A breakdown of the XMG Neo, Pro, Focus, Core, Apex, Fusion and more!
Updated: Apr 10, 2024 11:51 am
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XMG laptops regularly feature in our best-of guides each year and we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing several of their models, however many people are still unaware of the brand and what devices they offer. Even those that are aware of them might not realise the full extent of the products they offer. Below we break down the best XMG laptops for each use case to help you work out which one is right for your needs.
Who are XMG?
XMG are a German company which chiefly serves the European market. Although the company does have a range of highly customizable desktop PCs, it’s primarily their laptop range for which they are best known. Most of their laptops are targeted at gamers and/or and high-end workstation users, though in recent years they have expanded into more general purpose productivity machines and creative-focused devices.
Typically XMG devices offer a great degree of component customization at the point of purchase, great bloat-free onboard software for advanced performance tweaking, and provide a stripped-back performance-focused experience, with some of the more superfluous bells and whistles being ditched in favour of a good performance/price ratio. The company also provides a high standard of technical support to their customers, plus is much more active on Discord and Reddit than competing brands, frequently volunteering in-depth technical information relating to their products.
XMG laptop ranges available in 2024
XMG Neo series: the highest performance gaming laptops, compatible with liquid cooling
XMG Neo 16 (E24) (i9-14900HX, up to RTX 4090)
Nvidia RTX 4060 (140W) / 4070 (140W) / 4080 (175W) / 4090 (175W)
16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (4800-5600 MHz)
240Hz (can be set to 60Hz)
The XMG Neo range are the most high-end gaming laptops that the company produces, and the ones we’ve most had the pleasure of reviewing over the years. Different generations have switched between using AMD Ryzen or Intel Core CPUs, but whichever model you pick you can rest assured that it comes with the most high TGP graphics cards available on the market. The onboard software allows for in-depth tweaking of the voltage for both the GPU and the CPU and in recent generations the lineup has come with a unique feature: compatibility with an external liquid cooling solution.
The OASIS liquid cooling system plugs into the back of your device, running through internal pipes built into the laptop, and allows you to cut the fans down to a minimum to enjoy near silent running, or combine both fans and liquid cooling for maximum thermal performance. The OASIS system allows you to push the ceiling for thermal throttling higher, giving a slight performance boost, but the main advantage is that it should help improve the longevity of your laptop and its internal components, even when you push them to the max over longer periods. The system is an optional extra and you don’t have to purchase it to enjoy good performance, but in tandem with it the Neo is definitely a gaming laptop with one the best cooling systems we’ve tested.
Read our in-depth reviews and benchmarks of the XMG Neo 15 E21, XMG Neo 15 E22, XMG Neo 16 E23, and XMG Neo 17 E23 for more information. In terms of the latest releases, the Neo 17 E24 is pretty much the same as the previous model, just with a 14th gen CPU (the i9-14900HX), whereas the latest Neo 16 E24 has a completely redesigned, all-aluminium chassis, improved air and liquid cooling systems (with the latter now fully integrated with a wider contact area), a brighter display, an improved webcam, and a larger trackpad paired with an edge-to-edge membrane keyboard with four-row numeric keypad.
XMG Neo 17 (E24) (i9-14900HX, up to RTX 4090)
Nvidia RTX 4060 (140W) / 4070 (140W) / 4080 (175W) / 4090 (175W)
16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (4800-6400 MHz)
240Hz (can be set to 60Hz)
XMG Pro series: mid-to-high-end gaming workstations
XMG Pro 16 Studio (M23) (i9-13900H, up to RTX 4070)
Nvidia RTX 4060 (140W) / 4070 (140W)
16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (4800-5200 MHz)
The XMG Pro series are quite similar to the Neo range, although the available GPU options don’t go up to the highest SKUs available in the Neos (in the most recent line this is capped at the RTX 4070), you don’t get the option for the mechanical keyboard (membrane only) nor do you get the support for the OASIS liquid cooling system. The SD card reader is also limited to a Micro SD size (rather than the full-size one on the Neo range), however you do get a dedicated Mini-DisplayPort socket on the Pros which is not present on the Neos.
