The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is less expensive and more portable, making it suitable for general use, creative tasks, and on-the-go productivity with its high-quality OLED screen. It offers decent performance in engineering and 3D tasks but isn't built primarily for intensive gaming. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 is pricier with a focus on high performance for gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, thanks to a more powerful processor and graphics card. It is much heavier and less portable, which can be a drawback if you need to move around a lot. Additionally, the Alienware's larger screen and higher refresh rate are advantageous for gaming but not as necessary for general use. 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 Pro 14 Duo
Very good overall display quality
Good portability
Good battery life
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
9.1/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is rated excellent for gaming and 3D due to its Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and higher screen refresh rate, making it optimal for graphics-intensive tasks and smoother visuals. While the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is also good for gaming and 3D, its lower-tier GPU and slightly lower screen refresh rate mean it won't match the Alienware's performance in demanding scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
9.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is highly regarded for engineering and design due to its potent Intel i7-12700H processor, substantial RAM, high-quality integrated Iris Xe graphics, and an OLED screen which offers excellent color accuracy and contrast.
Screen Quality
8.6/10
7.8/10
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
357.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo typically offers vibrant colors and high resolution making it suitable for tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and productivity software, where clarity and color accuracy support a better viewing experience. For engineering and design work, its screen likely covers a wider color gamut, which is critical for professionals who need precise color representation for their projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate may result in less fluid motion and a less optimal gaming experience compared to screens designed with higher refresh rates for smoother visuals.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has 6 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
Good
Poor
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$2,600
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has a price of $1,299 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo excels in general use due to its high-quality OLED screen combined with a strong CPU and ample RAM, ensuring smooth operation and vivid display, all in a relatively lightweight package with decent portability. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 also offers a terrific experience for general use with a powerful CPU, substantial RAM, and a high-quality IPS screen, but it is considerably less portable due to its larger size and weight, making it best suited for stationary use.
Content Creation
8.6/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very 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
8.2/10
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very 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 ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
"The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned instrument for content creators, excelling at a range of general office tasks as well as tasks that require a little more grunt like encoding and 3D rendering. The big attraction is the laptop’s dual displays. They’re the best ones we’ve used in an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop to date with a spate of year-on-year improvements that make the visuals more striking and the cross-screen integration easier than ever before."
"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 Pro 14 Duo 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.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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