Alienware's X14 is its thinnest gaming laptop yet

Alienware isn't going to let rivals' small gaming laptops go unanswered. The brand has revealed the X14, its (and Dell's) thinnest gaming laptop yet. The 14-inch design uses a trick dual-torque element hinge and cooling upgrades to keep the design to a 0.57-inch thickness while including high-performance components, including a 12th-generation, 14-core Intel Core i7 and up to GeForce RTX 3060 graphics. It's even billed as the first 14-inch laptop to support both NVIDIA's G-Sync and Advanced Optimus graphics switching.

The 144Hz 1080p display isn't remarkable by itself, but all X14 models support Dolby Vision HDR. There's healthy expansion as well. You can configure the X14 with up to 32GB of (soldered-in) DDR5 memory and 2TB of SSD storage. You won't be hurting for connectivity between the two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1 and a microSD card slot.

Alienware ships the X14 sometime this winter at a starting price of $1,799. The base trim will get you 16GB of RAM, RTX 3050 video and 256GB of storage.

There are compromises involved in cramming that hardware into a laptop slimmer than many ultraportables. We had early hands-on time with the Alienware X14, and we found the keyboard particularly cramped — including the WASD configuration you'll likely use with first-person shooters. It is a solid and relatively light (no more than 4.06lbs) machine given the components inside, though, so it's worth considering if you want a gaming rig that easily fits in your backpack.

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