The best laptops to buy your teen this holiday season

It makes complete sense that most parents buy their kids’ new laptops during the back-to-school season (at least chronologically). But in terms of actual savings on expensive hardware, Black Friday easily crushes any summer sale prices. So if your teen is clamoring for a new laptop under the Christmas tree this year, we’re here to help you decide which option best fits their needs and your budget.

The first thing to consider is that the best laptops geared towards “kids” probably won’t work for your teen’s needs. Portability, affordability and versatility are good perks for any laptop, but choosing something for durability, limited features or parental restrictions tells your teen you don’t trust them.

How to buy Amazfit GTR at the best price in the UK for Black Friday

Xiaomi makes some of the best-value wearable tech around (case in point: Mi Band 4), and the Amazfit GTR stands out for its aesthetic design, incredibly long battery life, GPS, sleep tracking and choice of sports modes that include swimming. 

Recently announced in China, and now available in the UK, the GTR is a classy-looking waterproof (5ATM) sports watch with a 1.39in (454×454, 326ppi) AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass, a stainless steel or aluminium case, a choice of premium bands and a selection of more than 100 customisable watch faces. 

These metal variants of the Amazfit GTR cost 999 RMB in China, which is around £116, but UK prices are slightly more inflated, depending on which size and metal finish you choose. The options are Stainless steel, Titanium and Aluminum alloy.

The cheapest price right now comes from  but for the 42mm version only, which  if you order from Hong Kong. There are has no separate shipping fees. If you choose to ship the 47mm option from Spain, it costs £108.18 with £5.51 in shipping, for a . 

Amazon has the second most competitive price on the 42mm option, where it’s available for £109.90, while the 47mm option is available from £115.

 was the first retailer to offer the GTR in the UK, where it sold for £122.40, which is 17% off its usual price of £147.43. Now with Black Friday upon us, the price has for both the 47mm and 42mm version – which is the cheapest price for the 47mm version.

By default GearBest may show you pricing in US dollars, but you can switch to your local currency from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. GearBest is also stocking a in silver or black for the GTR at £5.55.

The Amazifit GTR also offers 12 sport modes, including pool/open water swimming, running, cycling and walking, and uses a continuous heart-rate sensor for more accurate activity tracking. 

Xiaomi claims the 410mAh battery can last up to 72 days with basic usage, and 145 days on standby, but battery life is largely dependent on your usage. A more realistic – but still very good – scenario is around 24 days for most users.

The smartwatch functionality is limited compared to some more expensive watches, but you can still get all your notifications – messages, incoming calls, apps and so on – right on your wrist. See our round up of the best smart watches of the year.

Read our full review of the Amazfit GTR.

You’ll also like: Best smartwatches & Best Xiaomi Deals


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Get your broadband sorted for just £13.99/pm thanks to this Black Friday broadband deal

Onestream is clearly hell-bent on topping the competition for the second Black Friday running. The internet provider has announced a fibre broadband deal with an extremely cheap price.

Onestream is offering fibre broadband for only £13.99 a month for a 12-month contract! Currently, this is the cheapest fibre broadband deal on the market right now and we actually can’t remember fibre bills ever coming as low. In fact, this is the very cheapest fibre broadband deal out there.

The only thing to bear in mind is that for such a cheap price you wont be getting incredibly fast speeds – with this deal you’re looking at getting average speeds of  17Mb. So this deal is ideal for anyone looking for cheap broadband and isn’t majorly concerned with super rapid downloads or uninterrupted 4K streaming. 

But then again, this price is still cheaper than any cheap ADSL broadband deal in the UK, so it’s still pretty impressive. Below we have outlined the deal and explained everything you need to know.

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The UK’s cheapest broadband deal in full:

Onestream Jetstream Fibre Unlimited Broadband | 12 month contract | 17Mb average speed | Line rental inc. | FREE activation | £9.99 delivery | £13.99 per month
£13.99 per month is an unheard of price for (technically) fibre broadband. Yes, it only 17Mb average download speeds but you won’t find broadband any cheaper than this right now – if you don’t believe us check our broadband deals guide.
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How does this compare to other broadband deals?

