CES 2024 may be a TV show, but heading into the new year, it seems like it’s also shaping up to be a pretty great one for laptops too.
The salad days of regular laptop upgrades during the early pandemic are over, but there’s still never been a better time to buy a new computer, especially if you’re as interested in AI as you are gaming. In an effort to keep up (or keep distance) from Apple’s M3 MacBook Pros, Intel’s new Core Ultra chips and AMD’s latest 8000-series chips give special attention to on-device AI processing. With more AI power, the growing list of AI features on Windows laptops should get even speedier.
The new laptops announced at CES 2024 might not push the envelope on hardware inventiveness, but they should more than make up for that by being all around better to use. And when Microsoft does unveil whatever Windows 12 is, these new laptops will be more than ready.
1. HP Omen Transcend 14 Gaming Laptop
When it comes to the RGB lighting and “edgy” accents on its laptops, HP’s gaming hardware is far from discreet. And who can blame the company? Few gaming laptops are. That’s what makes this year’s HP Omen Transcend 14 Laptop a breath of fresh air. It’s ever so slightly more mature. From the outside, thanks to its slim size (only 3.5 pounds) and relatively plain exterior, you might even think it’s a normal laptop. Inside, HP’s included a 14-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED display, up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H chip, and up to a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. It should capably handle most games or creative software, and look good (and normal) doing it.
HP Omen Transcend 14
2. Acer Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition
We’ve long been intrigued by glasses-free 3D displays here at Inverse and Acer is one of a few laptop makers regularly releasing hardware. Previously, it would cost close to $4,000 to get a 3D screen, but in 2024, $1,399.99 gets you the Acer Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition. The laptop itself has a 15.6-inch UHD display, up to an Intel Core i7-13620H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, and 32GB of DDR5 memory. Acer packs in hardware that can highlight compatible 3D software and games, but the Aspire 3D 15 also includes a way to convert all traditional 2D laptop content to 3D if you want. The dream of the Nintendo 3DS lives on!
Acer Aspire 3D 15 SpatialLabs Edition
3. Dell XPS 16
The Dell XPS 13 Plus made quite a splash at CES 2022 and now, in 2024, Dell is bringing the redesigned look to all of its XPS laptops. Of particular note is the Dell XPS 16, which gets the capacitive touch function row, seamless haptic trackpad, and unfortunately limited set of ports of the 13 Plus, but with a lot more power. What matters here are the insides: the latest Intel Core Ultra CPUs, a GeForce RTX 4070, and a vastly improved FHD 1080p webcam. Dell likely hasn’t made any fans with its dramatic redesign of the XPS 16, but it’s definitely a laptop that’s unmistakable. Considering Dell still regularly gets compared to the MacBook, that might not be a bad thing.
Dell XPS 16
4. LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 Laptop
The LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 Laptop holds a distinct title. It’s the Guinness World Records holder for “the world’s lightest 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop.” That’s a fairly niche award, but it should hopefully still pay dividends if you’re looking for a flexible Intel-powered computer that won’t bog down your backpack. LG’s Gram laptops are typically light — this new one only weighs three pounds or 1,399 grams — and thin, but the Gram Pro 2-in-1 still manages to fit Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI ports, along with a 77Wh battery, which should get you all-day use whether you’re using it in tablet or laptop mode.
LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 Laptop
5. Razer Blade 16
Razer didn’t go back to the drawing board with the Blade 16, but it did make a pretty meaningful addition. The new Razer Blade 16 has the “world’s first” 16-inch, 240Hz OLED display that could very well put all others to shame. Specifically, Razer’s screen is “individually factory calibrated,” with “VESA ClearMR 11000 and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certifications,” meaning it might be good for professional photo work where you’d need a dialed-in display, on top of its gaming prowess. That’s all powered by the Intel Core Ultra i9-14900HX processor and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, with support for DLSS 3 for real-time ray tracing Alan Wake II and hundreds of other games.
Razer Blade 16
6. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid
You can always count on Lenovo to bring something interesting to CES. Last year it was the Yoga Book 9i and the ThinkBook Twist, and this year it’s the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, a laptop that tries to give you the best of laptops and tablets, by literally using an Android tablet for its display. You can use the device in laptop mode and take advantage of an Intel Core 7 Ultra processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 75WHr battery, or you can pop off the 14-inch 2.8K OLED display and get an Android tablet. In the tablet half, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, 12GB of RAM, and a stylus that magnetically attaches to the back. While it might be simpler to just create a version of Windows that runs better in a tablet form factor or an Android tablet that has a desktop mode, this is a unique solution to get the advantages of both. Now all you need are good Android tablet apps.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid
7. MSI Titan 18 HX A14V Laptop
When a laptop weighs close to eight pounds, it’s hard to justify even including “lap” in its description, but here’s why you might want to lug the $5,000 MSI Titan 18 HX A14V Laptop around. First, it has an 18-inch Mini LED display, with a 3,840 x 2,400 resolution display and a 120Hz refresh rate. And second, it’s powered by a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX, up to a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, and 128GB of DDR5 RAM for playing games (lots of them). Sure, the laptop weighs 7.94 pounds, but it has a light-up RGB touchpad. That’s right, on top of the usual RGB lights of the mechanical keyboard, the Titan 18 HX has a glass haptic touchpad that can light up and change color too. Just when I thought we’d reached peak gamer, MSI ups the ante.
MSI Titan 18 HX A14V Laptop
8. Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)
The new Asus Zenbook Duo is coming to eat the Yoga Book 9i’s lunch. It’s a laptop made from two 14-inch OLED touchscreens and a detachable full-sized keyboard and trackpad that can be folded like a laptop, propped up on its side like two desktop monitors, laid flat, or set up with its kickstand as two horizontal monitors. It’s not as flexible as the Yoga Book (no tent mode, for example) but it has the latest Intel mobile chips (up to a Core Ultra 9) and a 75Wh battery. More important than that, the removable keyboard is a proper one than the cramped, compact ones that have been on past Zenbook Duos. And you can get it all starting at $1,499.
Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)
INVERSE brings you everything from the fun and futuristic world of consumer technology at CES 2024. For all the latest technology coverage from the show, go to the INVERSE CES 2024 hub.
