Dell Technologies announces Alienware Expansion – CES 2026
By Matt McGowan | Head of Product, Alienware | January 5, 2026 @ 7:30pm PT
Alienware returns to the doorstep of CES with a singular mission: to push the boundaries of what’s possible in PC gaming. Later this year, we’re expanding our portfolio by introducing two new product classes to reach a broader audience of gamers with an ultra-slim gaming laptop and an entry-level laptop. Today, we’re unveiling top-tier display technologies and unlocking new performance tiers you’ve been demanding.
From laptops that blend power with an immersive front-of-screen experience in any environment to desktops that command respect with the latest silicon advancements, our CES 2026 lineup is built on a foundation of peerless innovation driven by feedback from our loyal community.
OLED Built to Combat Glare
Building off the success of our award-winning lineup of QD-OLED monitors at CES 2025, we’re continuing that OLED leadership and bringing it to our laptop family this year. Across our class-leading 16” form factor family, the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Alienware 16X Aurora are our first gaming laptops to feature premium anti-glare OLED panels, reducing gloss by 32%i, alleviating glare, reflections and minimizing pesky fingerprint smudges.
These panels address one of the most common pain points gamers face with OLED — glare and reflections in bright environments — while preserving everything that makes it extraordinary.
These OLED panels deliver on every front:
- 0.2ms Response Time that’s 15x faster than previous LCD technology (3ms) to ensure smooth gameplay.
- HDR True Black 500 for deep, rich blacks.
- 620 nits Peak HDR Brightness makes every cutscene feel like you’re in it.
- 120% DCI-P3 Color Volume delivers vibrant, true-to-life visuals.
- VESA HDR ClearMR 9000 Certified virtually eliminates ghosting during high-speed scenes.
- Anti-Glare Coating diffuses reflections without sacrificing color quality.
- Pixel Protection with built-in AI software to manage panel health.
- Durable Structure with 15kg of lid pressure testing and a 20,000-cycle hinge lifespan.
Bringing OLED panels to our laptops was one of the top requests we heard from our community. We listened, then went a step further with anti-glare technology that lets you game anywhere, in any lighting condition, without distraction.
More Silicon Choice Across Class Leaders
Beyond the innovative OLED panels on our 16” form factors, the Alienware 18 Area-51 gaming laptop joins the lineup with a major performance upgrade. All three notebooks (16X Aurora, 16 Area-51, 18 Area-51) now feature new Intel® Core™ Ultra 200HX processors and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 50 Series GPUs, continuing to raise the ceiling of performance.
At CES 2025, the Area-51 Gaming Desktop reclaimed its throne as the king of performance in our portfolio. It’s Alienware’s statement piece – an 80L full-tower chassis designed for enthusiasts who demand the utmost power and expandability for future upgrades. Our engineers went back to the drawing board, incorporating years of community feedback to create a platform that’s put to the test and built for the future with full ATX compatibility.
Our fanbase spoke loudly, and we worked diligently with our partners at AMD to bring their best-in-class processors to the Area-51 platform. In Q1 of 2026, we’re taking it a step further by configuring our flagship desktop with the highly anticipated Ryzen™ 7 9850X3D processor and 3D V-Cache™ technology. Gamers who demand the very best will continue having the headroom to conquer any new AAA title at maximum settings for years to come.
The core of the Area-51 apex experience remains unchanged, now with a new dimension of power to explore.
Expanding the Portfolio: Ultra-Slim and Entry-Class Laptops
While our CES announcements set the stage, we’re far from finished. Later this year, we’re doubling the breadth of our laptop family to reach more gamers than ever before – without sacrificing the quality that defines Alienware.
First up: our all-new ultra-slim gaming laptop (~17mm thin) that pairs high performance with unmatched mobility. Let me explain the intention behind this platform. We set out to build a laptop that delivers features that appeal to gamers first and foremost but also excels for people who need a powerful device for creative projects, productivity and everything in between. We focused on two primary details: performance density and design versatility.
- Performance density – we wanted to pack as much performance as possible into the most compact design we could engineer. The result is a 16-inch laptop that is nearly 50% smaller in volume than our current 16-inch Area-51. It doesn’t aim for the same performance ceiling, but still delivers serious gaming capability with NVIDIA discrete graphics and new highly efficient CPUs.
- Design versatility – we wanted a laptop with incredible build quality, premium materials, long battery life and a timeless aesthetic that performs in any environment. This is a more covert Alienware laptop than you’re used to seeing but it’s just as iconic.
Available in 14-inch and 16-inch variants, this is for people who want the best balance between game performance, creative projects and portability – it’s a jack of all trades.
Next, we’re introducing an entry-level laptop to open the door for a broader audience. Thoughtfully crafted with no shortcuts on the essentials, this system delivers strong gaming performance in a clean design at our most accessible price point yet. Now, this isn’t at the level of our flagship Area-51, but it’s still built to Alienware standards by not cutting corners on the things that matter most, such as build quality, thermals and performance.
Alienware is expanding to cover a greater range of performance, portability, and price. Whether you’re seeking pure performance, aesthetic versatility for any setting, or your first true gaming laptop, Alienware will have an option for you.
Pricing and Availability
- Alienware 16X Aurora: Available in Q1 2026 featuring anti-glare OLED panels & new Intel® Core™ Ultra 200HX processors. Pricing to be shared closer to availability date.
- Alienware 16 Area-51: Available in Q1 2026 featuring anti-glare OLED panels & new Intel® Core™ Ultra 200HX processors. Pricing to be shared closer to availability date.
- Alienware 18 Area-51: Available in Q1 2026 featuring new Intel® Core™ Ultra 200HX processors. Pricing to be shared closer to availability date.
- Alienware Area-51 Desktop: Available in February 2026 featuring the AMD Ryzen™ 7 9850X3D processor. Pricing to be shared closer to availability date.
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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