The PC market is diversifying rapidly.

What new narratives will the PC industry tell beyond the first year of AI-integrated PCs?

As one of the most anticipated tech shows for digital enthusiasts and the world's largest annual consumer electronics exhibition, CES has always been a hub for major brands to launch their latest innovations. It serves as a "frontier post" for global electronics companies to showcase the latest scientific and technological advancements, offering a glimpse into the global technology industry's full recovery.

To bring you the freshest first-hand reports, Leitech dispatched a live reporting team led by senior editors "Yi Wei Tianming" and "Dingxi" to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, to observe and experience these new products firsthand.

(Source: Leitech @ CES live filming)

During the first two days of the exhibition, renowned PC manufacturers such as ROG, Lenovo, ASUS, ThundeRobot, and MECHREVO all held new product launch events, unveiling a range of laptops, Mini PCs, and monitors. Let Xiaolei guide you through some of the must-see exhibits at CES 2025 over the past 48 hours.

Lenovo: Stealing the Show with AI-Powered PCs

If the original concept of AI-integrated PCs was just a meme, today's AI PCs are undoubtedly one of the main attractions at CES.

At CES 2025, Lenovo Group showcased multiple new AI-based devices and solutions across its Yoga, ThinkBook, ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, and Legion product lines. More than 10 of these new products made their debut at the exhibition.

(Source: Leitech filming)

Among the new products, the ThinkPad X9 and YOGA 9i series laptops, designed to empower office work and creativity, stood out. Equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 200V processors and the jointly defined Aura Edition by Lenovo and Intel, these laptops achieve optimal performance through AI, UI, and chip tuning, making them ideal for high-standard office workers and creators.

(Source: Leitech filming)

It's not just laptops that are benefiting from AI; Mini PCs are too.

At the event, Lenovo unveiled the new ThinkCentre neo 50q QC, the world's first AI Mini PC powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon. Available with either the Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus processor, it boasts an AI processing capability of up to 45 TOPS, making it suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises that require powerful performance but have limited space.

According to the official introduction, the newly upgraded personal AI assistant, Lenovo AI Now, will also be fully deployed on these new products. Based on the local large language model using Meta Llama 3.0, Lenovo AI Now aims to further simplify workflows and enhance productivity by continuously adding and improving features that enhance the daily work experience, striving to make AI PCs a productivity tool tailored to everyone's needs.

However, aside from its serious productivity aspects, Lenovo also had some fun.

For instance, the Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, but the highlight is its 32MP under-screen camera, which pushes the screen-to-body ratio to an astonishing 98%, making it "all screen on the front".

There's also the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, which we introduced yesterday. This product innovatively adopts a rollable screen. With just a gentle press or a gesture control, the original 14-inch display can quickly expand upwards to 16.7 inches, expanding the display space by 50% within a limited footprint.

(Source: Leitech filming, GIF has been accelerated)

Practicality? Let's put a "question mark" there for now. But in terms of fun, these two gadgets are definitely 10/10.

ROG: Significant Upgrades in Performance and Configuration

After the pre-show buzz, ASUS still had many new products at the official exhibition.

Thanks to Huang Renxun's RTX 50 series iteration, the performance-oriented ROG Strix series received a full system update. This time, the entire Strix 9 series adopts Intel Core Ultra 200 series HX processors and is equipped with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series laptop GPUs, with the RTX 5090 as the top option, and a total core power consumption of up to 240W.

Most importantly, there are improvements in the design. In addition to the built-in ROG Glacier Cooling Architecture 3.0 Enhanced Edition across the entire series, it now also features a tool-free quick-release rear cover and Q-Latch SSD latch, making configuration upgrades more convenient. The new Strix 9 Ultra series is the first to carry the same AniMe Matrix display as the ROG Flow series, giving it a cooler appearance.

(Source: ROG)

The more affordable Scar series this time introduced 16-inch and 18-inch versions, with configurations up to a Ryzen 9 9955HX3D + RTX 5070Ti, fully meeting the needs of hardcore gamers.

(Source: ROG)

Of course, what everyone is most concerned about should still be the ROG Flow series.

In addition to the upgraded ROG Flow Air series, the biggest highlight of this exhibition is the new 2-in-1 laptop, ROG Flow X 2025, which is equipped with the world's exclusive new AMD Strix Halo processor and features a large-scale Radeon 8060S integrated graphics card. At the same time, its battery life and cooling structure have also been comprehensively upgraded, making it convenient for users to create and entertain.

(Source: ROG)

Not enough performance? You can even choose the new generation of ROG XG graphics card docking station equipped with RTX 5090/RTX 5070Ti, allowing portable devices to enjoy flagship-level performance.

It can only be said that ROG has indeed gone all in in the pursuit of ultimate performance.

MECHREVO: New "Ultra" Flagship Products

In this year of PC market recovery, MECHREVO may be the biggest winner among domestic brands.

According to Canalys data, MECHREVO showed strong growth momentum in 2024 and successfully entered the forefront of the domestic PC market. During this year's Double 11 online market, MECHREVO even briefly came in second place with its cost-effective models.

