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Enabling Private DNS Mode on Android means your searches and other DNS queries are encrypted and safe from prying eyes. Here’s everything else you need to know.

When you buy a Coros watch, you can trust it will be updated for years. The latest feature update, currently in beta, will bring screen mirroring, a virtual pacer, and more.

The Petlibro Polar wet food automatic feeder helps keep your pet’s eating schedule on time, even when you’re away.

For too long, PCs with Snapdragon Arm chips inside of them have been a mixed bag: some native apps run well, but others have stuttered and hung if they weren’t coded correctly. Those days may be over: the man in charge of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus says Qualcomm has addressed the compatibility issues. I interviewed Kedar Kondap, the senior vice president and general manager of Compute and Gaming for Qualcomm, a few weeks ago. At the time, Qualcomm was showing off how the Snapdragon X Elite compared to Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips. Kondap also gave us a sneak peek of the Snapdragon X Plus, the X Elite’s younger cousin. What we didn’t have then was the awkward model numbers Qualcomm is using to describe the speeds and feeds of the new chips. Kondap also addressed the compatibility topic, after I noted that many people just want Snapdragon PCs to, well, just work. Kondap stopped short of an absolute commitment, but the future seems brighter than before. (Of course, some of the weight has to be borne by Microsoft, which architects the Windows on Arm operating system.) “I’ll tell you, Mark, I am using a Snapdragon PC right now and I am not running into any of those issues,” Kondap told me. “We’ve definitely put in a lot of focus for the consumers that we’re targeting, so the applications run. We’ve solved a lot of issues with enterprise applications, so we feel very good.” Hear Kondap’s full answer, and our discussion of many other Snapdragon topics, in the interview below. CPUs and Processors

If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, a lightweight 2-in-1, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgement to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks. For more notebook options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now. We’ve got can’t-miss picks for every use case and budget, putting our thousands of hours of hands-on testing to work for you. Best laptop deals (at a glance) Asus Vivobook 14, $229.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) Lenovo IdeaPad 1, $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, $299 ($230 off at B&H) HP Pavilion x360, $459.99 ($340 off at HP) HP Envy x360, $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama) Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8, $749 ($560 off at B&H) HP Dragonfly Pro, $799 ($600 off at B&H) Dell Inspiron 16, $819.99 ($540 off at Dell) XPG Xenia, $999 ($700.99 off at Walmart) Lenovo Flex 7, $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama) Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, $1,179 ($620 off at B&H) Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4, $1,229 ($650 off at Adorama) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon $1,391.42 ($1,007.58 off at Lenovo) Best laptops deals under $500 Asus Vivobook 14: $229.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) Asus Asus Asus The Asus Vivobook is an inexpensive Windows laptop with a 1080p display. The laptop’s Intel i3-1215U CPU is a few generations behind at this point, but it’s still powerful enough to handle everyday tasks like checking e-mail and watching Netflix. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. The 14-inch 1080p display has a brightness level of 250 nits, which isn’t super bright, but it’s perfectly fine for web surfing and office work. In fact, with dimmer displays, you’ll likely get better battery life out of the machine, as the display can be a major power suck. This is a great machine for anyone that’s on a tight budget. View Deal Lenovo IdeaPad 1: $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 has an AMD Ryzen 5 5599Y processor inside of it, which is capable of handling day-to-day tasks like browsing the web and checking e-mail. The 14-inch 1080p display is perfect for everyday use and the connectivity options include one USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Type-A, one HDMI, and one audio. The port selection is surprisingly diverse for such an inexpensive machine, so you don’t have to carry around an adapter. The 720p webcam isn’t great, but you can always plug into an external webcam if you want to look better on Zoom calls. View Deal Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: $299 ($230 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is another good option for everyday work, school, or home use because of its Intel Core i3-1315U processor and robust connectivity options. You should be able to zip right through office tasks or binge your favorite show on Netflix, and the large 15.6-inch 1080p matte display is sharp enough for those types of tasks. The port selection includes one USB-C 3.0, two USB-A 3.0, one HDMI, and one audio–effectively eliminating the need for an adapter. Similar to other laptops in this price range, it has a 720p webcam, which isn’t the best, but it’s a reasonable sacrifice in the budget laptop realm. View Deal HP Pavilion x360: $459.99 ($340 off at HP) HP HP HP The HP Pavilion x360 is a great option for those who want an affordable convertible laptop. You can swing the screen around and use the laptop like a handheld tablet or you can prop it up like a painter’s easel for watching movies or sharing information. Inside you’ll find an Intel Core i5-1235U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage–so this laptop should be able to handle day-to-day tasks like