The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED is a compelling choice for those who prioritize a vibrant display and portability, with its OLED screen delivering rich colors and contrast, and a lighter, thinner design. It's well-suited for general use and everyday tasks, offering good performance and battery life. However, its gaming and engineering capabilities are more limited due to less powerful graphics and a CPU that's efficient but not as powerful as the competition.
On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is tailored for users with more demanding tasks, such as gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, thanks to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and Intel i7-12700H processor. It also has a higher refresh rate screen, making it better for fast-paced gaming. While it's slightly heavier and has an IPS display that doesn't quite match the OLED's color performance, it offers superior performance where it counts for intensive tasks. It's also built with a robust cooling system to manage heat during long gaming sessions.
In summary, if you value a stellar display and portability for everyday tasks, the ASUS is the way to go. But for superior performance in gaming and demanding applications, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is the better investment, despite being a bit pricier and less portable. 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
Very good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Alienware x14 R1
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
7.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.9/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has a better screen than the Dell Alienware x14 R1 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Portability
Excellent
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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
$1,201
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has a price of $899 and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 costs $1,201.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Engineering and Design
7.8/10
8.2/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware x14 R1 to be 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.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED and Dell Alienware x14 R1 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
7.7/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED has 9 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 compare to other laptops
"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 ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED or the Dell Alienware x14 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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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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