CES 2024 is winding down now and it's been a frantic week of computing and gadget showcases. Intel launched its laptop-focused Core Ultra series of processors at the very end of 2023, so we expected to see a good number of the usual vendors releasing gaming laptops sporting the Meteor Lake chip. In the end, it wasn't as many as we hoped to see but even so, there's plenty to get excited about.
The first thing to note is that almost all of the big laptop manufacturers announced at least one model powered by an Intel Core Ultra CPU, with the most notable exception being Gigabyte, which isn't using it at all. However, many of those that do aren't marketed as gaming laptops.
While the integrated GPU in the majority of the Core Ultra lineup is good enough to handle entry-level gaming, you're far better off considering PCs with at least an RTX 4060 or equivalent, to ensure that you can enjoy a decent gaming experience.
Acer
So far, there is just one gaming laptop from Acer to sport Meteor Lake, the 16-inch Predator Trion Neo. Ridiculous name aside, it looks to be a solid laptop, though that will depend on what configuration you're able to get. The highest spec version will have a Core Ultra 9 185H, with six P-cores, eight E-cores, two LPE-cores, and a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz. For graphics duties, you'll be able to get up to an RTX 4070, though what power limit it will have is unknown.
As for RAM and storage, those details have yet to be confirmed, but we do know that the 16-inch screen will have a 3.2K resolution (3200 x 2000 in a 16:10 ratio) and a 165Hz refresh rate. The chassis is a fairly dull affair, but the keyboard offers the usual gaming-required RGB lighting.
Prices are expected to start at $1,499/€1,799 for the base Predator Trion Neo 16 model. That seems a little on the high side, compared to the competition, but if the amount of RAM and size of the SSD are both decent, then it could be worth considering.
Alienware
Dell announced two Core Ultra models under its Alienware brand at CES 2024, the similarly named m16 R2 and x16 R2. The first is a significant update to the original m16, with the chassis having 15% smaller footprint, all while improving the overall cooling. Just like Acer's offering, you'll be able to get up to a Core Ultra 9 185 and RTX 4070 inside, with most markets getting up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR5-5600 and 8TB of NVMe dual SSDs.
The screen will be QHD+ (2560 x 1600, 16:10) and offer a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. Keeping this all running while on the go is a 90Wh battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in 35 minutes.
On paper, the x16 R2 looks very similar to the m16, as the CPU, screen, and storage options are all the same. However, where the m16 tops out with a 115W RTX 4070, the x16 can be configured to boast a 175W RTX 4090. You won't be able to go mad with the RAM, though, as the maximum is 32GB. Fortunately, it's LPDDR5X-7467 for the most expensive model, and that's plenty fast enough for gaming.
The m16 R2 will launch with a base price of $1,699.99 but later in the year, additional configurations will become available and the entry model will then cost $1,499. The x16 R2, on the other hand, will start at $2,099.99 with a 140W RTX 4060 and only get more expensive.
HP
Like Acer, HP only announced one gaming laptop with Meteor Lake and it's the Omen Transcend 14. Configurations are very similar to the others we've seen: a choice of a Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 9 185H. These CPUs are exactly the same inside, and only differ in terms of base power (24W vs 45W) and maximum boost clock (4.8 vs 5.1GHz).
Rendering duties will be handled by an RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070 GPU, but HP hasn't said what the power limits are. RAM and storage options are pretty decent, with 16GB of LPDDR5X-7467 and a 512GB SSD being the minimum, though we would have liked to have seen 1TB be the smallest drive on offer.
The 14-inch OLED screen is 2.8K (2880 x 1800, 26:20 ratio) with a peak refresh rate of 120Hz. That's a fair bit lower than the others but the fact that it's OLED should make up for that. Power is supplied by a relatively small 71Wh battery but it will come with a 140W USB-C charger, which is claimed to restore 50% of the battery's charge in 30 minutes.
And yes, there's an RGB keyboard. Naturally. The Omen Transcend 14 will have a starting price of $1,499.99 and if the power limit for those RTX GPUs is toward the higher end of the spectrum, it could be a bit of a winner.
MSI
It's fair to say that MSI went slightly overboard with new laptop models at CES and pretty much its entire portfolio of portable PCs has been refreshed. Unfortunately, they've nearly all been plastered with an AI moniker, just to help make sure that you never forget that 2024 is the year of the AI PC.
Anyway, first in the gaming lineup is the Cyborg 15 AI. There won't be too many variants of this model and they will all use the same CPU, the Core Ultra 7 155H. This processor seems to be the most common among all Meteor Lake laptops, not just gaming ones.
For graphics duties, you'll have the choice between a 45W RTX 4050 or RTX 4060, but since the former only has 6GB of VRAM, there's really only one option (hint: it's not the 4050). Even so, a 45W 4060 isn't going to offer you the best gaming performance, unfortunately.
RAM will max out at 64GB but there's no indication as to the minimum offered nor what the SSD options will be like. The IPS panel is a fairly standard 1080p 144Hz affair but that's nicely suited to the RTX 4060, so it shouldn't be a problem. However, the battery is just 53.5Wh, and for a 2kg laptop, that's a little on the small side.
Meteor Lake also appears in the new Pulse 16/17 AI range. Oddly, both models have IPS screens with the same resolution and refresh rate (2560 x 1440, 240Hz) but why MSI decided the 17-inch version was necessary isn't clear.
You'll be able to select up to a Core Ultra 9 185H processor and a 140W RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU. Memory will once again top out at 64GB but where the Cyborg only has one M.2 slot (so make sure you don't buy one with a small SSD), both Pulse models come with two. The batteries are far better, too, being 90Wh in capacity and MSI ships these laptops with 240W chargers.
At 2.5 and 2.8kg respectively, the Pulse 16/17 AI laptops are hefty ol' affairs. Prices aren't clear at the moment, but given the beefy specs of the Pulse, it's not going to be cheap. On the other hand, the Cyborg isn't rocking cutting-edge, power-hungry hardware, so may end up being quite reasonably priced. But a 45W RTX? Umm, that's a no from me.
