The Alienware m15 R3 and Alienware m17 R3 are slated to launch on May 21 starting at $1,499 and $1,549, respectively.
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Alienware m15, m17 R3 specs
Both the Alienware m15 R3 and Alienware m17 R3 are practically identical when it comes to specs. These laptops can be outfitted with up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU with 8GB of VRAM, 32GB of RAM and two 2TB SSDs plus an additional 512GB SSD. The biggest difference between the laptops is that the Alienware m15 R3’s GPU is built upon Max-Q technology, whereas the Alienware m17 R3 features a full GPU. That means the former will be less powerful than the latter. If you would rather boast an AMD GPU in your Alienware, you can finally do that with an AMD Radeon RX 5500M graphics card with 4GB of VRAM.
Alienware m15, m17 R3 design and ports
From the press images, we gathered that there isn’t a major design change jumping from R2 to R3 on both the m15 and m17. They’re incredibly sleek, offer narrow bezels and soft-touch paint over an aluminum chassis. You can get either laptop in Lunar Light or Dark Side of the Moon colors. The Alienware m15 ranges between 4.7 to 5.5 pounds (depending on the config) and measures 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.8 inches, while the Alienware m17 falls in between 4.7 to 6.6 pounds and sizes up to be 15.7 x 12 x 0.9 inches. In terms of ports, each system will net you an RJ45 Ethernet port, three USB 3.2 ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, an Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, an HDMI 2.0b port, a Mini-Display Port 1.4, a headphone jack and a microSD card reader.
Alienware m15, m17 R3 display and keyboard
There are quite a few display options for the Alienware m15 and m17 R3. The Alienware m15 has a 15.6-inch screen available with three 1920 x 1080 panels. One offers a 144Hz refresh rate, 7-millisecond response time, 72% of the NTSC color gamut and 300 nits of brightness. A step above that is exactly the same except with Nvidia G-Sync technology thrown in to eliminate screen tearing. The best 1080p model offers a 300Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time and 100% sRGB color gamut. The most expensive model is the 3840 x 2160-pixel one, of course, which features 60Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, 400 nits of brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and Tobii Eyetracking technology. Moving onto the Alienware m17, the larger laptop has a 17.3-inch panel. There are also three 1920 x 1080 models. One offers a 144Hz refresh rate, 9ms response time, 72% NTSC color gamut and 300 nits of brightness. Like the other model, the step up is the same except with Nvidia G-Sync technology. The best 1080p model offers a 300Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time and 100% sRGB color gamut. And, again, you’ll need to pay extra for the 4K panel with a 60Hz refresh rate, 25ms response time, 500 nits of brightness, 100% Adobe RGB color gamut and Tobii Eyetracking technology. Meanwhile, both of the keyboards seem to be specced the same, apart from the m17 featuring a numpad while the m15 forgoes it. There are two options for each – one is a 4-zone RGB-lit keyboard with 1.4mm of key travel and the other offers per-key lighting and 1.7mm of key travel. This is pretty interesting, as most of the keyboard options we’ve seen in the past only offer different lighting, not varying typing experiences.
Alienware m15, m17 R3 battery life
Alienware hasn’t made any battery life claims for the m15 and m17 R3, but you do get the option between a 56 Whr battery or a 86 Whr battery. It’s unclear how much of a difference jumping from the former to the latter will be, but keep in mind that 86 Whr is relatively huge. The biggest battery you can put in a laptop within TSA guidelines is a 99.9 Whr battery.
Outlook
We’ll be reviewing the Alienware m15 R3 and Alienware m17 R3 as soon as humanly possible, so you won’t have to wait long to read our impressions along with full benchmarks. We’re excited to get our hands on these babies and see what they can do with all of that newfound power.
