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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 R2 (2024) vs Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

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

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Sep 26, 2024 02:22 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 R2 (2024) Picture
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Gaming
  3. Dell

Variants

  • Alienware m16 R2 (AWM16) (Dark Metallic Moon - Ultra 7 155H/RTX 4060/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m16 R2 (AWM16-7032BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - Ultra 7 155H/RTX 4060/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m16 R2 (AWM16-7025BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - Ultra 7 155H/RTX 4070/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m16 R2 (AWM16-9487BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - Ultra 9 185H/RTX 4070/32GB/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 R2 (2024)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

The Dell Alienware m16 R2 (2024) and the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) are both excellent gaming laptops. The m16 R2 is a smaller device, so it's portable, and it sports a newer design that can blend more easily into a professional work environment. However, it still has a distinctively 'gamer' aesthetic. Performance is better on the m18, as it's available with faster CPUs and GPUs, and its superior cooling system results in less thermal throttling. The M18 also has more ports for peripherals and external displays, and models with an RTX 4080 and 4090 have two additional storage slots.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

7.1
6.3

Battery 
 

6.4
3.8

Portability 
 

5.5
3.0

Touchpad 
 

6.8
8.2

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

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

Hinge 
 

9.4
9.2

Hinge Photo  

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

Range 
 

180°
145°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.5
3.0

Dimensions Photo  

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

Size 
 

16"
18"

Thickness 
 

0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.1" (2.7 cm)

Width 
 

14.4" (36.5 cm)
16.2" (41.2 cm)

Depth 
 

9.8" (25.0 cm)
12.6" (32.0 cm)

Volume 
 

128.1 in³ (2,098.8 cm³)
217.2 in³ (3,559.7 cm³)

Weight 
 

6.4 lbs (2.9 kg)
8.7 lbs (3.9 kg)

Charger Size 
 

12.4 in³ (204.0 cm³)
25.2 in³ (412.8 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
2.3 lbs (1.0 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

9.1
9.1

Internals Photo  

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

Ease Of Access 
 

9.0
9.0

RAM Slots 
 

2
2

Storage Slots 
 

2
4

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

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

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

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

Resolution 
 

2560 x 1600
1920 x 1200

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

188 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 R2 (2024) Motion Blur
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

240 Hz
480 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

G-SYNC
G-SYNC
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

7.3
6.9

Contrast Photo  

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

Native Contrast 
 

1,300 : 1
1,080 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness 
 

6.9
6.6

Maximum Brightness 
 

296 cd/m²
266 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

15 cd/m²
14 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

7.1
7.5

Reflections Photo Off  

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

Reflections Photo Max  

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

Screen Finish 
 

Matte
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

5.69%
5.37%

Indirect Reflections 
 

3.97%
4.74%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.72%
0.63%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

7.0
5.7

Black Uniformity Photo  

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

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.348%
2.180%

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.3
5.7

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

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

Color Washout From Left 
 

23°
20°

Color Washout From Right 
 

23°
24°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

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

Color Shift From Left 
 

28°
18°

Color Shift From Right 
 

37°
23°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

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

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

25°
27°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

26°
31°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
22°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

24°
18°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

26°
23°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.4
5.8

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

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

Color Washout From Below 
 

23°
22°

Color Washout From Above 
 

24°
28°

Vertical Hue Picture  

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

Color Shift From Below 
 

34°
16°

Color Shift From Above 
 

31°
25°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

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

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

25°
24°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

25°
31°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
27°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

28°
21°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

28°
28°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

5.1
4.0

White Balance Screencap  

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

Gamma Curve Screencap  

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

Color Screencap  

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

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

5.29
5.99

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.31
2.1

Avg. Color dE 
 

4.36
5.28

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

5,675.9 K
5,908 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

8.8
9.4

Gamut SDR  

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

sRGB xy 
 

99.96%
99.9%

sRGB uv 
 

99.85%
99.58%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

81.04%
88.8%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

91.01%
94.83%

Gamut HDR  

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

DCI P3 xy 
 

83.58%
99.26%

DCI P3 uv 
 

89.01%
98.86%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

60.1%
73.22%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

65.41%
75.49%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

Dell Alienware m16 R2 (2024) 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 R2 (2024) 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 
 

