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• AI giants are investing billions to train engineers in a bid to help their customers
• US FDE engineer jobs rose 6x year-over-year, two years in a row
• Consultancies are advertising the most FDE jobs, it seems

US tech giants are now spending billions of dollars deploying specialist engineers to help their customers realize the benefits of AI, with AWS, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google all recently announcing expansions to their forward-deployed engineer (FDE) programs.

We've already surpassed the point that model capabilities were the limit – now, companies are struggling with legacy infrastructure and identifying real-world use cases, so AI developers are getting involved to help them out.

As part of the ongoing shift in how AI is being sold, those developers are no longer just selling their AI to customers – they're also taking responsibility over its deployment.

FDEs are the future of enterprise AI adoption

Already, we've seen OpenAI backing its FDE business with a massive $4 billion investment and AWS footing a $1 billion bill for FDEs, while Anthropic shared plans to train 10,000 specialist engineers by the end of 2027.

Lightcast research even highlights the extensive growth in FDE job roles, with around 200 FDE job ads shared in the US in 2023 and a similar number in 2024. By 2025, this had increased 6x to around 1,200 advertised positions, yet in the first nine months of 2026 the report found 7,300 roles, another 6x increase year-over-year.

"As businesses move from developing AI technology to applying it, they need professionals who can bridge the gap between technical products and operational problems," the report explains.

Interestingly, three of the four top companies advertising roles were consultancies (Deloitte, Accenture and KPMG), with just one of them being a tech firm (Google). Consultancies are positioning themselves as a key part of the chain, and Anthropic's recent announcement to support engineer roles within third-party consultancies aligns with this emerging trend.

Lightcast Head of Global Research Elena Magrini explained in an interview with CNBC that a sharp growth in wages also implies that these companies are fighting over a limited pool of talent.

Looking ahead, the most successful AI companies may no longer be the ones with the most advanced models – rather, they could be the ones using human engineers in the best way to gain more customers.

The Corsair Vengeance line of RAM remains one of the best desktop memory kits we've ever tested. Amid sky-high RAM prices, we've been tracking discounts on the range built for both performance and eye-catching aesthetics.

If you're building or upgrading a modern Intel or AMD rig with a generous pool of fast, reliable memory, Corsair's Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 kit has dropped to $510 (was $546) at Best Buy. In contrast, both Newegg and Corsair have the Intel-only model at this price.

32GB is a comfortable amount of headroom for gaming, multitasking, and most content creation work, and the CL36 timings at 6000MT/s strike a reasonable balance between speed and price for DDR5.

Vengence 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM kit: was $545.99 now $509.99
Two 16GB DDR5 modules running at up to 6000MT/s with CL36-44-44-96 timings and AMD Expo and Intel XMP 3.0 support for one-click overclocking. Each module features ten individually addressable RGB LEDs across a panoramic light bar, controllable through Corsair's iCUE software, along with onboard voltage regulation for more stable overclocking.View Deal

Why we recommend it

Vengeance RGB is one of Corsair's most established DDR5 lines, and this kit hits a sensible middle ground: fast enough to make a real difference in gaming and multitasking, priced well below Corsair's flagship overclocked kits, and backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

AMD Expo and Intel XMP 3.0 support means getting to the rated 6000MT/s speed is a one-click process in most BIOS menus rather than manual tuning, and the onboard voltage regulation Corsair includes is aimed at making that overclock more stable out of the box.

At 45mm, the heat spreaders should clear most tower air coolers without issues, which isn't always guaranteed with RGB memory.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB kit if...

You're building or upgrading an AMD or Intel DDR5 rig and want 32GB as a comfortable baseline.

❌ Skip the Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB kit if...

You don't want to install iCUE software to control the lighting, or you're chasing the tightest possible latency at this speed.

Price Context & Historical Value

This is the best price I can find on Corsair's CMH32GX5M2E6000Z36 SKU - this is the one that supports both Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD Expo. For comparison, the Intel-only model is also available for $510 from Newegg and direct from Corsair.

What to know before you buy

CL36 timings are respectable but not the tightest available at DDR5-6000; kits with CL30 timings offer lower latency at a similar or sometimes higher price if that matters more to you than budget. As with any high-speed memory kit, it's worth checking your motherboard's QVL list to confirm compatibility before buying, since not every board handles 6000MT/s DDR5 equally well.

