Hardware
The latest hardware stories — every outlet’s angle, in one place.
Apple Unveils AirPods 5 at 'Surprise and Shine' Event, Priced Lower Than Predecessors
Apple introduced the AirPods 5 at its 'Surprise and Shine' keynote in Cupertino, offering active noise cancellation, live translation, and Siri AI support—at a lower price than the previous AirPods 4 lineup.
1 outletHardwareApple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable Phone, Starting at $1,999
Apple has officially launched the iPhone Duo, a book-style foldable with a 7.6-inch inner display, A20 Pro chip, dual batteries, and IP68 durability. Pre-orders begin October 16, with availability October 23.
4 outletsHardwareApple Unveils A20 Pro, Its First 2nm Chip, With New CPU, GPU and Neural Engine Design
Apple has introduced the A20 Pro, its first chip built on 2nm lithography, bringing a redesigned CPU, a first-ever 7-core GPU, dual Neural Engines and a new packaging approach, according to Wccftech's coverage of the official unveiling and prior leaks.
1 outletHardwareApple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max With Price Hikes, New Camera and A20 Pro Chip
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max debuted at the company's "Surprise and Shine" event with a $100 price increase, a variable aperture camera system, the new A20 Pro chip, major battery upgrades, and Siri AI. Preorders open September 12, with trade-in deals available to offset the higher cost.
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1 outletHardwareApple Unveils iPhone Duo, Its First Foldable, Alongside iPhone 18 Pro Lineup and Modest Price Hike
At its 'Surprise and Shine' event — the first keynote under new CEO John Ternus — Apple confirmed its long-rumored foldable iPhone, called the iPhone Duo, starting at $2,000, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with a smaller-than-feared $100 price increase.
2 outletsHardwareFramework Cuts LPCAMM2 Memory Prices for Laptop 13 Pro, Issues Retroactive Refunds
After doubling memory prices in July due to a DRAM shortage, Framework has secured a limited supply of cheaper Micron LPCAMM2 modules and is passing on the savings—retroactively refunding customers who already paid the higher price.
3 outletsHardwareZelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 Sells Out Fast as Scalper Prices Surge on eBay
Nintendo's Legend of Zelda-themed Switch 2 console, revealed during a 40th Anniversary Direct, is already sold out at major US retailers just as pre-orders opened, with eBay listings running hundreds over retail price.
4 outletsHardwareRyzen 9 9950X3D Reportedly Dies Shortly After Motherboard Swap, Second CPU Also Fails on Same Board
A Reddit user says his Ryzen 9 9950X3D failed within an hour of being moved into an ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero motherboard, and a backup Ryzen 5 8500G later failed on the same board too, raising questions about whether the motherboard itself is at fault.
2 outletsHardwareApple's First Foldable iPhone Ultra Set for Debut Amid Steep Price and Camera Trade-offs
Ahead of Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event, reports detail the iPhone Ultra's expected price, foldable design, and the features it may sacrifice compared to the iPhone 18 Pro line.
1 outletHardwareApple Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12: What the Rumors Point To Ahead of Apple's September Event
Ahead of Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event on September 9, leaks point to new health sensors, AI features, and possible price increases for the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12 — though key details like battery capacity and exact design remain unconfirmed.
1 outletHardwareDLSS 5's Heavy Power and Performance Demands Draw Scrutiny After Melted RTX 5090 Connector
Nvidia's new DLSS 5 Neural Rendering feature, currently only officially supported in NBA 2K27, is drawing attention after a melted power connector on an RTX 5090 and reports of steep performance costs on lower-power hardware, even as modders rush to bring the feature to unsupported games and older GPUs.
2 outletsHardwareASUS Brings World's First Wi-Fi 8 Router to Canadian Retail Ahead of October Global Launch
ASUS has made its ROG Rapture GT-BN98 series, billed as the first Wi-Fi 8 routers to hit retail shelves, available in Canada ahead of a worldwide rollout in October, alongside a companion Wi-Fi 8 mesh system.
2 outletsHardwareModder Builds 75W RTX 3060 With No Power Connector — Runs Entirely Off the PCIe Slot
A hobbyist in China has created an ultra-compact GeForce RTX 3060 that draws all its power from the PCIe slot alone, requiring no external connectors. Videos of the card show severely reduced clock speeds, poor benchmark scores, and high temperatures.
