Verdict — Bigger Features For A Bigger Price
One of our main complaints about the 2025 Alienware 16X Aurora was its lack of OLED, HDR support, and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti options. Now, one year later, the 2026 16X Aurora can be configured with all of these missing features plus the brand new Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus as a higher tier CPU option over the existing Core Ultra 9 275HX.
Firstly, the new CPU brings very little to the table especially for gamers and so it is arguably the worst reason for choosing the 2026 16X Aurora over the 2025 model. Instead, the new RTX 5070 Ti option is the main selling point as it runs reasonably faster than last year's RTX 5070.
Meanwhile, the matte OLED panel is unique in the space as most others are glossy. Image quality is better than the already great base IPS option, but the matte overlay introduces a bit of graininess to reduce glare. Brightness is also only average for OLED; the competing Lenovo Legion Pro 5 ships with a glossy and brighter OLED panel in comparison.
The user experience is otherwise the same as last year. Weight remains heavier than most competitors, but the decent expandability and very rigid design partially offset the disadvantage. Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the updated model is that the new RTX 5070 Ti option is tied to the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus even though the CPU adds almost nothing to the gaming experience over the existing Core Ultra 9 275HX. With laptop prices as high as they are these days, more freedom in configurations would have made the Alienware an easier purchase for many.
Pros
Cons
Price and Availability
Dell is now shipping the Alienware 16X Aurora as configured in this review for $3000.
The Alienware 16X Aurora is back this year with new CPU, GPU, and display options to complement the existing options on the 2025 model. The chassis is otherwise visually identical to the 2025 model and so more details can be found on our existing review here.
Our test unit is the highest configuration with the Arrow Lake Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, and 1600p OLED display for approximately $3000. Previously, the 16X Aurora was limited to the Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5070, and 1600p IPS display instead.
Competitors in this space include other upper midrange 16-inch gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16, Acer Predator Helios Neo, or MSI Vector 16 HX.
More Alienware reviews:
Specifications
Case
Connectivity
Communication
Webcam
Maintenance
Input Devices
Display
New this year to the Aurora 16X series is the matte OLED panel which offers the same 240 Hz native refresh rate, 2560 x 1600 resolution, and G-Sync support as the existing IPS option but with all the benefits of OLED including faster response times, deeper black levels, and proper HDR support.
A notable drawback to the OLED panel is that it's dimmer than the IPS panel by about 100 nits on SDR mode as shown by our comparison table below. Maximum brightness would reach 390 nits on SDR mode or up to 621 nits on HDR mode which matches the manufacturer's advertisement of 620 nits.
Unfortunately, the matte OLED panel still exhibits a similar level of graininess that we noted on last year's IPS panel. While not particularly distracting, it's certainly not as sharp or clean as the glossy OLED panel on the new XPS 16.
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Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 380.5 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 3.27 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.74}
calibrated: 1.1
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 1 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.98}
93.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
99.6% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.23
CCT: 6410 K
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Samsung 160HU05, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 LG Philips 160WQG, IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Samsung ATNA60DL03-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 ATNA60HS01-0 (Samsung SDC420A), OLED, 2650x1600, 16", 165 Hz | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG B160QAN02.3 (AUO7DB2), IPS, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW Samsung ATNA60DL01-0, OLED, 2560x1600, 16", 240 Hz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -2% | 1% | 0% | -4% | -1% | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 99.6 | 96.9 -3% | 99.9 0% | 99.3 0% | 96.6 -3% | 96.5 -3% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 100 | 99.8 0% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 99.8 0% | 99.2 -1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 93.9 | 89.7 -4% | 96.5 3% | 93.9 0% | 84.4 -10% | 94.5 1% |
| Response Times | -1608% | 1% | -253% | -1308% | -404% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 0.29 ? | 4.3 ? -1383% | 0.2 ? 31% | 2 ? -590% | 4.3 ? -1383% | 0.32 ? -10% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 0.45 ? | 8.7 ? -1833% | 0.25 ? 44% | 1.4 ? -211% | 6 ? -1233% | 6 ? -1233% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 1439.8 ? | 960 | 1300 | 960 | ||
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 29 | 50 -72% | 16.7 42% | 20 31% | ||
| Screen | -29% | 5% | -32% | -33% | -14% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 380.5 | 493.2 30% | 390 2% | 521 37% | 473 24% | 394 4% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 384 | 477 24% | 394 3% | 519 35% | 426 11% | 398 4% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 98 | 93 -5% | 98 0% | 98 0% | 85 -13% | 98 0% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.5 | 0.04 | 0.075 | 0.42 | 0.0084 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.27 | 3.57 -9% | 1.61 51% | 2.5 24% | 3.47 -6% | 2.41 26% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.31 | 7.03 -11% | 3.49 45% | 4.85 23% | 7.24 -15% | 3.82 39% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.1 | 0.68 38% | 1.59 -45% | 2.5 -127% | 1.36 -24% | 1.41 -28% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1 | 3.7 -270% | 1.2 -20% | 3.17 -217% | 3.1 -210% | 2.4 -140% |
