Dell’s CES 2024 announcement covers quite the ground as multiple categories are involved. Let’s briefly go through them.
Professionals who are ultrawide connoisseurs will be drooling over the new 40-inch Ultrawide Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor. This 5120×2160 display at 21:9 aspect ratio offers a 120Hz refresh rate which is very good. The VESA DisplayHDR 600 and IPS Black Panel essentially make this as good as your conventional OLED blacks.
And as the name suggests. the I’O ports are a bliss – HDMI 2.1 FRL, DisplayPort 2.1, 2.5GbE, Thunderbolt 4 with 140W PD, and plenty more USB-Cs. At the front, there’s a little clickable pop-up window hosting more USB-C and USB-A as well. The screen is also now TUV Rheinland 5-star eye comfort certified for less stress across tiring work days.
Alternatively, if this is too big for you, there’s the smaller 34-inch version that offers the same thing so nothing’s missing out here.
As for the XPS lineup, we will be getting the new XPS 14 and XPS 16 for the large screen estate gang while the XPS 13 Plus is just XPS 13 now in 2024.
All three of them rock a CNC aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 to pair with the Graphite and Platinum colors. Aside from the glass touchpad with haptic feedback and larger keycaps for easier typing, the system is powered by Intel Core Ultra chips plus optional NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series Laptop GPUs so they are still fairly competent.
Renown fast charge protocol ExpressCharge is still here, letting you juice up the machine by up to 80% in an hour.
Now moving to the Alienware department, we’ll look at the gaming laptops starting with the m18 R2 which continues the tradition of aiming for the best by being equipped with up to the Intel Core i9-14900HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU to go with a super beefy thermal solution of the Alienware Cryo-Tech consisting of Gallium liquid metal on both the CPU and GPU plus vapor chamber to sufficiently push out all the heat within the chassis.
Alienware is also offering up to 10TB of maximum capacity to really emphasize the real “endgame” gaming laptop point.
If you want style plus a thinner and lighter build, the Alienware x16 R2 is gonna be the pick thanks to the 100-LED rear stadium lighting dispersing some ambient rays while the RGB keyboard and touchpad (Yes, touchpad glows now) blinds you while you game.
Under the hood, it is also running Intel Core Ultra processor + up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU totaling up to 220W of power delivering all the frames and visuals you need. The screen is also a whopping 240Hz panel with support for Dolby Vision too.
Cooling-wise, it is the same as the m18 R2 while storage options can go as high as 8TB,
Last but not least, we have the newly designed Alienware m16 R2. The back lid is now a simple Alienware logo plus a daring “16” that straightforwardly emphasizes the brand identity. The implementation of Cryo-tech cooling also means that the target cooling capacity can be achieved in a way smaller form factor, resulting in a 14% reduction in the Y dimension.
While the touchpad has a glowing ring and is accompanied by the RGB-enabled keyboard, the entire system can quickly enter “Stealth Mode” which means no lighting whatsoever that tones the machine down to fit into environments like offices and whatnot.
For the specs, a piece of Intel Core Ultra H-series processor followed by up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU and a QHD+ 16:10 240Hz screen with everything powered by a 90WHr battery.
Alienware also has a couple of new gaming monitors as well and one of them is the flagship AW3225QF equipped with a QD-OLED panel offering 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time at the whopping 4K resolution.
Couple that with Dolby Vision and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification, your favorite titles will pop more and be more immersive than ever. It is also G-SYNC Compatible plus VESA AdaptiveSync is enabled for tearless gameplay.
The HDMI 2.1 port means that even console gamers can get the full out of their system with the 4K 120Hz standards being supported out of the box. Also, if you’re one of the eARC users, then this is literally for you as it can be connected with selected soundbars and Dolby Atmos speakers.
Have the very best rig and want to use every frame it churns out? Then the AW2725DF QD-OLED monitor should check your box with QHD resolution and 360Hz refresh rate alongside 0.03ms response time for that competitive middle ground. It also has VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification to give your AAA games and movies some love.
Let’s not forget AMD FreeSync Premium, VESA AdaptiveSync, adjustable ergonomic stand, and adequate cooling to keep the panel running for a long time.
By the way, both models covers 99% DCI-P3 color gamut and has anti OLED burn-in technology under the hood for extended lifespan.
Now for the peripherals, let’s start with the Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse offering up to 4KHz polling rate in wireless mode or 8KHz in wired mode perfect for gamers of any level. Built to last yet eco-conscious, the 82% PCR plastic-made body creates a lightweight yet premium finish. All keys are fully reprogrammable to do other things while the PTFE feet enable fast glides across the surface.
It is followed by the Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard equipped with the in-house “Linear Reds” that actuates at 40g for quick and consistent inputs. Following the suit of customs, Alienware also went for hot-swap sockets so that anyone can change to any switch of their liking.
As usual, these keycaps are doubleshot PBT shine-through that can last for years before fading in the slightest. Battery-wise, it can go from 72 hours blasting the brightest RGBs or up to 798 hours using no lights.
Tri-mode connection of Bluetooth/2.4GHz/wired is provided for more flexibility and to maintain the eco-conscious point, it is made with 47% PCR plastics.
Both the mouse and keyboard can be connected, synchronized, and customized within the Alienware Command Center 6.1 software for stuff like key rebinding, firmware update, and more.
