CES 2024 showcased a plethora of gaming laptops, revealing key trends shaping the market. This report highlights the most significant developments.
Diverse Design Language
While gaming laptops have always offered stylistic variety, this year felt particularly diverse. Manufacturers like Gigabyte and MSI are blurring the lines between productivity and gaming machines. High-end models are striving for more than just raw power, resulting in a broader range of aesthetics.
Examples include the sleek, professional Gigabyte Aero series, suitable for any business setting, and the boldly styled MSI Titan 18 HX AI Dragonforged Edition, which proudly displays its gaming pedigree.
RGB lighting remains a staple, with innovative implementations like wrap-around lighting, illuminated keyboards, and even trackpad lighting. The Asus ROG Strix Scar series impressed with its AniME Dot Matrix LED display, capable of displaying text and animations.
Expect a continuation of this trend, with both traditional bulky designs and slim, lightweight options, offering a wide spectrum of hardware configurations.
AI Integration Takes Center Stage
AI assistance, while present last year, often lacked polish. This year, several vendors demonstrated improved AI assistants for PC control, eliminating the need for manual software adjustments.
One MSI demo showcased an AI assistant automatically optimizing performance settings based on the selected game. However, the practical speed advantage over manual adjustments remains questionable. Further evaluation is needed to determine the true utility and offline capabilities of these systems.
Mini-LED, Rollable Screens, and Other Innovations
Mini-LED technology is gaining traction, with Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte showcasing flagship models featuring this display technology. The improved local dimming zones (over 1100 in many cases) significantly reduce blooming, enhancing contrast, brightness, and color vibrancy. While OLED still boasts superior contrast, Mini-LED offers higher sustained brightness and avoids burn-in risks.
Novelty features also emerged. The ASUS ROG Flow X13 returned with USB4 eGPU support, eliminating proprietary connections. Asus paired it with a new eGPU capable of housing an RTX 5090.
Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, while not strictly a gaming laptop, stole the show with its innovative rollable OLED display. The 14-inch screen extends by 2.7 inches, offering extra screen real estate. Although its first-generation design raises durability concerns, it represents a significant step forward in laptop technology.
Ultrabooks Dominate the Gaming Landscape
Ultrabook-style gaming laptops are prevalent, even among major manufacturers. Gigabyte's revamped Aero line exemplifies this trend, showcasing thin, light, and premium designs.
These machines cater to users who don't require maximum settings for the latest games, offering portability and productivity benefits. The addition of dedicated graphics cards, as seen in the Asus TUF Gaming A14, is also possible without compromising portability.
Furthermore, the performance of modern AMD and Intel processors, coupled with features like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and Intel XeSS, allows for surprisingly capable gaming experiences even without dedicated graphics cards. Cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now provide additional alternatives, reducing the need for high-end gaming hardware.
The gaming laptop market continues to evolve rapidly. We will provide ongoing coverage of these developments throughout the year. Share your thoughts and observations in the comments below!