There’s a phrase I often used to use when referring to Elon Musk: Don’t bet against Elon.

This stemmed from long before he became a supervillain, and was instead no more than an oddball tech-sector genius primed to become a real-life Tony Stark. It was at the tail-end of this honeymoon, in 2017, that Musk unveiled the Tesla Roadster 2020, a luxury model EV that promised insane specs and performance (0-to-60 mph in 1.9 seconds) and maybe even something we’d only dreamed of: rockets that might let it fly.

Now, for chronology sticklers, Musk did not promise rockets during Tesla's November 2017 event; it was primarily devoted to the Tesla Semi. That tease came months later on his favorite platform, Twitter, where Musk wrote:

“SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car. These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering. Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly …”

I posted my skepticism with a Tom Hanks GIF of him saying “Really?”

@LanceUlanoff @elonmusk Yes, really. https://t.co/SMt0yydSA6October 16, 2026

This morning, my X feed has been filled with people replying to that old post with “Yes, really” and wild videos of the fully redesigned Tesla Roadster flying with the aid of what appears to be 10 thrusters (SpaceX rocket engines).

In the videos shared from Musk’s launch event, the Roadster inexplicably rides up a vertical incline and then flies off it, flips over, and lands on its wheels.

Yes, a car can fly. We may not have affordable healthcare or housing, world peace, safe social media, or know if AI will save us or kill us, but we have a car that can fly.

Do a kickflip! https://t.co/DJ1Bq1yu8mOctober 16, 2026

I’m not discounting the impressive engineering or sheer audacity of the flying Tesla Roadster, but it’s been a long time since Musk crashed his own launch event with a “one-more-thing” Roadster update, and I feel different about, well, just about everything.

Back then, it had been five years since I had interviewed Musk and gotten him to playfully whistle Fly Me to the Moon. The busy entrepreneur’s personality had been shifting slowly to a more petulant and unpredictable place. I’d recently sat through a Tesla Model 3 launch where he abruptly ended a press conference without taking any real questions from journalists, and at the Semi event, he showed up incredibly late, though he did deliver the goods in the end.

I see things differently now

Now, when I look at this more geometric and rocket-filled Tesla Roadster (it looks nothing like the one I saw in 2017), it’s through the prism of everything else Musk has done in the last five or so years.

He purchased Twitter, smothered the brand, and rebooted it as the darker and often angrier X. To be fair, some now report that X has started to rekindle some of its older, kinder, and more inclusive community (I’ve experienced a bit of this myself), but it’s still a far cry from the place Musk so enjoyed when he touted all his latest Tesla and SpaceX advancements back in 2017.

Musk became not just the face of government cost-cutting; he became President Donald Trump’s weapon of choice, with the Musk-led Doge taking an axe to life-saving programs around the world.

It’s hard to reconcile the excitement of a flying car with the man who now guides it.

Or is it?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The fact is that no one needs this car, and anyone who understands even the tiniest bit of physics (and rocket technology) knows that the power and effort to lift and fly a one-ton car is extraordinary.

Its thrusters have nothing to do with the EV motors or batteries — they’re cold-gas thrusters, which use massively compressed gas stored in a 200-liter tank and a 400-liter tank. Musk was clear that this car is not expected to be road legal, which is good, because I’m frankly terrified of the idea of something crashing into it and rupturing those tanks.

But even if he delivers multiple of these cars for the invite-only crowd it’s aimed at, and it doesn’t turn out to be a one-off (which, let’s face it, is likely), why bother? If it’s so impractical that it can never make it to American roads, or any others, what was the point outside of a fun few seconds to watch?

Musk has his devotees, and I can see them tripping over themselves to applaud the unveiling (finally, after almost a decade) of this promised Tesla Roadster update, but for many others Musk is just another inscrutable tech bro who does what he does for his own reasons with very little, if any, of them having to do with the betterment of humankind.

So, thanks for the tech showcase, Elon. You have anything for what’s really ailing the world?

• Attackers exploited vulnerable devices to install legitimate bandwidth-sharing software and hijack internet connections
• Compromised systems were covertly added to proxy networks, enabling anonymous criminal activity
• Campaign affected at least 143 devices across 34 countries, highlighting patching and access-control failures

When threat actors break into a system, they don’t need to install malware to make use of the compromised endpoint - they can install perfectly legal, normal software, and still walk away with a paycheck they didn’t earn.

