Technology

Infinix has made laptops before, but this is their first attempt at a gaming laptop. The Infinix GT Book was unveiled in India alongside the Infinix GT 20 gaming phone. It is equipped with up to 13th generation Intel processors and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. The laptop has a unique design that will definitely turn some heads and is also priced competitively. I’ve had the Infinix GT Book for a couple of days now, and while I haven’t had time to fully explore it, here are my initial impressions.

Firstly, I’ll talk about the design. The Infinix GT Book looks the part thanks to the Cyber Mecha design, which you’ll also find on some of the recent smartphones from the brand. The top and bottom lid are made from metal, and have a matte finish, which helps keep the fingerprints and smudges away. The lid features the Mecha Loop emblem as well. Overall, the GT Book feels well-built, and yes, you can open the lid with just one hand. Infinix claims this is the lightest gaming laptop, with a 16-inch display weighing in at 1.99kg.

The Mecha bar is an RGB strip that’s customisable

It also has some RGB lighting in the form of a thin strip located at the back called the Mecha Bar. The rear also houses the exhaust vents. The bottom panel has an orange-accented grille for the intake fans and sturdy rubber feet to keep the laptop planted. All RGB on the laptop is customisable using the GT Control Centre, but I’ll talk more about the experience in my full review.

Opening the lid reveals a full-size keyboard with 4-zone RGB lighting and a rather small touchpad. Then there’s the 16-inch display with an anti-glare coating, slim bezels on the sides, and slightly thicker bezels at the top and bottom. The display offers a 16:10 aspect ratio, full-HD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 300 nits of brightness. At first glance, it appears to be a good display for gaming. The top bezel houses a 1080p web camera and dual microphones.

The laptop has a 4-zone full-sized RGB keyboard

Before I talk about the internals, let’s take a look at the ports on the laptop. You get two USB Type-A 3.2 ports, an SD card slot, HDMI 2.0, and a USB Type-C DP port. In terms of connectivity, the Infinix GT Book offers up to dual-band WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The company provides a 210W power adapter in the box that can definitely be used as a weapon. I think Infinix did a good job with the port selection here.

Alright, moving on to the internals, the Infinix GT Book comes with a 70 Whr battery, dual fans for cooling, up to 32GB non-upgradable LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 storage. The laptop is configurable with up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 13900H processor and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB VRAM. Our review unit came with the 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12450H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 with 6GB of video RAM, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB PCIe 4.0 storage. There’s also a variant that comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 chipset and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.

The laptop has orange accents on the vents and speaker grilles

The base variant, which I’ll be testing, is priced at Rs. 59,990. It has a total graphics power (TGP) of 80W, whereas the other two variants offer a slightly higher 90W TGP. I’ll be testing the laptop thoroughly to see how well it fares in gaming. 

For the first attempt, I think Infinix has done a good job with the GT Book gaming laptop. The pricing is good, and as part of a limited-time launch offer, users will also get some freebies with the laptop purchase. The freebies include an RGB gaming mouse, RGB gaming headphones, and an RGB gaming mousepad. Although the internals are older than most recent gaming laptops, they should be good enough for gaming, video editing, and such. Stay tuned to our full review to find out if the Infinix GT Book is a good gaming laptop to buy.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 was unveiled by the company earlier this week, alongside the Surface Pro 11 and the first benchmarks of the company’s Surface laptop with a Snapdragon X Elite chip appears to have beat Apple’s M3-powered MacBook Air in some benchmark tests, along with Intel’s Meteor Lake CPUs and a Surface Pro 9 with an SQ3 chip. The benchmark results also suggest that Qualcomm’s latest processor for Copilot+ PCs could go toe-to-toe against Apple Silicon chips in the coming weeks.

While reviews of the new Surface Laptop 7 are still awaited, a Microsoft commissioned third party test of the Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptop reveals that it is capable of delivering reliable battery life, good thermal management, and powerful CPU performance. However, it reportedly lags behind the third-generation Apple Silicon processor in graphics, gaming, and web performance. 

