Allen Ngo

The live Microsoft event in San Francisco this week focused on the Surface Ultra powered by the Nvidia Spark platform. However, a good chunk of it was devoted to a feature that both the Surface and MacBook series have had for years.

Unless the recent Asus ProArt P16 series, the refreshed MSI Stealth 16 is lacking an integrated SD card reader that was previously available on the 2023 Stealth 16.

The HP HyperX Omen Max 16 is one of the few gaming laptops not chasing the ultrathin and light trend in the name of faster overall performance. It is consequently one of the heavier and louder options available.

The 2026 Yoga 9i 2-in-1 14 is strong on all fronts from the exterior design to the interior hardware. However, the lack of Panther Lake-X7 or Panther Lake-H CPU options puts it behind rival convertibles like the HP OmniBook X Flip 14 or MSI Prestige 14 Flip.

The HyperX Omen 15 leaves quite the impression with its dense build, sharp keyboard, relatively cool temperatures, and glossy 3K OLED display. However, the limited GPU options can feel underpowered.

Moving from 4K to 3K is actually a plus while Panther Lake feels like a downgrade compared to Lunar Lake in some ways.

The mini-LED U6SF focuses on image quality and ease-of-use without much of the higher-end extras that basic home theater users wouldn't mind losing.

Last week was dominated by events, reviews, and coverage all related to the new Spark platform while Gorgon Halo and GoogleBooks got the short end of the stick.

In just one year, Qualcomm Snapdragon for Windows ARM has improved significantly to be on par with traditional options from AMD and Intel in many ways. However, the increased performance comes with noticeably higher prices against the likes of Intel Wildcat.

The hardware is unquestionably impressive from a performance-per-watt and chassis design perspective. The software surrounding it, however, could still use a bit of work and buyers should definitely choose their configurations carefully.