Products
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4, 2024)
Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025)
Tested using Methodology v0.9
Updated Nov 18, 2025 07:16 PM
SEE PRICE
Apple.com
Tested using Methodology v0.9
Updated Nov 20, 2025 05:30 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Size
16"
Operating System
macOS
Size
18"
Operating System
Windows 11
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4, 2024)
Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025)
Though both are high-end devices with lots of processing power under the hood, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4, 2024) and the Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025) are very different laptops. The former is a premium workstation intended for productivity tasks, while the latter is primarily a gaming laptop. The MacBook Pro feels more premium in terms of build quality, and it offers a slightly better user experience, particularly in smaller details such as the touchpad, speakers, and webcam. Gaming is possible on the MacBook Pro, but if your primary intent is to play games, the Alienware is a much better choice since there are significantly more games on Windows than on Mac. The Alienware also has a better display for gaming.
Variants
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2V3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Max (14-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU)/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2W3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Max (16-Core CPU, 40-Core GPU)/48GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2T3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2U3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/48GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX303LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Max (14-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU)/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX313LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Max (16-Core CPU, 40-Core GPU)/48GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2X3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MX2Y3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/48GB/512GB)
- Alienware 18 Area-51 (LAA18250-9444BLU-PUS) (Liquid Teal - Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5070Ti/32GB/2TB)
- Alienware 18 Area-51 (LAA18250) (Liquid Teal - Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/1TB)
- Alienware 18 Area-51 (LAA18250-9420BLU-PUS) (Liquid Teal - Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/2TB)
- Alienware 18 Area-51 (LAA18250-9383BLU-PUS) (Liquid Teal - Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5090/64GB/2TB)
Main Differences for
General Productivity
General Productivity
Threshold
General Productivity
8.6
5.6
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.0 hrs
3.9 hrs
Portability
7.0
2.0
Keyboard
8.0
9.2
Reflections
8.8
6.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
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Compare High-Res
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
8.5
Build Quality Photo
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Compare High-Res
Hinge
9.1
9.0
Hinge Photo
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Compare High-Res
Range
135°
130°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
7.0
2.0
Dimensions Photo
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Compare High-Res
Size
16"
18"
Thickness
0.7" (1.7 cm)
1.4" (3.7 cm)
Width
14.0" (35.5 cm)
16.1" (41.0 cm)
Depth
9.8" (24.8 cm)
12.6" (32.0 cm)
Volume
91.3 in³ (1,496.7 cm³)
293.0 in³ (4,801.9 cm³)
Weight
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)
9.1 lbs (4.1 kg)
Charger Size
13.7 in³ (225.0 cm³)
25.5 in³ (417.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
2.8 lbs (1.3 kg)
Serviceability
3.5
9.1
Internals Photo
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Ease Of Access
6.0
9.0
RAM Slots
0
2
Storage Slots
0
3
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
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Compare High-Res
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
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Resolution
3456 x 2234
2560 x 1600
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
254 PPI
167 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
90%
80%
Refresh Rate
8.7
9.6
Motion Blur
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Compare High-Res
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
300 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Apple ProMotion
G-SYNC
Contrast
10
7.2
Contrast Photo
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Compare High-Res
Native Contrast
53,450 : 1
1,222 : 1
Brightness
9.1
8.6
Maximum Brightness
604 cd/m²
508 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
3 cd/m²
29 cd/m²
Reflections
8.8
6.5
Reflections Photo Off
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Reflections Photo Max
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Screen Finish
Glossy
Matte
Total Reflections
1.92%
7.39%
Indirect Reflections
0.18%
6.57%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.74%
0.82%
Black Uniformity
10
7.3
Black Uniformity Photo
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Compare High-Res
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.088%
1.122%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.9
8.4
White Balance Screencap
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Gamma Curve Screencap
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Color Screencap
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Avg. White Balance dE
1.39
1.38
Avg. Gamma
2.21
2.18
Avg. Color dE
0.93
3.4486
Avg. Color Temperature
6,331.2 K
6,451.4 K
Color Gamut
9.5
9.5
Gamut SDR
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Compare High-Res
sRGB xy
99.99%
138.47%
sRGB uv
99.98%
132.35%
Adobe RGB xy
88.85%
89.62%
Adobe RGB uv
93.81%
95.41%
Gamut HDR
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Compare High-Res
DCI-P3 xy
99.89%
99.3%
DCI-P3 uv
99.81%
99.69%
Rec. 2020 xy
73.27%
73.23%
Rec. 2020 uv
74.17%
76.8%
Flicker
9.0
10
Flicker Graph
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Compare High-Res
Flicker-Free
No
Yes
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
100%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
9.2
Keyboard Photo
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Compare High-Res
Typing Quality
8.0
9.0
Numpad
No
Yes
Backlighting
Adjustable
Per-Key RGB
