We often talk about how great laptops and mini PCs can be, but we still love all-in-one desktop PCs, too! They’re great if you need lots of power in a home office machine that doesn’t need to be taken with you on the go. A solid all-in-one can handle almost everything you throw at it—all but the most resource-intensive tasks—and right now you can get one by HP for just $1,349 at B&H. That’s a massive $560 off! View this crazy PC deal It’s called the HP OmniStudio X and it’s a dazzler. What are you getting for that much dough? Let’s start with the most obvious bit: a massive 31.5-inch IPS screen with a high-def 4K resolution, easy-on-the-eyes anti-glare coating, and 550 nits of brightness for comfort even in the brightest of rooms. It’s a beautiful display that’ll serve you well whether you’re working, browsing, or watching videos. The system is powered by a 2024-era Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor that’s more than powerful enough for everyday tasks. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM—that’s the minimum we’d recommend for Windows 11—and an above-average spacious 2TB SSD. All of that means smooth and responsive operation, quick startups and app launches, with plenty of room for all your apps, files, photos, videos, and more. This system doesn’t strike out when it comes to connectivity, either. The HP OmniStudio X supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and features multiple ports including dual HDMI, dual USB-C, and quadruple USB-A. Additional features include a pop-up 4K webcam for ultra-clarity during your Zoom calls, making it an ideal hub for remote work. It also comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, so it’s ready right out of the box. The HP OmniStudio X was honestly overpriced at its original $1,910… but it’s a singing deal now that it’s $560 off. Score it now for just $1,349 at B&H and enjoy six months of BitDefender Total Security for up to 5 devices included free of charge! It`s packing an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB of storageBuy this HP all-in-one PC via B&H Read...

We’re spoilt for features in gaming mice these days. Flawless sensors, optical switches, and barely there lightweight chassis are the name of the game and these features never cease to impress me when I open a new gaming mouse box. But as fancy as they are, there’s only one key feature that I look for time and time again, and if a mouse doesn’t have it, it’s a big disappointment. What is it? It’s a tall hump on the back of the mouse. Let me explain why this feature is so important. The main benefit here is support for the hand and the wrist. In a nutshell the hump supports the hand and prevents friction between your wrist and the tabletop. But it also aids performance. The hump comes in most contact with your palm, so it becomes the central point through which you can drive the mouse’s movement. Because of that, mice with humps usually allow for ultra-fine precision control. You can move and counter-move without moving your hand much at all. Where the hump is located is crucial to get right when it comes to the different types of mouse grips, though. If the hump is in the wrong position, you risk getting a sore wrist. Pexels: Atahan Demir Mice with humps towards their back end like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 and Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro favor palm grippers. These mice provide wrists with plenty of lift off of a tabletop allowing you to swipe and glide with minimal friction. Because your wrist is elevated, it’s less likely to get sore. Mice with more centrally located humps, however, are better suited to claw grippers who curl their hands over the front end. You can find this kind of hump in mice like the Alienware Pro Wireless and Corsair M75 Air Wireless. In these mice the back end falls away more steeply, which isn’t suitable for palm grippers, but fine for claw grippers that have most contact with the front half of the mouse. Avoiding injury, therefore, is about getting a mouse with a hump in the right place for your grip type — a hump towards the back end for palm grippers and a hump more centrally located for claw grippers. That’s mice with humps covered. There are gaming mice without large humps and quite flat designs. These mice lack the central spot to drive movement and require more hand contact for control. That means the precision control isn’t there. Without support there’s more contact between your wrist and the tabletop which can lead to a sore wrist, too. Because of that, you’ll want to avoid these mice at all costs. So, if you’re after a new gaming mouse, do yourself a favor and get one with a large hump on the back. Your wrist will thank you for the extra support and your gaming will be better for it. Related content Ergonomic mice feel great, but are they any good for gaming? Why most pro gamers use a claw grip with gaming mice How to tell if a gaming mouse will give you a sore wrist Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Innovative concept High-quality workmanship and materials 8,000 hertz polling rate Hot-swap sockets (3- and 5-pin) Removable wrist rest Cons High price No dedicated (but switchable) numpad Requires a lot of space Wired only Our Verdict The Corsair Galleon 100 SD is a high-quality, all-in-one gaming keyboard with integrated Stream Deck features, excellent typing performance, and versatile controls, but it’s bulky, wired, and best suited for users who will actually use its many extra functions. Price when reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Corsair Galleon 100 SD Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices With the Galleon 100 SD, Corsair is trying something new: for the first time, a mechanical keyboard integrates Elgato’s Stream Deck technology. The result is a full-size gaming keyboard that replaces the number pad with 12 freely assignable LCD keys, two rotary controls, and a 5-inch display. The concept is aimed at gamers, streamers, and creative professionals alike–in other words, anyone who needs comprehensive control and information at a glance while gaming, producing, or live streaming, without taking their hands off the keyboard. Our test report clarifies whether this innovative hybrid input device lives up to those expectations and justifies its price of $349.99. Friedrich Stiemer Corsair Galleon 100 SD: Design and workmanship At first glance, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD makes a solid impression. The housing is made of milled aluminum (CNC metal) and weighs in at a considerable 3.08 pounds, ensuring that the keyboard sits firmly on the desk. Corsair uses black PBT double-shot keycaps, which promise durability and abrasion-resistant lettering–a quality feature that’s appreciated in professional environments. Visually, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD combines classic gaming elements such as per-key RGB lighting