Should You Buy a Chromebook or a Windows Laptop? If you're trying to decide between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop, some recent changes have shaken up how these two platforms compare. 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. Chromebooks have been around for almost 15 years, and since their launch, they've made some noble attempts to evolve into something beyond just a super cheap laptop for students .

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I tried to fool my Windows laptop's Face ID. Facial recognition on laptops has come a long way in the last decade. Long ago, I had an Android phone with an early facial recognition sign-in feature and someone could unlock my phone just by holding up a photo of me. Fast forward to 2025 and we have Windows Hello facial recognition sign-ins for PCs .

When something goes wrong, your first instinct might be to panic or shut down--but maybe it should be to ask ChatGPT for help instead. ChatGPT can provide troubleshooting help whenever you're stuck dealing with an unknown or unexpected issue. Just ask ChatGPT to provide a list of troubleshooting steps for whatever has gone wrong. In my case, I've asked what I can do about a Windows laptop that has stopped working--my short prompt of "Please list some troubleshooting steps for a Windows laptop that has stopped working" resulted in a solid list of 10 things I could try. This is equally useful for all kinds of other problems, like if your toilet randomly flushes on its own every so often, if your car starts making a weird noise, or if your wireless router is on the fritz.

The Chromebook team has been pushing Google Gemini AI powers, particularly on the more capable Chromebook Plus label, for a year and change. The new Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, with a MediaTek processor boasting 50 TOPS, is a good example. Google used the upcoming Lenovo design to showcase Gemini's latest tricks at a press event last week. But I have to confess that I found the laptop itself, particularly its value proposition, more immediately gripping than the latest attempts to sell me a subscription that'll write my emails for me. The Chromebook Plus 14 combines a solid and lightweight build, a 14-inch OLED screen (touchscreen optional), generous memory (12GB or 16GB), and that MediaTek processor.

It's impossible to ignore the rapid rise in the capabilities of artificial intelligence tools in recent months. Microsoft hasn't been shy in stuffing Windows full of AI features: Windows computers now come with a dedicated key for launching Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant, which has been integrated into the operating system. We'll guide you through everything you can use Copilot for on your Windows laptop or desktop, and how you can get it up and running. We'll also explain the difference between Copilot and a Copilot PC, which is a label you might have spotted if you've been shopping for a Windows computer lately. When it comes to the Copilot assistant inside Windows, it's very similar to the Copilot app on the web.

Qualcomm's 2024 debut of new Arm processors for Windows laptops was arguably the most important PC hardware announcement since the introduction of Intel's 486 processors in 1989. Just as that CPU line heralded an age of Intel-driven x86 dominance, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips have now taken us into a new era of competition. But 2024 was only the preview. Qualcomm's Snapdragon debut was limited, targeting a specific subset of premium, thin-and-light Windows laptops that don't require discrete graphics. I spoke with two expert analysts in the hardware space for insights on how Arm PCs will continue to grow going forward.

Both Microsoft and Apple took swings with their respective operating systems, with Microsoft debuting its "Copilot PC" branding for AI-capable laptops and Apple releasing Apple Intelligence. These early examples offered mixed results. Some features, like real-time translations and on-device speech-to-text, can be useful. Others, like Microsoft's Windows Recall, have yet to prove themselves. All of this hype for AI has important implications for the new year.

Qualcomm's 2024 debut of new Arm processors for Windows laptops was arguably the most important PC hardware announcement since the introduction of Intel's 486 processors in 1989. Just as that CPU line heralded an age of Intel-driven x86 dominance, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips have now taken us into a new era of competition. But 2024 was only the preview. Qualcomm's Snapdragon debut was limited, targeting a specific subset of premium, thin-and-light Windows laptops that don't require discrete graphics. I spoke with two expert analysts in the hardware space for insights on how Arm PCs will continue to grow going forward.

In May 2024, Microsoft announced a new initiative called Copilot PC for Windows laptops. If you aren't immersed in the world of Windows, you probably met the announcement with a confused shrug--a confusion that persists thanks to what has been, in my estimation, some iffy messaging around the term. Today, I'll sort it all out for you and explain what Copilot is, why it matters (or doesn't), and, most important, whether your next laptop should be a Copilot PC. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism.

Summer can be a sleepy time for deals, but there was actually a fair amount of savings to be found on tech this week. Amazon's Prime Day is probably about a month away, but the company looked like they were getting a head start with discounts on Kindles, two Echo speakers, Fire TV devices and Blink mini cameras. Those prices may go lower during the event, but the savings are still good if you can't wait. Our favorite Sony headphones dropped back down to $348 and a few different Beats earbuds, including the Powerbeats Pro saw discounts of up to 36 percent. Apple's latest laptop, the 15-inch MacBook Air is already $100 off and last year's XPS 15 from Dell is currently $800 off. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today. Pair a smart speaker with a smart plug and you have the underpinnings of a smart home setup.