Gaming laptops are an interesting market, and there are a ton of great options to choose from. The Alienware 16X Aurora is just one of them, and it’s the smaller cousin to the Alienware 18 Area-51 I reviewed this year. I really liked the 18. I mean, it’s packed full of power and performance, and there’s a lot to like. But it’s not exactly portable and movable as a daily driver. At least in my opinion. That’s where the Alienware 16X Aurora steps in and is an excellent alternative to the 18 for those who want gaming power but mobility too.
Estimated reading time: 17 minutes
I should add, while the Alienware 16X Aurora is movable, it’s not exactly a slim and lightweight laptop either. But if you want a dedicated gaming laptop that doesn’t need a flight case to move. Then the Alienware 16X Aurora is the Alien I would recommend. Of course, you know that you’re still going to cart around a fairly hefty piece of hardware. Let’s get into the full review.
Listen, there are trade-offs with many things, and there is a trade-off between the Alienware 16X Aurora and the much more powerful 18 Area-51. Mainly, performance. The 16X Aurora isn’t nearly as powerful as the larger machine, but what you lose in power, you gain in mobility and battery. I feel like the Alienware 16X Aurora has enough power for most average gamers and provides better all-around utility than the larger laptop.
The display is great, the keyboard is excellent, and it’s just an overall well-rounded gaming option. I think, if you’re looking at Alienware specifically. This laptop is a pretty solid choice if you’re prepared to give up the performance of the larger 18 Area-51.
The larger Alienware 18 has much more going for it in terms of pure gaming chops, but that all comes with concessions some users may not like. The Alienware 16X Aurora is far easier to move around and can fit into some backpacks. It’s still not the thinnest and lightest laptop out there, but if you’re looking at Alienware specifically, this is fairly portable. The power supply is fairly large as well, so keep that in mind.
The matte display on my unit was fantastic, especially because it does really well with glare. The design is distinctly Alienware; you either love it or don’t. I think it looks cool, though I am more of a minimal design lover. Gaming performance is more than respectable, and this configuration handled all the games I played without issue. Sure, the fans fired up when under load, but that’s normal with all gaming laptops.
The Alienware software is useful, and I don’t mind it at all. Pricing is fair and about the same as comparable competitors. So what you end up having to decide is, do you want Alienware? If you’re an Alienware fan and you want a mobile gaming laptop, the Alienware 16X Aurora is an excellent choice. It’s still a bit heavier than I prefer, but holy cow, much more portable than the Alienware 18.
In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Any other purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers. Techaeris often covers brand press releases. Doing this does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Techaeris. We provide the press release information for our audience to be informed and make their own decision on a purchase or not. Only our reviews are an endorsement or lack thereof. For more information, you can read our full disclaimer.
The Alienware 16X Aurora design isn’t as boisterous as the 18, but I am okay with that. This design is much more subtle and doesn’t totally scream gaming laptop. Yes, there is an RGB keyboard, but the RGB is less in your face than with the 18, perfect for users who don’t want to be that loud.
The look of the Alienware 16X is much more subtle, and even the Interstellar Indigo color isn’t overdone. The Alienware logo on the lid and the RGB keyboard are probably the only things that would alert someone to this being a gaming laptop. The logo isn’t RGB; it’s just simple and understated.
This is not a slim laptop, but it’s also not like the 18” version. It’s still able to fit into some backpacks, with some encouragement, and you can move around with it. But at almost 6 lbs, not including the power supply, it’s still a lot of weight to lug around. It can be done much easier than the Alienware 18, for sure.
The bottom of the Alienware 16X Aurora looks similar to the 18, but the cooling bump isn’t clear. There’s lots of venting all over this thing, from the bottom and sides to the top and rear. The port selection is fairly decent and includes:
The matte display is nice to look at, and glare isn’t an issue. The IR and webcams are at the top with privacy shutter. The deck is comfortable, as is the keyboard. The trackpad is fine; nothing super awesome there. There is a numpad on the keyboard for those who like that.
Overall, the design and look of the Alienware 16x Aurora is far more subtle than the 18. It’s still heavy, but for a gaming laptop of this stature, it is portable enough. I wouldn’t take this on long trips myself, but you can probably manage it.