2 outletsHardwarePC GPU Shipments Rise Despite Record Prices, but Desktop and Discrete Segments Tell Mixed Story
New data from Jon Peddie Research shows overall PC GPU shipments grew in Q2, driven largely by notebooks, even as component prices soared. Reports from TechPowerUp and Tom's Hardware highlight vendor market share shifts and some differing figures on discrete desktop GPU performance.
2 outletsHardwareIFA 2026: Colorful Budget Laptops, Home AI Hardware, and Concept PCs Dominate Berlin
Europe's biggest tech show turned out to be a surprisingly big moment for PCs, with affordable MacBook Neo rivals, Nvidia and AMD pushing AI computing into the home, ultralight laptop concepts, and a wave of new monitors headlining IFA 2026.
3 outletsHardwareNvidia Sells RTX 50-Series Founders Edition GPUs at MSRP During PAX West
At PAX West in Seattle, Nvidia is offering RTX 5070, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 Founders Edition graphics cards at original MSRP pricing, a rare opportunity as third-party card prices have soared far above list price.
2 outletsHardwareChieftec Unveils New PSUs, Cases, and Air Cooler at IFA 2026
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Chieftec showcased a broad hardware lineup including two new power supplies, an E-ATX case, a rackmount chassis, panoramic towers, and a new air cooler, expanding its enthusiast and workstation offerings.
1 outletHardwareAMD's Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 'Gorgon Halo' Debuts in New Mini PCs and NAS at IFA 2026
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Acemagic and Minisforum both showed compact systems built around AMD's new Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 APU, targeting local AI inference, creative workflows, and edge computing with up to 192GB of memory and 131 TOPS of AI performance.
3 outletsHardwareAMD Reportedly Prepping Ryzen 5 7500 With Integrated Graphics — But at a Steep Price
Leaker Roland Quandt says AMD is readying a non-F Ryzen 5 7500 for AM5, matching the 7500F's specs but adding integrated graphics and, oddly, a much higher price of around €230 ($267).
3 outletsHardwareDLSS 5 Debuts Officially in NBA 2K27 as Modders Push It Onto AMD GPUs
Nvidia's DLSS 5 has launched officially in NBA 2K27 for RTX 50-series cards, delivering a major visual leap at a steep performance cost, while a separate modding effort has forced the tech to run on AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs with far rougher results.
1 outletHardwareApple's First Foldable iPhone Ultra: What to Expect From the 'Surprise and Shine' Event
Ahead of Apple's September 9 event, leaks point to a foldable iPhone Ultra that's thinner than the iPhone Air but not the thinnest foldable on the market, with a steep price tag and a battery that may lag rivals in raw capacity.
2 outletsHardwareJackery Debuts FridgeGuard UPS and Explorer 2000Plus V2 Red Cross Edition at IFA Berlin 2026
Jackery used IFA Berlin 2026 to unveil two new backup power products: the slim FridgeGuard UPS designed to keep refrigerators running during outages, and a Red Cross-branded version of its Explorer 2000Plus portable power station with built-in storm tracking.
1 outletHardwareAMD Unveils Threadripper Halo Station, a Liquid-Cooled Workstation Aimed at Trillion-Parameter AI Models
At its IFA 2026 keynote in Berlin, AMD introduced the Threadripper Halo Station, a workstation pairing a 96-core Threadripper PRO CPU with up to four Instinct MI350P accelerators, designed to run massive AI models locally without a cloud connection.
3 outletsHardwareLenovo Unveils Colorful IdeaPad Vibe Laptops and IdeaCentre AIO Desktops With Built-In AI Assistant
Lenovo has introduced a new consumer lineup — the IdeaPad Vibe laptop series and IdeaCentre AIO i desktops — built around Pantone-designed colors, swappable keycaps, and its Qira AI assistant, with laptops starting around $699/€799 later this year.
4 outletsHardwareLenovo Unveils Yoga 9n 2-in-1, a 16-Inch Convertible Built Around Nvidia's RTX Spark Chip
Lenovo has detailed the Yoga 9n 2-in-1, a 16-inch convertible laptop powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark chip and aimed at creative professionals, featuring an OLED display, pen-enabled touchpad, and on-device AI capabilities. Pricing and release timing remain unannounced.