No prizes for guessing what we love about this offer…just how darn cheap it is (even if it does just barely classify as a fibre broadband deal).

However, if you’re thinking this is too slow why not consider Vodafone. This Black Friday it’s offering average speeds of 35Mb for just £24/pm, and an amazing freebie of a Google Nest Hub Max smart speaker.

Or if you want a hard cash freebie, BT could be the way to go. For a little extra a month you get average speeds of 50Mb. You only have to pay £28.99 a month and you get an whopping £100 Mastercard Reward card.

TechRadar is scouring every retailer and rounding up all the top deals over the Black Friday period, and we’ve put all the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals in easy-to-navigate articles to help you find the bargains you’re looking for.

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We’re loving TalkTalk’s free upgrade to its superfast fibre broadband deal

TalkTalk is pretty much unbeatable this Black Friday – its best fibre broadband deal is one of the hottest in the UK right now.

The offer is on its Superfast Fibre broadband – where not only do you get a free speed increase, you also get a pretty sweet price drop. You’re looking at getting unlimited broadband with average download speeds of 67Mb for just £21.95.

All of this, with line rental included and a guarantee that no price increases will occur throughout the whole 18 month contract – an increasingly limited sight for broadband deals. So its pretty handy to have the assurance that for the next 18 months that remarkably low price of your superfast fibre internet will stay the same.

If you keep reading, below we have detailed this Black Friday fibre broadband deal from TalkTalk. And if fibre broadband is not the one for you, or if you want TV included with your broadband, make sure you check out our best broadband deals guide.

TalkTalk’s cut price fibre broadband deal:

TalkTalk Superfast Fibre Broadband | 18 months | Avg speeds 67Mb | Line rental incl. | FREE activation | £24.95 £21.95 per month
If you love to stream, or you live in a busy household this is the perfect package for you. Average download speeds of 67Mb are great (that’s the speed we recommend for all 4K TV streaming needs). Not only is this a great value for price but you are guaranteed that it won’t increase at all for the next 18 months, either.
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TechRadar is scouring every retailer and rounding up all the top deals over the Black Friday period, and we’ve put all the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals in easy-to-navigate articles to help you find the bargains you’re looking for.

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Unlimited data for £18/pm – Three still holds the best Black Friday SIM only deal

SIM only deals come and go, some appealing to our love of big data caps and cheap bills and others leaving us less than enthusiastic. But during the competitive market of Black Friday one offer has easily rose to the top.

Unsurprisingly, it’s the same offer that dominated Black Friday last year and has then been a go-to all the way through the year. But now, not only is it cheaper than ever, but it just so happens to be the cheapest price on unlimited data, well…ever.

Coming from Three Mobile, you’re paying just £18 a month to land yourself completely unlimited access to the internet, streaming and any data needs you can produce with your mobile phone.

And because having the cheapest unlimited data SIM only deal wasn’t enough, Three has also dropped a second version of the offer with a half price promotion. But, with a two-year commitment, it may feel off-putting for some – you can find all of the details on both offers below.

Three’s mega SIM only deal with unlimited data:

An alternate unlimited data SIM only deal from Three:

Three SIM only| 24 months | Unlimited data, calls, and texts | £10 a month for the first six, then £20 a month
Getting unlimited data for just £10 is a rare sight and one that only Three has managed to achieve so far. Of course, those bills only last for six months and then you’ll have to pay £20 a month for the last 18, which is still one of the best prices around. The only issue is that it lasts for 24 months. Too long? Try the offer above.View Deal

Why should you choose Three Mobile?

If you haven’t already been won over by this amazing offer from Three then you’ll be excited to hear that the network doesn’t shy away from offering up some extra incentives as well.

Whether that be free exclusive prizes or extra roaming. You can see all of best parts of a Three SIM only deal or Three mobile deals down below.

  • Wuntu – Exclusive offers and freebies with Three’s rewards app
  • Go Roam – Roaming abilities in 71 worldwide countries at no extra cost
  • Travel Swagger – Get travel upgrades with Easyjet with bag drop and early boarding

TechRadar is scouring every retailer and rounding up all the top deals over the Black Friday period, and we’ve put all the best Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals in easy-to-navigate articles to help you find the bargains you’re looking for. 

