Dell Alienware Area-51 and 16X Aurora gaming laptops announced


Alongside the new Dell XPS lineup, Dell’s Alienware has unveiled a major CES 2026 gaming lineup featuring the flagship Area-51 laptops in 16-inch and 18-inch sizes, and the premium 16X Aurora ultra-slim notebook.

Expanding the Alienware Portfolio: Ultra-Slim and Entry-Class Laptops

Beyond the CES announcements, Alienware is planning its biggest portfolio expansion yet. Later this year, the company will be introducing two new product classes: an ultra-slim gaming laptop (~17mm thin) focused on performance density and design versatility, and a new entry-level gaming laptop that brings Alienware to a broader audience at the most accessible price point yet.

There isn’t much information shared by Dell yet. The ultra-slim model will be available in 14-inch and 16-inch variants, targeting users who want a balance between gaming, creative work, and portability, while the entry-level system is designed for first-time gaming laptop buyers without compromising on build quality, thermals, and performance.

Alienware Area-51 and 16X Aurora gaming laptops unveiled
Alienware 16 &18 Area-51

The new Alienware 16 Area-51, Alienware 18 Area-51, and Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptops are all powered by Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series graphics. The flagship Area-51 models feature the new Alienware 30 design language with an anodized aluminum carapace in Liquid Teal, while the 16X Aurora gets an Interstellar Indigo finish and a more compact, mobile-focused design.

For the first time in Alienware gaming laptops, both the 16 Area-51 and 16X Aurora feature anti-glare OLED displays. These panels deliver a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, VESA HDR ClearMR 9000 certification, 120% DCI-P3 colour volume, and 620-nit HDR peak brightness, with a special anti-glare coating that reduces reflections by up to 32%.

The Area-51 laptops introduce the Cryo-Chamber thermal architecture, enabling up to 240W of gaming power on the 16-inch model and up to 280W on the 18-inch variant. Alienware says airflow is up by 35%, and acoustics are down by 15% compared to previous generations, thanks to the largest fans by volume to date, more copper in the thermal module, and vapour chamber cooling on configurations with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and higher.

The 16X Aurora is positioned as a portable gaming laptop at just 2.66kg starting weight and a slimmer 19.2mm front height, nearly 50% smaller in volume than the 16-inch Area-51 while still delivering serious gaming performance with RTX 50-series discrete graphics.

