Future Technology[Hardware Weekly] Nvidia just picked a fight with Intel and AMD
Nvidia is trying to muscle into laptops while Samsung is trying to make foldables feel normal again, and somewhere in between, a laptop GPU just quietly became the most-used graphics card on Steam.
The Big 3
Nvidia's RTX Spark chip is walking straight into Intel and AMD's back yard
Nvidia confirmed its RTX Spark Superchip will ship in Windows laptops and desktops from Dell and Lenovo starting this autumn, built with MediaTek and running Windows for Arm. It fuses a CPU and GPU into one package aimed at AI workloads, and it's the first time Nvidia has gone after the PC chip market directly rather than just supplying graphics cards. AMD, Intel and Qualcomm shares all dropped the day it was announced, which tells you how seriously the industry is taking this. The catch: Windows on Arm still has patchy app compatibility, and early adopters usually pay the "first generation" tax.
Should you care? Only if you're shopping for a laptop this autumn and want native AI acceleration. Everyone else can wait for round two once compatibility settles.
Samsung locks in 22 July for three foldables and two new watches
Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked is confirmed for 22 July 2026, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8 all expected on stage. The Flip 8 reportedly gets a 6.9-inch main screen with a much less visible crease, a 4,300mAh battery, and finally 15W wireless charging, still trailing rivals like the OnePlus Open's 67W wired speeds. Two new Galaxy Watches land alongside, running the stable release of One UI 9 Watch. The catch: Samsung's foldable prices have been climbing all year as memory costs rise industry-wide, and this event is where we find out how much of that gets passed to buyers.
Should you care? If you're still on a Fold 6 or older, this is worth watching properly rather than skimming a recap afterwards.
A laptop GPU just topped the Steam Hardware Survey for the first time ever
Valve's June 2026 Steam Hardware Survey put a laptop graphics card at number one on the GPU chart, a first in the survey's history. It arrives alongside Windows 11 clearing 70% share and AMD closing the CPU gap with Intel to under nine points. This isn't about laptop GPUs suddenly beating desktop flagships, it's about where people are actually gaming now: handhelds, ultraportables and portable rigs, not towers under a desk. The catch: Steam's survey is self-reported and noisy month to month, so treat this as a trend signal, not gospel.
Should you care? If you're torn between a gaming laptop and a desktop build this year, this backs up what you probably already suspected.
Quick Hits
The Ayaneo Next 2 costs up to $5,300, and that's not a typo. Top spec gets you 128GB of RAM and 2TB of storage bolted onto a two-year-old AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip. Even the "cheap" version runs $3,600. Compare that to the Xbox Ally X at $1,000 or the Legion Go under $900, and this is a niche flex product, not a mainstream handheld.
Read more → · Source (4 minute read)
Intel's Crescent Island AI chip starts sampling this year. Confirmed at Computex, it's Intel's clearest shot yet at Nvidia and AMD's data centre dominance, timed neatly before Intel's 23 July earnings call. Still enterprise-only for now, but a real signal Intel wants back in the AI silicon fight.
Read more → · Source (3 minute read)
Oomwoo lets you 3D print your own robot vacuum, no cloud required. Built on a Raspberry Pi, 2D LiDAR and ROS 2, it integrates natively with Home Assistant and never phones home. Brilliant if you already own a 3D printer and care about privacy, pointless if you just want to unbox something and press start.
Read more → · Source (5 minute read)
Amazon Prime Day deals are already dropping ahead of the 13-15 July window. Standouts so far: the Logitech G733 headset at £74.99 (was £139.99), and the Lenovo Legion R27qe 27-inch QHD monitor at £99.99, half its usual price. Expect Currys and Argos to run counter-sales the same week.
Read more → · Source (4 minute read) · Logitech G733 on Amazon
Pick of the Week
Garmin's new entry-level Forerunner, $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$399 (check price on Amazon UK). What makes it stand out: Garmin's training data and GPS accuracy, usually locked behind £400-plus watches, on a genuine budget model that finally moves past the ageing Forerunner 55. Who it's for: new and intermediate runners who want real Garmin metrics without flagship pricing. The honest caveat: a transflective display rather than AMOLED, and no onboard music storage, so if you want Spotify offline or full-colour maps, you're looking further up Garmin's range.
Worth Waiting For
Samsung's 22 July Unpacked is the one to hold out for if you're phone or watch shopping this summer, especially with foldable pricing still an open question. Further out, Apple Watch Ultra 4 is tipped for its first real redesign in four years this autumn, alongside a Series 12 chip refresh and a possible Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 running Snapdragon's new Wear Elite chip. If your current watch or foldable still works fine, this is a genuinely reasonable summer to wait.
Know someone who'd enjoy this? Forward it. We won't tell anyone you're their tech advisor.
Free weekly hardware briefing: futuretechnologyhq.com/newsletter
Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. We only recommend products we genuinely think are worth your time.