The first RTX 4080 laptops are much cheaper than we expected

Next-gen Nvidia RTX 40-series laptops might not be as expensive as we expected. Alienware announced pricing and availability for its upcoming m18, m16, and x16 featuring the mobile RTX 4080, and prices are actually a bit lower compared to the best gaming laptops of the current generation.

We expected next-gen Nvidia laptops to be more expensive than the previous generation, not only because of $1,000 machines like the MSI Cyborg, but also due to the rising prices of desktop GPUs like the RTX 4080. That’s not the case for Alienware’s first batch of machines, however.

The Alienware m16 is the cheapest of the lot, with the RTX 4080 configuration arriving at $2,600. That’s expensive, but the current-gen m16 with a similar configuration costs around $3,000.

This model comes with the RTX 4080 paired with Intel’s new Core i9-13900HX, along with a 1600p screen at 240Hz and 32GB of DDR5 memory. Alienware says the laptop will be available on February 9, with cheaper models starting at $1,900 arriving “later.” Alienware says AMD configuration will arrive before summer, though we don’t know pricing on those models yet.

The massive Alienware m18 is arriving the same day for $2,900. It comes with the same configuration as the m16, though with a slightly slower 165Hz 1600p screen. Cheaper models are planned starting at $2,100, and AMD options will arrive around the same time as they will for the m16.

The m18 replaces the m17 from the previous generation, and the new model is slightly more expensive. However, Alienware never offered the m17 with an Intel processor, nor a 1600p screen, so it’s hard to make a direct comparison.

Finally, the Alienware x16 arrives on February 14 with the RTX 4080 configuration starting at $3,100. It matches the m16 specs, including the 240Hz screen, but it features Alienware’s new Legend 3 design.

As you can read in our Alienware x16 hands-on preview, the new design helps the laptop stay thin while packing in the most powerful mobile hardware on the market. The update also allows the x16 to showcase a 16:10 screen as opposed to the 16:9 screen in the previous generation. The m16 and m18 feature this update as well.

Similar to the m16 and m18, Alienware plans to bring out cheaper versions of the x16 later in the year starting at $2,200. AMD Ryzen 7000 options are coming as well, likely before summer hits.

Although these are among the first RTX 4080 laptops we’ve seen, they aren’t built equally. The x16 includes the full 175 watts of Total Graphics Power (TGP) for the RTX 4080, while the m16 and m18 cap the power at 150W. It’s hard to say how much of an impact that will have for Nvidia’s latest GPUs, but graphics power traditionally makes a big difference in gaming laptop performance.

Those aren’t all the Dell and Alienware gaming laptops we’re waiting on, though. The redesigned Dell G15 and G16 are arriving soon, as well as the 2023 Alienware x14.  Alienware says it will share more on these laptops during a Twitch livestream on March 2, along with details on “peripherals and additional product announcements.”

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