75 gf
61 gf

Actuation Force 
 

38 gf
38 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.29 mm
1.14 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.74 mm
1.76 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

6.8
8.2

Touchpad Photo  

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

Tracking Quality 
 

6.5
8.0

Size 
 

12.5 in² (80.5 cm²)
16.7 in² (108.0 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.3
7.6

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

76 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

4.4 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.) 
 

20 kHz
16 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

0.7 dB
0.7 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

7.0
7.4

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

7.0
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 R2 (2024) Ports Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

2
3

USB-C Ports 
 

2
3

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.1
2.1

DisplayPort 
 

No
Mini DisplayPort 1.4

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

MicroSD 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 7 (802.11be)
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Bluetooth 
 

5.4
5.4
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
Intel

Model 
 

Core Ultra 7 155H
Core i9-14900HX

Core Count 
 

16
24

Thread Count 
 

22
32
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

NVIDIA
NVIDIA

Model 
 

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

VRAM Size 
 

8 GB
12 GB
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

16 GB
32 GB

Modules 
 

2
2

Type 
 

DDR5
DDR5

Speed 
 

5,600 MHz
5,600 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

1,000 GB
1,000 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

921 GB
919 GB

Drive 1 
 

Samsung PM9A1 NVMe 1024GB
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 R2 (2024) Geekbench Image
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,770 points
2,039 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

16,673 points
18,807 points

GPU Compute 
 

108,092 points
203,416 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

10
10

Cinebench R23 Photo  

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

Single-Thread 
 

1,807 points
2,004 points

Multi-Thread 
 

18,673 points
27,346 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

9.4
9.6

Blender Image  

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

CPU Render Time 
 

2.2 min
1.5 min

GPU Render Time 
 

0.4 min
0.2 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

9 s
6 s
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

9.8
10

Basemark Image  

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

Overall Score 
 

120,228
220,316
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.6
9.7

Storage Performance Image  

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

Sequential Write Speed 
 

2,108.1 MB/s
2,713.0 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

2,705.8 MB/s
5,222.0 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

129.5 MB/s
116.9 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

77.2 MB/s
69.0 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

6.4
3.8

Capacity 
 

90 Wh
97 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

6.9 hrs
4.1 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

7.8 hrs
3.1 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.9 hrs
1.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.8 hrs
2.8 hrs

Borderlands 3 
 

7.8
8.9

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

101 fps
207 fps

1% Low 
 

60 fps
108 fps

0.1% Low 
 

35 fps
47 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

7 ms
4 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

18 ms
17 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

130 fps
290 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

9.0
9.1

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

168 fps
312 fps

1% Low 
 

109 fps
180 fps

0.1% Low 
 

102 fps
116 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

3 ms
2 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms
5 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

330 fps
405 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

5.99 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 
 

9.1
9.1

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

227fps
304fps

1% Low 
 

99fps
121fps

0.1% Low 
 

61fps
66fps

1% Low Delta 
 

6 ms
5 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

12 ms
12 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

324fps
427fps
Show Text 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

8.4
9.6

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

133 fps
221 fps

1% Low 
 

80 fps
135 fps

0.1% Low 
 

44 fps
97 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms
3 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

15 ms
6 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

155 fps
237 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

5.8
5.4

Keyboard Temps Picture  

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

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

38 °C (100 °F)
46 °C (115 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

51 °C (124 °F)
50 °C (122 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

53.0 dBA
55.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

8.0
9.9

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

100 °C
99 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

13% loss
1% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

62 °C
68 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
0% loss
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 R2 (2024)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

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