A recent proxyjacking campaign spotted by security researchers GreyNoise impacted hundreds of devices in dozens of countries.

Proxyjacking

Proxyjacking is a type of attack in which a device is hijacked and assimilated into a proxy network. Usually, cybercriminals would break into a computer, install malware and create a proxy network of their own, which they can later rent or use themselves. Threat actors are always in need of “clean” and unflagged devices and IP addresses behind which they can hide, making residential proxies - both malicious and legal - highly wanted services.

Some of the biggest malicious residential proxies out there include IPIDEA, NetNut, and Cloudrouter. All of them are now either entirely dismantled, or severely disrupted, but while they were operational, they offered hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of IP addresses associated with an internet connection used in a household (hence the name “residential IP address”).

But malicious proxies are difficult to pull off. To assimilate a device into the network, the threat actor needs to deploy malware which, as soon as it’s spotted, will be flagged by antivirus products and quarantined. In the newest attacks, spotted by GreyNoise, someone went for a legitimate app with similar functionality, instead.

The researchers found someone installing Pawns.app, primarily a rewards platform that lets users earn money by completing online surveys and playing games. However, it used to offer a bandwidth-sharing feature that let users earn money by allowing business clients to route their internet traffic through the user’s residential IP address. At the start of the year, the app discontinued the feature, but it seems it still works for older versions.

“As of 2026, Pawns.app does not offer internet bandwidth sharing,” a notification on the app’s website reads. “This feature was discontinued and is not associated with Pawns.app anymore.” But the app’s Terms of use still describe traffic sharing as available in some versions of the application, and its business website still promotes an SDK for bandwidth monetization.

Targeting D-Link

Apparently, someone picked up on this and went to work. According to GreyNoise, they targeted D-Link ShareCenter NAS devices, Ubiquiti UniFi Video NVRs, as well as SAP NetWeaver Visual Composers. These contained different vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-3272 and CVE-2024-3273 for D-Link, CVE-2021-44228 for Ubiquiti, and

CVE-2025-31324 for SAP, which the threat actor leveraged to deploy Pawns.app. GreyNoise also said that the attackers targeted Hikvision and Dahua DVR/NVR devices, but did not say which vulnerabilities they leveraged against these devices.

At the moment of publication, the researchers identified at least 143 compromised devices worldwide, located in 34 different countries. While they all had legitimate software installed, it was deployed without their knowledge or consent, making the entire ordeal illegal.

“While “earn on your internet” is voluntary, proxyjacking is a crime. Proxyjacking is when an MCA (malicious cyber actor) forces victim devices into proxy networks in order to monetize their bandwidth,” GreyNoise warned.

If you’re worried someone might have done something similar to a device under your control, GreyNoise created a free service that lets you check if your IP interacted with its Global Observation Grid. The researchers said it can serve as a potential indicator of proxyjacking.

Apart from scanning IP addresses, businesses should educate employees about the risks associated with installing free apps, as well as about the importance of keeping devices patched. They should also detect residential proxy IP addresses in authentication logs, as well as deviations in user authentication behavior and characteristics beyond geolocation, such as mismatches in device identifiers, or session identifiers.

Via BleepingComputer

A majority of Americans support the death penalty for people convicted of murder, but support becomes more divided when questions vary.

(Image credit: Paul Hennessy)

Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians as they were harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank on Friday, injuring several people including a photojournalist working for The Washington Post.

(Image credit: Ahmad Gharabli)

I’m no rocket scientist, but I’m not sure the vehicle on display was a fully functional car that a human can drive.

Think of Muse Spark Open as the result of Meta and Apple’s enemies-to-lovers arc.

Google's Rambler voice typing cleans up spoken thoughts instead of transcribing them word for word. Here's how rewriting, offline use, privacy, and review work.

The post Pixel 11 Rambler AI Voice Typing: How It Rewrites Speech appeared first on TechRepublic.

iOS 27 lets Apple Intelligence build Shortcuts from natural-language descriptions and adds new triggers, model choices, storage, and web-connected automation tools.

