- Roadmap
In the August update of the XMG roadmap, we present you with an overview of our recently launched product highlights and give you a first look at the upcoming XMG APEX 17 MAX with AMD Dragon Range. In addition, several new products from our sister brand SCHENKER are already on the horizon, including the 2024 model versions of the SCHENKER KEY series. Finally, in the FAQ section of the XMG roadmap update, we address the most important questions from the community about new laptops, processors and technologies.
XMG roadmap: all information for 2024
XMG EVO series
Exploring new horizons: while XMG EVO series comes without a dedicated graphics card, it does not lack any of the features you are used to from XMG gaming laptops: high-resolution displays, rich I/O port distribution, Ethernet port, fully-fledged keyboard layouts and excellent cooling systems for power users without overheating or thermal throttling. XMG EVO 14 and XMG EVO 15 are available now! A detailed deep dive article can be found here.
XMG CORE & FUSION 15
Derived from the chassis of the new XMG NEO 16, only a little more compact, XMG CORE 15 and XMG FUSION 15 are our entry-points into the premium gaming segment. Both models are uncannily similar, as they share the same 15.3″ full metal chassis with an edge-to-edge keyboard. The main differences are the CPU platform and the I/O ports on the rear: XMG CORE 15 is based on the AMD Ryzen HS series and offers a Mini-DisplayPort for GPU connectivity, while the XMG FUSION 15 relies on Intel’s Core HX series with Thunderbolt support.
Both models have a particularly bright display with up to 500 nits, a MUX switch for the internal monitor connection and a powerful cooling system for running and maintaining high CPU and GPU power limits. The keyboard is actively cooled and is therefore comfortable to touch even during longer gaming sessions.
XMG PRO 16 Studio
As the name suggests, XMG PRO 16 Studio is a participant in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX Studio certification programme. NVIDIA stipulates that the screen must not exceed a colour value deviation of DeltaE
NVIDIA also stipulates that participants in the Studio programme must not exceed a z-height of 20 millimetres. To comply with this requirement without performance compromises, XMG PRO 16 Studio is equipped with a large-area vapour chamber in its 2.3 kg chassis, which ensures surprisingly quiet cooling due to its large passive cooling volume (high inertial mass), especially under balanced or medium-high load scenarios.
XMG APEX 17 MAX
A new XMG APEX 17 MAX will be launched shortly – with the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX on the CPU-side and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060/4070 Laptop GPUs. This is our first model with AMD’s high-end “Dragon Range” platform. It will have a 17.3″ 1440p display with MUX switch, two DDR5 RAM slots, two SSD slots and a 73 Wh battery. Further details will be presented when orders go live at the beginning of September – with stock immediately available for customized configurations.
XMG FOCUS & PRO series
Both XMG FOCUS and PRO series will continue unchanged from the 2023 generations, at least in terms of hardware, as the 13th generation of Intel Core HX CPUs still has a good price-performance ratio in the high-end segment. The firmware will of course continue to be updated. In June 2024, for example, we presented a BIOS update with support for Intel APO tuning.
Further updates, such as with new Intel Core microcode, are planned. XMG FOCUS series is still available in three chassis sizes: XMG FOCUS 15, XMG FOCUS 16 and XMG FOCUS 17. XMG PRO series is available as PRO 15 and PRO 17. These models are particularly popular with business customers in the identical variants of the SCHENKER MEDIA and SCHENKER KEY series.
XMG NEO series
XMG NEO 16 and XMG NEO 17 remain our top models with upgrade paths up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4080 and 4090 with 12 GB and 16 GB of video memory respectively, including support for the optional XMG OASIS laptop water cooling system. Particularly or note is XMG NEO 16, which was launched at the end of May and, like the XMG CORE and FUSION series, has a new chassis with active keyboard cooling.
Since the switch to the E24 generation, OASIS support for the “smaller” graphics cards (RTX 4060/4070) has been discontinued – but we still produce the E23 generation of the XMG NEO 17 with Intel Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4060/4070, where the “small” graphics cards can still be water-cooled. Hint: water cooling is not required in XMG NEO series to maintain high CPU and GPU performance levels – it is merely an optional upgrade.
All offshoots of the XMG NEO series come with extensive CPU and memory tuning options, including CPU undervolting and XMP support. Further BIOS updates with an Intel microcode update are planned.
