Products
HP OMEN MAX 16 (2025)
Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025)
Tested using Methodology v0.9
Updated Nov 18, 2025 07:31 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Tested using Methodology v0.9
Updated Nov 20, 2025 05:30 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Size
16"
Operating System
Windows 11
Size
18"
Operating System
Windows 11
Our Verdict
HP OMEN MAX 16 (2025)
Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025)
The HP OMEN MAX 16 (2025) and the Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025) are both high-end gaming laptops with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 HX CPUs and NVIDIA 50-Series GPUs. While neither is particularly portable, the OMEN is the smaller of the two at 16 inches, making it a better option if you need to travel with the laptop. Both deliver a great gaming experience, though expect the Alienware to achieve better results on the top-end 5090 models, as it has more chassis space and a superior cooling system to keep the components cool.
Variants
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0097nr) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/IPS/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/1TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0070ca) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/IPS/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/1TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0033dx) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/IPS/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/1TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0043dx) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/OLED/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/32GB/2TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0050ca) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/OLED/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5080/64GB/2TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0060ca) (Shadow Black - 2.5k/OLED/Ultra 9 275HX/RTX 5090/64GB/2TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0000ca) (Shadow Black - 2k/IPS/Ultra 7 255HX/RTX 5060/16GB/1TB)
- OMEN MAX 16 (16-ah0020ca) (Shadow Black - 2k/IPS/Ultra 7 255HX/RTX 5070/32GB/1TB)
- 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
6.7
5.6
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
7.6 hrs
3.9 hrs
Portability
4.6
2.0
Keyboard
7.7
9.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
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Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
Build Quality Photo
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Hinge
9.1
9.0
Hinge Photo
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Range
140°
130°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
4.6
2.0
Dimensions Photo
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Size
16"
18"
Thickness
1.3" (3.3 cm)
1.4" (3.7 cm)
Width
14.0" (35.6 cm)
16.1" (41.0 cm)
Depth
10.6" (26.9 cm)
12.6" (32.0 cm)
Volume
192.8 in³ (3,160.2 cm³)
293.0 in³ (4,801.9 cm³)
Weight
6.0 lbs (2.7 kg)
9.1 lbs (4.1 kg)
Charger Size
33.3 in³ (546.5 cm³)
25.5 in³ (417.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
1.8 lbs (0.8 kg)
2.8 lbs (1.3 kg)
Serviceability
8.1
9.1
Internals Photo
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Ease Of Access
7.0
9.0
RAM Slots
2
2
Storage Slots
2
3
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
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Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
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Resolution
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1600
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
188 PPI
167 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
82%
80%
Refresh Rate
9.6
9.6
Motion Blur
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Refresh Rate
240 Hz
300 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
G-SYNC
G-SYNC
Contrast
7.3
7.2
Contrast Photo
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Native Contrast
1,329 : 1
1,222 : 1
Brightness
8.8
8.6
Maximum Brightness
536 cd/m²
508 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
20 cd/m²
29 cd/m²
Reflections
7.5
6.5
Reflections Photo Off
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Reflections Photo Max
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Screen Finish
Matte
Matte
Total Reflections
5.03%
7.39%
Indirect Reflections
3.99%
6.57%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.04%
0.82%
Black Uniformity
6.7
7.3
Black Uniformity Photo
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Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.520%
1.122%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
6.9
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
4.25
1.38
Avg. Gamma
2.2
2.18
Avg. Color dE
2.8
3.4486
Avg. Color Temperature
6,358 K
6,451.4 K
Color Gamut
8.6
9.5
Gamut SDR
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sRGB xy
99.43%
138.47%
sRGB uv
97.92%
132.35%
Adobe RGB xy
79.75%
89.62%
Adobe RGB uv
89.21%
95.41%
Gamut HDR
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DCI-P3 xy
80.86%
99.3%
DCI-P3 uv
84.73%
99.69%
Rec. 2020 xy
58.26%
73.23%
Rec. 2020 uv
62.61%
76.8%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
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Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
7.7
9.2
Keyboard Photo
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Typing Quality
7.0
9.0
Numpad
Yes
Yes
Backlighting
Per-Key RGB
Per-Key RGB
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
68 gf
68 gf
Actuation Force
32 gf
36 gf
Pre-Travel
1.11 mm
1.08 mm
Total Travel
1.61 mm
1.74 mm
Touchpad
8.0
8.6
Touchpad Photo
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Tracking Quality
8.0
8.5
Size
15.5 in² (100.0 cm²)
16.3 in² (105.5 cm²)
Material
Plastic
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
7.7
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
74 dB SPL
77 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.3 dB
3.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
-0.1