binge watching your favorite show on Hulu, surfing the web, and so on. The 768p display is also quite spacious at 15.6-inches and is multitouch-enabled. Although it’s not the highest resolution display we’ve ever seen, it’s perfectly fine for everyday use. View Deal Best laptops deals under $1,000 HP Envy x360: $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama) HP HP HP The HP Envy x360 is powerful, lightweight, and versatile. The 2-in-1 form factor means you can fold the screen back and use the laptop like a tablet, and it comes equipped with a good amount of RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB SSD). The 1080p display is quite large at 15.6-inches and it’s a touchscreen, which is perfect for habitual notetakers and doodlers. The keyboard is also full-sized and has backlighting–useful for when you’re using the laptop in low light environments. View Deal Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8: $749 ($560 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 is another good option for budget-minded gamers. It has an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, so you should be able to play most modern titles with the graphics dialed up to medium or high. The 15.6-inch 1080p display (tuned for 144Hz) is perfect for a gaming laptop with these entry-level components. The LOQ 15IRH8 also has a wide range of connectivity options that include one USB-C 3.1, two USB-A 3.1, one USB-A 3.0, one HDMI 2.1, one Ethernet, and one headphone/microphone input/output. View Deal HP Dragonfly Pro: $799 ($600 off at B&H) HP HP HP The HP Dragonfly Pro is a lightweight laptop with a lovely 1200p touchscreen display. It weighs just 3.1 pounds, which is hardly a back breaker–great news if you’re a frequent traveler. It’s also powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U CPU and AMD Radeon 680M graphics, so you shouldn’t have any problem flying through office work or daily tasks. The 14-inch 1200p touchscreen display has an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The taller aspect ratio is nice because it makes scrolling through documents and webpages a lot easier. Connectivity options also include two USB-C and one USB-C 3.1. Overall, this is a solid laptop, especially for $600 off. View Deal Dell Inspiron 16: $859.99 ($500 off at Dell) Dell Dell Dell The Dell Inspiron 16 is a great laptop for day-to-day use as well as some light gaming. In addition to the powerful Intel Core i7-1360P CPU and 1TB of SSD storage, this machine also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, which should be powerful enough to run most games at 1080p resolution. The 1600p display is a roomy 16-inches with a refresh rate of 60Hz and a maximum brightness of 300 nits. Have we seen brighter screens? Sure. That said, it’s bright enough for daily use as well as some casual gaming. Other cool features include a 1080p webcam, up to 13 hours of battery life (according to Dell), and a fingerprint reader. View Deal XPS Xenia 15G: $999 ($700.99 off at Walmart) XPG XPG XPG If you’re looking for a slightly more powerful gaming laptop, the XPG Xenia will certainly fit the bill. You don’t see many gaming laptops with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU go on sale for under $1,000 often, so this is a true deal. Between the Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, you should be able to play triple-A titles on the High or Ultra graphics detail. This machine even comes with 1TB of SSD storage, which is good news if you’ve got a massive backlog of games. The 15.6-inch 1080p display should also provide smooth gameplay thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate. If you can afford it, this would be a better long-term gaming option than the $800 models listed above thanks to the RTX 4060’s much faster performance. View Deal Best laptops deals under $1,500 Lenovo Flex 7: $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo Flex 7 is a great laptop for those who want an affordable 2-in-1. You’re getting a lightweight design as well as a decent amount of power for just over $1,000. It has an Intel Core i7-1355U CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Zipping through spreadsheet work, everyday tasks, and so on should be no problem for this machine. In addition to the 2-in-1 form factor, in which the screen swings back 360 degrees, it also weighs just 3.53 pounds. That means you can easily slip it in a backpack or messenger back and take it with you anywhere. View Deal Lenovo Legion Pro 5i: $1,179 ($620 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is a good option for those who play more intensive titles. We say this because of the display’s ridiculously high 240Hz refresh rate. Gameplay should be as smooth as your mother’s freshly churned butter. There’s a lot of power behind that display, too. You’re getting an Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32GB of RAM (that’s a lot!), and 1TB of SSD storage. Other goodies include an Ethernet port, an RGB backlit keyboard, and a 1080p webcam. View Deal Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4: $1,229 ($650 off at Adorama) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 is a powerful machine with a 1200p display, an array of versatile ports, and 512GB of SSD storage. It’s also lightweight at just under three pounds, making it the perfect travel companion. Driven by an Intel Core i7-1365U CPU, it should be able to handle both day-to-day tasks as well as heavier loads. Connectivity options include one Ethernet, one HDMI 2.1, one headphone/microphone combo jack, one USB 3.2 Gen 1, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Always On), and two Thunderbolt 4. That means you don’t have to worry about carrying an adapter around with you. View Deal Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon: $1,391.42 ($1,007.58 off at Lenovo) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a competent business laptop with a lot of great features. First, let’s talk hardware. This machine weighs well under three pounds and yet it manages to squeeze in an Intel Core i5-1335U, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. It has a decent amount of power, especially for such a lightweight laptop. You should be able to zip through office work, everyday activities, and more. The 14-inch 1200p display has a maximum brightness of 400 nits and a refresh rate of 60Hz, which should be clear enough for productivity tasks. Plus, you’re getting a 1080p webcam, a backlight keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and ThinkPad’s famously comfortable keyboard with the red nub in the middle. View Deal FAQ 1. How much RAM will I need in my laptop? You’ll want at least 8GB, though 16GB is preferable, especially if you play games. Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, this configuration is acceptable. Check out our article on how much RAM does a laptop need for more in-depth info. 2. What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop? The one big difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop is the operating system. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and Windows run, well, Microsoft Windows. Chromebooks make good everyday machines because they’re designed for browsing the web, checking e-mail, and so on. They use less resources and are generally more affordable than the Windows variety. They also don’t need antivirus protection. A Windows laptop is a lot more versatile in what it can do, and not just in terms of running local programs. You can really pump a Windows laptop up with a ton of RAM, storage, and so on. 3. When should I look for a laptop deal? You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (November 29th), and back-to-school season (June-August). Sure, you’ll find good laptop deals throughout the year, but if you really want to save big, we’d recommend scoping out your favorite online retailers during those times. 4. Which retailers offer the best deals? You can find all kinds of deals across a wide range of online retailers such as Newegg, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and so on. However, we’d recommend checking out deals from laptop manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell. You’ll usually find many different configurations on sale and the discounts can be pretty darn steep. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now. Laptops

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At a glanceExpert’s Rating ProsPhysically stableReasonable price4K60 outputConsVery niche product — specific to the Microsoft Surface Pro 9Single 4K display support, even for USB4 hardwareOur VerdictSatechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub is an affordable, suitable hub for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet. Just be aware that it might be the only product that can use it. Best Prices Today: Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub Retailer Price Satechi $59.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub is, well, a little messy. And that’s maybe putting it lightly. First, it’s designed specifically for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet. Second, there are two different Surface Pro 9 models, and they each have different internal hardware. Does this matter? To an extent, yes. But the real question is whether you’ll be able to buy this hub if you own other Surface Pro hardware. A hub designed specifically for the Surface Pro 9 is obviously a little limiting. Will the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub work with the Surface Pro 8? No, not really. And will it work with the Surface Pro 10? I think so. I’ll try to tease out the differences for you. This review informs our roundup of the best USB-C hubs and dongles. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub: Fit, ports, physical construction Let’s start with the basics. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub lacks a cord. Instead, two USB-C connectors on the hub slot into the pair of USB-C ports on a Surface device. The hub is just 1.4 ounces, measuring 4.45 x 1.3 x 0.31 inches. It’s light and thin, and it fit just fine into our in-house Surface Pro 9 (5G) review unit, and into a Surface Pro 8, too — with a big caveat, which we’ll discuss later. But the spacing of the ports is slightly different on some of the Surface clamshell notebooks — the Surface Laptop Studio’s ports, for example, are spaced just differently enough that the hub won’t fit. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 HubMark Hachman / IDG Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 HubMark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG The lack of a cord is a good thing. Even at just a few ounces, the weight of a dongle dangling from the Surface Pro 9’s USB-C port would probably stress that connection. Satechi’s approach is the correct one. The Surface Pro 9 has the two USB-C ports on the left side of the tablet, with the Surface power connector on the right side. So, yes, the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub works just fine with that device. From press photos of the Surface Pro 10 (we don’t have a review model), I would assume that Satechi’s hub will work just fine with that tablet, too. The Surface Pro 8, however, places the ports on the right, tucked up against the power button, with the Surface charger slot just below. That means that the hub covers the power button, and the charging port is too close to the hub itself to plug in. Connect the hub, and you could inadvertently power off your device! You can jerry-rig a solution on the Surface Pro 8 by connecting the hub just after you’ve pressed the power button, then using one of the USB-C ports for charging…but why? So, no, this hub doesn’t really work with the older Surface Pro 8. The far-left USB-C inlet port on Satechi’s hub — on the side where you can plug in cords — is a USB4 40Gbps pass-through port. USB4 is the more open version of Thunderbolt 3/4, so Thunderbolt devices should work with this hub, but only in certain cases. The other USB-C inlet is a more conventional 10Gbps port. Next to it is a 10Gbit USB-A port, and then an undisclosed HDMI port and a UHS-1 SD/MicroSD slot, too. Satechi’s hub uses a pair of USB-C connectors to plug into your Surface Pro 9. Satechi’s hub uses a pair of USB-C connectors to plug into your Surface Pro 9.Mark Hachman / IDG Satechi’s hub uses a pair of USB-C connectors to plug into your Surface Pro 9.