and a discreet light bar (“mood bar”) along the upper edge of the housing with the eye-catching Stream Deck module on the right-hand side. An ergonomic palm rest with memory foam padding attaches magnetically, significantly improving long-term comfort. Corsair’s layout decisions are likely to spark discussion. Where the number pad would normally be located, the Stream Deck unit now takes pride of place, meaning the number pad has been completely omitted. Standard keys such as the arrow and navigation blocks, on the other hand, remain in their usual places. For many gamers, a keyboard without a numpad is nothing unusual, but typists will have to rethink their approach. Although the 12 LCD keys can be assigned as a numeric keypad when needed, for example, for entering numbers in Excel, this remains only a limited substitute for a physical numpad. In addition, some users may find the placement of the macro keys on the right-hand side to be a potential design disadvantage. In the heat of the moment, you have to take your right hand off the mouse to reach them. Standard gaming keyboards tend to place additional macro keys on the left-hand side, where they can be accessed with the keyboard hand. Friedrich Stiemer However, Corsair argues that the Stream Deck keys are integrated “within natural reach” and were designed as part of the keyboard from the outset. In practice, this will depend heavily on the user: right-handed users who use the mouse may find reaching the display keys on the right awkward, while streamers can easily access them with their left hand during breaks. Ultimately, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD impresses with its first-class workmanship and thoughtful design, which doesn’t feel overloaded despite the many extras. Rather, the keyboard stands out as an eye-catching feature on the desk. Corsair Galleon 100 SD: Technology and features The heart of the Corsair Galleon 100 SD is undeniably its full-fledged Stream Deck integration. A total of 12 freely programmable buttons with small LCD displays allow you to trigger complex actions, launch applications, or switch entire profile sets at the touch of a button. Sitting above the 3×4 key matrix is a five-inch (12.7 cm) color display with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels. The mini screen is topped by two multifunctional rotary controls with pressure function, which can be used as volume controls, media control, or creative fine adjustments. This entire control unit is seamlessly embedded in the keyboard, making separate macro pads or external Stream Deck devices virtually redundant. Particularly elegant is the fact that each LCD button adapts in real time to the active application or game, dynamically displaying user-defined icons or text. This effectively turns the buttons into next-generation macro keys, similar to those already familiar from Corsair’s Elgato Stream Deck product lineup. Friedrich Stiemer An entire article could be devoted to the possibilities offered by the Stream Deck keyboard combination. The range of applications is enormous: in games, predefined profiles allow you to trigger special abilities, use inventory shortcuts, or start complex command chains (“multi-actions”) at the touch of a button, without having to open menus or memorize cryptic hotkeys. Ready-made profiles and icons are already available for many popular games in the Elgato Marketplace. But the Galleon module also has a lot to offer beyond gaming: it can be used to control Spotify, operate chats or messengers, and accelerate creative workflows. Meanwhile, the integrated display provides helpful real-time information. For example, system monitoring data such as CPU/GPU load and temperatures, audio levels, or even the weather. Streamers will also appreciate having chat messages, Twitch status, timers, or viewer counts directly on the keyboard in their peripheral vision, eliminating the need to constantly look at a second monitor. Overall, Corsair’s approach is to minimize context switching: all important commands and information should be where “your hands and eyes belong,” namely on the keyboard. Corsair Galleon 100 SD: High-end technology and mechanical switches Of course, all this would be of little value if the basics weren’t done right. But the manufacturer also positions the Corsair Galleon 100 SD as an uncompromising high-end gaming keyboard. Inside, the in-house Axon chip with hyper-polling up to 8,000 hertz is at work, which, according to the manufacturer, forwards inputs to the PC up to eight times faster than standard keyboards with 1,000 hertz. Professional gamers benefit from ultra-low latency and FlashTap SOCD technology, which ensures that when opposite direction keys are pressed simultaneously, the last direction pressed is always prioritized. In plain terms, this allows for more precise movement such as lightning-fast counter-straffing in shooters without inputs blocking each other. N-key rollover with 100 percent anti-ghosting is also included, ensuring that any number of simultaneous keystrokes are reliably recognized. Friedrich Stiemer Corsair uses MLX Pulse switches. These linear mechanical switches actuate after just two millimeters and require only about 45 grams of force, giving them as a smooth feel similar to Cherry MX Red switches–exciting for enthusiasts! The switches are pre-lubricated from the factor, ensuring a smooth typing experience without scratchiness. They are also designed to offer a deliberately “thocky” sound profile, i.e. a rich, duller keystroke instead of the usual high-pitched click. To further suppress annoying ping noises, the entire key matrix rests on gaskets and six layers of sound-absorbing foam. In practice, this results in an extremely high-quality typing experience: each keystroke sounds muffled and full, while the keyboard remains highly responsive. Friedrich Stiemer Those who prefer to use their own switches in the Corsair Galleon 100 SD can swap the MLX Pulse for other 3- or 5-pin switches at any time thanks to hot-swap sockets – Corsair has also thought of the DIY community here. The technical features are rounded off by a detachable, sleeved USB-C cable (1.8 meters) and a USB pass-through port in the form of an easily accessible USB-C socket on the keyboard. This allows you to conveniently connect a headset, gamepad, or USB stick to the front without having to crawl under your desk. However, the Galleon 100 SD is a purely wired gaming keyboard. Given the power-hungry displays and 8 kHz technology, Corsair has consistently opted against wireless, which we find understandable for this device concept. Friedrich Stiemer Corsair Galleon 100 SD: Software As innovative as the hardware is, the software approach of the Corsair Galleon 100 SD is equally unusual. Surprisingly, the keyboard does not support the usual Corsair iCUE software; instead, two alternative solutions are employed. Corsair has developed a new web application called “Corsair