The alternatives: Gaming laptops revealed at CES

New Intel and AMD silicon saw a host of powerful models make their debuts at the big Las Vegas expo this January. Which are worth waiting for? Let's inspect the top contenders...

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MSI Stealth 16 Al+

Dialling down the RGB in favour of more sophisticated styling is a gaming laptop trend I can get behind - and one MSI has fully embraced for 2026.

The Stealth 16 Al+ is now the highlight of a much-simplified lineup, with a wonderfully slim profile that's just 16.6mm thick and a curvier chassis that could make a MacBook feel insecure.

Cool to be kind

Inside there's still room for an Intel Core Ultra 300H processor and up to Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics, plus a beefed-up cooling system that promises to keep heat in check - so much so that MSI can supply 20W more power to the GPU than the last-gen Stealth. A beefy 90Wh battery should then keep it ticking for hours of desktop working.

An OLED screen might be the icing on the cake. It's stepped up to 2560x1600 without being too demanding on the graphics card, with a 240Hz refresh rate.