XMG roadmap: Launch of the XMG NEO 16 in May

Roadmap
March 15, 2024

Update – March 22, 2024

XMG CORE 15 is being expanded with an upgrade option for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. This option was already in consideration for a while, but we were only able to confirm it after the initial launch with 4060. Availability with RTX 4070 is scheduled for beginning of June – about two months after the availability with RTX 4060. This upgrade is available for 295 € including 19% VAT.

XMG CORE 15 can be configured with either an 80 or 99.8 Wh battery. The RTX 4070 will only be available in combination with the 99.8 Wh battery.

Customers who have pre-ordered with RTX 4060 will be informed of this update via e-mail.

The rest of this article remains in its original state.

Following the last XMG roadmap update in February, we have made a few changes. The good news is that we are kicking off sales for the XMG CORE 15 earlier than expected, which was recently announced alongside the XMG FUSION 15. However, the XMG NEO 16 is coming a little later than planned. Below, we offer an updated roadmap and detailed information.

XMG FUSION 15 and XMG CORE 15: early launch

The launch of the XMG FUSION 15 (E24) and XMG CORE 15 (M24) has recently become official, including all information about the devices. These are our first 15.3-inch laptops with a 500 nits bright 16:10 display with 240 Hz and 100 percent sRGB colour gamut coverage, resulting in a highly compact design, delivering substantial power for its class.

As both laptops are sister models, the black anodised all-aluminium chassis are identical and are notable for their light weight of 2.1 kg (FUSION 15) and 2.0 kg (CORE 15) thanks to the lightweight material. The main difference is the choice of CPU or platform:

The XMG FUSION 15 combines Intel’s Core i7-14650HX or i9-14900HX with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070.
The XMG CORE 15 is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 8845HS and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060.

Both models feature an advanced cooling system for high performance and a newly designed, highly functional edge-to-edge keyboard (full, four-row numeric keypad, full-size offset arrow keys, dedicated navigation keys). They also feature a 99.8 Wh battery in maximum configuration, plenty of external ports and the extended Control Center already well-known from the XMG NEO series. Further details, differences, information on performance and available configurations are provided in our official product announcement.

You can find a short preview (in German) of the laptops as a YouTube Shorts on the Notebookcheck channel:

The XMG FUSION 15 is expected to start shipping at the end of March, the XMG CORE 15 at the beginning of April, which is earlier than expected – both can already be pre-ordered with immediate effect.

Configure now: XMG FUSION 15 (E24)
Configure now: XMG CORE 15 (M24)

XMG NEO 16 to follow in May

In our February roadmap update, we announced the launch of the XMG NEO 16 (E24) as the second major new product after the XMG NEO 17 (E24) presented at CES. Unfortunately, there is a delay as we are currently still working on optimising the laptop’s all-aluminium chassis – after all, this is a completely new developed laptop and not just a refresh based on an existing design. So please be patient with our absolute high-end model for 2024 until the official launch, which is now scheduled for May.

In addition to Intel’s Core i9-14900HX and graphics cards from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 to the RTX 4090, the XMG NEO 16 introduces significant detailed improvements. As with the FUSION 15 and CORE 15, this includes a 16:10 display with 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 500 nits and 240 Hz (although in 16 inches), the same improved keyboard layout and a completely new cooling system positioning the NEO 16 as our most powerful model for 2024.

This includes enhancements to both the standard air cooling and the optional XMG OASIS water cooling systems (compatible with laptops with an RTX 4080 or 4090 in the E24 model). The previously soldered-on water pipe is replaced by a water channel integrated into the cooling system, which increases the contact surface and therefore thermal efficiency. You can find more details on the NEO 16 (E24) in the preview at the end of our technical deep dive on the XMG NEO 17.

Lightweight and compact XMG laptops with iGPUs

Also in May, we are likely to unveil the first XMG laptop without a dedicated GPU from NVIDIA or AMD. Without a dGPU? Indeed, as the performance of modern iGPUs has improved enormously over the last few generations, so it makes sense for XMG to to add corresponding laptops to its portfolio.

Modern graphics units integrated into the CPU provide more than enough power and modern features for content creation and entry-level or retro gaming. At the same time, they facilitate thinner and more compact laptop designs. We are planning to launch these laptops with processors from the Intel Core Ultra series as well as AMD’s Ryzen 7 8845HS. These models will not replace our well-known high-performance laptops, but will complement our portfolio in a meaningful way.

More laptops with 96 GB DDR5 RAM?

Up to 96 GB DDR5 RAM (2 x 48 GB) are available in our AMD-based XMG CORE and XMG APEX model series – and also in the KEY 17 Pro with an Intel Core i9-14900HX from our sister brand SCHENKER. With Intel HX CPUs, the largest memory modules available heat up significantly, posing a challenge for laptop manufacturers when it comes to cooling: Stable operation is only possible if the interior of the laptop allows for additional RAM cooling optimisations.

However, we anticipate new 48 GB modules in the second half of 2024 that may be more energy-efficient and inherently cooler. Upon availability of the first samples, we will conduct thorough testing to see whether we will be able to offer the maximum memory size of up to 96 GB for additional Intel HX-based laptops such as the new XMG NEO series.

New in our laptop configurator: DDR5-5600 with CL40

We recently added a new, higher-performance RAM kit to our portfolio for several laptop series. In the laptop configurator on bestware.com, you can now select 2 x 16 GB Kingston FURY Impact DDR5-5600 with lower CL-40 latencies, complementing the currently available modules from Samsung and Corsair. These can be operated out of the box in the following models:

Additional manual tuning these high-speed RAM kits is available via the extended Control Center and BIOS features of the XMG NEO series and the XMG FUSION 15. Whether we will also have the option of offering larger CL40 RAM kits (2 x 32 GB, i.e. 64 GB in total) in the future is currently under review in our test lab as part of internal compatibility tests.

Further questions or feedback?

Do you have any further questions or comments about our upcoming laptop launches? Then please drop by on Reddit or on our Discord server.

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