| Gamma | 2.23 99% | 2.16 102% | 2.235 98% | 2.35 94% | 2.486 88% | 2.16 102% |
| CCT | 6410 101% | 5876 111% | 6580 99% | 6454 101% | 6832 95% | 6544 99% |
| Contrast (:1) | 986 | 9750 | 6947 | 1126 | 46905 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -546% /
-286% | 2% /
3% | -95% /
-76% | -448% /
-239% | -140% /
-101% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 0.45 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.23 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.22 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 1 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (19.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 0.29 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.15 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.14 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 0 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (31.2 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 1439.8 Hz Amplitude: 29 % | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 1439.8 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 100 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 1439.8 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7864 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set Alienware Command Center to Performance mode prior to running the benchmarks below. An "Overdrive mode" is also available which increases fan RPM to maximum, but any performance benefits over Performance mode are only minor.
Processor
The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is only up to 5 percentage points faster than the Core Ultra 9 275HX in last year's model. Running on Overdrive mode would not improve results any more significantly.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.6: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 6.6: Multi-Core | Single-Core
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx | CPU CheckMate
| Performance rating | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus -1! | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus -1! | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 -1! | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 -1! | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 -1! | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG -1! | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW -1! | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (34761 - 39607, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (174665 - 204103, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (8352 - 9516, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (13612 - 13687, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (91215 - 106285, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (127585 - 130696, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (1967 - 2162, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (18611 - 21472, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW (v6.92.6600) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 (v6.92.6600) | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (51199 - 55731, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 (v6.92.6600) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG (v6.92.6600) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU CheckMate | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (7624 - 8106, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (v8.20.8100) | |
System Performance
PCMark 10: Score | Essentials | Productivity | Digital Content Creation
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
Geekbench AI: Quantized GPU 1.7 | Half Precision GPU 1.7 | Single Precision GPU 1.7
| Performance rating | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 -4! | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 -3! | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG -3! | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW -3! | |
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Geekbench AI / Quantized GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Geekbench AI / Half Precision GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Geekbench AI / Single Precision GPU 1.7 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop (n=1) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 10891 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (76912 - 85698, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (84638 - 93496, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (76094 - 81688, n=2) | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Average Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (105.5 - 108.4, n=2) | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Whereas last year's model would ship with a Micron 2650, our 2026 model would ship with the Kioxia BG7 instead. This M.2 2242 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD offers stable ~7000 MB/s transfer rates with no throttling issues to be an improvement over the Micron.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The mobile GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is about 20 percent faster than the mobile RTX 5070 in last year's 16X Aurora. Most notably, the mobile RTX 5070 Ti offers more VRAM than the mobile RTX 5070 or lower.
Note that running on Performance mode instead of Overdrive mode would barely impact performance as shown by our Time Spy results below. It's not until you drop further down to Balanced mode will a hit to gaming performance becomes noticeable.
| Power Profile | Graphics Score | Physics Score | Combined Score |
| Overdrive Mode | 16841 | 17322 | 16911 |
| Performance Mode | 16458 (-2%) | 17318 (-0%) | 16581 (-2%) |
| Balanced Mode | 15234 (-10%) | 17079 (-1%) | 15484 (-8%) |
| Battery power | 11934 (-29%) | 14833 (-14%) | 12294 (-27%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 41838 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 72346 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 36421 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 16581 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 3741 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
Performance when gaming is roughly 15 percent faster on average than the 2025 16X Aurora with the GeForce RTX 5070.
