Alienware M15 R6 vs. Dell XPS 15 9500: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware M15 R6 and Dell XPS 15 9500 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Alienware M15 R6 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R6 is better than Dell XPS 15 9500.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside Alienware M15 R6 has a 19% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-10885H inside Dell XPS 15 9500.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R6 - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
Alienware M15 R6 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10875H
6,874
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i9-10885H
6,788
Alienware M15 R6 - Intel Core i5-11400H
5,592
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747
Supports faster memory

Alienware M15 R6 supports a faster memory speed than the Dell XPS 15 9500. It supports up to 3466MHz versus 2933MHz of system memory on the Dell XPS 15 9500.

Memory type and speed
Alienware M15 R6 - DDR4 XMP
3,466 MHz
Dell XPS 15 9500 - DDR4
2,933 MHz

Dell XPS 15 9500 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9500 is better than Alienware M15 R6.

About 33% lighter

Dell XPS 15 9500 weighed 4 pounds, 33% lighter than the 5.93 pounds Alienware M15 R6.

WeightAlienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Pound
5.93 lbs.
4 lbs.
Kilogram
2.69 kg
1.81 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware M15 R6 and Dell XPS 15 9500.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 64GB

Both laptops supports up to 64GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware M15 R6
64 GB
Dell XPS 15 9500
64 GB
Upgradable memory

Both laptops come with available RAM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed.

MemoryAlienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Slots
x2
x2
TypeDDR4 XMPDDR4

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Alienware M15 R6 Price
Alienware M15 R6 VR Ready Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch QHD Display, 240Hz Refresh Rate, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 11- Black
Alienware M15 R6 VR Ready Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch QHD Display, 240Hz Refresh Rate, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 11- Black
By Alienware
$1,879.99
Alienware M15 R6 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 1ms 360Hz Display, Intel Core i7-11800H, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics, Windows 11 Home - Black
Alienware M15 R6 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 1ms 360Hz Display, Intel Core i7-11800H, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics, Windows 11 Home - Black
By Alienware
$2,599.00
Alienware m15 R6, 15.6 inch QHD 240Hz Non-Touch Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home- Dark Side of the Moon (Latest Model)
Alienware m15 R6, 15.6 inch QHD 240Hz Non-Touch Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home- Dark Side of the Moon (Latest Model)
By Alienware
$1,657.95
Dell XPS 15 9500 Price
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,098.95
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
By Dell
$1,699.00
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,399.94

Availability

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Released20212020
Release DateAnnounced on May 11, 2021Release Date: May 13, 2020
Pricing
  • $1,299.99
    i7-11800H 8GB 256GB RTX 3050 Ti FHD 165Hz
  • $1,649.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 512GB RTX 3060 FHD 165Hz
  • $1,829.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3070 QHD 240Hz
  • $2,079.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3070 QHD 240Hz
Starting at $1,299.99
Generations

Exterior

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Dimensions14.02” x 10.73” x 0.51 - 0.76” (356.20 x 272.50 x 12.9 - 19.25 mm)13.56 x 9.07 x 0.30 - 0.71 in (344.40 x 230.30 x 7.70 - 18 mm)
Width: 13.56” (344.40 mm)
Depth: 9.07” (230.30 mm)
Height: 0.30 - 0.71” (7.70 - 18 mm)
Weight5.93 lbs (2.69 kg)
  • Non-touch with 56Wh: 4 lbs (1.83 kg)
  • Touch screen with 86Wh: 4.5 lbs (2.05 kg)
Colors
Dark Moon
Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky Smooth Finish
  • CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on touch panel
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Alienware mSeries 4-Zone AlienFX RGB keyboard.
    • 1.7mm key travel
    • Includes anti-ghosting technology
  • Alienware's CherryMX ultra-low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard with per-key AlienFX lighting.
    • 1.8mm key travel
    • Includes N-key rollover technology
  • Touchpad
    • Multi-touch gesture touchpad with integrated scrolling.
    • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard.
  • 5.91 x 3.54 in (150 mm x 90 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Size15.6 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15.6” FHD with 165Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI ComfortView Plus 3ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 6W
  • 15.6” FHD with 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI ComfortView Plus NVIDIA G-Sync Advanced Optimus 1ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 7.6W
  • 15.6” QHD with 240Hz
    2560 x 1440 188 PPI ComfortView Plus NVIDIA G-Sync Advanced Optimus 2ms response time 400 nits 16:9 99% DCI-P3 color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 10.15 W
  • 15.6-inch FHD+ non-touchscreen
    1920 x 1200, IPS, 145 PPI, 500-nits brightness, 1650:1 contrast ratio, 100% sRGB, InfinityEdge Anti-Glare, Non-touch support, 4.41W.
  • 15.6-inch UHD+ IPS touchscreen
    3840 x 2400, IPS, 290 PPI, 500-nit brightness, 1600:1 contrast ratio, 100% AdobeRGB, InfinityEdge, Anti-Reflective, Touch support, 10.4W.