Surface Laptop 7 CPU performance on Geekbench 6.3
Photo Credit: Signal65

In its report, Signal65 compared the Surface Laptop 7 to a Surface Laptop 9 with the Arm-based Microsoft SQ3 processor, a Surface Laptop 5 with a 12th Gen Intel Core-7 CPU, an MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo with a current-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, and Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip. All the laptops were equipped with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, except the MSI laptop which had 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. 

On two popular benchmarking tests — Geekbench 6.3 and Cinebench 2024 — the new Surface Laptop 7 easily beat all the other laptops except the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air in the single-core tests. In the multi-core tests. however, the new Surface laptop managed the highest score among all the laptops that were tested — the tests also showed it was up to 30 percent faster than the M3 chip in multi-core performance.

Surface Laptop 7 offers better battery life than other models tested by the firm
Photo Credit: Signal65

Meanwhile, the Snapdragon X Elite chip on the Surface Laptop 7 was far ahead of the other laptops in the Procyon AI Computer Vision benchmark test. The Arm-based chip from Qualcomm on the laptop enables it to offer over NPU performance that is more than twice as powerful than the 15-inch M3-powered MacBook Air.

Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop 7 can also best the Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9, and M3 MacBook Air on Handbrake 1.7.3, but is far behind the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo with the lates Core Ultra 7 155H CPU. Meanwhile, in web performance (Google Chrome’s Speedometer v3 and JetStream v2.2) the Surface Laptop 7 is second only to the MacBook Air with an M3 chip.

The Surface Laptop 7 beat competitors on the Procyon AI computer vision benchmark
Photo Credit: Signal65

In the graphics department, the M3 chip on the 15-inch MacBook Air beat the Snapdragon X Elite on the Surface Laptop 7 on two out of three 3DMark’s graphics benchmarking tests — the Apple Silicon chip wasn’t tested on the third benchmark.

Signal65’s local H.264 video playback tests showed that the Surface Laptop 7 offered the highest battery life, with over 21 hours of playback on a single charge, higher than the M3-powered MacBook Air which delivered 16 percent less battery life. In the Procyon Productivity battery test showed that the MacBook Air with an M3 chip and the Surface Laptop 7 offered “equivalent” battery life.

While these tests were commissioned by Microsoft, it’s worth noting that the benchmarks were conducted by an independent third-party firm. Reviews of the new Surface Laptop 7 are still awaited, and we can expect to learn more about day-to-day performance, battery life, and other parameters, after the laptops go on sale in the US next month.

Microsoft Phone Link is set to introduce text-copying capabilities on Windows 11, according to a report. The mobile pairing app, which comes preloaded on Windows 11, lets users connect their smartphones – both Android and iOS – to their PCs, syncing text messages and images, and allowing them to make and receive calls. According to a report, the Phone Link for Windows app will soon be updated with a new optical character recognition (OCR) feature, enabling users to copy text from images.

Phone Link App to Add Text Recognition Support

A few of Microsoft’s apps, such as Lens and Office, already have OCR capabilities. Last year, the Snippet tool on Windows 10 and 11 also gained this feature, making it easier to copy text from captured screenshots. Windows Central reports that OCR support will soon make its way to the Phone Link app.

Tthe feature was spotted in the latest Phone Link app version 1.24051.91.0 on the Release Preview Channel which is accessible via the Windows Insider Program. However, it isn’t available to the public yet but may be rolled out to all Windows users in the future, according to the publication.

Text Recognition on Phone Link: How It Works

When an image is opened via the Photos section of the Phone Link app, a new icon labelled Text reportedly appears, as per the report. When clicked, it automatically scans the image to detect text within the image, following which two options appear – select all text or copy all text. Users can the copy the selection to the clipboard and paste it elsewhere.

