HardwareGaming LaptopsAlienware’s new x16 R2 laptop comes with a choice of Meteor Lake processors and an RGB trackpad, so you can bask in your own personal light showWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareGaming LaptopsAlienware’s new x16 R2 laptop comes with a choice of Meteor Lake processors and an RGB trackpad, so you can bask in your own personal light showWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Alienware)
Alienwarehas always had a reputation as a brand that leans towards some of the more aesthetically interesting choices in gaming hardware design, but its new Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop announced at CES 2024 might just take the cake. While the chassis design may look familiar, nestled underneath that per-key backlit keyboard on the higher spec models is an RGB multi-touch trackpad, and it’s twisting my melon, man.
Whilelight-up trackpads on Alienware laptopsare nothing new, this one is much more controllable thanks to an array of 100 micro LEDs, which should mean the customisation options will be fairly comprehensive. More than that, rather than being a simply tacked on (and potentially tack-y) accessory, on the x16 R2 this sort of thing just looks so much moreright, what with the RGB ring around the rear exhaust vents and the glowing Alienware logo on the lid courtesy of what the company calls its “AlienFX” lighting.
Cooling wise the x16 R2 will make use of Alienware’s Element 31 thermal interface material made of a “gallium silicone matrix”, which in combination with the vapor chamber cooling solution and that substantial rear end should hopefully keep all that high-end hardware running cool, although we’ll have to wait to test one for ourselves to find out.
Swipe to scroll horizontallyAlienware x16 R2 specificationsCPUIntel Core Ultra 7 155H/Intel Core Ultra 9 185HRAM16GB DDR5X 6400, 32GB DDR5X 6400, 32GB DDR5X 7467GPUUp to RTX 4090 16GBStorage512GB/1TB/4TB NVMe M.2 SSDMultitouch Alien FX touchpadOnly available on RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 configs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Alienware x16 R2 specificationsCPUIntel Core Ultra 7 155H/Intel Core Ultra 9 185HRAM16GB DDR5X 6400, 32GB DDR5X 6400, 32GB DDR5X 7467GPUUp to RTX 4090 16GBStorage512GB/1TB/4TB NVMe M.2 SSDMultitouch Alien FX touchpadOnly available on RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 configs
Image1of3(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)
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(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
(Image credit: Alienware)
It’s a glowy, showy machine this, and if you’re going to make one of those it’s probably best to lean in a bit. Opinions will differ of course, but for me it weirdly fits. While I’ve never been a fan of laptops with a stick out rear chassis design, there’s something about those smooth science fiction lines in combination with that glowy pad that really suits the aesthetic overall.
Alienware lappys are supposed to be a little (and sometimes more than a little) over the top, and here it looks like they might have struck a decent balance between the sublime and the ridiculous.
That light-up RGB touchpad will be limited to the more expensiveRTX 4080andRTX 4090configs, which if you ask me is a bit of a selling point for the top-tier models although still not enough to make me desirean RTX 4090 in a laptop chassis. Still, it’s an impressive looking and well-specced machine on paper, and one that’s likely to shift a lot of units given Alienware’s popularity amongst gaming laptop buyers.
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Alienware hasn’t given us a release date for the x16 R2 just yet, but pricing is expected to start at around $2,100 for the lower end spec.
_____________________________________PC Gamer’s CES 2024 coverage is being published in association withAsusRepublic of Gamers.
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