Whether you’re working on an essay, doing research for a paper or just need some downtime streaming your favorite show — a good laptop is a sensible investment for every college student. The best laptop for college doesn’t have to push the envelope with the latest graphics card and processor, nor does it have to cost an arm and a leg. Sure, the best laptops come in all shapes and sizes and range in price, but college students don’t need a power-hungry machine to support their needs. The best laptop for college is ideally thin and lightweight, and provides enough battery to last all day without having to be tethered to the wall. No matter what you’re studying, we’ve researched and tested a range of laptops for you to consider as you decide which is the best laptop for college for you.
What to consider in your next laptop for college
It’s important to consider your major and what you need your laptop to do before deciding on the best laptop for college. For example, if you’re a liberal arts major and will mostly be writing or making presentations, you don’t need an expensive system with a discrete graphics card. Alternatively, if you’re a film major who might need to render videos on a regular basis, having a beefy PC can significantly reduce the time it takes to finish a project. You’ll also want to take a look at any guidelines provided by your college or your specific program, as you may need required software or apps that only run on a specific OS.
Some other things to consider are if you want a more portable 13 or 14-inch machine that’s easier to carry around, or if you prefer something with a larger screen. On top of that, if you are doing tasks like photo or video editing, you’ll probably want to go for a system with a high-resolution display (1440p or 4K), so it's easier to see details. As for other specs, ideally you’ll want 16GB of RAM (though you can go down to 8GB on a Chromebook) and at least 512GB or 1TB of storage. Most newer laptops now come with SSD storage, too, which means you can store and transfer data much faster.
Finally, while your budget ultimately will determine how powerful of a laptop you can get, well-equipped ultraportables will generally cost between $1,000 and $1,400, with prices going up from there for systems with discrete GPUs. Budget Windows laptops and Chromebooks can be affordable alternatives though, with many going for just $500 to $700. But again, remember to check your school’s requirements because it’s not worth saving a few bucks only to find out that your notebook can’t run the app you need for all your homework.
The full trailer dropped today for Apple's F1 movie. The film is getting an international theatrical release starting June 25, and will be in theaters and IMAX domestically beginning June 27. F1 has received extensive involvement from the Formula 1 world, so it'll be fascinating to see how well it walks the line between being a good movie and feeling like a dramatic promo for the organization.
The movie is a star-studded affair, with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia in the cast. Joseph Kosinski, who helmed Top Gun: Maverick, is the director, Ehren Kruger wrote the screenplay and the legendary Hans Zimmer did the score. Every shot in the trailer promises that this is a luxe production, fitting for the huge piles of money that go into developing F1 cars and teams.
F1 has the glossy sheen of a Hollywood sports drama to it. Even though it's a work of fiction, several personalities and teams from the actual Formula 1 teams will appear in the final cut. There's been a surge in filmmaking about this type of car racing, with Netflix also hosting its own documentary series about Formula 1.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/see-brad-pitt-behind-the-wheel-in-the-trailer-for-f1-224420723.html?src=rss
Meta is adding a new incentive to get people to create and share photos and videos on Facebook. The company announced today that creators in Facebook's Content Monetization program can now earn money off people viewing their Facebook Stories.
Since you can already easily share photos and videos you post to your Stories, this should be a low-effort way to earn a bit more money off the content you share on Facebook. The ability to earn money on Stories is available globally, according to Meta, though it is based on performance, and Stories need to be public to be monetized. Creators who aren't already in the Content Monetization program can apply to be considered right now on Meta's website.
The new payment option is just Meta's latest attempt to get creators posting content to Facebook instead of Instagram or competing apps. In January, the company debuted a "breakthrough bonus program" that offered an extra $5,000 to creators with an existing presence on another social media platform for posting a certain amount of photos and videos to Instagram and Facebook.
The timing of the program made it clear that Meta was interested in luring in creators who would soon lose access to TikTok. The app's temporary rescue by the Trump administration has made the need to leave slightly less urgent, but Meta obviously still wants to benefit from the chaos as much as it can.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-creators-can-now-monetize-their-stories-221139957.html?src=rss
Nintendo has set the date for its second US store to set up shop. Following the announcement last year, Nintendo's brick and mortar location in San Francisco will open its doors on May 15. The opening is happening almost exactly two decades after Nintendo launched its first US store, which is in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza.
The San Francisco business "will offer a unique shopping experience filled with Nintendo’s characters, worlds and exclusive products including accessories, apparel, home goods and souvenirs available only at this location," according to the press release. The jury's still out on whether the Switch 2 will be on the store's shelves when it opens.
