Alienware M17 R4 vs. Surface Duo 2: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Alienware M17 R4 and Surface Duo 2 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware M17 R4 image

Alienware M17 R4

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Surface Duo 2

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Alienware M17 R4 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R4 is better than Surface Duo 2.

Supports larger memory

Alienware M17 R4 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Duo 2. It supports up to 32GB versus 8GB of system memory on the Surface Duo 2.

Max system memory size
Alienware M17 R4
32 GB
Surface Duo 2
8 GB
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 8GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

108% larger display

Alienware M17 R4 has a 17.3-inch screen size 108% larger than the 8.3-inch Surface Duo 2.

Display size
Alienware M17 R4
17.3-inch
Surface Duo 2
8.3-inch

Surface Duo 2 Pros

Reasons that Surface Duo 2 is better than Alienware M17 R4.

About 89% lighter

Surface Duo 2 weighed 0.62 pounds, 89% lighter than the 5.51 pounds Alienware M17 R4.

WeightAlienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Pound
5.51 lbs.
0.62 lbs.
Kilogram
2.50 kg
0.28 kg

Prices

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

Alienware M17 R4 Price
Alienware m17 R4, 17.3 inch FHD (Full HD) Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
 Alienware m17 R4, 17.3 inch FHD (Full HD) Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
By Alienware
$2,399.00
See at Amazon
Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
 Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,658.99
See at Amazon
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop Full HD (FHD), 15.6 inch - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
 Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop Full HD (FHD), 15.6 inch - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
By Dell
$1,740.00
See at Amazon
Surface Duo 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Duo 128GB AT&T Locked, Glacier (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Duo 128GB AT&T Locked, Glacier (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$389.95
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Duo Bumper 2 - Tangerine
 Microsoft Surface Duo Bumper 2 - Tangerine
By Microsoft
$18.95
$39.99 53% OFF
See at Amazon
Puccy 2 Pack Back Screen Protector Film, compatible with Microsoft Surface Duo 2 TPU Guard Cover （ Not Tempered Glass/Not Front Screen Protectors ）, Transparent
 Puccy 2 Pack Back Screen Protector Film, compatible with Microsoft Surface Duo 2 TPU Guard Cover （ Not Tempered Glass/Not Front Screen Protectors ）, Transparent
By Puccy
$12.98
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Released20212021
Release Date
  • Announced on January 12, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available on January 26, 2021
  • Introduced: September 22, 2021
  • Pre-ordered: September 22, 2021
  • Released: October 21, 2021
PricingStarting at $2,149.99
  • $1,499
    8GB 128 GB
  • $1,599
    8GB 256 GB
  • $1,799
    8GB 512 GB
    Obsidian only.
Generations-

Exterior

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Dimensions15.74” x 11.585” x 0.6618 - 0.87 - 0.8154” (399.8 mm x 294.26 mm x 16.9 - 22 - 20.71 mm)
  • 7.26 x 5.71 x 0.21 (184.5 mm x 145.2 mm x 5.50 mm)
    Open
  • 3.62 x 5.71 x 0.43 (92.1 mm x 145.2 mm x 11.0 mm) 
    Closed
WeightStarting at 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg) up to 6.55 lbs (2.97 kg)0.62 lbs (284 g)
Colors
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Obsidian Glacier
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware mSeries 4-Zone AlienFX RGB keyboard.
    • Alienware mSeries keyboard with per-key RGB LED.
  • AlienFX lighting
  • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology
  • 1.7mm key travel
  • 0.2mm-dish concave key design
  • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
-

Display

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Size17.3 Inches8.3 Inches
Info
  • 17.3” FHD with 144Hz 
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI 7ms response time 300 nits 16:9 72% NTSC NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology 600:1 contrast ratio Anti-glare WVA
  • 17.3” FHD with 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI tms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology 700:1 Anti-glare WVA
  • 17.3” UHD with 60Hz
    3840 x 2160 255 PPI 25ms response time 500 nits 16:9 100% Adobe RGB 1 200:1 contrast ratio 12W max Tobii Eyetracking technology WVA
  • Dual PixelSense™ Fusion Displays open: 8.3” AMOLED, 2688x1892
  • Single PixelSense™ Screen: 5.8” AMOLED 1344x1892 (13:9)
  • 401 PPI
  • HDR
  • Wide color 100% SRGB, DCI-P3
  • Dual displays with 90Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • 800 nits max brightness
  • Display Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus™