Web Hub” for all classic keyboard functions (lighting, macros, profiles, polling rate, etc.). This is a browser-based configuration tool that requires no installation and accesses the keyboard directly when needed. Changes to lighting or key assignments are set via the web interface and then stored on the Galleon’s 8-megabyte onboard memory. The advantage? No permanent background software is required after setup. Web Hub can be closed, yet the settings remain in the device and even continue to function on another PC. We were able to easily adjust the RGB color for each key in Web Hub, define effects, and deactivate the Windows key in game mode. Macro recording and special features, such as the FlashTap SOCD settings, can also be adjusted through the Hub. Corsair’s approach of conserving system resources while still allowing extensive personalization is fundamentally commendable. Friedrich Stiemer The downside is that Elgato’s Stream Deck app must be running in parallel for the Stream Deck functions to work. The LCD buttons and display are configured entirely via the established Stream Deck software, including drag-and-drop assignment of actions, installation of plug-ins from the Marketplace, and management of profile pages. In principle, Galleon owners get the same powerful range of functions here as with a separate Stream Deck. However, the separation of the software is likely to be a thorn in the side of many Corsair fans: the recently released Corsair Vanguard keyboard (which pursued a similar special concept) was already criticized for fragmenting Corsair’s ecosystem. Users note that it’s “stupid to have to install a second piece of software just for the display.” Others ask in frustration whether Corsair is giving up on iCUE, as this is now the second product to be released without iCUE support. The fact remains that lighting synchronization or central control with other Corsair devices via iCUE is not possible with the Galleon 100 SD. If you want to control your Corsair mouse, headset, or PC lighting in sync with your keyboard, separate solutions must be used for the time being. Corsair could address this shortcoming in the future by integrating the systems more closely. For example, an iCUE plug-in that displays basic information on the keyboard display, similar to what the external iCUE Nexus display offers, would be desirable. Friedrich Stiemer On a positive note, Corsair does not require a user account or cloud access thanks to Web Hub. The settings remain local and the tool is very resource-efficient. Streamers and power users will appreciate the established Stream Deck software workflow anyway, as it offers an unrivalled range of options in its category such as plug-ins for Twitch, OBS Studio, YouTube, Discord, Philips Hue, and many other apps. In everyday use, however, this means that the Corsair Galleon 100 SD requires some initial configuration effort, as two interfaces have to be used. But once you’ve set up your profiles and settings, everything runs reliably. Thanks to onboard memory, the keyboard even starts in hardware mode with a basic profile on a foreign computer, and the Stream Deck app can automatically load profiles as needed once it’s running. Overall, Corsair’s software strategy for the Galleon 100 SD is unconventional, but it reflects the company’s focus on delivering performance without unnecessary overhead and on leveraging proven software (Elgato) rather than pushing iCUE onto the new hybrid concept. Corsair Galleon 100 SD: Gaming, streaming, and productivity In everyday use, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD proves to be a real all-rounder. For gamers, it offers everything you would expect from a modern premium keyboard: precise, responsive keystrokes, no ghosting or input lag, and, thanks to its solid construction, a stable foundation even when gameplay gets intense. The new features fit surprisingly organically into the gameplay. Take MMORPGs or MOBAs, for example: instead of memorizing complex keyboard shortcuts, you can simply assign potions, skill combos, or chat messages to the LCD keys and see the corresponding icon at a glance. Ready-made profile presets for many games make it easy to get started–for instance, you can operate instrument buttons in Flight Simulator or purchase equipment kits in Counter-Strike at the touch of a button without leaving the main game. We immediately triggered healing in a battle royale game using the Stream Deck button, giving us a slight time advantage by bypassing the inventory menu. Switching between game-specific lighting profiles (such as highlighting the WASD keys) also worked flawlessly via Web Hub and was clearly indicated on the display. Friedrich Stiemer The strengths are even more evident in everyday streaming. Here, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD transforms into a full-fledged studio deck: press two or three buttons, and the intro sequence starts, the microphone goes live, and the facecam fades in. During the stream, you can use the controls to mix the sound or switch between scenes without ever moving your fingers far from WASD or the chat keyboard. The small display is especially helpful, allowing us to constantly keep an eye on our live chat and viewer numbers. This made it easy to notice new questions in the chat and respond without taking our eyes off the game. Another practical feature: system resource indicators on the keyboard informed us if GPU usage became critical while streaming. A quick glance was all it took. For streamers who frequently switch between the game and streaming tools with Alt-Tab, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD provides noticeable relief and saves time. Everything is at your fingertips, as the keyboard becomes the command center for the entire live session. But the Galleon 100 SD also shines in productive workflows. In video and image editing programs, for example, we assigned important shortcuts to the LCD keys: a single press could control tools in Photoshop or start an export process in Adobe Premiere, among other things. The rotary knobs are ideal for continuous zooming on timelines or scrolling through long documents. If you make a lot of calls from your home office, a key can be assigned to mute your microphone in Teams or Zoom, with a red status indicator on the LCD key. Friedrich Stiemer For music lovers and frequent listeners, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD offers complete media control: skip tracks, fine-tune the volume, play and pause–all without reaching for the mouse. Even classic office users benefit. A Stream Deck plug-in, for example, can be used to execute predefined macros in Excel at the touch of a button or to control presentations in PowerPoint. In short, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD can increase productivity if you’re willing to adapt your working environment a little. Of course, there are also use cases where the Galleon concept