Articles by: Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more. Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.

Articles by: Sean Riley

MacBook Air M3 reportedly launching this spring — what you need to know

By Sean Riley published 6 December 23

Apple's MacBook Air will be getting the M3 treatment early in 2024 according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Want a new laptop for under $100 for Cyber Monday? Here it is with $21 left over

By Sean Riley last updated 27 November 23

If you want a new laptop for Cyber Monday, but you can't spend over $100 then this HP Chromebook 11 is just the deal you've been looking for, you'll even get some change back.

I saved $136 with Cyber Monday streaming deals and here's how you can too

By Sean Riley published 26 November 23

Virtually every streaming service is discounted for Cyber Monday!

Gotega CD/DVD drive connected to a laptop

This external CD/DVD drive is $17 for Black Friday — don't buy a laptop with a CD/DVD drive

By Sean Riley published 23 November 23

Please stop buying laptops with CD/DVD drives

The MacBook Air 15 M2 for $999 may be the best Black Friday laptop deal this year

By Sean Riley last updated 22 November 23

Save $300 on the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 ahead of Black Friday, this is the laptop that I'm using to cover all of the latest deals as they roll in this week.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II sitting next to their open case on a patterned table with a rose behind them

Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds fall to their lowest ever price — a shockingly good early Black Friday deal

By Sean Riley published 16 November 23

This early Black Friday headphone deal drops the Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds to just $199. The lowest price ever on our pick for the best noise-cancelling earbuds.

This tiny ring could replace your smartwatch and you only charge it once a week

By Sean Riley published 15 November 23

Fitness tracking without interruptions

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with keyboard attached and pen on a wooden table surrounded by flowers against a sky blue background

Black Friday bargain bundle! Save $540 on this Surface Pro 9 with keyboard

By Sean Riley published 13 November 23

Best Buy knocks $540 off Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 with Pro Signature Keyboard. This would be a great deal on the upgraded SP9 configuration alone, but the keyboard makes it outstanding.

Apple Watch 8 dips back to all-time low — save up to $100 in Black Friday deal

By Sean Riley last updated 23 November 23

Amazon takes $100 off the excellent Apple Watch Series 8, this early Black Friday deal brings the smartwatch back to its lowest price ever.

The death of the MacBook Pro 13 marks the end of the worst era of MacBook design

By Sean Riley published 13 November 23

With the announcement of the MacBook Pro 14 M3 it was clear that Apple was finally putting the MacBook Pro 13 to rest and with it goes the last vestiges of the worst era of MacBook design.

Graphic with Black Friday MacBook deals and a MacBook Pro M3 on a couch

Forget the new M3 MacBook Pro — 3 Black Friday MacBook deals that are way cheaper

By Sean Riley last updated 10 November 23

The MacBook Pro M3 models are great, but they are overkill for most people, here are 5 Black Friday MacBook deals that are cheaper and a better fit even for most power users.

Don't wait! B&H early Black Friday deal slashes $400 off this excellent Lenovo laptop

By Sean Riley published 8 November 23

You can save $500 on the Lenovo Slim 7 laptop with Intel Arc GPU

Lenovo customer service rating 2023: Undercover tech support review

Is Lenovo customer service good? 2023 rating

By Sean Riley published 30 October 23

Lenovo customer service managed to improve yet again this year with just a single stumbling block keeping them from the top contenders.

Best 13-inch laptops in 2023

By Sean Riley, Mark Anthony Ramirez last updated 1 December 23

Here are the best 13-inch laptops for any budget. These top-rated notebooks land right in the sweet spot of power and portability.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite reference design laptop on a bench with a camera and coffee mug

Qualcomm's latest chip may outperform Apple's M2 — here's when it's coming

By Sean Riley published 24 October 23

Qualcomm is making bold claims, but when will it arrive?

Google Pixel 8 on a table in a split image with Google Pixel 7a in hand

Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a: Which Pixel is the best value?

By Sean Riley published 4 October 23

Google's Pixel 8 has arrived and we are taking a look at how it holds up against the reigning smartphone champ, the Google Pixel 7a.

iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life blows the Android competition away — there's just one problem

By Sean Riley published 25 September 23

Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life once again looks to set to once again claim the crown as the flagship phone with the longest battery life. Will any flagship Android phone come close?

iPhone 15 with display facing camera on the left and Google Pixel 8 with back of phone facing camera

iPhone 15 vs. Google Pixel 8: Should you wait for Google?

By Sean Riley published 24 September 23

Buy the iPhone today or wait a couple of weeks for the new Pixel?

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 hands-on review: MacBook slayer or already obsolete?

By Sherri L. Smith last updated 3 October 23

Not yet rated

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 brings out the big guns to topple the MacBook Pro, including 13th Gen Intel chips and discrete video chips. But will that be enough and is the cost too much?

Microsoft Surface Go 4 on a gradient background next to Microsoft Surface Go 3 on a desk

Microsoft Surface Go 4 vs. Surface Go 3: Is the business refresh a winner?

By Sean Riley published 21 September 23

The Surface Go 3 got slammed in our review, but with updated internals and a new business focus can the Surface Go 4 turn things around?

Best laptop bags for women

By Sean Riley published 20 September 23

Laptop bags can be boring; these options break the mold

Microsoft Surface Go 4 rumors: release date, specs, price, and more

By Sean Riley published 19 September 23

The Microsoft Surface Go 4 should be among the devices announced at Microsoft's September Surface event this week, here's the expected release date, specs, price, and more.

Best laptop sleeves

By Sean Riley published 18 September 23

I get it: Your laptop is your life. So only the best laptop sleeve can be trusted to protect that precious device that contains everything from your work files to irreplaceable home movies.