AI-powered Advanced Paste on Windows

Microsoft is reportedly also testing a more advanced paste option which appears to be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). According to a Microsoft Learn blog, the new Advanced Paste feature is available via PowerToys version 0.81.0. It can be accessed with a shortcut: Windows Key + Shift + V.

Users can then select between 3 options for pasting from the clipboard – Plain text, JSON, and markdown, all of which can be used with a quick key shortcut. It also gets another option called Paste with AI which uses OpenAI’s technology, allowing users to summarise text, translate and stylise it and even generate code.

Microsoft Copilot is now available on the popular messaging app Telegram. The tech giant integrated its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot with Telegram on Tuesday, extending its capabilities within the app. Telegram users can now converse with, ask questions, and search the internet with Copilot. Currently, the feature is released in beta, although it has been made available to all users for free. However, there is a limit of 30 turns per day (30 back-and-forth messages) when accessing the AI.

How to access Copilot for Telegram

There are two easy methods to get access to the chatbot. Users can go to Microsoft’s microsite dedicated to the feature and click on the ‘Try Now’ button to go directly to the Telegram app and find the Copilot chatbot. Alternatively, users can manually open the messaging app and search for Copilot.

However, in case users opt for the second method, it is important to ensure the authentic Copilot chatbot by looking for a blue check mark next to the name. There are multiple replica bots by the same name, and some of them can be malicious.

At present, Copilot is only available as a text-to-text chatbot, and it will not generate images. It can, however, access the internet and will be able to answer web-based queries. Microsoft suggests asking the AI bot about cheat codes and walkthroughs of video games, movie suggestions, dating tips, recipes, live scores, personalised playlists and more.

Copilot for Telegram

Interacting with Copilot is fairly straightforward if you have experience with using bots on Telegram. If not, you can use the “/ideas” command to get examples of what the AI can do and “/restart” will clear the current context of a response and start over. These instructions and other similar methods are also shown by the chatbot when first entering the chat.

However, before a user can interact with the chatbot, they will first have to register using their phone number. This might be concerning to some users given Telegram’s privacy-focused approach. On its microsite, Microsoft addresses the concerns and says, “Copilot on Telegram relies on the same safety infrastructure as the Microsoft Copilot experience.”

Microsoft is adding support for new Indian regional languages to its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Copilot for Microsoft 365. The tech giant is adding multiple new Indian languages to the AI model to accurately understand queries and generate responses in these languages. As per the company, support for more languages was added to make the AI tool more accessible for users whose primary language is not English. Notably, Microsoft has also added Copilot to the instant messaging app Telegram and the Microsoft Launcher app for Android.

Microsoft now supports these Indian regional languages

The company announced the support for more languages in a press release on Wednesday. Microsoft 365 Copilot will now support regional Indic languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu. The company did not disclose the full list of languages the AI chatbot will support. The updated languages have also not been added to its support page.

Based on the press release, the company is expanding Copilot’s support for regional languages in not just India but other countries in the world as well. Prior to this update, Copilot supported 27 languages for prompt, and no Indian regional languages were included.

As per Microsoft, the increased support will not only enable users to converse with the chatbot in their native language but also get responses in the same language. The company highlighted that this feature will benefit students, small businesses, and native language speakers who have not been able to take advantage of generative AI due to the language barrier.

“By integrating regional languages, we’re making technology more inclusive and accessible. Our goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of language, can benefit from AI advancements,” said Pavan Kumar Verma, Regional Business Head – MWP, Embee Software. Embee Software is a leading Microsoft LSP partner in India.

Separately, Microsoft is also expanding Copilot to different apps, adding its capability within the in-app environment. On Tuesday, the tech giant released Copilot for Telegram in beta for all users. The chatbot is free to use on the messaging app, although there is a daily message limit of 30 turns. Copilot is now also available in the Microsoft Launcher app for Android.

