XMG roadmap 2024: New laptops from XMG and SCHENKER

In this XMG roadmap for 2024, we will specify some of the upcoming laptops. This includes models from both XMG and our sister brand, SCHENKER, and focuses on the first two quarters – at least as far as the corresponding new products are already on the horizon.

XMG roadmap: overview and schedule

The two charts below show which new gaming laptops from XMG and which notebooks from SCHENKER we are most likely to introduce in the specified timeframe. The XMG roadmap does not include product launches that are not yet completely certain or whose planning has not yet been finalised:

• A continuous line in the XMG roadmap means that the respective model series will continue up to this point in time.
• A dashed line indicates that a refresh model with a new CPU could be unveiled during this period – however, our internal planning for this has not yet been finalised.
• All models with a highly probable launch date have been included in the XMG roadmap along the timeline in the first and second quarters of 2024.

These XMG laptops will remain up to date in 2024 for the time being

Many of our model series will remain up to date well into the second quarter – for good reason:

1. There are no graphics card updates or other GPU refreshes on the horizon for either XMG or SCHENKER laptops, as NVIDIA graphics cards between the GeForce RTX 4050 and RTX 4090 laptop GPU remain the current state of the art. The specifications, from the number of CUDA cores to the size of the VRAM, are already known.
2. Laptops with the new Intel Core Ultra (codename: Meteor Lake) and AMD Ryzen 8040 processors (codename: Hawk Point), which have already been officially announced, are currently in the planning stage at our company. Including the necessary lead times, the corresponding new launches will not take place until the second quarter of 2024 at the earliest.
3. According to the current state of knowledge, the new CPU generation does not (yet) achieve the price-performance ratio of previous processors. This raises the question for us as to whether and when the introduction of a refresh of XMG and SCHENKER laptops makes sense. In any case, it won’t get any cheaper…

Laptops that will remain a current product until (at least) the second quarter of 2024 and beyond, depending on the price situation for components:

• Gaming and content creation workstations from the XMG PRO series – either as the officially GeForce RTX Studio certified XMG PRO 16 Studio (M23) with a 16:10 display or as the XMG PRO 15 and PRO 17 (E23) with a highly colour-accurate 16:9 displays and a 4K display option for the 17.3-inch model. This also applies to the KEY 15 and KEY 17 (E23) from our sister brand SCHENKER, which are based on the same design.
• Our upper performance mid-range in the form of the XMG CORE 16 (L23) with AMD processor and the Intel-based XMG FOCUS series in 15.6, 16.0 and 17.3 inch, which corresponds to the SCHENKER MEDIA series (E23).
• The powerful and affordable XMG APEX series (L23).
• Office laptops from the SCHENKER WORK series (M23), including the affordable and more lightweight WORK Base models, which are characterised by extended features for use in a business environment (depending on the model, for example, an LTE module or hardware TPM).
• Our thin and light high-performance ultrabooks from the SCHENKER VISION series (M23) with Intel CPUs and the recently launched AMD-based SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro (L23). The latter is so new that we have only just sent out the first samples to reviewers. The SCHENKER VISION 14 and VISION 16 with Intel Core i7-13700H have been supplemented by an additional, lower-priced version with a Core i7-13620H. Further details and benchmarks are available in our announcement on reddit.

These new XMG laptops are already planned for the first half of 2024

Besides simply updating models and integrating new processors into already familiar and well-proven laptop chassis, the XMG roadmap for 2024 includes several completely redesigned models with significant improvements.

XMG NEO series

The successors to the XMG NEO series (E23) will be the first two major XMG launches of 2024. The upcoming model series with a high-performance CPU from Intel’s HX series will continue to feature GPUs from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 to the RTX 4090. While the XMG NEO 17 is a refresh based on the already familiar chassis that has been improved in detail, the XMG NEO 16 is a completely new development. Further details will follow in the respective product announcement.

From model year 2024, the XMG NEO series will limit support for the XMG OASIS external laptop water cooling system to the two top models with RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, while all new NEO models will offer USB-C power delivery with up to 100 watts. OASIS support for XMG NEO laptops with an RTX 4070 or 4060 therefore remains an exclusive feature of the E23 model series with Intel’s Core i9-13900HX, which is still available.

XMG FUSION 15

With the 2024 XMG FUSION 15, we are relaunching a legend that began with the first model based on a collaboration between XMG and Intel in 2019 to create a unique laptop concept to date. This brought a slim design, light weight, and yet maximum performance to the point.

We cannot provide further details on the successor until the planned product launch in the second quarter. However, this much can be said in advance: It will be a completely new chassis design, which was not developed in collaboration with Intel this time, but which represents the first laptop of its kind from XMG.

More new laptops from XMG

Intel announced the new Core Ultra CPUs back in December. As the XMG roadmap shows, we are working on a correspondingly specced laptop. Due to the very powerful iGPU provided by Meteor Lake, this will be XMG’s first thin and light model without a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD graphics unit.

