What just happened? Alienware has a reputation for offering high-end expensive products like its Area-51 desktops and laptops, but the company has now launched a couple of budget-friendly/mid-range gaming laptops: the Alienware 16 Aurora and the 16X Aurora, which start at $1,149 and $1,949, respectively.
The new laptops are the first to carry the Aurora brand in almost 20 years and replace the Alienware M, X, and cheaper Dell G lines.
Starting with the cheaper Alienware 16 Aurora, which uses up to 115W, the laptop comes with a 16-inch 2,560 x 1,600 IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 300-nit peak brightness. CPU selection is limited to the 2023 Intel Raptor Lake Refresh series.
The comparatively low $1,149 starting price is reflected in the specs: a Core i5 processor with an RTX 3050 and 8GB of RAM. But you can spec it with an Intel Core 9 CPU, RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage.
The 5.9-pound 16X Aurora, which uses up to 155W, comes with the same 2,560 x 1,600 resolution but ups the refresh rate to 240Hz and peak brightness to 500 nits.
The more expensive laptop also offers the latest Arrow Lake Intel chips up to the Core Ultra 9 275HX, while the $1,949 base model comes with an RTX 5060 and 16GB of RAM. The maximum amount of RAM goes up to 64GB and storage can reach 4TB.
The laptops share a lot of similarities, including two USB-A ports, two USB-C inputs, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, a power plug, and Wi-Fi 7. One of the 16X's Type-C ports supports the faster Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 2.1.
The right sides of both machines are port-free so gamers can move their mouse around without the risk of catching any wires.
The company is pushing the Aurora laptops' portability. The rear thermal shelf has been removed, with the thermal package now beneath the device. The Cryo Chamber solution features four exhaust vents, three copper heat pipes, air intakes above the keyboard and in the chamber, and ultra-thin blade fans.
Alienware says the Aurora laptops and desktops are its versatility tier offering strong performance within a sleek, streamlined form factor. Those that carry the Area-51 brand are designed for users who "demand maximum performance and premium features in a durable, robust design."
The laptops launch in North America today.