Dell and Alienware's new gaming laptops are built for speed

Thanks to quarantine and COVID-19, gaming is experiencing a resurgence, and Dell's in-house brand Alienware is once again updating its flagship lineup with two new models: the Alienware m15 and Alienware m17 R4.

Coming in 15- and 17-inch sizes, respectively, each R4 laptop is available in two colors—Dark Side of the Moon and Lunar Light—and come with expected upgrades like new Nvidia 30-series GPUs, though both laptops will utilize 10th-gen Intel H- and HK-series processors. The provided spec sheets don't specify which 30-series GPUs will be available.

Both laptops are gorgeous, and they seem identical in terms of power—though without knowing which GPUs come with which, it's hard to say which is the better value. The 15-inch m15 will offer an option of either a 300Hz 1080p panel or a 2160p 60Hz OLED panel. The 17-inch has three screen options: a 144Hz 1080p display, a wild 360Hz 1080p option, and a 2160p 60Hz panel.

The 15- and 17-inch 2160p options also have Tobii eye-tracking support built in, though the 17-inch model does not appear to be an OLED according to the spec sheet provided by Dell. The other screens do all support Nvidia G-Sync technology, which helps better match up the GPU's frame rate to the display, without screen tearing.

As for value, it's difficult to tell exactly how these line up with the market without knowing which Nvidia 30-series GPUs will be in the base models. Alienware also hasn't announced pricing for configs beyond the minimum option, with both starting at $2,149.99 when they launch on January 26th.