Maingear is pitching its new Element laptop as the "ultimate gaming notebook designed in collaboration with Intel," and while that is hyperbole, the hardware inside is certainly high end. It's also one of the better looking laptops I've seen, at least in photos.
I'm basing that opinion on the "launch edition" model, of which Maingear is only producing 50 units, each with its own numbered travel case. It also comes with a backpack.
Accessories aside, the launch edition Element houses some fast components inside a machined magnesium alloy body, with Maingear's logo taking up a quarter section (maybe a little more). It measures about 0.8 inches thin and weighs a hair over 4 pounds.
On Facebook, Maingear founder Wallace Santos says the Element is something his company's been working on with Intel for "about two years now, stemming from the board of advisors."
I'm not sure what all went into the collaboration, but compared to the regular variant that will arrive later, the launch edition Element is sports a darker finish and an engraving on the inside to designate its status.
It's neat looking, but what about the hardware? Here's a rundown of the pertinent specs:
- 15.6-inch IPS panel (1920x1080, 144Hz)
- Intel Core i9-9750H
- 16GB DDR4-2666
- GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
- 2TB NVMe SSD
- Wi-Fi 6
- Glass touchpad
It's not a cheap laptop—that configuration costs $2,199. There's also a $2,399 config that doubles the RAM (32GB) and storage (2TB), which is a fairly reasonable up-charge, in terms of the added cost.
Other features include an RGB mechanical keyboard (with silent key switches), an Intel RealSense webcam with depth perception, USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, and up to 10 hours of battery life (much shorter when gaming, we presume).
The Maingear Element launch edition is available now. There's no word yet on how much the standard edition will cost or if the hardware selection will be identical, but it is due to arrive in the fall.