The post iOS 27 AI Shortcuts: What Changed and 5 Useful Things to Try appeared first on TechRepublic.

YouTube is rolling out GIF comments for videos and Shorts. Learn how they work, who has access, and what the update means for viewers and businesses.

The post YouTube Rolls Out GIF Comments: What Viewers Can Use So Far appeared first on TechRepublic.

• Phishing campaigns are abusing calendar invites and meeting requests to steal Microsoft 365 credentials
• Attackers hide malicious links in .ics files, fake meeting details, QR codes, and invite pages
• Researchers observed hundreds of thousands of phishing emails targeting over 40,000 organizations

If you get a calendar invite in your inbox be wary - it might be a carefully created phishing lure, designed to have you hand over Microsoft 365 or other login credentials.

Security firm Check Point Research (CPR) recently sounded the alarm for “several large-scale phishing campaigns,” abusing the fact that businesspeople routinely share calendar invites, and all designed to harvest their victim’s credentials.

Different approach, same result

CPR says it identified two separate approaches. In some cases, the threat actors would share calendar invites as .ics attachments. These pass email filters (since the file type itself is harmless) and land directly into people’s inboxes. In other cases, the invites would come as links (which end up redirecting the victim away from their calendar and right into a trap).

The former is arguably more dangerous: the attachment is disguised as a meeting request or a payment notification, and when the recipient opens or accepts the invitation, it ends up in their calendar. Sometimes, depending on each user’s settings, the calendar entry may be processed automatically, too. In both cases, the fraudulent content now looks like an ordinary work appointment or service notification.

So far, none of these things are malicious, or dangerous, on their own. There is no vulnerability exploited, or malware deployed, here. However, the event description, location field, or embedded QR code, may direct the victim to a fake Microsoft 365 sign-in page, or a fraudulent payment portal. The victim, not realizing the landing pages were spoofed, may end up sharing their login credentials or payment information with the attackers.

The latter approach is easier to set up, but arguably harder to pull off. A link placed directly in the email, even if it looks benign on the surface, might get flagged by email security services and filtered out into spam. If it passes, though, victims will have a rather difficult time spotting the ruse.

In one of the examples shared by CPR, a victim received a fake Microsoft Teams meeting invite, and simply hovering over the “join” link revealed its real destination - a credential-harvesting page at a third-party website.

Large campaigns

The campaigns are quite large, CPR stressed, and growing. Hundreds of thousands of these emails get sent every month, from countless compromised email addresses:

“Check Point Email researchers are tracking these campaigns and have seen a significant surge starting September 25, 2026,” the report reads.

“A new detection layer specifically designed to identify this type of attack has flagged more than 302,386 unique phishing emails among our customers’ emails, sent to more than 40,000 organizations.”

The campaigns average more than 8,300 emails per active day, CPR said, adding that the messages came from more than 33,890 different sender domains and more than 247,270 unique sender addresses.

“Activity is not fading, it is accelerating. Daily volume grew from a few thousand emails a month in April to more than 118,000 in September, and to more than 740,000 in just the first two weeks of October. The busiest single day so far was October 8, with almost 200,000 emails,” the researchers concluded.

Phishing is one of the oldest and most used attack vectors out there, and for good reason. Besides being omnipresent, it is the cheapest and most effective way to compromise a target network.

That being said, defending against it usually revolves around common sense. Employees should be made aware that unsolicited emails carry real risk of cyberattacks, and that any email or instant message asking the recipient to urgently download a file, or log into a service, is most likely an attempted attack.

iPhone Handoff lets one phone number move automatically between two iPhones. Here’s how setup, carrier support, Apple Watch, Wallet, and eSIM switching work.

The post iPhone Handoff in iOS 27: Use One Number on Two iPhones appeared first on TechRepublic.

Nvidia introduces three Nemotron AI models, including a 120B-parameter system and two smaller Bolt models designed for local AI agents and enterprise tasks.

The post Nvidia Launches Three Nemotron AI Models, Including Two for Local AI Agents appeared first on TechRepublic.

Private Internet Access (PIA) has released the v3.8.0 update for its eponymous VPN, which the company says could boost Windows connection speeds by more than 200 per cent.

The update makes WireGuard the default protocol on all platforms, replacing OpenVPN, and updates Windows clients to use the WireGuard-NT 1.1 kernel driver.