Ports

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Alienware M17 R4 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port
    Supports USB Type-C™ with support for USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort 1.2.
  • 2 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 1 x Mini-Display Port 1.4 (certified) Output Port
  • 1 x Audio Out 1/8" Ports (Compatible with inline mic headset)
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately)
  • 1 x microSD 5.1, UHD-II HD312 Card Reader
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
Surface Duo 2 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x USB Type-C 
    USB 3.2 Gen 2.
  • 1 x SIM card slot

Internal Specs

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.20 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888
    8 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 2.84 GHz, 5MB Cache, 5W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  1. Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888
    Qualcomm® Adreno™ 660 GPU
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
8GB DRAM LPDDR5 memory
Discrete GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3000 series-
StorageAvailable Slots
  • One M.2 2230 slot (Up to 512GB)
  • Two M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
Single Drive
  • 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
RAID-0
  • 512GB (2x256 PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0
  • 1TB (2x 512 PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0
  • 2TB (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0
  • 4TB (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0
RAID-0 Plus
  • 1TB (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage]
  • 2TB (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage]
  • 4TB (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage]
128GB 256GB 512GB
UFS 3.0 of internal storage

Connectivity

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Wi-Fi
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4/5GHz)
Bluetooth
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i › Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology
Ethernet
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3100X PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
-
More-
  • NFC for payments and provisioning
  • 5G-NR NSA (mmWave): Release 15 DL 64 QAM up to 6 Gbps, 8xDL CA (800MHz), 2x2 MIMO
  • 5G-NR NSA (mmWave): Release 15 UL 64 QAM, 2xUL CA (200MHz), 2x2 MIMO
  • 5G-NR NSA (mmWave) Bands: n257, n260, n261
  • 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6): Release 15 DL 256 QAM up to 3.2 Gbps, 2xDL CA (TDD+TDD), 4x4 MIMO
  • 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6): Release 15 UL 256 QAM
  • 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6) Bands: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n20, n25, n28, n38, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79
  • Gigabit LTE - A Pro Release 15 with 4x4 MIMO and LAA
  • LTE DL Cat 20, 256 QAM up to 2Gbps, 5xDL CA
  • LTE UL Cat 13, 64 QAM Contiguous 2X ULCA
  • LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71
  • WCDMA: 1,2,5,8
  • GSM/GPRS: GSM-850, E-GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900
  • Location: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS

Battery

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Size86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion with Alienware Battery Defender
  • 4,449 mAh
    Typical dual battery capacity.
  • 4,340 mAh
    Minimum dual battery capacity.
Battery Life-
  • Up to 15.5 hours of Local Video Playback
  • Up to 28 hours of Talk Time
Power Supply
  • 240W power adapter
  • 330W power adapter
23W USB-C PD charger
Supports Fast Charging.

Software

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Android™ 11
3-years of software updates.
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 built-in applications:
    • Intune Company Portal
    • LinkedIn
    • Microsoft Authenticator
    • Microsoft Bing Search
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Microsoft Lens - PDF Scanner
    • Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint & More
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • Microsoft OneNote
    • Microsoft Outlook
    • Microsoft Start
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Microsoft To Do
    • Surface
    • Tips
    • Xbox Game Pass
  • Microsoft Surface Duo 2 UI core features:
    • App Groups
    • Dual screen windowing
    • Dynamic Dock
    • Dynamic Triple-Lens Camera
    • Microsoft 365 Feed
    • Span apps automatically
    • Surface Duo Glance Bar
    • SwiftKey Adaptive Keyboard
    • Universal Search
    • Your Phone Companion - Link to Windows
  • Other preinstalled apps:
    • Calculator
    • Chrome
    • Clock
    • Contacts
    • Files
    • Gmail
    • Google Assistant
    • Google Calendar
    • Google Drive
    • Google Duo
    • Google Maps
    • Google Photos
    • Google Play Movies & TV
    • Google Play Store
    • Google Search
    • Messages
    • Phone
    • Sound recorder
    • YouTube
    • YouTube Music

