A speedy 18-inch Mini LED that needs to be seen to be believed. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
My eyes have seen the PC gaming promised land, and it’s a beautifully bright world without a shred of blurriness. It’s warm, it looks lovely, and it’s impeccably sharp. Also, it’s expensive as hell.
I’ve dipped my toe in this world by testing a pre-production version of the upcoming Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, which was recently announced ahead of Computex 2026. It’s a gigantic 18-inch gaming laptop that comes with a top-of-the-line 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX CPU and can be fully kitted out with an RTX 5090 Laptop GPU and 128GB of RAM. Asus sent me a model to test that’s maxed out on all specs except storage (it’s got “just” 4TB). And of …
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/international-passport-of-a-citizen-of-canada-on-a-suitcase.jpg?id=56667322&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=45%2C0%2C45%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>If you're planning a trip but need to renew your <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/canada-passport-global-ranking-2025" target="_blank">Canadian passport</a>, there's a new federal guarantee that might interest you. </p><p>Starting this year, if your complete application takes more than 30 business days to process, you'll get a full refund on the fees.</p><p> The March 7 announcement was made by Minister of Citizens' Services of Canada Terry Beech as part of the first <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-announces-important-improvements-to-passport-services-and-the-release-of-the-first-state-of-service-report-839060789.html" target="_blank">State of Service Report</a>, aimed at improving efficiency in government services. And after the chaos of the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/the-federal-government-is-finally-making-progress-with-the-passport-canada-backlog" target="_blank">2022 passport crisis</a>, when massive lineups formed outside <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/canada-passport" target="_blank">Passport Canada</a> offices, the news is sure to be a relief for many travellers.</p><p>Here's how it works.</p><p>Whether you apply online, in person, or by mail, your passport should now be processed within 30 business days. If it's delayed, you’ll get your money back in full. However, the mailing time of your application and passport is not included in the 30-business-day period.</p><p>While the new measure is expected to roll out later this year, the exact start date hasn't been announced yet.</p><p>According to the government, the cost of a passport renewal depends on the validity period and the service chosen:</p><ul> <li>5-year passport: $120</li><li>10-year passport: $160</li></ul><p>Additional fees apply for faster processing are as follows:</p><ul><li>10 business days: +$20</li><li> 48-hour service: +$50</li><li> Same-day or next-day service: +$110</li></ul><p>These prices apply to applications made within Canada and may differ abroad. You can also use the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/check-passport-travel-document-application.html" target="_blank">online Passport Status Checker</a> to track your application.</p><p>The federal government also announced that they are planning to expand access to online passport renewals for more Canadians in the coming months. Since December 2024, only a select group of eligible adults have been able to use the service.</p><p>"Our government is working to make services more efficient, affordable, and better suited to the needs of Canadians," said Stéphane Lauzon, parliamentary secretary to the minister of citizens' services.</p><p>"We are modernizing service delivery and improving the passport program to reduce wait times and costs," Lauzon continued.</p><p><span></span>While it pays to have your passport delayed, let's be honest — it's still probably better to get it on time.</p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em>
