If your primary concern is gaming or high-end computing tasks and you don't mind the extra expense and weight, the Dell Alienware may offer superior performance. However, if you favor a lighter, slimmer design for easier portability and longer battery life for everyday use or travel, and you're looking to save money, the Lenovo Legion Slim might be the better choice despite possibly having less power for demanding applications. 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 m16 R2
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
Good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for gaming and AI, though the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is somewhat better.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2, with its high-end GPU and fast screen refresh rate, excels in delivering smooth visuals essential for immersive gaming and fluid 3D rendering, while the Lenovo Legion Slim offers a balance between strong GPU performance for gaming and a quality screen, but with a focus on sleekness and portability. Although both have capable CPUs, the Alienware's emphasis is on raw power and high refresh rates, and the Legion Slim prioritizes a balance between performance and a slimmer design.
Engineering and Design
8.4/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2, with a stronger CPU, RAM, and GPU, offers superior performance for demanding engineering tasks and higher screen quality for detailed design work, but it's heavier and could be louder under load, which impacts portability and operating noise. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7, while also capable for engineering and design, balances performance with better portability and potentially quieter operation, making it a sound choice if mobility and lower noise levels are as critical as the work itself.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
7.7/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
302.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 likely offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and panel technology, providing sharp images and vivid colors for everyday tasks and detailed engineering designs; however, its lower refresh rate impacts the smoothness needed in gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7's screen also offers good resolution and sufficient brightness for tasks and engineering, but it too may fall short in refresh rate, making it less ideal for 3D gaming where fluid motion is crucial. Both laptops probably support wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color representation for professional design work, but their limitations in refresh rate mean gamers and 3D artists might need to look elsewhere for optimal performance.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has 9 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
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,650
$1,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has a price of $1,650 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 both offer powerful CPUs and ample RAM, ensuring smooth performance for everyday tasks, while their high-quality screens provide a clear and vibrant display for various types of content. However, the Legion Slim 7 has an advantage in portability and battery life, making it more suitable for users frequently on the move, whereas the Alienware, with its robust heat management, might be preferred for longer, more intense use sessions despite being heavier and having shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.7/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
7.6/10
7.5/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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 m16 R2 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" compare to other laptops
"Alienware’s m16 R2 is a solid gaming laptop that leaves much to be desired, particularly in its quest to fulfill your needs as a product for productivity. Battery life under eight hours and a dim display are both vital issues for something that will accompany you through school projects or a workday. However, the Alienware m16 R2 is an exceedingly powerful gaming laptop, consistently being one of the best in our performance tests when compared against similar products. Even then, its display is lacking color, its fans get pretty darn loud, and its speakers aren’t punchy enough to rise above that noise."
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m16 R2 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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