To aid your decision between the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and the Dell Alienware m15 R7, consider the following. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is usually lighter and more portable with an excellent display, making it suitable for general use, business tasks, and media consumption on the go. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is a gaming-oriented laptop with robust performance ideal for 3D applications, machine learning, gaming, and engineering software, but it's heavier and may have shorter battery life. Expect the Alienware to be more expensive due to its high-performance components, while the Zenbook strikes a balance between cost and performance for everyday tasks. Choose the Alienware if high-end performance is a priority, or the Zenbook for portability and cost-effectiveness for everyday use. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m15 R7
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X 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
8.6/10
8.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
376.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m15 R7 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, both the Zenbook's OLED and Alienware's high-resolution panel offer crisp text and vibrant images, and their brightness ensures comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions. Engineering and design professionals will appreciate their wide color gamuts, which render accurate colors, essential for precise visual work. However, for gaming and 3D tasks, their lower refresh rates lead to less smooth motion and responsiveness, so they are less suitable for action-packed games and fast-paced 3D simulations where higher refresh rates are preferred.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$575
$2,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has a price of $575 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 costs $2,200.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a high-quality OLED touchscreen with vibrant colors and a portable design that's suitable for those who prioritize screen quality and portability, accompanied by a solid CPU and sufficient RAM for everyday tasks. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m15 R7, while less portable due to its larger size and weight, features a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, making it a superior choice for performance-intensive applications but at the cost of battery life and ease of carrying. Both have high-quality keyboards and storage, and manage heat and noise at decent levels, though the Alienware may be noisier due to its gaming-oriented hardware.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m15 R7 to be very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 suits engineering and design tasks very well due to its higher RAM capacity, powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, and superior Nvidia RTX GPU, making it ideal for running intricate simulations and 3D modeling software, though it might not be as portable and light. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED offers a striking OLED display which is excellent for design work due to its high color accuracy and contrast, packaged in a more portable form factor, but with a less powerful integrated Intel GPU and less RAM, it's less suited for highly-demanding engineering programs.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
7.5/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 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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How the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 compare to other laptops
"While one of the more budget-friendly configurations of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED may make a compelling case as a top value pick, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the more expensive model we reviewed here. At its core, for all models, it’s a luxury-built laptop with extreme portability and a gorgeous OLED display. Our unit rocks with a snappy Core i9 processor for getting real work done, and the discrete GPU—even if it has a clear power ceiling—is a bonus for creative pros."
"The Alienware M15 offers solid gaming and leading endurance. It makes the most of its CPU and GPU while delivering stellar battery life for a gaming laptop. Opening the lid presents a full-size keyboard with honeycomb cutouts above it on the deck. An oblong RBG lightning element surrounds the entire rear panel and can be color-synced with the other lights on the laptop. There’s not a lot to dislike about the M15 Its productivity performance lagged in some areas, particularly in the storage benchmark, and it’s a bit heavy. Alienware has a clear winner here with the M15 based on its strong overall performance and endurance."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED or the Dell Alienware m15 R7
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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