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Alienware's gaming laptops are getting a new look, and one will even offer a massive 18-inch screen. Dell's gaming brand has been on a roll over the last few years with its bold "Legend" design language, which veered into a very sci-fi aesthetic, as well as its super-thin X series notebooks. This year, Legend is being refined for a third time with a focus on "form, function and quality." Alienware's new machines still look strikingly different than most other gaming laptops, but now they're easier to hold, open and, thankfully, there's no more glossy black plastic to be seen.

Perhaps the most striking example of Legend 3.0 is Alienware's new m18, its largest and most powerful gaming laptop yet. This beast sports an 18-inch screen that's 14.5-percent larger than the previous 17-inch model. Clearly, portability isn't the main concern here, it's power. The m18 features all of the latest hardware, including Intel's fastest 13th-gen HX mobile processors, NVIDIA's latest GPUs, or alternatively you can configure with an AMD Ryzen chip with next-gen Radeon graphics.

While it's just as thick as the previous m17, the 18-inch Alienware also crams in far better cooling, with a vapor chamber that covers the GPU and CPU, seven heat pipes, and four fans for 25 percent better airflow. You'll be able to add an optional Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, up to 9TB of storage and choose between 165Hz quad-HD and 480Hz 1080p screens. With a total system power of 250-watts, the m18 is clearly meant for the most demanding gamers out there, people who won't mind lugging around a huge notebook. If you were intrigued by Alienware's massive Area 51m, its now defunct laptop that used replaceable desktop components, the m18 may be a solid option.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

For the more sensible players out there, there's the smaller Alienware m16, which features the same design and similar cooling upgrades. That computer can be equipped with 16-inch quad-HD+ (2,560 by 1,600) panels running at 165Hz or 240Hz, or with a 480Hz FHD+ screen. Both m-series laptops feature NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSDync support, wide color gamuts and Dell's ComfortView Plus technology, which reduces harsh blue light.

If the Alienware m16 and m18 look a bit chunky compared to most other gaming laptops, that's pretty much by design. That's always been the company's line for bigger and more powerful machines. If you want something slimmer and perhaps more fashionable, you'll have to look to the X-series notebooks. Last year we got the Alienware x14, which was impressively thin for all the power it held. This year, the company is introducing the x16, which, you guessed it, sports a 16-inch screen.

Alienware is calling the x16 its design highlight of the year, with a tall 16 by 10 display and a stronger all-metal case. It even manages to fit in a six-speaker sound system, with two upward-firing tweeters and two woofers for solid bass. Under the hood, it's powered by Intel's fastest non-HX 13th-gen CPUs, all the way up to the 14-core 13900HK and NVIDIA's full suite of RTX 4000 GPUs. Alienware says it can also be equipped with AMD's next-gen hardware, but we don't have specifics on that yet.

The x16 looks just as striking as Alienware's previous thin gaming laptops, but the new Legend aesthetic makes it appear more refined. It also has all the bling you'd want, with over 100 micro-LEDs along its rear lighting panel, RGB lighting across all of its keys, and an RGB touchpad that's also 15 percent bigger than the previous x17's. Now I'm still not sure why you'd want RGB lighting on a touchpad, but it sure does look cool. The x16's 6-pound weight may be a problem for some buyers though, especially since Razer's Blade 17 pretty much matches it.

As you'd expect, the Alienware x14 also makes a return this year, and it still looks impressive. It sports a new 14-inch quad-HD+ screen running at 165Hz, and its hardware is less beefy than the 16-inch model, topping out with one of Intel's 13th-gen Core i7 CPUs and NVIDIA's RTX 4060. That's the price you'll have to pay for such a thin case though. Alienware claims it's still the thinnest 14-inch gaming notebook on the market, though, measuring at just 14.5mm.

All of Alienware's new machines will be available in the first quarter with Intel and NVIDIA configurations, while AMD options will arrive in the second quarter. The m18 will start at $2,899 with high-end options, though Alienware says entry-level models starting at $2,099 will arrive later. The m16, meanwhile, will initially run you $2,599, with future configurations starting at $1,899. The Alienware x16 will be the priciest of the bunch, starting at an eye-watering $3,099 for high-end configs and $2,150 for future entry-level options. And last, but not least, you can expect to pay at least $1,799 for the x14.