Call of Duty: Back Ops 6, the next instalment in Activision’s popular first-person shooter franchise, will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, Microsoft confirmed Tuesday. All Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the game on day one. The confirmation came days after reports claimed that the Xbox parent was planning to put the next Call of Duty on its game subscription service.

Microsoft has bet big on Xbox Game Pass, bringing all its first-party titles to the service at launch. That strategy has, however, cost Xbox in sales of its exclusive games. Bringing Call of Duty, one of the best-selling game franchises in the world, to Game Pass would likely result in subscriber growth, but could also end up hurting direct sales. On Game Pass, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 would be playable at launch at no additional cost to subscribers on Xbox consoles, PC and other supported devices.

In January, Microsoft provided subscriber numbers for Game Pass after a gap of over two years, confirming that the service had 34 million subscribers. While that represents a 36 percent jump from numbers reported over two years ago, gaming subscription services have struggled in recent times to add new paying members. Games industry analyst Mat Piscatella claimed earlier this month that spending on non-mobile game subscription services had stalled. “March 2024 non-mobile video game subscription spending was only up 1% vs the April 2023 figures…,” he said in his X post at the time.

Earlier this month, Microsoft shut down several game studios under its umbrella, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall maker Arkane Austin, in order to shift focus on to its “priority games”. While Redfall launched to negative reception and fell short of Microsoft’s expectations, Hi-Fi Rush, in the company’s own words, was a “break out hit” across “all key measurements and expectations.” A big chunk of the player numbers for the rhythm-based action-adventure title, however, was believed to have come from Game Pass, rather than direct sales. Releasing Call of Duty, a mass-market, money-spinning tent-pole franchise, on Game Pass could thus be Microsoft’s biggest bet on the subscription service.

Activision, which was acquired by Microsoft last year, confirmed last week that Black Ops 6 would be the next Call of Duty title. The publisher is planning a full reveal for the game at a Direct presentation immediately following the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. Activision has so far revealed little about the game, releasing a few teasers and a live-action trailer since the game was confirmed. Microsoft said that it would share more details about Black Ops 6 at the Direct showcase, where players can expect the “first in-depth look at gameplay in this dark new chapter of the Black Ops series.

Microsoft Outlook received new features for its app on Android and iOS on Monday. The features were introduced as part of app updates on both platforms. According to Microsoft, the Compose and calendar functionalities have been improved on its iPhone app whereas the update for its Android app brings enhancements to events, search, and calendar. Furthermore, bug fixes have also been rolled out for both platforms.

Microsoft Outlook iOS app new features

According to release notes, Microsoft Outlook for iOS adds the Report Message option to the swipe action list. It also brings the ability to use a local account in Office 365 Box, the company’s content cloud where users can securely store their files online and easily share them.

The Compose feature is also claimed to be updated and users can now resend messages from the Sent folder. Furthermore, Teams meeting chat can now be accessed from the event details in the calendar.

Microsoft Outlook Android app new features

On Android, the Outlook app update brings improvements to events, search, calendar and box. Microsoft says users can now search past events for up to one year, compared to the previous cap of six months.

Additionally, a Teams tab has been added through which Teams chat messages can be searched. When a message is selected, it will open up the same message in the Teams mobile app. Users who do not have the app will be redirected to the Google Play Store instead, Microsoft claims.

It also brings the same functionality to Compose and events as introduced on iOS. Microsoft says the update for Outlook for Android fixes an issue that prevented the single sign-on flow from succeeding for Microsoft 365 accounts in some cases.

These features were introduced with Outlook for Android and iOS app version 4.2418.0.

Microsoft Copilot on Telegram

In another recent development, Microsoft integrated its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Copilot with Telegram, with a limit of 30 turns per day. It enables Telegram users to converse with the chatbot, ask questions and browse the internet.

Currently, the feature is released in beta, although it has been made available to all users for free.

