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Alienware has brought a trio of refreshed gaming laptops to CES and this includes the newly redesigned m16 R2 which is now smaller with better, more efficient cooling.
Thermals and cooling are part of the eternal struggle with gaming laptops as they can directly translate to lost performance. And with laptops, there’s a lot less space than you’ll see in your desktop PC case. That being said, cooling has gotten way better over the years to the point that laptops are now able to compete alongside desktops. All while getting thinner and thinner and ultimately more portable.
Alienware is among some of the top brands that have been increasingly putting out smaller machines that are capable of pumping out more power. Keep in mind this is all while managing to keep thermals at desirable levels. The m16 R2 is the latest showcase of the out-of-this-world possibilities Alienware’s engineers and designers are capable of. Some might call it “alien tech,” but we’ll just call it black magic.
Alienware showcases more travel-friendly m16 R2 laptop at CES
You might be wondering “Why the change?” Well as it turns out, Alienware listens to its community. And even though the m16 that launched last year was well-received, the community still had some requests for improvements. Alienware worked to deliver on those requests, one of which was making the laptop more portable. So that’s what it set out to accomplish with the m16 R2 that it’s showcasing at CES today.
For starters, the thermal shelf that sat at the back of the laptop has been removed. This resulted in a 15% reduction in size. However, removing the thermal shelf also meant that Alienware had to tackle another problem it was creating. How could it maintain the same consistency and quality of cooling when it was taking away the area that held some of those components?
Alienware’s efforts resulted in its engineers adapting its Cryo-tech cooling system to fit into a smaller package. This allowed it to ensure cooling wouldn’t degrade. On top of that Alienware says the change even resulted in 43% more efficient cooling compared to the previous model. So in the end the laptop was not only now more portable, but the cooling was improved. With this size reduction, the m16 R2 can now more easily fit into a small backpack. But Alienware didn’t stop there with the design alterations.
The m16 R2 also now has a larger touchpad surface for more comfortable browsing and scrolling. Alienware moved the RGB stadium loop lighting that surrounded the thermal shelf to the touchpad too. You know, so you can more easily see the touchpad borders in darker rooms. Like when you’re up late playing games.
Other specs and features
In terms of hardware specs, the m16 R2 is coming with Intel’s new Core Ultra H Series processors. These contain an NPU that will add some AI-powered features to the laptop that can help to offload some of the work that the CPU and GPU would normally have to take care of. And that will result in better power efficiency as well as improved battery life. The laptop can also come with up to an NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU. It also has a 16-inch QHD+ display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 aspect ratio.
Alienware beefs up two more laptops for unparalleled raw power
The improvements to the m16 R2 are certainly a marvel. But the m16 R2 and the m16 series in general aren’t for everybody. Some gamers want something a little more premium, or a little more powerful. Or a mix of both. Look no further than Alienware’s x16 R2 and m18 R2. These refreshed laptops now come with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU for some truly amazing graphics power and performance. Things will be changed with the processor though.
Alienware is going with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU for the x16 R2 while the m18 R2 will stick with Intel’s Core i setup, featuring options for up to an Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU.
They also come with massive amounts of storage capacity. The x16 R2 can house up to 8TB of SSD storage through dual configuration and the m18 R2 can house up to 10TB. When it comes to displays, the size difference is obvious. But you might be wondering about the resolution and frame rate options.
The x16 R2 will come in a QHD+ option only with a 240Hz refresh rate. The m18 R2 will offer both a QHD+ option and an FHD+ option for the resolution, with a 165Hz refresh rate on the QHD+ config. If you’re willing to sacrifice the higher resolution, the refresh rate bumps up to a whopping 480Hz. The screens on both laptops will support NVIDIA G-Sync, but the m18 R2 also gains AMD FreeSync and a Dynamic Display switching feature.
Availability and pricing
Some of these new laptops will launch right away while others won’t be available for a little while yet. Both the m16 R2 and the m18 R2 will be available on January 11, but not all configurations will launch at the same time. The m16 R2 will start at $1,649.99 and that’s the model that launches on January 11. Alienware says other configurations will launch “soon” with the entry-level model starting at $1,499.99 So what you’re probably looking at is the GeForce RTX 4060 model launching on January 11, while the models with the GeForce RTX 4050 and 4070 will launch later.
As for the m18 R2, the GeForce RTX 4070 model will start at $1,899.99 and launch on January 11 while the GeForce RTX 4080 and 4090 models come at a later date. Alienware doesn’t mention a launch date for the x16 R2 other than “coming soon,” but it does mention a starting price of $2,099.99.