Choosing any notebook, especially gaming machines, always amounts to weighing potential compromises. At least now Alienware has a machine for practically everyone, from the style conscious to people who want an even more desktop-like experience on the go.

One problem with Acer’s Nitro marque is that it’s hard to shake the perception it’s the scrawny kid brother of its brawny Predator range. You know, the gaming laptop you buy when money’s tight but you need something newer than what you’re rocking at the given time. It’s an issue Acer itself is trying to address by trying to give the Nitro more of its own identity, and pushing it to be more distinct from its bigger, more attention-hogging sibling.

As with Acer’s other rebrands, the Nitro loses the odd-number coding in favor of being described by display sizes. So, at CES, you’ll find the Nitro 16 and Nitro 17, each one packing a 16- and 17.3-inch display, respectively. What hasn’t changed much is the styling, which keeps that, uh, Razer-esque minimalism (bar the rear exhaust vents) from the previous generation. That’s not a bad thing, I should add, since there’s little need for curling arcs of faux-chrome plastic to make it look butch in front of your friends at the LAN party.

Naturally, both machines come with the pick of a 13th-generation Intel Core i5 / i7 processors paired with up to 32GB RAM. You’ll be able to marry up both with a 40-series NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU, which will enable you to switch from integrated to discrete graphics without rebooting. And both will come with a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard, to let you mark out your individuality in lighting choices as much as you can manage.

Acer is also swinging big about the promises that these machines can handle a far longer load than its predecessors. And users will be able to access the NitroSense UI from a dedicated key, letting them keep an eye on the temperatures when things are getting intense. Connectivity wise, you’ll get the expected ports (HDMI 2.1, microSD, two Thunderbolt 4 with PD and three USB 3.2 Gen 2. But the overall vibe here is a machine that you shouldn’t feel second-class while gaming with it.

Both machines are coming to the US in May, with prices starting from $1,200, although you can expect that figure to climb as soon as you start speccing it up properly.

Acer

Now, for the Predators, with two new Helios models available with either 16- or an 18-inch display. Both have had their own muted, more professional redesign, and come with the choice of a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 or i9 processor, paired with a 40-series GeForce RTX GPU. Naturally, you can pair that with up to 32GB RAM and up to 2TB in storage, with other, less expensive spec options in the mix.

If theres a major shift in the components, it’s in the mini-LED backlit keyboard, which the company promises will offer less halo effect and smoother lighting effects. You will also be able to spot some gaps in the keyboard, as the laptop draws cool air in from between your fingers to help keep those beefy components working at the right temperature.

And speaking of which, one neat little addition is a pair of spare cowls for the laptop’s rear deck exhaust fans. These, we’re told, can be painted or customized in any way that you desire, letting you add a small touch of yourself to what’s otherwise the most anonymous part of the machine.

The 16-inch Helios will be making its way to these shores in March, with prices starting at $1,650, while the 18-incher won’t arrive until April, with a vanilla model costing you $1,700.

No shade on Acer before now, but I’ve always found its laptop naming scheme to be a little bit obtuse. For instance, can you tell me the qualitative difference between Acer’s Swift 3 and Swift 5 without looking? To address this, the company has dumped its odd-numbers system in favor of categorizing everything by screen size. So, here at CES, Acer is now showing off the Swift Go 14 and 16, as well as the Swift 14 and the Swift X 14 — although, on reflection, that’s still a lot of Swifts, isn’t it.

The Swift Go models are the successors of the Swift 3 series, mainstream machines with an eye on keeping things thin and light. There are two models, both of which get the option of three different displays, all of which are 16:10. The 14-inch unit gets the option of a (deep breath) 2,880 x 1,800 90Hz OLED display, a 2,240 x 1,400 IPS LCD or a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD. The bigger sibling, meanwhile, gets the choice of a 16-inch 3,200 x 2,000 120Hz OLED, a 2,560 x 1,600 IPS LCD, or a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD (one of which will be touch, but the spec sheet I have doesn’t say which one.)

