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I've just finished testing the Alienware 16 Area-51, a turbo charged gaming laptop with top-of-the-range components, excellent performance, and a slick new fan design. It's the keyboard that truly has me giddy, though.
I've trialed mechanical keyboards in the best gaming laptops before, but I've recently been burned by the experience of using SteelSeries' keys in the MSI Titan 18 HX. Late at night I can still hear the echoes and pings of those Cherry switches, rattling around in a $5,000+ rig. This isn't the first Alienware laptop to use a mechanical deck, but it's certainly come closest to perfecting the feel overall.
There's a little ping here, but it's far from the levels of volume you'll find in alternative decks. Instead, that noise feels more contained and is easily tolerable when you actually feel the response of these switches for yourself.
On first boot, I actually didn't like them. As is with anything new, I was wary of the change from softer dome decks. After only a short while, though, I was sold. There's a snap and clack to these switches that feels far more satisfying than any other gaming laptop keyboard I've used so far.
With a higher actuation force than typical decks, and a tactile bump to each press I felt faster when typing and more accurate when gaming. Accidental keypresses are almost impossible thanks to that tighter switch, and the speed of that bounce makes for comfortable repeat presses as well.
The Alienware 16 Area-51 also impressed in my testing overall. The rig offers a wide range of configuration options, making it a more well-rounded offering than last year's Alienware M16 R2 and Alienware x16 R2. While its lack of OLED or MiniLED display puts it at a disadvantage against similarly priced options from HP, Asus, and Razer, the Thunderbolt 5 compatibility and rear-oriented ports keep it monitor-friendly.
The numbers speak for themselves as well. The Area-51 battled it out against the HP Omen Max 16's incredible benchmark results, joining it and the Razer Blade 16 at the top end of 16-inch rigs I've tested so far.
- Today's best gaming laptop deals at Dell
- Alienware 16 Area-51 RTX 5080 |
$3,349.99$2,849.99 at Dell - Alienware 16 Area-51 RTX 5070 Ti |
$2,999.99$2,549.99 at Dell
After something a little different? Check out the best Razer laptops on the market and the best Asus gaming laptops I've tested so far. Or, take a look at the best gaming PCs for a more permanent setup.
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