reaches its limits. For example, anyone who spends hours every day hammering away at columns of numbers in spreadsheets will miss the real number pad, as the virtual number keys are only a makeshift solution here since you first have to switch to a suitable profile. In addition, it takes a little getting used to at first to exploit the full potential of the many extra control options. However, once you have set up your personal workflow, many things are much smoother than with separate devices or pure software control. In the test run, after a short time we couldn’t work without the additional displays and buttons, because you quickly get used to the luxury of having everything under control. The typing and writing performance of the Corsair Galleon 100 SD itself is excellent. The MLX switches feel linear and very smooth; thanks to the factory lubrication, there is no scratching or jumping. The muffled typing noise is striking: a rich “thock” with every keystroke, far removed from the sharp click of a blue switch or the hollow echo of some cheaper keyboards. Colleagues in the room found typing on it to be much more pleasant than on conventional gaming keyboards. Corsair’s efforts with seals and foam have paid off here. At the same time, we also registered every keystroke precisely, even in hectic gaming situations, no matter how fast the inputs were. The extremely high polling rate of 8,000 hertz may hardly be noticeable to the average player, but in combination with the robust construction, the keyboard feels absolutely direct and responsive at all times, which is a decisive factor for e-sports players and demanding gamers. Friedrich Stiemer Corsair Galleon 100 SD: Criticisms As impressive as the Corsair Galleon 100 SD is in terms of features and performance, there are a few points of criticism that cannot be ignored. Firstly, the price: $349.99 is a hefty sum for a keyboard. Objectively speaking, you do get two devices in one, i.e. a professional keyboard plus a Stream Deck, but the investment needs to be carefully considered. In fact, for the same money, you could buy a separate high-end keyboard and a larger Stream Deck (such as the Stream Deck XL with 32 keys) and still have some money leftover. The Corsair Galleon 100 SD is therefore clearly aimed at enthusiasts who appreciate the added value of integration and are willing to dig deep into their pockets for it. For casual gamers without streaming ambitions, the price-performance ratio is rather unfavorable, as they would leave many features unused. Secondly, the software situation: as described, Corsair is currently forcing users to use a dual setup consisting of Web Hub and the Stream Deck app. This means more configuration effort and potentially two applications running in parallel. Compared to the familiar “everything under one roof” philosophy of iCUE, this is a step backwards in terms of convenience and ecosystem. Those who already own several Corsair devices in particular will miss having centralized control. Although the setup runs stably in testing, the fragmentation remains a drawback. Especially since Corsair itself initially relied on Web Hub only for the Vanguard keyboard series and only later promised iCUE support. They could have learned from past feedback here. On a positive note, however, Corsair is taking an interesting approach with its resource-saving web configurator, which may even be more attractive to purists than the iCUE software, which is often criticized for being bloated. Friedrich Stiemer Thirdly, the lack of a wireless option. While technically understandable, the absence of wireless functionality could be a drawback for some users. In an age where even many high-end keyboards offer Bluetooth, the Corsair Galleon 100 SD is strictly tied to its USB cable. This may not be a problem on a desk with a stationary PC–on the contrary, the fixed connections (including the USB hub) have their advantages. But anyone hoping to position the keyboard more flexibly or switch quickly between multiple devices will always need to reconnect the cable. Fourthly, the space requirement. Despite the omission of the numpad, the Galleon 100 SD isn’t a space saver. Its width is roughly the same as a standard full-size keyboard, as the Stream Deck module occupies the space that would otherwise be freed up. The palm rest, combined with the height added by the display and controls, further contributes to the keyboard’s overall profile. In cramped setups, the keyboard could feel a bit bulky, though the palm rest can be removed if space is limited. Weighing 3.08 pounds, the keyboard doesn’t budge on the desk, but its heft makes it far from travel-friendly. LAN party goers, in particular, may hesitate to carry this battleship. Friedrich Stiemer Fifthly, the concept itself. As ingenious as the idea of an “all-in-one” input solution is, it’s aimed at a very specific target group. After all, a Stream Deck, whether separate or integrated, only makes sense if you actually use it. If you’re not interested in automating processes or optimizing your streaming or work setup with macros, you’ll be paying a lot for buttons and functions that may go unused. Not everyone will make full use of the keyboard’s expensive array of features in everyday life. That said, this risk is inherent to any specialized tool. Corsair at least provides everything you need to reap long-term benefits, including a large community of existing profiles and plug-ins. Read...

Forget regular PC monitors. Have you ever used a smart monitor? Okay, sure, some of them are really bad—but some of them aren’t. In fact, if you can snag one from a leading brand like Samsung, you can enjoy some seriously cool features. If you’re on board, check out this deal: Samsung’s 32-inch M80F smart monitor is down to $399.99 on Amazon. That’s a huge 43% discount off its original $699.99 price! View this Amazon deal Even ignoring the smart stuff, this monitor is an excellent upgrade if you’re still stuck on a 1080p display. At 32 inches with a glorious 4K resolution, this monitor delivers impressively sharp and detailed images that are a clear level up from muddy 1080p. The built-in intelligence also optimizes images for best quality and adjusts image settings based on content type (e.g., file, game, movie, etc.). What else makes it smart? Gaming Hub lets you directly stream games with no PC or console required, though note that this monitor’s refresh rate only hits 60Hz. Other AI features include Active Voice Amplifier Pro to ensure voices come through with clarity, upscaling to bring low-res images up to 4K, and Click-to-Search where you can click on anything on screen and instantly get more details about that thing. If you want to be on the cutting edge of the monitor experience, you should jump on this deal. Get the Samsung M80F for $300 off before this limited-time Amazon deal goes away! Save $300 on Samsung`s smart 32-inch 4K monitor while you canBuy now on Amazon Read...

