Dell Alienware x16 review: The BAAP of all gaming laptops

Dell Alienware x16 review: Why is it the BIG DADDY?

In search of a premium gaming laptop which could literally goosebumps when you game on it? Well, Dell’s Alienware is the only premium gaming laptop brand that has kept its quality, and premiumness intact though at a very high price margin that makes it difficult for anyone to afford. However, Alienware’s target audience is very niche, yes, it’s for those who want a very premium gaming experience without compromising on anything.

If you have the money to spend, this Dell Alienware x16’s top-end variant with Core i9 + RTX 4090 retails for about ₹4,55,879, so, it’s damn expensive. The variant we got here features Core i7-13700H and RTX 4080, which is again a formidable combo for premium QHD gaming and costs around ₹3.5 lakhs, so, is it worth spending that much amount of money on these new Alienware x16 R1?

Having used this gaming laptop for 2 weeks now, I can say, it’s at some other level, a totally sublime Alienware experience which only a few people will actually get to delve in. So, let’s find what makes the Dell Alienware x16 R1 the big daddy of gaming laptops in the Indian market:

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Dell Alienware x16 Specifications

• Processor: Core i9 13900HK (4.10 GHz up to 5.40 GHz) 14 Cores, 24MB Cache // RAM: 32 GB, LPDDR5, 6000 MHz // Storage: 2TB SSD
• Display: 16″ QHD+ 240Hz, 3ms, DCI-P3 100%, ComfortViewPlus, NVIDIA G-SYNC + Advanced Optimus // Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16GB GDDR6 // Keyboard: Alienware CherryMX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key AlienFX RGB – US English
• Ports: (1x) Global headset jack, 1x) MicroSD Card Slot, (1x) Type-C Port (Includes Thunderbolt 4, USB4, 15W (5V/3A) Power Delivery, and DisplayPort 1.4), (1x) Type-C Port (USB 3.2 Gen 2, 15W (3A/5V) Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4), (1x) HDMI 2.1 Output Port, (2x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with PowerShare, (1x) Mini Display Port 1.4
• Wi-fi & Bluetooth: Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1690i with Bluetooth 5.3

As told previously, our review unit has got Intel Core i7 13700H, RTX 4080, 16GB DDR5 RAM and 512GB SSD

Design & Build Quality

Continuing the legacy of Alienware laptops, the design is always futuristic, that classic Alienware chassis with a premium Lunar Silver color, which mostly looks like White with a premium silver lining. The Alienware logo at the rear end and the X logo look formidable alongside loads of RGB all around the laptop, the sassy yet subtle look makes the Dell Alienware x16 standout and premium.

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The build quality is again very solid, though it has an official weight of 2.72 Kg, but the hand-feel and weight management is done so smoothly that you can easily carry it anywhere you want without any hiccups. This gaming laptop’s attention to detail is exceptional, the comb design at the bottom to the lighting all around is subtle and smooth, and you will fall in love with the Dell Alienware x16 undoubtedly.

Display

Dell has given you a flagship quality QHD+ display with up to 240 Hz refresh rate, great for all your high-end gaming needs, also covering 100% DCI-P3 color space to provide better visibility during gaming or media consumption or even productivity work. You have only a 3ms response time, G-SYNC support and more to make the new Dell Alienware x16 a perfect gaming beast for everyone.

Honestly, the quality of the display is really top-notch, one of the bests on a gaming laptop as I enjoyed using it daily for writing, editing and more work. From watching YouTube to Netflix, the laptop’s display also fulfils your media needs and thanks to Dolby Vision support, the visuals are really enhanced, also the ComfortView Plus does help to reduce blue light when you are working long hours.

You will notice that the 16:10 aspect ratio on this 16-inch display gives extra headroom while still looking very rich & crisp on the screen. I loved using the Alienware x16 and its display was a beauty no doubt, but as our custom stands, we have tested the display using our SyperX Pro and here are some of the display benchmarks:

As you see in our display tests, well, the display performance is not the best I would say because as you see the color accuracy is 100% sRGB, not 100% DCI-P3, which I was a bit disappointed to see. The peak brightness is also around 300 nits, which should be decent enough for indoor usage but using it outdoors should be a problem sometimes, I would definitely like Dell to improve the display quality next time around.

Performance

Yes, the biggest thing about any gaming laptop has to be its performance, how fast it is and how efficiently it can get you through all your daily needs, here you have the Core i7 13700H processor which should do a good job in handling all your day-to-day work or play. Though you can opt up to Core i9, this 14-core chip is also very powerful when it comes to productivity and gaming, going up to 5 GHz in clock speed.

This time, Intel’s chip is also very efficient than the 12th Gen and that is evident because when you will use it for everyday work, you will hardly hear the fan spinning, and the battery draw is far lesser than last year for simple tasks. The performance per watt has improved drastically which again makes the newer Dell Alienware x16 a better buy and you also have the latest DDR5 RAM which can go up to 6000 MHz and Gen4 SSD for faster boot.

