CES 2021—the first Consumer Electronics Show to go entirely virtual—has kicked off, and Dell is one of the computer brands making headlines in virtual Las Vegas. The company has clearly been watching how people have used its products over the past year, and listening to the pain points of the millions of people who find themselves working from home, remote learning, or interacting with friends and family through video chats. Dell announced an extensive lineup of new products in advance of CES 2021’s official kickoff, and this new reality of remote use figures prominently.
Here are the highlights from Dell’s CES 2021 product announcements. Also included are the hot new releases just announced by Alienware, Dell’s PC gaming brand.
Dell announcements at CES 2021
Dell videoconferencing monitors
The new Videoconferencing Monitor series is interesting and welcome option for anyone working/learning/collaborating or even socializing remotely. What Dell has done is to take a computer monitor and equip it to be ready for high-quality videoconferencing. That means adding a Windows Hello-compatible pop-up 5MP IR camera, a pair of 5W speakers, and an integrated noise-cancelling microphone. These monitors also get a dedicated Microsoft Teams button.
The Dell Videoconferencing Monitor will be available in 24-inch, 27-inch, and 34-inch sizes, with the 34-inch model getting a curved panel.
Dell UltraSharp 40 curved WUHD monitor
If your current computer monitor falls short on being able to show everything you want to see onscreen, Dell’s new UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD monitor will take care of that. As the name suggests, this is a monster 40-inch computer display. The curved panel ensure you can see everything, and it sports a whopping 5,120x 2,160-pixel resolution. Creators will appreciate the accuracy of 98% of P3 color gamut coverage. It also sports 9W stereo speakers, and Thunderbolt 3 port with 90W power deliver—enough to power most laptops.
Perfect for maximizing working from home productivity.
OptiPlex 3090 Ultra and OptiPlex 7090 Ultra
Not everyone has a sprawling home office, putting desk space at a premium. Dell’s OptiPlex 3090 Ultra and OptiPlex 7090 Ultra offer an interesting solution. These are billed as “the world’s most modular all-in-one solution.”
We’ve already seen the OptiPlex concept starting in 2019, but the new versions perfect the design. Simply put, these are ultra-miniature PCs designed to fit into the back of compatible Dell monitor stands. So they literally take up zero desk space. Yet they are fully featured PCs, with 11th generation Intel Core processors and the ports you need. To give you some idea of just how powerful these mini wonders are, the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra is able to drive four 4K monitors simultaneously.
Latitude 5000 series and Precision 3560
Dell is also looking to make a big environmental impact in 2021—in a good way. As part of its commitment to sustainability, the Latitude 5000 series and Precision 3560 laptops will be the first PCs to use bioplastic from tree waste in their design. Specifically, their lids will contain 21% bioplastic made from leftovers from the paper-making process.
Latitude 9420 and Latitude 9520
All this video chatting has us all worried about the security of our webcams. Dell is doing something about that with the Latitude 9420 and Latitude 9520.
These new laptops include SafeShutter, an integrated shutter than physically blocks the webcam when not in use. SafeShutter works with videoconferencing applications to automate the process, automatically opening and closing. There are also dedicated mute keys to physically shutter the camera on demand, and to mute the microphone, ensuring privacy.
Alienware puts on a show at CES 2021
Several days after Dell made its announcements, the company’s Alienware division was taking the wraps off new PC gaming hardware.
Alienware m17 R4
Alienware’s iconic m15 and m17 R4 gaming laptops have been upgraded for 2021, getting the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series Laptop GPUs for next generation ray-tracing goodness. The Alienware m17 R4 has the option of a 17.3-inch 60Hz 4K UHD panel, or a Full HD display that can achieve a blistering 360Hz refresh rate. The m15’s 15.6-inch panel is available with a Full HD at 300Hz option. Both laptops also get HDMI 2.1 ports, for 4K 120Hz video output.
Alienware Aura Ryzen Edition R10 desktop gaming PC
Gamers who prefer to stick to the desktop have a compelling new option in the Alienware Aura Ryzen Edition R10 Desktop gaming PC.
Featuring AMD’s latest Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors, it offers a choice of AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT series graphics or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs. You can pack this rig with up to 128GB of Dual Channel HyperX FURY DDR4 RAM. Vapour chamber cooling technology keeps temperatures down even during extreme gaming. Opening it up is easy with the tool-free chassis design. Naturally it’s packed with ports and includes the latest connectivity options including Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, and Killer E2600 Ethernet LAN. Light up the room with integrated AlienFX dynamic LED lighting.
Alienware 25 gaming monitor
The new Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor won a CES 2021 Innovation award. The high performance gaming monitor features a 1080p 24.5-inch IPS panel that’s G-Sync certified with true 1ms GtG response times, and sRGB 99% color coverage. What takes it to the next level is the world’s fastest refresh rate at 360Hz, and the inclusion of NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer technology.
Keep reading the blog for our full CES 2021 coverage
Stay tuned for news on when these innovative new Dell products will be available at Best Buy. And be sure to keep reading the blog for CES 2021 coverage, which will continue through the week.