In the patch notes, PIA says this driver can boost ‘WireGuard speeds by more than 3x on higher-bandwidth systems’.

Compared to OpenVPN, WireGuard is a more modern and less CPU-intensive protocol, making it a great all-purpose VPN for multiple device types. It's also faster than OpenVPN on average

Though PIA previously offered WireGuard as an optional protocol, it used OpenVPN as standard. Making WireGuard the default gives users quicker access to a faster connection in most circumstances.

Many everyday users use their VPN of choice for video streaming or moving files securely, so connection speed can be the difference between choosing one VPN over another.

OpenVPN remains available as an optional protocol, which will be welcome news for businesses and large networks that rely on its well-developed infrastructure.

For Windows users, the update adds the OpenVPN DCO kernel driver, which can boost connection bandwidth by up to 100 per cent depending on your system and connection specs.

As mentioned, OpenVPN is typically slower than WireGuard, so anything that boosts connection strength or speed is a welcome addition.

Improving more than speeds

WireGuard is now PIA's default protocol on all platforms, good news for less powerful devices like smartphones (Image credit: Future)

The update also adds the AmneziaWG protocol to Linux and macOS, making it possible to obfuscate VPN use.

While most consumer VPNs disguise your web traffic, obfuscation means disguising the fact that you’re using a VPN. This is useful for getting around VPN blockers in regions or environments that restrict VPN use.

The addition of AmneziaWG means Linux and macOS users can hide their VPN use if necessary while retaining the benefits of WireGuard, namely fast connection speeds and light resource usage.

Users can activate the Amnezia protocol by heading to the Protocol page, selecting WireGuard, and switching on Obfuscation.

Finally, the update patches a macOS bug that left the app hanging if split tunnelling system extension setup was left incomplete in the system settings.

PIA hasn’t always been the best for regular updates and expansions, but recently the Colorado-based firm has issued a string of useful updates, from expanding its server network to adding an F-Droid app for de-Googled Android users.

Most recently, PIA added 10 new locations to its server network across the Americas, Middle East, Africa, and Australia.

As well as the security and privacy updates we’d expect to see from all VPNs, we’re always on the lookout for feature updates and network improvements when it comes time to put together our lists of the best VPNs on the market.

A better update cadence gives PIA a better chance of holding onto its spot as one of the best cheap VPNs you can buy.

Sony's new gold-plated Walkman costs $5,900 and promises premium audio. Here's what its upgraded hardware offers and whether it's worth the price.

The post Sony Wants Audiophiles to Pay $5,900 for Its New Gold-Plated Walkman appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple's iPhone Duo introduces Smart Take, Kid Cue, Duo Preview, and Duo FaceTime. Here's how its folding design changes group photos and where its cameras fall short.

The post iPhone Duo Camera Tricks: Smart Take, Kid Cue, Duo Preview, and More appeared first on TechRepublic.

Meta's Muse Spark Open targets developers with powerful open-weight AI, Apple silicon support, and new deployment options. Here's what IT teams should know.

The post Meta Unveils Muse Spark Open, Its Most Powerful Open-Weight AI Yet appeared first on TechRepublic.

Calling all creatives who want a laptop that will not quit. This 16-inch laptop is designed for photo and video editors who don't necessarily need a full 4K display, but still want an RTX 5060 GPU and a touch-based OLED panel.

It has a laptop touchpad with designer pen input and photographic design input, with a level of precision most laptops only dream of. It has spectacular ports, an incredible refresh rate, and jaw-dropping color accuracy.

In my tests, this proved it's not just a laptop. This is a creative graphics studio that fits in your backpack. If that is the world you live in, then this laptop is purpose-built just for you.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Price and Availability

The Lenovo Pro 9i AE Gen 11 16-inch OLED Touch comes in several build options, and is available from Lenovo US, Lenovo UK, and other territories. Prices start at $2,499.99 / £2,719.99 at the time of review. My review unit came in at just over $3,000.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Unboxing and First Impressions

All right, I'll say it: Lenovo makes some pretty sharp-looking laptops. Even this laptop, as large as it is, still looks sharp and sleek. The box includes the power cable, power adapter, Yoga Pen, and documentation, along with the laptop itself. Everything was fairly well packaged, too. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Thunder Gray, but I'm actually a big fan of the color.

