The Alienware m16 R2 uses a 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution IPS display, which is decent but not particularly remarkable for its price. The display lacks HDR support, instead relying on a simple sRGB color space. It’s not a big deal, but when similarly priced laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 have bright OLED panels, it’s hard to ignore.
Maximum brightness is 300 nits, which is slightly lower than some gaming laptops I’ve tested recently. When I sat by the window during the day I could still see what was on the screen just fine, but outside in broad daylight I started to have trouble.
The m16 R2’s display does have one advantage, however: it has a refresh rate of 240 Hz, which is particularly welcome for fast-paced games that can benefit from it. While playing Eternal fate At medium settings I achieved over 200 frames per second, which made jumping around and shooting demons a buttery smooth experience.
Many other gaming laptops in this price range (like the Zephyrus G14) are capped at 120Hz, making the m16 R2 an attractive alternative if you’re looking for particularly smooth gameplay. It’s worth noting that refresh rate is only useful if games can take advantage of it, meaning you’ll need to consider your spec options carefully.
For work and leisure
The base model of the Alienware m16 R2 has an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, but it can be upgraded to an RTX 4070, which was included in the model I tested. I played with the RTX 4070 Overwatch 2 at medium settings with well over 200 fps. In a competitive game where split-second decision making matters, this is a huge advantage.
In more modern, graphically intensive single player games such as StarfieldI reliably achieved 50 to 60 fps in crowded areas like New Atlantis, but higher frame rates in less demanding areas of the game. Cyberpunk 2077 It was a similar story: 70 to 80 fps was regularly maintained during combat, while the speed dropped to 50 to 60 fps when driving through crowded parts of the city.
Photo: Eric Ravenscraft
All of these tests were performed while plugged in, but it’s important to remember that if you plan to play on battery power, more frames means more power consumption. The m16 R2 has a sizable 90 watt-hour battery, which is among the largest you’ll find in a laptop. But if you crank up the graphics settings to the maximum, it will burn out quickly. During normal tasks on the m16 R2, I got around nine to ten hours of battery life on a single charge. When gaming, this number dropped significantly, but if I was careful to optimize my graphics settings and not put too much strain on the device, I was able to play for one and a half to two hours of continuous gaming.
Overall, the Alienware m16 R2 balances performance with everyday requirements. You can use this laptop as your daily driver for work and get a full day of battery life, then plug it into a dock at the end of the day to play some pretty robust gaming.