The Dell Alienware m15 R7 excels in gaming and engineering tasks due to its higher performance hardware but comes with lower battery life and heavier weight, making it less portable. The MSI Summit E16 Flip, while offering slightly lower performance for gaming and engineering, has a better battery life, is lighter for portability, and features a touchscreen with a sharper display for creative work. If gaming or intensive engineering work is a priority and portability isn't a concern, the Alienware may suit you better. Conversely, if you value longer battery life, portability, and touch functionality, the MSI could be a better fit. 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
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Summit E16 Flip
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.8/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
8.2/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the MSI Summit E16 Flip for gaming and AI, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip both offer high resolution and brightness, ensuring sharp and clear visuals suitable for day-to-day tasks. In the context of engineering and design, these laptops have wide color gamuts, allowing for accurate color reproduction which is essential for detailed and color-sensitive work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, they fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visual experiences during fast-paced scenes and can be a disadvantage for fast-action gaming.
Battery
5.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip has 8 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Summit E16 Flip has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$1,550
$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 MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,550.
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers solid performance with a high-end CPU and dedicated GPU suitable for demanding tasks, but its battery life is shorter and it's not as easy to carry around. On the other hand, the MSI Summit E16 Flip, while still providing reliable performance with a capable CPU and GPU for general use, boasts a better battery life and higher portability due to its lighter weight and convertible design, making it a versatile choice for users who prioritize mobility and battery longevity.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 stands out for engineering and design due to its powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and high-end Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, providing excellent performance for computational and graphics-intensive tasks, alongside a high refresh rate screen which is beneficial for detailed design work, although it is heavier and thicker which impacts portability.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.3/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip compare to other laptops
"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."
"The MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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