Nestled inside, you’ll find the usual raft of spec-to-order 13th generation Intel Core processors, including the option of an H-series chip instead of a U. These, Acer say, will be able to run at full pelt thanks to the new-and-improved cooling in the new machines. That will be teamed up with up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage, while both models have USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, a microSD-card reader and a 1440p webcam. If you’re looking to snap one up, you’ll have to wait until May for the 14-inch model and June for the 16-incher, with prices starting from $850 for the former and $800 for the latter.

Acer

In the middle of the pack, you’ll find Acer’s suffix-free Swift 14 (formerly the Swift 5), of which the company has little to talk about, compared to its siblings. That’s a shame, because it might also be the best-looking, with the dark green and copper model destined to become an object of unbridled desire. Weighing in at 2.64 pounds, the Evo-certified machine offers a choice of 13th-generation Intel Core processors. And you’ll get the pick of two different touchscreens, a 1,920 x 1,200 panel or a glitzier 2,560 x 1,600 model. Connectivity-wise, it’s also blessed, with two USB-C, HDMI-out, 3.5mm and a pair of USB A sockets, perfect for those of us who haven’t upgraded all our accessories. If this model catches your fancy (have I mentioned how good looking it is) then it’ll hit these shores in April, with the base model priced at $1,400.

Acer

Last, but quite obviously not least is the flagship Swift X 14, although there’s less that’s new and gosh-darn exciting to mention about this unit. It’ll offer H-series Intel Core chips paired with a new GeForce RTX GPU, the name of which hasn’t yet been disclosed. Here, the company says that the NVIDIA Studio-rated machine will get the benefit of lots of new cooling, thanks to a new air inlet keyboard that draws air in between your fingers. You’ll be staring into either a 14.5-inch 2,880 x 1,800 120Hz OLED display or a 14.5-inch 2,560 x 1,600 IPS LCD unit. And, much like the other machines in the refresh, you’ll get a 1440p webcam to capture the full extent of your beauty as you share it with the world. This model will land in the US in April, with the base model priced at $1,100, although I’d imagine any half decent spec will push that figure up pretty swiftly.

It didn't take long for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 graphics to reach portable PCs. The company has introduced RTX 40 GPUs for laptops that promise large leaps in performance, even in lower-end systems. The flagship RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs are reportedly powerful enough to play games across three 4K monitors at 60 frames per second — you might not need a desktop to immerse yourself in a flight or racing sim.

Even the mainstream GeForce RTX 4050, 4060 and 4070 chips are billed as faster than the outgoing RTX 3080. They're quick enough to deliver 1440p gaming at up to 80FPS, and are supposedly up to twice as fast as a PlayStation 5. They also make it more practical to handle pro tasks like 3D modelling and AI-based media editing on 14-inch laptops, according to NVIDIA.

The RTX 40 architecture is notoriously power-hungry on desktops, but NVIDIA claims it's keeping energy efficiency in check with the laptop variants. DLSS 3 AI upscaling is now optimized for mobile use, while finer-grained "tri-speed" memory control lets the GPU drop to lower-power RAM states. On-chip memory tweaks(such as doubled bandwidth) and low-voltage GDDR6 RAM also help wring the most out of the video hardware.

You'll have to wait a little while to buy a laptop with GeForce RTX 40 tech. The first RTX 4080 and 4090 models will be available February 8th at a starting price of $1,999. If you want an RTX 4050 machine, you can buy them beginning February 22nd with an entry price of $999. NVIDIA didn't provide a full list of laptops, but you can expect adoption from well-known brands like Acer, Alienware, ASUS, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Razer and Samsung. It's too soon to say if the GPUs live up to NVIDIA's billing, but they'll be welcome updates if you were already eying RTX 30-based computers.

You'll soon have access to a host of PC games in your car without buying a Tesla. NVIDIA has announced that it's bringing GeForce Now game streaming to cars using the company's Drive platform. The rollout will offer access to titles like Cyberpunk 2077 on a driver display while you're charging or parked, or any time from the backseat. That could be more than a little helpful on a vacation, especially if you'd rather not buy a Steam Deck or Switch for a budding young gamer.

