Alienware 16 & 18 Area-51 Laptops Review: Benchmark-Crushing Gaming Beasts

Dell announced back at CES 2025 that it was reviving the Area-51 name for its flagship line, with a bold new visual direction that harkens back to the original Area-51 systems and a somewhat "2000s" visual aesthetic. These new Area-51 laptops aren't a mild refresh, but a whole new philosophy. They're very distinct, visually, from recent Alienware lines—no more subtle stealth notebook look. Instead, picture a blend of industrial and classic sci-fi elements, with teal metallic shells, glass sections to show internal fans and lighting, diffused rear lighting around the exhaust, RGB trackpad and per-key lighting, and a more sculpted wrist rest/keyboard layout. The design language reminds us of the unapologetic gamer aesthetics of the 2000s, and we love it.

That's not to say that these machines look outdated, though. Dell's latest-generation Area-51 laptops are both visually striking and speedy, as you'll see ...