even use these buds to take a hearing test. If you live in the Apple world and want a good balance of great ANC and hassle-free compatibility with all your gadgets, it doesn't get better than the AirPods Pro 2. It certainly doesn't hurt that these premium buds are almost always on sale these days. It's kind of shocking that the EarFun Air Pro 4 cost as little as they do. The company behind many of our favorite budget earbuds have managed to deliver AirPods Pro-like performance and specs, but for a fraction of the price — all while offering a few neat perks you won't find on more expensive competitors. The Air Pro 4's noise cancellation is strikingly good for a pair of sub-$100 buds, consistently and significantly dampening everyday annoyances like loud appliances and chatty public spaces. In fact, our tester found EarFun's ANC superior to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Google Pixel Buds Pro, both of which cost a whole lot more. Fortunately, ANC isn't the only area where the Air Pro 4 punch above their weight class. These buds are some of the best-sounding out there regardless of price, with our tester going as far to say that they sound even better than the AirPods Pro 2. It certainly helps that you can create your own sound profiles in the EarFun app for iOS and Android, as well as take advantage of high-resolution audio formats on compatible Android phones. Long battery life (7.5 hours with ANC on; 11 without) just sweetens the deal further. You do make a few sacrifices at this low price, namely finicky touch controls (a common problem with EarFun's buds) and subpar call quality. But if you want a reliable pair of ANC earbuds for roughly a fifth of what most premium competitors cost, the EarFun Air Pro 4 are the best of their kind. What if you need to drown out those extra-loud grunters at the gym? Meet the Beats Fit Pro. They're our favorite workout headphones and one of our picks for the best wireless earbuds overall, thanks in no small part to the reliable active noise cancellation that complements their exercise-friendly fit and robust feature set. The Fit Pro's active noise cancellation is on par with that of the original AirPods Pro, and was more than reliable for quieting loud subway cars and traffic-filled streets. Transparency mode was likewise reliable, which is something that's extra important for a pair of buds you might take out on a run. Sure, you might get more engrossing ANC from some other options on this list, but they don't come with the same unique fit that's tailor-made for athletes. Beats' earbuds sport a unique wing tip design, which forms a snug yet comfortable seal thanks to some added upper ear support. They've stayed securely fastened throughout years of heavy use, including no shortage of very sweaty basketball sessions. Gym-ready fit aside, the Beats Fit Pro are practically one-to-one with the AirPods Pro when it comes to sound quality and features while also sporting their own exclusive perks. They'll pair to your Apple gadgets as easily as AirPods do and have the same handy Siri controls, but also work great with Android via the Beats app. And unlike AirPods, the Fit Pro come in a ton of attractive color options, which is great for expressing yourself when you're out on the track or working on those gains. You'll also get a decent six hours of ANC battery life from these, which beats the AirPods Pro 2 by about an hour. The newer Powerbeats Pro 2 offer similarly great (if not slightly better) active noise cancellation, but I prefer the Fit Pro's less obtrusive design compared to the clip-on Powerbeats. The Fit Pro are also easy to score on sale nowadays, making their always-great value that much better. Performance Active noise cancellation: Active noise cancellation is always a major factor in our earbud ratings, and naturally, it held extra weight for this specific list. We evaluated each set of earbuds' ANC quality by simply using them out in the real world, taking note of how suppressive they were for noisy environments like subway cars, crowded streets and (when possible) flights. For a more objective side-by-side comparison, we also played airport sounds from a computer and took note of how well each pair of buds were able to silence the noise. Sound quality: Great ANC isn't very useful if it's highlighting bad sound, which is why overall audio quality played a major role in our evaluations. We took note of how well each pair held up with our usual playlists, making sure to get a healthy mix of rock, pop and hip-hop music in the mix. Bonus points for any earbuds that offer perks like spatial or high-resolution audio. Design Comfort and fit: You can't get quality noise cancellation without a nice snug fit, which is why comfort and snugness are a major factor in our evaluations. We note not only how comfortable and secure each pair of buds are out of the box, but also how many ear tip options are available for finding the right fit. Aesthetics: Your earbuds should look good. While style isn't everything, we generally favored options that we'd actually want to be seen in public wearing. Having multiple color options is always a nice bonus. Controls: We tested every available on-ear control for each pair, noting not only how well the controls work but also how many options there are for customizing what they do. Features and compatibility Companion app: Earbuds with a good companion app have a major advantage here, especially if you want to easily toggle and customize your ANC. We also tested each set of earbuds' special features to see how useful they are — and how they stack up to what competitors offer. Compatibility: Whenever possible, we paired each set of buds to both an iPhone and Android phone, noting how easy the process was on both platforms and if any features were missing on either of them. Think about how much ANC you need If you're reading this, you obviously want a pair of earbuds that can silence noise. But good ANC comes in many forms. If you want the most suppressive noise cancellation out there — not to mention the ability to finely adjust said noise cancellation — then go ahead and get the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. But if you're mainly going to use these at the gym, you might be willing to trade best-in-class ANC for still very good ANC and a more workout-friendly design. Think about where you'll be using your earbuds, and what kinds of noise you're looking to drown out. Sealed versus open Most noise-cancelling earbuds have soft silicone tips that form a tight seal in your ear, like the AirPods Pro. But what if you hate things that go deep in your ear? While you may have been out of luck in the past, newer options like Apple's AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and the Galaxy Buds 3 manage to deliver very serviceable ANC within a more breathable design that's akin to the old-school AirPods. Consider your budget Budget is always a factor when buying any pair of earbuds or headphones, and fortunately, you don't have to sacrifice ANC just because you're looking to spend less than $100. While cheap noise cancelling headphones used to be rare (or just not very good), models like our top pick in the EarFun Air Pro 4 offer some very reliable noise suppression