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
60 gf
68 gf
Actuation Force
38 gf
36 gf
Pre-Travel
0.78 mm
1.08 mm
Total Travel
0.85 mm
1.74 mm
Touchpad
9.7
8.6
Touchpad Photo
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Compare High-Res
Tracking Quality
9.5
8.5
Size
24.8 in² (160.0 cm²)
16.3 in² (105.5 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.8
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
77 dB SPL
77 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
4.2 dB
3.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
0.4
0.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
122 Hz
230 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
13 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.8 dB
3.1 dB
Webcam & Microphone
9.1
7.4
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.5
7.5
Resolution
1080p
1440p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
Yes
Connectivity
Ports
8.5
9.0
Ports Photo
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Compare High-Res
USB-A Ports
0
3
USB-C Ports
3
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt 5
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.1
2.1
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 2
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
No
Yes
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Alienware Power Adapter Port
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth
5.3
5.4
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Intel
Model
M4 Max
Core Ultra 9 275HX
Core Count
16
24
Thread Count
16
24
GPU
Brand
Apple
NVIDIA
Model
M4 Max
GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Dedicated
VRAM Size
N/A
16 GB
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
N/A
175W
RAM
Capacity
48 GB
32 GB
Modules
Unknown
2
Type
LP-DDR5x
DDR5
Speed
8,533 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
1,000 GB
Usable Capacity
958 GB
882 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP1024Z
SK hynix PVC10
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
CPU/RAM Performance
8.9
8.6
Cinebench 2024 - Single Core
179 points
135 points
Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core
2,067 points
2,194 points
Geekbench 6 - Single Core
3,910
3,063
Geekbench 6 - Multi Core
26,053
19,868
Blender - CPU (Avg)
169 samples/min
171 samples/min
PassMark PT - CPU Mark
43,766
63,787
PassMark PT - Memory Mark
6,039
3,499
PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
Mozilla Kraken
253 ms
280 ms
Low Tier Graphics
8.3
8.6
Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute
195,622
205,412
Basemark Web 3.0
2,461
2,071
PassMark PT - 2D Mark
N/A
940
PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
PassMark PT - 3D Mark
N/A
26,279
PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
Novabench 5 - GPU
812.0
1,100.3
mprep - Stress My GPU
39,837
173,508
High Tier Graphics
8.3
8.9
3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)
N/A
5,367
3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)
3,579
5,548
Basemark GPU (DX12)
N/A
257,652
Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)
177,985
233,486
GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)
15,515 Frames
16,960 Frames
Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)
6.6
7.3
Blender - GPU (Avg)
1,740 samples/min
2,440 samples/min
Cinebench 2024 - GPU
16,676 points
N/A
CPU-Intensive Game Performance
8.3
6.9
Civilization VII - AI
14.0 s/turn
16.2 s/turn
Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)
239.4 fps
278.0 fps
Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)
108.4 fps
134.4 fps
Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)
82.1 fps
144.1 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)
113.7 fps
84.2 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)
60.0 fps
61.1 fps
Previous Methodology Score
8.2
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
7.7
N/A
GPU-Intensive Game Performance
6.7
7.6
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
63.0 fps
122.5 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
54.0 fps
104.2 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
31 fps
73 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
22 fps
61 fps
GTA V (Avg)
N/A
183.0 fps
GTA V (1% Low)
N/A
62.6 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
N/A
54 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
N/A
49 fps
Resident Evil 4 (Avg)
135.6 fps
144.1 fps
Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)
101.2 fps
110.9 fps
Previous Methodology Score
8.5
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
7.0
N/A
Ray Tracing Performance
4.4
6.6
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
41.5 fps
81.9 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
34.2 fps
73.4 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
22 fps
48 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
17 fps
42 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
N/A
28 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
N/A
24 fps
Storage Drive Performance
9.0
9.8
Sequential Write Speed
5,844.7 MB/s
2,025.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,555.5 MB/s
4,524.0 MB/s
Random Write Speed
43.1 MB/s
180.7 MB/s
Random Read Speed
41.0 MB/s
97.7 MB/s
Battery
9.5
3.4
Capacity
100 Wh
96 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.0 hrs
3.9 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
12.6 hrs
3.0 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.9 hrs
0.8 hrs
Charge Time
1.7 hrs
2.5 hrs
Thermals And Noise
6.5
6.9
Keyboard Temps Picture
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Compare High-Res
Keyboard Temp While Idle
30 °C (86 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
48 °C (119 °F)
43 °C (109 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
51.6 dBA
53.8 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
Yes
Performance Over Time
10
9.9
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
95 °C
73 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
0% loss
1% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
80 °C
56 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
Windows 11
Additional Software
None
Yes
Extra Features
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Face Recognition
RGB Illumination
No
Yes
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4, 2024)
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Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4, 2024) vs Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025): Main Discussion
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