All too often I’m writing tips about how to hide annoying new features, but this one from Roku is actually pretty handy.  It’s called Subscriptions, and it arrived alongside Roku OS 15.1, a software update that primarily packs under-the-hood streaming improvements.  Subscriptions does a single thing well: It aggregates content from your paid subscriptions into a single, easy-to-find location on the main Home menu.   Just scroll down to it using the Roku remote and you’ll get a quick glance of popular shows from your paid subscription services, as well as a Continue Watching list.  The new Subscriptions section in the Roku app aggregates your paid content in one place, filtering out any random free shows you might have clicked on.Ben Patterson/Foundry Yes, the Roku interface already has a Continue Watching list in its What to Watch section, but as Cord Cutters News points out, the Subscriptions version of the row filters content from any random free Roku channels you might have clicked on, a change that makes the list much more focused.   (Pro tip: If you don’t want to deal with two Continue Watching rows, you can nix the What to Watch version by navigating to Settings > Home Screen > What to Watch, and then selecting Hide.)  Roku Streaming Stick Plus Read our review Best Prices Today: $29 at Amazon Aside from the Continue Watching list, the Subscription section also serves up an aggregated Saved List and new shows from your subscribed services, along with various “included with” rows. There are also a fair number of random “Trending on” rows, but these are relegated to the bottom.  My main gripe about the Subscriptions section is that I’d like Continue Watching to be the first row rather than the second—anyone listening, Roku?  Roku OS 15.1 includes a variety of other enhancements, but they’re mostly aimed at app developers, including tools for tracking the performance of Roku apps as well as new metadata for media playback and content (yawn). This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best streaming media players. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Slim design and sturdy yet compact monitor stand Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with 96 watts of power Super-sharp 6K image with 224 pixels per inch Wide color gamut and great color accuracy Cons Frustrating menu system LG offers calibration software, but monitor doesn’t ship with a colorimeter No USB-A or Ethernet connectivity Our Verdict The LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is a 6K monitor with great color performance and high-speed Thunderbolt 5, though it’s hampered by lackluster software and image quality configuration. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S Retailer Price $1,996.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The ranks of 6K monitors remain slim, but LG’s Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S adds another option. It separates itself from the alternatives with support for Thunderbolt 5, which includes a downstream port that can daisy-chain the connection to downstream displays or storage devices. It’s a good pick if you want to use Thunderbolt as a way to minimize cable clutter on your desk, but LG’s software support doesn’t stack up to the alternatives. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best monitors for comparison. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S specs and features The highlight of the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is rather obvious. It’s the resolution. The 31.5-inch Nano IPS Black panel delivers a pixel count of 6144×3456. That’s a total of over 21 million pixels. Display size: 31.5-inch 16:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 6144×3456 Panel type: Nano IPS Black Refresh rate: 60Hz Adaptive sync: None HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 600 Certified Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 5 / USB-C with DisplayPort and 96 watts of Power Delivery, 1x Thunderbolt 5 / USB-C DisplayPort MST-out (daisy chain), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 upstream, 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstream Audio: Yes, speakers included Extra features: LG Calibration Studio Supported OS: Windows, MacOS Price: $1,999.99 MSRP It’s not all about resolution, though. The LG 32U990A-S also includes Thunderbolt 5 connectivity and a few downstream ports, which include DisplayPort-out and two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports. As you might expect, 6K resolution doesn’t come cheap, though your view on pricing may depend on your past experience with 6K displays. The LG 32U990A-S has a retail MSRP of $1,999.99 and so far has not received a significant discount. That’s a lot of money, and you can find some less expensive 6K alternatives, like the Asus ProArt PA32QCV. But other 6K monitors, such as the Dell U3224KB and of course the Apple Pro Display XDR, are much more expensive. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S design The LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S makes a good first impression. It’s constructed primarily from silver plastics that have a smooth, premium finish, though the stand includes metal elements for weight and durability. While the back of the display panel is simple, smooth plastic, the rear of the stand has an attractive art-deco finish. It’s unusual and helps the monitor stand out from its competition. The stand also has a compact flat base keeps the monitor upright. Though it’s small, the stand felt stable on my desk. It allowed even less wobble or shake than most monitors in this price category. The stand adjusts for height, tilt, and rotates (pivots) 90 degrees for use in portrait mode. It doesn’t swivel, though, which is a downside. The monitor has a 100x100mm VESA mount for using with third-party monitor arms and stands. Matthew Smith / Foundry However, the stand is not a tool-free design. Two screws must be installed with a screwdriver to assemble it. That’s unusual, though not unheard of, and it makes setup ever-so-slightly more complex than normal. LG also ships the monitor with an external power supply. This too is not unusual for a high-end monitor, but the power supply is large and bulky (at roughly 8 x 4 x 1.5 inches), so beware if you have a tight spot below or beneath your desk for the power supply. On the plus side, keeping the power supply external helps LG deliver the monitor’s slim, sleek look. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S connectivity While the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is a 6K monitor, it’s also a Thunderbolt 5 monitor, and for some shoppers that could be just as important. The LG 32U990A-S has three video inputs. One is the Thunderbolt 5 port with DisplayPort and 96 watts of Power Delivery. That 96-watt figure makes the display capable of powering all MacBook Pro models, though only mid-range Windows laptops. The Thunderbolt 5 port is flanked by an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 port. The monitor also has a Thunderbolt 5 downstream port with DisplayPort MST. Because of this, the monitor is capable of daisy-chaining connections to multiple downstream devices, including monitors and storage.This is useful because it turns a single Thunderbolt 5 connection into several Thunderbolt 5 connections. You can, for example, make a Thunderbolt 5 connection from your laptop to the LG 32U990A-S, then daisy-chain from the LG 32U990A-S to a second Thunderbolt monitor, and then continue the chain from that second monitor to external Thunderbolt storage (or another peripheral).However, the monitor’s connectivity is otherwise so-so. It has two downstream USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connections, but no downstream USB-A and no Ethernet. Matthew Smith / Foundry The Dell U3224KB is otherwise a better all-in-one hub for connectivity, as it has many USB downstream ports, Ethernet, and more power delivery (140 watts). But, in fairness to LG, the Dell is $1,000 more expensive, and sticks to Thunderbolt 4. The LG 32U990A-S also has a KVM switch and picture-by-picture features for managing multiple connections. That, however, is standard for this type of monitor. Finally, you should know that all the monitor’s ports face towards the rear. This is in contrast to most monitors, which usually have ports that face down. Rear-facing ports are more accessible for connecting and disconnecting ports, and I generally like them, but they also make wall mounting difficult. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S menus and features Unfortunately, the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is saddled with a bad menu system, and it left me frustrated. The on-screen menu system is controlled with a responsive joystick tucked behind the center bezel. So far, so good. However, the menus themselves are not adequate. While the monitor does provide some decent image quality presets, including DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB modes, it doesn’t provide fine-grain, precise control of color temperature and gamma settings. That’s a disappointment. Annoyingly, the menu system appears vertically on the right side of the display. It feels rather odd when using the controls, as they are centered. It’s a system that would make more sense with a remote control, but the 32U990A-S doesn’t have one. Matthew Smith / Foundry LG also provides software utilities. This includes LG Switch, which is used to control some monitor settings and to switch between displays, including LG webOS displays. It’s okay, but not as feature rich (in terms of image quality features) as similar software from BenQ, Dell, and Asus. Calibration can be handled in LG’s Calibration Studio software. The LG 32U990A-S does not ship with a hardware calibrator, though, so you have to provide your own. That in turn makes the usefulness of the software suspect. After all, colorimeters ship with their own software, and I really can’t think of a reason to use the LG Calibration Studio software instead of the software shipped with your colorimeter of choice. And to add insult to injury, the LG Calibration Studio software was finicky about detecting a connected PC, so I found it unreliable in practice. Competitors like Dell and BenQ justify their own calibration software with additional features including built-in colorimeter hardware and the ability to manage multiple monitors remotely, which is useful if you need to calibrate all monitors on your desk or in a studio. But the LG 32U990A-S doesn’t provide these features. The LG 32U990A-S includes a light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment. This is a good feature to have, however, it doesn’t work well here. I found the automatic brightness adjustment was often too dim, and I couldn’t find a feature to manually adjust how the automatic brightness functioned. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S audio A pair of speakers are bundled in the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S, though LG’s specifications don’t say anything specific about their capabilities. To me, they sound like a basic pair of speakers in the 2- to 3-watt range. Audio quality is passable for podcasts or ambient music played at low volume, but the speakers lack the bass and volume to provide real impact. External speakers or headphones are recommended. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S SDR image quality The LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is a 31.5-inch 6K monitor which, of course, means it provides superior sharpness. However, there’s more to the monitor than that. LG touts the display as a go-to choice for prosumers and creative professionals, and while the monitor’s menu system and software don’t live up to that, the monitor’s image quality certainly does. Matthew Smith / Foundry First up is brightness, and here the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S delivers a strong maximum SDR brightness result of 480 nits. Although this is not the brightest, it’s extremely bright, and it is also far more than what would ever normally be required for a computer monitor. Still, this is good news if you were planning to use the monitor in a bright environment. What’s less encouraging, though, is the monitor’s display finish. It’s a sort of semi-gloss coat that diffuses reflections, but the presence of reflections on the screen is still more noticeable than I’d like. It’s not on par with the matte finish of BenQ’s DesignVue monitors, or close to Apple’s Nano-Texture finish. Matthew Smith / Foundry Next we have contrast, where the LG 32U990A-S delivered a contrast ratio of 1500:1. That’s a bit lower than I had expected, given that the monitor has a Nano IPS Black panel. Still, it’s a mid-pack result and not bad for a modern IPS display. As with most LCD monitors, the LG 32U990A-S will show backlight glow when dark scenes are viewed in a dark environment. This is most noticeable when watching movies, streaming shows, or playing games. For that reason, people looking for a monitor that’s great for both work and play should consider an OLED alternative (though, unfortunately, no 6K OLED monitor is available to date). Matthew Smith / Foundry Now we come to color gamut, and this is where the LG 32U990A-S really comes through. The monitor delivered a color gamut that spans 96 percent of DCI-P3 and 100 percent of AdobeRGB, as well as 82 percent of Rec.2020. As the graph shows, these are excellent results even when compared to other prosumer and professional monitors, which already tend to deliver excellent color performance. Indeed, only a handful of monitors I’ve ever tested deliver a wide color gamut. This translates to a vivid, saturated image, and it also means you can work in wide color gamuts with confidence that you’re seeing a very wide swath of the colors that gamut is supposed to provide. Matthew Smith / Foundry In addition to a wide color gamut, the LG 32U990A-S has great color accuracy with an average color error of only 0.73. Importantly, no error was over a value of 2, so all of the colors tested were extremely accurate.While some other monitors are even more accurate, all the monitors in this comparison are leaders in color accuracy. It’s a tough crowd. In actual use, I found