2 outletsHardwareLexar Unveils Muse, Claimed as World's Thinnest Portable SSD, at IFA 2026
Lexar used IFA 2026 to introduce the Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD, a card-like drive with magnetic connectivity aimed at mobile creators, as part of the company's 30th anniversary showcase.
2 outletsHardwareNVIDIA Confirms DLSS 5 Coming to RTX 40-Series, While Emulator Devs Blast the Tech as "AI Slop"
NVIDIA says DLSS 5, its new neural-rendering technology launching today with NBA 2K27, will eventually reach RTX 40-series GPUs after being tuned for RTX 50-series cards. The rollout comes as RPCS3 emulator developers publicly criticize the technology following a pre-launch DLL leak.
3 outletsHardwareNvidia Confirms RTX Spark N1X Chip Launching in Two Configurations This October
Nvidia used IFA in Berlin to detail two configurations of its RTX Spark N1X chip, arriving in laptops and mini PCs from major OEMs next month, with unified memory up to 128GB, bold gaming performance claims, and pricing still undisclosed.
5 outletsHardwareNvidia Unveils PAIR, Software to Turn Home GPUs Into a Shared AI Cluster
At IFA Berlin 2026, Nvidia introduced PAIR (Personal AI Router), a free, open-source app that distributes AI agent tasks across GPUs on a home network — including non-Nvidia hardware — to speed up local AI workloads without cloud reliance.
3 outletsHardwareLeaked Slide Points to Intel's Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs and a Multi-Generation LGA 1954 Socket
A leaked partner presentation from an Intel distributor in China outlines plans for Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs, branded Core Ultra 400, launching on a new LGA 1954 socket that Intel intends to support across multiple CPU generations.
2 outletsHardwareMicrosoft to Expand Memory Integrity Protection to More Windows 11 PCs Starting in October
Microsoft says quality updates will begin automatically enabling its kernel-level Memory Integrity security feature on more eligible Windows 11 PCs, though devices where it has been manually disabled will keep their existing settings.
2 outletsHardwareAcer Unveils Ultralight Swift Blade 14 and Swift Air 16 Laptops Ahead of IFA
Acer has introduced two new thin-and-light Windows 11 laptops, the Swift Blade 14 and Swift Air 16, both built on Intel's Wildcat Lake platform, with the Swift Blade 14 drawing attention for weighing just 799 grams.
4 outletsHardwareAcer Unveils $1,099 Predator XB253Q U1, a 1000Hz Monitor at Full HD Resolution
Acer has launched the Predator XB253Q U1, a 24.5-inch/25-inch gaming monitor capable of a 1000Hz refresh rate at 1080p, positioning it against LG's rival 1000Hz display. The monitor arrives as part of a broader Acer lineup announced around IFA, priced at $1,099.99 and set to launch in early 2027.
3 outletsHardwareAlienware Unveils New OLED Monitors: 32-Inch 4K Panel and 560Hz Esports Display
Alienware is expanding its QD-OLED gaming monitor lineup with a 32-inch 4K model using new RGB Stripe Tandem OLED technology and a 24.5-inch 560Hz esports monitor developed with Team Liquid.
2 outletsHardwareASUS and Galax Hike RTX 50-Series GPU Prices by Up to $74
ASUS and Galax have raised prices on select NVIDIA RTX 50-series graphics cards starting September 1, marking one of several price increases this year driven by rising GDDR7 memory costs.
2 outletsHardwareEarly DLSS 5 Testing Suggests RTX 5090's Single Power Connector May Be a Bottleneck
Community testing of a leaked DLSS 5 build indicates that on the RTX 5090 Founders Edition, power delivery—not compute power—may be limiting the new neural rendering feature, while a dual-connector RTX 5090 variant handles the load with much higher power draw.
2 outletsHardwareReports Diverge on TSMC's Hybrid Bonding Plans as Industry Weighs Microbumps Against Newer Packaging Tech
A report citing supply chain sources says TSMC is holding off on hybrid bonding in favor of smaller microbumps, even as other reporting shows TSMC, Intel and AMD already shipping hybrid-bonded chips and the memory industry debates when the technology will reach HBM.
3 outletsHardwareApple's September 9 Event: What to Expect From the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Ultra and More
Apple has confirmed its 'Surprise and shine' event for September 9, where new CEO John Ternus is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro lineup alongside the company's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, plus updated Apple Watches, AirPods and other devices.
