Something to look forward to: MSI has announced what sounds like a genuine laptop replacement for high-end gaming desktops (and monitors). The company states that the Titan 18 HX will be the world's first laptop to feature an 18-inch 4K/120Hz Mini LED display. It's also expected to come with specs that top out at the Core i9-14900HX CPU and RTX 4090 laptop GPU.
MSI is pushing the Titan 18 HX's screen as the main attraction in its press release. We've seen mini-LED displays in laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, but this is said to be the first time the tech has appeared in an 18-inch 4K/120Hz machine.
In addition to a 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, there's also the promise of more than 1,000 nits peak brightness – it has VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification – a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 3ms response time, and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
There's no mention of what internals the Titan 18 HX will pack, but one has to imagine that the Intel Core i9-14900HX will be an option – if not the only option. This is the flagship Raptor Lake Refresh mobile CPU, not the recently launched Meteor Lake chips that are aimed at mainstream laptops. The Core i9-14900HX packs 24 cores (8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores), 32 threads, runs at up to 5.8 GHz, and has a maximum turbo power design of 157W (55W PL1).
An RTX 4090 GPU is also expected in the Titan 18 HX, given its combination of 4K screen resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
With its screen, power, and looks, the Titan 18 HX could be a contender in our Top Desktop Replacement category in the Best Gaming Laptops feature. The Alienware m18 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 currently share top honors, both of which pack a Core i9-13980HX and a GeForce RTX 4090. The ROG's Nebula Display IPS panel is especially impressive, though it isn't mini-LED.
The new Titan 18 will be officially launched at CES 2024 when we'll no doubt learn more about its feature and price. For comparison, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is $3,314, while the top-specced Alienware m18 is an eye-watering $6,999.
In other laptop news, check out the REV-9: a monster with a 64-core CPU, full liquid cooling system, and a desktop RTX 4080. It comes with either a Zen 3-based Epyc 7713 CPU or a Zen 4 Epyc 9554.