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• GMKTec EVO-X2 targets AI computing and gaming with 16 Zen 5 cores and a Radeon 8060S
• Ryzen AI Max+ 395 delivers 2.75× faster AI compute than Nvidia’s RTX 5090
• GMKTec accelerates its AI mini PC roadmap as rivals adopt AMD’s Strix Halo platform

Chinese mini PC maker GMKTec is preparing to launch the EVO-X2, a compact yet powerful system featuring AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor.

Per GMKTec, the device features 16 Zen 5 cores and Radeon 8060S graphics with 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, positioning it as strong in AI tools, computing, gaming, and professional workload performance.

A GMKTec spokesperson told TechRadar Pro the Evo X2 will launch in May 2025, with pricing yet to be confirmed. However, its positioning suggests it will rival Apple’s Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra as one of the most capable AI mini PCs to date.

GMKTec sets sights on AI-driven mini PC dominance

Previously, the company announced plans for a Strix Halo-based mini PC but provided little detail at the time. With competitors like the HP ZBook and Framework Desktop adopting Strix Halo, GMKTec appears to be accelerating its roadmap to stay ahead in the AI-driven mini PC market.

The company claims that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 can deliver AI compute performance up to 2.75 times faster than Nvidia’s RTX 5090. Additionally, the mini PC will support a 140W TDP, suggesting a focus on high-performance computing, 4K gaming, and AI model training.

If these claims hold, the EVO-X2 could redefine expectations for AI-enabled mini PCs, offering a compelling alternative to traditional desktop workstations.

While GMKTec has not yet revealed final design details, reports indicate the EVO-X2 will maintain the compact footprint of its predecessor, the EVO-X1, which was one of the smallest high-TDP Strix Point-based mini PCs available.

Via Videocardz

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The company is also rumored to have a new gaming console coming in 2027.

We've seen a litany of new phones released since the beginning of the year, and a fair few of them have been in the more affordable, mid-range bracket, but which one is best?

For this episode, Hamish Hector and I are joined by TechRadar's Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff, Mobiles Editor Axel Metz, and special guest (slash friend of the show) Alex Walker-Todd to discuss all things phones.

We also discuss new gadgets like Apple's latest iPads and Macs, the pro-grade photography beast that is the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and new foldable tech that could make its way into upcoming phones.

You can catch the episode in the video player above, or you can stream it directly via our YouTube channel, on Spotify or via Apple Podcasts.

While you’re there, you can also catch up on all of our older episodes – including our CES 2025 and iPhone 16 specials – and if you’re on YouTube, you can check out all our other amazing video reviews and features.

In the next episode, we'll be talking about some more new phones we're expecting this month and a roundup of the best wearables we've seen so far this year. See you there!

This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan - go to https://nordvpn.com/techradar - our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

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Apple's next World Wide Developers Conference could mark a major pivot in iOS, macOS, and iPadOS design language, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Details are thin, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that there's an effort to unify the designs and usage metaphors across these platforms, with much of it influenced, at least in part, by visionOS, which runs inside Vision Pro.

Apple's pricey mixed reality headset hasn't exactly taken the consumer world by storm, but there may be something about the interface metaphors, which rely on sight and gestures, that appeal to Apple's software designers.

Gurman claims that part of the effort is to make the platforms look similar. Of course, if you were to look at the Safari or Settings icons across all platforms, you would already notice significant similarities, with the only differences often being if they are round or square icons.

Time for a change

It has been some time since Apple significantly altered iOS and macOS. The desktop platform saw a major design update in 2020 with macOS Big Sur (the same year as the first Apple Silicon Macs).

iOS's last big overhaul dates back over a decade, when it scrubbed away most of the original iPhone's skeuomorphic design.

Skeuomorphism is where icons look like the thing they represent. The Photos app was a photo of a flower. The Settings app was a trio of almost touchable gears, Newsstand was a bookshelf filled with subscriptions, and the Calendar looked so much like an old desk calendar that you were tempted to rip a page right off the screen.

Apple iPhone (2007) (Image credit: Future)

If you look at today's iOS, you can see how flat and clean everything is, and that's mostly Jony Ive's work. Apple's former head of design loved a clean aesthetic, and starting with iOS 7, he got his way.

This new effort might be an opportunity to bring these disparate platforms into some unified visual and functional whole.

They should not look and work alike slavishly, but there could be benefits in Apple pushing them in that direction. It can be jarring if an action works one way on the iPhone and differently on the Mac, iPad, and even the Vision Pro.

One would hope that Apple Intelligence and a much smarter Siri (available on all platforms) could help with some of that confusion, but the process of integration into the deepest part of each operating system has not gone as fast or smoothly as we all were expecting.

Apple Vision OS app screen (Image credit: Apple)

Can Apple find that sweet spot of uniformity and differentiation that makes sense for its vast user base? Maybe.

And we wouldn't mind a little return to skeuomorphism. Having icons that look like their purpose is a form of shorthand and will always help beginners learn. The counter to that – and it is a fair argument – is that when you design software to look like current hardware, the software will be outdated as soon as progress remakes those objects.

The fact that our iPhone 16 Pro Max's "phone" icon still looks like a 20th-century phone handset is almost comical. Gen Z has never seen or used a phone that looks like that.

Which brings me to another major question. Will the iOS 19 redesign be so radical that it will do away with that iconic phone app icon? I hope not, but I guess anything is possible.

Whatever the case, WWDC 25 looks like it'll be a big moment for the Apple ecosystem. Sure, every platform sees upgrades during these events, but usually not at this rumored scale.

Hold onto your iPhones, iPads, and MacBook; this could be a wild, visual ride.

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OnePlus is giving a heads up to its fans about the change, who have been protective of the slider in the past.

The acting inspector general says the Office of Personnel Management is investigating whether any “emerging threats” have arisen as Elon Musk’s DOGE works to rapidly transform government systems.

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