Alienware Teases Return of 18-Inch Gaming Laptop

(Photo: Philip Shoots/Unsplash)Alienware appears to be reviving its memorable 18-inch gaming laptop. In a video shared via the Dell subsidiary’s Twitter account Monday, Alienware—true to its brand—teases a product by depicting its UFO-like arrival to Earth. The only hint as to what the product could be? The number 18, stamped into a field of grass.

Aside from this, Alienware’s teaser certainly leaves a lot to the imagination. “When something this big and powerful arrives, it leaves a mark,” the 15-second (missed opportunity!) clip says. In the original tweet’s replies, Alienware doubles down on the whole 18 thing, responding to fans’ speculation with “must be someth1n8 cool.”

For those familiar with Alienware’s older lineup, this one is a doozy. The brand is likely poking at the return of the Alienware 18, which was first unveiled in 2013 (in place of the M18x) and hasn’t seen a new iteration since 2015. With its 18-inch screen and more than 12 pounds of heft, Alienware’s hulking gaming laptop offered a virtually uncontested on-the-go visual experience for anyone willing to lug it around. The 2015 limited-edition version was its most impressive, with dual internal GPU support, liquid cooling, and Graphics Amplifier support. But Alienware’s 18-inch screen has been a thing of the past ever since, making its only appearances on secondhand sites as 17-inch screens and smaller dominate the gaming laptop market.

The signs are all around you, something big is coming soon. pic.twitter.com/EyU8BvdYIF

— ALIENWARE (@Alienware) December 5, 2022

In the meantime, laptops have come a long way. Any large screen dedicated to gaming is expected to have 4K resolution and a high refresh rate. Decent contrast and a glare-resistant screen are also essential for a high-end gaming laptop that might find itself in any number of lighting conditions. The machine itself should contain a CPU capable of handling newer, more resource-intensive titles; though the last Alienware 18’s quad-core was well-regarded back in 2015, a new edition would require twice the processing power to succeed today. We also expect slimmer, more lightweight bodies nowadays, too: A 2.3-inch thick notebook just won’t cut it.

But that’s just speculation. Alienware, of course, is being very secretive about what its new product is and does. We don’t even have a reveal date; the brand’s teaser just says “coming soon.”  Whether Alienware will gradually drip details or unveil its addition next month at CES 2022 is unknown.

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