The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is an upper midrange laptop with a larger, high-resolution mini LED display and longer battery life, making it well-suited for professionals who need a high-performance machine for tasks like video editing or graphic design. Its MacOS operating system and limited game library could be a downside for gamers. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is a midrange gaming-centric laptop with a high-refresh-rate screen and dedicated graphics card, making it ideal for gaming and other GPU-intensive tasks. It runs on Windows 11 Home, offering a vast array of software compatibility. However, the Alienware's battery life is shorter than the MacBook's, and while it's highly portable for a gaming laptop, it might be less suitable for on-the-go use compared to the MacBook Pro. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Alienware x14 R1
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
7.8/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) stands out for general use because of its higher RAM, superior screen quality with Mini LED technology and a larger, higher-resolution display, which contribute to a more vivid visual experience and smooth multitasking, but it's less portable and has a longer battery life. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is more compact and lighter, making it more portable, with a high-quality screen and sufficient power for general use, but it falls short on screen size, resolution, and battery life when compared to the MacBook Pro.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
7.6/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both good for gaming and AI, though the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is well-suited for 3D tasks due to its powerful GPU and high-resolution Mini LED screen, which provides excellent screen quality though limited in gaming due to fewer titles available for MacOS and no high refresh rate display. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 offers a gaming-optimized Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a faster 144Hz screen refresh rate, making it ideal for gaming and 3D work on Windows, with a wider selection of compatible game titles.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
8.2/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and Dell Alienware x14 R1 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is outfitted with an M1 Pro processor and integrates CPU and GPU performance suitable for engineering and design tasks, featuring a high-quality Mini LED screen, but is less portable due to its size and weight. In contrast, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 packs a high-performing Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU combo with a standard IPS screen, offering greater portability due to its smaller size and lower weight, which may be somewhat less ideal for color-intensive work.
Content Creation
8.8/10
7.9/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 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
8.9/10
7.7/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good.
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
9.4/10
7.9/10
16.2in
SIZE
14.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware x14 R1 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a high-resolution Retina display that offers vibrant colors and excellent brightness, making it ideal for everyday tasks and professional design work where color accuracy, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, is crucial. However, for 3D applications which demand a high refresh rate, it falls short, as its screen is optimized more for color fidelity than rapid motion. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1's screen, while offering balanced quality and respectable color coverage for general use and engineering tasks, does not meet the highest gaming standards as its refresh rate is lower than what's preferred for fast-paced gaming and 3D rendering scenarios.
Battery
17.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$1,201
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 costs $1,201.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware x14 R1 to have very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"The Alienware X14 series is thinner, but also slower than the competition. With the X series, you get plenty of modern technology: Intel Alder Lake CPUs, GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs, Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E, G-Sync, and Advanced Optimus. However, the slim design has some drawbacks, just like its larger siblings. The shifted hinge position results in a very deep device with a large footprint compared to the competition."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the Dell Alienware x14 R1
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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