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2025 5070 Ti | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2025 5070 Ti | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 | |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 | |
Cyberpunk 2077 ultra FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD DLSS | QHD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTA V (2015) | 187.6 | 187.2 | 184.9 | 159.2 | 134.4 | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 236 | 207 | 199.9 | 184.7 | ||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 233 | 209 | 161.1 | 120.3 | ||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 154.1 | 137.3 | 110.4 | |||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 572 | 337 | 281 | 314 | 210 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 181.6 | 162.4 | 159.3 | 157.7 | 109.5 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (2023) | 171.3 | 146.5 | 126.1 | 114.9 | 86.9 | 75.1 |
| F1 24 (2024) | 324 | 318 | 268 | 97.7 | 99 | 62.8 |
| Black Myth: Wukong (2024) | 126 | 94 | 73 | 42 | 47 | 31 |
| Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) | 89 | 83 | 71 | 52 | 54 | 44 |
Emissions
System Noise
Fan RPM changes are quick and sudden when higher loads are introduced even when set to Optimus and the Balanced power profile. Fan noise ceiling readings are otherwise almost identical to the 2025 model and so the 2026 model is not any louder or quieter when gaming.
Fan noise when running Cyberpunk 2077 on Balanced, Performance, and Overdrive modes would stabilize at around 48.7 dB(A), 51.5 dB(A), and 59.8 dB(A), respectively. Since the performance gains when gaming on Overdrive mode are so minor, we recommend gaming on Performance mode instead for the significantly quieter fans.
Noise level
| Idle |
| 23.8 / 23.8 / 31.4 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 48.7 / 59.8 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.4 dB(A) | ||
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW Ultra 9 285H, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 9% | -6% | 8% | -11% | -9% | |
| off / environment * (dB) | 23.4 | 23.7 -1% | 24 -3% | 23 2% | 25 -7% | 25.56 -9% |
| Idle Minimum * (dB) | 23.8 | 23.9 -0% | 24 -1% | 23 3% | 33 -39% | 30 -26% |
| Idle Average * (dB) | 23.8 | 23.9 -0% | 30 -26% | 23 3% | 34 -43% | 30 -26% |
| Idle Maximum * (dB) | 31.4 | 26.1 17% | 35 -11% | 23 27% | 38 -21% | 30 4% |
| Load Average * (dB) | 48.7 | 26.8 45% | 53 -9% | 43.85 10% | 46 6% | 53.55 -10% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (dB) | 51.5 | 51.8 -1% | 52 -1% | 50.27 2% | 47 9% | 53.5 -4% |
| Load Maximum * (dB) | 59.8 | 58 3% | 54 10% | 52.9 12% | 49 18% | 54.02 10% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are slightly cooler on average by a few degrees C than what we recorded on last year's configuration. The results correlate with our analyses in the Stress Test section below.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.2 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 33.9 °C / 93 F.
(-) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 39.4 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F for the class Gaming.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31 °C / 87.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-2.2 °C / -4 F).
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW Ultra 9 285H, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -7% | -11% | -10% | -16% | -25% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * (°C) | 48.2 | 51 -6% | 47 2% | 42 13% | 53 -10% | 49.2 -2% |
| Maximum Bottom * (°C) | 41 | 45.6 -11% | 55 -34% | 44 -7% | 52 -27% | 50.2 -22% |
| Idle Upper Side * (°C) | 28.2 | 29.8 -6% | 28 1% | 33 -17% | 33 -17% | 37.2 -32% |
| Idle Bottom * (°C) | 26.2 | 27.4 -5% | 29 -11% | 34 -30% | 29 -11% | 37.4 -43% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
Core temperature when running Prime95 on last year's 16X Aurora would reach almost 100 C. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus in the 2026 16X Aurora targets even higher clock rates which, unsurprisingly, would also reach almost 100 C when running Prime95. The CPU likely could have performed better if the laptop cooling solution was more effective. For example, the CPU would would boost to 4.3 GHz and 163 W for only a second or two before steadily dropping to 3.4 GHz and 97 W to indicate limited Turbo Boost potential.
