[CES 2023] New Alienware Hardware & Dell Gaming Laptops Break Covers

Dell has been pushing the bar recently with its gaming offerings and concepts. Together with the new update to Concept Nyx, the company also announced new additions to its gaming offerings in its Alienware and Dell G portfolio. While some of them come with design updates, the laptops come with the latest 13th generation Intel or AMD Ryzen Zen 4 processor and also the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX40 series Laptop GPUs or AMD’s Radeon 7000M GPUs.

Alienware m18 & m16 Supped Up and Ready To Go!

The new Alienware line up is spearheaded by a refreshed M series which comes with two new additions: the m18 and m16. Both laptops continue to stay focused on delivering the best gaming performance possible. They also come with the Legend 3.0 design language – a refinement on Legend Design which was announced a few years ago.

The biggest difference between this generation and the last generation M-series is the displays. This generation ditches the 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch displays for slightly larger 16- and 18-inch displays. These displays come with a 16:10 aspect ratio and support resolutions of up to 2560×1600 pixels (QHD+) with 240Hz refresh. If you are looking for higher refresh rates, there is an option for an FHD+ panel with a 480Hz refresh rate.

Of course, Alienware’s M-series continues to support customisation via their website and supports a myriad of options when it comes to internals with up to 64GB of dual channel DDR5 4800 MHz RAM and up to 9TB of internal storage with its Quad Storage configurations. Connectivity-wise they support Killer WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. There is even an option for Cherry MX mechanical keys for the laptops as well. AlienFX also makes a comeback with multiple zones customizable from the updated Alienware Command Center.

When it comes to processors, the M-series maxes out with a 24-core Intel Core i9-13900HX. On the graphics end of things, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU with 150W TGP is top of the line offering. To support the performance that the internals bring, Dell has equipped the Alienware M series with am updated cooling system. The vapour chamber now covers the CPU and GPU increasing the thermal capacity by 35% and there are now seven heat pipes that help with heat disipation. It comes without saying that they’ve also increased the airflow with quad fans with ultrathin fan blades.

The AMD equipped Alienware M-series will make its debut later in the year.

Alienware x16 & x14 Forge the Way for Portability

The Alienware X-series is also getting a bump when it comes to performance. The X16 and X14 succeed the previous models. However, they continue to inherit the sleek aluminium build that was introduced with the X series. Similar to the M series, the X series is replacing its larger x15 and x17 with the x16 while the x14 retains its compact size.

The new Alienware x16 and x14 come with an updated 16:10 aspect ratio and sport displays with up to 2560×1600 pixel (QHD+) with 165Hz refresh rate on the x14 and 240Hz on the x15. Both boast a 3ms response time. The displays also support 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut and NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus technology.

When it comes to storage, the X series with up to 4TB of internal storage with up to 32GB of RAM. To keep things slim and portable the internal memory modules of the X series as solderd on to the motherboard. So, you won’t be able to add more later on. That said, it also provides a boost in performance. AlienFX is also avaiable and customisable on the Alienware x14 and x16.

Performance wise, the laptops are avaialble in different configurations. The Alienware x16 caps out with Intel Core i9-13900HK while the x14 caps out with the Intel Core i5-13620H. On the graphics end of things, the x16 maxes out with the NVIDIA RTX 4090 laptop GPU with a max TGP of 175W. The x14, on the other hand, caps out with the RTX 4060 with 85W TGP. Both support charging via USB-C.

Similar to the M series, AMD versions will be announced later in the year.

Revamped Dell G15 & G16 Bring Self Expression Front and Center

The Dell gaming laptop line up is getting a major update with the new G15 & G16. Both will sport the updated design which incorporates a more industrial feel, larger air vents and customizable colourways. The latter is more prominently spotlighted in the G15 models which sport retro ’80s pop aesthetics including a funky purple and blue colourway. The Dell G15 and G16 continue to inherit most of the design queues from last years model including the placement of ports and the signature Dell Gaming hinge.

The Dell G15 and G16 will be comeing with a new cooling system. Both will sport a vapour cooling system inspired by the system we’ve seen in Alienware laptops for better cooling. The system now sports four heat pipers with improved fans with ultrathin blades and an improved heat exchange area. Some of the configurations will come with Element 31 thermal interface and vapour cooling as well. These thermal updates will support the cutting-edge performance of the processors. Both models have configurations capping out with the Intel Core i9-13900HX and support up to the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.

On the display side of things, the Dell G16 comes with options sporting up to 2560×1600 pixels in resolution (QHD+) and up to 240Hz refresh rate. The G15 on the other hand sports options for FHD displays with 1920×1080 pixels with a maximum of 165Hz refresh rate. That said, the G16 only supports a single zone customization when it comes to AlienFX while the G15 supports up to four zones. Both also support WiFi 6 connectivity.

Similar to its Alienware cousins, AMD versions of the Dell G15 and G16 will be released later this year.

Pricing & Availability

The Alienware models will be available later this winter in North America while the Dell Gaming models will be available later in spring.