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Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is significantly less expensive than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and offers great portability with its lightweight design and longer battery life. The Zenbook's OLED screen provides excellent color coverage for general use, but it's less powerful than the Alienware, which has strong performance for engineering, 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming due to its high-end processor and graphics card. The Alienware has more RAM and storage but is much heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable but more suited for intensive tasks. Additionally, the Alienware has a larger, higher-resolution IPS display and superior heat management, but all these come at a significantly higher price. 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 Zenbook 13
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
378.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 13, with its OLED screen, lighter weight, and longer battery life, offers great portability and screen quality for general use. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 boasts a stronger CPU, more RAM, and higher storage capacity, making it very good for general use but less portable due to its larger size and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2
9.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 is limited in gaming and 3D applications due to its integrated Vega 8 graphics and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, both of which provide modest performance and smoothness. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels with its high-end Nvidia RTX 4080 dedicated GPU and a screen refresh rate of 165Hz, enhancing graphic fidelity and providing a much smoother visual experience in demanding tasks and fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.1
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 13, with its lesser RAM and an integrated GPU, provides adequate resources for engineering and design, but may struggle with more intensive tasks compared to the Dell Alienware m18 R1, which boasts a substantially more powerful CPU, a high-end dedicated GPU, and greater RAM, handling demanding engineering and design applications with ease. While the Zenbook 13 is lighter and more portable, the Alienware's larger and sharper screen better accommodates detailed work, though it sacrifices portability and battery life for top-tier performance.
Content Creation
7.6
8.4
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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
7.3
8.0
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 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
7.8
7.8
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 13's screen provides clear and vibrant images due to its high resolution and brightness, making it excellent for everyday tasks and professional design work where color accuracy is key. However, its lower refresh rate hinders the gaming and 3D rendering experience, where smooth motion is critical. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m18 R1, while also delivering good color representation and sufficient resolution for general and engineering use, falls short in gaming because of a lesser refresh rate that fails to provide the fluid visuals gamers expect.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has 9 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
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$890
$2,600
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook 13 | Dell Alienware m18 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$890 | $2,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2021 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8'' x 0.55'' | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.55 lbs | 8.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 16.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.99" | 12.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 67 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 378 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.4/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | 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 | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | May 2021
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
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 Zenbook 13 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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