Alienware's X-series gets an update and a new model at CES 2022

The Alienware M15 and M17 have been premier gaming flagships for quite a few years. Then, the X15 and X17 launched last year as lighter, slimmer looks into the future.

Now, the family has grown by one, along with a powerful graphics-boosting concept shown off at CES 2022.

Alienware X14

It’s always more fun to start with something new, and that just so happens to be the Alienware X14 this year. The Dell-owned gaming company boasts that it’s the world’s thinnest 14-inch gaming laptop, as well as the first to support NVIDIA G-Sync and Advanced Optimus technologies. Alienware’s X14 measures 0.57-inches thick when closed thanks to a dual-torque element hinge.

See also: The best Alienware laptops to buy

While some compact gaming laptops struggle to manage their heating efficiently, the X14 is designed on Alienware’s Element 31 thermal interface. This blends a Gallium-Silicone matric with a vapor chamber and is exclusive to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 models. The 14-inch Full HD display packs a 144Hz refresh rate and the Alienware X14 offers plenty of customization options.

You can choose from an Intel Core i7 12700H or 12900H processor with up to a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Memory tops out at 32GB, while you can grab up to 2TB of PCle NVMe SSD storage.

The X14 kicks off this winter at $1,799.

Refreshed X15 and X17 models

Alienware’s refreshed X15 R2 and X17 R2 don’t pack as many physical changes as the all-new X14, but they offer a solid kick under the hood. You’ll find Element 31 cooling, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, and the latest Intel processing power. The X15 tops out at an Intel Core i9 12900H processor with GeForce RTX 30-series graphics. For comparison, the X17 R2 offers an optional Core i9 12900HK processor. You also get up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and as much as 4TB of SSD storage.

Like the X14, the X15 is tapped for a $2,199 asking price this winter, while the X17 is right behind it at $2,299.

Other CES 2022 announcements

While the Alienware X-series claims most of the updated glory, the company also rolled out a new Intel-powered M15 R7 for CES 2022. It’s light on the physical changes, though it offers revamped internals in line with the latest Intel and NVIDIA offerings. The Alienware M15 R7 will launch this winter for $2,099.

The final Alienware teaser from CES 2022 is a desktop-level graphics engine called Concept Polaris. We don’t have too many details available at the moment, but it appears to be a housing for a full-sized graphics card that you can plug your Alienware laptop into. This should offer a solid graphics boost over the smaller laptop-grade graphics card onboard the latest X-series machines. We’ll do our best to update you when we know more.