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

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

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

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated May 17, 2024 07:03 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Oct 18, 2024 12:20 PM

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

Variants

  • Alienware m18 (AWM18) (Dark Metallic Moon - FHD/480Hz/Ryzen 9 7845HX/RTX 4070/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m18 (AWM18-A780BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - FHD/480Hz/Ryzen 9 7845HX/RTX 4080/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m18 (AWM18-A145BLK-PUS) (Dark Metallic Moon - FHD/480Hz/Ryzen 9 7845HX/RTX 4080/32GB/512GB)
  • 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 m18 (2023)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

The Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) is a newer version of the Dell Alienware m18 (2023). The newer model only has a few changes that make it slightly better, including faster Intel 14th Gen CPUs and Wi-Fi 7 support. However, it gets hotter and louder than its predecessor under load.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

6.1
6.3

Battery 
 

3.0
3.8

Portability 
 

2.4
3.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

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

Hinge 
 

9.2
9.2

Hinge Photo  

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

Range 
 

145°
145°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

2.4
3.0

Dimensions Photo  

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

Size 
 

18"
18"

Thickness 
 

1.1" (2.9 cm)
1.1" (2.7 cm)

Width 
 

16.2" (41.1 cm)
16.2" (41.2 cm)

Depth 
 

12.6" (32.0 cm)
12.6" (32.0 cm)

Volume 
 

232.8 in³ (3,814.8 cm³)
217.2 in³ (3,559.7 cm³)

Weight 
 

8.6 lbs (3.9 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 m18 (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 m18 (2023) In The Box Photo
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

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

Resolution 
 

1920 x 1200
1920 x 1200

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

126 PPI
125 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

84%
86%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

9.8
9.8

Motion Blur  

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

Refresh Rate 
 

480 Hz
480 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

G-SYNC
G-SYNC
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

7.1
6.9

Contrast Photo  

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

Native Contrast 
 

1,194 : 1
1,080 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness  
 

7.5
6.6

Maximum Brightness 
 

343 cd/m²
266 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

2 cd/m²
14 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

7.1
7.5

Reflections Photo Off  

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

Reflections Photo Max  

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

Screen Finish 
 

Matte
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

5.71%
5.37%

Indirect Reflections 
 

4.09%
4.74%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.62%
0.63%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

6.7
5.7

Black Uniformity Photo  

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

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.526%
2.180%

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.5
5.7

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

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

Color Shift From Left 
 

31°
18°

Color Shift From Right 
 

37°
23°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Dell Alienware m18 (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 
 

27°
23°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.7
5.8

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

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

Color Shift From Below 
 

34°
16°

Color Shift From Above 
 

37°
25°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

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

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

28°
24°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

29°
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 
 

34°
28°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

7.0
4.0

White Balance Screencap  

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

Gamma Curve Screencap  

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

Color Screencap  

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

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

2.88
5.99

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.33
2.1

Avg. Color dE 
 

3.87
5.28

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,590 K
5,908 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

9.6
9.4

Gamut SDR  

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

sRGB xy 
 

142.98%
99.9%

sRGB uv 
 

139.44%
99.58%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

91.08%
88.8%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

96.14%
94.83%

Gamut HDR  

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

DCI P3 xy 
 

99.26%
99.26%

DCI P3 uv 
 

99.65%
98.86%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

75.56%
73.22%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

80.59%
75.49%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

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

Typing Quality 
 

8.5
9.0

Numpad 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlighting 
 

Per-Key RGB
Per-Key RGB

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

70 gf
61 gf

Actuation Force 
 

32 gf
38 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.27 mm
1.14 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.79 mm
1.76 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

8.2
8.2

Touchpad Photo  

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

Tracking Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Size 
 

16.7 in² (108.0 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 
 

78 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

4.2 dB
5.4 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

1.0
0.7

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

236 Hz
364 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

16 kHz
16 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

0.8 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 
 

9.5
9.5

Ports Photo  

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

USB-A Ports 
 

3
3

USB-C Ports 
 

3
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 
 

NVIDIA
NVIDIA

Model 
 

GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU
GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

VRAM Size 
 

12 GB
12 GB
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

32 GB
32 GB

Modules 
 

2
2

Type 
 

DDR5
DDR5

Speed 
 

4,800 MHz
5,600 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

512 GB
1,000 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

392 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) 
 

10
10

Geekbench Image  

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

CPU Single-Thread 
 

2,011 points
2,039 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

16,625 points
18,807 points

GPU Compute 
 

202,907 points
203,416 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

10
10

Cinebench R23 Photo  

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

Single-Thread 
 

1,875 points
2,004 points

Multi-Thread 
 

26,181 points
27,346 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

9.6
9.6

Blender Image  

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

CPU Render Time 
 

1.6 min
1.5 min

GPU Render Time 
 

0.2 min
0.2 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

7 s
6 s
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

10
10

Basemark Image  

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

Overall Score 
 

211,669
220,316
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.7
9.7

Storage Performance Image  

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

Sequential Write Speed 
 

2,211.9 MB/s
2,713.0 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

4,763.8 MB/s
5,222.0 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

135.0 MB/s
116.9 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

72.0 MB/s
69.0 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

3.0
3.8

Capacity 
 

97 Wh
97 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

3.2 hrs
4.1 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

2.6 hrs
3.1 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

0.8 hrs
1.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.8 hrs
2.8 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

8.3
8.9

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

157 fps
207 fps

1% Low 
 

79 fps
108 fps

0.1% Low 
 

34 fps
47 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

6 ms
4 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

23 ms
17 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

259 fps
290 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

9.2
9.1

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

242 fps
312 fps

1% Low 
 

167 fps
180 fps

0.1% Low 
 

115 fps
116 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

2 ms
2 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms
5 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

362 fps
405 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

6.2 s
6.5 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

9.7

CS:GO graph  

See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

508 fps

1% Low 
 

256 fps

0.1% Low 
 

156 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

2 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

622 fps
Show Text 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

9.1

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

304fps

1% Low 
 

121fps

0.1% Low 
 

66fps

1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

12 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

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 
 

173 fps
221 fps

1% Low 
 

105 fps
135 fps

0.1% Low 
 

73 fps
97 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms
3 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

8 ms
6 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

181 fps
237 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

6.7
5.4

Keyboard Temps Picture  

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

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

30 °C (85 °F)
46 °C (115 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

44 °C (111 °F)
50 °C (122 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.5 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

54.0 dBA
55.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

9.9
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) 
 

1% loss
1% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

73 °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 m18 (2023)

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

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