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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) vs Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023)
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Apr 18, 2024 07:13 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Oct 18, 2024 12:20 PM

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Amazon.com
Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Gaming
  3. Dell

Variants

  • Alienware m16 R1 (AWM16-A138BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - 240Hz/Ryzen 9 7845HX/RTX 4080/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m16 R1 (AWM16) (Dark Metallic Moon - 240Hz/Ryzen 9 7845HX/RX 7600M XT/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m18 R2 (AWM18R) (Dark Metallic Moon - FHD/480Hz/i9-14900HX/RTX 4080/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m18 R2 (AWM18R-9494BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - QHD/165Hz/i9-14900HX/RTX 4070/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m18 R2 (AWM18R-9583BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - QHD/165Hz/i9-14900HX/RTX 4080/32GB/1TB)

Our Verdict

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

The Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) is essentially a larger and newer version of the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023). The m18 R2 has a larger, more immersive display, but it's bulkier and heavier, so it isn't as well suited for on-the-go use. Both laptops deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p and 1440p, though the m18 gets hotter and louder under load. The m18 R2 has Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, while the m16 supports Wi-Fi 6E.

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Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

6.1
6.3

Battery 
 

2.8
3.8

Portability 
 

3.5
3.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Style Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
9.0

Build Quality Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Build Quality Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.2
9.2

Hinge Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Hinge Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

145°
145°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

3.5
3.0

Dimensions Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Dimensions Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

16"
18"

Thickness 
 

1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.1" (2.7 cm)

Width 
 

14.6" (37.2 cm)
16.2" (41.2 cm)

Depth 
 

11.5" (29.2 cm)
12.6" (32.0 cm)

Volume 
 

198.9 in³ (3,258.7 cm³)
217.2 in³ (3,559.7 cm³)

Weight 
 

6.8 lbs (3.1 kg)
8.7 lbs (3.9 kg)

Charger Size 
 

51.3 in³ (840.0 cm³)
25.2 in³ (412.8 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

3.7 lbs (1.7 kg)
2.3 lbs (1.0 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

9.1
9.1

Internals Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Internals Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

9.0
9.0

RAM Slots 
 

2
2

Storage Slots 
 

3
4

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) In The Box Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Display Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

2560 x 1600
1920 x 1200

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

189 PPI
125 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

82%
86%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

9.6
9.8

Motion Blur  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Motion Blur
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

240 Hz
480 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

FreeSync
G-SYNC
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

7.0
6.9

Contrast Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Contrast Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

1,157 : 1
1,080 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness 
 

6.8
6.6

Maximum Brightness 
 

289 cd/m²
266 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

17 cd/m²
14 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

7.1
7.5

Reflections Photo Off  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Reflections Photo Off
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Reflections Photo Max
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Matte
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

5.74%
5.37%

Indirect Reflections 
 

4.05%
4.74%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.69%
0.63%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

7.9
5.7

Black Uniformity Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Black Uniformity Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

0.872%
2.180%
Show Text 

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.5
5.7

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

24°
20°

Color Washout From Right 
 

24°
24°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Horizontal Hue Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

32°
18°

Color Shift From Right 
 

36°
23°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

28°
27°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

28°
31°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
22°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

28°
18°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

26°
23°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.7
5.8

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Vertical Chroma Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

26°
22°

Color Washout From Above 
 

27°
28°

Vertical Hue Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Vertical Hue Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

35°
16°

Color Shift From Above 
 

37°
25°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Vertical Lightness Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

27°
24°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

28°
31°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
27°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

32°
21°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

33°
28°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

4.7
4.0

White Balance Screencap  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) White Balance Screencap
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Gamma Curve Screencap
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Color Screencap
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

4.88
5.99

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.23
2.1

Avg. Color dE 
 

5.31
5.28

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

5,729.2 K
5,908 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

9.5
9.4

Gamut SDR  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Gamut SDR
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

139.87%
99.9%

sRGB uv 
 

134.41%
99.58%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

89.27%
88.8%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

95.07%
94.83%

Gamut HDR  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Gamut HDR
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

99.9%
99.26%

DCI P3 uv 
 

99.92%
98.86%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

73.97%
73.22%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

77.99%
75.49%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Flicker Graph
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

