The best new laptops at CES 2023

Open, close – notebooks are all the same? Not at all. Because this year there are laptops with fresh ideas and a lot of performance to be seen at the CES technology fair.

3D image without heavy 3D glasses? And the latest video games in full optical quality on the notebook? If you look at the new laptop releases at the CES technology fair (until January 8th), you will see even more trends. Some might need a bigger backpack soon. An overview.

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More power thanks to new graphics cards

The difference at the booth is striking. The new generation of gaming notebooks with Nvidia’s new Geforce GTX 40 series needs significantly less power with more frames per second and better display.

The RTX 4050-4080 are in there: Gaming laptops from different manufacturers with the new Nvidia graphics chips.Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa-tmn

According to Nvidia, two things make this possible: firstly, the new chip architecture called Ada Lovelace. And on the other hand Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS 3). Put simply, this means increased performance and more frames per second with the help of artificial intelligence.

And because the new laptop graphics chips consume less power than the previous generation, more powerful chips now also fit into slimmer computers.

ROG Zephyr 14
The Asus ROG Zephyr 14 features Nvidia’s latest graphics chip generation.Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa-tmn

Innovations in laptop screens

18 inches was once popular for gaming notebooks, then it was gone – and now it’s back. 17 inches is somehow 2022. Alienware and Acer each show an 18-inch model with Geforce RTX. In contrast to the past, the large notebooks are now a bit lighter, even if the Acer Predator Helios 18 is not a lightweight at just under 3.25 kilos.

A return to the old screen sizes as well: the 16:9 format is increasingly giving way to 16:10 – so there is more vertical space again. And why the new sizes? There are no clear answers at the fair. Some say: Laptops that are too small are impractical for many in the home office. Others say: Larger displays of good quality or with OLED technology are now affordable.

More OLEDs

The advantages of self-illuminating OLED displays for notebooks are actually clear. More color, better contrasts, deeper black representation and – depending on the application – also less power consumption. The problem so far: “It has to develop into affordable areas first,” says an industry representative. That’s about it now. Whether Lenovo, Acer, LG or Asus and also the gaming brands – all have one or more models with OLED displays in the trade fair range.

Yoga Book 9i
Why not in portrait format? Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i can also be used in this way.Photo: Till Simon Nagel/dpa-tmn

Lenovo is showing two laptops with two screens at CES. The Yoga Book 9i consists of two displays connected by a 360-degree hinge with a built-in speaker. The device can be used either as a double screen, as a laptop with a virtual keyboard and one and a half screens.

Thinkbook Plus Twist
The Thinkbook Plus Twist from Lenovo has a screen with an OLED display on the front and an E-Ink display on the back. You can switch between them using the hinge.Photo: Till Simon Nagel/dpa-tmn

The Thinkbook Plus Twist takes a different approach. The notebook has a dual screen – a 4K OLED display on the inside and a color E Ink display on the outside. This means that, for example, you can type or read on the go in a very energy-saving manner. A vertical rotary hinge allows you to switch between the two sides of the display.

Thinkbook Plus Twist
The colored e-ink display of the Thinkbook Plus Twist from Lenovo allows for particularly energy-saving work. However, it does not handle games and videos very well due to its slow response time.Photo: Till Simon Nagel/dpa-tmn

3D without glasses

Spatial depth on a flat screen – some people still know that from the mobile console Nintendo 3DS. With the Acer Predator Helios 300, two cameras above the screen follow the user’s eyes and the screen creates a 3D image using cross-sectional images. You can only see this if you are sitting directly in front of the computer, but the effect is quite impressive. You don’t have to wear annoying 3D glasses either.

ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED by Asus
Looks much more three-dimensional to the person in front of the computer. The 3D mode called Spatial Vision of the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED from Asus.Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa-tmn

The ProArt Studiobook from Asus also uses this 3D technology with eye tracking. Here, however, the focus of the laptop presentation at CES is more on imparting knowledge or virtual shopping applications.

Predator Helios 300
The stereoscopic representation of SpatialLabs TrueGame 3D Ultra mode is clearly visible on the Predator Helios 300’s display. If you sit directly in front of the device, you will experience what is shown in 3D.Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa-tmn

Laptop Manufacturers Highlight Sustainability at CES

A big word, but there are also concrete examples of success for recycling or the more careful use of resources. For example Acer’s Vero series, consisting of a Windows notebook Aspire Vero and Chromebook Vero. One third of the chassis consists of recycled plastic – post-consumer plastic, i.e. from used and discarded plastic objects. The result is a sleek, elegant gray chassis that feels tactile.

According to Acer, future models should also have keyboard keys made of sea plastic. Another plus: The case can be opened with a normal Phillips screwdriver if you want to replace the SSD storage or RAM. Lenovo and Asus are also aggressively using recycled materials – both in the devices – Lenovo uses recycled magnesium and aluminum, for example – and in the packaging. Renewable and compostable raw materials are used here.

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