The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is a great choice for those who prioritize a vibrant OLED display with excellent color accuracy and a high refresh rate, which is fantastic for media consumption and everyday tasks. It's also more portable and less expensive than the Dell Alienware m16 R2, making it suitable for users on the go who don't need top-tier performance. However, its gaming and engineering capabilities are limited compared to the Alienware, and it has fewer ports, which might be a drawback for some.
On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is tailored for users who need powerful performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, thanks to its superior Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and additional RAM. It also offers a higher resolution IPS display with a faster refresh rate, which is beneficial for gaming and engineering work. The Alienware is heavier and pricier, and its battery life is shorter, but it comes with a more robust build, better cooling, and an array of ports that cater to a wider range of peripherals and external displays, making it a better fit for intensive tasks and gaming. 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 15 OLED
Very good for content creation
Very good portability
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m16 R2
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
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 15 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
8.8/10
8.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
302.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m16 R2 for general use, engineering and design, and content creation.
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 15 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
Very Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has very good 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 15 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,249
$1,650
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED has a price of $1,249 and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 costs $1,650.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 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
8.0/10
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 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED are both very good for engineering and design.
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
8.0/10
7.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 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
7.8/10
7.6/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1620
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 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 15 OLED and the Dell Alienware m16 R2 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED excels as a capable work machine at an affordable price. It offers commendable performance, thanks to its 12th Gen Intel chip, delivers quality on-screen entertainment with its 15.6-inch OLED display, and can (kind of) get you through a full day of work. Oh, and its special Asus Antibacterial Guard is a nice touch for those who like a clean laptop."
"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 15 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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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