I was wondering when Dell would refresh their lineup and it's definitely worth the wait. It's great that they ditched the mSATA interface all together and went with using M.2 drives. Seems that the 15 has two M.2 slots whereas the 17 has four, pretty insane. I hope it's using the PCIe interface and not SATA. I'm definitely intrigued with the 15, it's definitely on my radar. More info at the official Alienware website here.
From Notebookcheck
With full-fledged quad-core Intel Broadwell processors still a few months away, gaming laptop manufacturers seek other ways to distinguish their products than just a newer Intel chip. For some, it's a mechanical keyboard; for others, it's a shift to IPS screens and redesign; for Dell's Alienware, it's slimmer cases, Ultra HD screens and external graphics amplifiers.
Two updated models have been introduced at the CES exhibition in Las Vegas. Both Alienware 15 and 17 now offer a possibility to connect an external graphics amplifier, just like the recently reviewed Alienware 13. Both laptops became lighter and thinner: for instance, Alienware 17 is now 3.45 cm (1.36 inch) thick and weighs 3.77 kg (8.3 lbs), which is 25% thinner and 9% lighter than its predecessor. The Alienware 15 can now be purchased with an optional Ultra HD ("4K") screen and nVIDIA's GTX 980M or AMD's R9 M295X graphics.
Both laptops are now available in the US; the Alienware 15 starts at $1200 while the Alienware 17 will set you back at least $1500. Naturally, better equipped configurations will cost more.
From Notebookcheck