Even with how hefty this machine is, it still feels manageable with day-to-day use. Yeah, I won’t want to carry this around one-handed while working off it, but bringing it from a coffee shop to a desk to a meeting and back to a desk, or lugging it around in my quality backpack, all seem very reasonable.

I wouldn't want to commute with it all day, every day, but for the power you can get from this machine, it's pretty spectacular. The OLED panel and 120 Hz motion are spectacular and immediately recognizable.

Another thing that I noticed right away is the keyboard and haptic force trackpad. For creatives, having that kind of quality input makes a huge difference. That's why so many creatives love having their customized keyboards and fancy mice. Input tools matter when you are creating.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Design and Build Quality

This is all about a pretty sharp-looking laptop. One of its biggest strengths is the impressive OLED panel and Intel Core chips. It also has that crazy-good force pad and Yoga Pen Gen 2, which reminds me a lot of the drawing and design pads that were popular a few years back. People could use a pen on a surface and have it appear on the screen.

It's a little bit interesting in this sense because there is a touchscreen as well. However, after about 2 minutes of learning to match your eyes on the screen to what is in your hand with the pen and drawing on the force pad, it works pretty well. I've seen people who do photo editing or graphic design get used to it pretty quickly, especially those who have used one of those drawing pads before.

As someone who normally draws on my iPad, it's a little odd, but nothing out of the ordinary or too hard to get over. Plus, the precision is pretty good, which might be why Lenovo chose the touchpad over the OLED panel. And probably because they didn't want to risk damaging the OLED panel, if I had to guess.

Thankfully, the trackpad also works as a pretty high-quality trackpad. As someone who uses my laptop's trackpad as much as possible (gestures, multi-finger motions, and more), I always appreciate a quality, enlarged touchpad.

Another thing I really appreciate is the port offering. I'm glad to see that some of these more Pro, power, and tech-savvy laptops are bringing back USB-A and even full-size HDMI.

A lot of what I do in my own space is use USB-C, as any good citizen should. I still go to plenty of places that don't have a USB-C hub or dock, so having that HDMI port is super helpful. Being able to plug into more legacy items with USB-A is also helpful. USB-C has been around for a long time, but I don't know about you; I still run into way too much USB-A day-to-day.

Perhaps it's just my IT and systems background, but I still run into a lot of that day-to-day. As I continue to grow in my creative endeavors, an SD card reader is a benefit I continue to maximize.

One more thing I'll mention is that this machine throttles its heat pretty well. By throttling, I mean it just vents heat, not necessarily throttling speed. I haven't noticed any of that through some of the more intense workloads I put this through, but through benchmarking, video editing, running heavy LLMs, and some pretty intense terminal sessions where I'm utilizing a lot of the internal power to build several agents and workers (along with using Codex, Claude Code, and Notion all at the same time, along with some browser views and computer control), this machine seems to be running just fine. Yes, the fans kick on under heavy loads, but it doesn't give up or slow down.

In my testing, I handled video editing in DaVinci Resolve while running several lines of 4K video. I could jump in and out without excessive loading, processing, or rendering. It feels fast. It feels like something that I would happily give to any video editor.

Yes, it may not be as good as a machine three times the cost, but for the price, portability, and use case, this is a very capable video editing machine. Of course, since it handles video editing, it can also handle some of the larger, several-GB photos I send it.

In my day job, we have several-GB files for giant banners that crash some of our other computers, but this one seems to be operating just fine right now. That's a testament to how powerful that chip is and how efficient this is.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: In use

As mentioned above, I've thrown just about everything I can at my very broad workday. As the years go on, my days can include: heavy AI use, terminal use, app building, video editing, photo editing, content writing, systems engineering, heavy database builds, and so on

Using this as a mobile workstation gives me a sense of security that I won't need to transfer to another device or hand off heavier workloads elsewhere. Sure, there's still something to say about servers and things like that, but for what I can and should do on the device, this doesn't seem to limit what I do on a normal day.

The OLED panel is also gorgeous. That helps. I've had plenty of computers where the machine is powerful, but the screen is mediocre at best, and it just doesn't feel the same as using a brilliant display like this. To use a machine that a lot of people can compare with, this feels a lot like carrying around a MacBook Pro 16-inch or one of the 16-inch Dell laptops. It's big, but not too cumbersome. If you need that power, it's well worth it, and it's obviously better than carrying a desktop or a remote into a desktop.

