Alienware X15 R1 vs. Dell XPS 15 9520: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the Alienware X15 R1 and Dell XPS 15 9520 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware X15 R1 image

Alienware X15 R1

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Dell XPS 15 9520

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Alienware X15 R1 Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Alienware X15 R1 over Dell XPS 15 9520.

Dell XPS 15 9520 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9520 is better than Alienware X15 R1.

Newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2021

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-12900HK inside Dell XPS 15 9520 has a 60% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-11900H inside Alienware X15 R1.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell XPS 15 9520 - Intel Core i9-12900HK
13,006
Dell XPS 15 9520 - Intel Core i7-12700H
11,774
Dell XPS 15 9520 - Intel Core i5-12500H
9,293
Alienware X15 R1 - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
Alienware X15 R1 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9520 supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware X15 R1. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware X15 R1.

Max system memory size
Dell XPS 15 9520
64 GB
Alienware X15 R1
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell XPS 15 9520 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware X15 R1. It supports up to 4800MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the Alienware X15 R1.

Memory type and speed
Dell XPS 15 9520 - DDR5
4,800 MHz
Alienware X15 R1 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Upgradable memory

Dell XPS 15 9520 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Alienware X15 R1 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeDDR4DDR5
About 19% lighter

Dell XPS 15 9520 weighed 4.06 pounds, 19% lighter than the 5 pounds Alienware X15 R1.

WeightAlienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Pound
5 lbs.
4.06 lbs.
Kilogram
2.27 kg
1.84 kg

Prices

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

Alienware X15 Price
Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, USB-C, WiFi 6, Bluetooth, Windows 11 Home - White
 Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, USB-C, WiFi 6, Bluetooth, Windows 11 Home - White
By Alienware
$1,833.50
$1,999.97 8% OFF
See at Amazon
Alienware X15R1 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-11800H Processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 DDR6 Graphics, Windows 11 Home- Lunar Light
 Alienware X15R1 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-11800H Processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 DDR6 Graphics, Windows 11 Home- Lunar Light
By Alienware
$1,771.99
$1,899.97 7% OFF
See at Amazon
Dell Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 15.6" QHD | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 3070 Ti | 14 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR5 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
 Dell Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 15.6" QHD | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 3070 Ti | 14 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR5 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,314.99
See at Amazon
Dell XPS 15 9520 Price
Dell XPS 15 9520 15.6" FHD+ (Intel 12th Gen 14-Core i7-12700H (Beat i9-11980HK), 64GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, RTX 3050) Business Laptop, Backlit, Fingerprint, Thunderbolt 4, Webcam, Win 11 Pro
 Dell XPS 15 9520 15.6" FHD+ (Intel 12th Gen 14-Core i7-12700H (Beat i9-11980HK), 64GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, RTX 3050) Business Laptop, Backlit, Fingerprint, Thunderbolt 4, Webcam, Win 11 Pro
By Dell
$1,919.00
See at Amazon
DELL XPS 15 9520 15.6" Laptop Intel Core i7-12700H(14-Core) 1TB PCIe SSD 32GB RAM FHD+ (1920x1200) 500 Nit RTX 3050 Windows 11 PRO
 DELL XPS 15 9520 15.6" Laptop Intel Core i7-12700H(14-Core) 1TB PCIe SSD 32GB RAM FHD+ (1920x1200) 500 Nit RTX 3050 Windows 11 PRO
By Dell
$1,788.00
$2,029.00 12% OFF
See at Amazon
Dell XPS 15 9520 (Latest Model) Intel 12th Gen Core i7-12700H (14-CORE) 1TB PCIe SSD 32GB DDR5 RAM FHD+ Non Touch RTX 3050 Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
 Dell XPS 15 9520 (Latest Model) Intel 12th Gen Core i7-12700H (14-CORE) 1TB PCIe SSD 32GB DDR5 RAM FHD+ Non Touch RTX 3050 Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$2,362.98
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Released20212022
Release DateAvailable on June 1, 2021Announced on March 25, 2022.
Pricing
  • $1,999.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 256GB RTX 3060 FHD 165Hz
  • $2,379.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 512GB RTX 3070 FHD 165Hz
  • $2,629.99
    i7-11800H 32GB 1TB RTX 3070 FHD 165Hz
  • $2,929.99
    i9-11900H 32GB 1TB RTX 3070 FHD 360Hz
Windows 11 Home
  • $1,439
    i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB, Intel UHD, FHD+ Non-touch
Windows 11 Pro
  • $1,499
    i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB, Intel UHD, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $1,599
    i5-12500H, 16GB, 512GB, Intel Iris Xe, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $1,949 
    i7-12700H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,049 
    i7-12700H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,349 
    i7-12700H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, 4K UHD+ Touch
  • $2,399 
    i9-12900HK, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, FHD+ Touch
  • $2,699 
    i9-12900HK, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, 3.5K OLED Touch
Generations

