My first laptop of games, which I bought in 2011, was an alienware M11x R2, and replaced it with an alienware 14. Both were large machines, and I have good memories of playing some incredible games in them. Alienware portable computers have always been great, but they have almost always been bulky, large and aliens. However, a couple of years ago, Dell decided to change things and make the most elegant and less alien alienware portable computers. Alienware M16 R2 is a laptop for games with nothing alien in design terms.
It is still a good laptop of games with enough thrust to play all AAA titles. It comes with the intel core ultra 9 chipset and admits AI functions. But, has it cost the laptop that weight reduction and design change your laptop? Can it be used as a daily driver? You will have to read until the end to discover it.
The M16 R2 alienware is priced at around RS. 1,55,000 in India for the base option with a CPU Intel Core Ultra 7 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. Our review unit was the high -end variant with the Intel Core Ultra 9 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU chipset, with a price of RS. 1,96,990.
ALIENWARE M16 R2 DESIGN: Keep it simple
- Dimensions – 363.9 mm (width) x 249.4 mm (depth) x 23.5 mm (height)
- Weight – 2.61 kg
- Colors – Dark Metal Moon
The new M16 R2 alienware is a total deviation of R1. The thermal shelf has immediately gone, or rather, on the back. The metal cover has a matt finish, and number 16 is carved in the corner, but not in a pleasant way. It is great and in your face. I could have been happy with the alien head logo. The background is made of aluminum and quite minimal, but it has admission grilles in a hexagonal way. The escape vents are at the back and on the sides. There are many hexagonal design elements throughout the laptop, and you will also find them when you open the lid and look over the keyboard. There is also an alien head -shaped ignition button on the keyboard.
There are many ports on the laptop.
The area around the keyboard and the tactile panel has a soft finish, which makes it very comfortable to put your hands. However, he likes digital footprints. As for the ports, the right side has two USB type A ports and a microSD card reader. You will find an RJ45 Ethernet port and a headphones connector on the right, while the back houses two USB type C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a DC port.
While Dell has thrown some weight and dimensions, alienware M16 R2 is still heavy with 2.61 kg, but fits much better to backpacks inside. It is well built, hinges seem lasting and can open at 180 degrees, and there is almost no flexion.
Alienware M16 R2 Display: Very good with space for improvement
- Size – 16 -inch IPS panel
- Resolution – QHD+ (2560×1600)
- Update rate – 240Hz
Get a good 16-inch anti-glare IPS screen on the laptop. The panel offers an update rate of 240 Hz, a 3 ms response time and a QHD+resolution. It is also compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC and Dolby Vision HDR. Watching movies and playing games on the screen is really pleasant, but I would like it to be brighter. The panel offers 300 brightness nits, which is lower than other laptops in the price range. The screen has thin bezels on each side, but you get a thick and pleasant chin and a slightly thinner upper bevel that houses the webcam.
In general, it is a good screen that is ideal to play, thanks to the 240Hz update. It can reduce the update speed to 60Hz to save on the battery, but once it goes 240Hz, it is difficult to return.
ALIENWARE M16 R2 Keyboard, touch panel, speakers and webcam
- KEYBOARD: RGB RETROILUMINATED KEYBADER
- TouchPad – Multi -Touch with RGB
- Speakers – 2w dual drivers
- Webcam: 1080p with IR sensor
The M16 R2 Alienware has a good keyboard that supports RGB customization per key and offers a 1.8 mm key trip. Writing on the keyboard feels good, but that is also thanks to the rubber coating. The background light can become very bright at night, and would keep it in half shine when using it.
Under the keyboard there is a tactile decent panel that presents a soft finish and RGB edge lighting. I would have liked if the touch panel were a little bigger, but it does the job very well. It also admits multitactile gestures and has a good click.
Writing on the keyboard is a pleasant experience, and background light is strong with this
The speakers on the laptop are nothing to boast. There are two downward speakers with grilles on each side. They are strong enough, and the general exit is crispy but almost without any low. It is a laptop of games, and it is better to connect a good pair of headphones and enjoy your games.
Above the screen is a 1080p webcam and a IR Windows HELLO Support sensor. The video and image quality of the camera is decent in the conditions of daylight, but you will see some noise when there is not enough light.
