At IFA 2014, Intel offered more details about its Core M processor, which it also talked about at Computex earlier this year. In short, Intel promises that with Core M processors, computer manufacturers will be able to make laptops and tablets that are potentially thinner, lighter, and quieter than anything we’ve ever seen before.
Related: Intel reveals Core M processor at IFA 2014
Intel is able to make such proclamations because of a few key attributes possessed by Intel Core M chips. Intel Core M is a fanless chip, so aside from not needing a fan to cool it, PC makers can also strip out other parts associated with cooling as well, including heat sinks, and vents. This can help OEMs to make slimmer devices than they would with chips that need fans.
Also, Intel claims that Core M only needs about 4.5 watts to work, while previous-generation low-power Intel Core chips need 11.5-watts to operate. If that turns out to be accurate, that’s an energy use reduction of over 50 percent, which could lead to super-efficient devices with significantly improved battery life over systems compared to the last batch of systems with low-power Intel Core CPUs in them.
Related: Fire Intel Core M benchmarks released
Not only did Intel offer more details about Core M at IFA, but multiple PC makers, including Lenovo and Dell, revealed products that will be powered by Core M once they launch this fall.
So, which laptops will have Intel Core M inside? Read on to find out.
The new Lenovo ThinkPad Helix is a sequel to the previous released ThinkPad Helix which launched around the beginning of 2013. We liked the previous version mainly because of its excellent keyboard, detachable design, and long battery life.
The new Lenovo ThinkPad Helix improves on its predecessor by adding an extra low-end keyboard dock without a battery, which makes the entire package lighter. Meanwhile, the higher-end dock, which is called the Ultrabook Pro, not only packs in a built in battery, but keyboard back-lighting as well. The latter feature wasn’t available with the last Helix, which could be a pain point for people who work late into the evening.
Aside from the Core M processor, the new Helix will include an SSD between 128GB and 512GB, and as much as 4GB of RAM. As was the case last time around, the display measures 11.6-inches, and features 1080p resolution as a standard.
Maybe best of all, the new Lenovo ThinkPad Helix will start at $999 once it launches sometime this October. By comparison, the entry-level Helix that was released in early 2013 starts at $1,499 on Lenovo’s site, as of this writing.
Update: When we initially spoke with Lenovo about the new Helix, we were told that it would max out at 4GB of RAM. Lenovo now informs us that that number is actually double. You can get as much as 8GB of RAM with the new Helix.
One of Dell’s newest business notebooks, the Dell Latitude 13 7000, will be shipping with Intel’s Core M chip this fall.
The Latitude 13 7000 wears a 13.3-inch 1080p display that you can rip from the unit’s base, and employ it as a tablet.
Aside from Core M, the Latitude 13 7000 will sport SSDs up to 512GB, and as much as 8GB of RAM. Port selection consists of two USB 3.0, headset jack, and a memory card reader. Options include a SIM card reader for mobile broadband connectivity, a fingerprint reader, and support for NFC.
Dell claims that it will offer all-day battery life, courtesy of an optional keyboard dock with a 20 watt-hour battery to add onto the tablet’s 30 watt-hour battery. Combined, the two battery slabs could team up to truly run all day, as Dell claims.
Even with the extra battery, Dell says that the Latitude 13 7000 won’t weigh more than 3.7 pounds.
The Dell Latitude 13 7000 will start at $1,199, and hit the market sometime this October.
In its IFA 2014 keynote address, Asus took a swipe at Apple by saying that its new ZenBook UX305 is “lighter than air.”
Time will tell if that’s indeed the case when compared to the MacBook Air. For now, what we do know is that the Asus ZenBook UX305 will pack a Core M processor. Core M’s fan-less nature could allow the UX305 to be freakishly thin, but we won’t know for sure until we get one in our hands. Asus rates the UX305’s weight at 2.64 pounds, but what we don’t know is whether that’s the minimum or maximum weight, considering that multiple configurations will be available.
On top of that, the Asus ZenBook UX305 will wear a 3200×1800 display measuring 13.3-inches. If you don’t need that kind of resolution, a 1080p model will also be available. RAM and storage will max out at 8GB and 256GB. Only SSDs are available.
The Asus ZenBook UX305 will wield a trio of USB 3.0 ports, along with micro HDMI, a headphone/mic jack, and a micro SD card slot.
There’s no word on pricing or availability for the Asus ZenBook UX305, but we expect it to launch sometime this fall.
The new HP Envy X2 will come in two flavors. One is a 13.3-inch version with a 1366×768 display. The larger 15.6-inch model will ship with 1080p. Both will ship with Intel’s new Core M CPU. The Envy X2 will sports a dock-able 2-in-1 body.
Not much is known about the new HP Envy X2 overall. Based on the photos we’ve seen, it looks like it will be passively cooled. Also, a stand may be required to keep the display upright, which could pose a problem. Only laptop-tablet hybrids like the Surface Pro 3 need a stand to keep them propped up. Laptops typically just stand up on their own.
The 13.3-inch model will arrive on store shelves starting October 29 for $1,050 at a minimum. The 15.6-inch version will have a starting price of $950, and is expected to hit the market starting November 5.
There’s little doubt that more notebooks with Core M inside will be announced in the coming weeks and months. We’ll update this piece accordingly as they come to light.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.