However, these plans are still in the development stage. Additional features of the prototype from development include upgradeable SO-DIMM slots, a high-quality aluminium chassis, a bright display, a generously sized battery and, of course, Thunderbolt 4.

These new SCHENKER laptops are already planned for the first half of 2024

At SCHENKER, we recently unveiled the aforementioned VIA 14 Pro (L23), which will start shipping at the beginning of 2024 and is therefore almost one of the new launches for 2024. The powerful premium ultrabook with AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS offers a high-resolution 3K display in 16:10 format, good connectivity and is charged exclusively via USB-C.

Of course, there will be more new launches in the coming months, especially models with Intel Core Ultra CPUs. However, these will require completely redesigned laptop chassis, as Meteor Lake is not compatible with existing motherboard layouts. We are also keeping a close eye on the price development of the new components.

SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro

Currently, the SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro (E23) is the most powerful laptop workstation from our sister brand SCHENKER – featuring Intel’s Core i9-13900HX, graphics cards up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and outstanding connectivity. A refresh based on a new platform is coming, which we are not yet allowed to specify due to NDAs. The platform change will be accompanied by support for PCIe 5.0 SSDs and up to 96 GB DDR5 RAM. Further information on the refresh of SCHENKER’s flagship laptop will follow shortly after CES.

Planning of new additional features in laptops

In the following, final overview, we would like to talk about our plans for additional features that are not directly reflected in the XMG roadmap: So what are XMG and SCHENKER’s plans with regard to (further) laptops with up to 96 GB of RAM, dedicated AMD GPUs, improved displays, Wi-Fi 7 or special functions for running AIs or LLMs locally?

Laptops with AMD dGPUs

Laptops with dedicated AMD graphics cards are not currently planned at XMG or SCHENKER. However, in this context it is worth mentioning the TUXEDO Sirius 16 already available from our sister company TUXEDO – the first fully Linux-compatible AMD gaming laptop with Ryzen 7840HS and Radeon RX 7600M XT.

Laptops with 96 GB RAM

Thanks to memory modules of up to 48 GB, a maximum RAM expansion of 96 GB SO-DIMM memory sets the new limit for laptops. We already offer this configuration option in the laptop configurator of our partner store bestware.com for all XMG notebooks based on AMD Phoenix processors (XMG APEX 15, APEX 17 and CORE 16, model generation L23).

For Intel Core-based laptops, like those with a Core i9-13900HX, the situation is more challenging, as the memory modules tend to get significantly hotter during operation. With the upcoming 2024 SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro, we are reducing the temperatures by using additional thermal pads. This is possible with this model due to the layout of the laptop interior – also as a subsequent update for the 2023 SCHENKER KEY 17 Pro, which has an identical chassis. However, this solution cannot be implemented for all laptops with Intel HX CPUs.

Laptops with OLED or mini LED displays

As already stated in the last roadmap update, the very limited availability of OLED and mini-LED displays makes it impossible for us to use these technologies in XMG or SCHENKER at present. The small number of displays currently produced has already been reserved in advance as part of exclusive deals with the largest global laptop brands.

However, we are planning to introduce new, improved IPS panels with a brightness of around 500 nits for the 2024 models of the XMG NEO 16, XMG FUSION 15 and XMG FOCUS 16 – as well as around 400 nits bright 4K panels in some laptops from the 17-inch range.

Laptops with Wi-Fi 7

The finalisation of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard is planned for 2024. The good news: In contrast to the jump from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 6E, the new wireless standard theoretically does not require new Wi-Fi antennas in the laptops, but only new Wi-Fi modules. In a comprehensive deep dive, we explain which laptops we currently expect to be Wi-Fi 7-compatible, whether AMD-based notebooks are also Wi-Fi 7-capable and why the feature will probably not be limited to models with 14th generation Intel Core processors and Intel Core Ultra CPUs.

Laptops for running AIs locally

Ongoing improvements to open-source LLMs (Large Language Models) such as GPT4All or Stable Diffusion are an alternative to online services such as chatGPT for local execution on your own laptop or desktop PC but require a fast graphics card with plenty of VRAM and dedicated AI computing units such as NVIDIA’s Tensor Cores or a processor with special AI acceleration functions (NPU = Neural-network Processing Units).

On the CPU side, Intel’s Core Ultra CPUs (Meteor Lake) and AMD’s Ryzen 7040 and 8040 processors support this feature. In our deep dive on the current status of AI acceleration functions in XMG and SCHENKER laptops, we explain which models support this feature and what you should look out for when using the NPUs.

Further questions or feedback?

If you have any questions about the 2024 XMG roadmap, please feel free to post your feedback in our XMG roadmap announcement on reddit or join our Discord server.