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Why wait for Black Friday when Dell's Windows laptops are already discounted?

Black Friday is inching closer, but that doesn't mean you should wait for bargains on Windows laptops built for productivity before then. Dell is offering a selection of its laptops featuring 16GB of RAM for reliable performance under load, 1TB SSDs for plenty of storage space, and a range of portable sizes to suit you.

That includes the Dell 15 ($1,099.99 at Dell, was $1,149.99), Dell 16 ($1,199.99 at Dell, was $1,349.99), and Dell 14 Plus ($1,399.99 at Dell, was $1,579.99).

14 Plus Laptop (Intel Core Ultra 256V, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD): was $1579.99 now $1399.99

The Dell 14 Plus is the most expensive but best portable laptop in this roundup thanks to its thin and light form factor. It also comes with a crisp 14-inch non-touch QHD+ display (2560x1600), an Intel CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD to crush work assignments.View Deal

16 Laptop (Intel Core 7 150U, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD): was $1349.99 now $1199.99

The Dell 16 will give you the most screen space of all the highlighted laptops with its 16" FHD+ Touchscreen display (1920x1200) while handling creative tasks with ease using its Intel Core 7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD.View Deal

15 Laptop (AMD Ryzen 7730U, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD): was $1149.99 now $1099.99

The Dell 15 handles workflows efficiently with its Intel CPU, 16GB RAM, a 15.6" non-touch FHD (1920x1080) display, and 1TB SSD, while keeping a respectable mid-range price compared to its upper-tier siblings.View Deal

Which of these Dell laptops is best for you?

Dell 14 Plus Copilot+ PC on a desk

The Dell 14 Plus laptop on display (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

If you're looking for an affordable yet capable laptop, the Dell 15 offers the best value compared to the other laptops in this roundup.

It's equipped with a 15.6" (Non-Touch) FHD display with 1920x1080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate to render images, videos, and writing with sharp details, so you don't have to squint at your work when typing or worry about blurry video feed when hosting stream meetings.

It comes with an AMD Ryzen 7000 7730U CPU and 16GB RAM that will make short work of Office, web browsing, and other productivity tasks while offering a ton of space to back up your precious files with its 1TB SSD.

However, if you've got the budget for more processing power, then go for the Dell 14 Plus Laptop.

It's won high praise from our friends at TechRadar for its 13+ hour battery, great portability due to its ultra-thin design, and 14-inch non-touch QHD+ display with 120Hz and Anti-glare protection.

Best of all, the Dell 14 Plus offers the best single-core performance for everyday use and heavy workloads thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 256V CPU, 16GB, and 1TB SSD.

Can these laptops have their RAM and SSDs replaced?

Only the Dell 15 laptop can have its RAM replaced, as it isn't soldered like the ones in the Dell 14 Plus and Dell 16 laptops. All of these laptops can have their SSDs swapped out and replaced with larger ones.

Are they good for gaming?

The Dell 15, Dell 16, and Dell 14 Plus aren't designed for gaming due to their integrated graphics cards, so they will struggle to run most games beyond extremely light titles like Minecraft. Stick to cloud gaming.

Should I wait for Black Friday for a better deal?

It depends on whether you're willing to wait until Black Friday for a bigger discount or if you're in need of a new laptop for work/casual use right now and don't have time to wait for a killer deal.

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Quiz: Are these quotes about iPhone Duo or Surface Duo?

Apple finally "invented" the folding phone, bringing flexibility and multitasking to the masses. iPhone Duo reviews are in, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

All the talk of passport-shaped phones, mobile multitasking, and optimized apps sent me back to the days of Microsoft's Surface Duo. A lot of the phrasing in iPhone Duo reviews could have been copied and pasted from reviews of the Surface Duo.

So, I put together a quiz to see if people can identify if a quote is from an iPhone Duo review or a Surface Duo review.

I've changed all of the quotes in this quiz as little as possible and all changes are noted with brackets. I only altered a quote if it includes something that's a giveaway like iPhone Duo, Surface Duo, Apple, or Microsoft.

Blank Pixel

I sent this quiz to a few friends and colleagues before publishing it. No one got a perfect score, and many only got 50% correct. I'm curious to see if that trend continues as more people take the quiz. Please let me know how you did in the comments!

Below are all of the reviews I used to create this quiz.

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"Hackintosh Lives" — Snapintosh puts macOS on Snapdragon X2 Elite

An engineer is working on a way to get macOS to run on computers powered by a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. The "Snapintosh" project resurrects the concept of a Hackintosh but works with one of the latest chips from Qualcomm.

X user Miguel C shared his progress on the project recently. The video shows macOS 27 running on an ASUS Zenbook A16.

Snapintosh is still in its early days. The Zenbook A16 can boot the macOS desktop with GPU acceleration and render what's supposed to appear, but interaction with the interface is "usable but not yet smooth," according to Miguel C.

You can learn more about the project on GitHub.

Glitchy for now, trying to get WiFi working and more performance and GPU improvements. https://t.co/KYQEzglJkyOctober 20, 2026

The term Hackintosh refers to a non-Apple PC modified to run macOS (hack + Macintosh). It was popular for years and not just among enthusiasts or niche creators.

It was popular because it allowed people to run macOS on less expensive or more customizable hardware than Apple's own computers.

New Hackintosh builds became increasingly uncommon after Apple switched to Apple silicon. Apple designs macOS around its own chips and hardware, making it increasingly difficult to run the operating system on unsupported devices.

Until recently, I would have said the days of the Hackintosh were over. But Miguel C's Snapintosh project suggests there may still be a way to run modern versions of macOS on non-Apple hardware.

"Hackintosh Lives," exclaimed Miguel C on X. He noted that people should expect the experience to be "very rough" and that he's "working on de-slopifying the codebase."

