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M1 MacBook Air vs. Alienware M17 R4: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the M1 MacBook Air and Alienware M17 R4 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 MacBook Air See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Alienware M17 R4 See at Amazon See at Dell

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than Alienware M17 R4.

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air has a 5% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-10980HK inside Alienware M17 R4.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score

M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)

7,414

M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)

7,414

Alienware M17 R4 - Intel Core i9-10980HK

7,013

Alienware M17 R4 - Intel Core i7-10870H

6,596

M1 MacBook Air weighed 2.8 pounds, 50% lighter than the 5.51 pounds Alienware M17 R4.

Weight	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Pound	2.8 lbs.	5.51 lbs.
Kilogram	1.27 kg	2.50 kg

Alienware M17 R4 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R4 is better than M1 MacBook Air.

Alienware M17 R4 supports a larger memory capacity than the M1 MacBook Air. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the M1 MacBook Air.

Max system memory size

Alienware M17 R4

32 GB

M1 MacBook Air

16 GB

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

Alienware M17 R4 comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

Slots	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
M.2	Onboard	Yes x2

Alienware M17 R4 has a 17.3-inch screen size 30% larger than the 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Air.

Display size

Alienware M17 R4

17.3-inch

M1 MacBook Air

13.3-inch

Prices

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

M1 MacBook Air Price
	Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $612.95 $647.82 5% OFF	See at Amazon
	Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray By Apple $676.19 $999.00 32% OFF	See at Amazon
	Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $704.68	See at Amazon
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 By Alienware $2,399.00	See at Amazon
	Dell m17 R3 17.3 inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Luna Light) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home By Dell $1,229.00	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 By Dell $1,740.00	See at Amazon

Availability	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Released	2020	2021
Release Date	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced on January 12, 2021 (CES 2021) Available on January 26, 2021
Pricing	$999 Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,249 Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	Starting at $2,149.99
Generations	2022 M2 MacBook Air 2020 M1 MacBook Air 2020 Intel MacBook Air MacBook Air 13” 2019 MacBook Air 13” 2018 MacBook Air 13” 2017 MacBook Air 13” 2015 MacBook Air 13” 2014 MacBook Air 13” 2013	2022 Alienware M17 R5 2021 Alienware M17 R4 2020 Alienware M17 R3 2019 Alienware M17 R2 2019 Alienware M17 R1

Exterior	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Dimensions	Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)	15.74” x 11.585” x 0.6618 - 0.87 - 0.8154” (399.8 mm x 294.26 mm x 16.9 - 22 - 20.71 mm)
Weight	Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)	Starting at 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg) up to 6.55 lbs (2.97 kg)
Colors	Gold Space Gray Silver	Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Keyboard and Trackpad	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures	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	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Size	13.3 Inches	17.3 Inches
Info	Retina display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050 1440 by 900 1024 by 640 16:10 aspect ratio 400 nits brightness Supports wide color (P3) True Tone technology	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

Ports	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Image Source: Apple Left (2) 2 x Thunderbolt 3 40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Charging, DisplayPort Right (1) 1 x headphone jack Headphone/Microphone	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

Internal Specs	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Processor	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.20 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) Apple M1 iGPU 7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory	8GB unified memory Configurable to 16GB	8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete Graphics	-	NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3000 series
Storage	256GB 512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	Available 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]

Connectivity	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	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.
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet	-	Killer™ Ethernet E3100X PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Size	49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion with Alienware Battery Defender
Battery Life	Up to 15 hours wireless web Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback	-
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	240W power adapter 330W power adapter

Software	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
OS	Shipped with macOS Big Sur	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps	Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player	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)

Camera & Audio	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	Front-facing camera Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio	Stereo speakers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack	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

Misc	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor	Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip	Wedge-shaped lock slot Trusted Protection Module
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	-
Warranty	Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.	-
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)	CHASIS 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

Key Features	M1 MacBook Air	Alienware M17 R4
At Glance	Released in Late 2020 16:10 QHD 13.3” 1600p 60Hz Weight 2.8 lb 1.27 kg Up to Apple M1 (8C, 8G) 8C/8T, 3.20 GHz Geekbench 5 1,705 Single Core Geekbench 5 7,414 Multi-Core With integrated Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz Configurable up to 16GB Unified Memory Starting at $999 M1 (7 GPU Cores), 8GB, 256GB SSD Up to 18 Hours Battery Life Built-in Touch ID With T2 Chip Dual USB-C USB4 & Thunderbolt 3 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0	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 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 8GB GDDR6