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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus depends on your priorities. The Alienware m15 R7 is a gaming laptop with powerful hardware, suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks; however, it is heavier and has less battery life, which affects portability. The XPS 13 Plus is more portable, has a higher resolution OLED touchscreen, and is excellent for general use due to its lighter design and longer battery life, but it is less suited for demanding games and engineering software due to its integrated graphics. If performance in gaming and engineering applications is a priority and you don't mind a bulkier device with shorter battery life, go for the Alienware. If you prefer a lightweight laptop with a longer battery life and a premium display for everyday tasks, the XPS 13 Plus may be the better option. 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 Dell Alienware m15 R7
- Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.4
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus excels in general use over the Dell Alienware m15 R7 thanks to a higher RAM configuration, a superior OLED screen and a much lighter and thinner form factor that boosts portability and battery life. Meanwhile, the Alienware's gaming-oriented hardware and larger display may offer a more immersive experience but result in diminished battery life and less convenience for daily carry due to its higher weight and size.
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.4
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus 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.
Content Creation
7.5
8.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
8.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
8.2
8.4
15.6in
SIZE
13.4in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 Plus for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a display that strikes a balance between clarity and brightness, making it pleasant to use for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video streaming. Engineers and designers will appreciate the XPS 13 Plus's exceptional color accuracy and range, crucial for tasks that require precise color representation such as photo editing and CAD work. However, both laptops lack high refresh rates, making them less suitable for gaming and 3D modeling where smoother motion and quick screen updates provide a more immersive experience.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 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
Fair
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
13.4in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,200
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a price of $2,200 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 excels in engineering and design tasks due to its robust AMD Ryzen 9 processor, ample RAM, a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and a high-quality IPS screen, making it suitable for demanding software, though it is less portable and has a louder operating noise.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Dell XPS 13 Plus both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Dell XPS 13 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $1,849 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 2.71 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 7.84" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i7-1280P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 374 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m15 R7
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | October 2022
"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."
Dell XPS 13 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The XPS 13 Plus is powerful, but has its drawbacks. Dell did not only update the processor generation, but also decided to offer two completely different models from now on. The XPS 13 Plus gets the faster Intel Alder Lake-P chips, and the Core i7-1260P in our review unit offers good performance figures. However, the device once again shows the problems of the current Intel CPUs, because the high performance requires a lot of power. This affects the battery runtime as well as temperatures, so the new model (even with the Optimized power profile) is louder than the older model."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Dell XPS 13 Plus
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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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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