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG On the Surface Pro 9 (5G) — which has a Snapdragon Arm chip — the passthrough port didn’t allow me to power the tablet with a USB-C power plug. I could when using the Surface Pro 8 with an Intel chip inside, suggesting that the Intel version of the Surface Pro 9 will do the same. With any hub, you have to worry a bit about whether ports are spaced wide enough to allow USB keys and cords to fit. Satechi’s hub doesn’t allow a lot of space, but all of the ports are spaced far enough away from each other, with the exception of the USB-C ports. If you have a USB-C memory stick, it might not fit when the other USB-C port is occupied. Any cord connectors, however, should work fine side-by-side. The physical construction of the hub also seems secure and sturdy enough that you could use a thick HDMI cable without its weight pulling the hub loose from its own connection. The hub appears to be made of aluminum. It warmed to the touch under load, but not alarmingly so. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub: Performance will vary Here’s the catch. The Surface Pro 9 is available in two ways: Surface Pro 9, with an Intel chip inside, as well as the Surface Pro 9 (5G), with a Microsoft-Qualcomm Snapdragon Arm chip inside. The Intel-based model includes a 40Gbps Thunderbolt port, which natively connects to the hub’s 40Gbps USB4 port without issue. The Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 hub will fit into the Surface Pro 8, but the hub slides right over the power button. This isn’t recommended. The Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 hub will fit into the Surface Pro 8, but the hub slides right over the power button. This isn’t recommended. Mark Hachman / IDG The Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 hub will fit into the Surface Pro 8, but the hub slides right over the power button. This isn’t recommended. Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG But the Surface Pro 9 (5G) only includes a 10Gbps generic USB-C port, which means that the hub’s capabilities are limited by what the tablet can offer. You see the issue? The value of this hub is somewhat limited by what Surface version you own. Using the hub, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) will connect to just a single 4K display, at 60Hz. The Surface Pro 8, somewhat surprisingly, didn’t connect to two 4K displays, as a USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 dock would. (Since the hub only has a single HDMI port, I tried using a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to HDMI cable. No dice — the experience should be the same for Intel and Qualcomm-based Surface devices in that regard.) The hub lacks an Ethernet port, so all data must come to the tablet wirelessly. That’s a point in its favor, but while streaming a 4K60 test video to the Surface Pro 9 (5G), the video stuttered frequently, dropping 814 out of 10,000 frames. On a second run, performance improved to 246 dropped frames, but it still wasn’t impressive. When connected to an SSD and the Surface Pro 9 (5G), performance wasn’t bad: 129MB/s, using PCMark’s storage benchmark, as good or better than competing devices. But transferring a folder from the SSD to the desktop took about 20 seconds more than a Thunderbolt dock. The one advantage that the Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub offers: a corded dongle would probably stress the Surace Pro 9’s USB-C port too much. This is a structurally better solution. The one advantage that the Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub offers: a corded dongle would probably stress the Surace Pro 9’s USB-C port too much. This is a structurally better solution.Mark Hachman / IDG The one advantage that the Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub offers: a corded dongle would probably stress the Surace Pro 9’s USB-C port too much. This is a structurally better solution.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG When trying to transfer data while streaming, the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub dropped about 1,000 frames per 10,000 streamed. That’s bad, and often turned video playback into a choppy mess. On the Surface Pro 8, performance was noticeably better. The dock/SP8 setup dropped just 52 frames on our test stream, and just 48 when running the PCMark test in the background. That PCMark test yielded a result of 151.76MB/s throughput, which is actually the best I’ve ever seen. That dropped to 146.91MB/s while streaming our 4K test video. Copying a file from an SSD to the desktop took much longer than usual, though, and I’m not sure why. Finally, Satechi’s hub pushed out 7.2W of power across the other USB-C port on both the Surface Pro 9 (5G) and Surface Pro 8. That’s enough to slow-charge a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone in about an hour. The power didn’t change when I connected it to a power supply, or let the tablet’s battery take care of it. Should you buy Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub? If you don’t own a Surface Pro device, almost certainly not. Even if you have two Thunderbolt or USB-C ports on the side of your laptop, they probably aren’t spaced correctly. Even Microsoft’s own Surface Pro devices aren’t consistently designed. If you own a Surface Pro 9, is it the Intel device? If so, you certainly could find a more powerful Thunderbolt dock or USB-C hub. But if you’re not willing to spend that much, and you don’t care about running two 4K displays, or if you own a Qualcomm-based Surface Pro 9, the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub is a satisfactory niche device. Computer Accessories

