Upcoming Dell Alienware x15 laptop is so thin, it doesn't even have any side ports

Almost every major manufacturer has their own version of an ultrathin gaming laptop. The MSI GS series, Asus Zephyrus S series, Acer Predator Triton, Gigabyte Aorus X7, and Razer Blade series are just a few well-known examples. After sitting on the sidelines for years, Dell will finally launch its own ultrathin Alienware gaming laptop before the end of this month and eventually retire the four-year old Alienware m15 series in the process.

Called the Alienware x15, the model will be one of the thinnest 15.6-inch gaming laptops with GeForce RTX 3080 graphics at just 15.9 mm to 16.3 mm thick depending on the display configuration. In comparison, the thinnest Razer Blade 15 model comes in at "only" 17.8 mm. Dell had to develop its own Gallium-Silicone liquid metal solution (RTX 3070 and 3080 SKUs only), four sets of patent-pending internal fans, and a new 8-phase graphics voltage regulator just to reach the target thickness of 16.3 mm or less.

As for the externals, the Alienware x15 will use both magnesium alloy and CNC aluminum alongside a traditional chiclet keyboard with 1.5 mm key travel. All SKUs will have the customizable RGB "ring" bar along the rear made up of 90 micro-LEDs. if configured with the GeForce RTX 3080, the clickpad will feature its own backlit RGB LED as well.

Thin chassis designs will always entail compromises. In this case, the GPU in the Alienware x15 will run at a lower TGP than last year's Alienware m15 R4 (110 W vs. 140 W). There will be no mechanical keyboard options and no ports along the left or right edges save for the single AC adapter port. Instead, nearly all of the ports have been moved to the rear edge. Tobii eye-tracking, RJ-45, and the rarely used Alienware Graphics Amplifier port have all been dropped. 

The Alienware x15 launches on June 15 for a starting price of $1999 USD. Its announcements comes at the same time as the larger 17.3-inch Alienware x17.