Apple MacBook Pro 15 Vs. Alienware M15: Which 15-inch Powerhouse Is Best?
Apple MacBook Pro 15 Vs. Alienware M15: Which 15-inch Powerhouse Is Best?
Ever wonder who’d win in a battle between a MacBook and an Alienware? So did we. That why we pitted the Apple MacBook Pro 15 and Alienware m15 against each other in a head-to-head battle between two of the sleekest 15-inch laptops out there.
One is built for writing papers, editing photos and videos and everything in between, while the other is a gaming notebook with a lot of tricks under the hood. But in a battle of two disparate systems, which one reigns supreme?
Alienware m15 Apple MacBook Pro Starting Price (as configured) $1,169/$3,629 $2,399/$4,199 CPU 2.2-GHz Intel Core i7-8750H CPU 2.9-GHz Intel Core i9-8950HK CPU RAM 32GB 32GB Storage Dual 1TB NVMe PCIe SSDs 2TB SSD GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU/ Intel UHD Graphics 630 AMD Radeon Pro 560X GPU Key Travel/Actuation 1.1 millimeters, 68 grams 0.7 millimeters, 63 grams Display 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080, 60 or 144 Hertz 15.4 inches, 2880 x 1600, Retina Display with TrueTone technology Battery Life (hours:minutes) 6:25 10:21 Size 14.3 x 10.8 x 0.7-0.8-inches 13.8 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches Weight 4.8 pounds 4 pounds Design
Thanks to their trademark looks, you’d never have a problem pointing out a MacBook or an Alienware in a lineup. The MacBook has the design that launched a legion of clones. The laptop continues to captivate with its silver, slim aluminum chassis with simple rounded corners. The backlit half-eaten fruit emblem has become synonymous with understated quality.
However, Apple’s minimalist design language has become ubiquitous almost to a fault. Outside of a Space Gray color change up now and then, the company rarely shakes things up. But at 4 pounds, 13.8 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches, it’s little wonder why the notebook consistently finds itself in messenger bags the world over.
With its angular edges, customizable backlighting and aggressive-looking vents, the Alienware m15 screams “take me to your leader.” Comprised of anodized aluminum colored the company’s Epic Gray, the system looks like an intergalactic battle cruiser disguised as a laptop. The glowing alien head crowning the lid, invites you to probe deeper to unlock its secrets.
Winner: Alienware m15
Ports
If you’re looking for a plethora of ports, you’re going to find slim pickins on the MacBook. The laptop only has four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack. It’s incredibly future-forward, but also means that if you’re looking to use a traditional mouse or an external hard drive, you’re going to be investing in a lot of dongles.
The m15, on the other hand, is practically bursting with ports. The slim battlestation features a trio of USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI 2.0, mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, a Noble Lock slot, headphone jack and a proprietary port for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier.
Winner: Alienware m15
Display
Available with a 60 or 144-Hertz refresh rate, the m15’s display is tailor-made for gamers. The 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 panel is incredibly vibrant, with the 60-Hz screen able to reproduce 150 percent of the sRGB color gamut while the 144-Hz display hit 154 percent. But that’s pretty much par for the course for Alienware laptops.
Typical of most MacBooks, the 15-inch Pro has a Retina Display that is simply gorgeous. The 15.4-inch, 2880 x 1800 panel is the first to feature Apple's TrueTone technology "uses advanced multichannel sensors to adjust the color and intensity" of the screen. TrueTone worked as advertised, automatically adjusting the color balance under our office’s fluorescent lighting, which was great for watching videos. But when we switched to typing in Google Docs, the normally white background looked cream.
The m15’s 60-Hz screen is plenty bright at 284 nits, which topped the premium gaming laptop average (278 nits) while the 144-Hz display missed the mark at 241 nits. But the MacBook Pro topped both models with a luminous 354 nites. When we measured color reproduction, the MacBook delivered 117 percent of the sRGB gamut, which is less vibrant than both versions of the m51.
Winner: Apple MacBook Pro
Keyboard
In the pursuit of thinness, Alienware ditched our highly-rated TactX keyboard in favor of an island-style board. Unlike the company’s previous 15-incher, the m15 manages to fit a full-sized keyboard and a num pad.
If measurements were king, I’d tell you to run from the m15 with its 1.1-millimeter key travel (1.5mm is our minimum threshold for comfortable typing). But that 68 grams of actuation force really makes the typing experience. I was surprised by how comfortable the keyboard was. It wasn't bouncy per se, but had enough feedback that my fingers never bottomed out.