Exterior

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Dimensions
  • 14.16” x 10.915” x 0.642” (359.7 x 277.25 x 16.3 mm)
    With FHD 165Hz diplay.
  • 14.16” x 10.915” x 0.626” (359.7 x 277.25 x 15.9 mm)
    With FHD 360Hz or QHD 240Hz diplay.
13.56” x 9.06” x 0.73” (344.40 x 230.10 x 18.54 mm)
Weight5 - 5.2 lbs (2.27 - 2.36 kg)
  • 4.06 lb (1.84 kg)
    Non-touch with 56Wh.
  • 4.22 lb (1.92 kg)
    Non-touch with 86Wh.
  • 4.31 lb (1.96 kg)
    OLED touch with 86Wh.
  • 4.62 lb (2.10 kg)
    4K+ touch with 86Wh.
Colors
Lunar light
  • Platinum Silver exterior Black interior
  • CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on the touch panel
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware X-Series thin keyboard
    • Per-key RGB LED with AlienFX lighting
    • Anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology.
    • 1.5mm key travel.
  • Touchpad
    • Multi-touch gesture Premium Precision glass touchpad with integrated scrolling.
    • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
    • Supports AlienFX touchpad.
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard.
  • Built-in Fingerprint Reader.
    On power button.
  • 5.94 x 3.54 in (150.90 mm x 90 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
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” FHD+ Nontouch
    1920 x 1200 145 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% sRGB 1650:1 60Hz Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 4.41 W
  • 15.6” 3.5K OLED Touch
    3456 x 2160 261 PPI 400 nits 16:10 100% DCI-P3 SDR (80000:1) HDR(124000:1) 60Hz DisplayHDR™️ 500TB Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 8.74 W
  • 15.6” 4K UHD+ Touch
    3840 x 2400 290 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% AdobeRGB 94% DCI-P3 1600:1 60Hz DisplayHDR™️ 400 Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 10.4 W

Ports

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Alienware X15 R1 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left
  • 1 x Headset port
Right
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
Back
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    Supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4, and PD output 15W (5V/3A).
  • 1 x USB-C
    Supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4, and PD output 15W (5V/3A).
  • 1 x USB-A
    Supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 with PowerShare
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 1 x MicroSD Card Slot
Dell XPS 15 9520 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H
    12 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 18MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H
    14 cores, 20 threads, 2.30 → 4.70 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900HK
    14 cores, 20 threads, 2.50 → 5.00 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1400 MHz
  3. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900HK
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1450 MHz
MemoryMemory Slots
  • Onbaord memory
Memory Configurations
  • Speed: 3200MHz
  • Memory Type: Dual-channel DDR4
  • Minimum Memory: 16 GB
  • Maximum Memory: 32 GB
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
4800 MHz Dual-channel DDR5 RAM.
2 x SODIMM slots.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060
    6GB GDDR6 TGP: 70W Dynamic Boost: 20W Max Power: 90W Speed: 1050 → 1402 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 TGP: 90W Dynamic Boost: 20W Max Power: 110W Speed: 930 → 1410 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080
    8GB GDDR6 TGP: 90W Dynamic Boost: 20W Max Power: 110W Speed: 930 → 1365 MHz
* All configurations include 8-phase HyperEfficient graphics voltage regulation.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050
    Ampere Architecture 4GB GDDR6 128-bit 2304 CUDA Cores 40W
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti
    Ampere Architecture 4GB GDDR6 128-bit 2560 CUDA Cores 45W
Storage
  • 1 x M.2 2230 slots (Up to 256GB)
  • 2 x M.2 2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
    Supports RAID-0
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
  PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe SSD.
Up to 64Gbps.
  • Storage slots: 2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots.

Connectivity

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Wi-FiRivet Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675x
Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Intel Killer 1675 (AX211)
Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth 5.2

Battery

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
Size87 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 56 Wh
    3-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
  • 86 Wh
    6-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
Battery Life-
  • 13 hours 20 minutes
    On a FHD+ with 86Wh model.
  • 9 hours 13 minutes
    On a OLED 3.5K with 86Wh model.
  • 8 hours 42 minutes
    On a 4K UHD+ with 86Wh model.
Power Supply
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 X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 11
Home Pro
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
    AlienFX lighting Game Library Auto-tune game profile functionality Fusion Alienware Adrenalin Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
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 ALC3281
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 2 x 4W 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 X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
SensorsWindows Hello IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
  • IR Camera
Security-
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis1 Year ProSupport with Next Business Day Onsite Service

Key Features

Alienware X15 R1Dell XPS 15 9520
At Glance
Released in Mid
2021
16:9 QHD
15.6”
1440p 240Hz
Weight
5 lb
2.27 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
Configurable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Alienware X15 R1 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
8GB GDDR6 90W TGP
Released in Early
2022
16:10 3.5K
15.6”
2160p OLED
Weight
4.06 lb
1.84 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C/20T, 2.50 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,798
Single Core
Geekbench 5
13,006
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
4800 MHz DDR5
Dell XPS 15 9520 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3050Ti
4GB GDDR6 45W TGP
Starting at
$1,439
i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB
Up to
13 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
Facial Recognition
Built-in
Fingerprint Reader
Featuring
Waves Nx® 3D
2 Woofers + 2 Tweeters
Supports
Dell Power Manager
Controls fan, battery life, & performance

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