PCWorld reports that laptop manufacturers rushed to meet Microsoft's 40 TOPS NPU requirement for Copilot+ PCs, only to see Microsoft shift strategy away from NPU dependence. Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm now offer powerful NPUs (48-80 TOPS) in new processors, but limited software applications currently utilize this specialized AI hardware.

It's the first week of a new year and there's no time for the tech world to slowly ease back into things following the holidays. That's because CES 2026 is in full swing, with all manner of companies descending on Las Vegas to reveal their latest innovations and what they're planning to bring your way in the near future. Many of the Engadget crew are on the ground to check out as much of the new tech as possible. Samsung held its First Look presentation, which focuses on home products, while LG has shown off a wide array of TVs and Lego unveiled its new Smart Brick technology. We've heard from the major chipmakers, gone hands-on with Samsung's trifold phone, checked out some funky laptops and seen some cute robots. There's some hot gaming gear at the show too, not to mention some weird tech . You don't necessarily have to wait to get your hands on all of these gadgets either. Some are available to buy right now. You can catch up on all of the big CES 2026 announcements (and some of the more offbeat gizmos we've seen) right here. We'll be keeping this story updated throughout the week. We also have CES live updates, with all the latest news from the event. Lego introduced the Smart Brick at CES 2026. In its first CES appearance, Lego announced the Smart Brick, a standard-sized brick with a 4.1mm ASIC chip inside that's designed to respond in different ways depending on what set you're building and how you're building it. Using what Lego calls the "Play Engine" and integrated copper coils, each brick can sense things like motion, orientation and magnetic fields, plus its own distance, direction and orientation in relation to other Smart Bricks. Each brick also has a teeny tiny speaker built in that will play audio "tied to live play actions" rather than only pre-recorded clips. Accompanying Smart Bricks are Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, which have their own capabilities -- one of which is letting Smart Bricks know what context they are being used in. All of these pieces tie together via a local wireless layer dubbed BrickNet that, in part, lets Smart Bricks know where they are placed in relation to other smart components.

CES 2026 day 0: The biggest news you missed from the show's Monday press conferences CES 2026 press day was all about AI, silicon and setting expectations early. CES 2026 officially opens today, but much of the show's biggest announcements already landed during Monday's press conferences and early events. AI was everywhere, chipmakers dominated the schedule and a handful of brands used the pre-show window to quietly drop meaningful hardware updates. Below are the biggest announcements and trends from January 5, plus a few standout hands-ons from Pepcom and CES Unveiled. LG's World Premiere keynote leaned hard into its vision of "Affectionate Intelligence," with AI positioned as the connective tissue across TVs, appliances and even robotics.

Acer's Predator Helios Neo 16S AI laptop can be outfitted with Intel's new Core Ultra 9 386H CPU The company announced the gaming computer at CES. Acer just announced the Predator Helios 16S AI gaming laptop at . This computer is filled with both bells and whistles, making it a decent choice for modern gamers. To that end, the laptop can be equipped with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor. This is Intel's upcoming flagship mobile processor that has . The Helios 16S AI can also be outfitted with up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. CES 2026 will bring faster, stranger laptops. Just don't expect them to be cheap From bold OLED designs to pricier RAM, here's everything I'm expecting to see with laptops at CES 2026. CES (Consumer Electronics Show), the world's largest consumer tech expo, will kick off on January 6th, 2026. It's a notoriously gigantic event packed with everything from robotic pet doors to self-driving cars, and there's always a ton of laptop news amid the noise.

Plus: Aura's new digital photo frame goes wireless, a mood-morphing watch, Wyze and TP-Link unveil solar-powered outdoor security cameras, and Intel will open "AI Experience Stores" in five cities. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. What are the odds that AI browsers launch in one week? OpenAI announced Atlas on Wednesday, a ChatGPT-powered Chromium browser, but a tiny startup called Nimo also debuted Nimo Infinity, a canvas-style AI browser with a generative user interface.

Trump's Investment in Intel Is Paying Off The chipmaker reported higher than expected revenue on Thursday, and its stock price has risen over 90 percent since August. The Trump administration's investment in Intel appears to be paying off so far, but the once-mighty chipmaker still has a long way to climb back to industry dominance. In August, the US government announced it was converting about $9 billion in federal grants that Intel had been issued during the Biden administration into a roughly 10 percent equity stake in the company. During its third-quarter earnings on Thursday--its first financial update since Trump's surprise investment--Intel reported that it earned $13.7 billion in revenue over the past three months, a three percent increase year-over-year. It's the fourth consecutive quarter that Intel has beat revenue guidance.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Why Intel's Panther Lake reveal gave me existential dread I want desktop PCs and PC building to thrive. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? I never thought I'd think on laptops with envy. But here I am, writing these words.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Intel's new Panther Lake CPU: 11 essential facts you should know If you just need the basics about Intel's new laptop CPU, you've come to the right place. Panther Lake, the next generation of Intel's Core Ultra series of laptop processors, is nearly here. But what is it, exactly? Intel spent several days explaining the fine details of Panther Lake to journalists at a recent press event, including its new compute cores, graphics cores, NPU AI, and wireless.