MORE: Apple AirPower Finally Coming This Spring with 'Exclusive Features'
Plus, you can trick out the keyboard (and all the other lighting zones) via the revamped Alienware Command Center software. It’s a cleaner, easier-to-navigate interface compared to its predecessor. In addition to creating a custom light show, you can also record macros for specific games.
Apple is no stranger to keyboard controversy thanks to faulty butterfly switches and errant debris. However, it looks like the company has finally righted the ship, making sure that there’s a membrane under each switch. Although the key travel is only 0.7mm, the 60g actuation made for snappy feedback, but I still wish it wasn’t so shallow. Still, the MacBook Pro’s keyboard delivered a comfortable experience, allowing me to type for long periods of time.
Winner: Alienware m15
Performance
When it comes to overall performance, it’s hard to top a MacBook Pro, especially a fully tricked-out system. Ours came equipped with an Intel Core i9-8950HK processor and 32GB of RAM. And even though it’s a gaming laptop, the m15 isn’t a slouch when it comes to performance thanks to its Core i7-8750H CPU and 32GB of RAM.
On the Geekbench 4 test, the MacBook scored 23,138, but the Alienware wasn’t too far behind with 21,450. When we ran the Excel Productivity test, the MacBook paired up 65,000 names and addresses in 52 seconds while the m15 finished in 1:03.
Equipped with a 2TB SSD, the MacBook tore through our File Transfer test with read and write speeds of 2,724/2,600MBps, respectively. The m15 and its pair of 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSDs achieved 1,017.9, which would be incredible under normal circumstances but looks average compared to the MacBook.
The Alienware did slightly better on the video transcoding test, taking only 9 minutes and 51 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. The MacBook completed the job in 10:16.
Winner: Apple MacBook Pro
Gaming, Graphics and VR
Here is where the Alienware m15 shines. Thanks its Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM, the laptop can run games at high settings with above-average frame rates. The MacBook and its AMD Radeon Pro 560X? Not so much. Macs aren’t known for their gaming prowess, and finding Mac-friendly AAA titles can be a hassle.
When we ran the Dirt 3 benchmark, the MacBook hit 83 frames per second, which is great -- but the Alienware obtained a much more impressive 123 fps.
Winner: Alienware m15
Battery Life
You really shouldn’t expect a gaming laptop to last more than 1 or 2 hours. But this is an Alienware. The m15 lasted 6 hours and 25 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. It’s downright impressive for a gaming notebook. But it’s just a walk in the park compared to the MacBook, which clocked in with 10:21.
Winner: Apple MacBook Pro
Value
If you want an Apple laptop, you’re going to pay out the nose for the privilege. Our review unit was specced at a whopping $4,699, and includes an 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD and a discrete AMD Radeon 560X GPU with 4GB of memory.
The starting configuration is a little easier on the wallet at $2,399. For the price you get a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and an AMD Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of VRAM. Want more memory and graphics power? The price jumps to $2,799 for a 512GB SSD and an AMD Radeon 560X GPU with 4GB of memory.
Alienware is a lot gentler on the pockets. Our review unit was a bit pricey at $3,629, but it had a 2.2-GHz Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 32GB of RAM, two 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSDs, an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, an Nvidia GeForce GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM and a 60Hz 1920 x 1080 panel.
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The base model is a much more affordable $1,169.99 and has a 2.2-GHz Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB (with an 8GB SSHD) Hybrid drive, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM and a 60Hz 1920 x 1080 display.
The $1,879.99 configuration bumps you up to Nvidia’s next-gen RTX cards with a GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM. You also score a 256GB PCie M.2 SSD with a 1TB (with an 8GB SSHD) Hybrid drive. The top-of-the-line system is currently $2,861.99 and offers 16GB of RAM, a 512GB PCie M.2 SSD with a 1TB (with an 8GB SSHD) Hybrid drive, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM and a 4K, 60-Hz display.
Winner: Alienware m15
Apple MacBook Pro 15 Alienware m15 Design (10) 7 8 Ports (5) 3 5 Display (15) 15 10 Keyboard (5) 3 5 Performance (20) 20 15 Gaming (20) 10 20 Battery Life (15) 15 10 Value (10) 5 10 Total 77 83 Bottom Line
At the end of the day, the Apple MacBook Pro 15 and the Alienware m15 are two different laptops with two different use cases. The MacBook, with its sleek, lightweight design, powerful Core i9 processor and lovely Retina display targets creative professionals, students, and everyone in between. The Alienware is a gaming laptop through and through, but has more than enough performance to do everything the MacBook can do –– if you don’t mind carrying around a glittering light show wherever you go.