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Pick up a cheap PS4 controller for just $39 in Black Friday deals at Walmart

Walmart have unleashed their Black Friday PS4 controller deals, and you can pick up a brand new DualShock 4 for just $39. There are plenty of Walmart Black Friday to take advantage of this week, but some of these limited edition color variants are a steal at under $40. There’s an impressive range of controllers here, spanning colors and special editions rarely spotted at this price tag. So, if you’ve been looking to breathe new life into your PS4 console for its final year now’s a great time to pick up some extra controllers. 

The DualShock 4 controller is the latest in Sony’s line of PlayStation gamepads, designed for the PS4 console and used across the world. The design continues the classic PlayStation thumbstick and D-pad offering but adds incredible rumble features, motion sensors, built-in speakers and a touchpad along the face of the controller. 

This is a great time to jump on these Black Friday PS4 controller deals – it’s the first time they’ve come down this far in price for the shopping season of 2019 and prices aren’t likely to fall further when things really kick off next week. Every controller you see in this list is down to this amazing price this weekend, a great saving on everything from the standard black controller to the more adventurous Red Camo or Gold editions. 

Latest PS4 controller Black Friday deals

PlayStation 4 controller – black | Fortnite Neo Versa bundle | $59.99 $39 at Walmart
Our first deal is a little left field, but if you’re at all interested in Fortnite, or know anyone who is, you’d be better off picking up this bundle instead of the controller by itself listed below. You’re essentially grabbing some free Fortnite DLC swag at the same price as all the other controllers on this list and saving $20 on the full price!
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PlayStation 4 controller – black | $59.99 $39 at Walmart
The standard black controller is on sale at Walmart this weekend for $39. If you’re just looking to replace an ageing gamepad without anything too fancy, this is the deal for you but you should know that there are other far more adventurous options available at the same price.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Glacier White | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
This Glacier White PS4 controller is usually about $5 more than the standard black version, but this weekend you can pick it up at the same $39 price tag. That’s a great deal on a fantastic looking controller.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Midnight Blue | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
We’re starting to veer outside of the every day now, but this Midnight Blue controller still keeps things subtle. It’s a darker shade of blue than you may find on other controllers, making this a fine-looking controller fit for any gaming shelf.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Magma Red | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
This Magma Red color variant is a bright, fun addition to your gaming collection. The red really pops and at $39, you won’t find this more expensive version cheaper anywhere else.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Electric Purple | $58.95 $39 at Walmart
Electric Purple isn’t a color you see very often, and as a 2019 addition to the DualShock roster, you’d be mad to miss this great Black Friday PS4 controller deal if you’re a fan. Just like the other color variants out there, the purple is fairly bright and vivid so this isn’t one for an understated games room.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Gold | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
This is another high price tag PS4 controller seeing an amazing discount this weekend at Walmart. The Gold controller has been out for a while now, but it’s rarely included in discounts, so jump on this while you can.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Rose Gold | $58 $39 at Walmart
This is one of the latest PS4 controller color variants to hit store shelves, so this discount is welcome even if it does represent less money saved than some of the others.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Steel Black | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
If you’re tired of your boring black controller but don’t want to splash too much color around your games room, this Steel Black variant offers a metallic finish that might just fit the bill.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Titanium Blue | $57.75 $39 at Walmart
This is another Black Friday PS4 controller deal straight from the latest lineup of gamepads from Sony. A metallic finish and light color scheme will keep this DualShock 4 from blending with the rest, and at $39 this is a great shout.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Red Camo | $59.80 $39 at Walmart
The Camo series of DualShock 4 controllers tend to divide their audiences. If you’re in favor of the more outlandish design, this red version keeps the vivid colors of some of the non-camo versions as well as the $39 price tag.
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PlayStation 4 controller – Green Camo | $64.99 $39 at Walmart
The very same PlayStation 4 controller Black Friday deal is available on the Green Camo version. This is more in keeping with the camo style, and with a $39 price tag you’re saving a bunch of cash as well.

