When choosing between the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, consider portability and performance for specific tasks. The Alienware is more compact and lighter, making it easier to carry, but the Legion offers a slightly larger screen which could be beneficial for multitasking or media consumption. Both are equipped with powerful processors and graphics cards, making them suitable for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. If a high screen refresh rate is important, the Legion has an edge, which is advantageous for gaming. Both have good build quality and heat management, but the Alienware has a slightly better battery life, making it more suitable for extended use away from a power source. If available RAM or storage slots are crucial for future upgrades, the Legion provides more flexibility. Both laptops are good for engineering tasks due to their robust hardware, but neither is particularly suited for color-critical work due to limited colorspace coverage. Ultimately, both laptops offer similar performance for general and specialized uses, so the choice may come down to your preference for portability versus screen size. 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 x14 R1
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.9/10
7.7/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
411.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 offer screens with clear resolution and adequate brightness for comfortable viewing, but their panel types ensure crisp and vibrant displays. In terms of engineering and design, these laptops provide wide color coverage, essential for professionals requiring precision in color-critical tasks. However, when it comes to gaming and 3D applications, their screens fall short due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and a less immersive experience compared to displays with higher refresh rates.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is highly favored for general use because it boasts strong CPU and RAM capabilities, alongside excellent build quality and good portability scores, which are further complemented by very good keyboard and speaker qualities; however, it has a satisfactory battery life which is an important factor for consideration.
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
7.4/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
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 x14 R1 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 both excel in gaming and 3D applications because they feature the Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU which delivers robust graphics performance. While the Alienware boasts a higher brightness for vivid colors and excellent heat management, the Legion Slim 7 offers a slightly higher screen refresh rate which can provide smoother visuals during fast-paced gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.8/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware x14 R1 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.7/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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
7.7/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 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
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware x14 R1 to have very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,201
$1,200
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a price of $1,201 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
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How the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" compare to other laptops
"The Alienware X14 series is thinner, but also slower than the competition. With the X series, you get plenty of modern technology: Intel Alder Lake CPUs, GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs, Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E, G-Sync, and Advanced Optimus. However, the slim design has some drawbacks, just like its larger siblings. The shifted hinge position results in a very deep device with a large footprint compared to the competition."
"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 x14 R1 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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.