Corsair is pretty late to the portable party, but it’s now expanded beyond the gaming PC space with its very first gaming laptop. The Corsair Voyager a1600, as it’s called, is powered by the AMD Advantage platform and builds off everything the company has learned in its endeavours, from the Elgato Stream Deck to the best wireless gaming mouse in its portfolio.
Since this is both a first and a flagship, Corsair goes in hard with its specs. The Corsair Voyager a1600 packs up to 64GB of RAM, up to 2TB of storage, an eight-core, 16-thread AMD processor, and a Radeon RX 6800M GPU, which should be more than enough for any current gamer, streamer, or content creator on-the-go.
Being a part of the AMD Advantage range means the Corsair Voyager a1600 has access to new features like Smartshift Max, Smartshift Eco, and an improved Smart Access Memory (SAM) that allows the gaming CPU and graphics card to better work together. It’s all designed to make use of every pixel in its 2,560 x 1,600 IPS screen and push every frame out of the 240Hz refresh rate, although we won’t be able to comment on its real-world performance until we get a hands-on.
The most distinctive feature of the laptop that sets it apart from its competition is the extended hinge, which makes room for ten ‘S-keys’. These are macro keys based on the Elgato Stream Deck software, enabling you to boot applications, switch scenes in OBS, or add to your host of custom keybinds in-game. It also handily shows the battery life so you’re never caught short, even while playing.
If you happen to own any cordless Corsair peripherals over the past few years, the laptop has an integrated Slipstream dongle that connects up to three wireless Corsair peripherals. And if you don’t, the laptop has a Cherry MX Ultra-low profile keyboard with the exception of the membrane function keys, a USB 3.2 Type-C port, USB 3.2 Type-A port, and two Thunderbolt 3-compatible USB 4.0 ports to plug in your own peripherals. It’s not common to see AMD-powered systems with Thunderbolt support, but this will make it easy to pair with the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock so you can plug your desktop peripherals in with a single cable.
For a company as well-established as Elgato, you’d perhaps expect a better webcam than a 30fps, full HD lens. That said, Corsair has to make considerations to achieve its 19.8mm thick chassis, and fitting a Facecam in there isn’t the most practical idea. At the very least, it pairs a privacy shutter, so you can be sure you haven’t accidentally left your cam on.
Corsair Voyager CN-9000003-XX |
Corsair Voyager CN-9000004-XX |
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CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS |
---|---|---|
GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6800M | AMD Radeon RX 6800M |
Display | 16-inch 16:10 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz |
16-inch 16:10 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz |
MUX Switch | Yes | Yes |
Memory | 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 SO-DIMM | 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 SO-DIMM |
Storage | 1TB PCIe 4.0 NMVe SSD | 2TB PCIe 4.0 NMVe SSD |
Keyboard | Cherry MX Ultra-low profile Membrane half-keys |
Cherry MX Ultra-low profile Membrane half-keys |
Webcam | 1080p at 30fps | 1080p at 30fps |
Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 1x USB 3.2 Type-A SDXC 7.0 card reader 3.5mm audio jack |
2x Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 1x USB 3.2 Type-A SDXC 7.0 card reader 3.5mm audio jack |
Wireless | 802.11az (WiFi 6E) Bluetooth 5.2 |
802.11az (WiFi 6E) Bluetooth 5.2 |
Battery | 6410mAh, 99Wh | 6410mAh, 99Wh |
Dimensions | 356mm x 286.7mm x 19.9mm, 2.4kg | 356mm x 286.7mm x 19.9mm, 2.4kg |
Price | $2,699.99 | $2,999.99 |
The Corsair Voyager a1600 doesn’t come cheap, starting at $2,699.99, but it seems to offer a lot in return for its steep asking price. Only time will tell how it holds up against others in its price range and whether it can contend with the best gaming laptop, so keep an eye out for reviews.