Lenovo’s Yoga laptop lineup has included a 2-in-1 option for a couple of years now. Now, the company has brought the new Intel Core Ultra H-series processors to the Yoga 7i 2-in-1 variant, along with OLED displays and improved battery life. The new Yoga 7i 2-in-1 can also be called an AI laptop as it comes with a dedicated Copilot key.

After using the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 for more than a week, here’s what I think of the convertible laptop. While I’m not a fan of convertibles, be it laptops or cars, the Yoga 7i could be an option for those looking to get the best of both worlds – a laptop and a tablet.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 price in India

Starting with the price, the Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is not too expensive, nor is it cheap. It starts at Rs. 1,01,990 for the variant with the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, a 14-inch OLED display with WUXGA resolution, and 16GB RAM. This is the variant that was sent to us for review.

The laptop has rounded edges that make it comfortable to hold

There’s also a variant with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 14-inch OLED WUXGA display, and 16GB RAM priced at 1,19,990. Finally, you can get the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H option with a 2.8K OLED display and 32GB RAM for Rs. 1,29,990. All variants come with integrated Intel Arc graphics. The laptop has two colour options – Tidal Teal and Storm Grey. In the box, the Yoga 7i 2-in-1 also comes with the Lenovo Digital Pen and a 65W charger. We received the Tidal Teal variant.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Design and display

Let’s talk about design. The Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 features an all-aluminium design with curved edges and rounded corners. There are no sharp edges anywhere on the laptop. The design language is also very minimal, with the lid carrying a small Lenovo logo and the Yoga branding. As this is a 2-in-1 laptop, I must talk about the 360-degree hinge. Lenovo says that they’ve reduced the hinge size, making it easier to open the lid with one hand. I found that to be true, but that’s also thanks to the reverse notch at the top for the web camera, IR sensor, and microphone. The hinge feels super durable, and I don’t think it should cause any issues in the long run. You also get a slight lift with the hinge when using the laptop in regular mode, and it also helps in better cooling.

You get plenty of connectivity options on the Yoga 7i 2-in-1, but the Power button is in an odd place

Moving over to the sides, the laptop has all the necessary ports that you’ll need. The power button on the laptop is placed on the right side edge alongside the microSD card slot and a USB Type-A (USB 3.2) port. The power button placement is not ideal, as I found myself pressing the button by mistake and locking the laptop when simply trying to lift it using the right edge. You’ll find an HDMI 2.1 port on the left edge, dual Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, and a combo headphone port. The rear houses the exhaust vents.

The bottom of the laptop has two large grilles for cooling and rubber feet. The panel is removable and is made from 50 percent recycled aluminium. The laptop weighs 1.49kg and is 16.64mm thin at its thinnest. It is also rated to withstand 21 MIL-STD 810H durability tests, but I wouldn’t suggest dropping the laptop to find out. I did not find any flex on the lid or the back cover; everything is built solid.

In tent mode, the speakers face away from the user

Opening the lid reveals a keyboard and a large trackpad. The laptop has two speakers with grilles placed on either side of the keyboard. You get a 14-inch OLED display with slim bezels on all sides, 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution, 60Hz, and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The display is glossy but offers 400 nits of brightness with 600 nits of peak HDR brightness. It’s fine indoors but not usable outdoors due to the glossy panel. The blacks are deep, and the colours are vibrant. It offers great viewing angles and barely any colour shift. It’s an excellent panel for watching content, photo editing, and even drawing. When talking about drawing, the display supports multi-touch, and you also get a Lenovo Digital Pen 2 to use as a stylus. The display is also Dolby Vision HDR certified and covers 100 percent DCI-P3 colour space. There’s also a 2.8K PureSight OLED variant with a 120Hz refresh rate.