If you’re using a Linux desktop, the graphical user interface isn’t an integral part of the system, it’s additional software that’s loaded as required. The desktop and everything that goes with it is an independent add-on and consists of several components. This article lists those components and their tasks and provides tips on how to put this knowledge into practice. Display server: Xorg or Wayland Among Linux desktops, the X server Xorg still generally works as a display server. The X server is the hardware-related basis of the graphical user interface. All the components mentioned below are clients that depend on the X server. Xorg is pre-installed on every Linux desktop and runs as standard. Only on pure server systems without an interface (e.g. the Ubuntu server) is Xorg consistently missing, as are all downstream desktop components. Wayland is still an experimental replacement for the old Xorg in some desktop distributions, optionally in Ubuntu Gnome and already as standard in Fedora. Wayland has a significant, simplifying advantage over the old X server. It combines the functions of the display server (point 1) and the window manager (point 3), including the compositor. Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. IDG Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. IDG IDG The system user only sees and operates the client components of the display server: the i.e. display manager (point 2), the window manager (point 3), and the desktop shell (point 4). There’s no contact with the display server, nor is there any need for configuration. The numerous optimization experiments in the configuration files of Xorg (“/etc/X11/ xorg.conf” and today “/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/”) in earlier decades are generally obsolete today. Display manager: Lightdm, GDM & Co. The display manager allows a user to log in and select a desktop if several are installed. Display managers are therefore known as log-in managers. After logging in, the display manager starts the desktop as a subordinate process. In order for the display manager to start automatically after booting and logging off, it must be set up as a service (e.g. service lightdm start). The most common display managers are Lightdm (Cinnamon, XFCE) and GDM (Gnome) as well as SDDM (KDE, LXQT) and LXDM (LXDE). In principle, however, you’re free to choose which display manager you want to use for each desktop. Depending on the desktop, some optical settings of the display manager can be adjusted in the system settings under “Login window,” “Login screen,” or an automatic login under “Users & groups.” What is not offered on the graphical user interface can be set by researching the respective display manager in its configuration file (e.g. “/etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf” for Lightdm). The central role that the display manager claims as a desktop launcher only arises from the modern user expectation of a purely graphical system start. Theoretically, you can completely dispense with the display manager by logging into the console and loading the desired desktop manually–for example, with “startxfce4” (for XFCE). The start commands for the installed desktops can be found in the desktop files under “/usr/share/xsessions” if required. You may also come across the so-called “Greeter” in the display manager environment. The latter doesn’t really deserve a separate mention, it’s just the graphical face of the display manager. However, greeters are not standardized even for one and the same display manager, but are available in several optical variants. For example, as slick greeter, arctica greeter, ukui greeter, and others. Tip: Restart the desktop Gnome, Cinnamon, KDE and so on. All desktops offer commands to exit and reload the desktop in an emergency such as “gnome-shell –re place” (Gnome), “cinnamon –replace” (Cinnamon), or “kquitapp5 plasmashell” (KDE). If you constantly work with the same desktop, you can probably make friends with the respective action, but for all others we recommend a procedure that always works under the X11 window system: dm=$(basename “$(cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager)”)sudo service $dm restart Here, the display manager is simply determined and then restarted. This also closes the downstream desktop and displays the login window (“Greeter”) again. This also works in the virtual console if the desktop is frozen. Window manager and compositor Window managers such as Compiz, Kwin, Marco, Mutter, and Xfwm4 ensure that program windows can be displayed, superimposed, enlarged, reduced, and moved. They also supplement all displayed program windows with the “window decoration,” which, regardless of the name, contains the indispensable title bar, with all control elements for moving, reducing, and resizing. The additional compositor is responsible for aesthetic accessories such as animation, transparency, shadow, or 3D effects. However, the division between window manager and compositor is increasingly being canceled. Compiz (Gnome), Kwin (KDE), and Marco (Mate) are window managers that perform the tasks of the compositor itself. What a compositor offers in terms of adjustable or switchable effects can, at best, be configured in the system settings of the desktop. For example, Cinnamon (Mint) shows the item “Effects” in the system settings, KDE (Kubuntu) shows the item “Composer” under “Display and monitor,” while