SCHENKER roadmap: all information for 2024
SCHENKER KEY 14
The new SCHENKER KEY 14 offers astonishingly powerful hardware in this sub 1.8 kg weight class with a robust aluminium chassis, including the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070 with 100 watts of GPU power. With upgradeable RAM slots and SSD slot, SCHENKER KEY 14 supports up to 96 GB DDR5 memory and 8 TB of fast mass storage.
The 14″ 3K LTPS IPS display is colour-calibrated and NVIDIA GeForce RTX Studio-certified. In addition to the Gigabit Ethernet port, which is already unusual in such a small chassis, SCHENKER KEY 14 also offers an HDMI and a USB-C DisplayPort output, both with a direct connection to the NVIDIA dGPU. This makes the SCHENKER KEY 14 compatible with G-SYNC monitors and wired VR headsets.
The Thunderbolt 4 output connects to the Intel Arc-iGPU and already supports the “DP80” level of DisplayPort 2.1 and is therefore ready for 5K monitors with 120/144Hz or for 8K with 60Hz and 10-bit colour depth. When connecting a monitor to the iGPU, the NVIDIA GPU is still available on that screen for 3D rendering and CUDA calculations via NVIDIA Optimus.
SCHENKER KEY 16 Pro
SCHENKER KEY 16 Pro is hardware-wise identical to the XMG PRO 16 Studio: it is NVIDIA Studio-certified with a factory-calibrated display, large vapour chamber, high performance and particularly quiet cooling in balanced and medium-high loads. The price difference between KEY 16 Pro and PRO 16 Studio is due to the fact that SCHENKER already includes a 3-year warranty in the base configuration.
SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro
As the top-end model, SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro is our counterpart to XMG NEO series. Like NEO, it also offers configurations with RTX 4080/4090, but otherwise differs in many technical details. KEY 17 Pro has additional I/O ports, such as the traditional Mini-DisplayPort and Dual Thunderbolt, while the XMG NEO only has a single Thunderbolt port.
KEY 17 Pro also comes with a Gen5-capable SSD slot, up to 96 GB RAM and the option of a 4K/UHD display with 144 Hz, 400 nits brightness and 99 % DCI-P3 coverage. With the M24 generation, KEY 17 Pro is now also equipped with Thunderbolt 5 for the first time: The bandwidth has doubled compared to previous USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 versions. Thunderbolt 5 and Gen5 SSDs will remain to be only be available in KEY 17 Pro this year, not in any other series.
SCHENKER MEDIA series, SCHENKER KEY 15 and KEY 17
SCHENKER MEDIA series and the two KEY 15/17 models are identical to the XMG FOCUS and PRO series. They are powered by Intel Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4060/4070 and will continue to receive regular driver and firmware updates.
SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro
Our new VIA 14 Pro is a particularly compact ultrabook based on the highly efficient AMD Ryzen platform. It is the only product in our portfolio with LPDDR5X memory, which is known to be faster and more energy-efficient than traditional SO-DIMM memory. Since soldered memory cannot be upgraded at a later date, we already offer a whopping 32 GB in the base configuration.
The next-of-kin model would be XMG EVO 14, which is also available with AMD Ryzen. Compared to the EVO 14, VIA 14 Pro impresses with a slightly more elegant, black chassis design and a comparatively low starting price. EVO 14, on the other hand, comes with upgradeable DDR5 RAM, USB4 and an Ethernet port.
In terms of the cooling system, both models are pretty much equivalent with a dual fan and dual heatpipe solution: although EVO 14 has slightly more airflow, VIA 14 Pro has slightly lower energy consumption thanks to LPDDR5. Both systems remain very quiet even under medium load.
SCHENKER WORK series
The models of SCHENKER WORK (Base) series are continued 1:1 with Intel Core 12th Gen (Base) and 13th Gen (non-Base). Although these are our absolute entry-level models, they are still far above the entry-level models of some of our competitors in terms of performance and features. We have no “i3s”, “Celerons” or “Pentiums”, no soldered memory, no proprietary SSD formats and no 250-nit displays with only 45% NTSC.