Then you have the RTX 4080 GPU here which is a monster to handle all your modern-day gaming needs, and you can go up to NVIDIA RTX 4090 for the top-end variant. Still, the RTX 4080 is more than enough for a lot of gamers and for productivity people too, the RT cores can deliver good performance in creative applications, so, here are some benchmarks for your reference to see how good this Dell Alienware x16 gaming laptop is:

As you see in the various benchmarks, the new Dell Alienware x16 is a flagship gaming laptop, posting some incredible numbers with the RTX 4080 inside, though the Core i9 could have been better but still, the i7 matches to give sublime scores when needed. From PCMark10 to Cinebench, the laptop clearly gives good results which are more consistent, making this gaming laptop also a good choice for professional workloads as well.

Lastly, in terms of SSD speeds, the 512GB NVMe Gen4 SSD performs as expected, with speeds of up to 6569MB/s terms read and write speeds of up to 5079MB/s, which is quite good for smooth daily usage. I had no issues in booting as it was really quick and game loads were again extraordinary, as you expect on a flagship gaming laptop like this. Overall, in terms of performance, the Dell Alienware x16 R1 checks all the boxes, making this highly recommended for those who have money to spend.

Gaming

The Dell Alienware X16 R1 gaming laptop is a strong contender for all your gaming needs, from triple-A titles to Battle Royale, enjoy hundreds of frame rates or enjoy the highest details at 60+ FPS thanks to the new RTX 4080 laptop GPU. The formidable Intel + NVIDIA combo gives you the best results in all games possible, here are some numbers:

Overall, the Dell Alienware x16 gaming laptop is a gaming beast which performs as expected, with support for DLSS 3, you will get the latest features in the best of the games without any lag or distortion.

I/O & Connectivity

Being a premium gaming laptop, the Dell Alienware x16 R1 is flooded with ports, all on the rear end to help keep you distracted from the I/O problems while gaming. From a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port to another USB Type-C port, HDMI 2.1, two USB Type-A ports, Mini Display Port 1.4 and a headphone jack to give you the versatility to game freely.

Coming to the connectivity, you get both the latest Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1690i with Bluetooth 5.3 options which to be fair works as expected, the WiFi speeds are great and connecting multiple Bluetooth devices feels smooth and nice.

Thermals & Upgradability

Dell has been known to provide the best thermal headroom on Alienware gaming laptops and this Dell Alienware x16 R1 is no exception as in most of my work the fans were very silent. They didn’t even work when you are doing casual stuff, when you pushed for benchmarks, video editing or gaming, the Core i7 shot up to 100 degrees Celsius but never was any lag or thermal throttle.

These new Intel CPUs are designed to go up to such high temperatures when needed but you don’t have to worry about the thermals because the fan outlet is in front of the laptop and that really makes a difference. You do not have any hot air gushing out through the side vents like other laptops which is a really clever design and makes the Alienware x16 R1 stand out from others.

So, you can tune everything right through the Alienware Command Center (which weirdly needs to be downloaded separately), here you can control and customize any and everything possible including the thermal performance as per your convenience.

As you see, you can even tune all your RGB lights here as well, so, in terms of thermals and customization, the Dell Alienware x16 R1 does its job pretty well and for upgradability, you cannot upgrade the RAM, which is a bummer, and which is why I would recommend buyers to go for top-end variant if possible. Yes, you have an additional slot to upgrade the SSD, however, in retail, this 512GB SSD is too short and the 2TB one for the top-end variant is again a better buy.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The Dell Alienware x16 is one of the very few gaming laptops which have dedicated mechanical gaming keyboards, yes you have Alienware CherryMX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key AlienFX RGB. The keyboard on this laptop is next-level and is clicky, mushy and tactile to type, it’s compact and precise, so, gamers or writers like me will love to type on this keyboard endlessly.

The glass touchpad down there is a medium one and has this RGB touch to it which again makes the laptop special but the quality of the trackpad is actually nice and is pretty usable. Though anyone will use a mouse anyways but still the trackpad does its job without any hiccups.

Audio & Webcam

The audio on this Dell Alienware x16 R1 gaming laptop is also solid, featuring a six-speaker system, two of them are top firing, and the other two are bottom while rest two are woofers. This gives a great audio experience overall, and this is one of the loudest to date I have used on a laptop and it’s so satisfying as well that I kept listening to music more often than not.

Also, you have support for Dolby Atmos to make things even better as media consumption remains a big positive on this Alienware laptop. Lastly, the webcam is again very usable and is an IR webcam for quick facial unlocks, so, these small details and features make the laptop even more special.

Battery Life

Dell has really well optimized the Alienware x16 R1 gaming laptop to provide great battery life and is really one of the most efficient gaming laptops out there. It has undervolted the CPU and GPU to give maximum battery life, on average, even with RGB on you can get 5-6 hours of real-world usage thanks to this big 90Wh battery. Well, you can even stretch the battery life even further during video playbacks, turning all RGB off, and charging it very quickly with the adapter given to the laptop.

Verdict

Now, should you buy this new Dell Alienware x16 R1? Well, depends upon your personal preference, Alienware has always been an aspiration for gamers, an industry benchmark of what the best gaming laptop can be. So, if you need a gaming laptop which is both reliable and aspiration, the Alienware x16 is the one for you, with solid specs onboard, and premium looks, it delivers what it’s priced for.

Though the thermals could be improved or the display as well, for most people that won’t be a big problem, I really enjoyed gaming, and working on this Dell Alienware x16 R1, so, if you have the money to buy this premium gaming laptop, just go for it!

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