The XMG APEX 15 and XMG APEX 17 are being updated with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and a WQHD display
Leipzig, 1 September 2023 – The XMG APEX series, unveiled at Computex in June, is receiving the update announced at the time with the new L23 model: AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840HS replaces the previously installed Ryzen 7 7735HS; further innovations include a WQHD display, and the 17.3-inch XMG APEX 17 (L23) also features liquid metal for cooling the processor and graphics card. The chassis and connectivity options remain otherwise identical – including the two graphics card options, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4050.
XMG APEX series gets all-round upgraded specs
With the switch to the new L23 generation, the 15.6-inch XMG APEX 15 and the 17.3-inch XMG APEX 17 receive a platform update to AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840HS with Zen 4 architecture. Compared to the previously installed Ryzen 7 7735HS, the CPU – which also features 8 cores and 16 threads – offers greater single-core and multi-core performance, is manufactured using a modern 4nm process rather than 6nm, and thus also stands out for its superior efficiency. In Cinebench R23, the results clearly favour the Ryzen 7 7840HS in the new L23 model version:
XMG APEX 15 (L23), 7840HS XMG APEX 17 (L23), 7840HS XMG APEX 15 (M23), 7735HS XMG APEX 17 (M23), 7735HS
Cinebench R23 Single Score 1753 1783 1479 1547
Cinebench R23 Multi Score 16939 17224 12675 14238
As before, the laptop graphics cards offer a choice between an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 with a GPU power of 140 watts (115 watts plus 25 watts Dynamic Boost).
However, XMG equips both models with a high-resolution WQHD IPS display (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) with a brightness of over 300 cd/m², 95% sRGB colour gamut coverage and a refresh rate of 240 (APEX 17) and 165 Hz (APEX 15) respectively. The XMG APEX 17 is also still available with the 144 Hz Full HD IPS panel (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) with 90 per cent sRGB colour space coverage, which is already familiar from the previous model. All displays allow the connection to be switched between the integrated AMD graphics unit and the dedicated NVIDIA graphics card via a MUX switch.
Whilst the laptops’ cooling system was already upgraded to a more powerful composite cooling system with four-way rather than three-way air vents in the M23 generation, the XMG APEX 17 (L23) now also benefits from the use of a liquid metal thermal interface material on both the AMD processor and the NVIDIA graphics card.
Dimensions and weight, as well as storage and connectivity
At 360.2 x 243.5 x 26.7 mm and 2.2 kg (APEX 15) or 392.9 x 260 x 24.9 mm and just under 2.5 kg (APEX 17), the dimensions and weight remain identical, as do the 62 Wh battery and the aluminium display lid on the APEX 17.
In addition to two SO-DIMM sockets for up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, which now operates at up to 5600 MHz instead of just 4800 MHz, the interior features two M.2 SSD slots equipped with thermal pads and connected via PCI Express 4.0. The external ports include three USB-A ports (2x 3.2 Gen1, 1x 2.0), USB-C 3.2 Gen2x1, an SD card reader for full-size SD cards, as well as Gigabit Ethernet and separate audio jacks for headphones (compatible with combo-plug headsets) and a microphone. Both native graphics interfaces (HDMI 2.1, Mini DisplayPort 1.4) remain directly connected to the NVIDIA GPU.
Input devices include keyboards with a dedicated numeric keypad, large arrow keys and single-zone RGB lighting, as well as Microsoft Precision-compliant touchpads, which offer slightly greater input comfort on the XMG APEX 17: Its glass touchpad measures 154 x 100 mm and features automatic palm detection; if desired, the right-hand side or even the entire touchpad can be deactivated. On the XMG APEX 15, however, the touchpad measures 114.5 x 70 mm and can only be deactivated completely by double-tapping the top-right corner.
Another laptop with AMD Phoenix is in the starting blocks
With the 16-inch XMG CORE 16, XMG plans to launch another laptop based on AMD’s Ryzen 7840HS in September, which rounds off the portfolio at the top end of the high-performance mid-range. Features include a 16:10 display, graphics cards up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, a 99 Wh battery and an optional mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile switches. Further details will follow at the official product launch.
Prices and availability
The base configuration of the customisable model includes AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840HS, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 16 (2×8) GB DDR5-4800 RAM, a 500 GB Samsung 980 SSD and a Full HD IPS display with 144 Hz. The starting price, including 19 per cent VAT, is €1,249. An upgrade to the GeForce RTX 4060 costs €158, a 240 Hz WQHD IPS display is available for an additional €95, and faster DDR5-5600 RAM is also available.
The otherwise identically equipped and configurable model is available exclusively with the high-resolution WQHD IPS display with a 165 Hz refresh rate for a starting price of €1,199. Both the XMG APEX 15, featuring nearly 30 international keyboard layouts, and the XMG APEX 17 with a German keyboard layout are available now. All variants of the XMG APEX 17 with non-German keyboard layouts are expected to follow from mid-September.
