We went into Computex 2019 with high hopes for innovative products and we were not disappointed. During our time in Taipei, we met with many vendors and saw lots of great products, from laptops to peripherals to the components that power these new devices.
It’s clear that dual screens are the next big thing, along with 5G connectivity. And thanks to Nvidia, it seems a new class of laptop is on the horizon. Without further ado, here are the top products from Computex 2019.
Best Laptop: Asus ZenBook Pro Duo
What's old is new again thanks to Asus. The company is ushering in the second wave of dual-screen laptops in grand fashion with the launch of the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo. Nestled within Asus' typically beautiful aluminum chassis rests a traditional 15.6-inch touch screen and a 14-inch second panel dubbed ScreenPad Plus. Armed with an Intel Core i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU, this laptop is targeting creative professionals and gamers alike, offering power and a level of multitasking we didn't know we wanted or needed.
Best Gaming Laptop: MSI GT76 Titan
MSI's latest Titan, the GT76, is unlike any laptop you've seen before from the company, and packing a hell of a lot of power to boot. At long last, MSI is taking a decisive step away from the black-and-red motif that far too many gaming laptops have adopted, turning to a silver aluminum lid with a black plastic undercarriage. But the interior of the GT76 is just as interesting. Thanks to the company's tried-and-true kitchen-sink approach, this silvery beast packs a desktop Intel Core i9 CPU and a full Nvidia RTX 2080 GPU with plenty of room left for massive amounts of storage.
Best Innovation: Project Limitless 5G Laptop
5G isn't just coming to smartphones: you'll be able to experience blisteringly fast network speeds on laptops, too. Qualcomm and Lenovo are teaming up to create a 5G notebook. Called "Project Limitless," the system is in its prototype stages but is expected to be released early next year. Using a Snapdragon 8cx processor and a Snapdragon x55 5G modem, the Yoga-like device can hit 7GBps transfer speeds. Better yet, Qualcomm is promising multi-day battery life from future 5G-enabled PCs.
Best Workstation: HP ZBook 17 G6
Say hello to the new king of workstations, the HP ZBook 17 G6. And judging by the specs, it's going to take a lot to even attempt to dethrone this system. Inside the unassuming dark- gray aluminum chassis lies an 8-core Intel Xeon chip and an Nvidia Quadro 5000 GPU. If that weren't enough, you can fit up to 128GB of RAM in this bad boy and a whopping 10TB of storage. Plus the screen has a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, which means breathtaking vistas every time. And if you if you ever feel the need to swap out some of that RAM and storage, you can access both chambers via the easy access panels on the bottom of the system. In short, all hail the king.
Best Laptop for Creators: Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED
Is it a gaming laptop? Is it a system for creators? It's both. One of the 17 new laptops with the Nvidia RTX Studio designation, the Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED is lean and mean with an unbelievable screen. Sporting a sexy new design, Gigabyte is ready to play with the big boys in style. You'd never believe that this 4.7-pound, 0.8-inch-thick beauty is housing a 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU. Don't need quite that much power? Just crank it down to a Core i7 and a Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti GPU. But specs aside, the true star of the show is the 4K AMOLED screen that delivers hypnotic blacks and explosive color. Whether you're gaming or creating blockbusters, the Aero 15 OLED can do it all.
Best 2-in-1: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
With the updated XPS 13 2-in-1, customers can get everything we love about the brilliant XPS 13 but with the flexibility of a convertible chassis. Packing 10th Gen Intel U-series CPUs, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is expected to offer 2.5 times the performance over its Y-series-powered predecessor. Dell was somehow able to add all that power while making the XPS 13 2-in-1 even thinner. But the improvements don't end there: the new convertible model has a larger, 13.4-inch display (with a 16:10 aspect ratio), Eyesafe tech for reducing harmful blue light, and a webcam located in the correct location, above the display.
Best Accessory: Asus ROG Strix XG17
Asus wants gamers to be competitive, even when they're playing on the road. Enter the ROG Strix XG17, the world's first portable gaming monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate for supersmooth gameplay. The 17.3-inch, 1080p IPS display also has a fast 3-millisecond response time and viewing angles as wide as 178 degrees. Despite being less than half an inch thick, the ROG Strix XG17 has built-in speakers and a battery that will last for two hours on a charge.
Best Concept: Intel Dual-Screen Laptops
Intel doesn't release its own laptops; instead, the chipmaker creates bizarre concepts that demonstrate the innovations enabled by its CPUs. The prototypes Intel showed off at Computex are the most ambitious yet. Named Honeycomb Glacier and Twin Lake, these jaw-dropping devices feature two displays. On the gaming front, Honeycomb Glacier uses a novel mechanism that lets you adjust the angle of a secondary 12.3-inch display, which sits below a primary, 15.6-inch, 1080p panel. For everyday consumers, Intel's Twin Lake is a dual-screen laptop that is made out of fabric and has two 12.3-inch, 1080p displays.
Credit: Laptop Mag
