The Gaming Laptop Trends of CES 2025

CES 2024 showcased a dazzling array of laptops, and gaming laptops were a significant highlight. This year's trends revealed a fascinating evolution in design, technology, and accessibility.

A Diversification of Designs

While gaming laptops have always offered diverse styles, this year felt particularly significant. Brands like Gigabyte and MSI are blurring the lines between productivity and gaming machines, emphasizing that high-end gaming laptops need to offer more than just raw power.

This translates to a wider range of aesthetics. Laptops like the Gigabyte Aero series boast clean, elegant designs suitable for professional settings. Conversely, others, such as the MSI Titan 18 HX AI Dragonforged Edition, proudly display their gaming pedigree with bold graphics.

RGB lighting remains a staple, with laptops featuring wrap-around rings, illuminated keyboards, and even trackpad lighting. The Asus ROG Strix Scar series impressed with its AniME Dot Matrix LED display, capable of displaying text and animations on the lid.

While not revolutionary, expect a diverse selection of laptops this year, ranging from large and powerful to thin and lightweight, with a wide spectrum of hardware options.

The Rise of AI Assistants

AI integration in laptops gained momentum last year, but implementations often fell short. This year, several vendors showcased AI assistants designed to control PCs without requiring manual software interaction.

An MSI representative demonstrated an AI assistant that, upon describing a desired game, automatically optimized performance settings. While the practicality remains to be seen—the speed advantage over manual adjustments wasn't immediately apparent—the potential for seamless optimization is intriguing. Further evaluation of offline functionality and overall capabilities is needed.

Mini-LED, Rollable Displays, and Other Innovations

Mini-LED technology is finally making a significant impact on gaming laptops. Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte all displayed Mini-LED laptops with top-tier specifications and prices. The technology seems to have matured, delivering stunning visuals with over 1,100 local dimming zones for enhanced contrast and brightness. While OLED still holds the edge in contrast, Mini-LED's superior brightness and lack of burn-in risk make it a compelling alternative.

Other innovations included the return of the ASUS ROG Flow X13 with USB4 eGPU support, and Asus showcased it paired with a new eGPU featuring up to an RTX 5090. Lenovo, however, stole the show with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, the first notebook with a rollable OLED display. This 14-inch screen expands by 2.7 inches with a button press. While aesthetically unconventional and raising durability concerns as a first-generation product, it represents a significant step forward in display technology.

The Continued Ascent of Ultrabooks in Gaming

Ultrabooks are increasingly prevalent, even in the gaming sector. Major manufacturers offer Ultrabook gaming laptops, characterized by thin, lightweight, and premium minimalist designs. Gigabyte's revamped Aero line exemplifies this trend.

These Ultrabooks cater to gamers who don't require maximum settings in the latest games, offering portability and productivity alongside gaming capabilities. As demonstrated by the Asus TUF Gaming A14, external dedicated graphics cards can further enhance performance.

Alternatively, advanced integrated graphics from AMD and Intel, coupled with technologies like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and Intel XeSS, allow for surprisingly playable experiences even without dedicated graphics cards. Cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now further broaden options, offering high-quality gaming on less powerful hardware.

The gaming laptop landscape is dynamic and exciting. We'll continue to cover these developments throughout the year. What were your key takeaways from CES 2024? Share your thoughts below!