In true Nintendo fashion, the company is hosting a sweepstakes for fans who want to attend the store's grand opening in grand style. One lucky person will win a four-day trip to San Francisco with up to two guests, including a tour of the store during the launch event.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-san-francisco-store-will-open-on-may-15-213532685.html?src=rss
Nintendo's game character items and goods are displayed at Nintendo Tokyo, the first-ever Nintendo official store in Japan, at at SHIBUYA PARCO department store and shopping mall complex, during a press preview in Tokyo, Japan November 19, 2019. REUTERS/Issei Kato
AirPods are arguably Apple's most popular post-iPhone product, and it sounds like the company has plans to make them even more essential. Bloomberg reports that Apple is adding a live-translate feature to AirPods later this year as part of an upcoming software update.
The feature sounds like it would work in a similar way to the translation feature on the Pixel Buds, only without the need to ask Google Assistant or in this case, Siri, to start listening for a specific language first. Apple's feature would reportedly automatically detect that something other than your native language is being spoken, and start converting what you're hearing into a language you understand.
Pixel Buds have had live-translation since 2020, one of the few abilities that makes Google's earbuds superior to Apple's. With the addition of the Translate app in iOS 14, Apple took at least one major step towards offering something similar, but the company never expanded on it in the years that followed.
Assuming it's released, this update would follow another major upgrade to the AirPods: Apple's Hearing Health features. In 2024, the company gave the AirPods Pro the ability to perform hearing tests and act as over-the-counter hearing aids. Adding translation could give AirPods owners even more reason to never take their headphones out. When you add in rumors that Apple might add heart-rate tracking to the AirPods like it did on the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, its even easier to imagine how the headphones could go from wireless accessory to something you wear all the time, like an Apple Watch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apple-reportedly-plans-to-add-a-live-translation-feature-to-airpods-211402313.html?src=rss
Jeff and Annie Strain, the owners of publisher Prytania Media, are suing NetEase over claims of "defamation, unfair trade practices and interference with business relations," Polygon reports. The new lawsuit runs counter to the couple's previous claim that leaks shared with Kotaku led to them shutting down their studios Crop Circle Games and Possibility Space, before Prytania Media itself closed.
Per Polygon's reporting, the Strains claim that NetEase "spread false and defamatory statements that caused the demise of Prytania Media," and specifically, that the Chinese company suggested Prytania Media was engaged in financial fraud, scaring away other investors.
Prytania Media shutdown Crop Circle Games without warning in March 2024, before closing Possibility Space a month later. Possibility Space was notable for the variety of talent it had working on its first AAA title, including former Waypoint editor-in-chief Austin Walker, Watch Dogs: Legiondesigner Liz England and Jane Ng, the lead environment artist on Firewatch. At the time, the Strains suggested that information shared with Kotaku about an in-development title called "Project Vonnegut" led to an unnamed investor backing away from offering further funding. If the new lawsuit is to be believed, that was not the case.
The lawsuit is headed to federal court. For more color on what the Strains claim NetEase did, read Polygon's report. However things play out, it doesn't change the fact that a lot of people were laid off and Prytania Media did little to make things right. "Severance never materialized btw," Walker shared in a Bluesky thread going over the details of the lawsuit.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/jeff-strain-is-suing-investor-netease-claiming-internal-gossip-caused-his-game-company-to-shut-down-202342126.html?src=rss
The logo of internet technology company Netease is seen at the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, also known as ChinaJoy, in Shanghai, China July 30, 2021. Picture taken July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song
The Emperor protects! Warhammer 40K fans, it appears you won't have to wait nearly as long for a new Space Marine game as you did for a sequel to the 2011 original. Games Workshop announced today that Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment are working on a new installment in the series.
"Specific details on gameplay, setting and factions are tightly under wraps, but we can confirm Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will boast an all-new immersive campaign and multiplayer modes," Games Workshop said.
The fact the miniature maker has been so quick to green light a sequel is not surprising. As of last fall, the game had sold more than 4.5 million copies across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and I made sure to include it in Engadget's list of the best games of 2024. More broadly, Warhammer 40,000 is enjoying greater popularity than probably at any other point in its nearly 40-year history. The 40K episode of Amazon's Secret Level anthology, which follows directly after the events of Space Marine 2, was a highlight of the series and did a lot to bring the franchise to a broader audience.
Games Workshop did not share a release date or trailer for the new game, so enjoy this teaser for Astartes II, another 40K project fans are excited about, instead.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/warhammer-40k-space-marine-2-is-unsurprisingly-getting-a-sequel-200055031.html?src=rss
Disco Elysium is a critically acclaimed RPG from 2019 that won many accolades for its smart storytelling and writing. Later this year, the game is getting reimagined exclusively for Android devices. This mobile version is slated for a summer 2025 launch.
