Circuit Rift · VIDEO ESSAY

11 Laptop Brands ROBBING You Blind (And 5 That Are Actually Worth the Money)

Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCreaqrv8fObrfbBMavX9Q?sub_confirmation=1 Eleven laptop brands are charging American buyers hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars for the name on the lid, and five Chinese brands prove the same money can buy far more machine. This list runs the markup math on every laptop, from the VAIO SX-R that asks about $2,500 for a 2023-era Intel chip, to the Surface Laptop that Microsoft raised by $250 to $500 in April 2026 while shipping its 13-inch model without a charger, to the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 that costs about $900 more than an M5 Pro MacBook Pro in Tom's Guide's own comparison. You'll also see the MSI Crosshair that costs $700 more than its own bigger sibling, the Razer Blade 16 that went up $400 in a year, and the Chuwi CoreBook X that Notebookcheck caught shipping an older Ryzen chip than the one on the box. On the other side sit five Chinese brands where the money goes into the parts: OneXPlayer, GPD, Minisforum, Thunderobot and, at the top, Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3x, a laptop that sells for under $600 and lasted more than 16 hours in Tom's Guide's battery test. Every price is quoted in US dollars at the time of recording (September 2026) and moves weekly. Reference prices: VAIO SX-R Special Edition $2,499.99 on VAIO's US store (September 2026); Thunderobot Zero 16 Pro (RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB, 2TB) $1,949 on Amazon, down from $2,399 (April 23, 2026); Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x about $518 (May 22, 2026) and $449 at Walmart at the time of Tom's Guide's review; Minisforum V3 about $949 on Amazon (December 2024), stock varies; GPD Pocket 4 from $895, $1,400 as tested by Notebookcheck (January 2025); OneXPlayer X1 Pro $1,599.95 as tested by Notebookcheck (March 2025). Sources: MacRumors, "Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs," April 14, 2026: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/14/microsoft-surface-pc-price-hike Tom's Guide, Madeline Ricchiuto, HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (2026) review: https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/laptops/hp-omnibook-ultra-14-2026-review BGR, Andy Zahn, MSI Crosshair A16 HX E8WGK review, September 2, 2026: https://bgr.com/2249650/msi-crosshair-a16-hx-e8wgk-review/ WePC, Thunderobot Zero 16 Pro RTX 5070 Ti Amazon price drop, April 23, 2026: https://www.wepc.com/news/360hz-rtx-5070-ti-gaming-laptop-drops-450-in-recent-amazon-deal/ Tom's Guide, Stevie Bonifield, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x review: https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-slim-3x-gen-10-review PC Gamer, Andy Edser, Razer Blade 16 (2026) review, tested configuration $4,900 Notebookcheck, Sebastian Bade, Chuwi CoreBook X review, September 2025, reviewed at $395 Notebookcheck, Sebastian Bade, Minisforum V3 3-in-1 review, April 2024 Notebookcheck, Allen Ngo, GPD Pocket 4 Ryzen AI 9 review, January 31, 2025 Notebookcheck, Marc Herter, OneXPlayer X1 Pro review, March 21, 2025 You can contact me at: circuitrift@proton.me This channel is made by an enthusiast who loves business and technology history — nothing more. All videos are for educational and entertainment purposes only and reflect my personal views and interpretations. I research each story carefully using publicly available sources, but errors or omissions can happen. Nothing here is professional, financial, or legal advice, and this channel is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company mentioned.