In 2022, Alienware debuted a 14-inch size for its X Series gaming laptop line, impressing us with the lively, little Alienware x14 R1. The second generation now arrives as the Alienware x14 R2 (starts at $1,499.99; $1,899.99 as tested), more refined and more powerful than before. The hyper-thin build shows off a new-look metal lid and frame, and the chassis houses 13th Gen Intel processors alongside Nvidia RTX 40 Series graphics. Portability must be a priority for anyone willing to play on a 14-inch screen, but the crisp display and long battery life join those core components to deliver a winning package. It’s not as powerful as the top-end options in this category, like the Editors' Choice-award-holding Razer Blade 14, but it’s less expensive overall. For that, the Alienware x14 R2 is our new Editors’ Choice winner for midrange compact gaming laptops.
The Design: Premium Materials, Pretty Darn Thin
Last year's original x14 was similarly sized, but it looked quite different from the R2 version here. This is part of Alienware’s tweaked design language (which it calls "Legend") for the current generation of its laptops, taking the existing style and rendering it more minimalist. We saw this recently with the Alienware m18, and it’s coming to Alienware’s desktop side, too.
(Credit: Molly Flores)In its sole color, Lunar Silver, the laptop adopts an uncommon hue for a gaming machine. Apple’s MacBooks have long come in a similar color and metal material, but you don’t see it often in gaming laptops. It’s a much lighter silver than what's on the m18’s lid, contrasting with a white rear thermal block. The aluminum-and-magnesium-alloy build feels high quality, and it’s satisfying to pick up this slim, compact slab and head on your way, knowing how much power is packed inside. It's attractive, it's well-built, and it stands out.
The x14 measures 0.57 by 12.6 by 10.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.2 pounds, which is quite thin and light for a gaming laptop. You expect 14-inch machines to be portable, and while 4.2 pounds isn’t as feathery as some ultraportables, it’s well within the acceptable range. On top of that, the USB-C charger is slim and compact, which is a pitfall well avoided. (Larger gaming-laptop power bricks seriously cut down on portability.)
(Credit: Molly Flores)Alienware cites the display’s “dual-torque” hinge (patent currently pending) as the innovation that allows the laptop to be so thin. The competing Razer Blade 14 comes in at 0.7 by 12.2 by 9 inches and 4 pounds, and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 at 0.73 by 12.3 by 8.9 inches and 3.6 pounds. That makes the x14 the thinnest, but not the lightest, in this elite group.
Thinness is helpful in a laptop, but it can noticeably restrict thermal headroom and therefore performance. While it helps for a laptop to take up slightly less space in a bag, it really doesn’t add as much portability upside as a lighter weight does. To help combat the restricted interior and allow better airflow, the bottom panel has been redesigned with a ringed raised foot. Overall, I enjoy the design and build quality on display here. I'll discuss in the testing section later whether the extra-thin frame comes at a reasonable cost.
Display and Ports: A Compromise on Size, Not Quality
The 14-inch display is a boon for portability, but obviously, it’s a fairly small screen compared with most displays used for gaming. This is a compromise you make going in with this category of gaming laptop, and it means you value portability above all else. If you won’t take this laptop with you often, you’d be much better served with a 16-inch or larger display.
(Credit: Molly Flores)Dell's display is excellent: a 16:10 panel with a QHD+ (2,560-by-1,600-pixel) native resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and a 3ms response time. The panel, viewed in person, is quite sharp, with rich colors shining at up to 300 nits of brightness. Again, you’ll have to decide if 14 inches is big enough to game on, but in terms of quality, it’s absolutely worthy of displaying games.
This screen size means limitations elsewhere, however. The touchpad is hardly spacious, and the keyboard is on the small side. Both avoid feeling cramped or overly restrictive despite this, and the keys have enough bounce to be comfortable—just the spacebar feels a bit shallow. The keys feature customizable backlighting, but only across one zone, not on a per-key basis. These are your only display and keyboard options for the x14 R2.
(Credit: Molly Flores)Now, onto one of the other main concessions due to the thinness: the ports. While you'll actually find a decent number of them, which I’ll get to in a moment, they are all at the rear of the laptop. Yes, even the headphone jack, although at least you still get one, unlike on some laptops. Reaching around the system for connecting the charger, USB peripherals, and headphones can be annoying, though it’s easier than on the Alienware m18 since this small screen is much easier to reach and see around.
