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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
To determine whether the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s laptop is better for you, consider how you'll use the laptop and what you prioritize. The Dell Alienware is a high-end laptop with significant power for gaming and engineering tasks due to its advanced processor and graphics card, but it's heavy and has shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is less expensive and more portable with a lighter weight and longer battery life, suitable for general use and business tasks, but it offers less powerful performance, making it less ideal for gaming or intensive engineering work. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.1
6.4
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 outperforms the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s in gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its superior dedicated Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and higher screen refresh rate, which provide smoother visuals and can handle complex graphical tasks more effectively. In contrast, the ThinkBook with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and lower refresh rate is suitable for less demanding applications and offers better portability but doesn't keep pace with the performance demanded by intensive gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 boasts a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a superior GPU than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, making it better suited for demanding engineering and design tasks that require high-performance computing and graphic rendering. Although the ThinkBook 13s offers greater portability and a higher-quality keyboard, its less capable hardware makes it more suited for general use rather than intensive engineering applications.
Content Creation
8.4
7.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 ThinkBook 13s 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.
Screen Quality
7.8
7.2
17.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s offer screens with high resolution and brightness, enabling clear and vivid display of content, which is critical for daily tasks and media consumption. In the realm of engineering and design, the importance of accurate color reproduction means that both laptops deliver quality with screens that cover a wider color spectrum, ensuring that professionals in these fields can see precise hues and gradations crucial for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite their capable resolution and panel types, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which means they cannot display fast-moving images as smoothly as required by many modern games and interactive 3D applications.
Battery
4.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.3in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.6
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$1,000
$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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
7.8
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for general use, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1, with its powerful CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, offers top-tier performance suitable for intensive tasks, though it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the more compact and longer-lasting Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, which has a capable CPU and good screen quality for everyday tasks.
Software Development
8.0
7.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Lenovo ThinkBook 13s |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 11.7'' x 8.3'' x 0.59'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 2.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 11.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 8.3" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-1260P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 56 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 336 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 3 | |
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 ThinkBook 13s
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Dig into reviews and images
The Verge
Monica Chin | July 2021
"The best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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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