the LG 32U990A-S delivered color that appeared realistic. My only complaint about the LG’s color performance concerns its default color temperature, which I recorded at 7000K. That’s quite a bit off the preferred default target of 6500K, and it results in a color temperature that skews blue and sterile. The monitor does provide color temperature modes, but as mentioned earlier, these don’t claim to hit specific color temperature values in degrees Kelvin. You may need software calibration to dial it in. The monitor doesn’t have gamma settings that claim specific gamma values, either, but the monitor was able to provide a default gamma curve of 2.2, which was where I like to see it. Of course, sharpness is also a major strength of the LG 32U990A-S. The monitor’s 6144×3456 resolution, spread across a 31.5-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, translates to a pixel density of 224 pixels per inch. For comparison, a 27-inch 4K monitor has about 163 pixels per inch—so the 6K monitor’s leap in sharpness is quite significant. Whether the added sharpness is visible or significant will depend on your needs, however. Personally, I can tell a difference in sharpness from 4K to 6K, and I do like it—but I wouldn’t call it a must-have.However, the added resolution can have benefits besides sharpness. If you work with 4K video, for example, a 6K monitor makes it possible to view a 4K preview in your video editing software without entering a full-screen mode. Similarly, it helps photographers work with very high resolution photos with less use of zoom. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S HDR image quality The LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S supports HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified. Testing the monitor’s HDR performance quickly showed that certification is earned, as the monitor reached a maximum HDR brightness of 748 nits—a great result. Keep in mind, however, that this monitor lacks a way to effectively control dynamic contrast across the display panel. Bright objects in a scene tend to up the brightness of the whole scene, even if they occupy only a small portion of it. The lack of contrast is a major limitation and degrades HDR image quality. HDR can be bright, but won’t necessarily show all the luminance detail expected of an HDR display. As such, I wouldn’t recommend using the HDR for movies and games. I also wouldn’t recommend it if you primarily create content in HDR. If you only need to occasionally view HDR to get a general idea of how it looks, though, the LG 32U990A-S is acceptable. LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S motion performance Given its 6K display resolution, it shouldn’t come as a shock to hear the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S sticks to a 60Hz refresh rate. While a higher refresh rate might be nice, it would prove impractical in many situations. The IPS panel also provides modest quoted pixel response times of 5 milliseconds (the best IPS panels quote a millisecond or less). In short, the monitor’s motion performance is mediocre. Fast moving objects show a lot of ghosting and fast camera pans across scenes can make details in the scene hard to discern. Scrolling text is also difficult to read. None of this is a mark against the monitor, because it’s true of all 6K monitors at present. Still, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re also considering 4K alternatives, as you can find 4K monitors with far better motion clarity. Is the LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S worth it? The LG Ultrafine Evo 32U990A-S is a competitive choice in the increasingly crowded arena of 6K monitors. It provides great color performance and color accuracy, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The monitor makes some mistakes in usability, as it has a poorly implemented menu system, and LG’s software utilities are not on par with the competition. Still, if you want a 6K monitor with great image quality and plan to rely on Thunderbolt for connectivity, the 32U990A-S is a solid choice. 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Copilot should be ahead of the competition—it comes pinned to the taskbar on every Windows PC. But I keep bouncing off it, and I’m not alone. AI-positive Windows users are largely going out of their way to download competing AI tools, just as people skipped on Internet Explorer decades ago. As for Windows users who don’t like AI? They just resent seeing Copilot everywhere. If Copilot is like Internet Explorer, then ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are like Firefox and Chrome. If you want the best experience, you skip what’s bundled with Windows and opt for something else. Personally, I didn’t start appreciating AI tools until I looked beyond Copilot. It’s no surprise that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is reportedly taking over Copilot development. Here are several ways Copilot is the new Internet Explorer. History truly repeats itself. Nobody is using Copilot I’ve talked to a lot of Windows users over the past few years—casual users, power users, gamers, office workers. I haven’t heard passion for Copilot from any of them. Even among the ones who use AI tools all the time, Microsoft’s Copilot is rarely their tool of choice. Microsoft doesn’t publicly share how many users Copilot has. Meanwhile, competitors like OpenAI are trumpeting their usage numbers. (Indeed, over 800 million users every week for ChatGPT.) If Microsoft was proud of their own usage numbers, you can bet they’d be loud about it. A recent report from SimilarWeb claims that Copilot website usage is at 1.1% of AI market share, behind ChatGPT at 64.5% and Gemini at 21%. Of course, that’s just the website and doesn’t include the Windows app. Chris Hoffman / Foundry The situation is similarly dire in the mobile space. On Apple’s App Store charts, the top three productivity apps are ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok. Claude is the 12th most popular productivity app, while Microsoft Copilot is down at 14th most popular. That means Microsoft’s AI chatbot is in 5th place—behind OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Anthropic. We can’t know exactly how popular the Windows Copilot app is. But it’s unlikely that people would be hot on Copilot all day on their PCs while ignoring it altogether on their phones. Just as power users once skipped Internet Explorer in favor of Firefox and Chrome, AI-passionate users are unpinning Copilot from their taskbars and replacing it with their AI chatbots of choice. Microsoft Copilot isn’t as good as non-Microsoft alternatives Copilot just isn’t as flexible or reliable or useful as other AI chatbots. Under the hood, Microsoft is routing requests to OpenAI’s GPT models… but ChatGPT is a much more mature platform with more configurability and control over what AI model you’re using. Copilot’s desktop vision feature is a bright spot, though, and Copilot has other strengths, too. For example, it’s the only AI tool that’s integrated into Word and Excel, which should give it a leg up in professional environments. And there