Instead, there are metal housings (display lid and bottom shell), 180° hinges, multiple USB-A and USB-C ports, some with Thunderbolt support, and WORK 15 Base even supports LTE modems with a SIM card slot. All this with sensible keyboard layouts, service-friendly chassis design, three years of warranty and sufficient memory and performance even for demanding office work.
SCHENKER VISION series
SCHENKER VISION series was launched at the beginning of 2021 with the VISION 15 and ran for several years as a very successful premium ultrabook. It was launched with Intel Core 11th Gen (codenamed “Tiger Lake”), Intel’s first widely available CPU from the then new 10 nm manufacturing process. Since then, market conditions have changed. Intel’s CPU generations since Tiger Lake have become increasingly more power-hungry again.
A switch to AMD was impractical due to chip shortages, schedule delays and salami-like launch cycles. In addition, acceptance of AMD platforms in the B2B business, which is important for the VISION series, is still quite conservative, even today. The high-quality magnesium chassis of the SCHENKER VISION series were ultimately too expensive to make rather risky investments into a retooling with AMD, and they became ultimately too thin for the increasingly power-hungry CPUs of the 12th/13t and lately 14th Intel Core generation.
With “Meteor Lake” and soon “Lunar Lake”, Intel finally has worthy successors to “Tiger Lake” in the pipeline, but they came too late for the SCHENKER VISION series. We have now completely replaced this model with the new XMG EVO series. XMG EVO laptops offer more powerful cooling systems, more cost-efficient aluminium chassis, support for up to 96 GB of RAM, LAN/Ethernet ports and, in EVO 15, an all-round improved keyboard. All this at a lower entry-level price compared to the previous SCHENKER VISION series.
The XMG EVO models also deliberately omit any NVIDIA GPU upgrade options, as the iGPUs integrated in Intel Meteor Lake and AMD Hawk Point now offer very decent performance potential. The old dGPU upgrade option in the VISION 14 and VISION 16 Pro was always a bit of a compromise for those customers who configured their SCHENKER VISION with iGPU-only, as the space reserved for the dGPU on the motherboard could not be used for any other purpose.
For example, the VISION 16 only had an 80 Wh battery even without a dGPU, whereas the XMG EVO 15 now has space for a 99 Wh battery. Therefore, in our view, the new XMG EVO laptops are worthy successors to the SCHENKER VISION series. The time when XMG was known exclusively for moderately chunky gaming laptops is now officially over since the introduction of XMG EVO.
FAQ
Do you have any plans for Intel’s upcoming “Lunar Lake”?
Lunar Lake is a bit of one-off product segment in Intel and not a direct successor of Meteor Lake. There are no plans for Lunar Lake in any XMG product series, especially not in XMG EVO. We are in discussion with partners about potentially one single product with Lunar Lake in a SCHENKER product line, but it would not be a refresh of any currently existing product. This discussion with Lunar Lake is currently only in preliminary stages.
We anticipate that, even with memory already integrated, Lunar Lake might be substantially more expensive than Intel’s Meteor Lake, which is already substantially more expensive than our current AMD Ryzen 8040 series. The next evolutional step for Intel in premium ultrabooks such as XMG EVO series would be Intel’s Arrow Lake platform, planned for some time in 2025.
Do you have any plans for ARM-based laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X?
Not yet, although we do have working samples in house. Qualcomm’s platform is still fairly closed and does not support upgradeable memory nor any other operating systems besides Microsoft Windows, at least not officially. Our sister-company TUXEDO is making some progress to develop Linux on Qualcomm Snapdragon X, despite an initial lack of support from chip vendors. A recent update from TUXEDO can be read in this article. We are keeping an eye on this segment to see if and when we should enter the “Windows on ARM” market.
Do you have plans with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series (Zen 5)?
We will likely not see any refresh with next-gen AMD platforms before Q1 2025 in any of the current XMG and SCHENKER products. Please allow us to explain:
In order to make full advantage of the promised iGPU and NPU performance, in 2024, AMD supports the Ryzen AI 300 series CPU generation (“Strix Point“) exclusively on the FP8 platform, and only with LPDDR5X memory, which is typically soldered. However, XMG CORE and EVO are designed for upgradable DDR5 SO-DIMM memory with up to 96 GB of total capacity.