The new format looks akin to what you'd find in a visual novel app rather than to a traditional RPG, based on the trailer and screenshots shared today. ZA/UM, the company behind the game, said that the first two chapters can be played for free, then the full, ad-free game will be a one-time paid unlock.
"We intend to captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment," ZA/UM studio head Denis Havel said.
Many of the original Disco Elysium creators have left ZA/UM. Creator Robert Kurvitz, art director Aleksander Rostov and writer Helen Hindpere were all fired in 2022 by the company's new leaders, and all parties have been mired in lawsuits since the game's international success. Several new studios have sprung up from various former team members, and ZA/UM has announced work on a new game of its own.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/disco-elysium-is-coming-to-android-mobile-this-summer-194536643.html?src=rss
The seventh season of Black Mirror is headed to Netflix on April 10, and based on its first trailer, happily returning to concepts and episodes that have come to define the series.
You'll see plenty of the stars that were already announced to be in the new episodes in the trailer, like Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae and Peter Capaldi, along with clear evidence that Season 7 continues storylines showrunner Charlie Brooker has already promised to revisit — namely the episode "USS Callister," about a group of startup employees trapped in a Star Trek-inspired simulation by their boss.
There's some surprises too — one of the six new episodes appears to return to the world of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the interactive Black Mirror episode Netflix released in 2018, before abandoning interactive movies in 2024. If that doesn't pique your interest, rest assured, load-bearing Black Mirror concepts like "thinking of the human brain as a computer" definitely seem to be present, too.
Brooker describes this season as "a little bit OG Black Mirror" and "back to basics in many ways," which could be reassuring, depending on your belief that he can recapture the novelty and meanness of the show's UK run. The series last aired on Netflix in 2023, with a set of episodes that were all over the place in terms of quality. Season 7 could be different, but we'll have to wait until Black Mirror returns on April 10 to find out for sure.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/black-mirror-is-playing-the-hits-in-its-season-7-trailer-193015633.html?src=rss
It’s being developed by Strange Scaffold, who made the fantastic El Paso, Elsewhere. There’s a new trailer with plenty of gameplay, which is always nice. One thing that sets this tactical RPG apart from rivals like Unicorn Overlordis that the battles take just a few minutes to complete. As a matter of fact, they look even zippier than the streamlined fights found in the Mario + Rabbids series.
The story sounds downright depressing for a TMNT game. “Splinter and Shredder are dead, and as the Turtles approach adulthood, they're not just growing up... they're growing apart,” a description reads. To that end, most of the levels are played solo with just a single turtle. Come on guys. Hash things out over a large pizza pie!
There’s no price yet, but preorders are open. Publisher Paramount Game Studios has yet to say anything about a potential console release.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-tactical-takedown-comes-out-on-may-22-191533579.html?src=rss
Microsoft just announced the pending availability of Copilot for Gaming, an AI-powered assistant that’s being advertised as a novel way to help players get better at their favorite titles. The company says it will accompany people through games, offering tips, guides and useful information along the way.
Microsoft boasts it can also help folks download and launch games, solving the eternal problem of, uh, pressing a button. Copilot for Gaming will be available as part of the Xbox mobile app, so it’s being positioned as a second screen type of thing.
Copilot for Gaming 🎮 Soon you’ll be able to turn to it for everything from game setup, to tips for finally beating a tough level, wherever you play on Xbox. There when you need it, out of the way when you don’t. Can’t wait to try it! https://t.co/cxZG7R6cxcpic.twitter.com/21Zg0yob4A
We aren’t entirely sure how it works. There are demo videos but they are just proof of concept designs. One shows Copilot recommending a hero for Overwatch 2 that complements the rest of the team. Another video found the AI assistant answering questions about Minecraft building techniques. The demo also showed Copilot enabling cheats in Minecraft, with the bot telling a player where crafting materials could be found. Hopefully, this tech will be ready the next time Elon Musk wants to show off his Path of Exile 2 "skills."
Microsoft says that Copilot will be able to see your game screen, via app integration, to offer real-time guidance. Again, we don’t know how that will work or what kind of information it will be able to cook up. None of the aforementioned tasks will be available during the initial launch, so we don’t even know what, if anything, players will be able to do with this thing. That’s modern AI for ya!
In any event, Copilot for Gaming will be available to Xbox Insider members in April. Microsoft says it will iterate according to user feedback. Once the company has ironed out some kinks, it should become available to more players.
