Verdict
The Alienware m16 R2 ( 2024 ) is a whole gaming laptop computer with beefy eyeglasses , a gorgeous design and a well-heeled keyboard and trackpad . It also provides some excellent performance in games and benchmarks alike , although the exhibit is n’t as good as the competitor .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Alienware m16 R2 ( 2024 ) is part of a select group of new Windows gaming laptops which are opting to use some new Intel processors .
For instance , this particular instance has one of Intel ’s unexampled Core 7 Ultra microchip , as well as a buirdly RTX 4070 GPU , a 16 - column inch QHD+ 240Hz refresh rate display , and some gorgeous , but moderate looks that provide some changes to Alienware ’s key signature excogitation .
All of this is going to range you £ 2029/$1999.99/€2449.50 which makes it quite expensive relative to the spec sheets found in the competition such as theMSI Vector 17 HX ( 2024)and theMSI Stealth Studio 16 , at least in part .
Let ’s have a gander and see if Alienware ’s in style contender can pip the challenger to the billet , and see if this m16 R2 is one of thebest gaming laptops .
Design and Keyboard
This 2d - gen M16 laptop computer is a mark for Alienware ’s more unemotional design language . Gone is the monumental caloric shelving on the back of the laptop with a chunky , butch feel as had become Alienware ’s signature over the last few years . alternatively , this new m16 R2 opts for more curves and sleek business for a muckle more fashion than late laptops which had been quite remove - and - miss amongst the crowd .
The Al chassis feel top - pass and helps the m16 R2 justify its Leontyne Price tag . While this may be a laptop that tend into the mainstream a smidgen with its overall looks , the curved edge , indented enumeration on the top casing and small Alienware logotype denote this to be as such – a fashionable Alienware laptop .
It tips the scales at 2.61 kg , which is a noteworthy decrease compare to the previous model , which weigh northward of 3 kilo . It reset the m16 R2 a minuscule more portable than other gaming laptop computer of its size , and in reality , it is n’t too much heavier than some other turgid - screenland productivity options I ’ve try .
Of course , you are best to slot this in a bag when carrying it around , as lugging a laptop as expensive and powerful as this on its own would n’t necessarily be the safe idea .
In venom of its redesign , lower weightiness and smaller intensity , the new m16 also muster up up a fantastic extract of input signal that are well - distributed around the back , left and right sides . The back is where most of the inputs experience , with cable system for the power brick , as well as an HDMI out and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB - C ports .
The left side is home base to 2.5 - gig Ethernet and a 3.5 millimeter phone squat , while the right side rounds off with a pair of USB - A ports . As for wireless option , the m16 R2 is also especially forward - looking with support for both WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 . That ’s some brilliant connectivity , whether for networking , connecting to extra displays or hooking up some consecrate peripherals .
As much as there is a larger 16 - inch display on crack here , the m16 R2 opts for a more compact frame that ’s just 23.5 mm duncical , and also is n’t much larger in width than the display itself .
This mean there ’s a more compact 65 per centum keyboard on offer . Disappointingly , it is n’t one with Cherry ’s MX ULP switches , as found in other Alienware laptops , but rather is a scissor - set off membrane one that is reasonably responsive for a laptop keyboard . There ’s decent tactility and locomotion , with key placement that largely arrive at sense . The per - key RGB light underneath is bright and vivid , with fantastic coverage , if you ’re into that sort of thing , while that lighting can also be customised in Alienware ’s Command Center software package that comes with the laptop .
As for the trackpad , that too is lined with a landing strip of RGB because why not , while it is n’t the biggest relative to the size of the laptop computer . Other laptops I ’ve tested have bigger trackpads , give your fingers more tangible estate . yet , the buttons here feel excellent with crisp remark that do n’t feel at all soppy .
Display and Sound
If there ’s a dot where this rather expensive Alienware laptop fall down , it ’s from the perspective of the display . We ’re start to see laptops utilise OLED panel for infinite line , deep black , and all the goodness they can get . In comparability , the instrument panel fitted to the m16 R2 feels a little weak , even if it is a 16 - inch IPS choice .
With this in judgment , it displays all the mainstream colours required for gaming wonderfully , with 99 % reportage of thesRGBcolour space , although more specialist gamuts such asDCI - P3andAdobe RGBare on the leaflet of being satisfactory . DCI - P3 is represent at the needful 80 % , while Adobe RGB is low at 76 % .
A peak smartness of 332.5 nits is behind the competition and more in line with mid - range productiveness laptops , as is the unremarkable 1100:1 contrast ratio .
On the vivid side , blackness are okay with a metrical 0.12 spirit level and its blank point of 6200 K is good to where it should be . The exhibit is dead okay for gaming and content conception with exact mainstream colours , decorous blacks and contrast , although I would have liked something a bit brighter .
I should say though that the 2560×1600 resolution offers some good contingent in games , while the 240Hz refresh rate also felt wondrous responsive , even compared to other laptop with 144Hz screens . It ’s just silky .
The duple side - evoke speakers are decent too , with some whole volume and weighty freshwater bass . Unlike other laptop speakers , the m16 R2 ’s do n’t sound bum or weak , while the inclusion of Dolby Atmos also help to push up the in high spirits oftenness for a better representation of footstep in games , for example , avail submersion .
Performance
Inside , the m16 R2 wad quite a poke with some firm specs including both an RTX 4070 laptopGPUwith 8 GB of VRAM , as well as one of Intel ’s young Core UltraCPUs .
To be specific , it ’s an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H , which has 16 cores and 22 duds , as well as a encouragement clock of up to 4.9GHz . This is match with 32 GB of DDR5RAM , as well as a nippy 1 TB NVMe SSD . Unsurprisingly , this translates to some sublime functioning in game , benchmarks and general day - to - day use .
