- Kyle Chua
CES 2024: Dell Debuts New Alienware Laptops, Monitors, Peripherals
Dell continues its expansion into gaming, debuting a wide range of new Alienware products at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The computer hardware maker debuted new laptops, monitors and peripherals that should appeal to different kinds of gamers, whether they play to compete, play to get immersed in the game or play to socialise.
First up are the new laptops, which comprise of the redesigned Alienware m16 R2, the ultra-premium x16 R2 and the so-called performance juggernaut, the m18 R2.
The m16 R2, as Dell touts, prioritises performance, flexibility and portability, while preserving Alienware features that fans of the brand have come to love. The most visible change is perhaps the laptop's thinner and more travel-friendly frame. Dell explains that reducing the laptop's dimensions involved developing a new solution that incorporates Cryo-tech cooling to replace the old thermal shelf. The change not only allows the laptop to fit in a smaller package but also results in 43% more efficient airflow.
Dell also managed to increase the size of the palm rest and touchpad by designing a 180-degree hinge and positioning it on the back edge of the notebook, where the thermal shelf used to be.
Another key change is the introduction of Stealth Mode. The m16 R2 features a hotkey that enables it to turn off all lighting effects and have it blend into its surroundings. Tapping the F2 shortcut turns the keyboard backlighting white, switches off all other AlienFX lighting zones and shifts performance mode to Quiet to reduce fan noise. Tapping the key again disables the mode and allows the laptop to return to its full power.
Under the hood, the m16 R2 house Intel Core Ultra H Series processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Series mobile graphics (up to an RTX 4070). It also sports QHD+ 240Hz display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, along with dual speakers with spatial sound support. For battery, it has a 90Whr cell that can reportedly charge up to 80% in 35 minutes.
The Alienware x16 R2 and m18 R2, meanwhile, are essentially refreshes of their respective counterparts, boasting more powerful specs.
The x16 R2 retains the slim all-metal chassis, six-speaker setup, 100 micro-LED rear stadium lighting and RGB-illuminated touchpad of last year's model, while packing faster performance and improved cooling, among other upgrades. It can achieve a total package power of 220W, with it housing Intel Core Ultra processor technology combined with up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPUs. In addition, it features LP-DDR5X memory of up to 7467 MT/s and up to 8TB of storage.
Alongside it is the m18 R2, which Dell hails as its most powerful Alienware laptop. It packs up to the latest 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX processor along with up-to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPUs, promising superior performance and overclocking capabilities. All of this is possible thanks Alienware’s Cryo-tech cooling solution with Element 31 applied to both the CPU and GPU and an updated vapour chamber that more efficiently pushes out air. The m18 R2 can also have a storage capacity of up to 10TB, the most of any Alienware laptop ever. Other key features include an FHD webcam with HDR support, AI-powered far-field microphones and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.
Dell has yet to announce Singapore pricing and availability of all three Alienware laptops.
Apart from laptops, Dell also debuted two new Alienware displays: the Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3225QF) and Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW2725DF). The former, according to Dell, is the world's first 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor with Dolby Vision HDR, while the latter is the world's first QHD, QD-OLED monitor with a refresh rate of 360Hz.
Dell further touts that both displays possess infinite contrast ratio for incredible colour detail and judder-free video playback, covering 99% and 99.3% of DCI-P3 gamut respectively and Delta E < 2 colour accuracy. For gamers who want stutter-free gaming, the 32-inch monitor supports Nvidia G-Sync, while the 27-inch monitor comes with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync technology.
Dell has yet to announce Singapore pricing and availability for both displays.
Finally, Dell also unveiled new peripherals geared towards competitive gamers.
The Alienware Pro Mouse boasts 4KHz wireless (0.25ms response time) and 8KHz (0.125ms) wired polling rates, which is a significant upgrade over the 1KHz maximum on many of the other gaming mice in the market today. It's additionally designed with comfort in mind, featuring a a rounded symmetrical shape suitable for all grip types and hand sizes. On top of these, it has Magnetic-Force Keyplates with optical switches, delivering faster debounce times and improving clicking speeds. The mouse also offers 650 IPS tracking speed, 50G Acceleration and up to 26,000 DPI. Other key features include six-button customisation, dual-connectivity, and USB-C charging.
Meanwhile, the Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard feature the brand's Linear Mechanical Switches, which boast a 40g actuation force for quickly registering inputs while providing a satisfying sound and feel. Its keystrokes are also coated with a low-friction POM (polyoxymethylene) material on the stem to eliminate scratchiness. It also supports five-pin and three-pin switches for easy hot-swapping of keys. For battery, it can last 72 hours with RGB at 50% or 798 hours with RGB off on a 2.4Ghz wireless connection. Other key features include tri-mode connectivity and 1KHz polling rate.
Dell has yet to announce Singapore pricing and availability of both peripherals.
Dell debuted new laptops, monitors and peripherals that should appeal to different kinds of gamers, whether they play to compete, play to get immersed in the game or play to socialise, at CES 2024.
Some of the reveals include the redesigned Alienware m16 R2, first-of-its-kind QD-OLED monitors and Pro-line mouse and keyboard.
Dell has yet to announce Singapore pricing and availability for all the new reveals.