The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is a high-end gaming laptop with more storage, better 3D and machine learning capabilities, and higher performance for engineering tasks compared to the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which has an upper midrange price and is more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight. The Alienware also has a larger screen and a higher refresh rate, suited for gaming and immersive experiences, but this comes at the cost of shorter battery life and less portability. The XPS 13 Plus, with its OLED display, is excellent for general use, offers better battery life, and its smaller form factor makes it easier to carry around. If you need a machine for intensive gaming, 3D-rendering, or engineering work and don't mind the bulk and shorter battery life, the Alienware is better, but for everyday tasks, multimedia consumption, and travel, the XPS 13 Plus is more suitable. 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
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
Very good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.1/10
6.4/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
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 m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1, with its Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks compared to the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which uses the less powerful Intel i7-1280P Iris Xe graphics and has a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, even though both have capable CPUs and high screen quality.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
8.2/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is equipped with a more powerful CPU and GPU, larger screen with high refresh rates, and substantial RAM, making it exceptional for demanding engineering software and multitasking, but it's less portable due to its size and weight. Conversely, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, while also having ample RAM and a high-resolution OLED touchscreen, offers a balance with its lightweight, compact design, and longer battery life, making it very good for engineering and design tasks on the go, though its integrated GPU is less capable for graphically intensive applications.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 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, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 likely has a high-resolution display with good brightness, making it sharp and easy to view for general tasks and detailed enough for engineering designs, but its refresh rate may not be high enough for the fast-paced visuals needed in gaming. On the other hand, the Dell XPS 13 Plus boasts an excellent display with a high resolution, outstanding brightness, and wider color gamuts ensuring vivid and precise colors that are crucial for professional engineering and design work, although it shares the Alienware's limitation with a refresh rate not tailored for the quick image changes in gaming and 3D applications. Since both laptops appear to prioritize screen qualities vital for visual accuracy over the rapid refresh capabilities desired by gamers, they're less suited for gaming while excelling in general use and technical design work.
Battery
4.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
Poor
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,600
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a price of $2,600 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is strong in CPU and RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and general use; the large, clear screen enhances visual engagement but compromises portability and battery life. On the other hand, the Dell XPS 13 Plus also offers good performance and a high-quality screen in a more portable form factor, though this compact design might affect the heat management and speaker quality somewhat negatively.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.3/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Dell XPS 13 Plus 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
8.0/10
8.3/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 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 m18 R1 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 m18 R1 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.
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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