The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED is a compelling choice for those who prioritize portability, battery life, and a vibrant OLED screen with excellent color reproduction, making it ideal for general use and media consumption. Its slim design and lower midrange price point make it an attractive option for everyday tasks and light productivity. However, it may not satisfy the needs of gamers or those requiring intensive engineering tasks due to its less powerful GPU and limited thermal management.
On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is tailored for users who demand high performance, particularly for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, thanks to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and ample RAM. The higher refresh rate and superior color space coverage also cater to professionals who need accurate color representation. While it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, its robust build quality, advanced cooling system, and inclusion of a number pad make it suitable for power users who don't mind a bulkier device.
In summary, choose the ASUS for its portability and excellent display for everyday use, or opt for the Dell Alienware if performance and screen quality for intensive tasks are your main concerns, despite its higher price and weight. 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 Vivobook S 14 OLED
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m16 R2
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.6/10
7.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
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 m16 R2 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED 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
7.8/10
8.4/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
8.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m16 R2 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has 9 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
Excellent
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,650
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has a price of $899 and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 costs $1,650.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED are both 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
7.9/10
7.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED are both 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
7.7/10
7.6/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED 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 ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 compare to other laptops
"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 ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED or the Dell Alienware m16 R2
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.