Tyler Graham

Tyler Graham is a technology writer at CNET who focuses on laptops, PCs and video games, using hands-on testing and clear comparisons to show how new hardware and platforms fit into everyday use. His coverage blends detailed performance data with straightforward guidance on value, pricing and long-term support, so readers can see not just what a device does, but whether it is worth buying. Alongside reviews, he covers shifts in software, AI features and consumer services that change how people interact with their devices and online platforms, drawing on earlier reporting in energy and utilities to keep infrastructure and policy in view.

Laptop reviews and PC buying decisions

Graham’s core beat is notebook and PC coverage, where he regularly reviews new laptops and two-in-ones with an emphasis on performance, design compromises and price. His review of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 16 2-in-1 Gen 10 describes it as a budget convertible with good performance but a clunky design, weighing the value of its long battery life against ergonomic trade-offs and build quality issues.

In his Acer Swift Edge 14 AI review, he highlights the laptop’s sleek, solid OLED design while examining how its AI-focused hardware and overall performance stack up for everyday work and entertainment. A review of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition Gen 11 foregrounds attractive industrial design but calls out middling performance and a high price, underlining how premium styling can be undercut by thermal limits and cost. He also covers full product line refreshes, such as LG’s 2026 Gram laptops, detailing the mix of Gram Pro and Gram Book models, their weights, display sizes and the limited-time $1 extended warranty offer to show how the lineup serves different budgets.

In coverage of HP’s $700 OmniBook 5, positioned as a competitor to the MacBook Neo, he focuses on its 14-inch 2K OLED display, promised battery life and aggressive pricing, framing it as a strong entrant in the “affordability championship” for AI PCs.

Beyond individual reviews, Graham writes service pieces that help readers understand platform support and upgrade windows, such as a guide to which Macs are compatible with MacOS 27 Golden Gate. That article explains that Intel-based Macs lose support and lists the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro models with M-series chips that will receive the update, tying technical compatibility to practical decisions about when a computer will stop receiving new software.

His buying advice extends into adjacent categories, including a roundup of the best gaming tablets of 2026, where he compares performance, displays and portability for devices aimed at play rather than productivity. A review of a $250 budget phone that “didn’t make me look like a cheapskate” further illustrates his interest in affordable hardware that still feels premium in day-to-day use.

Console and PC gaming coverage

Graham’s gaming coverage pairs franchise context with close attention to how a game actually plays on modern hardware. In his review of Star Wars: Galactic Racer, he frames the title as a modern arcade racer in the tradition of Burnout, noting that it is one of the most impressive arcade racers in recent memory and outlining its launch on PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X and S. The review balances praise for its sense of speed and spectacle with analysis of its handling and course design, giving readers a feel for whether it captures the thrill of classic racing games. His review of Gears of War E-Day places the new entry in the broader series timeline, explaining that it is a prequel set at the start of the nightmare world’s conflict and that it leans into guns and gore with less contemplation than earlier installments.

He looks at how the story and combat work for longtime fans, paying attention to pacing, enemy encounters and how the game revisits iconic characters at an earlier moment in the franchise history.

Graham also evaluates gaming peripherals, such as Razer’s Wolverine V3 Pro 8K controller, where he examines whether a high-end controller can replace a traditional mouse-and-keyboard setup for PC gaming. The review breaks down build quality, input feel and the scenarios where the controller shines, while acknowledging that serious PC players still rely on more traditional controls in many contexts. Across these pieces, he tends to anchor his verdicts in gameplay experience and use-case fit rather than only specs, explaining what new hardware or titles change for players who already own consoles, PCs, tablets or accessories.

Consumer tech prices, platforms and AI features

Alongside hardware, Graham covers changes in pricing and platform rules that affect how people buy and use consumer tech. In his “RAMageddon” piece on Amazon raising electronics prices, he reports that popular devices like Kindles, Echos and Fire TVs saw price hikes of up to 60%, spelling out the impact of those increases across Amazon’s ecosystem. His MacOS 27 Golden Gate overview links Apple’s shift away from Intel processors to concrete lists of which machines will continue to receive updates, making a complex platform transition legible for non-specialist readers.

He has also reported on Coinbase’s AI tool hallucinating a World Cup match result before the game began, using that episode to question the reliability of AI outputs in financial and betting contexts and what such mistakes mean for users who treat algorithmic predictions as authoritative.

On CNET’s French-language edition, Graham’s bylines extend this focus on AI and platforms to productivity, security and social apps. He writes about Canva launching ProSuite to compete with Adobe, Intel’s efforts to regain ground in AI and manufacturing, and Meta AI’s arrival on Mac, connecting new tools to creative workflows and PC performance. Other pieces explain how to use AI to generate free Christmas gifts, how to remove Snapchat’s intrusive My AI feature and what Proton Lumo 2.0’s private AI assistant can do for privacy-conscious users. He also reviews security software such as Bitdefender, Avast and Avira, producing detailed antivirus evaluations that consider protection levels, system impact and pricing. Taken together, this strand of his work shows an interest in how AI, subscriptions and software policies reshape everyday experiences with phones, PCs and online services.

Earlier energy and utilities reporting

Before focusing on laptops and gaming, Graham wrote in CNET’s home energy and utilities category, with expertise in community solar, state solar policy, solar cost and accessibility, renewable energy, electric vehicles and home internet for gaming. During that phase he participated in energy product testing in CNET’s labs and produced a high-performing news article on federal solar policy, combining coverage of government decisions with consumer-level implications for household energy. His work there included service stories such as the piece on Uber Eats drivers delivering Best Buy purchases, which examined how a familiar delivery platform could extend into retail logistics and tech buying.

This background in energy, utilities and connectivity informs his current reporting on devices and platforms, grounding coverage of performance and pricing in an awareness of the underlying systems that power and connect modern hardware.