(Credit: Molly Flores)As for what you’ll find back there, the x14’s rear block is home to a USB Type-C charging port with DisplayPort out, a headphone jack, an HDMI connection, one USB Type-A port, an SD card slot, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. It’s a fine mix—okay, a single USB-A port may be restrictive for some—but a headphone wire dragging from around the back is awkward. Those ports also give you options for connecting to an external monitor when you settle back in to play on your desk at home, helping with the small-screen concession.
Additional connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and a 1080p camera. The latter is a plus, as we still see many systems with a 720p webcam, and the quality difference is usually stark. On this particular camera, I’d say the capture quality is only decent: The overall video quality is clear, but if you look closely, the image is a little crushed, with a low-grade fuzziness. It’s not enough to be a detraction, especially over lesser cameras, but it’s not a high point, either.
Cost, Configurations, and Components
In such a tiny and specialized system, you'll find fewer configuration options than with most of Dell’s systems, but you still get some choices. The base model is priced at $1,499.99, which nets you an Intel 13th Gen Core i5-13420H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. That’s plenty accessible for such a premium system—not cheap by any means, but considering the engineering and size of this laptop, and the gaming-ready parts, the starting price is lower than we often see, and it’s not far off some non-gaming ultraportables.
(Credit: Molly Flores)Of course, these less expensive parts are also less powerful than the upgrade options and, at least on paper, noticeably so. While we appreciate this lower price of entry, our judgment has to stop there—we don’t have the base model in front of us to run benchmark tests on ourselves, so we can’t preach to how well the Core i5 and RTX 3050 will perform. Dell also sells a mid-tier option: You can get the RTX 4050 starting at $1,799.99 with the Core i7 upgrade and a 1TB SSD, but we can’t speak to this configuration's performance, either.
The review unit tested here, $1,899.99 as configured, includes the Core i7-13620H, the RTX 4060, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Considering the number of upgrades over the base model, that’s quite the reasonable haul for the $400 boost. The CPU is a 10-core, 16-thread chip that belongs in the high-performing H Series, even if it's not at the top of Intel's mobile stack. To help these components function effectively in the slim chassis, Alienware employs its Element 31 thermal compound on the CPU and GPU in the RTX 4050 and RTX 4060 configurations.
Wattage is also an important factor in comparing GPUs across laptops, as it's a huge factor in determining a GPU's performance despite the listed chip name. For instance, the RTX 4060 inside the x14 is listed at 85 watts of total graphics power or "TGP." That’s lower than bigger, thicker top-end systems can employ, but not profoundly diminished for the RTX 4060. (Its normal TGP maximum is 115W.)
Testing the Alienware x14 R2: Slimmer and Speedier Than Ever
To judge this laptop’s performance, we ran it through our usual suite of benchmark tests (described below before the results), and compared the scores with the following group of alternative gaming laptops…
First and most simply, we have the previous-generation Alienware x14 R1 to see what difference the new design and components have made. Next up are the two major competing 14-inch laptops mentioned above, the Razer Blade 14 and Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, as obvious points of comparison. Keep in mind scanning the test results that the two particular configurations of these laptops that we reviewed were rather expensive as tested, at $2,699 and $2,499, respectively. Finally, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 ($1,767.99 as tested) is the sole laptop here that isn’t 14 inches, representing what a 16-inch laptop that puts more of its price toward power can do.
Productivity and Content Creation Tests
We run the same general productivity benchmarks across both mobile and desktop systems. Our first test is UL's PCMark 10, which simulates a variety of real-world productivity and office workflows to measure overall system performance and also includes a storage subtest for the primary drive.
Our other three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Geekbench 5.4 Pro from Primate Labs simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better).
Finally, we run PugetBench for Photoshop by workstation maker Puget Systems, which uses the Creative Cloud version 22 of Adobe's famous image editor to rate a PC's performance for content creation and multimedia applications. It's an automated extension that executes a variety of general and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks ranging from opening, rotating, resizing, and saving an image to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters.
Aside from the unsurprising places where the larger Legion led the way, this was a neck-and-neck performing group of laptops. That’s exciting news for the x14 R2, which costs less and is thinner than the rest, because it avoided any significant processing shortcomings compared with systems in the same class. You can buy this laptop with confidence as far as everyday multi-tasking and moderate processing workloads, like media edits, are concerned.