Microsoft also shared today that the Xbox Play Anywhere program now allows access to more than 1,000 games. This is a cross-platform service that lets people enjoy a game on both Xbox consoles and PC. The platform even keeps track of saves, progress and achievements.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-making-a-copilot-ai-assistant-for-gamers-but-its-not-clear-what-it-does-185603482.html?src=rss
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday it's creating a new Council for National Security within the agency. The FCC's announcement doesn't go into much detail about what the group will do, but a list of its broader goals focuses on US competition with China, including in AI and other tech sectors.
The FCC's statement on the Council for National Security says its three-part agenda includes:
"Reduce the American technology and telecommunications sectors’ trade and supply chain dependencies on foreign adversaries"
"Mitigate America’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, espionage, and surveillance by foreign adversaries"
"Ensure the US wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies, such as 5G and 6G, AI, satellites and space, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, and the Internet of Things"
Although the statement mentions foreign adversaries several times, it only calls out China specifically.
Council for National Security Director Adam Chan
America in the World Consortium
The Council will include representatives from eight Bureaus and Offices within the FCC, an arrangement the agency says will foster cross-agency collaboration and information sharing. Adam Chan, who serves as the FCC's security counsel, as the director of the Council on National Security.
"Today, the country faces a persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the CCP," FCC Chairman Carr wrote in the agency's press release. "These bad actors are always exploring ways to breach our networks, devices and technology ecosystem. It is more important than ever that the FCC remain vigilant and protect Americans and American companies from these threats. Because these threats now cut across a range of sectors that the FCC regulates, it is important that the FCC's national security efforts pull resources from a variety of FCC organizations."
In FCC Chair Carr's thus far brief tenure the agency, has been aggressive, controversial and aligned with President Donald Trump's goals — not surprising given Carr wrote Project 2025's chapter on the agency. His moves in the first (not yet) two months of the administration have included investigatingmedia outlets, probing Comcast over its DEI practices and seeking public opinion on which regulations the agency should "delete, delete, delete."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fcc-is-creating-a-new-council-for-national-security-within-the-agency-184417942.html?src=rss
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 19: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to Brendan Carr, his intended pick for Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, as he attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Fortnite will be available on Arm-based Windows machines later this year. In a blog post, developer Epic Games said that it is working with Qualcomm to get the hugely popular game compatible with the new Windows architecture by offering Windows on Snapdragon support for Epic Online Services Anti-Cheat, also known as Easy Anti-Cheat.
Microsoft has making a big push to convert its computing ecosystem to Arm-based hardware with Windows 11, especially as it puts more resources behind its line of Copilot+ PCs. While Qualcomm said last year that most games should be compatible with its Snapdragon chips, titles with kernel-level anti-cheat tech would pose a problem. And that's the approach Epic takes to prevent cheating in Fortnite and with its Easy Anti-Cheat program.
Epic didn't offer any more specific timeline other than "later this year," but having support for the company's games and services will be important for getting gamers and game developers to convert to the Arm systems.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/epic-is-bringing-fortnite-to-arm-based-windows-systems-181528822.html?src=rss
Google is updating Android to support Auracast, a Bluetooth LE technology that makes it possible to create, listen to and switch between public broadcasts of Bluetooth audio on the devices you already own. At its simplest, Auracast could let you to tune your Bluetooth earbuds to a muted TV in a public space and hear its audio. For Google, though, it sounds like the company is primarily interested in using the feature to make hearing aids even more helpful.
Google plans to use Auracast as a way to get Bluetooth audio streaming to hearing aids paired to your phone or tablet. If a TV or streaming device supports Auracast, you'll be able to use your Android device to connect the hearing aids directly to the source and hear what's playing. The company says any presets you've tweaked to customize how your hearing aids sound will carry over to audio you hear through Auracast, too. On Pixel 9 devices, you can even skip diving into settings to switch to the broadcast and instead scan a QR code to immediately connect your hearing aids.
The feature is coming to the Pixel 9 via the third Android 16 beta, which is also getting released today. Besides Auracast, the pre-release software includes a new accessibility option that lets you outline text to make it easier to read and a "Local Network Protection" feature that will give anyone with an Android 16 device "more control over which apps can access devices on their local network," Google says.
The final version of Android 16 is still a ways off, but the developer beta is available to download today on supported devices. If you don't want to experiment with the beta, Google says you can try out Auracast with a Samsung Galaxy device running One UI 7 and compatible hearing aids from GN Hearing or Starkey.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/auracast-support-is-coming-to-android-180050425.html?src=rss
A Phonak Audeo B-Direct hearing aid of Swiss manufacturer Sonova lies on a Phonak TV Connector device in Staefa, Switzerland August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
First announced back in 2023, NVIDIA is finally releasing a playable demo for Half-Life 2 RTX. If you own the original game on Steam (and if you don't, what's your excuse?), you can download the preview on March 18. The showcase will allow players to see how Orbifold Studios has reimagined Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt with ray tracing. NVIDIA says the full release will arrive "at a later date."