are Microsoft’s efforts to turn Copilot into a “companion,” complete with a face. Microsoft But it’s still not catching on. It’s not enough to sway consumers over from those competing AI tools that don’t have virtual faces. I see a lot of enthusiasm for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude in AI communities, meanwhile Copilot is rarely mentioned (unless in a bad light). I spoke to an avid Claude user the other day. He told me that he recently used Copilot in Microsoft Word as it was the only option for making obscure charts—and he came away from it thinking that Claude is much smarter. Sure, Copilot was able to make the chart he needed, but the experience didn’t sell him on Copilot. Microsoft And it’s not just users who think this. A recent internal email from Microsoft CEO Sayta Nadella to Microsoft staff said that Copilot’s connections to Gmail and Outlook “for [the] most part don’t really work” and are “not smart,” according to The Information. That mirrors what I’ve seen when using Copilot over the years—other AI tools just seem to be more competent in most situations. Copilot’s biggest strengths rest in GitHub Copilot for coding and Microsoft 365 Copilot for deep integration with organization data. These benefits aren’t felt by standard Copilot users. And not only that, but according to The Verge’s Tom Warren, Anthropic’s Claude Code is increasingly favored internally at Microsoft. If Microsoft doesn’t even prefer Copilot, then why should anyone else? Copilot is being forced upon PC users Like Internet Explorer, the worst thing about Copilot is that it’s the “default option” presented to you on Windows. If you start using Copilot, it’s likely because the Copilot icon appeared on your taskbar or you pressed the Copilot key on your keyboard. Copilot is being shoved into everything… and that just reeks of desperation. It’s not something you use because you want to; it’s something you use because Microsoft wants you to use it. Meanwhile, if you end up using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or any other AI tool, it’s because you explicitly made the choice to explore, find, and start using that particular tool. IDG / Mark Hachman Windows is soaked in Copilot messaging. There’s a Copilot key on the keyboard. New Windows PCs are branded as “Copilot+ PCs” with extra AI features. Apps like Word, Excel, Edge, and even Notepad now have Copilot icons all over the place. It’s annoying. No wonder why users are clamoring for ways to disable AI in Windows. You don’t hear people complain about Claude because Windows doesn’t bundle Claude everywhere in its interface. If that started happening, you know you’d start hearing about it. In fact, Google is now heading down this road with baking Gemini into Chrome and AI Mode for Search, it’s starting to annoy those users, too. It’s more evidence that people just don’t like having things shoved down their throats. Windows PC users will keep complaining about Copilot as long as Microsoft keeps doing this, just as they once complained about Internet Explorer (and Edge) being thrust upon them at every turn. Is Copilot going the way of Bing? Microsoft was early to AI with its first chatbot, named “Bing Chat.” Microsoft later renamed it to Copilot. But despite the branding change, Copilot and Bing still share a lot in common. Both Bing and Copilot are perfectly fine tools that can get the job done, but very few prefer Bing as their primary search engine and the same can be said about Copilot. Bing has been struggling with user adoption for years, and Copilot clearly isn’t taking off among curious AI users or regular PC users. Copilot needs to be more than “just another AI chatbot” if it’s going to succeed, and simply being bundled with Windows isn’t going to be enough to get it where it needs to go. After all, being bundled with Windows didn’t save Internet Explorer. In fact, this kind of move is only going to alienate people further away from Copilot. Microsoft needs to learn from its past ASAP. Further reading: Did Microsoft do anything right in 2025? A look back at their wins, fails, and WTF moments Read...

TL;DR: Pay just $19.97 once (MSRP $229), install on one Windows PC, and keep Microsoft Office 2019’s core apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more—for life. Subscriptions are everywhere, but Microsoft Office 2019 Professional Plus keeps things refreshingly simple. One low $19.97 payment gets you lifetime access to the essential Office apps millions of people rely on every day—no renewals, no recurring charges, and no compromises on functionality. This version of Office is built for users who want dependable, familiar tools that just work. You’ll get Word for writing and editing, Excel for data and analysis, PowerPoint for presentations, and Outlook for managing email and calendars. Publisher and Access round out the suite for users who need design layouts or database tools, while OneNote keeps ideas and notes organized. Office 2019 also includes meaningful upgrades across the board. Excel offers improved data analysis tools, PowerPoint introduces new visual and presentation features, and Outlook makes it easier to manage inboxes and contacts. Enhanced inking support across apps adds flexibility for touchscreens and stylus users. Because this is a device-based lifetime license, the software is installed directly on one Windows PC and stays there—ready to use anytime, even offline. There’s no Microsoft account connection required, which many users prefer for simplicity. Don’t miss getting Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2019 for a one-time payment of just $19.97. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for WindowsSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

If you’re tired of messy and tangled cables when charging things at your desk, then you need a proper charging station. Our favorite is the 6-port Anker Prime, and we love it even more at its all-time low price of just under $100 at Amazon. When we reviewed the Anker Prime 250W charging station, we gave it a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice award, appreciating the versatility the six ports offer, the large power delivery, and the design, which features a detailed smart display that provides real-time data on charging speeds and power distribution. The total output of this hub reaches 250W across all ports, with the primary USB-C port capable of delivering up to 140W on its own, enough to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. The other ports also deliver 100W, which will do just fine for keeping your MacBook and iPhone filled up during the day. For extra gadgets, you can also use the two USB-A ports on the side for your AirPods, Apple Watch, Magic Trackpad, etc. Grab the 6-port Anker Prime for $100 while this deal’s still live — it will make charging your MacBook, iPhone, tablet, and various other gadgets an absolute breeze. Charge your Macbook, your iPhone, AirPods, and three other gadgetsBuy now at Amazon Read...

Litera launches a hybrid AI upgrade for its Kira contract tool, promising 90%+ accuracy and new generative features planned for 2026. Read...