The premier laptop manufacturers showcased their latest innovations at CES, unveiling new designs, powerful chips, and, notably, improved Wi-Fi capabilities with support for Wi-Fi 7. This technological advancement brings a significant upgrade for competitive gamers who rely on seamless connectivity on the go.
Wi-Fi 7 made its initial mark in the realm of gaming laptops, and this focus aligns well with the benefits it offers. One standout feature of Wi-Fi 7 is Multi-Link Operation, enabling a device to connect to a router on multiple bands. This capability allows gaming laptops to intelligently choose the optimal channel for data transmission. For instance, when the 5GHz band is congested, the laptop seamlessly switches to the 6GHz band and vice versa. This flexibility is particularly crucial for lowering latency on crowded networks, providing a significant advantage when wired Ethernet connections are not feasible.
While the majority of the upcoming laptops equipped with Wi-Fi 7 are slated for release in the near future, some of the early options come with a premium price tag. Notable examples include the 16-inch Razer Blade 16, starting at $3,000, and the 18-inch MSI Titan 18 HX A14V, with a minimum cost of $5,000. A higher-end variant of the latter is available for preorder at a hefty $9,099, both set to launch in mid-January.
For users seeking more budget-friendly options, several gaming models with Wi-Fi 7 support were also announced. Among these are the $2,099 Lenovo Legion 7i, expected to hit the market in March, and the more affordable HP Omen Transcend, available at $1,499.99. Dell also incorporated Wi-Fi 7 into its lineup, featuring it in the Alienware gaming laptops and two out of three XPS line models—the XPS 13 and XPS 16.
A notable exception to the trend was Asus, a company that was among the pioneers in introducing Wi-Fi 7 routers. Strikingly, none of the laptops unveiled in its ROG lineup, including the Zephyrus series, listed Wi-Fi 7 in their specifications at the CES event.
