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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is aimed at high-end gaming and engineering tasks with superior performance thanks to its advanced processor and top-of-the-line graphics card. However, it is more expensive, larger, heavier, and has shorter battery life, which affects its portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is more affordable, lighter, and offers better battery life, making it highly portable, suitable for general use with a good quality touchscreen display but it can't handle intensive gaming or engineering tasks due to its less powerful processor and integrated graphics. The choice depends on whether the need for advanced performance and gaming capability outweighs the benefits of portability and price. 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
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.7/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is considered very good for general use due to its superior processing power, double the memory, and high-quality screen, but it sacrifices portability and battery life compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, which offers a lighter build and longer battery life making it good for general use while providing ample screen quality and sufficient performance for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
9.1
6.1
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro in gaming and 3D tasks due to its significantly more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, which are critical for smooth rendering and gameplay.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.0
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is superior for engineering and design due to its substantially stronger CPU, the Intel i9, more RAM, and a better GPU, the Nvidia RTX 4080, which supports hardware ray tracing and DLSS, leading to better performance in computing and graphics-intensive tasks, and excellent screen quality. In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, though lighter and more portable with a high-resolution touchscreen, has a modest CPU, the Intel i5, integrated GPU, and less RAM, which are adequate but not optimal for the most demanding applications, while still offering very good screen quality.
Content Creation
8.4
7.4
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
7.7
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1's screen, although not optimized for high refresh rates needed in gaming, delivers on resolution and panel type, ensuring sharp and vibrant image quality for general use and detailed visuals for engineering applications with decent color coverage. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro, with its higher-resolution display and broad color gamut, excels in providing precise color representation and crisp visuals crucial for both general use and demanding engineering tasks, but like the Alienware, its lower refresh rate isn’t ideal for the fast-paced action in gaming and 3D work. Both laptops, while excellent for productivity and creative work, may not satisfy gamers or 3D designers who prioritize fluid motion and extremely fast image updates.
Battery
4.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 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
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$799
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a price of $2,600 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro costs $799.
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How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $799 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 3.04 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 12.29" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i5-11300H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 8.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 60.7 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 90Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
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 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | October 2021
"The main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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.
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