Best midrange option for most people

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

Will Lipman Photography

ASUS’s Zephyrus G14 is practically a miracle. It’s a 3.5-pound notebook with AMD’s powerful Ryzen 4000 processors (including six-core and eight-core options) and NVIDIA’s latest GPUs. It feels just a bit heavier than most ultraportables, but it has the power of gaming notebooks that weigh 4.5 pounds or more. And ASUS also managed to include a fast 120Hz screen, so your gameplay will look silky smooth if you go beyond 60FPS. That fast refresh rate also makes just about everything look better, no matter if you’re scrolling through web pages or Word documents.

Even though it looks unique, with a retro-future design that feels anime-inspired, it’s not flashy like many other gaming notebooks. (Some models have a rear panel with LEDs, but you can always turn that off.) That makes it a great low-key option for classrooms and offices. The Zephyrus G14’s $1,050 starting price is also appealing to budget buyers. And it’s still a great deal if you decide to add more RAM and a faster GPU, especially compared to premium brands like Razer.

Buy Zephyrus G14 at Best Buy – $1,450

Best budget option

Dell G5 15

Will Lipman Photography / Dell

Dell’s G-series notebooks have quickly become the standard for inexpensive gaming. The G5 15 in particular balances solid hardware, like Intel’s 10th generation H-series processors and NVIDIA’s newest GPUs, with a low $860 starting price. At 5.1 pounds, it’s a bit chunkier than the lighter laptops currently in vogue, and we wouldn’t exactly call it stylish. But if you don’t care so much about those things, then it’s hard to beat the G15’s price.

It’s also worth looking at the entire G-series lineup for other options, too. You can save even more with the G3 models, though you’ll get cheaper-looking cases. The G5 15 Special Edition, which also starts at $860, is a great choice if you’d rather get an AMD processor and GPU.

Buy G5 15 at Dell starting at $862

Buy G5 15 Special Edition at Dell starting at $862

Best high-end option

Razer Blade 15

Will Lipman Photography / Razer

Razer makes gorgeous, expensive machines for PC users who want MacBook-level build quality. So not surprisingly, the Blade 15 has been king of the gaming-laptop hill for years thanks to its thin and sturdy metal case, excellent cooling and powerful hardware. If money is no object, you can get NVIDIA’s fastest mobile GPUs, the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, or the pro-grade Quadro RTX 5000, alongside Intel’s 10th-generation octa-core processors. You can also choose from some of the best laptop screens on the market, including a 300Hz 1080p LCD and 4K OLED panels.

But even if your budget isn’t sky-high, there are still plenty of solid models to choose from. In particular, the RTX 2070 Max-Q model is a reasonable $2,000 with a 144Hz display. It’s worth noting that the cheaper ‘Base’ models have some compromises, with less impressive displays, no card reader, downgraded RGB and, crucially, a dramatically downsized battery. You do get an ethernet port, though. No matter how fast you configure it, the Blade 15 never betrays its premium style. It’s like buying a luxury car with the guts of a hot rod.

Buy Razer Blade 15 at Best Buy – $1,800

Most recognizable style

Alienware M15 R3

Will Lipman Photography

Alienware was a bit late to thin gaming laptops, but in just a few years it’s developed some of the most compelling options around. The M15 R3, its latest 15-inch model, looks like something that belongs in a science fiction movie. It has a two-toned color design and bold LEDs along its rear. It’s a laptop that’s making a statement, but it’s not garishly loud like gaming machines from just a few years ago. The M15 R3 is a great choice if you want the power of NVIDIA’s faster graphics, like the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, while paying a lot less than Razer’s competing models.

Buy Alienware M15 R3 at Dell starting at $1,469

Best balance of style and cost

MSI GS66 Stealth

Will Lipman Photography / MSI

The GS66 is basically the Razer Blade alternative for the more price-conscious shopper. They’ve both got premium black metal cases and some of the fastest hardware on the market. But you can typically find GS66 configurations for hundreds less than the Blade 15. For example, you can snag it with NVIDIA’s RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and a whopping 32GB of RAM for $2,249. You’d have to pay $2,600 to get the same GPU on the Blade 15 with only 16GB of memory. Surely, you can come up with plenty of things to do with that extra $351.