M16 R2 Alienware Software: Clean and useful
- OS – Windows 11 Start
- Alienware Tools – Command Center, Alienfx, Fusion
In software terms, the laptop executes Windows 11 at home and offers Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021. There is not a little more software that you don’t need. As for alienware software, there are a couple of them. To control RGB lights on the laptop, change food modes and all other types of customization, it has the Alienware Command Center.
The command center includes features such as Alienfx for lighting control and fusion to change between different feeding modes. There is also a game library that offers automatic game profiles. Alienware M16 R2 also has a stealthy mode, which turns off all lighting and tries to be a regular laptop.
The Alienware Command Center allows you to do all kinds of things to the laptop.
Microsoft’s office tools also support AI functions, but I did not find the cocreator option in paint. It also has access to Co -Catbot, which works quite well, thanks to Intel Core Ultra 9 SOC on board.
ALIENWARE M16 R2 Performance: much of thrust
- Processor: even Intel Core Ultra 9 185h
- RAM – UP TO 32 GB DDR5
- Storage – 1TB M.2
- GPU – Until Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 with 8GB DDR6 VRM
Our review unit was equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185h CPU matched with 32 GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU with 8GB VRM. This combination works well for all types of tasks, including video edition and games. However, since Intel Core Ultra also presents a dedicated NPU, it can execute AI tasks on the laptop. While this is not marked as a Copilot PC and does not have a dedicated co -pilot key, it has firepower. As mentioned earlier, Copilot Chatbot works quite well and creates images quickly. I also executed an AI reference point on the laptop, offering impressive results.
| Benchmark | ALIENWARE M16 R2 |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single | 2184 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 11576 |
| Geekbigh 6 GPU | 110320 |
| CrossMark in general | 1682 |
| PCMARK 10 | 7523 |
| Geekbench AI quantized (GPU) | 14141 |
| Geekbench AI quantized (CPU) | 3218 |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 2803 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 12483 |
As you can see at the previous synthetic reference points, the M16 R2 alienware with its Intel Core Ultra 9 185h processor works well in the AI front. However, that is not all, since the GPU NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 also helps the laptop to handle almost any AAA game. I played Hogwarts Legacy, Forza Horizon 5, NFS Heat and Star Wars Jedi: They fail to order the laptop with the highest available configuration. All games worked well and delivered an average of 90 fps and more.
Intel Core Ultra 9 185h is excellent for productivity and functions of AI
With the new design, Alienware also had to reconfigure its cooling system. The system warmed during the games, and felt the heat around the arrow keys. During a 45 -minute game session, the area around the laptop is also heated a lot. However, I could continue playing without feeling uncomfortable, since most of the hot air is expelled from behind.
Meanwhile, connectivity on the laptop is also quite good. Get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which worked well during my time with the laptop.
ALIENWARE M16 R2 Battery: as expected
- Capacity – 90Wh
- Loader – 240W adapter
The battery life is not a strong alien costume M16 R2. If you play with battery energy, wait for about 1 hour with demanding titles and a little more in some less demanding games. Executing the laptop in stealthy mode got me approximately 4 hours of use, which is quite good, but I would not recommend leaving home without the charger. You can get more if you only use the laptop to watch videos, but any productive work: it will die in approximately 4 hours.
There are many hexagon -shaped grilles on the laptop.
The laptop has a 90Wh battery, and you get a 240 W load adapter in the box. The load takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, but obtains fast charging support where a 30 -minute load can deliver up to 60 percent battery life.
ALIENWARE M16 R2 VERDICT
The M16 R2 alienware is not what it used to be, but if you are looking for a machine that can do more than the games, then this is a good option. Everything on the laptop is good for a laptop at this price. It has a good design, it is well built, you get a good performance of both the CPU and the GPU, the screen is fast and the battery life when the games are quite good. If you are also looking for a laptop for games that can be combined well among other lower level laptops so that it does not feel strange in coffee shops, the M16 R2 alienware is a great option.
As for competition and alternatives, you can take a look at Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (review), Asus Rog Zephyrus M16 or HP Victus 16, all of which offer slightly better performance, but they can also cost more and not As low as alienware.
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