Ahead of the demo's release, NVIDIA is also releasing RTX Remix, the modding toolkit Orbifold used to remaster HL2, to the public. The suite is available to download today, and includes support for many of the company's latest technologies, including multi-frame generation via DLSS 4. Additionally, NVIDIA says RTX Remix features an “easily mastered” interface that allows modders to add fully ray-traced lighting and AI-enhanced textures to older games without fuss. For more dedicated teams, RTX Remix makes it possible to rebuild every asset in a game.
Beside the chance to see Half-Life 2 in a whole new light, there's another good reason to revisit the game next week. Viktor Antonov, Half-Life 2's visionary art director, passed away in February at the age of 52. All video games are a collaborative effort, but if there's one person who helped make Half-Life 2 so memorable, it's Antonov. He designed most of City 17 and the Combine technology that gives the game its unique visual identity.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/a-demo-of-half-life-2-rtx-arrives-next-week-on-steam-171908066.html?src=rss
A year-long subscription to the meditation app Headspace is on sale right now for just $42. The typical price is $70, so this represents a savings of 40 percent. It also breaks down to $3.50 per month. The sale is part of the app’s acknowledgement of Sleep Awareness Week, which is a thing that’s going on right now.
A subscription to Headspace gets you access to the app’s entire library of meditations, sleep sounds, yoga routines and fitness content. It also delivers curated meditations and inspirational videos each day.
Headspace topped our list of the best meditation apps, and with good reason. We loved how the meditation courses are organized, as each one builds on top of skills learned in the previous session. Each course also offers a variety of instructors, just in case you grow fond of a particular person.
The integrated search engine makes it easy to find what you’re looking for and members even get access to tangential stuff like wellness podcasts. The app’s colors are calming and neutral, with an aesthetically pleasing design running throughout. It’s just a simple and well-made meditation app that’s perfect for both experts and newcomers.
There's a free trial of 14 days, but the promotion ends on March 18. That means you really only have a few days to check things out and make a decision. If you do end up purchasing the year, remember that the price shoots up to $70 when it runs out. Make sure to cancel ahead of time, unless you’re fine with paying full price.
A steady stream (sorry) of expansions has helped keep the terrific PowerWash Simulatorin the zeitgeist over the last couple of years, but developer FuturLab has been beavering away on a sequel as well. You won't have to wait too long for it either, as PowerWash Simulator 2 is slated to debut later this year.
The follow-up has a fresh campaign mode that picks up from where the first game left off, new locations to make scum-free, enhanced soap(!) and the option to customize your home base, which your friends can visit. Also new is the ability to share campaign progress when you play online with your buds. Best of all, there will be a two-player split-screen mode this time around. It's always great to have more couch co-op games to play.
The supremely relaxing and satisfying PowerWash Simulator was a surprise hit. FuturLab says more than 17 million players have adjusted their nozzles to spray away virtual grime in a wide variety of locations.
PowerWash Simulator 2 is set to hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in late 2025 (sidenote: have you cleaned your system lately?). More details will be revealed next month.
Eurogamerreports that the game is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as well, but no Nintendo platforms were mentioned in FuturLab's press release. The studio told Engadget that "Whilst we would like to release on Switch 2, there are no current firm plans. We have no timeframe or news there." That said, Nintendo plans to reveal much more about its new console on April 2, so perhaps we'll hear about a Switch 2 edition of PowerWash Simulator 2 then.
Meanwhile, there are no plans for a VR version this time, FuturLab told Eurogamer. The studio ended support for PowerWash Simulator VR in January, with CEO Kirsty Rigden saying that version was running at a loss. FuturLab reassigned members of its VR team to other roles.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/powerwash-simulator-2-will-arrive-later-this-year-164534571.html?src=rss
As you know, your Apple Watch SE is not new. The second generation came out in September 2022 alongside the Series 8 and the first iteration of the Ultra. You’ve given the iPhone, all models of the iPad, AirPods, MacBooks and both the flagship and premium smartwatches updates since then — but not the budget smartwatch. Last month, my editors asked me to see how the Watch SE stacks up in 2025 and I was happy to oblige. I love getting my hands on novel tech, analyzing, evaluating and experiencing a device (then giving it back when I’m done so I don’t have to accumulate more stuff). But this review left me cold. The Apple Watch SE feels bland and decidedly lesser-than in 2025.