Buy MSI GS66 Stealth at Amazon starting at $1,599

Unfortunately, all of the GS66’s upgrades added a bit more heft to the machine. It’s now 4.6 pounds, instead of the previous model’s 4.1 pounds. That does take away from Stealth brand’s luster a bit, especially when you consider a machine like the Zephyrus G14 weighs just 3.5 pounds. Still, MSI is competitive — Razer’s Blade 15 clocks in at the same weight as the GS66. And given its size, it also offers most of the ports that you’d want, including two USB-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 3; three USB 3.0 Type-A; full-sized HDMI; and a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet connection. You can also upgrade the RAM and two NVMe SSD slots by removing the bottom of the case. It takes a bit of fiddling to pry the bottom off, given the tight fit, but at least you can add more hardware down the line.

MSI also crammed in a 99.9 WHr battery, the largest size possible that still fits under the FAA’s regulation for in-flight usage. During our battery test, which involves looping an HD video, it lasted a respectable seven hours and 29 minutes. While that’s more than the seven hours we saw on the GS65, it’s less impressive considering we just clocked 12 hours and 45 minutes on the Zephyrus G14. I wouldn’t expect any high performance laptop to last that long while gaming, but it’s still nice to get more uptime for productivity work.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Even though it’s not quite the knockout that the GS65 was, the GS66 Stealth is still a decent option if you’re looking for a premium gaming notebook. It starts at $1,499 with a Core i7-10750H, RTX 2060 and 16GB of RAM — $50 more than a similarly specced Zephyrus G14. Our review unit goes for $2,249 with an RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and double the RAM. You’d have to shell out $2,600 to get that GPU on the Razer Blade 15 Advanced with 16GB of RAM. So all things considered, the GS66 is actually a bit of a deal.

While it’s a shame MSI couldn’t hit the same high note it did a few years ago, the GS66 isn’t a bad machine by any means. It’s more like the industry has finally caught up to its high benchmark.

Bringing esports teams from around the world together for a major in-person tournament isn’t exactly feasible right now, nor will it be any time soon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, Riot Games has cancelled this year’s League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).

Riot had tried to keep the tournament on the schedule by bumping it from May to July, but the situation isn’t likely to have improved enough by then for MSI to be able to go ahead. Calling off the event was “necessary to ensure the health and safety of the players, teams, crew, partners, media, and fans,” LoL esports head John Needham wrote in a blog post.

Similarly, NVIDIA’s new Super series laptop GPUs aren’t a huge change from the already excellent RTX cards you could buy inside of notebooks last year. Both the RTX 2080 Super and RTX 2070 Super have additional CUDA cores compared to their non-Super counterparts but feature slower boost clock speeds. However, they include NVIDIA’s new Dynamic Boost and Advanced Optimus technologies. The former can lead to better performance in some instances. 

Besides new internals, there a couple of other smaller updates. To start, the GE66 Raider and GS66 Stealth include new higher capacity 99.9Wh batteries — which is the biggest battery you can take on a plane. They’ll now also come with 300Hz Full HD display option. Considering you can equip both the GS66 Stealth and GE66 Raider with an RTX 2080 Super, a GPU that’s overkill for 1080p gaming, you may actually be able to play some games at 300 frames per second to take advantage of the display’s refresh rate. MSI will also sell the GS66 Stealth in a new matte “Core Black” color that’s more subdued than the black and gold finish found on the GS65 Stealth.

However, the highlight of MSI’s refreshed lineup is the Creator 17. The company claims the Creator 17 is the world’s first laptop with a Mini LED screen, a relatively new display technology that has some of the same benefits of OLED for significantly less money. On paper, there’s a lot to like about the display. It’s a 17-inch 4K screen with a peak brightness of more than 1000 nits, 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage and HDR 1000 certification. Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar got a chance to see the Creator 17 at CES 2020. At the time, he said the display looked “brighter than any laptop I’ve ever seen.” You’ll be able to pair the Creator 17’s display with a GeForce RTX 2080 Super and Core i7-10875H processor. Like with its gaming laptops, MSI is also refreshing the Creator 15M and 17M with Intel’s new 10th-generation Comet Lake chips and NVIDIA’s new RTX Super cards.   

