Alienware 18 Area-51 vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
64.4Performance44.5
64.1Display29.8
94.7Battery66.7
23.6Portability88
8 spec wins — Alienware 18 Area-512 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
InnoReviews verdict
Alienware 18 Area-51 wins this laptop face-off, 63.6 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in display (+34) and battery (+28). Apple MacBook Air 13 (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 18 Area-51
- Stronger performance score: 64 vs 45
- Stronger display score: 64 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 67
- 929% higher charging: 360 W vs 35 W
- 400% higher Refresh rate: 300 Hz vs 60 Hz
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
- Stronger portability score: 88 vs 24
- 70% lower weight: 1.24 kg vs 4.12 kg
- 53% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 24.3 mm
- Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $3,400
Display
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 18 ″+32% | 13.6 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS LCD | IPS (Liquid Retina) |
| Resolution | 2560x1600 | 2560x1664 |
| Refresh rate | 300 Hz+400% | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Apple M3 (8-core) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop (RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5090 optional) | Apple M3 8-core GPU |
| RAM | 32 GB+100% | 16 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5-6400 (SODIMM) | LPDDR5 (unified) |
| Storage | 1,024 GB+300% | 256 GB |
| Storage type | M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0/5.0) | NVMe SSD |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,057Top 20% | 3,050Top 22% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 19,869+66%Top 14% | 12,000Bottom 27% |
Battery
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 96 Wh+83% | 53 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 15 h |
| Charging | 360 W+929% | 35 W |
Design
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 4.12 kg | 1.24 kg+70% |
| Thickness | 24.3 mm | 11.3 mm+53% |
| Material | Anodized aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 5 (DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery; Thunderbolt 4 on RTX 5070 and below), 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, 5Gbps RJ-45, SD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack | 2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p + IR camera (4K option) | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Biometrics | IR face (Windows Hello) | Touch ID |
Software
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | macOS Sonoma |
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