The display on the Alienware 16X Aurora is actually very nice. There is plenty of space for gameplay, and it is immersive, not as huge as the 18 but good enough. This isn’t an OLED display, which I would have preferred. But I do appreciate the matte finish, which helps reduce glare.
This display on the Alienware 16X Aurora seems slightly less bright than the Alienware 18, but it is fairly bright and probably bright enough for most users. The colors are vibrant, though not as vibrant as an OLED, and the matte display does play a part in sort of muting the colors. Glossy displays appear to make things pop more, but then you get more glare. Everything has a tradeoff.
The display tech is as follows: 16”, WQXGA, 240 Hz, 100% DCI-P3, ComfortView Plus, G-SYNC
There’s really not much more to say about this display. It is excellent, but my personal feeling (as with the Alienware 18) is that I would prefer an OLED display. But I’m also not a serious hardcore gamer. I probably like a lot of features gamers would say no to. The bottom line is, even with my aversion to OLED, this display is still excellent and more than suitable for gaming.
Windows 11 Home and Pro are available on the Alienware 16X Aurora. There’s not much to say about Windows 11; it works well, and Microsoft is doing a decent job of keeping it relevant. I have been impressed at how Windows 11 has been kept updated with the latest security patches and updates. This configuration had Home installed.
That CoPilot key is still here as well. This is to invoke Microsoft Copilot, which is the Windows AI assistant. It works; it does what it’s designed to do. But I am still not impressed with AI or LLMs, and I think there are likely a lot of privacy issues with LLMs and AI software. I would also recommend OPTING OUT of Windows Recall at setup.
Like the 18, the Alienware 16X Aurora includes software that is Alienware-focused called Alienware Command Center. Some of those features include.
The Alienware Command Center is a way to centralize the more important features and settings into one place so that gamers can get to them quickly. It works well, and I think most gamers are going to appreciate it. Overall, the software experience is about the same as the other Alienware laptops out there; it’s good minus CoPilot. I just still dislike AI being shoved into everything.
Gaming laptops, in general, are all designed to have an aesthetic look that screams, “PERFORMANCE!” The Alienware 18 has that in spades, while the Alienware 16X Aurora pulls back on that just a little. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t perform; it does!
Like the Alienware 18, this particular configuration is rocking the new Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor that is an absolute ripper. Here’s a little background information on this new Intel engine:
The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a mobile processor with 24 cores, launched in January 2025. It is part of the Ultra 9 lineup, using the Arrow Lake-HX architecture with BGA 2114. The Core Ultra 9 275HX has 36 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2.7 GHz by default but can boost up to 5.4 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is making the Core Ultra 9 275HX on a 3 nm production node using 17,800 million transistors. Read more at the link below.
Paired up with the new Intel chip is the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, 8 GB GDDR7 GPU, which is one of the most powerful gaming GPUs out there on the market. Here’s a bit more on that:
Get game-changing performance with the GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti and RTX 5070, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell. Game at high frame rates with DLSS 4, supercharge your creativity with NVIDIA Studio, and enable new experiences with the power of AI.
Finally, the Intel 275HX and NVIDIA 5070 are supported with a respectable 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD. This configuration of the Alienware 16X Aurora had no issues getting through my gaming sessions, though this may not be saying much to some of you, as I probably don’t play the same games you do. Here’s the list of games my son and I usually play on the regular, usually on Steam.
The Alienware 16X Aurora had no issues with giving me smooth graphics and fast response times. The fans did kick on, and yes, you can hear them. But that’s only going to be an issue with others in the room who aren’t wearing a pair of headphones. If you’re wearing headphones, you don’t hear the fans at all. Or heck, you may not care about the fan noise.
The keyboard on the Alienware 16X Aurora is decent, NOT as good as the Alienware 18 keyboard, but decent. I probably should have used this laptop before the 18 because the keyboard on the 18 is just so much better. The trackpad is good, not great, but good enough. Most gamers will be slapping a gaming mouse on this, so it’s not a huge deal.