You’ll be able to purchase all of MSI’s new laptops starting on April 15th. 

iPad mini 5

Apple’s iPad mini 5 remains on sale at Amazon and Best Buy. Now you can get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 5 for $350 at both retailers, which is roughly $50 off its normal price of $400. We gave the iPad mini 5 a score of 85 for its solid performance, good battery life, and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil. At Amazon, you’ll only see the discounted price at check out when you select “Free No-Rush Shipping.” At Best Buy, you must be a My Best Buy member to see the discounted price and get the deal. Thankfully, you can sign up for My Best Buy for free.

MSI PS42 Modern gaming laptop

Newegg still has a sale on the MSI PS42 Modern gaming laptop, slashing its price to $830. This deal is two-fold: we don’t often see MSI laptops on sale for less than $1,000, and this machine would make a good entry-level gaming laptop or a solid productivity laptop with extra graphics chops. It has an 8th-gen Core i7 processor, a 14-inch 1080p display, 16GB of RAM, 256GB storage and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q GPU.

XBox One X bundle

B&H still has a deal that lowers the price of an Xbox One X bundle to $250, which is much lower than what Microsoft originally charged for the console alone. This particular bundle includes NBA 2K19, and while it might not be the game at the top of your to-buy list, the $250 price would be great even if it didn’t include the game. You’ll want to grab this bundle today because B&H shuts down on Saturdays and there’s no guarantee that the sale price will still be around after the weekend.

New deal additions

Blue Yeti microphone podcaster bundle

Those new to podcasting will want to consider Newegg’s deal that bundles a Blue Yeti microphone with Hindenburg Journalist, an audio processing software. Use the code BLUMC47A to get this bundle for $127, which is more than $30 off its regular price of $160.

We recommend Blue Yeti microphones for beginner podcasters because the sound quality they provide is much better than that of the internal mic on your computer. Blue Yeti mics are generally easy to use, thanks to their USB connection to your computer, and are well worth the investment if you’re looking to up your audio game.

Amazon Music HD 90-day free trial

Amazon Music HD is the higher-quality version of Amazon Music Unlimited. Like any other music streaming service, you can listen to millions of songs whenever and wherever you like—but the “HD” means that those will be high-definition, lossless audio tracks. The bitrate for HD tracks is up to 850kbps, which is more than double the standard bitrate of other, regular streaming services.

Normally, Amazon Music HD costs $15 per month ($13 for Prime members), so you’ll save $45 with this 90-day free trial. Only new Music HD subscribers can take advantage of this deal, and after the trial, you’ll pay the standard price each month.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

The Microsoft online store has the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch for $137. While this isn’t the newest model, it’s more than $100 cheaper than the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and has most of the same great features. The biggest differences between the two are the Watch Active 2’s touch-sensitive bezel, slightly larger display, and a few upgraded sensors. Nevertheless, we gave the Watch Active a score of 83 and we still think it’s a good smartwatch to get, especially if you’re looking for a more affordable option.

The MSI PS42 is lightweight (2.64 pounds) but powerful. It packs 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q GPU and an Intel Core i7-8550U processor. That comes in a brushed aluminum housing with a near bezel-less, 14-inch, 1080p screen. (If you’re looking for a more powerful processor, MSI’s newer machines have Intel’s 10th-generation 6-core CPUs.)

This is arguably the best machine for those who want an entry-level gaming laptop, or a productivity laptop that can handle a bit of light gaming. The catch is that the sale ends Friday, so you’ll have to act quickly if you plan on taking advantage of it. Since MSI gaming laptops tend to be on the expensive side, any discount you can find is worth considering.