In tablet mode, the touch input is excellent, and you can use multi-touch gestures supported by Windows 11, but I mostly used the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 in laptop mode. As a tablet, the Yoga 7i was a bit bulky for my taste, and I did not enjoy using it while walking around the house. You can use it in tent mode, but then the speakers are facing the wrong way.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Keyboard, Speakers, Touchpad, and Camera

The Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 has an excellent keyboard, and it’s kind of obvious that Lenovo also makes ThinkPad laptops, which are known for their keyboards. Typing on the 2-in-1 was a joy as the keyboard had enough key travel with good tactile feedback. The keys also have good spacing between them, so there’s no cramped feeling here. The laptop also has a dedicated Copilot key placed before the left arrow key. You can toggle the Copilot chatbot with just a press of the button. The keyboard is also backlit with two levels of brightness and an adaptive mode that can automatically dim or brighten the backlight based on the environment.

The Yoga 7i 2-in-1 offers a good typing experience

Lenovo has given two speakers on the laptop. The speakers are placed on either side of the keyboard and are, therefore, top-firing. They’re not super loud, but the quality is good. There’s no cracking, and you also get Dolby Atmos support. However, the placement is somewhat flawed, as the speakers move to the back when you’re using the laptop in tablet mode or tent mode. You’ll probably need to use headphones if you’re in a loud environment.

Below the keyboard, you get a large touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures on Windows 11. The clicks are good, and the surface is smooth. When in tablet mode, the touchpad and keyboard are also disabled automatically.

In tablet mode, the laptop is considerably thick and not easy to hold

Moving on to the web camera, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 has a full-HD camera and comes with a privacy shutter. The video quality is good, and you also get support for AI features such as Windows Studio effects and smart gestures. The notch housing the web camera also gets an IR blaster with support for facial login via Windows Hello.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Specifications and software

Alright, let’s talk about specifications. The 2-in-1 laptop is well equipped and comes with either the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H or the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU. The chipset is paired with the integrated Intel Arc graphics. You can configure the laptop with up to 32GB LPDDR5X-7467 RAM and up to 1TB NVMe storage. Both of these are soldered, so no, you can’t upgrade RAM or storage.

In terms of connectivity, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 offers Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The 360-degree hinge on the laptop seems durable

The laptop runs Windows 11 Home out-of-the-box and comes bundled with Office Home and Student 2021. There’s no special software here, but you get Copilot support with a dedicated key. It also features Lenovo AI Engine+, Windows Studio Effects, Smart Noise Cancellation, and a few other handy features. You also get the Lenovo Vantage software that lets you fine-tune the system as per your preferences. There’s Super Resolution, Dolby Atmos sound profiles, various modes tailored for different activities, three power modes, and features such as Flip to Boot that lets you turn on the laptop as soon as you flip open the lid, similar to an Apple MacBook.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Performance

Coming to the performance, the laptop is excellent for daily usage, content consumption, and some creative work. During my time using the Yoga 7i 2-in-1, I never ran into any major issues. 

You get excellent battery life from the laptop with regular usage

Multitasking on the laptop is also great, especially in tablet mode. The thermal management is also good, with the inbuilt cooling system doing a great job of keeping the heat to a minimum. However, there were a couple of times when the laptop would randomly run hot and turn on the fan without running any programs, but that’s probably a Windows 11 bug. Overall, the laptop offers very good performance.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Battery life

The battery life on the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is really good. Lenovo has packed a 71Whr battery inside. The laptop consistently delivered a day’s worth of usage with browsing, working with multiple tabs on Chrome, watching YouTube videos, streaming on Netflix, and some light photo editing. This was the case in both regular laptop and tablet modes, with tablet mode actually offering longer battery life.

The laptop comes with a manual privacy shutter for the web camera

The laptop comes with a 65W charger in the box that offers fast charging support. It takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge the laptop, and you get about 80 percent battery with just a 30-minute charge.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 Review: Verdict

As I mentioned in the beginning, I’m not a big fan of 2-in-1 laptops, but if you’re looking for a powerful laptop that can also be used as a tablet, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is a good choice. Even the base variant, priced at Rs. 1,01,990, is a good option, and you’ll get excellent performance and long-lasting battery from the laptop. The OLED display is great for content consumption and creative work, but you can pay more and get the 2.8K OLED panel with 120Hz refresh for an even better experience. The only drawbacks are the speakers and the inability to upgrade storage. Overall, though, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is an easy-to-recommend 2-in-1 laptop.