0.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
236 Hz
230 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
18 kHz
13 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
0.6 dB
3.1 dB
Webcam & Microphone
7.9
7.4
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
7.5
7.5
Resolution
1080p
1440p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
No
Face Unlock
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Ports
9.5
9.0
Ports Photo
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USB-A Ports
2
3
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
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
No
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
Yes
Yes
Proprietary Port
HP AC Adapter Port
Alienware Power Adapter Port
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth
5.4
5.4
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Intel
Model
Core Ultra 9 275HX
Core Ultra 9 275HX
Core Count
24
24
Thread Count
24
24
GPU
Brand
NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Model
GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU
GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU
Dedicated/Integrated
Dedicated
Dedicated
VRAM Size
16 GB
16 GB
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
175W
175W
RAM
Capacity
32 GB
32 GB
Modules
2
2
Type
DDR5
DDR5
Speed
5,600 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
1,000 GB
Usable Capacity
939 GB
882 GB
Drive 1
SK Hynix PCB01 HFS001TFM9X187N
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
8.5
8.6
Cinebench 2024 - Single Core
131 points
135 points
Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core
1,867 points
2,194 points
Geekbench 6 - Single Core
3,008
3,063
Geekbench 6 - Multi Core
19,235
19,868
Blender - CPU (Avg)
150 samples/min
171 samples/min
PassMark PT - CPU Mark
59,700
63,787
PassMark PT - Memory Mark
3,441
3,499
PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
Mozilla Kraken
281 ms
280 ms
Low Tier Graphics
8.6
8.6
Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute
180,116
205,412
Basemark Web 3.0
2,308
2,071
PassMark PT - 2D Mark
1,328
940
PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
PassMark PT - 3D Mark
24,470
26,279
PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)
N/A
N/A
Novabench 5 - GPU
1,917.0
1,100.3
mprep - Stress My GPU
165,010
173,508
High Tier Graphics
8.8
8.9
3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)
5,362
5,367
3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)
5,508
5,548
Basemark GPU (DX12)
236,540
257,652
Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)
224,680
233,486
GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)
16,602 Frames
16,960 Frames
Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)
7.2
7.3
Blender - GPU (Avg)
2,296 samples/min
2,440 samples/min
Cinebench 2024 - GPU
N/A
N/A
CPU-Intensive Game Performance
8.6
6.9
Civilization VII - AI
14.8 s/turn
16.2 s/turn
Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)
314.3 fps
278.0 fps
Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)
130.2 fps
134.4 fps
Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)
140.3 fps
144.1 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)
81.1 fps
84.2 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)
58.6 fps
61.1 fps
Previous Methodology Score
9.2
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
8.7
N/A
GPU-Intensive Game Performance
8.3
7.6
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
114.9 fps
122.5 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
98.7 fps
104.2 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
70 fps
73 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
59 fps
61 fps
GTA V (Avg)
175.8 fps
183.0 fps
GTA V (1% Low)
65.0 fps
62.6 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
53 fps
54 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
47 fps
49 fps
Resident Evil 4 (Avg)
139.8 fps
144.1 fps
Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)
110.3 fps
110.9 fps
Previous Methodology Score
9.4
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
8.0
N/A
Ray Tracing Performance
6.5
6.6
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
77.1 fps
81.9 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
70.0 fps
73.4 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
46 fps
48 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
40 fps
42 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
28 fps
28 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
24 fps
24 fps
Storage Drive Performance
9.7
9.8
Sequential Write Speed
2,126.0 MB/s
2,025.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
6,041.6 MB/s
4,524.0 MB/s
Random Write Speed
90.8 MB/s
180.7 MB/s
Random Read Speed
76.7 MB/s
97.7 MB/s
Battery
6.6
3.4
Capacity
83 Wh
96 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
7.6 hrs
3.9 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
6.2 hrs
3.0 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.1 hrs
0.8 hrs
Charge Time
2.2 hrs
2.5 hrs
Thermals And Noise
6.8
6.9
Keyboard Temps Picture
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Keyboard Temp While Idle
31 °C (88 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
37 °C (98 °F)
43 °C (109 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
27.5 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
59.0 dBA
53.8 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
Yes
Performance Over Time
9.0
9.9
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
100 °C
73 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
6% loss
1% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
62 °C
56 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
Windows 11
Additional Software
Yes
Yes
Extra Features
Biometrics
Face Recognition
Face Recognition
RGB Illumination
Yes
Yes
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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HP OMEN MAX 16 (2025)
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HP OMEN MAX 16 (2025) vs Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025): Main Discussion
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