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 Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will likely cost around 10% more than Samsung's rival device, according to a known Weibo leaker.
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I've been a tech journalist for 20 years. Over those years, I've written countless how-to guides and advice columns, and I've made endless recommendations for how you should go about looking after, maintaining, and enhancing your PC.
But I'm embarrassed to say, I don't follow all of the tips and tricks I share, and I sometimes fall into the very traps I warn others against. It's time to come clean and admit my mistakes. Here are some of my worst tech sins that you should avoid doing yourself. Don't be like me!
I have 38,000 unread emails
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There's one fly in this ointment, though. The laptop is refurbished and it's being sold by a third-party seller on eBay. They're including a two-year Allstate warranty, which is nice, but such warranties can sometimes be a bit of a hassle to actually use when needed.
That foible aside, I really can't overstate how good of a deal this is if you're looking for a super-cheap laptop that can handle Windows 11 smoothly. Both the Ryzen 5 processor and the DDR4 RAM are on the older side, but it should still be more than enough to run modern browsers without a hitch, including streaming high-res video and a little light gaming (thanks to AMD's excellent integrated graphics).
And the laptop isn't hurting for ports, with two USB-C ports (which can technically charge the laptop but apparently it's a bit iffy), two USB-A ports, and full-sized HDMI. The screen is not touch-enabled, but it is a 1080p IPS panel. That's good enough for me.
This isn't showing as some kind of special promotion or timed sale on eBay, so this HP laptop deal might last a while. That said, super-deep discounts on inexpensive tech tend to make them sell quickly. If you've been waiting for an affordable, decently powerful Windows laptop below the $500 mark, you might want to snag this one quickly.
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Whether you need a new laptop for work, school or personal use, it can be overwhelming to start the shopping process. There are so many solid laptops available now with excellent feature sets that determining what you really need, versus what's just nice to have, can be difficult. The good thing is that you do have a ton of choice, with laptop makers including Apple, Dell, ASUS, Lenovo and others making solid machines for all kinds of use cases at various price points.
Out of all of the notebooks we've tested and reviewed recently, we consider Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M4 to be the best laptop for most people, and this is still the case for our top picks to start off the new year. It's powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery could last over 18hours (depending on what you're doing, of course). The MacBook Air M4 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we've reviewed, and it's dead silent, thanks to a fanless design.
Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a range of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with stunning IPS panels that boast high nits for vivid brightness. Chromebooks, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note-taking, or a laptop that can handle family movie night, there's something for everyone in today's laptop market.
Table of contents
Best laptops of 2025
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