At a CES where we're sure to see dozens of gaming laptops with the latest Intel 13th Gen processors and Nvidia 40-series graphics, Dell's latest G15 line sets itself apart with some striking retro colors that would look right at home beside your old Trapper Keeper and Walkman.
You'll be able to pick the company's 15.6-inch G15 with up to a 13th Gen Core i9 CPU and "next gen Nvidia" graphics (clearly 40 series, though Dell can't say because it hasn't been announced yet), in colors like "Pop Purple with Neo Mint" and "Quantum White with Deep Space Blue." For those who find no joy in bold colors, a "Dark Shadow Gray" option will also be available.
When we saw these colorful G15 laptops at a Dell pre-CES demo event, our editor-in-chief particularly liked the”Deep Space Blue,” but noted that the bold color was just reserved for the rear area of the laptop with the rest of it being a modest shade of white. The Pop Purple colorway is the real standout of the group.
Apart from the new colorways, the G15 looks identical to last year’s model. And while we didn’t get a chance to test out the laptop’s keyboard during our visit, it looks like the one we said was “mushy” when we reviewed the Dell G15 (5520) and noted its strong performance for the price.
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The G15 line is part of the company's mid-range gaming lineup, with the more premium portables landing in the Alienware range. But the new G15 will still sport a 120 Hz, 1080p screen rated to 250 nits, or a speedier 165 Hz panel rated to 350 nits with 100% sRGB. For even more color customization, there's a four-zone RGB keyboard backlight, and up to 2TB of PCIe storage. The lower-tiered options will ship with a 56Wh battery, but an 86Wh option will also be offered.
If you're after something with a 16:10 display, the company will also be offering up a 16-inch G16 with a 2560 x 1600 165 Hz display (or an optional 240 Hz panel), also with up to a 13th Gen Core i9 and Nvidia 40-series graphics. Color options there are far more monochrome, though. You can either go with "Metallic Nightshade" or "Quantum White" with black on the rear bump (which Dell calls the thermal shelf).
Battery and storage options seem to be the same with the G16 as the G15 models. Dell says the G16 will offer up to 32GB of DDR5 (4800 MHz), and start at 6.01 pounds, while the more colorful G15 will start at 5.84 pounds and offer the same RAM capacity and speed options. Pricing and availability had yet to be announced when we wrote this.
We hope the bold color options catch on, as we have seen elsewhere in the mechanical keyboard and keycap space. Because everyone is tired of black or silver tech. It would be great to see gaming laptop configurator pages where you could choose color options for multiple chassis pieces right alongside options for CPU, GPU, RAM and storage. It would also be nice to see this going up the company's product stack, too. I want to see a purple Alienware x14 at CES 2024.
