Articles by Rael Hornby, Content Editor

Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.

Articles by: Rael Hornby

Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Display Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ) review photos

Best laptop docking stations in 2025: Our top Thunderbolt and USB docks to enhance your laptop

By Rael Hornby last updated 2 January 25

After testing and reviewing dozens of docking stations, here are our picks for the best docking stations in 2025 based on ports, power, performance, presentation, and price.

3D render of the iPhone SE 4 and iPad mini 7 based on information gathered from rumors and leaks. Two iPhone SE 4 smartphones sit on top of an iPad mini 7, one is facing up to show its display, the other is facing down to show its back and camera array.

The most impactful iPhone SE 4 change may be what's on the box, not what's in it

By Rael Hornby published 2 January 25

Could the iPhone 16E branding mean more reliable budget iPhone releases in the future?

Image of a white Valve Steam Deck limited edition handheld gaming PC.

Valve's SteamOS could be 2025's biggest winner, powering new VR and handheld gaming hardware

By Rael Hornby published 1 January 25

This year could see Valve's Linux-based operating system come into its own and feature on a range of first and third-party hardware.

Laptop Mag's Biggest AI Moments in 2024 image showing various leaders in the AI industry in a punk-pop-art scrapbook art style on a colorful pastel background.

The 24 biggest AI moments of 2024: A Laptop Mag countdown

By Rael Hornby, Stevie Bonifield last updated 31 December 24

A curated series of events that defined AI’s impact this year — and possibly in the years to come.

Latest Switch 2 rumor may reveal when gamers can claim Nintendo's next-gen handheld

By Rael Hornby published 31 December 24

A fresh report claims we will see the Switch 2 in March 2025, but is it likely?

The Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3s headsets sitting on a couch and coffee table with two pairs of controllers

VR headsets are mainstream, and I'm tired of pretending they're not

By Rael Hornby published 30 December 24

From Meta Quest to Vision Pro, VR and mixed reality headsets have more than earned their place in the limelight of the mainstream.

What to expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025: Galaxy Ring 2, Project Moohan, Galaxy S25-Series, and Galaxy AI

By Rael Hornby published 27 December 24

Everything we expect, and hope, to see during Samsung's January 2025 Galaxy Unpacked showcase.

Pimax seems confident in its Vision Pro-like Dream Air VR headset. Me? Not so much

By Rael Hornby published 26 December 24

Pimax's latest VR headset looks to be a real premium challenger to Apple's Vision Pro and Samsung's Project Moohan. But can the company deliver?

Sam Altman asked ChatGPT users what they want to see in 2025, and dropped some clues about what to expect

By Rael Hornby published 26 December 24

OpenAI's CEO took to X to hear what people want from ChatGPT in 2025, and his replies are full of clues about what to expect.

Asus Zenbook floating above a stack of older model Zenbooks.

Asus to unveil the world's lightest Copilot+ PC next month at CES 2025

By Rael Hornby published 23 December 24

Asus is bringing the ultra-thin-and-light magic of the Zenbook to Copilot+ PCs next year.

TP-Link routers targeted by Chinese state-sponsored cyber attacks

TP-Link routers may face nationwide ban after 'significantly alarming' link to US cyberattacks

By Rael Hornby published 20 December 24

An investigation into TP-Link could see the company's routers banned in the US.

New ChatGPT feature makes every phone an AI phone (even the dumb ones)

By Rael Hornby published 19 December 24

The ChatGPT hotline is open and offers new ways users can interact with OpenAI's chatbot.

A week on, Google's Android XR is stealing the VR/AR spotlight from Meta

By Rael Hornby published 18 December 24

Android XR is proving popular with software developers and hardware makers.

Two podcast hosts sat at a table, both are showing a glitch effect indicating that they are digital or virtual elements in the frame

My favorite AI tool of the year isn't ChatGPT. It's better.

By Rael Hornby published 17 December 24

Most people would say their favorite AI tool in 2024 is ChatGPT by far, but not me. I've got something even better.

Apple's rumored giant foldable iPad will blur the lines between tablet and MacBook

By Rael Hornby published 16 December 24

Is Apple planning an iPad big enough to fit a MacBook's boots?

Project Moohan headset featuring Samsung hardware, Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon, and Google's new Android XR platform.

Samsung's Moohan mixed reality headset eyes the Vision Pro, but should be targeting Meta Quest 3 and 3S

By Rael Hornby published 13 December 24

Project Moohan is revealed, but does Samsung have the wrong headset in its crosshairs?

macOS Sequoia code lets slip a huge MacBook Air reveal set for 2025

By Rael Hornby published 12 December 24

Oops! References to new M4-powered MacBook Air models have been found within Apple's latest macOS Sequoia 15.2 release, and they look set to arrive soon.

A still from an AI generated video, created by OpenAI's Sora text-to-video model, showing a retro futuristic astronaut.

I'm more worried about OpenAI's text-to-video model, Sora, damaging my wallet than Hollywood's

By Rael Hornby published 11 December 24

OpenAI releases its text-to-video tool Sora in the US, but you'll need to pay up if you have your sights set on serious content creation.

My favorite ChatGPT-powered smart glasses just got a massive upgrade

By Rael Hornby published 10 December 24

My favorite ChatGPT-powered smart glasses return with a multimodal twist and a host of AI copilots to choose from.

Meta Quest 3 VR/AR headset next to a Keychron Q1 HE keyboard

Don't cry for HoloLens, Meta keeps spatial computing alive on Windows 11 with new Quest 3 update

By Rael Hornby published 10 December 24

Meta's latest Horizon OS v72 update lets you Remote Desktop to your Windows 11 PC, simply by looking at it.

Microsoft Surface devices with Copilot AI keyboard

Microsoft Surface laptops to return in early 2025 with a surprise new addition, says report

By Rael Hornby published 9 December 24

Intel on Microsoft's Lunar Lake-powered Surface devices revealed

Side view of XREAL One and One Pro AR glasses

New XREAL One 3DoF AR glasses show that while Meta talks, XREAL walks

By Rael Hornby published 5 December 24

The facial computing era is shifting into full gear with XREAL's latest AR smart glasses.

16-inch HP Envy x360 2-in-1 laptop with Intel and AMD processor badges on a blue backdrop with the Laptop Mag 'Epic Deals' badge in the top right corner.

Relive Cyber Monday and save $450 on this awesome 16-inch HP Envy x360 2-in-1 laptop at Best Buy

By Rael Hornby published 4 December 24

Grab the HP Envy x360 16 2-in-1 laptop in AMD or Intel configurations for as little as $649

This 16-inch OLED 2-in-1 laptop with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage is $568 off in extended Cyber Monday sale

By Rael Hornby last updated 3 December 24

Cyber Monday Grab the AI-enabled LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 for only $1,531 for a limited time.

Samsung may debut an all-new product during January's Galaxy Unpacked event

By Rael Hornby published 3 December 24

Are we finally about to see Samsung's smart glasses in full?

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