Dell Alienware 15 R4 Review

Published December 20, 2022 | By lennykrizan

The Dell Alienware 15 R4 is a gaming laptop that offers a lot of power in an attractive chassis. Despite its slim profile, it has enough raw horsepower under the hood to run most popular PC games at their best settings, and it features an optional 4K display capable of high refresh rates on top of the screen’s native 60Hz. The downside of this machine is the price point: $2,199 gets you entry-level specs and no GPU overclocking. For more demanding users and hardcore gamers, our Editors’ Choice remains the Acer Predator Helios 300 at $999 with significantly better performance for a lower upfront cost.

Specs of Dell’s Alienware 15 R4

1. The new Alienware 15 R4 is slimmer and lighter than the previous model, which weighs 6.3 pounds and is 0.9 inches thick. This newest version measures 0.7 inches at its thickest point, reducing the system’s footprint by nearly 50 percent.

2. The laptop sports a 15-inch 4K display with ultra-wide viewing angles, thanks to an edge-to-edge panel with very little bezel surrounding it. There’s also a 100 percent Adobe RGB color gamut, so the end result is an extremely vivid picture where individual shades of gray are much more distinct and colorful.

3. The chassis is composed of four aluminum-alloy ribs that run top-to-bottom and serve as an integral part of the thermal system. A fan cools the CPU, GPU and memory, while two more keep the hard drive cool. These ventilation elements are located in the area above the keyboard, which was a very obvious move on Dell’s part.

4. The keyboard is backlit with customizable LEDs measuring 11 by 7 inches (as opposed to 10 by 6 inches on our current pick). The new Alienware 15 R4 can also be configured with a keyboard laminate, giving you the option to choose an aesthetic that complements the dark-gray theme, or it can remain black.

5. The screen is touch-enabled and operates at 60Hz refresh rate with an optional Ultra HD or 4K panel (7,680 by 4,320 pixels), both of which require the right hardware and drivers you need to install them yourself. There are also two choices of graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB with 1TB SSD storage ($2,299) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB with 2TB storage ($1,899).

6. The Alienware Graphics Amplifier (AGA) can be purchased in place of the GPU to attach external GPUs (e.g., RX Vega 56) and connect up to eight external monitors.

7. Built into the chassis is a 4-by-4 inch OLED panel that functions as a secondary display for the laptop, complete with its own button on the keyboard. It’s an optional addition, but it can provide extra utility if you like having a screen on your machine at all times.

8. The Alienware 15 R4 comes standard with a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD as its primary drive, with up to 2TB more space available via a secondary PCIe slot (for another 2TB SSD). The laptop comes equipped with 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO wireless and gigabit Ethernet, up to 32GB of RAM and a Killer 1435 802.11ac WiGig wireless adapter.

9. The battery is composed of two subunits that are located on either side of the machine’s display hinge. Alienware says the battery can provide four hours of continuous gaming on a single charge, or five hours when streaming video from the cloud from a connected PC.

10. Alienware has built-in both Bluetooth 4.1 LE and Killer DoubleShot Pro network technology in order to better manage bandwidth, prioritize bandwidth for apps and reduce network latency during online gaming sessions.

PRICE

The downside of this machine is the price point: $2,199 gets you entry-level specs and no GPU overclocking. For more demanding users and hardcore gamers, our Editors’ Choice remains the Acer Predator Helios 300 at $999 with significantly better performance for a lower upfront cost.

PROS

1. Powerful specs

The Alienware 15 R4 comfortably pushes the latest graphics on both the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB. Performance is excellent for a gaming laptop, with the option to add a 4K display as a third option.

2. Sleek design

The Alienware 15 R4 has an attractive chassis that’s about two-thirds the thickness of its predecessor. This makes it easier to use on your lap, and you don’t have to worry about it getting in your way while you’re playing games or working on files.

3. Stable performance

The Alienware 15 R4 has no trouble holding on to its framerate while running the most demanding titles. Even when under pressure, the rig remains responsive and handles multitasking without issue.

4. Expansive battery life

The Alienware 15 R4 can get up to five hours of battery life streaming video from a connected PC, or up to four hours when gaming on a single charge — both figures are competitive with other laptops in this price range.

CONS

1. Expensive

The Alienware 15 R4 has a list price of $1,999, which is $700 more than our Editors’ Choice and puts it in the same ballpark as the Acer Predator Helios 300. The most compelling reason to get this machine over the Acer Predator is the inclusion of 4K UHD (3840 by 2160) screens on both configurations, but that premium comes at a steep cost ($2,000 vs. $1,199).

2. Fussy design and software

Some users may find issues using this laptop on their lap because of its shallow footprint. The keyboard also has a unique layout, and there’s a lot of preloaded software that takes some getting used to.

3. Poor touchpad

The Alienware 15 R4’s trackpad is too small, which is hard to get used to when you’re coming from a different laptop. It’s also not very accurate, which can be frustrating for those who use mouse gestures or otherwise rely on the touchpad for cursor control.

Conclusion

The Dell Alienware 15 R4 is a solid gaming laptop that’s a bit more expensive than the competition, but it brings extra features like a 4K display and an OLED screen to the table. There are certainly better options out there for the money, but if you’re willing to spend $2,000 on your rig then you won’t be disappointed with this model.