If Miguel C is able to refine the experience, it would be interesting to try macOS on a Snapdragon X2 chip. The general consensus is that Apple makes the best ARM processors right now, so even a perfectly optimized Snapintosh would not beat an M-Series MacBook.

But some people prefer hardware made by companies apart from Apple. There are also more affordable Snapdragon X2 chips on the market, so you could potentially get better value on a Snapintosh using certain chips. Right now, the project is limited to the Snapdragon X2 Elite.

Even if a Snapintosh fails to ever compete with a Mac, the project is an intriguing engineering feat and a reminder of the fun days of Hackintosh computers.

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Forget overpriced Windows laptops, HP's 14-inch OLED pick is $599.99 just for today

Every once in a while, Best Buy will host a lucrative deal on a reliable, mid-range laptop during its "Deal of the Day" sale, and that's especially true now, as the HP Omnibook 3 laptop is available for $599.99 at Best Buy (was $799.99), but only for today.

This laptop is a great mid-range choice for students and office workers alike, with its above-average performance, battery life, and high-contrast OLED display that will help you get through the day.

OmniBook 3 (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD): was $799.99 now $599.99

The HP OmniBook 3 is a well-made mid-range laptop that will power through homework, casual tasks, and office work with its performance-boosting Snapdragon X CPU and 16GB RAM, long-lasting battery life of 32 hours, and detailed 2K OLED touchscreen.View Deal

Why buy the HP Omnibook 3?

HP OmniBook 3 14-inch Next Gen AI PC ad featuring a laptop with colorful flowing display, Snapdragon X, long battery life, and 16 GB RAM.

The spec highlights for the HP Omnibook 3 laptop. (Image credit: HP)

Our friends at TechRadar have praised and recommended the HP Omnibook 3 in their coverage a couple of times, and it's easy to agree with them. It's a well-made laptop for school learners or desk workers who need a reliable solution for daily homework, assignments, research, creative tasks, and casual use without breaking the bank.

This laptop is equipped with Qualcomm's (8-core) Snapdragon X CPU to give it faster and more responsive performance when running apps, 16GB of RAM to help it multitask multiple apps without slowing it down, and a 512GB SSD to store precious data.

The HP Omnibook 3 also features a 14-inch 2K OLED touchscreen that displays images, videos, and livestreams with crisp and vibrant details, and a massive battery life of potentially up to 41 hours so you won't have to worry about it shutting down during work.

Is it's RAM and SSD upgradeable?

The HP Omnibook 3's RAM is soldered, so it can't be upgraded, but its SSD can be removed via its M.2 NVMe SSD slot and replaced with a larger one up to 1TB.

Is it an AI laptop?

Yes, the HP Omnibook 3 is an AI laptop as it features Copilot+ PC integration with an NPU capable of 45 TOPS for boosted performance rates while performing local AI-related tasks.

Is it worth waiting until Black Friday?

It depends on your situation and needs. If you're not in a hurry and are willing to wait for a better price, then waiting until Black Friday on November 27, 2026, is a valid option.

However, if you desperately need a new, high-quality laptop and are concerned that laptop prices are going to get worse thanks to the RAM crisis, then we recommend taking advantage of Best Buy's 25% discount on the HP Omnibook 3, as this deal is only available for today.

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This fan-made OS brings Windows Phone back to one specific Android device

Not a week goes by that I don’t miss Windows Phone. To this day, it remains the only OS that would genuinely drag me away from my iPhone. Don’t hate me for saying it, but the iPhone still offers me a superior user experience over Android, at least in my experience. I’ve tried Android many times, and quite frankly, I really don't like it.

Then again, I don’t hate Android with a burning passion, either, and I did recently stumble across something that might make me reconsider. ztOS is a new operating system designed to look and feel exactly like Windows Phone 8.1. It’s built on Arch Linux for ARM, complete with its own suite of apps.

According to the project notes, the ztMETRO shell and its components are written in C and accelerated with OpenGL. It also includes an SDK for building apps in Python and Qt, along with an updater to keep the system maintained. It’s a surprisingly robust setup for a passion project.

Windows Phone lives through Linux and AI

Galaxy S9 in Sunrise Gold displaying the Windows Phone 8.1-inspired ztOS interface, featuring blue Live Tiles and familiar Windows Phone icons.

Windows Phone might be dead, but ztOS is bringing its iconic interface back to life on the Samsung Galaxy S9. (Image credit: Zerone-Laboratories | Samsung)

There is a catch, as usual. Currently, the project seemingly only works on the Samsung Galaxy S9. The project itself is in alpha, so expect some bugs and install at your own risk.

And yes, whether you care or not, the project is spearheaded by Claude. Because, well, everything seemingly happens through AI coding now. I’m guilty of it myself, having jumped on the FreeMyTV bandwagon to debloat my TV, improve performance, and get rid of adverts.

Still, I do long for Windows Phone. There’s a small part of me that hopes we’ll see it return in some fashion. Seeing all these wild AI-driven projects, whether it’s Xbox Labs reviving the Blades dashboard or Steam games running natively on Android or the iPhone, we're really in the midst of unknown territory.

Thinking of Windows Phone, though, really does make me facepalm at the idea that we maybe could have had a future where Windows Phones would natively play your Xbox games via the Xbox app. Imagine full cloud saves and achievements, giving you even more reasons to invest in Game Pass. But again, this is all just wishful thinking. Windows Phone is sadly, truly dead. Even I admit it.

Regardless, let me know what you think. Would you install a Windows Phone-like OS on your Android, or do you think Windows Phone should be left for dead and forgotten? Leave a comment down below and make sure you take part in our poll!

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