If you're the kind of person who needs raw power and values the extra screen real estate, then this is absolutely worth getting. Even as somebody who is very partial to the 14-inch form factor, this 16-inch is nothing insane.

Lastly, on some other important factors, I've enjoyed using the keyboard. It's been comfortable for even long sessions. The touchpad is comfortable, accurate, and easy to use. The camera is good enough for virtual meetings, and the microphone is good enough, though obviously not the best. In a room or home office, it's fine, but if you're in a public space, please, for the love of everybody else on the call, get a pair of headphones or a dedicated mic.

Even if it's just a cheap pair of earbuds, which may be my biggest unlock of the year, it can make a huge difference, especially if you're using tools like Wispr Flow or voice agents. The mic is good enough if you're in a private office or home office, maybe with a little bit of background noise. If you're in a loud space, accurate vocal input is essential.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Final verdict

This laptop's pretty clearly designed for people in the creative space, or at least for anyone who works with it. Yes, it's wildly powerful, so really anybody who's in the heavy technical space, or if you're in the AI space or vibe coding space, you could utilize something like this as well.

With that beautiful OLED panel and force touchpad with pen input, this is clearly designed for graphic designers, photographers, video editors, and similar work. If you don't do those things, you'll still enjoy using this laptop, but there may be another one, even from Lenovo, that better fits your unique specifications and requirements.

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For more creator machines, we've tested the best photo editing laptops and the best laptops for video editing.

Calling all creatives who want a laptop that will not quit. This 16-inch laptop is designed for photo and video editors who don't necessarily need a full 4K display, but still want an RTX 5060 GPU and a touch-based OLED panel.

It has a laptop touchpad with designer pen input and photographic design input, with a level of precision most laptops only dream of. It has spectacular ports, an incredible refresh rate, and jaw-dropping color accuracy.

In my tests, this proved it's not just a laptop. This is a creative graphics studio that fits in your backpack. If that is the world you live in, then this laptop is purpose-built just for you.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Price and Availability

The Lenovo Pro 9i AE Gen 11 16-inch OLED Touch comes in several build options, and is available from Lenovo US, Lenovo UK, and other territories. Prices start at $2,499.99 / £2,719.99 at the time of review. My review unit came in at just over $3,000.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Unboxing and First Impressions

All right, I'll say it: Lenovo makes some pretty sharp-looking laptops. Even this laptop, as large as it is, still looks sharp and sleek. The box includes the power cable, power adapter, Yoga Pen, and documentation, along with the laptop itself. Everything was fairly well packaged, too. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Thunder Gray, but I'm actually a big fan of the color.

Even with how hefty this machine is, it still feels manageable with day-to-day use. Yeah, I won’t want to carry this around one-handed while working off it, but bringing it from a coffee shop to a desk to a meeting and back to a desk, or lugging it around in my quality backpack, all seem very reasonable.

I wouldn't want to commute with it all day, every day, but for the power you can get from this machine, it's pretty spectacular. The OLED panel and 120 Hz motion are spectacular and immediately recognizable.

Another thing that I noticed right away is the keyboard and haptic force trackpad. For creatives, having that kind of quality input makes a huge difference. That's why so many creatives love having their customized keyboards and fancy mice. Input tools matter when you are creating.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Design and Build Quality

This is all about a pretty sharp-looking laptop. One of its biggest strengths is the impressive OLED panel and Intel Core chips. It also has that crazy-good force pad and Yoga Pen Gen 2, which reminds me a lot of the drawing and design pads that were popular a few years back. People could use a pen on a surface and have it appear on the screen.

It's a little bit interesting in this sense because there is a touchscreen as well. However, after about 2 minutes of learning to match your eyes on the screen to what is in your hand with the pen and drawing on the force pad, it works pretty well. I've seen people who do photo editing or graphic design get used to it pretty quickly, especially those who have used one of those drawing pads before.

As someone who normally draws on my iPad, it's a little odd, but nothing out of the ordinary or too hard to get over. Plus, the precision is pretty good, which might be why Lenovo chose the touchpad over the OLED panel. And probably because they didn't want to risk damaging the OLED panel, if I had to guess.