The main reason you’d consider opting for an XMG Pro is that you get a cheaper laptop with more or less the same basic performance as the Neo, providing you’re content with the RTX 4070 being the highest graphics card you can go for.
XMG Focus series: mid-to-high-end gaming laptops for a cheaper price
XMG Focus 16 (E23) (i9-13900HX, up to RTX 4070)
Nvidia RTX 4060 (140W) / 4070 (140W)
16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (4800-5200 MHz)
At one point the XMG Focus line were a bit more clearly mid-range devices, however the recent updates have given them access to pretty much the same CPU and GPU options as the Pro series, plus similar RAM and storage capacity.
Differences that remain when compared to the Pro are a smaller battery capacity on the larger 17-inch model (73Wh compared to 80Wh), a completely plastic build for the chassis, rather than the partial aluminium build of the Pro line, different aesthetic design, slightly chunkier dimensions and a slightly heavier weight. These models are again available for cheaper though compared to the Pros.
XMG Core & XMG Apex series: mid-range gaming & creative models
XMG Core 15 (M24) (Ryzen 7 8845HS, RTX 4060)
8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB/96GB DDR5 (4800-5600 MHz)
The XMG Core and XMG Apex lines are both Ryzen-powered devices, which differentiates them from the current generations of most of the other lines listed above, that are Intel-powered.
These two ranges are similar l but the XMG Core 16 has a higher battery capacity (99Wh compared to 62Wh with the Apex), better build quality on the chassis, a higher max SKU graphics card (RTX 4070 compared to RTX 4060) and the option for a mechanical keyboard: in short it’s the more premium option overall. The Apex line does have the advantage of coming in a variety of different display resolutions, sizes and refresh rates, whereas the Core has one WQHD 240Hz option. All told, both laptops are solid mid-range gaming and creative devices that come with full-size SD card readers.
A new XMG Core 15 has been released in 2024 with a Ryzen 8000 series laptop CPU.
Other XMG laptop ranges
XMG Fusion 15 (E24) (i9-14900HX, RTX 4070)
Intel Core i7-14650HX / i9-14900HX
8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (4800-5600 MHz)
Besides the above, there are a few laptop lines that have been put out by the company which are no longer active, although you may come across older generation models for sale.
The XMG Fusion was originally a partnership project with Intel to produce a slimline gaming laptop that could also serve as a mobile creative’s workstation device. This original collaborative device is a couple of years old now, but a new, redesigned XMG Fusion 15 E24 is now out! This comes with updated Intel 14th gen CPU options, either an Nvidia RTX 4060 or 4070, plus an edge-to-edge keyboard. It has the same 15.3”, all aluminium chassis as the XMG Core with a 16:10 display to give you more vertical headspace.
The XMG Ultra line is a once powerful, though now slightly older device. This range was designed to provide a larger, desktop replacement laptop for high-end workstation tasks, with an enormous 128GB max RAM capacity plus high-TGP RTX 3080 GPU and hugely powerful Intel Core i9-11900K processor.
Things to consider before buying an XMG laptop
Some of the defining features of XMG as a brand are as follows:
Great technical support
One of the best things about XMG as a company is the great standard of customer service they offer. More so than the bigger brands, the company has quite a reactive customer support department and product repair service, meaning if you have any issues with your highly-tuned machine, they should be able to sort it out for you in a way that won’t make you pull your hair out – a rare service in today’s market. Even when your warranty runs out you can have it repaired for a small fee.
Utilitarian aesthetics
XMG laptops are simple and understated in their design: much more suitable for the office place in appearance than many of the more garish ‘gamer’ designed machines. Since when did black ever go out of fashion? Plus the dark color serves as a nice backdrop to make that RGB pop.
High-TGP laptops
As mentioned, the XMG laptop range can be equipped with various different graphics card SKUs, but each of them has the highest TGP (Total Graphics Power) available for that particular type of card. Not all laptop GPUs are created equal, and you can have one mobile RTX 3070 Ti say with a relatively low TGP, and another with a higher one, and the performance difference between the two in games or other scenarios can be substantial. You can read our how many Watts does a gaming laptop use? page for a further explanation of TGP and what it means, but essentially, if you buy an XMG Neo device, you can be confident that it has the highest TGP available for that particular graphics card.