for $50 to $60. That said, paying up generally gets you even better ANC, sound and build quality. Compatibility matters The best pair of earbuds is often the one that works the best with all of your gadgets, and that remains the case with ANC earbuds. Sure, the AirPods Pro will technically work with an Android phone (and let you switch sound modes via on-ear controls), but you'll be missing out on most of their key features. Certain buds from brands like Sony and EarFun support high-resolution codecs for even better audio, but you'll need a compatible Android phone for those. If you use a mix of Apple and Android devices, we find that Beats' headphones are the most platform-agnostic of the bunch. Sony WF-1000XM5 Sony's latest flagship headphones offer a plethora of premium features alongside up to 24 hours of battery life. Read our review The Sony WF-1000XM5 are our favorite overall true wireless earbuds, and are really dang good at noise cancellation. They beat Bose by a few hours on battery life and have slightly better sound quality, and while they're similarly expensive, they also go on sale often. You really can't go wrong with either pair of buds if you want something best-in-class, but in terms of sheer ANC quality and customization, the QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra manage to squeeze ahead. It doesn't hurt that we find Bose's Immersive Audio a little easier to use than Sony's 360 Reality Audio. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 The sequel to some of the most popular earbuds ever introduce a sleeker design and heart rate monitoring. Read our review A great alternative to our top workout pick, Beats' Powerbeats Pro 2 improve on the company's wildly popular clip-on earbuds with a slimmer design, better audio quality and, most notably, active noise cancellation. They even have the unique ability to monitor your heart rate, which is great for getting some extra workout insights without having to wear a fitness tracker. We wish the ANC was a little stronger and prefer the Beats Fit Pro's less obtrusive design, but these are still an excellent choice who want the added security afforded by their ear clip design. Apple AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation The standard AirPods get active noise cancellation for the first time with this model, which also tout great sound quality and wireless charging. Read our review The ANC version of 2024's AirPods 4 offer shockingly good noise suppression for a pair of open-style earbuds that don't lodge deep into your ear like many of the other options on this list. In fact, they're not that far off from what you get from the AirPods Pro 2, and have a cheaper retail price to boot. We still prefer the AirPods Pro's overall fit and quality, but these are a very good alternative if you want something more breathable. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II The second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds feature deeply adaptive and customizable ANC and three sets of swappable ear tips and stability bands for finding a good fit. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are only a year older than our top pick in the Ultra, and they're still a good buy if you want Bose quality on a tighter budget. Their excellent active noise cancellation is pretty much on par with what you get from the Ultra, complete with great sound quality, tons of features and dependable battery life. If you're an audio enthusiast that wants access to perks like 360-degree Immersive Audio and high-quality lossless support (not to mention a slightly nicer look), you may want to spring for the Ultra. For everyone else, the basic QC buds still hold up well today. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Samsung's latest premium earbuds take on a decidedly different design while offering customizable ANC and some exclusive perks for Galaxy phone owners. Read our review Samsung's latest flagship earbuds take an interesting new direction, ditching the smaller, more discreet designs of old in favor of something that just looks like AirPods. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro offer dependable noise cancellation for Android users, though we didn't find its Adaptive mode (which is meant to adjust between ANC and ambient passthrough on the fly) to be very reliable. Samsung also deserves props for managing to squeeze some noise cancellation into the cheaper, open-style Galaxy Buds 3. However, the buds' unreliable controls, throwaway AI features and polarizing design mean that all but the most hardcore Samsung enthusiasts can look elsewhere. What is the difference between noise reduction and noise-canceling? What is the difference between noise reduction and noise-canceling? Earbuds with active noise cancellation use built-in microphones to actively counteract any ambient noise reaching your ears, whereas earbuds with basic noise reduction (sometimes known as passive noise cancellation) simply reduce outside noise due the physical seal they form in or around your ear. Why can I still hear things with noise cancellation on? Why can I still hear things with noise cancellation on? Even the best noise-canceling earbuds and headphones don't quite block 100% of the noise around you; there's only so much sound that your ANC earbuds can detect and and drown out. That said, there are a few things you can do to make sure you're getting the best noise suppression possible. For starters, you'll enjoy much better ANC if your earbuds are forming a tight, secure seal within your ears, so make sure to try out the different ear tip options that come with your buds in order to achieve that fit. Secondly, you'll want to check out your earbuds' settings via their respective companion app; Some of them (like Bose's) offer multiple levels of noise cancellation, while others (like Apple's) offer modes that switch between ANC and Transparency on the fly. If you're using an adaptive mode like that, you may not be getting the maximum noise cancellation that your earbuds can provide. Are noise-canceling earbuds as good as earplugs? Are noise-canceling earbuds as good as earplugs? Noise canceling earbuds and earplugs are two very different types of products. A good pair of ANC buds will generally block more noise than a set of earplugs, because they're using microphones to analyze and counteract the sound around you. Meanwhile, earplugs rely on the natural noise reduction that simply comes with having a snug piece of foam or silicone in your ear. Earplugs are also usually much cheaper. The downside to noise-canceling earbuds is that if they run out of battery, so does their active noise cancellation; earplugs are generally analog products that you can wear all day. In short, pick up noise-canceling earbuds if you want to listen to music while also drowning out noise. If you want to simply lower the volume a bit when you're at a live event or traveling, go with earplugs. CNN Underscored has a team of writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering reviewing headphones and earbuds for more than a decade, is rarely seen without something in or on his ears. Right now his desk is alone is littered with far more wireless earbuds than any one person should have.

