PC Pro

The UK’s biggest selling PC monthly magazine, and your source of professional IT news, reviews and tests. Combining in–depth industry comment and analysis with rigorous product testing.

Don’t read this column unless you’re willing to shift a paradigm

CONTRIBUTORS

PC Pro

Chatbots that sound just like us • Voice cloning breakthrough will make AI assistants sound less synthetic

One small text for man… • Starlink delivers SMS messaging to ordinary phones

Ransomware-as-a-Service

Open book: the British Library hack • How did a great British institution get taken down? James O’Malley investigates

The A-List • The best products on the market, as picked by our editors

Why vintage hardware trumps the virtual • How ironic that the service pulling me back into the physical world is that most quintessential of digital products: YouTube

Generative AI can’t have it all for free • Artificial intelligence firms shouldn’t get content effortlessly when everyone else has to ask first

The roaming data nightmare returns in Vegas • When in Rome, I’m covered. But when roaming in the USA, things revert to the bad old days of crippling data costs – or going back to basics

Star letter

Readers’ comments • Your views and feedback from email and the web

BEST TECH 2024 • We pick the 37 standout products and new technologies from this year’s CES

LAPTOPS & ACCESSORIES

SHOULD YOU BUY AN AI PC THIS YEAR?

CPUs

NPUs & AI

PCs & COMPONENTS

DISPLAYS

AUDIO

AR

ASSISTIVE & WELLNESS

RANDOM

Boost Windows’ defences • Darien Graham-Smith explains how to get the most out Windows Defender and Microsoft’s other built-in tools

BUILD YOUR OWN RASPBERRY PI HOME SECURITY SYSTEM FOR £52.62 • Nik Rawlinson provides a step-by-step guide and explains exactly what you’ll need to buy

Intel Core Ultra • Don’t expect a revolution, but this is a solid step forward for Intel in every key area – including AI and graphics

Acer Swift Go 14 OLED (SFG14-72) • A great debut for Intel’s Core Ultra 7, which turns the Swift Go 14 into a highly attractive mid-range laptop

HP Pavilion Plus 14 OLED • Mediocre battery life, but a stunning 14in OLED screen, fast Ryzen chip and a great price compensate

How we test

Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2024) • The Strix Scar 18 now sports a beautiful mini-LED screen, but the 14th gen Intel Core chip fails to make a big difference

Acemagic S1 mini PC • The 1.9in LCD display lifts this above mini PC rivals, but we think it’s most at home as a file storage server

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra • Genuinely useful AI, seven years of updates and unparalleled hardware make this our top choice for the most demanding users

OnePlus 12 • The biggest update to OnePlus’ top-end phone for years turns it into a serious flagship contender

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro • Asus smooths some edges and adds a zoom lens to give this gaming phone far more appeal than before

RedMagic 9 Pro • The latest Qualcomm chip and heaps of gaming extras make this a fine choice for gamers on a budget

Solos AirGo 3 Smart Glasses • By focusing on AI assistance rather than portable displays, these are the first smart glasses we can recommend

Your bonus software • We scour the globe to negotiate the best software deals for our readers, from extended licences to full programs you don’t need to pay a penny for. Here’s this month’s lineup

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super • On a par with the RTX 3080 but in a more compact package, the 4070 Super is your best option at this price

WD Red Pro 14TB • Performance could be...