The cloud gaming option already has initial support from major brands like the Hyundai group (including Genesis and Kia), Polestar and China's BYD. NVIDIA didn't offer a timeframe for GeForce Now access, although it noted that BYD would offer Drive Hyperion-powered cars in the first half of 2023. The Polestar 3 SUV (built using Drive Orin) arrives in late 2023.

The in-car GeForce Now client works on either Android or web-based infotainment systems. NVIDIA's service provides a catalog of 1,500 games, over 1,000 of which are playable using gamepads. While most of the selection is paid, there are free-to-play options like Destiny 2 and Fortnite.

As with other game streaming services, this could get costly if you plan to use it often. While basic GeForce Now use is free, you can pay up to $200 per year for the full experience before you factor in the cost of the games themselves. In some cases, though, this might make more sense than buying a handheld console or tablet. You only need to pay for a higher-end plan when you expect to use it, after all — you could subscribe during a road trip and stick to free usage when you're commuting around town.

The rumors were true: NVIDIA finally unveiled its latest mid-range GPU, the RTX 4070 Ti. Starting at $799, it's meant to be a slightly more reasonable alternative to NVIDIA's $1,199 RTX 4090 and $1,599 4090. But yes, it's still pretty costly — gone are the days when "mid-range" video cards were below $500. For the price, though you get a GPU that can play Cyberpunk 2077 three times as fast as the RTX 3090 Ti in Ray Tracing Overdrive mode (according to NVIDIA, at least).

While the RTX 4080 and 4090 Ti are targeted at 4K gaming, NVIDIA is positioning the RTX 4070 Ti as the pinnacle of 1,440p gaming beyond 120fps. DLSS 3 is a big reason for that — just like with the other 4000-series cards, it uses machine learning to generate entire frames, rather than the pixels DLSS 2 created. That means it should be able to deliver better overall framerates, especially when it comes to CPU-bound titles.

As the leaks foretold, the RTX 4070 Ti features 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6X memory. In comparison, the 4080 sports 9,728 CUDA cores and 16GB of memory, while the 4090 has 16,384 CUDA cores and 24GB of RAM. Since it's supposedly comparable to the 3090 Ti, you can expect the 4070 Ti to handle a bit of 4K gaming, especially with the help of DLSS 3. But really, it seems more like the card gamers with fast 1,440p monitors have been waiting for. 

Developing...

Tesla has suffered another blow after a South Korea regulator said it would fine the company 2.85 billion won ($2.24 million) for failing to disclose the shorter ranges of its electric vehicles in low temperatures. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla EV ranges drop by up to 50.5 percent in cold weather, compared with the ranges that the company stated online.

The antitrust agency claimed that Tesla exaggerated the ranges of its vehicles on a single charge, the performance of Superchargers and fuel cost effectiveness versus combustion engine vehicles, as Reuters reports. The KFTC said that Tesla did so on its South Korean website between August 2019 and recently.

Studies have shown that ranges for all EVs can drop significantly in colder weather, mainly because the battery that's used to power those cars also heats the interior. Based on data from South Korea's environment ministry, a local consumer group claimed in 2021 that the ranges of most EVs drop by up to 40 percent in cold weather. Tesla's vehicles saw the biggest drop, according to Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty. Tesla doesn't have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

While the fine is a relatively small one, it's more bad news for Tesla. The company said on Monday that it set a new quarterly record for EV deliveries in the last three months of 2022 with more than 405,000 (an increase of nearly 97,000 compared with a year earlier). However, analysts expected Tesla to deliver 418,000 EVs last quarter. By 10:30AM ET on Tuesday, Tesla's stock had dropped by over 10 percent compared with Monday. The company's share price has plummeted by 72 percent over the last 12 months.