AMD Ryzen 8040 series (“Hawk Point“) in XMG CORE and EVO is based on AMD’s FP7r2 platform, because this is currently the only platform that allows SO-DIMM memory. Also, SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro, despite using LPDDR5X memory, is based on the FP7 platform (which allows both LPDDR5X and SO-DIMM DDR5), because the FP8 platform was not yet available during the inception of VIA 14 Pro.
AMD platforms such as FP7 and FP8 specify the SoC’s pin-out (BGA: ball-grid array), general mainboard layout and memory support. Strix Point requires the new FP8 platform, essentially requiring a re-layout of the laptop’s mainboard. You can list up which CPU is supported on which platform on this official AMD page (scroll right or hit Ctrl+F and search for FP7 or FP8).
In order to make the switch from Hawk Point to Strix Point, XMG CORE and EVO would require a completely new mainboard design and would have to sacrifice the upgradable memory feature. This is neither feasible nor desired, at least not for this year.
Based on current roadmap information, there is a chance that AMD will support Strix Point on a slightly modified FP8 platform with SO-DIMM in the future. At any rate, this is likely not going to happen before 2025, and it would still require a new mainboard layout when going from FP7r2 to FP8. Conclusion: Strix Point will have to wait until this new revision becomes available.
When it comes to upgradeable memory, CAMM, CAMM2 or LPCAMM2 is currently proposed as a potential replacement for SO-DIMM, as it would allow to make LPDDR5X modular and upgradeable. However, it seems to be still too early for widespread adoption of this new technology. As of June 2024, LPCAMM2 would increase prices per Gigabyte by 50% in comparison with soldered LPDDR5X. Also, the PMICs (Power Management Integrate Circuits) required to build CAMM currently have a purchasing lead time of 1-year, i.e.: they are not available for new projects, production has not ramped up yet.
We also have not yet seen any desktop mainboards with CAMM2 in the market, despite the demonstration of a number of prototypes at Computex 2024. As of June 2024, Lenovo has one single laptop with CAMM2 in the market, but it is based on Intel Core Ultra series, not on AMD. It is our expectation that AMD may only begin to support projects with LPCAMM2 around 2026.
Having user-upgradeable memory with up to 96 GB capacity is one of our portfolio’s strong points which sets us apart from most other laptop makers. Therefore, XMG CORE and XMG EVO will remain as they are, with Intel Core Ultra processor 155H in XMG EVO and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (Zen 4) in both EVO and CORE. For more information on how XMG EVO compares against similar laptop, please check the paragraph “Comparison with conventional ultrabooks” in the XMG EVO deep dive article.
Do you have any plans for AMD Fire Range?
AMD’s Dragon Range was already presented in January 2023, but we have not yet had access to this rather special CPU, which seems to have been produced only in relatively small quantities. We are finally launching Dragon Range in September 2024 in our new XMG APEX 17 MAX. Subsequential plans for AMD Fire Range are still undecided.
Since our AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX will be bundled with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4070, it will also require NVIDIA’s support to arrange any successor projects. The current chassis of XMG APEX 17 MAX is not designed for top-tier GPUs such as RTX 4080/4090 with up to 175 watts. So far, it is unclear if NVIDIA will support projects with AMD Ryzen HX-series and next-gen mid-range GPUs around the current 140 watts mark.
Do you plan to offer the 96 GB memory configurations in more laptop models?
Currently, the following models are available with up to 96 GB of memory:
Other, currently existing models are not planned to support this 96 GB upgrade. The 96 GB memory option consists of so called “non-binary” SO-DIMM modules with 48 GB capacity each. These modules have higher memory density than the previous 32 GB modules, causing them to reach higher temperatures when put under constant 100% memory read/write stress tests.
We validate and guarantee that each system sold with 96 GB of memory is able to keep these temperatures well within save and stable levels under all circumstances. This is easier done on AMD Ryzen and Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) platforms, as these have more efficient memory control. On platforms with Intel Core HX-series, it is more difficult and requires additional memory cooling.
With Intel Core i9-14900HX, SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro will remain our only model with 96 GB support because the chassis design and mainboard layout of KEY 17 Pro allows additional memory cooling in a way that the chassis of XMG NEO 16 and XMG NEO 17 do not.