Alienware ’s laptop breezed through the synthetic benchmarks I threw at it , with high - riding lots in the likes of Geekbench 6 and Cinebech R23 on the processor ’s side , as well as some fantabulous results in 3D Mark , too .
The multi - core scores in the ilk of GB6 and CR23 prove the beefiness of the Core 7 Ultra 155H thanks to simply its amount of heart and soul and threads , mean this is a laptop you could utilize for more acute work load besides gaming .
As for games , the m16 R2 feel responsive in both Cyberpunk 2077 and Returnal with some substantial resolution at both 1080p and 1440p . CP 2077 grant a 97.87fps resultant at 1080p , with 58.26fps at the laptop ’s native QHD+ ( 2560×1600 ) resolution , while Returnal allowed for 85fps and 59fps severally .
AddingDLSSinto the mix with CP 2077 thanks to the powers of the RTX 4070 boosted frames well , up to a highschool of 79.10fps in my testing . While this laptop may not be as powerful as some competitors , its results are still especially sizable .
32 GB of DDR5 RAM running at 5600MT / s also provides a luck of clearance for gambling and more intensive work load , while the 1 TB NVMe SSD inside the m16 R2 powered it to some of the best f number I ’ve ever seen with 7030.11MB / s reads and 5224.83MB / s writes – that translates to badly quick access to data , as well as nippy load times into secret plan and apps , too .
The hassle with the m16 R2 though is the amount of heat it engender , as well as haphazardness . It gets quite toasty under load , while doing anything more than productivity work load advance the devotee speed up to a point where Alienware ’s nominee sound like a jet airliner about to take off . My advice here is to stupefy to using it on a desk , as opposed to putting it on your lick , so you obviate any heat - related discomfort .
Software
The m16 R2 come run a reasonably clean install of Windows 11 with little in the way of trial software or bloatware , which tends to come with laptops of all form .
There are a handful of Alienware - specific apps here , most notably My Alienware which provides shortcuts for you to register an Office product key , as well as change your wallpaper and find the relevant manual of arms for your laptop computer .
Otherwise , it offer a tilt of Windows crosscut if you need them , as well as shortcut to Alienware ’s social media channels and links to a store Thomas Nelson Page to purchase computer peripheral .
The other big Alienware app here is Alienware Command Center , which is where you could supervise system usage and temperature , as well as choose between varying presets for how much powerfulness the m16 R2 uses . It can also deal the keyboard ’s RGB backlighting , as well as offer a shortcut to the Dolby Atmos app that ’s also pre - set up for more immersive out - of - the - corner sound recording .
Apart from that , there are a duo of customer avail apps and Nvidia apps such as GeForce Experience for driver updates , while the residual of the Windows 11 install is bloatware - free .
Battery Life
With such beefy eyeglasses inside , it ’s perhaps unsurprising that the m16 R2 does n’t necessarily sip great power , and instead downs it in one hearty lump . When turning the brightness down to half and leaving the keyboard backlighting on its default setting , Alienware ’s laptop computer lasted for just 3 and a quarter hours in the PC Mark 10 battery trial , meaning you will be spending most of the time plugged into the mains .
With this in head , the result posted is on par with laptop of alike specs , prove it to be a wider problem with gambling laptops as a whole . The 90Whr capacity is becoming , while the battery also charges pretty briskly with its 280W adapter taking 58 minutes to get the barrage fire to half commission . Going from zero to full read two hr flavourless .
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Should you buy it?
The compounding of one of Intel ’s tardy Core Ultra central processing unit and a laptop RTX 4070 powers the m16 R2 ( 2024 ) to some excellent solution in benchmarks and day - to - day working , and if you want a laptop computer with lots of power , this is one to consider .
Where the m16 R2 ( 2024 ) falls down is with its middling brightness and direct contrast on its 16 - inch IPS display where other laptops in and around this price offer a lot more sonority .
Final Thoughts
Alienware ’s m16 R2 is a solid gambling laptop that create for a great all - debauchee with its sleek , redesign flavour , as well as burly carrying into action in both games and synthetic benchmarks thanks to its combo of a mid - range Nvidia GPU and one of Intel ’s Modern Core Ultra processor . You also get the welfare of an excellent selection of ports and connectivity .
This special option also add up with a tactile keyboard and reactive trackpad , as well as the benefit of a clean Windows set up with little bloatware for a zippy user experience . Combined with this , the QHD+ resolution of its 16 - inch IP display offers dear particular , while a 240Hz refresh pace mean value games are responsive and super - tranquil .
This is n’t a perfect gaming laptop by any means , though , with its display also being quite dull , and the assault and battery life-time being quite short . Options such as theMSI Vector 17 ( 2024)offer bigger projection screen with a dear display and even beefier performance for a similar disbursement , although it does n’t look as classy as this m16 R2 ( 2024 ) . For more options though , agree out our tilt of thebest gaming laptopswe’ve tested .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we reexamine give-up the ghost through a series of unvarying checks designed to gauge primal matter including anatomy quality , public presentation , covert quality and battery spirit .
These include formal synthetic bench mark and scripted trial , plus a series of real - world check , such as how well it runs popular apps .
FAQs
In myopic , yes . The Alienware m16 R2 offers solid carrying out with its jazz group of a new Intel Core Ultra chip and a laptop computer RTX 4070 at both 1080p and 1440p .
The Alienware m16 R2 ( 2024 ) has a 16 - inch screen with a 2560×1600 answer and a 240Hz refresh rate .
Test Data
Full Specs
