Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)
61.6Performance41.4
55.5Display29.8
94.7Battery55.3
20Portability79.6
7 spec wins — Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250)3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)
InnoReviews verdict
Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) wins this laptop face-off, 59.9 to 48.4, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+39) and display (+26). Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250)
- Stronger performance score: 62 vs 41
- Stronger display score: 56 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 55
- 929% higher charging: 360 W vs 35 W
- 300% higher Refresh rate: 240 Hz vs 60 Hz
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 20
- 60% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 28.5 mm
- 56% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 3.4 kg
- Lower launch price: $1,299 vs $3,200
Display
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 16 ″+5% | 15.3 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS | IPS (Liquid Retina) |
| Resolution | 2560x1600 | 2880x1864 |
| Refresh rate | 240 Hz+300% | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Apple M3 (8-core) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop | Apple M3 10-core GPU |
| RAM | 32 GB+300% | 8 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5-6400 (2x SO-DIMM) | LPDDR5 (unified) |
| Storage | 1,024 GB+300% | 256 GB |
| Storage type | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (3 M.2 slots) | SSD |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,925Top 31% | 3,130+7%Top 14% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 18,978+57%Top 17% | 12,066Bottom 29% |
Battery
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 96 Wh+44% | 67 Wh |
| Charging | 360 W+929% | 35 W |
Design
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.4 kg | 1.51 kg+56% |
| Thickness | 28.5 mm | 11.5 mm+60% |
| Material | — | Recycled Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 5 (DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery), 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, SD card reader, 3.5mm combo jack | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p or 4K (8MP) with IR | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Biometrics | IR face (Windows Hello) | Touch ID |
Software
| Spec | Alienware 16 Area-51 (AA16250) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | macOS Sonoma |
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