Key Features
Introduction
Before 2023 , the biggest laptop computer you ’d belike be able to find had a 17 - inch silver screen , give up for plenty of screen place for Netflix binges , massive spreadsheets and – most importantly – immersive gambling .
But now Dell ’s gaming brand name Alienware want to go one step further by re - preface an even larger 18 - in panel . This seems to be a trend that several laptop computer manufacturers are cover duringCES 2023 , and when view the Alienware m18 in somebody , I can see why .
You may only be adding an supernumerary column inch to the concealment , but it really makes a difference , resulting in a more absorbing and immersive experience .
What ’s more , Alienware has n’t needed to make the laptop computer larger to achieve this , with the Alienware m18 apparently feature the accurate same peak thickness as its 17 - inch predecessor , the Alienware m17 laptop . rather , Alienware has merely slimmed down the sieve bezel to improve the screen - to - torso proportion .
I was invited over to New York by Dell in belated 2022 to go helping hand - on with the newfangled Alienware m18 laptop . Here are my first impression .
Price and availability
The Alienware m18 has a starting price of $ 2099 , although the punk modeling at launch will be $ 2899 , with the extra ( and more affordable ) configurations follow later in the twelvemonth .
Alienware has confirm the new laptop will launch with Intel and Nvidia configurations in Q1 2023 , with AMD options not come until Q2 .
Design
For the past few twelvemonth , Alienware has adopt a sci - fi artistic for its premium gaming laptop . This includes shiny metallic element bodies , companion by vivid RGB lighting on the rear rim and Alien - shaped logo . Dell has work firmly to ensure the lighting count fashionable rather than tacky or overbearing , although this will add up down to personal taste .
For the Modern 2023 range , Alienware is remain the same sci - fi inspired excogitation ethos , but while also make a couple of minor tweak to ensure the m18 laptop ca n’t be accuse of looking stale .
Dell told me that it ’s made a concerted effort to control its laptop computer are more well-heeled to expect in hand . This has been reach by opting for a flatback design , so there are n’t any pointy section jut out of the chassis . A new V - Rail grip has also been added to the laptop computer ’s nose , making it easier to open and shut the grapple .
The new ‘ bottom foot ’ pattern also sees the laptop slightly raised off the desk via a plastic rim , allowing for improved airflow beneath the laptop . This will hopefully help to boost system carrying into action and prevent the radical - powered components becoming too toasty .
Such advance are very much welcome , although can only be really considered as a minor evolution rather than game - shift alterations . It ’s the new 18 - inch screen panel that really take a shit a big difference of opinion .
If you require your laptop computer to replace a desktop personal computer for play , you ’re sound to need a vast panel to deliver an immersive experience . The Alienware m18 delivers this , with one of the biggest laptop dialog box I ’ve personally ever seen .
Dell has achieved this , not by increasing the laptop computer ’s overall size significantly , but by reducing the size of the unsightly screen bezel and opting for a improbable 16:10 aspect proportion . We ’ve seen Dell use this same tactic to great effect with its productivity laptops such as theXPS 13 , so it ’s heavy to see the gaming portables treated to the same acclivity .
Do n’t get me wrong , this is still a giant laptop computer – it ’s packing high - power component after all – and so wo n’t be an ideal companion for daily office head trip . But it ’s just larger than its come before 17 - inch m17 gaming laptops , and is prosperous enough to transmit around the home . You ’re essentially getting a screen rise with seemingly no consequence .
Alienware is offering two different flavours of the 18 - column inch screen : 165Hz Quad HD and 480Hz Full HD . That means you ca n’t purchase this laptop with a 4 K board , and OLED is a no go . The Alienware m18 feels like a laptop that champions operation over visuals , with Dell hoping that the absurdly mellow refresh pace and large screenland will ingrain the eSports crowd .
In the same venous blood vessel , the m18 features a full - sized keyboard with optional Cherry MX mechanical switches . I think they feel large , proving to be a massive upgrade on the more typical tissue layer laptop switch . Although they may be a small too meretricious for shared working space .
Specs and performance
As you ’d expect , Dell has fitted the Alienware m18 with the majuscule spec possible , with up to an Intel Core 13th Generation Intel Core i9 - 13980HX C.P.U. , as well as Nvidia ’s latest RTX 4000 GPU range which tops out at the all-powerful RTX 4090 . There will also be AMD - flavoured GPU options , although we ’re getting detail on those at a later date .
Of of course , it ’s never as simple as just slapping the unspoiled component when designing a gaming laptop , as Alienware has also made certain to ameliorate the thermal to maximize performance . New Quad fans with extremist - fragile fan blades purportedly increase airflow by 25 % , while the vapour chamber now covers both the CPU and GPU .
Alienware suggests that advance to the chilling enables them to raise the total organization index to 250W , allowing the new cutting - edge components ( such as the 150W RTX 4090 ) to reach their full potential .
I have n’t been capable to essay public presentation myself since this was just a quick work force - on event , but all signs show that it ’s going to be faster than any laptop computer from 2022 or prior .
There ’s no demand to be worried about entrepot either , with Dell offering up to a whopping 9 TB configuration . That ’s overkill for the vast absolute majority of gamers , no matter how many games you gobbled up in the Steam sales agreement – but it ’s still great to have the option .
