XMG Roadmap 2025: New Laptops from XMG and SCHENKER

In the XMG roadmap for 2025, we provide an initial overview of our currently planned new laptop launches – including an extended outlook on the planned availability of various models from the XMG and SCHENKER brands. For XMG, the EVO series, NEO 16 and PRO 16 will kick things off in the first quarter, while SCHENKER’s KEY 18 Pro is also just around the corner. Other new models such as the 2025 versions of the XMG CORE 15 or FUSION 15 will be announced in upcoming roadmap updates. In addition to the new NVIDIA RTX 50 graphics cards and new processors from AMD and Intel, new technologies such as CSO DIMM RAM, Thunderbolt 5, DisplayPort 2.1, and more compact, energy-efficient power supplies are also shaping the new model year.

XMG Roadmap 2025

XMG Roadmap 2025 r2

XMG EVO Series

The EVO series remains the ideal choice for those looking for ultraportable laptops without a dedicated graphics card, but who still value performance and connectivity. With the EVO 14 and EVO 15 models, XMG has opted for AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX CPUs (Strix Point). Both laptops offer high RAM capacity (up to 96GB), extensive connectivity options including USB4 and up to 16TB of SSD storage.

Availability will begin in Q2 2025. While AMD has already communicated clear plans for Strix Point CPUs, a refresh with Intel’s Arrow Lake H series is still unclear.

XMG NEO 16

The XMG NEO 16 remains the flagship for both high-end gaming and content creation and will be launched in Q1 2025 with top GPUs such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra HX processors (Arrow Lake), as well as AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX. An additional variant with AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is planned for Q2.

The XMG NEO 17 will be discontinued later this year with no refresh or successor, but the E24 generation will remain available until then. The XMG NEO 16 will take its place as the flagship model in our portfolio.

The new revision of the NEO 16 offers numerous optimisations. Improved air cooling with larger heat sinks, more powerful fans and an additional third RAM fan optimise thermal performance. An extended I/O configuration offers more flexibility – including USB-C with DisplayPort, Power Delivery and a Mini DisplayPort connected directly to the dGPU. This is our first laptop with CSO DIMM RAM, and the primary M.2 SSD is connected via PCIe 5.0 x4.

The SD card reader now also supports SD Express with up to 900 MB/s. The connection for the XMG OASIS water cooling system has been further improved. In addition to the standard 500 nits panel, a mini-LED display with up to 1000 nits brightness is available as an upgrade. Both displays support G-SYNC and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus.

The new XMG NEO 16 uses a modular motherboard design with a separate GPU board for the first time. This allows us to offer a greater variety of CPUs, GPUs and displays, which is reflected in the fact that we will be able to offer all three GPU variants with both Intel and AMD, as well as the standard and the new mini-LED panel.

However, DIY upgrades or operation without a GPU will not be possible. Further details are explained in this article.

XMG PRO 16

The XMG PRO 16 Studio gets a successor in a completely redesigned case. It is based on the same motherboard platform as the 2025 model of the XMG NEO 16 but differs in key features: GPUs up to RTX 5070 Ti, no support for the XMG OASIS, no mini LED panel, but a wider range of CPU options including the Intel Core i9 HX series.

By dropping some premium features, the XMG PRO 16 aims to offer the RTX 5070 Ti in a high-quality chassis at an attractive price. We expect to be able to announce details on specifications and availability towards the end of March 2025.

XMG APEX 17 MAX

The XMG APEX 17 MAX will remain in the portfolio for the time being and will continue to be based on AMD’s Dragon range of CPUs (Ryzen 9 7945HX). A direct successor is currently not planned. Instead, the AMD Fire Range CPUs will be integrated into the NEO chassis, providing an interesting alternative for high-end users. The APEX 17 MAX will still be available in 2025.

XMG CORE 15 and FUSION 15

Both models feature high performance hardware in premium chassis. The CORE 15 is based on AMD Ryzen CPUs, while the FUSION 15 is powered by Intel Core HX processors with Thunderbolt support. Both laptops offer a choice of RTX 4060 or 4070 graphics cards and offer attractive value for money. Successors are not planned until summer 2025.

XMG FOCUS Series

We will continue with the long-running XMG FOCUS series unchanged for the time being. We can neither announce nor rule out a possible update to the range at this stage.

SCHENKER Roadmap 2025

SCHENKER Roadmap 2025

SCHENKER KEY 18 Pro

The completely redesigned SCHENKER KEY 18 Pro is an 18″ laptop in 16:10 format with Intel Arrow Lake HX CPUs, the top 3 SKUs of the RTX 50 series, up to 192 GB RAM (four slots) and four SSD slots (three Gen4, one with Gen5). Two LAN ports, two Thunderbolt 5 ports and a 5-megapixel webcam complete the package. The KEY 18 Pro will be available around the same time as the XMG NEO 16. More details will follow when it goes on sale at the end of February.