Overall, the Alienware 16X Aurora, in this configuration, is a great middle-of-the-road option that should get most casual gamers through gaming and work. I think it’s enough performance to give people an excellent experience, and if you need more power and game more intensely, then the far more expensive Alienware 18 might be your better bet. But mostly, I think the larger swath of basic users will be served well here.
The Alienware 16X Aurora sound setup is as follows: stereo speakers, Realtek AL3204 Audio Controller, 2 W x 2 = 4 W total.
These speakers do well enough, but I would say they’re certainly not for very immersive experiences. The soundstage is thin, and the bottom end lacks. Detail isn’t all that good, and things just fall flat and square. I would pick up a set of Alienware Pro headphones to improve your sound experience.
Overall, these speakers will get you through, and they sound okay for what they are. But don’t expect a massive home theater soundstage here. You can’t really slam the speaker experience that much; these are laptops, after all.
The Alienware 16X Aurora comes with one FHD IR camera for Windows Hello, and that works perfectly well. It also has a 1080p at 30 fps webcam that’s pretty good and looks really decent enough. If you’re needing to look your best for those you’re chatting with online or in meetings, this camera should do the trick. Overall, I’d say this camera is above average but not the best of the best.
Gaming laptops, in general, have fairly poor battery life. Things have improved over the years, but if you’re even considering the Alienware 16X Aurora, you’ll know that you’re not going to get a full day of battery when you use it for what it is intended for. This laptop sports a large 96 watt-hour (Wh) battery.
Even normal day-to-day tasks will drain the battery. Just basic tasks, like web browsing, writing, and email, only got me just about 4.5 hours. Heavy gaming really takes its toll on the battery, so don’t expect to be gaming all day without being plugged in. I was able to get up to 2 hours with some games, but less with heavier games.
While this is a laptop, it can be moved around. It’s not really made for normal productivity users who are constantly on the move and need battery life to be key. I think heavy gamers expect this, and it’s normal. It should also be said that battery life is subjective, and it depends on your workload and flow.
You very well may get more than I managed. Your battery settings also make a difference. I leave everything on Balanced Mode, but you could get more with even more conservative settings. Overall, the battery is what I would expect from a gaming laptop. You just can’t complain that much about it, because it is what it is.
This configuration of the Alienware 16X Aurora clocks in at USD 1,649. That’s pretty comparable to the competition and certainly less than the 18. You can configure this laptop with lower specs and save some cash; it’s up to you. But I think this configuration hits the middle ground very well and has plenty of value.
The larger Alienware 18 has much more going for it in terms of pure gaming chops, but that all comes with concessions some users may not like. The Alienware 16X Aurora is far easier to move around and can fit into some backpacks. It’s still not the thinnest and lightest laptop out there, but if you’re looking at Alienware specifically, this is fairly portable. The power supply is fairly large as well, so keep that in mind.
The matte display on my unit was fantastic, especially because it does really well with glare. The design is distinctly Alienware; you either love it or don’t. I think it looks cool, though I am more of a minimal design lover. Gaming performance is more than respectable, and this configuration handled all the games I played without issue. Sure, the fans fired up when under load, but that’s normal with all gaming laptops.
The Alienware software is useful, and I don’t mind it at all. Pricing is fair and about the same as comparable competitors. So what you end up having to decide is, do you want Alienware? If you’re an Alienware fan and you want a mobile gaming laptop, the Alienware 16X Aurora is an excellent choice. It’s still a bit heavier than I prefer, but holy cow, much more portable than the Alienware 18.
Listen, there are trade-offs with many things, and there is a trade-off between the Alienware 16X Aurora and the much more powerful 18 Area-51. Mainly, performance. The 16X Aurora isn’t nearly as powerful as the larger machine, but what you lose in power, you gain in mobility and battery. I feel like the Alienware 16X Aurora has enough power for most average gamers and provides better all-around utility than the larger laptop.
The display is great, the keyboard is excellent, and it’s just an overall well-rounded gaming option. I think, if you’re looking at Alienware specifically. This laptop is a pretty solid choice if you’re prepared to give up the performance of the larger 18 Area-51.
