Now that CES 2023 is over, we can look back on all the newest technology introduced during the yearly consumer technology exhibition. Since computing is my area of expertise at Tom’s Guide, I concentrated much of my attention (and reporting) on the most recent announcements of laptops, tablets, and PCs. Although there wasn’t anything genuinely mind-blowing in this area, there were certainly a lot of intriguing things that I’m eager to try out this year.
As anticipated, the best laptops, gaming laptops, gaming PCs, and computers of 2023 will be equipped with the newest Intel, AMD, and Nvidia components. Even though these workstations aren’t particularly innovative, the fact that they feature desktop and mobile GPUs from the Nvidia RTX 40-series and 13th generation Intel Core Raptor Lake Processors is a major selling factor. Another great perk is the fact that many gaming laptops now come with 16:10 240Hz displays as standard.
Here are a few of my favorite computer items that were unveiled at CES 2023. Make sure to learn about some of the best products overall in our article on the Best of CES 2023 Awards.
ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED from Asus
Since I’m not an artist, I’m usually not interested in laptops made for creatives. But if you put a 3D display on a notebook with strong components, I’m interested. With the Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED, that is the situation.
The glasses-free 3D display, as the name implies, is this laptop’s main selling point and may be great for those who work on 3D projects or who simply enjoy viewing 3D content. In general, I consider 3D to be a gimmick, but in the limited time I had with the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED, I was quite amazed with how nicely the 3D truly functioned.
Instead than tracking the movement of your head, the 3D camera watches your eyes. Because of this, no matter where you look, the 3D image is constant. The 3D image moved as though it were a real item, regardless of how I turned my head or positioned the laptop. It’s difficult to put into words, but believe me when I say that this is seriously astounding stuff.
This laptop includes both an Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU and a 13th generation Intel Core GPU. That functionality isn’t particularly surprising considering that new Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs were found in the vast majority of laptops shown at CES 2023. The parts in this laptop should give it more than enough power for gaming and artistic tasks.
500Hz Alienware Gaming Display
If the new notebooks announced at CES 2023 are any indication, gaming laptops with 240Hz displays appear to be the new norm. Although it is remarkable, it is nothing in comparison to the Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H), which, as you might have guessed from the name, can go up to 500Hz! Its features alone might be enough to place it on our list of the top gaming monitors.
The AW2524H, according to Dell, has “the world’s fastest refresh rate.” Even though the marketing emphasizes the 500Hz refresh rate, this is only possible with games that are 500Hz compatible. The AW2524H features a native refresh rate of 480Hz, which is still incredibly high.
You’ll still enjoy a buttery smooth experience even though few games can truly benefit from such a high refresh rate, especially while playing competitive games. Oh, and the monitor’s quick 0.5ms response time will help you gain the upper hand in online games as well. Even though this monitor may not have the most eye-catching design at CES 2023, it has the highest refresh rate by far.
M18 Alienware
During CES 2023, a number of badass laptops were unveiled, including the Alienware m18. Its features are comparable to those of laptops like the Razer Blade 18, but I’m choosing it because of its slightly better style, which is still decidedly understated in comparison to the flashy items Alienware is renowned for.
This enormous gaming laptop has a 13th generation Intel Core Processor, an Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 9TB of storage, among other high-end components. Given that the majority of gaming laptops in 2023 will have these specifications, this isn’t very noteworthy, but it does imply that you’re getting a machine with the newest (and most potent) parts.
Its lack of portability is the only potential disadvantage compared to the other 18-inch laptops revealed at CES 2023. Even though I consider myself to be very strong, as I mentioned in the preview, I struggled to hold this with two hands. I wouldn’t try keeping this on my lap for a lengthy period of time either. Fair enough, though—the Alienware m18 is designed to be kept on a desk. The Alienware m18 is really a desktop replacement, and you’re not necessary expected to tote it around, a Dell PR informed me.
Yoga Book 9i from Lenovo
The two 13.3-inch OLED panels on the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i capture attention right away. In our hands-on preview, we noted that this device might either be the laptop of the future or an expensive toy. Regardless of the answer, Lenovo deserves praise for designing such a distinctive laptop.
You can use this device as a standard laptop or tablet or switch to tent mode while giving presentations, just like the best 2-in-1 computers. The Yoga Book 9i can be used with two displays side by side or stacked on top of one another using the inbuilt kickstand. Use the detachable Bluetooth keyboard if you don’t want to type on a touchscreen. The primary justification for purchasing the Yoga Book 9i is its adaptability.
The two 13.3-inch monitors provide a wide range of options. For instance, you may use the Yoga Book 9i as a tiny all-in-one Computer with the inbuilt kickstand and have the same material appear on both screens. Perhaps you might have two apps, one at the top and one at the bottom. When you turn the Yoga Book 9i over, two panels may be seen side by side.
A fascinating alternative to laptops with foldable screens like the ThinkPad X1 Fold and the Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is the Yoga Book 9i. Instead of having a single panel that splits in half, you get two screens that you may move about or arrange whatever you like. That intrigues me quite a bit, I suppose. Undoubtedly a product I want to try out for myself.
ThinkPad Plus Twist by Lenovo
The convertible twist-hinge design of the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist, which is reminiscent of 2-in-1 laptops from the early 2000s, lives up to the name of the product. You may choose between using the color E-Ink screen or the OLED display because it has both.
Why color E-Ink then? If you’re analyzing documents or simply want to extend your time online browsing before reaching for an outlet, this second display is made to give you additional battery life. Indeed, you can use Windows 11 in its entirety in E-Ink mode, but you’ll need to accept a 12Hz refresh rate. The 12.5″ E-Ink display on the other side has thicker bezels while having a smaller screen size than the 13.3″ OLED display, which has narrow bezels.
The display can replicate what you were doing on the OLED panel when you turn it around, but at least on this early model, it took a while for the display to come to life. Once the ThinkBook Plus Twist is available, that time should be reduced.
When you want to give performance priority over color and image quality, you can flip between Speed and Quality mode on the E-Ink display. You may also show your own screensaver on the outside of the ThinkBook Plus Twist thanks to the color E-Ink screen.
The E-Ink display is visible when the ThinkBook Plus Twist is “closed,” which is the fundamental design flaw. We have to question whether it will get scratched from being in and out of your suitcase over a period of months. We also ponder the panel’s general robustness in terms of withstanding normal wear and tear.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti from Nvidia
Let’s address the issue that is most pressing: The “unlaunched” RTX 4080 12GB is essentially a renamed version of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. But, since it is an RTX 40 series card and costs $799, I wanted to include it on this list. Even though it lacks the powerful specifications of the RTX 4080 or 4090, if you’re upgrading from the RTX 30 series, you’ll enjoy better performance.
With 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6X memory, the RTX 4070 Ti is one of the less powerful RTX 40-series GPUs. When DLSS 3 is on, Nvidia claims that it is still significantly quicker than the RTX 3090 Ti from the previous generation.
DLSS 3—what the heck is that? It is the most recent iteration of the graphics upscaling method known as DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). A major selling feature of the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the fact that it can only be used with Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics cards. Because it attempts to intelligently “upscale” graphics that are displayed at artificially low resolutions, DLSS is significant because it gives you the quick performance of gaming at a lower resolution without suffering a significant reduction in graphical performance.
The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti lacks the raw power of its more powerful brothers, but in all honesty, most modern games don’t require that much power, unless you’re trying to play in 4K with all the bells and whistles turned up to maximum. And even in that case, the top-tier RTX 30-series cards can still perform admirably. The RTX 4070 Ti, though, sounds like a good option if you’re looking for a more potent Nvidia card that won’t break the budget.
