The Alienware M16, the latest gaming laptop from Dell, takes over from its 15.6-inch sibling. Boasting Nvidia's RTX 40-Series graphics and the choice between Intel and AMD's latest processors, this laptop offers plenty to be excited about. As expected, Alienware rigs come with a premium price tag, but the M-Series has always managed to strike a good balance between performance and affordability.

In this generation of gaming laptops that are slightly more expensive, the Alienware M16 still manages to maintain its price to performance ratio advantage. However, it does come with some quality-of-life concerns that should be considered. The chunky build might not suit everyone, but it does deliver significant performance for its price range. I've spent weeks testing the top-shelf configurations to see how it fares against other high-end gaming laptops.

Design-wise, the Alienware M16 doesn't deviate much from Dell's classic aesthetic. It has a squarish design and feels chunkier compared to some of the sleeker gaming laptops on the market. While it's not the slimmest machine around, the M16 manages to offer a decent balance between thickness and performance. However, at 3.25 kg, it might not be the most portable choice for those who need a laptop on the go.

The M-Series retains its familiar design elements, like the centred keyboard, embossed '16' on the back, and hexagonal grills. While it still looks impressive with cool grey tones, customisable flashy RGB lighting, and a slimline profile, the overall design is still very functional.

The build quality is solid, with an aluminium body that feels durable and has a matte coating to resist fingerprints. However, the larger size of the M16 makes it less portable, and fitting it into a standard laptop backpack can be a challenge.

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Moving on to features, the keyboard of the M16 is placed on a slightly recessed panel, creating an illusion of more space and resulting in a comfortable typing experience. The keyboard is responsive and tactile, and while there's no dedicated number pad or media buttons, it does come with full-sized arrow and volume keys. On the downside, the trackpad is relatively small and uncomfortably positioned close to the edge, making it less practical for extended use.

In terms of connectivity, the M16 offers an impressive array of ports, including two USB-C Gen 2 ports, several USB-As, Ethernet, and a full SD card reader. It also boasts a sophisticated cooling system with four fans and a vapour chamber to keep temperatures in check. The fan control options allow users to choose between Quiet and Full Fan modes, striking a good balance between performance and noise levels.

As for the display, my test unit came with a 16-inch QHD+ IPS panel running at 165Hz, providing good colour contrast and viewing angles with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The Dell-engineered screen stands out among other IPS QHD+ options. The only drawback is the drop in brightness compared to some other models.

In terms of performance, the Alienware M16 with its RTX 4080 GPU impressed with high frame rates in most games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions and across High and Ultra settings. Even demanding games like God of War: Ragnarok performed admirably with ray tracing and DLSS turned on. Overall, the M16 proved to be a powerful gaming machine capable of handling most modern titles with ease.

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First Published:Jul 25, 2023 5:06 PM IST