And starting at $1,169 compared to the $2,399, the Alienware m15 is a much more cost-effective option. But if you want a lightweight productivity machine, the MacBook Pro 15 is the way to go.
Credit: Laptop Mag
MacBook Pro Update: Apple Could Make The Biggest Change To This Laptop In Years
The MacBook Pro received its last substantial design overhaul back in 2016 that introduced a new build, keyboard and the hardware's signature Touch Bar.
At the time the laptop ridded of many traditional ports in favour of USB-C sockets.
While this meant users did need to employ adapters in many instances, it did mean the hardware itself was thinner than its predecessor.
Since the substantial redesign of the product, Apple has refined it by improving the processors inside in addition to its butterfly mechanism keyboard.
But it appears the American tech giant is set to introduce another redesign of the hardware later this year that has a larger display, a new report has insisted.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a forecast for Apple products and upgrades he expects to be released later this year, obtained by MacRumours.
In the document he stated the redesigned MacBook Pro will have a display that ranges from 16-16.5-inches in size.
If true, such a panel would be the largest on a Mac laptop since 2012.
The MacBook Pro is currently offered in 13 and 15-inch variants.
Kuo also declared Apple's new Mac Pro machine will debut later this year in addition to a new 31.6-inch 6K monitor.
Such a claim appears to suggest Apple could soon start selling its own displays once again.
The Cupertino-based firm used to sell a Thunderbolt Display but it was discontinued back in 2016.
Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, admitted back in 2017 the firm would be delivering a new "pro display" as a modular component for its forthcoming Mac Pro.
He said: "With regards to the Mac Pro, we are in the process of what we call 'completely rethinking the Mac Pro.'
"We’re working on it. We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we’re committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers.
"As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a pro display as well.
"Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that.
"We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do."
Kuo's note also stated a new iPod Touch and iPad mini would arrive for Apple fans later this year.
Moreover, he also declared "mass shipments" of AirPower and new AirPods will start in the first-half of 2019.
While Kuo has previously been a reliable source for Apple leaks, it is worth noting none of his claims have been officially confirmed by the American tech giant.
The Future Of Laptops: It's Time To Stop Focusing On Better And Start Focusing On Different
Opinion: The laptop, as a form factor, has no future in their current direction. As always, the relentless march of progress will force them into thinner and lighter configurations and they’ll inevitably continue to receive sharper screens and more powerful processors, but that isn’t enough to drive sales. To keep the bottom line happy, laptop manufacturers must break out of the same-old clamshell laptop and find something new.
It was too long ago for many of us to remember, but there was a massive shift in the laptop market somewhere around 2011. The MacBook Air, while released in 2008 to mixed reviews, had suddenly improved and snuck up on the whole industry, claiming the throne as the laptop to beat. It set the stage for modern devices: it prioritized thinness, lightness and design, and it had a great price.
Apple was selling millions of units, and between that and their iPad – which was predicted to lead the world into the ‘post-PC era’ – laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asus were losing ground. Intel was so scared of Apple’s new products that they began investing left, right, and center into any company that said they would make an ultrabook – a term that for a long time referred to a Windows-based MacBook Air.
After a couple of years other manufacturers did catch up, and even new players joined the fray. But, for the most part, they were guided by fear and a need to catch up to Apple – the goal was to be thinner and lighter than the Cupertino company. Everything was about being thin and light.
Windows 10 released in mid-2015, and it built on the failures of Windows 8 to deliver the first desktop operating system that was truly touch compatible. Manufacturers and analysts first saw this as a way to combine the ‘dying’ PC market and the upcoming tablet/mobile market, but they quickly realized that touchscreen laptops were unique enough to stand alone.
To take advantage of touchscreens, many manufacturers added rotating hinges or took them away entirely in the case of Microsoft, whose Surface line was taking off with the Surface 3. However, rather than focusing on how good their products actually were, manufacturers continued comparing themselves to Apple. The constant back and forth of the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” and “Less talking more doing” campaigns were evidence of that.
