Dell 14 Top rate, Framework Desktop, Sony Theater Bar 6 and extra by means of NewsFlicks

With a barrage of recent Apple and Google units across the nook, our opinions workforce is clearing their desks of recent merchandise prior to the pre-fall deluge starts. There is a well-rounded mixture of in-depth checking out this time round, together with an in depth preview of watchOS 26 and extra VPN trials. Kick off the weekend by means of catching up on all the opinions it’s possible you’ll’ve ignored over the previous few weeks from Engadget.

Dell 14 Top rate

Dell / Engadget

Whilst Dell rebranded the XPS 14 with a brand new and admittedly worse title, it is nonetheless each bit the world-class Home windows pc that its predecessors had been.

Execs

• Swish design
• Brilliant not obligatory OLED show
• Forged efficiency
• Large touchpad

Cons

• Divisive capacitive contact buttons
• Not obligatory discrete GPU is one technology previous

$1,500 at Dell

Whilst we are nonetheless looking to wrap our heads round Dell’s naming scheme choice, the corporate continues to churn out new units. The most recent to go senior opinions creator Sam Rutherford’s table was once the Dell 14 Top rate. It’s possible you’ll keep in mind this fashion because the XPS 14, and consistent with Sam, Dell retained “the DNA” that made earlier variations one of the vital perfect pocket book PCs you must purchase. “Even with a brand new and fairly uninspired title, it more than likely mustn’t come as a marvel that the Dell 14 Top rate stays one of the crucial perfect Home windows laptops available on the market,” he mentioned. “It has the similar graceful design from again when it was once nonetheless referred to as the XPS 14 however with some refreshed specifications and parts for 2025.”

Framework Desktop (2025)

Engadget

Framework’s first desktop is robust and environment friendly. However it’s now not as modular, or repairable as a typical PC.

Execs

• Tough APU
• Small and environment friendly
• Simple to arrange and use
• Appropriate with different Mini-ITX circumstances

Cons

• APU and RAM are soldered to the mainboard
• No repairability

$1,099 at Framework

Framework is understood for its modular, repairable laptops, however the corporate has now attempted its hand at bringing the similar components to a desktop. Sadly, the primary strive is not just about as modular or repairable as a typical PC, consistent with senior editor Daniel Cooper. “Framework was once open concerning the truth this was once one thing corresponding to a facet mission, outdoor its common remit to construct modular laptops, in accordance with a specifically thrilling chip,” he defined. “So whilst I believe the all-in-one way is a backward step in comparison to common PCs, I am getting the explanation for doing so right here.”

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6

Sony

Sony’s midrange soundbar provides spectacular audio that pushes the boundaries of its 3.1.2-channel configuration. Then again, the loss of Wi-Fi leaves primary options off the spec sheet.

Execs

• Blank, low-profile design
• Complete sound with nice readability
• Devoted heart speaker for enhanced discussion

Cons

• Doesn’t make stronger AirPlay, Chromecast or Spotify Attach
• Subwoofer is a little hefty
• Updates require putting a thumb power

$548 at Macy’s

This 12 months’s crop of soundbars after all arrived over the summer time, so I have been spending a variety of time with house theater audio system just lately. The most recent was once the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, a soundbar/subwoofer combo that sits in the course of the corporate’s present lineup. In spite of nice sound and discussion efficiency, the caveats listed below are actual dealbreakers. “The loss of Wi-Fi on a $650 soundbar is absurd, most commonly as it strips customers of the ease of AirPlay, Chromecast and different wi-fi connection choices,” I wrote. “I may also’t recover from the wish to use a thumb power for updates when OTA downloads for brand spanking new firmware were the norm on soundbars for years.”

Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Charisma Version

Lenovo / Engadget

The ThinkPad X9-14 Charisma Version is Lenovo’s latest trade pc gunning for the X1 Carbon’s throne with its ultraportable design, surprising show, and lengthy battery existence. However a tender keyboard and loss of USB-A port grasp it again.

Execs

• Swish, ultraportable design
• Beautiful OLED display screen
• Smartly-rounded audio system
• Forged efficiency for informal use
• Lengthy battery existence

Cons

• No USB Sort-A port
• Soft keyboard
• Expensive for the specifications

$1,090 at Lenovo

Lenovo’s ThinkPads are well-liked place of job laptops, and the X9-14 is the most recent in a protracted line of commercial machines. Contributing creator Rami Tabari explains that this fashion provides a large number of the qualities that make ThinkPads nice, however the fee, low-power CPU and subpar keyboard depart one thing to be desired. “I will’t justify the common client paying $1,283 for the ThinkPad X9-14 with specifications you’d to find in laptops that price loads of bucks much less (minus the RAM, after all),” he famous. “For small trade homeowners, I like to recommend looking forward to a sale or imagine a trade pc advertised extra towards you (once more, the ASUS ExpertBook P5 (P5405) is a smart selection).”

watchOS 26 preview and Norton VPN overview

We are temporarily coming near the coming of a brand new set of Apple Watches, so senior purchasing recommendation reporter Amy Skorheim spent two weeks with the approaching model of watchOS. Her favourite new options are the AI exercise spouse and added gesture, however she defined that it is the little issues that make this annual overhaul profitable.

In the meantime, senior creator Sam Chapman returned to the land of VPNs to check Norton’s model as a standalone app. Whilst this carrier is not essentially unhealthy, it additionally does not be offering sufficient to upward thrust above the heap that comes with ExpressVPN, Surfshark and others. “After per week of running with Norton VPN, I’ve to conclude that the one method it distinguishes itself is the Norton title,” he mentioned. “For the entirety else it does, a competitor does it higher.”