Earlier this year, Alienware presented a new "Legend" design language for its laptops, debuting with the hefty Area-51m. That is Alienware's top of the line gaming notebook that can pack up to desktop-class CPU and the latest GeForce RTX GPUs, multiple storage configurations including RAID, on an attractive yet still weighty 17.3-inch screen/footprint.
That design is now trickling down to Alienware's mainstream laptop models, the m15 and m17. These are meant to compete with the likes of MSI's GS Stealth, Gigabyte Aero and Razer Blade. When we reviewed Alienware's m15 last year (previous model, was a new design) we applauded the company's efforts to slim down coming from the chunky Alienware beasts. Build quality was also good, but we were rather unimpressed by the cooling setup that was holding down the full potential of the hardware.
Seeing that Alienware has decided a makeover for the m15 and m17 after less than a year, hopefully this kind of kinks have been ironed out. Both new laptops look similar with a thinner profile apart from the obvious footprint difference. They're based on Intel's 9th-gen Core mobile processors (Core i5-9300H up to i9-9980HK) and will use Max-Q versions of new GeForce GPUs (GTX 1650 up to the RTX 2080). Alienware is touting a 6-phase VRM for the CPU and a separate 8-phase digital VRM for the GPU. As before, laptops will be fully customizable so the price range can vary widely depending on the hardware of your choosing.
Alienware says the redesigned keyboard improves key travel distance in spite of the slimmer profile and the trackpad is now larger and glass.
Just announced! With hyper-efficient voltage regulation, Cryo-Tech cooling v3.0 and a menacing design, our new thin and powerful #Alienware m15 lets you game like never before. #DellExperience #Computex2019 pic.twitter.com/I5ZbV8EDye
--- ALIENWARE (@Alienware) May 28, 2019
Display choices on the m15 include 1080p screens at 60Hz, 240Hz or 4K OLED 60Hz with HDR-400 and Tobii eyetracking. The m17 only gets a 1080p resolution option at 60Hz or 144Hz.
Connectivity includes gigabit or 2.5 gigabit ethernet by Killer, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0b, mDP, and a headphone jack. Both m15 and m17 models will use a 76 Wh battery and will start at $1,499, shipping in June.