Alienware has announced that they are releasing the new Alienware m15 gaming laptop globally for sale on October 25, starting at $1,299 USD. The laptop is Alienware’s thinnest ever at less than an inch and will be available in two colours: Epic Silver and Nebula Red.

What’s it got?

The m15 comes with either an 8th Gen i5-8300h or 6-core 8th Gen i7-8750H. There are two 2-SODIMMs memory slots and the base model will have one 8GB DDR4 2666MHz and be upgradable to 32GB. There are a number of single storage or dual storage configurations to choose from but it does offer a PCIe SSD option.

For GPUs, the GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 or GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5 is available and will support gaming in 1080p and VR. There are three display options including a 3840 x 2160 60hz IPS or 1080p 144hz or 60hz 1080p IPS display. The m15 should play eSports titles at its native resolution with ease and AAA titles at medium to high settings.

The I/O includes an ethernet port, three Type-A USB 3.0 slots, Thunderbolt 3, Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, HDMI and a mini-display port. Interestingly, some of the ports are located on the back which could be suitable for some. The m15 uses a combination of magnesium alloy and copper to reduce the weight of the laptop.

The verdict

Portability, value and performance in 2018 is not a new concept with recent models such as the Acer Nitro 5, however, Alienware has managed to pack decent specs into a lighter and thinner 15″ model. We’ll have to wait and see the effectiveness of its thermal management, the brightness of the IPS screen and overall impression of the keyboard. With a lot of upgradability options and quite a high starting price, the benefit of its reduction in heaviness and size will have to be weighed up with bigger, more powerful models.