Graphics and Gaming Tests
For gaming laptops and other mobile gaming hardware, we run both synthetic and real-world gaming benchmarks. The former includes two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark, Night Raid (more modest, suitable for systems with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). Also thrown into that gauntlet is the cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5, which we use to gauge OpenGL performance. These GFXBench tests are rendered offscreen to accommodate different native display resolutions; more frames per second (fps) means higher performance.
Our real-world gaming testing comes from the in-game benchmarks of F1 2021, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Rainbow Six Siege. These three games—all benchmarked at 1080p resolution—represent simulation, open-world action-adventure, and competitive/esports shooter games, respectively. Valhalla and Siege are run twice (Valhalla at Medium and Ultra quality, Siege at Low and Ultra quality), while F1 2021 is run once at Ultra quality settings and, for Nvidia GeForce RTX-based systems, a second time with Nvidia’s performance-boosting DLSS anti-aliasing turned on.
This is where it got interesting for the x14 R2, as thinness usually crimps GPU capability the most, and graphics performance is of course the most relevant aspect of a gaming laptop. Considering the two RTX 4070 systems included here, the x14 R2 clearly made a name for itself.
The x14 R2 didn't top the charts, and some of the competitors understandably posted higher scores. Regardless, we also didn't see any pitfalls that brought the x14 R2 below expectations for what its RTX 4060 should be capable of. You'll also notice a marked increase in performance over the original (RTX 3060-based) x14 R1 we tested, as you’d expect.
At any rate, it’s clear that the Blade 14 peaked at much higher points on some tests, so the x14 won't perform miracles. If you are looking for extra performance at 14 inches and have the extra cash, the Blade 14 is the way to go for GPU power. Its RTX 4070 was clearly superior, with large frame-rate gaps in some tests.
Otherwise, outside of paying your way into a higher-power tier, the x14 R2 delivered exactly as it should. The RTX 4060 performed above the RTX 3060, and it sat below the RTX 4070. These frame rates demonstrate that the x14 R2 is more than capable of AAA 60fps gaming at high settings. Of course, the GPU can go much faster with the help of DLSS and can push way beyond the 165Hz refresh rate ceiling for competitive multiplayer games like Rainbow Six: Siege.
Speaking of DLSS, remember that it becomes more relevant at higher resolutions. The scores in these charts were taken at 1080p, but we also ran the tests on the laptop’s native QHD+ resolution. At 2,560 by 1,600 and the maximum settings presets in each title, the x14 R2 averaged 59fps in Valhalla, 79fps in F1 with DLSS on (60fps with DLSS off), and 119fps in Siege. These were certainly declines, and a sign that demanding games will start to struggle at QHD+, but lowering some settings or turning on DLSS in games that support it should improve the performance at native resolution.
Battery and Display Tests
We test laptop battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100% until the system quits. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.
Additionally, we use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the panel can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).
The battery life result was a big one for the x14 R2. Portability is a huge part of the value proposition of this design, so it's non-negotiable for Alienware to deliver battery life that can support traveling with this laptop. Nearing 10 hours is quite an achievement for a gaming laptop, with the Alienware x14 R2 running with the best performers in this group and well beyond the disappointing 4-to-6-hour range. You can take the x14 R2 on the road with confidence.
Of course, this laptop's color coverage and brightness results were also impressive, which should be exciting news to anyone looking to get some specialized media work done on a laptop like this. The maximum brightness even came in above Dell's claimed range, though it was less brilliant than the brighter competitors.
Verdict: The People's 14-Inch Gaming Laptop
As a system engineered to deliver on the concept of a portable gaming laptop, the Alienware x14 R2 impresses. It looks and feels high in quality, it's supremely portable with long battery life, and it has enough power for some high-end, sharper-resolution gaming.
You'll certainly see that a premium was put upon the product to achieve the small size, but that’s true for all 14-inch gaming machines. Just as crucially, the starting price is reasonable—way lower than some—with alternative configuration options to better fit your budget. The Razer Blade 14 definitively delivers more high-end graphics power in its RTX 4070 configuration versus this RTX 4060 recipe, but you have to pay up and then some for the even more luxurious build.
In the end, we’d also question whether the 14-inch category is really all about power. You'll find less expensive ways to achieve top-end performance, and shopping at this size presumes portability is precious to you. On that front, while the Blade 14 is the best pick for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, this laptop is the next best for a wider swath of gamers, with a more affordable starting point and punchy performance when configured higher, all in a still-slick package. With all that taken together, the Alienware x14 R2 earns our Editors’ Choice award for midrange compact gaming laptops.
