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Updated March 21, 2024·
When choosing between the Acer Swift X and the Dell Alienware m16 R2, consider that the Swift X offers a balance between cost and capability for everyday tasks and light creative work, with good battery life and easy portability. In contrast, the Alienware is tailored for intensive tasks like high-end gaming, 3D modeling or machine learning with superior performance, but it comes at a higher price, weighs more, and typically has a shorter battery life, making it less convenient for on-the-go use. 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 X (2023)
- Very good for content creation
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m16 R2
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9
7.9
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 offers a more powerful GPU and higher screen refresh rate, which are critical for smooth and immersive gaming and 3D performance, while the Acer Swift X, with a less robust GPU and lower refresh rate, might handle games and 3D tasks but not as fluidly or with the same visual fidelity. Although both have quality CPUs and screens, the superior GPU and screen refresh rate of the Alienware make it a better fit for avid gamers and professionals in 3D fields.
Screen Quality
8.0
8.2
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m16 R2 for software development, and content creation, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X offers a higher resolution and brightness which makes it excellent for general use, ensuring crisp text and vivid images, and its wide color gamuts provide accurate colors for engineering and design tasks. The Dell Alienware m16 R2 also has a high-resolution, bright display with strong color reproduction, making it suitable for detailed design work and everyday tasks. However, both laptops have a lower refresh rate that is not ideal for 3D applications and gaming, where smoother motion and fast screen updates are critical for the best experience.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has 6 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
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,650
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 costs $1,650.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Alienware m16 R2 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X offers a balance of performance and battery life with a quality screen and is lightweight enough for portability, making it suitable for general use where moving around might be necessary. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m16 R2 delivers higher CPU and RAM capacity that can handle more intensive tasks but at the cost of reduced portability and shorter battery life, still maintaining a good screen quality for a wide range of general applications.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2, with its advanced CPU, higher quantity of RAM, and more powerful GPU provides better performance for intensive engineering tasks and rendering, along with a superior screen quality for precise design work. However, the Acer Swift X, while still capable for engineering and design due to its competent CPU, ample RAM, and dedicated GPU, offers greater portability and quieter operation for those who prioritize a balance between performance and convenience.
Content Creation
8.0
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 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
7.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Alienware m16 R2 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | Dell Alienware m16 R2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,650 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14.3'' x 9.8'' x 0.93'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 5.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.33" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.81" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 390 nits | 302 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
Dell Alienware m16 R2
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMag
Momo Tabari | January 2024
"Alienware’s m16 R2 is a solid gaming laptop that leaves much to be desired, particularly in its quest to fulfill your needs as a product for productivity. Battery life under eight hours and a dim display are both vital issues for something that will accompany you through school projects or a workday. However, the Alienware m16 R2 is an exceedingly powerful gaming laptop, consistently being one of the best in our performance tests when compared against similar products. Even then, its display is lacking color, its fans get pretty darn loud, and its speakers aren’t punchy enough to rise above that noise."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Dell Alienware m16 R2
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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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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131,595
Recommendations made
28,513
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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