Microsoft announced three new Xbox Series S/X console options at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. New configurations joining the Xbox lineup include a 1TB SSD storage variant of Xbox Series S in Robot White colourway, an all-digital Xbox Series X, and a 2TB Xbox Series X Special Edition in Galaxy Black colour option. The three new console variants will be available in select markets later this year in the holiday season.

The Xbox parent has not yet provided details on availability and regional pricing for the new Xbox Series S/X variants. “Stay tuned for updates in the coming months where we’ll provide information about market availability and regional Estimated Retail Pricing (ERP) when we share pre-order details,” Microsoft said.

The new console variants will share the same speed and performance of current Xbox Series S/X models and will provide new design, storage and pricing options for users, Microsoft said. The all-digital Xbox Series X, for example, is priced lower than the standard Xbox Series X that comes with a disc drive.

Xbox Series S – 1TB in Robot White

The Xbox Series S was originally available with 512GB storage in a Robot White colourway. Last year, Microsoft launched the Xbox Series S with 1TB storage in a new Carbon Black colorway. Now the extra storage option is coming to the Robot White colourway. Xbox Series S 1TB in Robot White will be sold in select markets for $349.99/EUR 349.99 ERP. The company has not yet confirmed India pricing and availability.

New Xbox Series S with 1TB storage in Robot White colourway
Photo Credit: Microsoft

Xbox Series X – 1TB Digital Edition

Leaked court documents from the Microsoft vs. US FTC trial last year had claimed that the company was readying a digital version of the Xbox series X. Now, Microsoft has confirmed that an all-digital Xbox Series X is coming this year. The digital varitant of the console will come with 1TB SSD storage and will be available in the Robot White colourway (existing Series X models are only available in Carbon Black). The new variant will be priced at $449.99/EUR 499.99 ERP, lower than the disc version of the Series X, which comes in at $499.99.

The all-digital Xbox Series X will be available in the Robot White colourway
Photo Credit: Microsoft

Xbox Series X – 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition

Microsoft is also launching a special edition of the Xbox Series X in a striking new Galaxy Black colourway with expanded 2TB storage. The console design features a silver, grey, and green celestial effect, with a black base colour and a green stand. The special edition console also comes with a matching Xbox wireless controller. The Galaxy Black Special Edition Xbox Series X will be available in limited quantities in select markets for $599.99/EUR 649.99 ERP.

The Galaxy Black special edition of Xbox Series X will be available in limited quantities
Photo Credit: Microsoft

Pre-orders for three new variants will begin soon, Microsoft said. The company will also share details on regional pricing and market availability in the coming months.

Microsoft came out with a packed Xbox Games Showcase 2024 on Sunday, bringing new reveals and updates on games from its first-party studios and third-party partners. The Xbox parent showed off games from Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, Xbox Game Studios and more. The showcase kicked off with a new campaign trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and concluded with a reveal for the next Gears of War title. Already announced titles like State of Decay 3, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Perfect Dark, Avowed and South of Midnight also received new trailers.

The Xbox Games Showcase aired two days after the Summer Game Fest and just a week after Sony held its State of Play live stream. In addition to first-party games, the showcase also featured trailers from third-party titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, Dragon Age: The Veilguard and more.

Microsoft also unveiled three new Xbox Series S/X variants, including an all-digital Xbox Series X. The Xbox Games showcase was also followed by a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct presentation. Here’s everything that was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase:

Gears of War: E-Day

The rumours came out to be true as Microsoft revealed the next Gears of War at the Xbox Games Showcase. Gears of War: E-Day, the next mainline game in the series, will be set 14 years before the original Gears of War, during Emergence Day. The game received a cinematic trailer, featuring in-game assets, and a new instrumental version of Gary Jules’ ‘Mad World,’ evoking the iconic 2006 Gears of War commercial. There’s no release window details available yet, but don’t expect E-Day to launch anytime soon.