The GS66 features Intel’s latest 10th-gen H-series CPUs (which aren’t shipping yet), all the way up to the most powerful Core i9 model, and NVIDIA’s latest RTX graphics. (The company is being a bit ambiguous about which NVIDIA GPUs will be included, unfortunately.) You’ll be able to choose from 240Hz and 300Hz 1080p IPS panels. The latter will really only matter to e-sports fanatics who demand the smoothest gameplay possible for higher framerates.

MSI definitely went for a boxier look with the GS66, compared to the more angular GS65, which makes it look a bit more like Razer’s popular Blade lineup. It also included the largest possible battery (99.9 Wh) to meet TSA airplane regulations, so you can expect slightly better battery life than the GS65. I didn’t have a chance to play anything on the GS66, unfortunately, but its upgrades sound pretty compelling on paper.

While MSI showed off a slew of other new systems at CES, the Creator 17 laptop stood out from the pack with an enormous 17-inch, 1,000-nit Mini LED screen. That technology is something we’ve been seeing all over CES this year, and it basically delivers quality improvements similar to OLED for a much lower price. It certainly made the Creator 17 look brighter than laptop I’ve ever seen.

The Creator 17 also features the latest and greatest Intel and NVIDIA hardware, so you’ll be able to do a bit of gaming when you’re not hard at work. There’s not much room for 17-inch laptops these days, when most consumers want the thinnest and lightest options possible. But with the Creator 17, MSI might have crafted the ideal workhorse for someone who needs to carry a big-screen laptop.

MSI also snuck a concept laptop into its CES presentation, which it’s calling “Simulated Reality.” It features a 3D screen with eye-tracking cameras (using technology from Dimenco), which allows you to look at 3D objects as if they were sitting right in front of you. It also had Leap Motion hand tracking built-in, allowing me to move the on-screen objects just by waving my hands around. The company doesn’t plan to turn this prototype into a shipping laptop yet, but it’s still intriguing to see the different avenues MSI is exploring.

The new laptops pack powerful guts, but also offer colorful, accurate screens to cater to creators’ workflows. MSI made what it’s calling True Pixel displays that render 100 percent of the Adobe RGB wide color gamut, and have a Delta-E color accuracy rating of less than two (the closer to 0 the better). The True Pixel panels also run at 4K UHD and support HDR, though MSI hasn’t said which standard of dynamic range it’s complying with yet.

The company doesn’t have those displays ready yet, though, so I didn’t see any of them at my recent demo in New York. The units I saw had full HD displays instead, which looked as colorful as most laptops I’ve tested.

The new Prestige 14 and 15 are, as expected, 14- and 15-inch laptops that can be configured with up to NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 graphics cards, as well as Intel’s tenth-generation 6-core CPUs. From my briefing, the Prestige devices appeared nondescript and felt expensive, thanks to their sandblasted aluminum chassis. Both of them had roomy, responsive trackpads and comfortable keyboards.

Typing on them was made more ergonomically friendly thanks to the slight tilt provided by the hinge which propped up the back of the keyboard. Both models offer a generous selection of ports including two USB-C with Thunderbolt two USB-A and a micro SD card reader. If you want HDMI too, you’ll have to get the larger model.

With the new Prestige machines, MSI made some changes over last year’s model, including changing the font on the keyboard’s buttons to a more neutral style.

Pushing the chip beyond its limits will require some supreme cooling, so the GT76 comes with four fans and 11 heat pipes. MSI says the GT76 will generate more than twice the airflow, although neglected to mention what unit it was using for comparison.

On the graphics front, the GT76 will pack a GeForce RTX 2080, which packs dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores. That’s not the best available, the 2080 Ti holds that title, but it’s still a very powerful piece of kit for a laptop.

MSI is talking up the car-inspired design of the GT76, as well as lighting on both the keyboard and the underside of the chassis. Right now, however, we don’t know much about pricing or availability, but you can expect it to be high and soon.

At the same time, MSI is welcoming the GE65 Raider, the latest entry in the series, which swaps out the seventh-generation Intel CPU for a ninth-generation model. You’ll get the option of a new Core i9 and “the latest RTX graphics,” as well as a far faster display, which leaps from 120Hz to 240Hz, and WiFi 6.

We’re still waiting to hear back on some of the specifics, and will update this when we do.