After months and months of falling, the computer market finally seems to be taking flight. According to IDC data, computer sales in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 1.5% compared to the same period in 2023. 59.8 million units were sold, a figure that is close to pre-pandemic levels.
Manufacturers face the year with optimism and join the artificial intelligence trend to try to boost sales. In recent weeks, there have been many brands that have launched their new laptops, some of them prepared to make the most of AI, others, opting for power as their best asset, and others, with curious solutions such as double OLED screen.
HP has been one of the last to announce its proposals for this year, launching the “largest portfolio of computers with AI in the industry”, according to themselves. Within this wide range of devices, with desktop PCs and laptops, the firm presents the new HP Elite where AI is the star. Thanks to this technology, they can offer 80% more graphics performance, 38% less power consumption and up to 132% more speed for video editing compared to the previous generation. The range of equipment is very large, starting with laptops from 999 euros.
In the case of Lenovo, the Asian firm is also betting on artificial intelligence as a claim. The new ThinkPad L Series and X13 Series are powered by Intel Core Ultra to make the most of AI-enabled workflows. Thanks to this chip, the devices will have support for more than one hundred AI-enhanced applications, including tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Lightroom and Studio Effects. Here there is also a wide range of prices, with the L series starting at 1,019 euros and the X13 starting at 1,699. They will go on sale in the second quarter of this year, but there is no definitive date yet.
Apple also wanted to put the focus on fashionable technology in its latest launch, the new MacBook Air with the M3 chip. These lightweight devices boast being up to 60% faster than last year’s models and up to 13 times faster than the fastest Intel MacBook Airs. In addition, although Apple has not yet shown its own AI tools, it does ensure that this device with the M3 chip has a 16-core Neural Engine as well as accelerators in the CPU and GPU that make the most of machine learning on the device. , “which makes the MacBook Air the best consumer laptop in the world for AI,” they say. It is sold in 13 and 15 inches from 1,529 euros.
For its part, Huawei has announced this week what will undoubtedly be a good competitor for Apple’s lightweight laptop, surpassing it in lightness and above all improving the price (for now only in China). Equipped with Intel Core 9, the MateBook launch in Spain and in exchange, it seems that it will be available for less than 1,400 euros.
AI also reaches gaming laptops and proof of this is the new Predator Helios Neo 14 that Acer recently presented, also equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors. On these computers, artificial intelligence helps to considerably improve the visual effects and graphics displayed when playing or streaming. It sells for 1,999 euros.
Another technology firm that has attracted attention in recent weeks with its laptop proposal has been Asus, specifically with the Zenbook Duo 2024. Although it does not use the AI claim, it has a double OLED screen, placed vertically or in horizontal, which offer a visual space of almost 20 inches but without losing the lightness of a laptop. In addition, it is now on sale in Spain for 2,599 euros.