1 outletHardwareDell Unveils Two New Alienware QD-OLED Gaming Monitors at IFA Berlin
Dell used IFA Berlin to introduce the Alienware AW3226Q, a 32-inch 4K OLED monitor built for sharper text and visuals, alongside the AW2527HX, a 560Hz esports display developed with Team Liquid. The two monitors take different approaches — one prioritizing resolution and clarity, the other raw speed — but both use newer OLED panel technology aimed at fixing longstanding drawbacks of the format.
2 outletsHardwareDell Unveils Colorful 14S Laptop at IFA, with High-End Display Option and Soldered RAM
Dell announced the 14S, a 14-inch laptop aimed at students and young professionals, featuring four distinct color options and an upgraded display, though its RAM is soldered and non-upgradable. Pricing and exact specs details vary slightly between reports.
2 outletsHardwareNvidia's DLSS 5 Launches September 3 With NBA 2K27, Exclusive to RTX 50-Series
Nvidia has confirmed DLSS 5, its AI-driven '3D-Guided Neural Rendering' technology, will go live September 3 at 9pm PT in NBA 2K27, running only on RTX 50-series GPUs and GeForce NOW. The launch follows months of controversy after a leaked DLL let modders test the tech on other games and older hardware ahead of its official debut.
5 outletsHardwareNVIDIA Details DLSS 5 Performance as Modders Push It to Older GPUs
NVIDIA has released first-party benchmarks for DLSS 5 ahead of its September 3 launch in NBA 2K27, claiming a 5x speed improvement since March. Meanwhile, a leaked build of the feature continues to be modded onto older RTX 20- and 30-series cards, far beyond NVIDIA's official plans.
1 outletHardwareGPU Prices Surge Again as RTX 5090 Nears $5,000 and Mid-Range Cards Face Steep Markups
New pricing data shows graphics card costs climbing sharply in the past month, with Nvidia's RTX 5090 now selling for roughly $5,000 and several other RTX 50-series cards well above their launch prices, as GDDR7 memory supply is reportedly diverted toward AI hardware.
2 outletsHardwareiPhone 18 Pro Max: What to Expect Ahead of Apple's September Launch
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro Max at its September 9 'surprise and shine' event, alongside a new foldable iPhone Ultra. Leaks point to a bigger battery, a 2nm A20 Pro chip, and a first-ever variable aperture camera, positioning the phone against rivals like Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra.
1 outletHardwareValve Pushes SteamOS Forward with 3.8.26 Bug-Fix Beta and 3.9.0 Preview Featuring KDE 6.7.3 and Linux Kernel 7.2
Valve has released two notable SteamOS updates in quick succession: a beta patch focused entirely on squashing bugs across desktop and gaming mode, followed by a preview build that upgrades KDE and the Linux kernel while adding several under-the-hood improvements.
1 outletHardwareMicrosoft Confirms Windows 11 Update KB5120998 Is Breaking Mouse Cursors and Wallpapers
Microsoft has acknowledged that its optional Windows 11 update KB5120998, released August 27, 2026, is causing cursor personalization settings to revert and, in some cases, wiping out custom wallpapers. The company says it is investigating, but the only current fix is to uninstall the update.
2 outletsHardwareGamescom 2026 Recap: New Hardware, Hands-On Games and Cloud Gaming Updates from Cologne
Gamescom 2026 drew more than 350,000 attendees to Cologne, Germany, where outlets got hands-on with new gaming hardware, played early builds of upcoming titles like Alien: Isolation 2 and Silent Hill: Townfall, and covered fresh cloud-gaming and monitor announcements.
2 outletsHardwareXbox CEO Calls Next-Gen "Project Helix" a "Family of Devices," Still Won't Confirm Elder Scrolls 6 Exclusivity
At Gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the company's next-generation hardware plans, codenamed Project Helix, as a "family of devices," while remaining vague on whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive.
3 outletsHardwareGoogle Pixel 11's AI Features Get Mixed Reviews: Magic Capture Impresses, Rambler Dictation Stumbles
Tom's Guide testing of the Pixel 11 reveals a split verdict on Google's new AI tools — the Magic Capture camera mode proves genuinely useful for photographing moving subjects, while the Rambler voice dictation feature shows promise but suffers from inconsistent editing that once erased paragraphs of work.
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