Alienware 18 Area-51 vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4)
64.4Performance55.3
64.1Display29.8
94.7Battery72
23.6Portability79.6
7 spec wins — Alienware 18 Area-513 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4)
InnoReviews verdict
Alienware 18 Area-51 wins this laptop face-off, 63.6 to 57, pulling ahead mainly in display (+34) and battery (+23). Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) 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 55
- Stronger display score: 64 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 72
- 414% higher charging: 360 W vs 70 W
- 400% higher Refresh rate: 300 Hz vs 60 Hz
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4)
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 24
- 63% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 4.12 kg
- 53% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 24.3 mm
- 21% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,700 vs 3,057
- Lower launch price: $1,199 vs $3,400
Display
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 18 ″+18% | 15.3 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS LCD | IPS (Liquid Retina) |
| Resolution | 2560x1600 | 2880x1864 |
| Refresh rate | 300 Hz+400% | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Apple M4 (10-core) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop (RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5090 optional) | Apple M4 10-core GPU |
| RAM | 32 GB+100% | 16 GB |
| RAM type | DDR5-6400 (SODIMM) | LPDDR5X (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 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,057Top 20% | 3,700+21%Top 11% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 19,869+35%Top 14% | 14,700Top 36% |
Battery
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 96 Wh+44% | 67 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 15 h |
| Charging | 360 W+414% | 70 W |
Design
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 4.12 kg | 1.51 kg+63% |
| Thickness | 24.3 mm | 11.5 mm+53% |
| Material | Anodized aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p + IR camera (4K option) | 12MP Center Stage |
| Biometrics | IR face (Windows Hello) | Touch ID |
Software
| Spec | Alienware 18 Area-51 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | macOS Sequoia |
Related comparisons
Alienware 18 Area-51vs Framework Laptop 13 ProVSAlienware 18 Area-51vs ASUS TUF Gaming F16 (2025)VSAlienware 18 Area-51vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) GU605VSAlienware 18 Area-51vs ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025)VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M4)vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M4)vs HP Googlebook 14VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M4)vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M4)vs Acer Swift 14 AI (SF14-11)VS