Surface Laptop 5 15” vs. Alienware X15 R1: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Laptop 5 15” and Alienware X15 R1 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Laptop 5 15” Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 5 15” is better than Alienware X15 R1.

Newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2021

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 5 15” supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware X15 R1. It supports up to 5200MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the Alienware X15 R1.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 5 15” - LPDDR5
5,200 MHz
Alienware X15 R1 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
About 32% lighter

Surface Laptop 5 15” weighed 3.44 pounds, 32% lighter than the 5 pounds Alienware X15 R1.

WeightSurface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Pound
3.44 lbs.
5 lbs.
Kilogram
1.56 kg
2.27 kg

Alienware X15 R1 Pros

Reasons that Alienware X15 R1 is better than Surface Laptop 5 15”.

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside Alienware X15 R1 has a 28% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1265U inside Surface Laptop 5 15”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware X15 R1 - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
Alienware X15 R1 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Surface Laptop 5 15” - Intel Core i7-1255U
6,415
Surface Laptop 5 15” - Intel Core i7-1265U
6,336
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 8GB GDDR6 90W TGP vs. integrated

15% larger display

Alienware X15 R1 has a 15.6-inch screen size 15% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 15”.

Display size
Alienware X15 R1
15.6-inch
Surface Laptop 5 15”
13.5-inch

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Surface Laptop 5 15” and Alienware X15 R1.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Surface Laptop 5 15”
32 GB
Alienware X15 R1
32 GB

Prices

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

Surface Laptop 5 15” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022), 15" Touch Screen, Thin & Lightweight, Long Battery Life, Fast Intel i7 Processor for Multi-Tasking, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022), 15" Touch Screen, Thin & Lightweight, Long Battery Life, Fast Intel i7 Processor for Multi-Tasking, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,249.00
$1,799.99 31% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 15-inch Touchscreen, 1TB i7 32GB RAM with Windows 11 Pro (Wi-Fi, 3.6GHz Ten-Core i7-1265U, Newest Version) Black Metal, RL1-00001
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 15-inch Touchscreen, 1TB i7 32GB RAM with Windows 11 Pro (Wi-Fi, 3.6GHz Ten-Core i7-1265U, Newest Version) Black Metal, RL1-00001
By Microsoft
$1,688.00
$2,399.00 30% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022), 15" Touch Screen, Thin & Lightweight, Long Battery Life, Fast Intel i7 Processor for Multi-Tasking, 8GB RAM, 512GB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022), 15" Touch Screen, Thin & Lightweight, Long Battery Life, Fast Intel i7 Processor for Multi-Tasking, 8GB RAM, 512GB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,199.99
$1,499.99 20% OFF
Alienware X15 Price
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
$1,784.99
$1,899.97 6% OFF
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
$1,920.69
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

Availability

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Released20222021
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 12, 2022
  • Pre-ordered: October 12, 2022
  • Released: October 25, 2022
Available on June 1, 2021
PricingStarting at $1,299.99
  • $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
Generations

Exterior

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Dimensions13.4” x 9.6” x 0.58” (340 mm x 244 mm x 14.7 mm)
  • 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.
Weight
  • Metal
    3.44 lbs (1.56 kg)
5 - 5.2 lbs (2.27 - 2.36 kg)
Colors
  • Metal
    Matte Black Platinum
Lunar light
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with a soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gestures.
  • 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.

Display

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Size13.5 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15” PixelSense™ Display
  • Resolution: 2496 x 1664
  • Density: 201 PPI
  • Color profile: sRGB and Vivid
  • Individually color-calibrated display
  • Refresh rate: 60Hz
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1300:1
  • Touch: 10-point multi-touch
  • Brightness: 400 nits maximum (typical). 5 nits minimum
  • Dolby Vision IQ™ support
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5
  • 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

Ports

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Left (3)
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Power Delivery, DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (1)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
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

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Processor
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1255U
    10 cores, 12 threads, 1.70 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1265U
    10 cores, 12 threads, 1.80 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 15W
  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
Integrated Graphics
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1255U
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, → 1250 MHz
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1265U
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, → 1250 MHz
  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
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
5200 MHz LPDDR5 RAM
Memory Slots
  • Onbaord memory
Memory Configurations
  • Speed: 3200MHz
  • Memory Type: Dual-channel DDR4
  • Minimum Memory: 16 GB
  • Maximum Memory: 32 GB
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.
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD
  • 1 x M.2 2230 slots (Up to 256GB)
  • 2 x M.2 2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
    Supports RAID-0
Fans Number1-

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.Rivet 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
BluetoothBluetooth Wireless 5.1 technologyBluetooth 5.2

Battery

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Size
  • 47.4 Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 45.8 Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
87 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
Battery LifeUp to 17 hours of typical device usage-
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
240W
power adapter.

Software

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
OSConsumer models
  • Windows 11 Home
Business models
  • Windows 11 Pro
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in AppsConsumer models
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 30-day trial
Business models
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps 30-day trial
  • Alienware Command Center
    AlienFX lighting Game Library Auto-tune game profile functionality Fusion Alienware Adrenalin Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
  • Front-facing camera.
    Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Optional Windows Hello IR support.
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
  • 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

Misc

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
Inking
  • Designed for Surface Pen 
  • Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
    4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
Windows Hello IR Camera
Security
  • TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise-grade security and BitLocker support
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Windows 11 Secured-core PC
-
In the box
  • Surface Laptop 5 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
-
Warranty
  • 1-year limited hardware warranty
1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis

Key Features

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1
At Glance
Released in Late
2022
3:2 2.5K
13.5”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
3.44 lb
1.56 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1265U
10C/12T, 1.80 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,336
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,336
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, → 1250 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
5200 MHz LPDDR5
Starting at
$1,299.99
i7, 8GB, 256GB
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

Comparison Summary

Surface Laptop 5 15” vs. Alienware X15 R1

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 5 15”, a 13.5-inch machine, in late-2022. It is powered by up to 10-core Intel Core i7-1265U with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, → 1250 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch Alienware X15 R1 was introduced by Dell about a year earlier in mid-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 8GB GDDR6 90W TGP.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Laptop 5 15”1
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1255U1,754100.00%
2
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1265U1,33676.17%
Alienware X15 R11
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,46683.58%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H1,43081.53%
01,754

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Laptop 5 15”1
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1255U6,41578.99%
2
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1265U6,33678.02%
Alienware X15 R11
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90897.38%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H8,121100.00%
08,121

The Surface Laptop 5 15” has a 13.5-inch display which is considerably smaller than the 15.6-inch Alienware X15 R1. In addition, The Surface Laptop 5 15” weighs 3.44 lbs. about 45% lighter than the 5 lbs. Alienware X15 R1. Moreover, measured at 13.4” x 9.6” x 0.58”, the Surface Laptop 5 15” is much more portable than the Alienware X15 R1 at 14.16” x 10.915” x 0.626”.

Surface Laptop 5 15”Alienware X15 R1

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop 5 15” supports up to 32GB 5200 MHz LPDDR5 memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Alienware X15 R1, it supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. Like Surface Laptop 5 15”, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it 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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