Ports

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Alienware M15 R6 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    Supports 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4, and PD output 15W (5V/3A).
  • 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare
  • 1 x RJ-45
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 1 x Headset port
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.2, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
    v6.0
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.70 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 5.10 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    16 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
3200MHz or 3466MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
  • Max 32GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 Memory
  • Max 64GB of 3466 MHz XMP DDR4 Memory
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti
    4GB GDDR6 TGP: 80W Max Power: 80W Speed: 1462.5 → 1695 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060
    6GB GDDR6 TGP: 115W Dynamic Boost: 10W Max Power: 125W Speed: 1387 → 1702 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 TGP: 115W Dynamic Boost: 10W Max Power: 125W Speed: 1110 → 1560 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080
    8GB GDDR6 TGP: 115W Dynamic Boost: 10W Max Power: 125W Speed: 1110 → 1545 MHz
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti with Max-Q (Optional)
Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR6 128-bit, 1035 → 1200 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
Storage2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
Removable M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ SSD, Up to 32 Gbps.
Fans Number-2

Connectivity

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Wi-FiRivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650
Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s
    Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS
    Up to 1774.50 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS › Bluetooth 5.2
EthernetKiller E2600 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Size
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion 56 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion 86 Wh
Battery Life-Full HD+ model
  • Up to 24 hours (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 16 hours, 52 minutes (streaming Netflix).
UHD+ model
  • Up to 13 hours, 52 minutes (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 8 hours, 27 minutes (streaming Netflix).
Power Supply
180W 240W
power adapter.
  • 90 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/3A, 9VDc/3A, 15VDC/3A, 20VDC/4.5A.
  • 130 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/1A, 20VDC/6.5A.

Software

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
    Supports AlienFX lighting, Game Library with auto-tune game profile functionality.
  • Alienware Adrenalin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
Camera
  • Front-facing camera.
    Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Optional Windows Hello IR support.
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • Infrared camera
    576 x 360 (VGA) at 30 fps for Windows Hello Facial Recognition.
Audio
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3254
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 2 x 2W speakers
  • Microphone:
    • Dual-array microphones
  • Realtek ALC3281-CG
  • Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro and Waves Nx® 3D audio
  • Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output
  • Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP - Microsoft Cortana capable

Misc

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
SensorsWindows Hello IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
Security-
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock

Key Features

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500
At Glance
Released in Mid
2021
16:9 QHD
15.6”
1440p 240Hz
Weight
5.93 lb
2.69 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11900H
8C/16T, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,430
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,121
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3466 MHz DDR4 XMP
Alienware M15 R6 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
8GB GDDR6 115W TGP
Released in Mid
2020
16:10 4K UHD+
15.6”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
4 lb
1.81 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-10885H
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,196
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,788
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2933 MHz DDR4
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
GTX 1650Ti
4GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

Alienware M15 R6 vs. Dell XPS 15 9500

Dell has released the Alienware M15 R6, a 15.6-inch machine, in mid-2021. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 8GB GDDR6 115W TGP.

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch XPS 15 9500 was introduced by Dell about a year earlier in mid-2020. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-10885H with a boost clock speed up to 5.30 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro GTX 1650Ti with 4GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Alienware M15 R61
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H1,32090.04%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,466100.00%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H1,43097.54%
Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H1,06172.37%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13477.35%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H1,19281.31%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H1,19681.58%
01,466

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Alienware M15 R61
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H5,59268.86%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90897.38%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H8,121100.00%
Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H3,74746.14%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41266.64%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H6,87484.64%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H6,78883.59%
08,121

Both Alienware M15 R6 and Dell XPS 15 9500 have the same 15.6-inch display size. In addition, the Alienware M15 R6 weighs 5.93 lbs. about 48% heavier than the 4 lbs. Dell XPS 15 9500. Moreover, measured at 14.02” x 10.73” x 0.76”, the Alienware M15 R6 is much bulkier than the Dell XPS 15 9500 at 13.56” x 9.07” x 0.71”.

Alienware M15 R6Dell XPS 15 9500

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Alienware M15 R6 supports up to 64GB 3466 MHz DDR4 XMP memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

For Dell XPS 15 9500, it supports up to 64GB 2933 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

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