Alienware 16X Aurora
Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop Specifications:
  • 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) anti-glare OLED display, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, 120% DCI-P3 colour gamut, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, 620-nit HDR peak brightness (400-nit typical), VESA HDR ClearMR 9000, anti-glare coating (reduces gloss by 32%), built-in AI pixel protection, ComfortView Plus, NVIDIA G-SYNC, Dynamic Display Switching
  • Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 235HX (24MB cache, 14 cores, up to 5.1 GHz P-Core) / Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 255HX (30MB cache, 20 cores, up to 5.2 GHz P-Core) / Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 275HX (36MB cache, 24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz P-Core)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 laptop GPU, 8GB GDDR7 (max TGP: 115W, Dynamic Boost: 10W) / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, 8GB GDDR7 (TGP: 115W, Dynamic Boost: 15W)
  • Windows 11 Home 64-bit / Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
  • 16GB (8GB x2) Dual-Channel DDR5 5600MT/s / 32GB (16GB x2) Dual-Channel DDR5 5600MT/s / 64GB (32GB x2) Dual-Channel DDR5 5600MT/s; 2x DDR5 SO-DIMMs
  • 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 Gen4 SSD / 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Gen4 SSD / 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Gen4 SSD (single storage); Dual storage configurations available with RAID 0 support
  • Dolby Audio certified; integrated High-Definition audio; Global headset jack
  • Alienware 1-zone AlienFX RGB keyboard, 1.4mm key travel, anti-ghosting technology
  • Multi-touch gesture touchpad with integrated scrolling (115 x 70mm)
  • Ports: 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 2.1 (dGPU), 1x USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 2.0, iGPU), 1x HDMI 2.1 (dGPU output), 1x DC-in power port
  • Alienware FHD (1920 x 1080) HDR camera with dual-array microphones; Windows Hello IR support
  • Mediatek MT7925 Wi-Fi 7 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.4 / Intel BE202 Wi-Fi 7 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.4
  • Height (rear): 23.4mm (0.92 in); Height (front): 19.2mm (0.76 in); Length: 265.43mm (10.45 in); Width: 356.98mm (14.05 in)
    Starting weight: 2.66kg (5.86 lbs)
    90Whr (6-cell) lithium-ion battery
  • 180W barrel AC adapter (standard) / 280W barrel AC adapter (standard with RTX 5070)
Alienware 16 Area-51
Alienware 16 Area-51 gaming laptop Specifications:
  • 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) anti-glare OLED display, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, 120% DCI-P3 colour volume, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, 620-nit HDR peak brightness (400-nit typical), VESA HDR ClearMR 9000, anti-glare coating, ComfortView Plus, NVIDIA G-SYNC + Advanced Optimus
  • New Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 12GB GDDR7 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GDDR7
  • Windows 11 Home 64-bit / Windows 11 Professional 64-bit
  • 16GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 8GB) at 6400MT/s / 32GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 16GB) at 6400MT/s / 32GB Dual Channel DDR5 XMP (2x 16GB) at 7200MT/s / 64GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 32GB) at 6400MT/s; 2x SODIMMs
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD / 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD / 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen5 SSD / 4TB (2x 2TB) RAID0 / 8TB (2x 4TB) RAID0 / 12TB (3x 4TB) RAID0
  • 4-speaker spatial sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision; integrated High-Definition audio; Global headset jack
  • Alienware per-key AlienFX RGB keyboard, 1.8mm key travel, N-key rollover, anti-ghosting / Alienware CherryMX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key AlienFX lighting, 1.8mm key travel, N-key rollover
  • Multi-touch gesture touchpad / Multi-touch AlienFX touchpad (on RTX 5070 Ti and higher)
  • Ports: 1x Full-size SD card slot, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with PowerShare, 2x Thunderbolt 5 (depending on GPU), 1x HDMI 2.1
  • Alienware 2MP FHD IR camera / Alienware 8MP UHD HDR IR camera with Windows Hello
  • Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750 (2×2 320Hz) and Bluetooth 5.4
  • Height (front): 24.22mm (0.95 in); Height (maximum): 28.5mm (1.12 in); Width: 365mm (14.37 in); Depth: 290mm (11.41 in)
    Maximum weight: 3.4kg (7.49 lbs)
  • 96Whr lithium-ion battery with ExpressCharge (80% in 35 minutes) 360W GaN FET adapter
Alienware 18 Area-51
Alienware 18 Area-51 gaming laptop Specifications:
  • 18-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LCD display, 300Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, 100% DCI-P3 gamut, 500-nit brightness, ComfortView Plus, NVIDIA G-SYNC + Advanced Optimus
  • New Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 12GB GDDR7 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GDDR7
  • Windows 11 Home 64-bit / Windows 11 Professional 64-bit
  • 16GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 8GB) at 6400MT/s / 32GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 16GB) at 6400MT/s / 32GB Dual Channel DDR5 XMP (2x 16GB) at 7200MT/s / 64GB Dual Channel DDR5 (2x 32GB) at 6400MT/s; 2x SODIMMs
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD / 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD / 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen5 SSD / 4TB (2x 2TB) RAID0 / 8TB (2x 4TB) RAID0 / 12TB (3x 4TB) RAID0
  • 4-speaker spatial sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision; integrated High-Definition audio; Global headset jack
  • Alienware per-key AlienFX RGB keyboard, 1.8mm key travel, N-key rollover, anti-ghosting / Alienware CherryMX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key AlienFX lighting, 1.8mm key travel, N-key rollover
    Multi-touch gesture touchpad / Multi-touch AlienFX touchpad (on RTX 5070 Ti and higher)
  • Ports: 1x Full-size SD card slot, 1x RJ-45 Killer E5000 2.5Gbps Ethernet, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with PowerShare, 2x Thunderbolt 5 (depending on GPU), 1x HDMI 2.1
  • Alienware 2MP FHD IR camera / Alienware 8MP UHD HDR IR camera with Windows Hello
  • Intel Killer E3100 2.5G Ethernet; Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750 (2×2 320Hz) and Bluetooth 5.4
  • Height (front): 24.32mm (0.95 in); Height (maximum): 30.5mm (1.2 in); Width: 410mm (16.1 in); Depth: 320mm (12.6 in)
    Maximum weight: 4.34kg (9.56 lbs)
  • 96Whr lithium-ion battery 360W GaN FET adapter
Pricing and Availability

Alienware is showcasing its latest gaming lineup at CES 2026, with global availability expected in the coming months.

  • Alienware 16X Aurora: Available in Q1 2026, featuring anti-glare OLED panels & new Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors.
  • Alienware 16 Area-51: Available in Q1 2026, featuring anti-glare OLED panels & new Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors.
  • Alienware 18 Area-51: Available in Q1 2026, featuring new Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors.

Pricing to be shared closer to the availability date of each product. The ultra-slim gaming laptop (14-inch and 16-inch variants) and entry-level gaming laptop will be available later this year, with details to be announced closer to launch.