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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels in performance, with top-tier components ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks; however, it is significantly more expensive and less portable due to its heavier build. The display is also superior, offering high color accuracy and refresh rates, but battery life is shorter. If portability, longer battery life, and lower cost are more important and your tasks are more general in nature, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620, with modest performance, may be preferable. The Inspiron is not suited for demanding applications like high-end gaming or professional creative work, but it handles everyday tasks well. 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 m18 R1
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.7
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 stands out for general use thanks to its powerful CPU, large RAM capacity, and high-quality screen, however, its heavy weight and shorter battery life limit its portability. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620, while offering sufficient capabilities for general use with a capable CPU and enough RAM, is more portable due to its lighter weight and longer battery duration, although the screen quality and performance might not match the Alienware's high standards.
Gaming and AI
9.1
6.2
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels in gaming and 3D due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz. The Alienware's superior GPU and refresh rate significantly enhance gameplay and 3D performance, although the Inspiron still manages to deliver adequate performance for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.0
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is superior for engineering and design because it offers a more powerful CPU, vastly better GPU capabilities, double the RAM, and a higher quality screen with better resolution and color accuracy, tailored to demanding computational tasks and graphics-intensive applications. In contrast, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, its modest CPU, integrated graphics, and lower screen quality make it less suited for these tasks, though still competent within its range.
Content Creation
8.4
7.6
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
8.0
7.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
7.8
6.2
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
265.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 likely has a high-resolution display and good brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work with adequate color accuracy. However, its lower refresh rate detracts from gaming experiences where smooth motion is crucial. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron 16 5620, with average resolution and brightness, provides an acceptable visual experience for both general and engineering purposes, yet it also falls short for gaming due to a suboptimal refresh rate.
Battery
4.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 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
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.0
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$500
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a price of $2,600 and the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 costs $500.
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How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Dell Inspiron 16 5620 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Dell Inspiron 16 5620 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 14.1'' x 9.9'' x 0.68'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 4.12 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 9.92" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 265 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m18 R1
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"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."
Dell Inspiron 16 5620
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Stuff
Brett Venter | January 2023
"If the world is exciting enough right now, you can do far worse than a solid performer that you know will get the job done. Our review model is as powerful as you'd want an office machine to be unless you're performing specialist tasks and the price point is pretty attractive (unless work will let you have a MacBook Air instead)."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Dell Inspiron 16 5620
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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