It’s a fairly safe bet we’ll see a new model of the SE soon. There are, of course, rumors. Plus, the launch of the iPhone 16e suggests you are still interested in churning out more affordable versions of your devices. There’s about a $150 price difference between the SE and the base Apple Watch Series 10. The latter goes for $399 at full price and as low as $329 on sale. The SE costs $249 and has gone for as little as $149. While I don’t expect a budget watch to have everything the flagship does, there are a few features that feel non-negotiable in 2025 as well as some reasonable compromises that most budget-conscious buyers will probably be willing to accept. As a daily smartwatch wearer and consumer gadget reviewer, I’m offering you my completely free advice on what I’d like to see on the next Apple Watch SE.
Give us a bigger (not better) display
I usually wear an Apple Watch Series 9 but before that, I sported a hand-me-down Apple Watch Series 4 with a scratched screen. Apart from the scuff, the screen on the 40mm Apple Watch SE I reviewed feels identical to the one on that wearable from 2018. In fact, both have the same size display areas, which is cramped and dinky compared to the generous real estate on the 42mm Series 10. Of course, the newest Apple Watch received a 2mm size bump, so a more direct comparison would be to the 40mm 9th-generation watch, which has 150 sq mm more room, thanks to thinner bezels. Considering the growing amount of information our watches handle, I’d like a bigger panel to view it on.
The brightness and overall clarity of the SE’s OLED Retina display is perfectly adequate. There’s no need for the higher-end LTPO 3 technology the latest watches have. And the SE’s 1000 nits of brightness is plenty, too. Even in bright sunlight, the screen is legible. True, it can’t get down to a single nit of brightness like the newer watches can and, while that’s distracting in a dark room, using sleep focus at bedtime turns the screen off completely.
When I upgraded to the Series 9, the feature I most looked forward to was the always-on display (AOD). That’s because my Series 4 required me to lift my wrist repeatedly before finally lighting up. It was irritating to simply check the time. But when I reviewed the Galaxy Watch 7, I turned off the AOD for much of the testing and didn’t miss it a bit. Turns out, if the watch reliably and quickly snaps to attention when I flick my wrist, AOD isn’t as crucial. So if losing that feature can keep the cost down, that’d be an acceptable tradeoff. Currently, checking the time on the SE is slightly, but not significantly better than my experience with my older watch. Which could be solved by a more advanced processor.
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Let’s have a faster (not the fastest) chip
I realize when I say the processing power of the Apple Watch SE feels sluggish, I’m dishonoring my 14-year-old self whose pipe dream was owning a Casio calculator watch. But still, compared to my experience with current models, the SE lags. Opening apps, controlling music playback, starting workouts and talking with Siri is just slower than it should be. A budget watch doesn’t need to pack the zenith of Apple’s system-in-package (SiP), but stepping up to 2023’s S9 chip would make the watch feel satisfyingly zippy.
A processor bump could also enable double tap, which debuted with the Series 9. But that’s not critical — I could take or leave the gesture control feature. It doesn’t feel as accurate or as integrated with the OS as, say, Samsung’s version on the Galaxy Watch. Though I have to admit, with my Series 9, it does feel a little magical when I can double pinch to start a suggested walking workout — especially when I’m grappling with the leash of a crazy puppy.
The S9 chip also enables on-board processing of Siri requests, which means those don’t have to borrow a connected phone’s internet. If I’m on a bike ride and want to log it as such, I can just ask Siri, even if I left my phone at home. (True, the cellular-enabled SE can complete those requests without a phone, but the price bump and monthly service fee for that configuration starts to muddy the idea of a budget watch.) Siri requests are also completed much faster when they’re handled on the watch itself. When I want Siri to quickly set a two minute timer for steeping green tea, the process with the SE just takes too long.
For Pete’s sake, make it charge faster
My dad’s name is Pete. And if he had an Apple Watch SE (instead of his Series 7), I know he’d want it to recharge in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, the battery performance on the SE is surprisingly good. I can get through a full day that includes tracking a run, a Fitness+ workout, setting timers, obsessively checking the weather, logging meds and taking a couple of dog walks — all with enough juice left to track my sleep. By the time I wake up, it’s usually time to stick the watch on the charger. That’s a similar experience to my Apple Watch Series 9. But instead of getting the battery refilled while I shower and get ready for the day, the SE takes over two hours to go from around ten percent to a hundred. That’s too long to wait.
Keep your titanium and sapphire crystal
Budget models always get handed the less-expensive materials and that’s OK. The aluminum alloy Apple uses in its non-premium watches strikes a good balance between durability and lightness. The Ion-X glass on the front isn’t as robust as sapphire glass, but it’s less expensive. I’m not trying to speak for all budget-conscious folk, but I and every other frugal person I know tends to swaddle all expensive tech in screen protectors, cases and all manner of other protective measures the moment it leaves the box. So if slightly less robust materials can shave dollars off the asking price, by all means, Apple, do so.
