Before today, you’d need to spend a minimum of around $1,700 on one of Dell’s Alienware laptops (however, Dell’s recurring discounts mean you’re likely to pay less than this figure). With the arrival of Alienware 15, the price of entry dropped to $1,300.
Of course, you’ll need to accept a few tradeoffs to reach this low price, but Alienware’s system has stretched the floor to appeal to many gamers — especially, those who find themselves on a tight budget in this era of gaming. shortages and rising prices.
Dell also announced two mainstream laptops today in the Dell 14S and 16S. Let’s take a look at the three new models.
The new entry-level Alienware
The Alienware list now has three tiers, with the new Alienware 15 below, 16/16X Aurora center and flag 16/18 Area-51 up.
Alienware 15 offers a choice of Intel and AMD processors as well as current and previous Nvidia RTX GPUs up to the RTX 5060. It is based on a 15.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels and a refresh rate of 165Hz, all wrapped in plastic. Those are very unimpressive display characteristics, like the 300-nit brightness rating.
The AMD and Intel options are a generation or two behind the times. You have your choice of AMD Ryzen 200 series processors (Ryzen 5 220 or Ryzen 7 260) or Intel Raptor Lake chips (Core 5 210H or Core 7 240H). Dell says it’s adding Ryzen AI 400 series options soon.
The GPU options extend to three generations: RTX 3050, 4050, 5050 or 5060. The graphics chips are designed to save thermals. The RTX 3050 and 4050 are set at 70 watts, and the 50 GPUs top out at 85 watts. That’s one sacrifice you make when stepping down from the Alienware 16X Aurora, which I tested with an RTX 5060 running at its full 115-watt capacity.
The Alienware 15 also lacks the Aurora aluminum top panel which adds a dash of style and extra durability to protect the display. It also lacks Aurora’s RGB keyboard lighting and only lights its keys in basic white.
A few things I liked about Alienware 15 related to development and sustainability. RAM and SSD are not soldered to the motherboard and can be replaced or expanded.
Okay, let’s talk about prices. AMD-based models start at $1,299, while Intel-based models start at $1,349.
Alienware 15 price
| CPU | The GPU | RAM | SSD | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 220 | RTX 4050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,299 |
| Ryzen 7 260 | RTX 4050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,399 |
| Ryzen 7 260 | RTX 5050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,459 |
| Ryzen 7 260 | RTX 5060 | 16GB | 1 TB | $1,849 |
| Total 5 210H | RTX 4050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,349 |
| Total 7 240H | RTX 4050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,449 |
| Total 7 240H | RTX 5050 | 16GB | 512GB | $1,509 |
| Total 7 240H | RTX 5060 | 32GB | 1TB | $2,299 |
The prices above are US list prices. I would expect Dell to drop various configurations of Alienware 15 in general where you can find a retail price that falls below $1,000 for one of the lower end configurations because Alienware 15 is not that attractive if you can get The 16 Aurora is reduced to just $1,200.
The younger twins: Dell 14S and 16S
Dell has announced a new laptop series that sits between Dell’s entry-level laptops and its Dell Plus line. The new Dell 14S and 16S are smaller versions of the basic Dell series and feature an all-metal chassis. And they look pretty thin: Dell lists the thickness as 0.6 inches for both the 14- and 16-inch models.
Dell 14S comes in frost blue or sky blue.
These new standard laptops include a selection of Intel Panther Lake processors, from the Core Ultra 5 322 to the Core Ultra 9 386H and including the Core Ultra X7 358H featuring an integrated Intel B390 GPU with 12 Xe cores. I’ve tested laptops with this CPU, and they offer a compelling combination of slim design, quiet operation and long battery life and enough 3D performance to satisfy casual gamers.
Display options are plentiful, with both basic IPS and high-end OLED panels on offer, with and without touch support. You can outfit any model with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
The Dell 16S is a small, 16-inch laptop based on Intel’s Panther Lake processors.
Many times, the manufacturer gives the choice of the hole unconsciously when going for a very thin, delicate design, but thankfully, that is not the case here. Both the Dell 14S and 16S feature an array of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI connection and a headphone jack.
I’m looking forward to testing them out to see how they stack up against my two favorite small and light laptops, Asus Zenbook A14 again Zenbook A16.
The Dell 14S and 16S are available now. The Dell 14S starts at $1,270, and the Dell 16S starts at $1,320.