Thankfully, the trackpad also works as a pretty high-quality trackpad. As someone who uses my laptop's trackpad as much as possible (gestures, multi-finger motions, and more), I always appreciate a quality, enlarged touchpad.

Another thing I really appreciate is the port offering. I'm glad to see that some of these more Pro, power, and tech-savvy laptops are bringing back USB-A and even full-size HDMI.

A lot of what I do in my own space is use USB-C, as any good citizen should. I still go to plenty of places that don't have a USB-C hub or dock, so having that HDMI port is super helpful. Being able to plug into more legacy items with USB-A is also helpful. USB-C has been around for a long time, but I don't know about you; I still run into way too much USB-A day-to-day.

Perhaps it's just my IT and systems background, but I still run into a lot of that day-to-day. As I continue to grow in my creative endeavors, an SD card reader is a benefit I continue to maximize.

One more thing I'll mention is that this machine throttles its heat pretty well. By throttling, I mean it just vents heat, not necessarily throttling speed. I haven't noticed any of that through some of the more intense workloads I put this through, but through benchmarking, video editing, running heavy LLMs, and some pretty intense terminal sessions where I'm utilizing a lot of the internal power to build several agents and workers (along with using Codex, Claude Code, and Notion all at the same time, along with some browser views and computer control), this machine seems to be running just fine. Yes, the fans kick on under heavy loads, but it doesn't give up or slow down.

In my testing, I handled video editing in DaVinci Resolve while running several lines of 4K video. I could jump in and out without excessive loading, processing, or rendering. It feels fast. It feels like something that I would happily give to any video editor.

Yes, it may not be as good as a machine three times the cost, but for the price, portability, and use case, this is a very capable video editing machine. Of course, since it handles video editing, it can also handle some of the larger, several-GB photos I send it.

In my day job, we have several-GB files for giant banners that crash some of our other computers, but this one seems to be operating just fine right now. That's a testament to how powerful that chip is and how efficient this is.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: In use

As mentioned above, I've thrown just about everything I can at my very broad workday. As the years go on, my days can include: heavy AI use, terminal use, app building, video editing, photo editing, content writing, systems engineering, heavy database builds, and so on

Using this as a mobile workstation gives me a sense of security that I won't need to transfer to another device or hand off heavier workloads elsewhere. Sure, there's still something to say about servers and things like that, but for what I can and should do on the device, this doesn't seem to limit what I do on a normal day.

The OLED panel is also gorgeous. That helps. I've had plenty of computers where the machine is powerful, but the screen is mediocre at best, and it just doesn't feel the same as using a brilliant display like this. To use a machine that a lot of people can compare with, this feels a lot like carrying around a MacBook Pro 16-inch or one of the 16-inch Dell laptops. It's big, but not too cumbersome. If you need that power, it's well worth it, and it's obviously better than carrying a desktop or a remote into a desktop.

If you're the kind of person who needs raw power and values the extra screen real estate, then this is absolutely worth getting. Even as somebody who is very partial to the 14-inch form factor, this 16-inch is nothing insane.

Lastly, on some other important factors, I've enjoyed using the keyboard. It's been comfortable for even long sessions. The touchpad is comfortable, accurate, and easy to use. The camera is good enough for virtual meetings, and the microphone is good enough, though obviously not the best. In a room or home office, it's fine, but if you're in a public space, please, for the love of everybody else on the call, get a pair of headphones or a dedicated mic.

Even if it's just a cheap pair of earbuds, which may be my biggest unlock of the year, it can make a huge difference, especially if you're using tools like Wispr Flow or voice agents. The mic is good enough if you're in a private office or home office, maybe with a little bit of background noise. If you're in a loud space, accurate vocal input is essential.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Gen 11 Aura Edition: Final verdict

This laptop's pretty clearly designed for people in the creative space, or at least for anyone who works with it. Yes, it's wildly powerful, so really anybody who's in the heavy technical space, or if you're in the AI space or vibe coding space, you could utilize something like this as well.

With that beautiful OLED panel and force touchpad with pen input, this is clearly designed for graphic designers, photographers, video editors, and similar work. If you don't do those things, you'll still enjoy using this laptop, but there may be another one, even from Lenovo, that better fits your unique specifications and requirements.

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