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Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is significantly less expensive than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and offers great portability due to its lighter weight and smaller size, along with a touchscreen and hardware features suited for gaming. Its performance is quite capable for general use and engineering tasks. The Alienware, on the other hand, provides superior performance with a more powerful GPU and double the RAM, making it better for the most intensive 3D, machine learning, and engineering applications, but it's much heavier and larger, making it less convenient to carry around. Both laptops are equipped with high-quality displays and are suitable for gaming, with the Alienware excelling in performance for intensive gaming experiences. 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 ASUS ROG Flow Z13
- Very good overall display quality
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
9.1
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13, equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050, is good for gaming and 3D applications, offering solid performance in a portable form factor. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m18 R1, with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card, delivers excellent gaming and 3D performance, suitable for users demanding top-tier graphics capabilities.
Engineering and Design
8.4
9.1
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is very good.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 offers a balance between power and portability, with a high-resolution touchscreen and a detachable keyboard that enhances its use as a tablet for design tasks, but has less RAM and a less powerful GPU compared to the Dell Alienware m18 R1, which is equipped with top-tier CPU, ample RAM, and a superior GPU, making it excellent for demanding engineering software, but it is significantly heavier and less portable as a result.
Screen Quality
8.4
7.8
13.4in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
511.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 boasts a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color accuracy, making it ideal for general use and tasks requiring precise color representation, such as engineering and design work. However, its screen refresh rate isn't high enough to meet the demands of gamers and professionals using 3D applications, who require smoother visuals for an optimal experience. Despite the Dell Alienware m18 R1 having good screen clarity and brightness suiting everyday tasks and a wide color gamut for creative jobs, its lower refresh rate limits its effectiveness for gaming and working with dynamic 3D content.
Battery
6.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has 6.5 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
Excellent
Poor
13.4in
SIZE
17.3in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,600
$2,600
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 has a price of $1,600 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
8.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
511.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and ASUS ROG Flow Z13 are both very good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.2
8.4
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and ASUS ROG Flow Z13 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
8.0
8.0
9.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Flow Z13 | Dell Alienware m18 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,600 | $2,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.9'' x 8.1'' x 0.54'' | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.6 lbs | 8.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.89" | 16.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.11" | 12.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900H | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 511 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.3/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 4K | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS ROG Flow Z13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming tablet with powerful Alder Lake i9 CPU. The ROG Flow Z13 impresses with its good cooling. After our review, the impression is predominantly positive. Besides a very fast Alder Lake CPU and stable gaming performance, especially the cooling system is surprisingly effective and quiet. You can use the integrated speakers without any issues while gaming. The 1200p display in the 16:10 format also impresses with good color reproduction and high brightness. Since the battery runtimes aren't particularly long as it is, we wouldn't recommend the optional 4K panel."
Dell Alienware m18 R1
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"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 ROG Flow Z13 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.
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