PC Pro – Issue 376, January 2026

A New Year Tech Briefing from PC Pro 💻

PC Pro Issue 376 is the January 2026 edition of the UK technology magazine, with its usual mix of rigorous reviews, practical features and opinionated columns. This issue is built for readers who want to understand what is actually worth buying and what is changing underneath the surface of personal computing.

Cover Story: Excel and AI

Microsoft Excel is forty years old, but it has not stood still. Nik Rawlinson explores how AI features are reshaping the spreadsheet, from formulas and analysis to the way ordinary users can interrogate data. The feature asks how readers can take advantage of the new capabilities without losing the control and transparency that made Excel trusted in the first place.

Gifts for Geeks 🎁

The annual gift guide returns with ideas from £8 to £2,000. It ranges across last-minute bargains, no-expense-spared upgrades and retro-inspired picks, giving readers a way to match a present to a budget rather than a generic recommendation.

Tablets for Pros and Creatives 📱

A major Labs test puts 13 tablets through their paces. The group includes the new M5 Apple iPad Pro, plus challengers from Lenovo and Samsung. The issue examines whether a tablet can genuinely replace a laptop for creative and professional work, and which alternatives make sense when Apple’s pricing is too high.

Reviews and Hands-On Tests

This month’s reviews cover mixed-reality headsets, laptops, tablets, desktops, keyboards, smart displays and videoconferencing equipment. Highlights include the Samsung Galaxy XR, Apple Vision Pro M5, Asus ROG NUC mini PC, MacBook Pro M5, Framework Laptop 16, Dell Tower Plus and a wide spread of iPad and Android tablet options. The verdicts are written for buyers who need to weigh performance, price and real-world usability.

Features and Analysis

Beyond the cover stories, the issue looks at the pressure facing streaming services as subscriptions plateau and prices rise. It examines how biometrics work on modern devices, how CRM can serve organisations beyond sales teams, and whether smartglasses can avoid the fate of Google Glass. There is also a look at Affinity’s move to a free model and what it means for creative software.

Regulars and Opinion

Editor-in-chief Tim Danton writes about the case for optimism in technology. Columns from Dick Pountain, Nicole Kobie, Barry Collins and others cover platform culture, AI, repair and the changing web. Retro Futures explores the history of the three-finger salute, while the regular sections round up news, letters and next month’s preview.

Who May Find This Issue Useful

PC Pro Issue 376 is aimed at technology enthusiasts, IT professionals, creatives and anyone shopping for computing hardware or software. It is particularly relevant for readers in the UK who want buying advice tied to products and prices available in that market, with a balance of news, reviews and longer-form analysis.

Digital Delights is pleased to offer this issue as a digital edition for readers who want the complete January 2026 magazine in a convenient format.