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PlayStation 4 controller – Blue Camo | $49.99 $39 at Walmart
With a ‘before’ price of $49.99, this Blue Camo version is only $10 off in all these Black Friday PS4 controller sales. That said, it’s still an excellent deal if you’re after the design as you’d be pressed to find it cheaper anywhere else this weekend.
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Still looking for a DualShock 4 at other retailers too? They not as cheap as Walmart today, but you’ll find a roundup in our cheap PS4 controller deals page. While you’re rejuvenating your PlayStation, you might also want to check out these great PS Plus deals to save some cash on your monthly membership. 

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AMD ascending: How 3rd-gen Ryzen CPUs snatched the computing crown from Intel

Monday, November 26, 2019 was a momentous day. On it, AMD’s benchmark-shattering, floor-wiping, mic-dropping 32-core Threadripper 3970X reviews launched alongside Intel’s most potent consumer chip, the 18-core Core i9-10980XE. The wild performance difference between the two respective champions drove home a truth that’s been slowly building and is suddenly here: For the first time since Intel’s Core architecture ended the Athlon 64’s dominance nearly 15 long years ago, after an AMD Bulldozer era seemingly endless with disappointment, AMD’s Ryzen processors are firmly in control on the desktop.

It’s been coming. AMD’s new-look Ryzen chips, built using multiple conjoined dies under the hood rather than a typical monolithic design, shook the up the status quo when they launched in 2017. “AMD is back!” our headline blared.

Over the previous decade, computing innovation had stagnated. AMD’s bold Bulldozer gambit failed, and while Intel’s Core chips provided solid incremental advances year-over-year, they didn’t push the multi-core performance envelope. Mainstream PCs were stuck in neutral with dual- or quad-core processors forever, and every year’s four-core chip cost just as much as previous ones. In May 2016, with Ryzen rumors flying, Intel released the unprecedented 10-core Broadwell-E Core i7-6950X, for a just-as-unprecedented $1,723—a $700 premium over 8-core chips. Rather than reward such bold money-grabbing, our Full Nerd podcast’s crew declined to name a best CPU of 2016. Times were bleak.

Then Ryzen happened.

ryzen 2 Gordon Mah Ung

Where Intel only offered a single $1,089 8-core chip for its pricey high-end desktop platform, AMD flooded the field with cores and threads. The flagship Ryzen 7 1800X cost $499, but you could pick up an 8-core Ryzen 7 1700 for just $330, and six-core, 12-thread Ryzen 5 parts for as little as $220. While Intel’s budget chips topped out at two cores, AMD’s affordable Ryzen 3 CPUs offered four. Ryzen was a revelation, and for the first time in ages, Intel increased core counts to counter the threat.

But like any first-gen product, AMD’s new architecture wasn’t perfect. First-gen Ryzen chips delivered outstanding multi-core performance, but their clock speeds and instructions per clock (IPC) lagged behind Intel’s finely honed 14nm Core chips. Ryzen faltered in applications that demanded strong single-thread performance, most notably in 1080p gaming workloads that delivered far fewer frames per second on AMD’s hardware. First-gen Ryzen still did fine in those tasks, but they weren’t better for everybody and AMD had a lot of room to improve.

Second-gen Ryzen processors, built on the refined Zen+ architecture, did just that. This time around, we said that “AMD’s 2nd-gen CPUs nail the sequel.” AMD improved both performance and price, with the flagship 8-core Ryzen 7 2700X topping out at a mere $330, with a bundled Wraith CPU cooler. AMD boosted overall clock speeds, tweaked memory cache and latency, and introduced algorithms like Precision Boost 2 and Extended Frequency Range (XFR) 2 to let its chips hit those higher clocks more consistently.

2nd gen boost AMD

Much of the improvements in 2nd Ryzen comes from higher clock speeds on more cores.

The end result? “In the battle of Intel and AMD’s flagship processors, the clear winner today is the Ryzen 7 2700X,” we wrote at the time. There were still caveats—gaming and single-thread performance still trailed Intel, though by a much less noticeable amount—but AMD was clearly bringing the fight to Intel.