We’ve seen rumors that your next SE might be housed in a plastic case with brighter colors on the watch bands, possibly in an effort to appeal to kids. I’d need to see what type of plastic you feel is strong enough to stand up to the chaos of children, but if it can last a few years without failing while also keeping the price down, I’m open to the idea.
It’s OK if my watch isn’t a doctor’s office
Fitness tracking is high on my list of non-negotiable features. And accuracy for that requires a suite of sensors — a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, altimeter and an optical heart rate readeran optical heart sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer, GPS connection and an altimeter. The SE has all of those and the data collected from my tracked workouts and runs were on par with what my newer watch would gather.
The SE lacks an electrical heart rate sensor so it can’t take an ECG reading. There’s also no temperature sensor, which the Series 10 uses to help predict ovulation and menstrual cycles. If and when your company ever works out the patent dispute over its blood oxygen sensor, I imagine a new Apple Watch SE won’t get that capability either.
That’s fine. I’ve used the ECG reading exactly once — to test it out for comparison on another smartwatch review. I was hyper-obsessed with my ovulation cycle for a total of six months, approximately eight years before my now seven-year-old kid was born. While it’s neat that our watches can compile so much data, I think it’s more important to cover the basics: tell me when I’m really hauling on a run and when my heart rate gets up to 170 on a HIIT workout. We can get those more specialized, seldom-used health assessments elsewhere.
The SE doesn’t have a depth gauge or a water temperature sensor either. That’s also fine. I don’t think anyone in the market for a budget wearable will mind terribly that it isn’t designed to go scuba diving with them.
Newer flagship Apple Watches have an ultra wideband (UWB) chip inside to help with more precise finding of a misplaced iPhone and supports additional interactions with a nearby HomePod. I use my watch to find my phone up to three times per day. The UWB enables a more precise way to locate devices, and that interface pops up on my Series 9 each time I ping my phone, offering a cute little game of hot and cold, pointing an arrow in the direction of my missing handset. But I mostly ignore the directions and just listen for the da-ta-da-ta-ding-da-ding of the phone’s ringer. Which is to say, I didn’t miss the lack of UWB in the least on the SE.
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Wrap-up
When the Apple Watch SE came out in 2022, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low called it the best smartwatch $250 can buy. That was certainly the case at the time. But two and a half years later, it’s reasonable to expect more from your budget timepiece. I remember the decade or so post-college when $250 represented more than my monthly food allotment. For many, even an “affordable” Apple purchase is still a significant one.
For the same money, people can get a lot more if they step outside of your walled ecosystem. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is just $200. Not only does it have the same sensors as the company’s flagship wearable, it can also perform an ECG. For $200, we could also get a Fitbit Versa 4 instead. True, it doesn’t pack nearly as many features as the Pixel Watch 3, but it covers the basics well, tracking activity, delivering notifications and going for up to six days on a charge. It’ll even pair with an iPhone. And then there’s the Garmin Forerunner 165. Right now it’s our editors’ favorite running watch and it can be had for $250. Making a quality $250 smartwatch isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Apple, you can save your premium materials, super specialized sensors and nice-to-have extras like UWB connections for your flagship and premium models. That way, people who are willing to pay more will still feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. Just focus on the features that make a difference to everyday users, and forget those inessential perks. There’s still room for you to make a reasonably priced watch that doesn’t feel like a second-class accessory.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/revisiting-the-apple-watch-se-in-2025-left-me-with-a-long-list-of-update-requests-163046835.html?src=rss
Finding the perfect laptop without breaking the bank isn’t as hard as you might think. These days, the best cheap laptops still pack a lot of punch, offering great features without a premium price tag. Whether you need a laptop for work, school, streaming or just staying connected, there are plenty of affordable options that can handle your everyday needs. You don’t have to settle for outdated tech, either — many budget laptops now come with decent processors, long battery life and even sleek designs that won’t cramp your style.
Of course, not all budget laptops are created equal. That’s why we’ve rounded up the top picks to help you get the most value for your money. From student-friendly Chromebooks to Windows laptops for light productivity, there’s something for everyone.
First, we at Engadget consider anything under $1,000 to be “budget” in the laptop space. The reason for this is twofold: even the most affordable flagship laptops typically start at $1,000 or more, and if you go dramatically lower than that (say, $500 or less), that’s where you’ll really start to see compromises in performance. You’ll typically find the best cheap laptops striking a good balance between power and price in the $500 to $1,000 range. But in this guide, we’ll cover top picks at a wide range of prices — there are a number of excellent options on the low and high end of the budget spectrum.
