PC Magazine - October 2020

In this issue

After a decade of testing 3G and 4G wireless networks, this year we drove around 26 US cities amid a pandemic to determine whether 5G is ready for prime time. Find out which carrier's network is fastest where you live, and whether it's time to upgrade. Plus news, reviews, tips and how-tos, and expert analysis.

Intel Launches 11th Generation Core ‘Tiger Lake' Laptop Processors

Intel’s next-generation Tiger Lake processors, unveiled this week, will bring refined artificial intelligence processing and dramatically improved graphics performance to new premium ultraportable laptops this fall.

4 mins

Intel ‘Iris Xe' Is Here: 5 Ways Intel's Powerful New Integrated Graphics Will Change Laptops

In early September, Intel pulled back the curtain on its 11th generation of mobile processors, known by the code name “Tiger Lake.” The first chips will appear as members of the long-running U-series of processors, designed for mainstream and ultraportable laptops.

9 mins

Motorola Razr 5G: A Huge Improvement

Motorola revolutionized the mobile phone industry in 2004 when it launched the Razr. Almost overnight, the sleek clamshell phone became a status symbol and gained a dedicated following until Apple’s iPhone and a host of other smartphones hit the market.

9 mins

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1: Affordable and Fun

The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 is as simple—and fun—to use as any other Instax camera. It’s a pure point-and-shoot, easy enough to pass off to a friend for a snapshot, and its wide-angle lens makes for solid selfies. If you’re looking for a square-format instant camera and are more of a snapshooter than artiste, the SQ1 instant camera will have loads of appeal for you. And it’s our Editors’ Choice.

5 mins

Microsoft Surface Duo: Not Entirely Successful

The Microsoft Surface popularized a new category: the 2-in-1 PC. Now the company is hoping to do the same thing on a smaller scale with the Surface Duo, a phone-tablet that tries to enable those multitasking, productive workflows that never quite happen on your single-screen handset.

10+ mins

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s: A Mostly Spectacular Success

The ThinkPad T series has been Lenovo’s quintessential bread-and-butter business laptop for years, offered in both Intel and AMD flavors in models landing both above and below the 3-pound mark.

7 mins

Asus VivoBook Flip 14: Raw CPU Performance

The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is an all-around capable convertible laptop powered by AMD. The Ryzen 7 processor in our test model is the laptop’s best feature, delivering better performance than its competitors.

9 mins

ECS Liva Z3 Plus: Affordable Mini PC

The ECS Liva Z3 Plus may not look like much of a system, but packed inside this not-quite-palm-size device is a Core i5 desktop capable of running office tasks with ease.

10 mins

Spellbreak (for PC): Engaging (and Free) Battle Royale

I don’t like fantasy. Game of Thrones? Lord of the Rings? World of Warcraft? Nope, not for me. I also don’t like battle royale games. Whether it’s the realism of PUBG or the wackiness of Fortnite, I find games where you compete to be the last one standing more boring than tense. So how did Spellbreak, a game whose whole hook is being a fantasy battle royale, become one of my favorite PC game surprises of the year? Ironically, by using the creative potential of the fantasy genre, it breathes new life into the tired battle royale formula.

6 mins

DO UV LIGHT PHONE SANITIZERS REALLY WORK?

The best ways to protect yourself against COVID-19 and other contagious illnesses include frequent hand washing, social distancing, and using appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks.

6 mins

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PC Magazine provides lab-tested reviews, detailed how-to guides, tips and tricks, and the latest tech trends to help you at work, home, and on the road.