In some models such as XMG EVO series, we are downclocking the 96 GB DDR5-5600 to DDR5-4800 (and advertise them as DDR5-4800) to keep them within safe stress test temperatures, with some headroom for tolerance. In KEY 17 Pro, the 96 GB is clocked down to DDR5-5200 in line with Intel’s specifications.
For 96 GB configurations, we use the following 48 GB module: Crucial CT48G56C46S5 (two of them). Crucial is the brand name of Micron, one of the three major global memory makers, the others being SK Hynix and Samsung. There was some hope that newer 48 GB modules, manufactured at smaller semiconductor nodes, would generate less heat and would thus open the possibility of supporting more systems with Intel Core HX series. Unfortunately, such modules have not hit the market yet and are generally unlikely to hit the market this year.
48 GB modules from SK Hynix were available only for a short period of time. 48 GB modules from Samsung have been available as samples but have apparently not entered mass production. They might be held of at least until 2025, to be launched together with new high-end CPU generations. Modules from other brands such as Kingston, Corsair, Mushkin and G.Skill are likely based on either SK Hynix or Micron memory chips.
Since they only have limited availability and would not be a substantial upgrade over our current Crucial modules (which are based on Micron as well), we will not buy any more samples and conduct any more tests on them. Instead, Crucial CT48G56C46S5 will be our one and only source for 96 GB memory configurations.
Do you plan any models with 128 GB of memory or more?
Laptop systems with 128 GB or higher memory configurations are not on our roadmap, as they would require SO-DIMM modules with even higher memory density (such modules do not exist) or they would require laptop mainboards with four (4) SO-DIMM slots, which is currently not feasible due to limited amount of space and a lack of active vendor support in relation with mobile CPU platforms.
Will there be a continuation of the XMG ULTRA or SCHENKER DTR series?
The unique selling point of these series were socketed desktop CPUs and removable MXM graphics cards. This device category is as good as extinct, since Intel and AMD also offer the desktop chips directly soldered in laptops since the Intel Core 12th Gen HX-series and since AMD Dragon Range and Fire Range. In general, socketed CPUs and GPUs in laptops have become increasingly inefficient and expensive in the last few years of their existence, as too many compromises had to be made to facilitate the sockets.
NVIDIA is also fundamentally opposed to providing modular mobile GPUs – as can be seen from the fact that there are zero mini eGPU with NVIDIA chips, only with AMD. One can speculate that NVIDIA’s decisions are driven by concerns about so called “dual use” and export/import restrictions, which are less of an issue with power-hungry desktop GPUs.
The spiritual successors to XMG ULTRA and SCHENKER DTR series are XMG NEO and SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro. These cutting-edge models offer absolute top performance, similar flexibility in terms of components and I/O ports and, thanks to NVIDIA Optimus and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, significantly longer battery lives than their spiritual predecessors.
Will there be more models with at least three SSD slots?
The only model with three SSD slots is SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro. All other models have a maximum of two SSD slots – and will remain so for the foreseeable future. We now offer SSDs with capacities of up to 8 terabytes, so even with just two SSD slots, you can already install 16 terabytes in a laptop.
Are 13″ or smaller models planned?
No, we are not planning any laptops smaller than 14 inches in the foreseeable future. No such convertibles or tablets either.
Are there any plans for laptops with touchscreens or convertibles?
SCHENKER VISION 15 (E21 and E23) has so far been our only model series with a touchscreen. No other models are currently planned. However, our colleagues at TUXEDO have introduced a new 360° convertible with touchscreen and pen input, which we are happy to recommend: TUXEDO InfinityFlex 14, which is available with both Linux and Windows. An identical model from XMG or SCHENKER is not planned.
Are you planning laptops with dedicated graphics cards from AMD?
No. But our friends at TUXEDO have a corresponding model in their portfolio, which we are happy to recommend as well: TUXEDO Sirius 16.
Any other questions?
Please check the following FAQ articles if you have any other questions about our portfolio:
You can also discuss this roadmap update in this thread on Reddit or this thread (in German) on Computerbase. We also welcome you to join channels such as #general, #gaming-laptops or #non-gaming-laptops on our Discord server. If you require individual advice on your next PC or laptop, please contact us by e-mail or telephone. We are looking forward to your feedback!
