At $2,099, it’s priced a little lower than the more-storage, more-RAM $2,699 version, but most of its specs are otherwise maxed. The system we tested is from the model’s highest-priced SKU. We can’t judge that model’s performance in battery life and gaming performance, since we didn’t get one to test, but the lower-resolution display alone would keep us from recommending that model. The cheapest of these uses a 1366x768 panel for its screen, which brings the price down to as low as $999 that SKU includes a weaker but less power-hungry GTX 1050. The other feather in Alienware’s cap is that this smaller screen lets the company sell a few SKUs. AdvertisementĮnlarge / Man oh man, look at that giant Alienware logo obscuring the massive bezel beneath this screen. Meanwhile, mild angles and tasteful separation in venting zones make them almost look like an aesthetic design choice, and the slight point on the top of the screen and the bottom of the laptop look appreciably unique and subtle.
The three-converging-line design on the aluminum front panel looks stylish, and it’s offset not by a bunch of giant bright neon logos but by a lonely Alienware alien head, which you can either light up or leave unlit (more on that later).
The system’s thin profile and reasonable weight (for a gaming laptop, 5.8lbs/2.6kg is reasonable) has been a more crucial selling point, even though messenger bags designed for more conventional 13.3” Macbook Pro and Air-sized laptops won’t accept the R3.īut the design strikes the right balance between “noticeable” and “subtle” for a laptop that doesn’t look like a Red Bull-chugging games machine. I would have loved more screen real estate, but in most respects, I quickly forgave the jut. This Alienware system’s biggest design concession, then, is a laptop body that tricks you into expecting a 14” screen.
Alienware could have removed this text explosion, blown up the screen another 3/4”, and still left plenty of room for the front-facing sensor and camera array. The biggest bezel, at the bottom, has the word “ALIENWARE” lit up with multi-colored LED backlights, as if the manufacturer thought the flashy lights might distract you from its size. Sadly, this incredibly thin 13.3” screen, which renders at a maximum 2560x1440 resolution (1440p), is offset by staggering bezels. This emphasis on thinness-or, at least, as thin as a GTX 1060-fueled laptop currently gets-is emphasized further by its slim screen panel, which measures at only 0.157” (4mm) thick in the review configuration I received. Starts at $999, about $2,099 as configured
Noble lock, 720p webcam, Windows Hello IR webcam
Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, Gigabit EthernetĢx USB 3.0, USB Type-C, HDMI 2.0 out, Mini DisplayPort 1.2 out, Thunderbolt 3, Alienware "Graphics Amplifier" port, headphone jack, microphone jack Intel HD 630 (integrated) paired with Nvidia GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 RAM Specs at a glance: Alienware 13 R3 (as reviewed)Ģ560×1440 OLED display at 13.3" (280 PPI) with 10-point multitouchĢ.8GHz Core i7-7700HQ (Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz)
It’s an interesting bet by Alienware: that users would rather have a laptop jut out like something from 1999 while otherwise keeping its thickness at a reasonable 0.87 inches (22mm). Turns out, Alienware needed a little more motherboard and cooling space than the screen panel’s footprint afforded.