SCHENKER KEY and MEDIA Series

The SCHENKER KEY and MEDIA models from 2023 and 2024 will be continued in 2025, similar to the XMG PRO and XMG FOCUS series. No direct successor to the SCHENKER KEY 14, launched just six months ago, is currently planned due to the dimensions of future GPU reference designs.

SCHENKER WORK and WORK Base

The entry-level models from the SCHENKER WORK series will remain available until further notice.

SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro

The VIA 14 Pro is the efficient choice for travelling. With an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU and up to 32 GB LPDDR5X memory, it is aimed at anyone looking for high performance in a compact form factor.

New CPUs and GPUs from NVIDIA, Intel and AMD as well as new power supplies

NVIDIA RTX 50 Series

NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture is the company’s first new GPU generation in two years, increasing graphics memory capacity for both desktop PCs and laptop. All RTX 50 graphics cards will support DisplayPort 2.1 at 80 Gbps (DP80).

Specific performance differences compared to previous models will be revealed in the eagerly awaited laptop GPU reviews in March 2025. The top-of-the-range RTX 5090, RTX 5080 and 5070 Ti will be the first to be available, with mid-range models such as the RTX 5070 following much later.

Intel Core Ultra HX Series

With Arrow Lake, Intel is introducing a new architecture with CSO DIMM support and compute tiles manufactured at TSMC for the first time. Our flagship product is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, which is technologically derived from the desktop Ultra 9 285K. These CPUs deliver high single-core and multi-core performance with significantly improved overall energy efficiency.

For the first time, Arrow Lake supports a new revision of the DDR5 JEDEC standard called CU-DIMM (desktop) or CSO-DIMM (laptop), enabling higher clock speeds at moderate operating temperatures.

Thunderbolt 5 support requires a dedicated Thunderbolt controller (Barlow Ridge) – this feature is reserved for dedicated workstation models such as the SCHENKER KEY 18 Pro. Thunderbolt 4, on the other hand, is almost always included.

AMD Ryzen 9000 HX Series

These desktop replacement CPUs, also known as the Fire Range, are the successors to the previous AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX (Dragon range). The top-of-the-range models are technologically equivalent to the 16-core, 32-thread AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (Granite Ridge), which was introduced in desktop PCs in 2024. According to AMD, an ‘X3D’ version with 3D V-Cache could be available as early as April or May 2025.

Fire Range is in direct competition with Intel Core Ultra HX models, offering similar if not higher efficiency and performance. However, it remains to be seen how well the desktop reviews and benchmarks translate to laptops.

Unfortunately, unlike the Intel HX series, Fire Range does not offer USB4 functionality integrated into the chipset. A workaround via a dedicated Thunderbolt controller would theoretically be possible. However, this would be quite expensive and complex to implement, especially in terms of the space required on the motherboard. Such a solution is not currently planned.

We are keeping to USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbits/s), including DisplayPort and Power Delivery, which is perfectly adequate for docking stations and working with external SSDs. HDMI and Mini DisplayPort 2.1 with direct dGPU connection are also available.

AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series

The current top-of-the-line CPUs of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX series (Strix Point) were only available with soldered LPDDR5(X) memory last year. From 2025, we will also offer this powerful APU with upgradeable SO-DIMM memory. This will allow us to offer up to 96GB of DDR5-5600 in the XMG EVO series.

Around the same time, Krackan Point, a smaller offshoot with fewer cores but the same CPU and iGPU architecture, namely Zen5 and XNDA2, will be launched. In addition to much improved 3D performance, XDNA2 now supports DisplayPort 2.1, albeit only at the 40Gbps DP40 level.

Krackan and Strix Point are pin-to-pin compatible, giving our customers the flexibility to choose between these CPUs for the XMG EVO series. Strix Halo is a completely different motherboard architecture. This will not be available in the XMG EVO series for the foreseeable future as AMD can only support a limited number of project partners for Strix Halo.

New Power Supplies

Thanks to SiC and GaN technology, many of our power supplies will be more compact and energy efficient – a key advantage for mobile use. This includes, for the first time, a compact 150W power supply with USB-C connection. The 2025 offshoots of the XMG EVO, CORE, FUSION and NEO series will be able to deliver up to 140W nominal plus peak via USB-C. This is achieved by extending the USB-PD 3.0 standard by 20V and 7A.

Operation with USB-PD 3.1 at higher voltages such as 28 V is not possible. This is due to the additional space and cooling requirements that would be required by the additional 28V converters on the motherboard. As a default value, 20 volts covers all power supply sizes from 65 to 420 watts and therefore works with both USB-C and traditional barrel plugs (IEC 60130-10).

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