If prioritizing a budget-friendly option with high portability, an impressive screen, and ample performance for everyday tasks like web browsing, multimedia consumption, and basic productivity, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is a solid choice, with its OLED display providing crisp visuals and effective performance for general use. However, if gaming, 3D rendering, or other intensive engineering and machine learning tasks are your focus and budget is less of a concern, the Dell Alienware m18 R1, with its powerful processor and high-end gaming GPU, is designed to manage demanding workloads, though it sacrifices portability due to its larger size and weight. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook S 13
Very good overall display quality
Best in class portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 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.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
9.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 is very good.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 is well-suited for engineering and design with its OLED screen, providing excellent color accuracy and crisp visual quality, alongside sufficient processing power thanks to an Intel i7 CPU and integrated graphics, which is balanced with excellent portability.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 excels in screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display and bright panel, which enhance clarity and detail, alongside a wide color gamut that ensures accurate color representation necessary for design work. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for gaming and 3D applications where smoother motion is critical. The Dell Alienware m18 R1, while it offers a good display for general tasks and is satisfactory for engineering and design tasks with decent color range and sharpness, its screen is not optimized for the high refresh rates required by gamers and professionals working with 3D content, which can hinder the visual fluidity and responsiveness in these scenarios.
Battery
11.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
Best in Class
Poor
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has best in class portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$2,600
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers exceptional portability and battery life alongside a high-quality OLED screen which makes it suitable for general use, while the Alienware m18 R1, though less portable and with shorter battery life, provides a larger IPS screen and vastly superior processing power which also suits general use especially for more demanding applications.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very good for content creation.
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
8.3/10
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very 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 ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Zenbook S 13 is the slimmest OLED ultrabook worldwide struggles with annoying fans. The new Zenbook S 13 leaves us with mixed feelings, particularly since last year's model was so good. Asus has completely reworked the device, making the laptop noticeably slimmer. The result also looks good and the case makes a great impression, particularly also in terms of the stability. The new plasma ceramic surface feels great, and there are no problems with fingerprints. In addition, it now includes some of the known connections such as an HDMI port and a regular USB-A connection, which is a good achievement in such a slim device."
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Dell Alienware m18 R1
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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.
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.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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