Its outstanding market performance also led MECHREVO to decide to participate in the CES stage for the first time.

Among the many new products that simultaneously launched the RTX 50 series laptop GPUs, the most noteworthy are the flagship products for the first time named "Ultra" – the Zhaoshi 16 Ultra and Canglong 16 Ultra.

(Source: Leitech filming)

In addition to their sleek, comprehensively redesigned appearance, the two products only differ in their Intel and AMD flagship processors. Both can choose RTX 5080/5090 laptop GPUs and achieve a GPU power consumption release of up to 175W through the newly upgraded (water-cooled) Ice River cooling structure.

It is worth mentioning that both gaming laptops are equipped with miniLED screen panels that have undergone rigorous calibration by the X-Rite/Pantone professional color calibration system, achieving an ultra-high color accuracy of average ΔE＜1, an ultra-high screen-to-body ratio of 92.5%, 2.5K resolution, 300Hz refresh rate, 1200nits brightness, and HDR1000, making it a quite impressive screen.

For players who pursue both thinness and high performance, the newly upgraded Zhaoshi 15 Air and Yilong 15 Pro are also worth paying attention to. Both of these all-rounder laptops have upgraded their graphics cards from the previous generation's top RTX 4070 to RTX 5070, while still maintaining a significantly lower overall thickness and weight than common gaming laptops. They are very suitable for meeting the high-performance office needs of designers.

(Source: Leitech filming)

ThundeRobot: Building a Full-Scenario Esports Ecosystem

As a domestic manufacturer also participating in CES for the first time, ThundeRobot Technology may be even more excited than MECHREVO.

Regardless of the PC category, they actually exhibited three models of ThundeRobot AURA smart glasses at this exhibition, which adopt different technical principles. These include the world's first full-color array waveguide AR+AI version expected to be launched in Q1 2025, the AR Lite version expected to be domestically launched on January 25, and the AI Exploration version equipped with an AI large model and supporting an AI smart companion.

In terms of their main focus, ThundeRobot this time also brought their first 18-inch gaming laptop – the ThundeRobot ZERO 18. The most prominent feature of this product is the 18-inch "Hummingbird Screen" defined in collaboration with BOE. Each unit undergoes factory color calibration to ensure accurate color presentation, further enhancing the user's immersive gaming experience.

In terms of configuration, the ZERO series is equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 200HX series processors and can be equipped with up to NVIDIA's newly released RTX 5090 laptop GPU, with a GPU power consumption release of up to 175W and an overall system performance release of 270W.

(Source: Leitech filming)

In addition to other conventional gaming laptops, two new lightweight laptops in this exhibition's lineup of new products are also eye-catching.

Among them, the ThundeRobot lightweight laptop aibook 14 Air has attracted the attention of many exhibitors for its portability of only 1kg. Inside its all-metal body with a thickness of about 15.5mm, it is surprisingly equipped with a new Core 200V processor. It is expected to be launched exclusively on JD.com at the end of the month with a price of 7999 yuan.

If you think the price is on the high side, a configuration using the same mold but with the R7-8745HS processor is expected to be launched by the end of March, and the price should be much lower by then.

(Source: Leitech filming)

It is worth mentioning that ThundeRobot Technology also exhibited a series of gaming monitors, desktops, and many gaming peripherals, which also reflects that ThundeRobot Technology already has a certain scale and competitiveness in the full-scenario and full-category aspects of the esports ecosystem.

Summary: The Era of More Diversified PCs Has Arrived

Judging from the content of CES 2025, the PC industry has now presented a development trend of complexity, diversification, and scenario-based application. New technologies and products are constantly emerging, and some technologies are even being implemented earlier than in the mobile phone industry.

Compared to the somewhat rigid mobile phone industry, I even feel that the aging PC industry is showing even more vibrant vitality.

In terms of product form innovation, Lenovo is indeed unique. The rollable screen laptop ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 and the world's first Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 with an under-screen camera are both admirable breakthrough designs, all demonstrating its courage to break traditions.

(Source: Leitech filming)

Not only that, the continuous updates of high-performance 2-in-1 laptops, the rapid popularization of domestic miniLED screens, and the continuous iteration of water-cooled cooling systems have also allowed us to see laptop manufacturers' exploration and perseverance in new technologies, which is truly eye-catching.

Behind all this, in fact, is the competition for the commanding heights of AI PC popularization, with major manufacturers racing ahead in multiple dimensions such as technology research and development, market promotion, and user experience optimization.

With the popularization and development of various large model agents, AI PCs capable of deploying large AI models on the client side will become the main growth point for laptops. Driven by the recovery in demand and AI PCs, it is expected that the domestic PC market will develop in a positive trend.

In an ideal state, the dual approach of large model agents and RTX 50 series graphics cards should drive a wave of replacements among user groups such as working professionals fearing being left behind by the times and students aspiring to become outstanding white-collar workers. Even gamers who are not very interested in AI may be influenced by this year's gaming boom, prompting more consumers with needs to upgrade.

But can the PC industry turn around? Perhaps only time can tell us the answer.

Source: Leitech