Seven standout laptops at CES 2026, led by the Dell XPS 14

ZDNET highlighted seven laptops at CES 2026 that stood out for unique features, performance upgrades and forward‑thinking designs. Notable entries include LG's Gram Pro 17, which the outlet said uses a new material called Aerominum (also described as Aeronium in the article) to cut weight while keeping durability; LG plans Intel Core Ultra‑series chips (likely Panther Lake), an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 and a high‑resolution LCD, with a 16‑inch Gram Pro 16 offered with an OLED.

Dell revived the XPS name with the slim XPS 14, powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips, 4K webcams and high‑density 900ED batteries reportedly capable of lasting up to 40 hours under the right conditions, plus an InfiniteEdge OLED in a 14.6mm, ~three‑pound design. Acer's Swift 16 AI drew attention for a massive haptic trackpad that occupies nearly half the lower deck and doubles as a drawing tablet, with MPP 2.5 stylus support, Gorilla Glass reinforcement, a bundled stylus and a 16‑inch 3K WQXGA+ OLED at 120Hz; the author noted its practicality remains to be seen.

Other highlights were the Alienware 16 Area‑51, picked over the Alienware 18 for being slimmer and lighter while offering Intel Core Ultra 200Hz processors (most likely Ultra 7 255HX and 275HX), up to Nvidia's latest GPUs, up to 64GB of RAM, a Cherry MX mechanical keyboard and a Cryo‑Chamber cooling system.

Key Topics

Tech, Asus Zenbook Duo, Thinkbook Plus, Intel Core Ultra