Yes
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

No Flicker
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

0%
0%
Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.8
9.2

Keyboard Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Keyboard Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Numpad 
 

No
Yes

Backlighting 
 

Per-Key RGB
Per-Key RGB

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

66 gf
61 gf

Actuation Force 
 

33 gf
38 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.25 mm
1.14 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.79 mm
1.76 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

7.4
8.2

Touchpad Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Touchpad Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

7.5
8.0

Size 
 

11.5 in² (74.0 cm²)
16.7 in² (108.0 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.7
7.6

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

79 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

5.4 dB
5.4 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

0.4
0.7

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

236 Hz
364 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

13 kHz
16 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

1.0 dB
0.7 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

7.8
7.4

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Resolution 
 

1080p
1080p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

9.0
9.5

Ports Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Ports Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

2
3

USB-C Ports 
 

2
3

Thunderbolt 
 

No
Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.1
2.1

DisplayPort 
 

Mini DisplayPort 1.4
Mini DisplayPort 1.4

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

SD UHS 2
SD UHS 2

Ethernet 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Port 
 

Alienware Power Adapter Port
Alienware Power Adapter Port

Security Lock 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Bluetooth 
 

5.2
5.4
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

AMD
Intel

Model 
 

Ryzen 9 7845HX
Core i9-14900HX

Core Count 
 

12
24

Thread Count 
 

24
32
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

AMD
NVIDIA

Model 
 

Radeon RX 7600M XT
GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

VRAM Size 
 

8 GB
12 GB
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

32 GB
32 GB

Modules 
 

2
2

Type 
 

DDR5
DDR5

Speed 
 

5,200 MHz
5,600 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

1,000 GB
1,000 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

934 GB
919 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN810 NVMe
Western Digital PC SN810 NVMe

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

9.9
10

Geekbench Image  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Geekbench Image
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

2,022 points
2,039 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

16,433 points
18,807 points

GPU Compute 
 

83,592 points
203,416 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

10
10

Cinebench R23 Photo  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Cinebench R23 Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,834 points
2,004 points

Multi-Thread 
 

23,238 points
27,346 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

9.5
9.6

Blender Image  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Blender Image
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

2.0 min
1.5 min

GPU Render Time 
 

0.4 min
0.2 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
6 s
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

9.5
10

Basemark Image  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Basemark Image
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

100,184
220,316
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.7
9.7

Storage Performance Image  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Storage Performance Image
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

2,023.8 MB/s
2,713.0 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

5,411.6 MB/s
5,222.0 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

133.5 MB/s
116.9 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

73.1 MB/s
69.0 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

2.8
3.8

Capacity 
 

86 Wh
97 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

2.6 hrs
4.1 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

2.4 hrs
3.1 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

0.8 hrs
1.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.7 hrs
2.8 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

8.0
8.9

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

110 fps
207 fps

1% Low 
 

66 fps
108 fps

0.1% Low 
 

38 fps
47 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

6 ms
4 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

17 ms
17 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

156 fps
290 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

7.9
9.1

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

177 fps
312 fps

1% Low 
 

67 fps
180 fps

0.1% Low 
 

30 fps
116 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

9 ms
2 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

27 ms
5 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

356 fps
405 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

7.21 s
6.5 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

CS:GO graph  

Avg. FPS 
 

1% Low 
 

0.1% Low 
 

1% Low Delta 
 

0.1% Low Delta 
 

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

6.9
9.1

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

206fps
304fps

1% Low 
 

28fps
121fps

0.1% Low 
 

5fps
66fps

1% Low Delta 
 

31 ms
5 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

197 ms
12 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

310fps
427fps
Show Text 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

9.1
9.6

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

146 fps
221 fps

1% Low 
 

105 fps
135 fps

0.1% Low 
 

84 fps
97 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

3 ms
3 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms
6 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

197 fps
237 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

7.4
5.4

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) Keyboard Temps Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

29 °C (84 °F)
46 °C (115 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

39 °C (102 °F)
50 °C (122 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

51.5 dBA
55.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

10
9.9

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

87 °C
99 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

0% loss
1% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

74 °C
68 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
0% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 11
Windows 11

Additional Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

Yes
Yes

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

Face Recognition
Face Recognition
Show Text 

Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

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