MakeUseOf's Best of Computex 2024 Awards

If there's any tech show that is unequivocally nerdy and technical, it has to be Computex. With the 2024 edition of the annual tech expo wrapped up, this is MakeUseOf's Best Tech of Computex 2024.

Intel's New Contender: Lunar Lake

Since Apple launched its in-house silicon in 2020, it's been clear that ARM chips are the way to go for delivering the best-performing and most efficient laptops. Since then, it feels like the industry has been trying to play catch-up, and more than ever, x86 systems for laptops were on their way out, but Intel disagrees.

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Following a major architectural shift with 2023's Meteor Lake chips, Lunar Lake brings even more significant advancements in performance, efficiency, and AI capabilities. Lunar Lake features a whole new system-on-chip design that triples the size and more than quadruples its NPU performance, massively boosting its on-chip AI processing potential. The CPU offers up to 14% faster performance at the same 5.1GHz clock speed, 50% more graphics performance, and up to 60% better battery life compared to its predecessor.

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Lunar Lake chips consist of up to four new "Lion Cove" performance cores and four new "Skymont" efficiency cores. The E-cores are now more powerful and efficient, capable of running typical laptop tasks with up to 20% more single-threaded performance than last year's P-cores. This architecture eliminates hyper-threading, optimizing power and performance. Laptops like ASUS' new Expertbook P5 are the first to get it when it launches later this year.

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The more interesting addition to their announcement is the significantly upgraded AI capabilities of Lunar Lake, which triples the NPU hardware, doubles memory bandwidth, and increases clock speed. This results in up to 48 TOPS of AI acceleration and substantially faster processing for AI tasks. Intel says it's planning on bringing over 80 different laptop designs from 20 hardware partners and is expected to be available ahead of the 2024 holiday period.

The Apple Killer: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite PCs

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips have redefined the mobile computing landscape, finally bringing the benefits of ARM processing to Windows 11. Its new processors power Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs, which promise excellent performance, power efficiency, and on-device AI experiences.

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Although Qualcomm launched its new laptop chips, it displayed its Snapdragon Dev Kit at Computex 2024, an eight-inch slimline mini PC reminiscent of a Mac Mini. The sleek machine is only available in black and reportedly ships for $900, but it comes with Snapdragon X Elite X100-00-1DE clocked at 4.3GHz, making it the most powerful of Qualcomm's new chips launched so far.

The Dev Kit also has a powerful integrated GPU, 32GB integrated LPDDR5x RAM, 512GB NVMe storage, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and all the other trimmings you'd expect. Interestingly, it ships with a whopper of a power brick: a 180W AC adapter, though the Dev Kit has a peak TDP of 80W, so it should be power efficient. Most importantly, the Snapdragon Dev Kit's NPU delivers up to 45 TOPs, so it fits into Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC specification.

The Snapdragon Dev Kit isn't really for home users, it has to said, but it absolutely shows what regular folks can expect from Qualcomm's new chips. PCs with Snapdragon X Elite chips are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping on June 18, 2024.

Best Gaming Laptop: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)

Computex 2024 wouldn't be Computex without talking about gaming laptops, and ASUS' latest ROG Zephyrus G16 stands out with its brand-new AI features and AMD's new Zen 5 hardware. The new Zephyrus G16 looks very similar to the recent Meteor Lake iteration launched just a couple of months ago, but at the heart of this Zephyrus G16 is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor.

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This chip features 12 cores, 24 threads, and a built-in AMD Ryzen AI XDNA 2 NPU that is capable of 50 TOPS of on-device AI performance; combined with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, it can deliver up to 321 TOPS of AI performance, making the Zephyrus G16 a powerhouse for gaming and AI-driven tasks, making it ideal for the slew of new AI features coming to Windows 11 for Copilot+ PCs.

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Aside from the new chip, this is the same great Zephyrus G16 with a relatively thin-and-light chassis and a customizable Slash Lighting array on the lid. It also packs a gorgeous 16-inch Nebula display, an OLED panel with a resolution of 2.5K, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification.

Best New Gaming Device: ASUS ROG Ally X

One of the most anticipated devices on the show floor was ASUS' ROG Ally X, an updated model of its ROG Ally handheld.

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The ROG Ally X is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and boasts an upgraded 1TB M.2 2280 SSD for ample storage and 24GB of LPDDR5-7500 RAM, ensuring plenty of memory for high-resolution textures and demanding games. The device also features an 80 Wh battery, doubling the capacity of its predecessor and allowing for extended gaming sessions without needing to recharge frequently.

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The updated chassis is also designed for improved ergonomics, which features more comfortable handles and better button placement than the previous generation. ASUS also says that the joysticks are now more durable, with a lifespan of five million cycles.

Best Concept: ASUS E-ink Lid Laptop

Finally, one of the coolest things shown at Computex was ASUS' E-ink Lid laptop concept. The ASUS E-ink Lid is an ASUS ROG G14 under the hood, but what sets it apart is its e-ink display laptop lid, which acts as a secondary screen for the user to change to whatever they want.

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The e-ink lid offers a unique way to change the way your laptop looks without having to add anything extra to it; ASUS' rationale behind the concept comes down to many people attaching stickers to the backs of their laptops, only to realize adhesive residue is left behind once they remove them.

The e-ink display is a color panel that only uses energy to change its current and lays static without any further power consumption, which, compared to the company's current LED strips and RGB additions to their ROG line, dramatically cuts back on unnecessary power draw.

I can see this being used to show notifications, calendar events, or artwork without opening your laptop, which is pretty cool.