CES 2025 Unveils Latest Gaming Laptop Trends

CES never fails to showcase a plethora of laptops, and this year's event was no exception. I meticulously explored the show floor, along with numerous packed suites and showrooms, to identify the key trends shaping gaming laptops in 2025. Here are the major themes that emerged as the driving forces behind this year's gaming laptop innovations.

A Huge Diversity of Designs

Gaming laptops have traditionally offered a broad spectrum of styles, but 2025 saw an even more pronounced variety. This year, brands like Gigabyte and MSI are blurring the lines between productivity and gaming, pushing the boundaries of what high-end gaming laptops can offer beyond mere hardware specifications.

You can expect a wider range of designs this year. For instance, the Gigabyte Aero series exemplifies a sleek, professional aesthetic that seamlessly blends into any business environment. In contrast, the MSI Titan 18 HX AI Dragonforged Edition boasts bold graphics on its lid, unmistakably marking it as a powerhouse for gaming enthusiasts.

RGB lighting remains a staple feature, with innovations like wrap-around lighting rings, illuminated mechanical keyboards, side-lights, rear-lights, and even trackpad lights. The Asus ROG Strix Scar series particularly stood out with its AniME Dot Matrix LED display on the lid, capable of showcasing text, animations, and more through a series of white LEDs.

While there's no radical reinvention in design, anticipate a mix of novelties alongside the traditional range from bulky powerhouses to sleek, lightweight options with diverse hardware configurations.

AI Assistants are Coming

Last year, AI integrations in laptops were promising but often fell short. In 2025, multiple vendors introduced AI Assistants designed to enhance user control over their PCs without the need to manually open software.

A standout demo featured an MSI representative using a chatbot to specify the type of game he wanted to play, prompting the assistant to automatically switch to the highest performance mode. However, I remain skeptical about the real-world benefits of these systems. While they seem intended to operate offline, it's unclear whether they offer a significant advantage over manual adjustments. We'll need to see how these features perform once fully implemented.

Mini-LED, Rollable Displays and Other Novelties

Mini-LED technology is finally making significant inroads into the gaming laptop market. Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte showcased Mini-LED laptops with top-tier specifications and pricing. These displays boast over 1,100 local dimming zones, reducing blooming and enhancing contrast, alongside impressive brightness and vibrant colors. While OLED still excels in contrast, Mini-LED's lack of burn-in risk and higher sustained brightness make it an exciting prospect for future models.

Innovative novelties were also on display. The ASUS ROG Flow X13, returning after a hiatus, now supports eGPUs via USB4, eliminating the need for proprietary connections. Asus showcased it paired with a new eGPU featuring up to an RTX 5090, offering a significant performance boost.

Elsewhere, Asus presented the Zenbook Duo, a dual-screen productivity laptop, but Lenovo stole the show with the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. This isn't a gaming laptop, but it's noteworthy as the first notebook with a rollable OLED display. With a simple button press, the 14-inch screen extends upward, adding 2.7 inches of screen real estate. While the initial design may seem awkward and durability concerns linger, it's a pioneering product that promises future improvements as the technology evolves.

Ultrabooks Continue to Rise, Even for Gaming

Ultrabooks are increasingly prevalent, even within gaming line-ups. Major manufacturers now offer thin, light, and premium gaming laptops, often adopting the Ultrabook form factor. Gigabyte's revamped Aero series is a prime example, offering a sleek design that excels in both gaming and productivity.

This trend makes sense for gamers who don't need to run the latest titles at maximum settings. These new Ultrabooks provide a portable solution that's perfect for on-the-go productivity while still allowing for gaming. My review of the Asus TUF Gaming A14 last year demonstrated that even these slim machines can handle dedicated graphics cards without compromising their portability.

Moreover, with the latest AMD and Intel processors, you can achieve surprisingly good gaming performance without a dedicated GPU. Technologies like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and Intel XeSS, along with frame generation, enable even demanding games to run smoothly on integrated graphics. This development raises questions about the future necessity of lower-end GPUs like the RTX 4050M.

Cloud gaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now further enhance the appeal of these machines, offering a robust gaming experience without the need for a dedicated gaming laptop.

The world of gaming laptops is brimming with exciting developments in 2025, and we'll continue to cover them throughout the year. What trends caught your eye? Share your thoughts in the comments below!