CES 2024 in Las Vegas had all kinds of technology, from to, uh, there were a ton of laptops too. Like an infinite variety of laptops. In fact, there are so many laptops that we had a hard time deciding between them to choose the best CES award winners.
These weren't just laptops with minor spec improvements. The theme of the year was, of course, ai, and many computers adopted dedicated ai chips. OLED displays with fast refresh rates were also all over the show floor, and of course, there were several unique designs that almost defy description. We reviewed them all and put together a list of the best laptops at CES.
ASUS Zenbook Duo
The dream of a dual-screen laptop is not dead! The ASUS Zenbook Duo with dual screen and detachable Bluetooth keyboard. In other words, you can use it in traditional mode, with a keyboard in front of one of the screens, or you can balance the screens on top of each other. This is ideal for those who want the convenience of a laptop, but with additional screen real estate.
The aesthetics are perfect and the Duo includes high-end hardware such as Intel Core Ultra chips and gorgeous OLED displays. The price is also quite reasonable, given the technology, as this laptop starts at $1,500.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16
ASUS strikes again. The ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 line with an attractive aluminum chassis and plenty of power under the hood. These laptops can run almost any AAA game on the market, thanks to their AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors and optional high-end NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU.
We call it a “grown-up” and “sophisticated” gaming laptop because, well, that's what it is. It's incredibly stylish and would feel at home in an office. and in a basement converted into a gaming paradise. It's also lighter than previous generations, making it more portable. Each model ships with a simple LED bar on the front that can be programmed to glow gray or white, rather than the typical rainbow of Skittles colors found on most gaming laptops. There are no prices for these yet.
HP Omen transcend 14
There's a new record in town. The HP Open Transcend 14 weighs only 3.5 pounds. Even cooler? HP seems to have reached this milestone without taking too many shortcuts. Despite being closer in size and weight to an ultraportable than your average gaming laptop, you still get support for the 14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processor, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 2TB of storage and an RTX 4070 GPU. This thing won't have a hard time playing modern games.
Despite the diminutive dimensions, you still get two USB-A and two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4) plus a full-size HDMI 2.1 connector on the back. You'll also have the option to upgrade to a Wi-Fi 7 card with Bluetooth 5.4. This laptop starts at $1,600 and will go on sale later this year.
Dell's new XPS line
Dell has form factors that look alike. The redesign covers the new XPS 13, 14 and 16, and there is no longer a Plus line. Each of these laptops features a glass palm rest that hides an invisible haptic touchpad. There are also touch-sensitive function buttons above the keyboard and large keys for comfortable typing.
The XPS line includes Intel's Core Ultra chips, which feature NPUs for ai tasks. The ports are up to par, with the XPS 14 and 16 featuring a headphone jack, three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C slots, and a microSD card reader. The minimalist design here is gorgeous and these laptops almost made the best of CES list, but not quite. However, once they are available, they could end up on our list of products like the XPS 13 Plus.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Generation 5
We promised unique and original designs, and here you have one. It's a bit of a Frankenstein's monster, with a design that basically consists of two squashed devices. This is anything but your typical 2-in-1 device. At first glance, the ThinkBook Plus looks like an ordinary clamshell, but the screen flips up and turns into a 14-inch tablet.
It's no big deal, right? This is where things get interesting. Once removed, both components remain fully functional. So you can use the tablet as a standalone Android device, a wireless monitor for the laptop dock, or a Wacom-like inked display via Lenovo's Freestyle app. Meanwhile, you can also use the platform as a mini desktop by connecting an external display. Now that is modular thinking. However, this starts at $2,000, which is quite expensive.
Everything else
There were many laptops that didn't make this list, but they still deserve mention.
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MSI 18-inch laptops – The company went big this year by introducing a Now you won't have to sacrifice screen real estate for portability.
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Acer Predator Helios 18 – This is another large laptop with 18 inch screen. However, it also features a uniquely designed hinge packed with RGB lights.
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Acer Swift and Aspire – These are the ones that don't offer much in terms of innovation, but will certainly sell like hotcakes. They're packed with ai, though, with Intel's new Core Ultra processors and dedicated keys that can summon Microsoft's Copilot ai assistant.
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Razer Blade Line – Razer offered an update on its The biggest news here? The Razer Blade 16 features a
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Alienware m16 R2 -What would CES be without some Alienware goodness? The m16 R2 features a large 90Wh battery, slim bezels and a robust touchpad, all in a package that has a 15 percent smaller footprint than previous versions.
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Lenovo Legion Updates – Lenovo announced at CES, each with patented cooling technology and performance-enhancing artificial intelligence chips. These all ship with Windows 11 and come with three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
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Visible space summit – Well, here's another original. The Spacetop ships with AR glasses that allow for a 100-inch virtual screen. The design is ingenious, but the execution is iffy.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas January 6-12. Stay up to date with the latest news from the show. here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-laptops-of-ces-2024-174531438.html?src=rss