Camera & Audio

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
CameraFront-facing camera
Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
  • Dynamic triple-lens rear-facing camera:
    • Wide 
      12MP f/1.7 aperture 27 mm 1.4µm dual pixel PDAF OIS
    • Telephoto
      12MP f/2.4 aperture 51 mm 1.0µm PDAF OIS 2X optical zoom
    • Ultra-Wide
      16MP f/2.2 aperture 13 mm 1.0µm 110o diagonal field of view with distortion correction
  • Front-facing Camera:
    12MP f/2.0 24 mm 1.0µm Dual color LED flash
  • Photos:
    • Auto mode with low-light & HDR multi-frame photo capture and dynamic range scene detection
    • Dedicated night photography mode
    • Smooth Zoom between all 3 Rear Facing Camera combined with digital super zoom up to 10x
    • Portrait mode with adjustable depth control. Portrait mode supported for wide and tele camera. Machine learning used for portrait mode
    • Panorama mode with wide dynamic range
    • Capture short video during photo capture with a long press
    • Capture photos during video recording
  • Video recording:
    • HDR Video
    • 4K video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps
    • 1080p video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps
    • Slow-motion video at 120 or 240fps
    • HEVC and H.264 video recording formats
  • Microsoft Teams and Skype video conferencing up to 1080p at 30fps
Audio
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3281-CG
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 2-Way (Woofer/Tweeter) Stereo Speaker Design
    • Includes Discrete Smart Amp Woofer technology
  • Microphone:
    • Digital-array microphones in the camera assembly
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual Mic AI-based noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation optimized for productive use in all postures
  • Best-in-class Full Duplex communication for voice calls in hands-free mode, receiver, and LRA
  • Audio formats supported: 3GP, MP3, MP4, MKV, WAV, OGG, M4A, AAC, TS, AMR, FLAC, MID, MIDI, RTTL, RTX, OTA, IMY
  • Qualcomm® aptX™ Classic, HD and TWS
  • Hearing aid compatibility: M4/T3
  • Wake on Voice using Google Assistant

Misc

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
Inking-Supports all in market generations of Surface Slim Pen, Surface Pen and Surface Hub 2 Pen
4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
Sensors
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
  • Dual Accelerometer
  • Dual Gyroscope
  • Dual Magnetometer
  • Dual Ambient Light Sensor
  • Dual Proximity Sensor
  • Hall Sensor
  • Fingerprint Sensor
Security
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
  • Trusted Protection Module
  • Biometric lock type: Fingerprint reader with enterprise-grade security
  • Lock type: Swipe, PIN, password
  • Security applications pre-loaded on the device: Microsoft Authenticator
In the box-
  • Surface Duo 2
  • Surface Duo 2 (Color: Glacier or Obsidian)
  • Surface Duo 2 USB-C Cable
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Warranty and Compliance Guide
  • SIM Ejector tool
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
MoreCHASIS
  • Based on Alienware's Legend industrial design language
  • Engineered with Alienware's Advanced Cryo-Tech Cooling technology
  • Engineered with HyperEfficient Voltage Regulation
  • Constructed with a Magnesium Alloy exterior shell and copper alloy thermal components
  • Exterior Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass
  • Video Playback Formats:
    • MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265(HEVC), AVI, WMV, TS, 3GP, FLV, 3G2, AVI, FLV, TS/M2TS, MKV, WEBM, 3GP/MPEG-4,HEIC/HEIF,ASF/WMV, MOV
  • Wireless
    • Chromecast and Miracast support
  • Wired:
    • DisplayPort over USB-C®. Supports video out when connecting via HDMI Adapter7
    • 4K video out over USB-C when connecting via DisplayPort cable or HDMI Adaptor to an external monitor
      Wireless dependent on the TV/monitor support.

Key Features

Alienware M17 R4Surface Duo 2
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
16:9 FHD
17.3”
1080p 360Hz
Weight
5.51 lb
2.50 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-10980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,223
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,013
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
2933 MHz DDR4
Alienware M17 R4 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
8GB GDDR6
Released in
2021
13:9 2.6K
8.3”
1892p 90Hz ARR
Weight
0.62 lb
0.28 kg
Powered By
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888
8C/8T, 1.80 → 2.84 GHz
With integrated
Qualcomm® Adreno™ 660 GPU
8GB
LPDDR5 Memory
Surface Duo 2 Ports

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