Core temperatures when gaming are otherwise cooler on this year's model when compared to the previous year due to their configuration differences. More specifically, the RTX 5070 Ti targets slower clock rates than the RTX 5070 for running temperatures that are consistently a few degrees C cooler. GPU power draw on Overdrive mode, Performance mode, and Balanced mode would stabilize at 114 W, 97 W, and 84 W, respectively.
| Average CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 48 | 39 |
| Prime95 Stress | 3.5 | -- | 97 | 62 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 1.7 | 1815 | 83 | 78 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Balanced mode) | 1.2 | 1972 | 77 | 74 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Performance mode) | 1.1 | 2167 | 77 | 77 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Stress (Overdrive mode) | 1.3 | 2355 | 73 | 74 |
Speakers
Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.8% lower than median
(-) | bass is not linear (16% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 60% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 41% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 51% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 17%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Consumption when idling can be in the single digits which is much lower than what we recorded on the 2025 model. Otherwise, results are nearly identical between the two models when higher loads are introduced including even the spike and gradual rate of decrease when on Prime95 and/or FurMark.
Consumption when running Cyberpunk 2077 would average 172 W and 199 W on Performance mode and Overdrive mode, respectively, which would be a few watts more than what we recorded on last year's model. However, the small 4 percent increase in consumption is arguably well worth the 20 percent increase in frame rates.
| Off / Standby | 0.45 / 1 Watt |
| Idle | 6.9 / 8.1 / 31 Watt |
| Load |
131.6 / 300.1 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, , OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, , IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, Micron 3500 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TGD, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, SK Hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N, OLED, 2650x1600, 16" | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA512QFM, IPS, 2560x1600, 16" | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW Ultra 9 285H, GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop, Micron 2500 2TB MTFDKBA2T0QGN-1BN1AABGA, OLED, 2560x1600, 16" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -62% | 17% | -11% | -20% | -3% | |
| Idle Minimum * (Watt) | 6.9 | 20.1 -191% | 3.9 43% | 10.6 -54% | 7.1 -3% | 12.6 -83% |
| Idle Average * (Watt) | 8.1 | 27.6 -241% | 11 -36% | 12.3 -52% | 15.9 -96% | 13.4 -65% |
| Idle Maximum * (Watt) | 31 | 31.8 -3% | 16.9 45% | 18.6 40% | 29.5 5% | 15.1 51% |
| Load Average * (Watt) | 131.6 | 102.7 22% | 123 7% | 104 21% | 124 6% | 116.3 12% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * (Watt) | 198.3 | 217 -9% | 152.7 23% | 231 -16% | 222 -12% | 156.4 21% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * (Watt) | 172.1 | 192.3 -12% | 144.9 16% | 227 -32% | 217 -26% | 157.9 8% |
| Load Maximum * (Watt) | 300.1 | 292 3% | 229 24% | 248 17% | 336 -12% | 199 34% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
The lower idling consumption mentioned above has led to longer battery life over last year's model despite the move from IPS to OLED. However, be sure to set the GPU to "Automatic", the display to 60 Hz, and the power profile to "Balanced" or lower to reach WLAN runtimes of over 7 hours.
| Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Ultra 9 290HX Plus, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 96 Wh | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 96 Wh | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Ultra 9 275HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 76 Wh | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 80 Wh | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG Ultra 7 255HX, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 90 Wh | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GA605WV Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 90 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery runtime | -42% | -32% | -16% | -5% | 8% | |
| WiFi v1.3 (h) | 7.4 | 4.3 -42% | 5 -32% | 6.2 -16% | 7 -5% | 8 8% |
| H.264 (h) | 6.1 | 13.7 | ||||
| Load (h) | 1.8 | 1.7 |
Notebookcheck Rating
The 2026 Alienware 16X Aurora offers more advanced configurations than the previous year, but certain options are unfortunately tied or bundled to others for inflated prices.
Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- 05/14/2026 v8
Allen Ngo
Total Sustainability Score: Potential Competitors in Comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Height | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 85.9%  | Alienware 16X Aurora Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory | Amazon: List Price: 3000 USD | 2.6 kg | 23.4 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
2. 84.9%  | Alienware 16X Aurora, RTX 5070 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory | List Price: 1800 USD | 2.5 kg | 23.4 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
3. 82%  | Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI PHN16S-71-94L9 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 2400 EUR | 2.2 kg | 19.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
4. 86.2%  | Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10, RTX 5070 Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | List Price: 1800 Euro | 2.3 kg | 25.95 mm | 16.00" 2650x1600 189 PPI OLED |
5. 84%  | MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XWHG Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | List Price: 2000 EUR | 2.6 kg | 28.6 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI IPS |
6.  | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 GU605CW Intel Core Ultra 9 285H ⎘ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop ⎘ 32 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD | Amazon: List Price: 3800€ | 2 kg | 14.9 mm | 16.00" 2560x1600 189 PPI OLED |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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