Other than the distinct operating systems (which are closer than ever in terms of features), touchscreens and value have stayed as the features that supposedly give Windows machines the edge. Apple has stubbornly refused to budge on either, and Windows device manufacturers have focused on refining their devices rather than adding new features, believing they already have the spec-sheet advantage.
The biggest flaw with the new MacBook Air: the keyboard can be a bit annoying. The biggest flaws with the Surface Laptop: no USB-C and the keyboard isn't particularly durable. The Dell XPS 13: no Thunderbolt 3 or NVMe storage. The Razer Blade Stealth: costs more than its competitors. These are petty differences compared to what it was like five years ago, and all these devices have changed very little over their previous iterations.
Laptops have stopped improving in meaningful ways. To drive sales, manufacturers will have to start making their devices different, very different.
First and foremost, this evolution will be driven by new solutions. Apple, already having desktop and mobile platforms, is unsurprisingly at the forefront of blending the two. As you can see above, two of their patents spotted in 2017 describe laptop-like shells, one of which uses an iPhone for processing power and a trackpad, and the other an iPad for processing power and a screen.
Apple is far from alone in this market, however. Razer took everyone by surprise back at CES 2018 when they revealed Project Linda, a working laptop shell that was powered by a Razer phone. Samsung, meanwhile, offers DeX, a desktop interface powered by a smartphone via a single cable, and it’s a fairly acceptable solution. Hardware: check. Software: check.
Not only is this technologically viable but there’s plenty of demand for a solution like this, too, particularly among students.
Think about it this way: for $1,200 to $1,500, you get a flagship smartphone or tablet, plus a fairly powerful laptop. While not too many apps would fully support a trackpad interface at first, apps designed for iPad would work reasonably well. And performance-wise, flagship smartphones and tablets offer a lot more performance than a $200-$500 laptop anyway.
Perhaps less likely to eventuate but no less interesting, there’s also a variety of very creative solutions that we’ve seen patented and discussed.
Apple, Razer, and Lenovo have been pioneering some very different concepts that revolve around multiple screens and new ways to interface with them. Very recently Apple patented a MacBook with a flexible touchscreen that sits above the keyboard, letting users see double the data while still offering a good keyboard.
Razer, meanwhile, showed off a triple screen laptop called Project Valerie. While such a product is doubtlessly bonkers, it does let users increase their productivity. And though it would be expensive, it might be worth it for creative professionals that connect their laptop to two or three external monitors at work and home.
Keen to cater to budding artists, Lenovo released the Yoga Book Create Pad, a laptop that traded a keyboard for a sketchpad. When we reviewed it about two years ago we concluded that it was beautiful and innovative, but flawed.
While all three of these solutions are completely different, they all have the same core appeal: they’ll make you better in creative tasks. Catering to creativity is an expanding market that's starting to catch up to catering for office work, as Apple’s latest iPad Pro and advertisements demonstrate.
Perhaps one day far into the future, Augmented Reality glasses like Microsoft’s HoloLens (which are about to get an update) and the Magic Leap One will find their way into professional workflows.
Before we dive too far into the future, however, let’s take a step back and look at the inevitable solutions.
First, there are folding phones. Their potential impact on the mobile world has been heavily discussed, but their impact on the laptop world also has the potential to be significant. Over time, more and more of our digital lives have switched over to phones, like checking email, reading the news and light gaming. What else might be pushed over to smartphone-land by the larger screen?
Secondly, there’s PCIe 4.0 and 5.0, which are poised to revolutionize the external GPU market. Right now, eGPUs only connect to the CPU via four PCIe lanes, which can reduce performance by 10-15%. And if you’re not using an external monitor, the bandwidth of the returning signal also cuts performance by 10-15%. External storage, keyboards, and mice? Don’t even think about it.
Once PCIe 4.0 roles out on laptops, possibly with the next generation of mobile Ryzen debuting in less than a year, Thunderbolt 4 can be developed, which will double the bandwidth. PCIe 5.0, which is about a year behind 4.0, will double it once again, truly abolishing any performance hits.
Not only will the next few years see the bandwidth bottleneck removed, but they’ll also see CPU bottlenecks reduced as well. Many laptops already have 6-core processors, but there are rumors and even a 3Dmark database entry for 8-core Intel laptop processors. Combine these factors, and eGPUs will be 20%-40% better value than they are now, which has the potential to seriously encroach into the desktop market.
All in all, the future holds fascinating potential for new devices and I'll be holding my breath with keen interest to see what comes next.
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