Introduction
In our previous article, we showed you one of the best-performing laptops with high-end hardware – the XMG Neo 16 A25, which packs the fastest mobile AMD X3D CPU money can buy right now. Since the manufacturer offers the same package with an Intel chip, we decided to see how the “Team Blue” version stacks up.
The beast is called the XMG Neo 16 E25. On the outside, it’s a carbon copy of its AMD sibling. While the AMD model offers two processor choices, the E25 sticks exclusively to the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX. The 24-core powerhouse is a great choice for any kind of workload. However, the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has the upper hand in different scenarios, one of which is perhaps the most important one – gaming.
This is where the OASIS cooler comes into play. With Arrow Lake frequencies boosted by that hybrid air-and-water setup, the Intel version might finally close the gap with AMD at sub-4K resolutions.
Now, the Neo 16 E25 offers some advantages over the A25 in terms of pure functionality. On the E25, one of the ports is upgraded to Thunderbolt 4, whereas the AMD model sticks with two standard Type-C connectors. There’s no sign of the cutting-edge Thunderbolt 5 yet. You can also spec it with Wi-Fi 7 through the official configurator. Those are really the main differences under the hood. Plus the CPU and the motherboard, of course.
The good news is that everything else we loved is still here: a superb metal build, top-notch input devices, a large battery, IPS and Mini LED display options, a monstrous main thermal system, and the ability to attach the pretty compact external OASIS cooler. Expectedly, the GPU options remain unchanged – the entry level is the 140 W RTX 5070 Ti, and if your budget allows, the 175 W RTX 5090 and its 24 GB of VRAM will absolutely crush gaming and pro-workloads alike.
This time around, we got the regular 1600p IPS display. This one proved to us that if you don’t need mega brightness or pro-grade color coverage, you can save some cash without sacrificing that smooth 300 Hz experience.
Specifications
SpecificationsManufacturer:XMGModel:XMG Neo 16 (E25)Weight: 2.65 kg with IPS display
2.80 kg with Mini LED display Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX/Arrow Lake-HX
8 P-Cores + 16 E-cores/24 threads (No HT)
up to 5.4 GHz, 36 MB cache
55+ W Base Power Chipset:Intel HM870 (Arrow Lake-HX PCH)Display: Default Display:
16.0″/2560×1600 (16:10)/IPS/300 Hz
~500 nits/100% sRGB/non-glare
Optional Display:
16.0″/2560×1600 (16:10)/Mini LED/300 Hz
~750/1000 nits (SDR/HDR)/100% DCI-P3/non-glare Operating System:No OS/Microsoft Windows 11 Home/11 ProIntegrated Graphics:Intel Graphics (64 EU)Dedicated Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (mobile):
12 GB GDDR7, 192 Bit, 2000 MHz effective clock
5888 CUDA Cores
184 TMUs
64 ROPs
46 RT Cores
184 Tensor Cores
L1: 5.8 MB, L2: 48 MB
Up to 140 W TGP
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (mobile):
16 GB GDDR7, 256 Bit, 1750 MHz effective clock
8192 CUDA Cores
256 TMUs
96 ROPs
64 RT Cores
256 Tensor Cores
L1: 8 MB, L2: 64 MB
Up to 175 W TGP
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (mobile):
24 GB GDDR7, 256 Bit, 1750 MHz effective clock
10496 CUDA Cores
328 TMUs
112 ROPs
82 RT Cores
328 Tensor Cores
L1: 10.3 MB, L2: 64 MB
Up to 175 W TGP Memory: 2x SO-DIMM RAM slots
Up to 128 GB of DDR5 at 5600/6400 MT/s Storage: 1× M.2 2280 PCI Express 5.0 x4
1× M.2 2280 PCI Express 4.0 x4 Optical Drive:NoneConnectivity: 3× 5 Gbps USB Type-A/3.2 Gen. 1
1× 10 Gbps USB Type-C/3.2 Gen. 2 with DP 1.4a/100 W PD/NVIDIA G-SYNC + AMD FreeSync
1× 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4/USB4 with DP 2.1/140 W PD/NVIDIA G-SYNC + AMD FreeSync/eGPU-compatible
1× HDMI 2.1 VRR/G-SYNC compatible
1× Mini DisplayPort 2.1/NVIDIA G-SYNC + AMD FreeSync/VR headset support + 2× DisplayPort streams
Audio combo jack
2.5 GbE LAN
Full-sized SD Express|UHS-II card reader
Self-sealing connectors for XMG OASIS cooler
DC-in Communications: Wi-Fi 6/E + Bluetooth 5.1/3
Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 (optional)
1080p IR webcam Audio: 2× speakers
Nahimic by SteelSeries Software Input device: Microsoft Precision Glass Touchpad, integrated buttons
Per-key RGB backlit keyboard/N-key rollover/Anti-ghosting Power: 1× 330 W AC adapter with RTX 5070 Ti
1× 420 W AC adapter with RTX 5080/90
99.9 Wh battery Warranty:Two yearsMSRP:Starting at €2849
