Earlier this month, Alienware announced its new mainstream lineup of 2025 gaming laptops, dubbed the “Alienware Aurora”. The first 16″ models are now available for pruchase at Dell. The Alienware Aurora 16 (not to be confused with the desktop) is the less expensive model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 i9-270H CPU and GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 85W TGP, for $1,949.99. The Alienware Aurora 16X is the higher end model, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 GPU with 115W TGP, for $2,299.99. These are expected to start shipping out in mid June. Both models also have the option to be equipped with RTX 5060 graphics, however those are currently on preorder status with no shipping ETA since the RTX 5060 hasn’t actually been released yet.
New Releases: Alienware Aurora 16 and 16X Gaming Laptops
The new Alienware Aurora laptops eschew the gamer styling of other Alienware laptops, including the recently released Area-51. Instead, these look more like standard, albeit sleek, laptops with a thin, unassuming profile and the absence of extraneous RGB lighting. The Alienware Aurora 16, in fact, only has white keyboard illumination similar to Apple MacBooks. Under the hood, however, both the Aurora 16 and 16X still pack in gaming-worthy components and a robust Cryo Chamber dual fan and copper heatpipe cooling system. The Aurora 16 is slightly thinner and lighter than the 16X thanks to more efficient components like a low voltage Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and RTX 5070 graphics that has a lower 85W TGP rating. The Aurora 16X is slightly thicker and heavier to accommodate beefier cooling. In return, you get a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 HX series processor and an RTX 5070 graphics with the maximum 115W TGP rating.
Both laptops are priced much more affordably compared to the new Alienware Area-51 laptop, which starts at over $3,000. They’re also a lot easier to travel with, since they weigh up to 1.6 pounds less and measure up to 30% thinner than a similarly sized Area-51 16″ laptop. I don’t expect prices to drop significantly in the near future, especially since Nvidia GPU prices may trend upwards in the near future (according to Tom’s Hardware).
Gamers should go with the Alienware Aurora 16X model
There’s little argument here; gamers looking for a powerful mobile desktop replacement should go with the Aurora 16X. For an extra $300, you are getting a significantly more powerful laptop with some added extras that make the package more than worth the price premium. The breakdown of the upgrades are as follows:
Better display (2560×1600 240Hz G-Sync vs 2560×1600 120Hz)More powerful CPU (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX vs Intel Core 9 270H)Higher TGP rating for RTX 5070 (115W TGP vs 85W TGP)Double the RAM (64GB vs 32GB)Double the storage (2TB vs 1TB)Better material (metal top and bottom vs metal top only)RGB keyboardThunderbolt 4.0
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Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.