Arguably the biggest thing to look for in a cheap laptop is build quality and a decent spec sheet. You might be able to find configuration options with the latest generation CPU chipsets, or you may have to go for one that has a slightly older processor. We recommend looking for models with solid state drive (SSD) storage instead of a traditional hard drive, as SSDs provide faster performance. And if you can find a PC with the latest internals, it’s worth the investment. However, going with a CPU that’s just one generation behind likely won’t make a noticeable difference in performance.
Along with processors, you should also consider the amount of memory and storage you need in a daily driver. For the former, we recommend laptops with at least 8GB of RAM; anything with less than that will have a hard time multitasking and managing all those web browsing tabs. The latter is a bit more personal: how much onboard storage you need really depends on how many apps, files, photos, documents and more you will save locally. As a general rule of thumb, try to go for a laptop that has at least a 256GB SSD (this only goes for macOS and Windows machines, as Chromebooks are a bit different). That should give you enough space for programs and files, plus room for future operating system updates. And if you need a machine for light productivity or Android emulation, some laptops even support Android apps natively, which can add extra versatility.
After determining the best performance you can get while sticking to your budget, it’s also worth examining a few different design aspects. We recommend a laptop with an IPS display for better viewing angles and color accuracy, though premium models with OLED displays are becoming more common and can offer deeper blacks and vibrant colors. Pay attention to port selection, too — many budget models offer plenty of ports, while higher-end ones tend to prioritize minimalism with fewer connections. If connectivity matters to you, look for options with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and an audio jack.
And speaking of practical features, keep an eye on GPU performance if you're shopping for a budget-friendly gaming laptop. While integrated graphics are fine for casual users, a dedicated GPU will improve gaming and creative workloads. We also recommend checking the refresh rate of the screen, as a higher rate will make a noticeable difference in both games and scrolling-heavy apps.
A note about refurbished laptops
Refurbished laptops are another option to consider if you need a new machine and don’t want to spend a ton of money. Buying refurbished tech can be tricky if you’re unfamiliar with a brand’s or merchant’s policies surrounding what they classify as “refurbished.” But it’s not impossible — for laptops, we recommend going directly to the manufacturer for refurbished devices. Apple, Dell and Microsoft all have official refurbishment processes that their devices go through before they’re put back on the market that verifies the machines work properly and are in good condition. Third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart also have their own refurbishment programs for laptops and other gadgets as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-budget-laptop-150038435.html?src=rss
After being one of the first companies to roll out a Deep Research feature at the end of last year, Google is now making that same tool available to everyone. Starting today, Gemini users can try Deep Research for free in more than 45 languages — no Gemini Advanced subscription necessary. For the uninitiated, Deep Research allows you to ask Gemini to create comprehensive but easy-to-read reports on complex topics.
Compared to say Google's new AI Mode, Deep Research works slower than your typical chatbot, and that's by design. Gemini will first create a research plan before it begins searching the web for information that may be relevant to your prompt. When Google first announced Deep Research, it was powered by the company's powerful but expensive Gemini 1.5 Pro model. With today's expansion, Google has upgraded Deep Research to run on its new Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model — that's mouthful of a name that just means it's a chain-of-thought system that can break down problems into a series of intermediate steps.
"This enhances Gemini's capabilities across all research stages — from planning and searching to reasoning, analyzing and reporting — creating higher-quality, multi-page reports that are more detailed and insightful," Google says of the upgrade.
If Deep Research sounds familiar, it's because of a variety of chatbots now offer the feature, including ChatGPT. Google, however, has been ahead of the curve. Not only was it one of the first to offer the tool, but it's now also making it widely available to all of its users ahead of competitors like OpenAI.
Separately, Google announced today the rollout of a new experimental feature it calls Gemini with personalization. The same Flash Thinking model that is allowing the company to bring Deep Research to more people will also allow Gemini to inform its responses based on information from Google apps and services you use.
"With your permission, Gemini can now tailor its responses based on your past searches, saving you time and delivering more precise answers," says Google. In the coming months, Gemini will be able to pull context from additional Google services, including Photos and YouTube. "This will enable Gemini to provide more personalized insights, drawing from a broader understanding of your activities and preferences to deliver responses that truly resonate with you."
To enable the feature, select "Personalization (experimental)" from the model drop-down menu in the Gemini Apps interface. Google explains Gemini will only leverage your Search history when it determines that information may be useful. A banner with a link will allow you to easily turn off the feature if you find it's invasive. Gemini and Gemini Advanced users can begin using this feature on the web starting today, with mobile availability to follow.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-gemini-deep-research-is-now-available-to-everyone-160043485.html?src=rss