Compiz (Gnome) only provides a general setting (“On/Off”) with Gnome tweaks (“General – Animations”). If you want to customize the Compiz Compositor, you’ll need to install the extra tool “CompizConfig Settings Manager.” Desktop: Gnome, KDE & Co. What the user sees at the end is the actual “desktop” itself, i.e. the graphical user shell with which you interact visually. What the user sees at the end is the actual “desktop” itself, i.e. the graphical user shell with which you interact visually. IDG What the user sees at the end is the actual “desktop” itself, i.e. the graphical user shell with which you interact visually. IDG IDG In last place is the actual desktop, a graphical user shell such as Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE, etc. The desktop has all the essential operating elements such as system bars, menus, starter docks, and desktop widgets. Most desktops retain the modularity typical of Linux such as system bars, bar components (the menu), window list, systray standards, and background display. They’re all separate mini programs that can be replaced, sometimes with heterogeneous components from other desktops. Only Gnome and KDE tend to give themselves a more integral or more hermetic appearance, depending on how you want to interpret this. Other programs that contain a complete desktop environment such as “system settings” or “update management” are decisive for the acceptance of a desktop, but in principle they are software like any other. This article originally appeared on PC Welt and has been translated from German to English. Personal Software, Professional Software

At a glanceExpert’s Rating ProsRespectable performanceLong battery lifeElegant designBrilliant OLED touchscreenConsHefty for a thin-and-lightDesign has usability issuesPricey for the performanceOur VerdictThe Dell XPS 14 is a looker, but even though it can offer respectable performance, it comes at such a high cost above competent — and often faster — competitors that there’s little reason to consider it. Price When Reviewed$2,699 Best Prices Today: Dell XPS 14 (2024) Retailer Price $1699 View Deal $2299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Dell introduced a revamped XPS line in 2022, adding a “Plus” to the name to indicate a new design scheme. In the 2024 XPS lineup, that “Plus” is gone because the design of all of Dell’s XPS laptops has changed to the new look — a shift that may make sense since Dell has also changed its size options to accommodate 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch displays. The Dell XPS 14 inherits the stylish looks of its recent predecessors and packs in some powerful hardware to make doing serious work look good. But style alone isn’t enough to merit the lofty price tag the XPS 14 wears, and with so many cheaper alternatives running equally capable hardware in attractive packages of their own, the XPS 14 has its work cut out for it. Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Specs and features The new Dell XPS 14 9440 has a range of configuration options that can start it from a modest $1699 MSRP or range it up to $3479. All configurations run on the Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, but Dell provides options for graphics, memory, storage, display, Windows version, color, and whether or not Intel vPro is included.  CPU: Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H Memory: 32GB LPDDR5 Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (30W TGP) Display: 14.5-inch 3.2K OLED Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x microSDXC card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: Windows Hello fingerprint, facial recognition Battery capacity: 68 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches Weight: 3.95 pounds MSRP: $2,699 ($1,699 base) Memory options range from 16GB to 64GB while storage ranges from 512GB up to 4TB. Intel Arc graphics are the base, but there’s an option to bump up to an NVIDIA RTX 4050 for $300 extra, which also comes with an automatic bump to transfer rate on the memory from 6,000MT/s to 7,467MT/s. The laptop can come with either a 1920×1200 anti-glare LCD display with 30-120Hz variable refresh rate or the 3200×2000 anti-reflective OLED with 48-120HZ refresh rate tested here, with the former covering the sRGB color space and the latter covering the DCI-P3 color space. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Design and build quality IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp The design of the Dell XPS 14 calls for a lot of aluminum and glass, and in that way, it has much in common with the latest smartphones. The whole exterior is wrapped up in metal, which Dell says is 75 percent recycled aluminum. The display is covered up in Gorilla Glass Victus, a hard glass made to resist scratches and cracks that should be more than up the abuse it’ll get from frequent touchscreen use. The newer trackpad design, which effectively hides the trackpad sees the whole area under the keyboard covered in a single piece of Gorilla Glass 3.  It’s a regal look that can certainly go toe to toe with Apple’s MacBook Air, right down to the wedge-like design. The XPS 14 has sneaky ventilation slits along the bottom sides and porting out just below the display — a design that risks creating a bottleneck for heat escape if the lid is open enough to touch whatever table or desk it sits on.  Dell’s design is sleek, but has points of contention. With the remodel in 2022, Dell shifted to a new keyboard design that’s present on the XPS 14. This uses perfectly square, rather flat keys with minimal gaps between one another that can take some getting used to. The stealthy trackpad also can be tricky to find the bounds of. Then there’s the function row, which is now a series of illuminated capacitive buttons that show either secondary functions or F1-12. Dell says this allows for more cooling underneath the keys, but it doesn’t make getting used to capacitive buttons any easier. They simply don’t have the haptic feedback of an actual key.  