Forbes

an hour ago

• Forbes

Apple iPhone 17 Series Will Showcase ‘Design Revamp', New Report Claims

When Apple releases the iPhone 17 series, we already know it will come with the Liquid Glass software design overhaul announced at WWDC. Now, a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman talks about the hardware and how much of a change it will be. Apple iPhone 16 Pro: are the iPhones about to get a design revamp? There have been reports of faster-charging iPhones, good and bad news about display properties and display sizes, a thicker-than-ever iPhone 17 Pro Max, a curious design detail on the iPhone 17 Air, and worries about that phone's battery life, to name just a few. But now, industry heavyweight Gurman has more details of what's coming. In his weekly Power On newsletter, in answer to a question of whether this year's iPhone is considered a redesign, he answered, 'Yes.' So, there we have it. No, wait, there's more. 'Within Apple, this year's iPhone lineup is considered an industrial design revamp compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, for instance. That includes the new skinnier iPhone 17 'Air' model, as well as Pro versions with a redesigned back and camera area,' Gurman says. Note the quote marks around 'Air,' presumably because Apple hasn't confirmed such a name and so it's subject to change. 'From the front, the new phones won't look much different than recent models,' he adds. Since the phones are almost all-screen with thin bezels, that's not such a surprise, though Gurman is saying there's no change to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, as he refers to this. 'The Pro changes on the rear are certainly noticeable. In any case, these tweaks are just a stepping stone toward next year's upgrades. That's when Apple will shrink the Dynamic Island, moving closer to a screen that truly covers the entire front of the phone, and roll out a foldable model. More changes will come in 2027, as I've earlier reported, with a Pro model redesign tied to the iPhone's 20-year anniversary,' he concludes. There's a lot of detail there, particularly about the all-screen iPhone coming in more than two years' time, even if we might have hoped for more concrete information about this fall's look. And there's no mention of whether or not ProMotion will be on the new iPhone 17, or exactly how the camera area will change, though other analysts have consistently reported a wider panel on the phone's rear. Or will the Pro Max be called the iPhone 17 Ultra? I'll report back as more information leaks.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Save 60% on a Refurbished M1 MacBook Air That Still Outperforms Many PCs

The following content is brought to you by PCMag partners. If you buy a product featured here, we may earn an affiliate commission or other compensation. Apple made bold claims when the MacBook Air M1 first launched: faster than similar Intel-based laptops, a fanless design, and all-day battery life. Five years later, those claims still hold up better than you might expect. This refurbished MacBook Air M1 offers a surprisingly snappy, silent experience for just $514.99 (Reg. $1,299) while supplies last, and it could offer a noticeable performance boost from your current aging PC. The 13.3-inch Retina display still looks great, with crisp resolution and sharp color. The M1 chip inside gives you an 8-core CPU and GPU combo that makes multitasking feel fast and smooth, whether you're editing docs, hopping on video calls, or juggling a dozen tabs. Since there's no fan, it runs completely silent. It also has up to 18 hours of battery life, so you're not constantly reaching for a charger. It boots fast, handles everyday tasks with ease, and feels responsive from the jump thanks to the 128GB SSD. This one's in grade 'A' refurbished condition, so it basically looks new, and it's just way cheaper than heading to the Apple store. Grab this refurbished MacBook deal before they're sold out for $514.99 (Reg. $1,299). Prices subject to change. PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through StackSocial affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.