SpaceX is gearing up to launch the Transporter-6 mission today, January 3rd, and is hoping that the Falcon 9 rocket taking it to space will begin making its way to low-Earth orbit by 9:56 AM ET. The Transporter-6 mission will take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida using a first stage booster responsible for taking over a dozen other previous missions to orbit, including 10 Starlink launches. It's the company's first launch of the year and the latest in SpaceX's series of dedicated rideshare Transporter missions.

Transporter-6 will take 114 payload to space. As NASA Spaceflight notes, those include tiny picosatellites only a few centimeters in size to microsatellites that weight around 200 pounds for both scientific institutions and commercial entities. One customer is EOS Data Analytics, which will launch the first satellite for its agriculture-focused constellation on this mission. A couple of companies is also launching space tugs, or spacecraft that can transfer cargo from one orbit to another, that will deploy payload for customers of their own at a later date. 

SpaceX will livestream the Transporter-6 launch on YouTube, with coverage starting 10 minutes before liftoff is expected to happen. You can watch the live webcast below:

You'll want to act quickly if you're considering a fresh battery for an aging iPhone. 9to5Mac has noticed that Apple is raising the price of battery replacements for pre-iPhone 14 models by $20 on March 1st. For notched iPhones (iPhone X through iPhone 13), this will bump the price from $69 to $89. If you have an iPhone SE, iPhone 8 or a similarly classic design, the price will climb from $49 to $69. The cost of a replacement for the iPhone 14 family was already higher at $99.

It's not clear if self-repair prices will increase at the same time. However, part prices tend to roughly equal the cost of asking Apple to perform a battery swap. Don't be surprised if the do-it-yourself option costs more in the near future. 

Apple didn't explain the price hike in a notice on its website. We've asked the company for comment. The tech giant last set iPhone battery service prices in 2019, when it ended a one-year $29 replacement offer made in response to the uproar over CPU throttling. The company discounted prices to help apologize for its initial approach to battery degradation. It slowed performance to prevent sudden shutdowns on iPhones with worn-down batteries, but didn't tell customers or give them the option to override the throttling.

The new prices are still low enough to justify a battery replacement instead of a whole new phone. There's no doubt the increase will sting, though, and it may be particularly painful if your device is several years old (such as an iPhone X) and may lose other forms of support relatively soon, such as major OS updates.

If you're looking to get in shape in the new year, your existing pair of wireless earbuds may not cut it when it comes to a secure fit and sweat resistance. But now you can pick up the Beats Fit Pro, which we consider to be the best earbuds for workouts, at the lowest price we've seen. The Fit Pros have dropped to $160 again, returning to their Black Friday price, while other options like the Beats Studio Buds have also been discounted as part of a wider Beats sale. You can even pick up the Beats Studio Buds plus a $25 Amazon gift card for only $185, or $40 off the bundle's usual price.

The Fit Pros actually look quite similar to the Beats Studio Buds, albeit for the extra fit wing that the former have. These make the Pros even more comfortable and secure than other buds, and they'll certainly help keep them in place during high-intensity workouts. We found them to have a better fit than Apple's AirPods Pro, and you're still getting things like onboard controls and a wear-detection sensor that enables automatic pausing when you remove the buds from your ears. We also appreciate their IPX4 rating, which will protect them even during your sweatiest sessions.

On top of their solid design, the Beats Fit Pros also have balanced sound with punchy bass, along with good ANC that blocks out most surrounding noises. Since they're part of the Apple ecosystem, you're also getting the conveniences most typically associate with AirPods: things like quick pairing and switching between Apple devices, hands-free Siri and Find My capabilities. But unlike Apple's own buds, the Fit Pros carry some of those perks, including fast pairing and control customization, to Android as well thanks to a dedicated app.

All of those features combined make the Fit Pros hard to beat at the moment if you're looking for a pair of buds to be reliable workout companions. And since they're designed to seamlessly work with Apple devices, it makes them a solid alternative for iPhone users who maybe haven't warmed up to AirPods' stick design. But if you're looking for something even more budget-friendly, the Beats Studio Buds may fit the bill — they also have all of the AirPods-like perks that the Fit Pros have, plus a comfortable design, an IPX4 rating and good ANC. What you won't find on those more affordable buds are onboard volume controls, sound customizations and wireless charging.

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