Where the XPS 13 sees its keyboard run all the way to the sides of the laptop, the XPS 14 has a little extra space and fits top-firing speakers in at the sides, just like the XPS 16 I tested but a little smaller. The bezels around the display are thin, even at the bottom thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio, but Dell still managed to squeeze a discreet Windows Hello-capable webcam above the screen. Overall, the build of the laptop feels sturdy and well put together, though the premium materials come with their own downsides. Despite being a thin laptop, the Dell XPS 14 weighs in at 3.95 pounds, effectively reversing the trend of laptops towards lighter and lighter weights. The iGPU-only model should be lighter, but I also have a 14-inch Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14APH8 with an RTX 4060 inside that weighs less than the XPS 14. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp I’ve had some time to get used to Dell’s new keyboard design, having tested the first XPS 13 Plus and more recently the Dell XPS 16. But no matter how I come at it, I can’t quite get past the discomfort of it. Between the minimal dish of the caps and the very tight spacing — such that you can’t feel the edge of a key without also having a finger overlap the neighboring key — it’s difficult to ever feel quite at home on.  In use, I was able to reach a typing speed of 118 words per minute in Monkeytype with 95 percent accuracy. While the speed is sufficient, the accuracy is an issue, and low enough that autocorrect isn’t likely to clean up every mistake. While it might seem decent, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, with its more basic keyboard design, let me reach 128 words per minute with 100 percent accuracy within minutes of picking it up. More than a week into testing the XPS 14, and I can’t even come close. The switches are poppy and have surprisingly high actuation force, which helps keep the keyboard from feeling even less predictable. The capacitive function row is no more pleasant to use. Tapping the Delete key more than once is awkward, as it provides no feedback, and it often misses taps in a series. Hitting Ctrl + Shift + Esc is also incredibly awkward when one of the keys in that shortcut isn’t a key at all. As on the XPS 16, the XPS 14 trackpad is gigantic. It’s close to the size of the 6.8-inch smartphone screens out there. Even though it’s impossible to feel out the edges of the trackpad area, it almost doesn’t matter since it’s so large that anywhere you’re likely to touch it will still register. With excellent palm rejection and pleasing haptics, it’s a solid piece of hardware. It can be a little hard to double-click on, but double-tapping is just as viable. If Dell was going to change anything, I’d just want to see it go even wider (all the way to the sides, ideally), for more ergonomic mousing. That would be especially helpful in select cases, as XPS 14 has a tendency to ignore any swipes that start from outside the actual trackpad region, though it’s somewhat inconsistent on the matter.  Dell XPS 14 (2024): Display, audio IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp The Dell XPS 14 has a gorgeous display. While the LCD option is probably half decent, the OLED alternative offers a lot. It’s as sharp as could possibly be needed at this size, and 120Hz refresh rate allows for smooth visuals. It can move between 120Hz and 48Hz though to save on battery when necessary.  The OLED display is bright and colorful, hitting full screen peak of 393.2 nits (small HDR highlights can go higher still) and 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage with the default color profile. I measured accurate color as well, with colors deviating on average by only a dE of 0.91 and at most 1.73, making this a display viable for design work. The touch panel is also responsive and a handy complement to the trackpad, though I found little reason to use it given the quality of the trackpad. The anti-glare finish to the display isn’t as effective as some I’ve seen, but it generally keeps the display easy to see.  The XPS 14 combines four speakers — a pair of tweeters and a pair of woofers — to deliver surprisingly robust and full sound for a laptop with such a small footprint. For music, it provides life that most laptops lack. The bass is still on the weak side, but it’s still audible rather than being effectively erased by the speakers. There’s no struggle with speech either, which comes through easily, as the speakers emphasize the vocal range. The speakers get a little unpleasant at full volume, if I’m sitting close, but it’s not so much an issue of distortion as it is of their volume.  Dell XPS 14 (2024): Webcam, microphone, biometrics IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp Dell has put together a decent package for conferencing. The 1080p webcam captures reasonably bright and crisp video footage that will serve well in video calls, though it’s still not up to the level of quality you might want to rely on if you’re making frequent presentations where you’ll be the focal point. The mics do a good job picking up my voice and shutting out background noise, even other voices, but they capture a bit too much echo in small rooms.  The XPS 14 can also use its webcam for Windows Hello facial recognition, which proves an especially quick way to sign into the system. There’s also a fingerprint scanner at the top-right corner of the keyboard. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Connectivity IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp As with most thin-and-light laptops, the Dell XPS 14 has gone fairly lean on ports, though not as lean as some. It features three USB-C ports, each boasting bandwidth-buff Thunderbolt 4 support. Those ports are split with two on the left side and one on the right., giving flexibility for how you dock or charge the laptop. Dell has also included a microSD card reader and 3.5mm headphone jack. A single USB-A port would have been a plus, but Dell at least includes a incredibly lightweight dongle to offer up USB-A and HDMI through one of the USB-C ports. Wireless connectivity is also a strong point, with the XPS 14 offering Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, both of which have offered stable connections in my testing. Bandwidth over Wi-Fi hasn’t been an issue, and spotty connections on Bluetooth and failed pairing hasn’t stood in the way of using the XPS 14 with wireless headphones. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Performance The Dell XPS 14 has strong performance, to be sure, thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and RTX 4050 pairing. That’s more than enough muscle for everyday computing and then some. And even though Dell shows fairly successful cooling for the parts inside, with scores not dropping precipitously over longer stress tests, it doesn’t manage to ultimately keep up with some of its competition. And that’s bad news, since the XPS 14 is hands down the most expensive option of the bunch, and it’s not even the only one offering a high level of polish.  Turning to PCMark 10, which assesses a system’s capabilities in a variety of common and office-related tasks, we see the Dell XPS 14 has modest overall performance, but not quite as much as its competitors. It’s not far off, and much of the difference is unlikely to be tangible in everyday use, but as more and more demand is put onto these systems by future applications, those with the extra muscle now will likely prove better able to keep up down the line.  It’s not Dell’s raw multi-core performance that has held it back, though. In Cinebench R20, we see it can plainly let it rip, beating out all of its competition in the test. That plays out in our Handbrake encoding test, where the Dell XPS 14 was able to encode our 4K video file faster than the rest at just under 13 minutes. There’s some variability to the performance, though, as the XPS 14 didn’t rank as highly in Cinebench R15 or Cinebench R23. So it’s not the all-out champ of CPU performance. And while multi-core performance shows off a systems ability to manage heavy loads, single-core performance can suggest the responsiveness of the system, and in that department the XPS 14 is closer to the middle of the pack, notably lagging behind the Lenovo Slim Pro 9. While its performance is competitive, particularly in the CPU department, the Dell XPS 14 has to contend with much cheaper competition that leaves it little room to breathe. But competition from the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, and MSI Prestige 15 AI Evo B1MG isn’t quite 1-to-1 since those all run on integrated graphics. As configured, the Dell XPS 14 includes a discrete GPU that gives it a leg up in graphically demanding tasks.  We see that in 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, the most GPU-intensive test of the bunch, where the Dell XPS 14 distances itself greatly from its iGPU competition. However, the power-limited RTX 4050 it packs inside shows the downsides of that low wattage when faced with the Lenovo Slim Pro 9, which also features an RTX 4050 but well outpaces the XPS 14. It wouldn’t have helped that the XPS 14 also saw the lowest CPU performance in this test, and if a CPU doesn’t carry its weight in a gaming scenario, it’ll let extra available GPU performance go to waste. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Battery life Dell’s minor performance shortfalls come with a solid positive: the battery life is no slouch. In our testing, the XPS 14 lasted over 13.5 hours playing back a video file on repeat with the display set as close as possible to 250 nits. That longevity sets it apart from Lenovo Slim Pro 9 that hounded it so thoroughly in performance. That said, Dell still has its competition cut out for it. Dell’s own Inspiron 14 Plus may have a lackluster display compared to the XPS 14 Plus’s OLED panel, but it’s a power sipper and lets the Inspiron 14 Plus run for over 3 hours longer. The Asus ZenBook 14 OLED pulled off a similar feat and still had the benefit of a regal OLED panel. The MSI Prestige 16 AI EVO B1MG may have fallen short by more than an hour, but it also had to illuminate a 16-inch OLED panel. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Conclusion The Dell XPS 14 is a good laptop with plenty of performance for everyday tasks and some creative workloads paired with some seriously impressive battery life. It puts that capability into a stylish package with a gorgeous display. But all of that comes at a price. Next to its competition, the Dell XPS 14 asks a considerable premium and all it seems to offer in return is its looks.  The XPS 14 isn’t the fastest of the bunch. It’s not the only one offering a splendid OLED display. And as long as its battery life is, it’s still a ways off from being the longest. If Dell’s design were as pleasant to use as it is to look at, it might have some merit, but the design presents as many hurdles and headaches as it provokes oohs and aahs. There’s some ground for the XPS 14 to stand on if you need a wonderful display, excellent battery life, and absolutely require the advantages of discrete graphics. But for anyone who can make do without one of those three aspects, there are much more compelling options at much lower prices, and that puts the XPS 14 in a tricky position that makes it hard to recommend — at least, for the configuration tested here. The base spec that omits discrete graphics may be a more viable competitor, but it still has its work cut out for it, especially since it loses the sharp OLED touchscreen. Laptops

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