Alienware, Dell's premium gaming brand, has signalled a major strategic expansion at the ongoing CES 2026. After a year of consolidation in 2025, the company is now teasing two new directions: a high-end, ultraslim 'Covert' laptop series and a more affordable entry-level gaming line. This dual approach aims to capture both the style-conscious professional gamer and the budget-conscious buyer seeking the Alienware badge.
The 'Covert' Mission: Power in a Professional Silhouette
The headline-grabbing announcement is the new 'Covert' line of ultraslim gaming laptops. Alienware is targeting a chassis thickness of approximately 17mm, a dimension that places it in direct competition with sleek offerings from rivals like Razer and Asus. This move is not about creating a standard thin-and-light office machine; it's a deliberate attempt to prove that serious gaming performance can be housed in a frame discreet enough for a business meeting or creative workspace.
Alienware's pitch for the Covert series emphasizes this dual-purpose design. The company states the laptop is engineered for gamers first but is also built to handle creative workloads and everyday productivity tasks. This represents a subtle but significant design philosophy shift, acknowledging that many users rely on a single device for all purposes. A loud, aggressively 'gamer' aesthetic can be impractical outside a personal setup, making a cleaner, more subdued design a practical choice.
The Covert line is expected to launch in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. The 14-inch model is positioned for ultimate portability, while the 16-inch variant caters to users wanting a larger display without the heft of an 18-inch machine. In a related development, Alienware has also hinted at introducing OLED display technology to its 16-inch Area 51 models, a potential game-changer if the company can master brightness control and panel longevity.
Democratising the Brand: A New Entry-Level Frontier
Perhaps the more market-shifting tease is Alienware's confirmation of a new, cheaper entry-level gaming laptop series. This move strategically fills the gap created by the phasing out of Dell's own G-series gaming laptops. Alienware is not positioning this line to match the premium materials or top-tier components of its flagship Area 51 family. Instead, the promise focuses on the core experiential aspects that matter during intense gaming sessions: solid build quality, effective thermal management, and sustained performance under load.
While specific details like full specifications, exact pricing, and the number of models remain under wraps, the intent is clear. Alienware aims to stretch its brand appeal in two distinct directions in 2026. For the style and power-conscious user, there's the ultraslim Covert. For the value-driven gamer who desires the brand cachet without the flagship price tag, this new entry-level series will be the answer.
The Execution Challenge: Thin and Cheap Are Hard
The success of these two initiatives hinges entirely on execution. The history of thin gaming laptops is fraught with challenges related to heat dissipation and fan noise—compromises Alienware's Covert line must expertly navigate to be considered a true success. Conversely, the entry-level model's reputation will be built on what Alienware chooses not to compromise. The brand must identify and preserve the critical elements that define the Alienware experience, even at a lower cost point.
These teasers at CES 2026 mark the beginning of Alienware's post-consolidation growth phase. More concrete information, including final specifications, confirmed pricing, and availability details, is expected to be revealed later in the year as the launch windows for these new laptop classes approach.
