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Updated January 10, 2024·
When choosing between the Acer Swift Edge 16 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7, consider the following tradeoffs: if you prioritize portability and longer battery life for use on the go or in office settings, the Acer Swift Edge could be more suitable due to its lighter weight and higher portability score. However, if you're looking to perform more resource-intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Dell Alienware, with its more powerful components and better performance scores for engineering and 3D tasks, would be a better fit despite its higher price and heavier build. Keep in mind, though, that its battery life is shorter than the Acer's. Additionally, for those valuing a high-quality display, both offer great color coverage, with the Acer's OLED screen providing exceptional color accuracy perfect for general use and professional creative work, whereas the Dell's IPS panel is designed to support fast motion, making it ideal for gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Swift Edge 16
- Very good for content creation
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m15 R7
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7
7.8
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
8.1
7.5
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9
7.3
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.8
8.2
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m15 R7 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 boasts superior resolution and brightness, along with a high-quality panel type, enhancing the visual experience for daily tasks and detailed engineering work, which require sharp and vivid displays. This model also excels in color accuracy, covering a wide range of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts, which is crucial for professional color grading and precision in design applications. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications and gaming, where fluid motion and quick screen updates are essential.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$820
$2,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 costs $2,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.5
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is light and has a long battery life, making it highly portable with a stellar OLED screen for crisp visuals, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a more robust CPU for demanding tasks and includes better speakers and heat management, although it is heavier with shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.2
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Swift Edge 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is considered good for engineering and design due to its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, AMD Radeon GPU, substantial RAM, and high-quality OLED screen, offering a balance between performance and portability. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is rated very good for the same tasks because it features a more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU, superior Nvidia RTX GPU, and also sufficient RAM, prioritizing top-tier performance and screen quality at the expense of increased weight and less portability.
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How the Acer Swift Edge 16 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Edge 16 | Dell Alienware m15 R7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$820 | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.73 lbs | 5.93 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.68" | 10.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 86 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 383 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift Edge 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | October 2023
"The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a solid super thin-and-light that pairs a large, gorgeous 16-inch display with portable design that rivals the weight of LG’s superlight Gram 16. Remarkably, Acer achieves this at a lower price point without sacrificing performance. Boring design and disappointing battery life hold the laptop back from stardom, but its rivals frequently suffer in these areas, too. That makes the Swift Edge 16 an alluring value pick."
Dell Alienware m15 R7
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | October 2022
"The Alienware M15 offers solid gaming and leading endurance. It makes the most of its CPU and GPU while delivering stellar battery life for a gaming laptop. Opening the lid presents a full-size keyboard with honeycomb cutouts above it on the deck. An oblong RBG lightning element surrounds the entire rear panel and can be color-synced with the other lights on the laptop. There’s not a lot to dislike about the M15 Its productivity performance lagged in some areas, particularly in the storage benchmark, and it’s a bit heavy. Alienware has a clear winner here with the M15 based on its strong overall performance and endurance."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the Dell Alienware m15 R7
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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