Doom: The Dark Ages

Perhaps the highlight of the showcase was the reveal for the next mainline game in the Doom series. Doom: The Dark Ages takes a medieval approach to monster killing, putting the Doom Slayer in a dark fantasy setting. The epic trailer showed brutal moves, an insane skull-feeding gun and a bladed Shield Saw that flies off to cut down demons and returns to your hands like Thor’s hammer.

The Doom Slayer will also be able to utilise his Atlan mech against colossal demons and fly around on a cybernetic war dragon. Doom: The Dark Ages will arrive on Xbox Series S/X, PC and PS5 in 2025, with day-one release on Game Pass.

Perfect Dark

Perfect Dark received a first-look gameplay trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase, featuring first-person combat and parkour. Developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics and published by Xbox Game Studios, Perfect Dark reboot was first teased officially at The Game Awards 2020.

The new trailer showcases the game’s Cairo setting and its protagonist, Joanna Dark. The gameplay features close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, stealth, and smooth parkour traversal. Perfect Dark does not have a confirmed release date yet.

South of Midnight

Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, which was first revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2023, received a new trailer, showcasing third-person action-adventure gameplay. South of Midnight features a distinct art style and fantasy elements.

The trailer showed off the protagonist, Hazel, and her companion Catfish as they travel through a flooded wilderness and encounter magical beasts. Hazel can use her magic weaving powers in both combat and traversal. The game will be available on Xbox Series S/X and PC in 2025.

State of Decay 3

State of Decay 3 debuted a new trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase. The open-world zombie survival title will serve as a sequel to 2018’s State of Decay 2. Set years into the zombie apocalypse, the game tasks you with fighting the undead and reclaiming lost territories. There’s no official release date or window for State of Decay 3 yet.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

While the next Call of Duty received a dedicated Direct presentation after the Xbox Games Showcase, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was shown off with a campaign trailer at the showcase. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 6 is set in the early 1990s and will weave a thrilling story of espionage.

The trailer brings back familiar characters, blockbuster action and tight gunplay. The first-person shooter will arrive on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X on October 25, with day-one release on Game Pass.

Avowed

Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed received a new story trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase. The action-RPG, played from the first-person perspective, focusses on melee and magic combat. The game will be released on PC and Xbox Series S/X in 2024.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The Xbox Showcase featured a new trailer for MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, showing off new gameplay and story section from the game, featuring Indy chasing a mysterious artefact in the Himalayas. The game will arrive on PC and Xbox Series S/X later this year.

Here’s everything else that was announced or received an update at the Xbox Games Showcase:

• Age of Mythology: Retold (PC, Xbox Series S/X – Releasing September 4, pre-orders now live)
• Fable (PC, Xbox Series S/X – 2025)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (PC, Xbox Series S/X – Releasing November 19)
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ gameplay reveal (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – Releasing November 15)
• Atomfall (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5 – 2025)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5)
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – Fall 2024)
• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – Releasing July 18)
• FragPunk (PC, Xbox Series S/X – 2025)
• Life Is Strange: Double Exposure (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – Releasing October 29)
• Mecha Break (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – 2025)
• Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater gameplay (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – 2024)
• Mixtape (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – 2025)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PC, Xbox Series S/X – Releasing September 5)
• Winter Burrow (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X – Early 2025)
• Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PS5 – 2025)
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred expansion (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5 – Releasing October 8)
• Fallout 76 Skyline Valley expansion (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5 – Releasing June 6)
• Starfield Shattered Space expansion (PC, Xbox Series S/X – 2024)
• World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion, PC – Releasing August 26)