Dell’s Alienware 18 Area-51 gaming laptop costs as much as a car… and I took it for a spin

I am sure you have plenty of lingering questions about the Alienware 18 Area-51, probably along the lines of:
– Is it too big?
– How’s the keyboard?
– How good is the display?
– What’s the battery life like?
– Can it handle the most demanding games?

I will try to answer all that and more in my review of the Alienware 18 Area-51.

What: Dell Alienware 18 Area-51| Price: Rs 4,12,699 onwards

Large and heavy

One look at the Alienware 18 Area-51, and it’s clear you won’t be carrying this laptop to a café or the office every day. I had considered taking it on a long trip to the US, but I couldn’t. It’s just not practical to carry a device that weighs over 4.38 kg (not including the hefty power brick) in a backpack. Barring its heft and massive size, the Alienware 18 Area-51 looks exactly like what you would expect from a gaming laptop. It has a sci-fi aesthetic: rounded and shapely with plenty of curves, and features a beautiful Liquid Teal colourway on its anodised aluminium chassis.

Lifting the lid is an easy one finger operation. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

I think the industrial designers who worked on this laptop are unapologetic about what anyone might think of an 18-inch machine. It’s designed to be out of this world, and if I were in their place, I would do the same. The build quality is excellent: absolutely premium and high-end. That said, be careful when handling the notebook; it’s a beast.

The Alienware 18 Area-51 is beautiful, but not in the way you might typically think. The top of the lid featues the RGB Alienware logo, and the Liquid Teal colour is simply gorgeous (I would love to see this colourway used on other products). The bottom includes extensive cooling and a cool-looking Plexiglas cover that reveals the cooling system – yes, you can actually see the internals.

The laptop can easily run the latest PC games on high settings. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The back has massive vents with additional RGB lighting, and almost all of the I/O ports are located there. The sides offer more ventilation, with the left side housing a headphone/mic combo jack and an SD card slot. It also features Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for seamless wireless connectivity.

An Alienware head adorns the center and has RGB. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

It’s obvious that those who buy this machine will prioritise power over portability. As I mentioned earlier, the Alienware 18 Area-51 is for those who want desktop-level performance in a somewhat portable form. I have seen people travel with hefty gaming laptops and even PlayStation 5s, so I wouldn’t be surprised if special protective cases are eventually designed and sold specifically for the Alienware 18 Area-51.

A laptop with a massive 18-inch display

As indicated by the name, this notebook has an 18-inch screen. An 18-inch display on a laptop isn’t common, though I am seeing more and more options with 16-inch screens on high-end, creation-focused notebooks. Anyway, the 18-inch QHD+ display is huge, and I think both creators and gamers care about having a display this size. The display is bright, large, and colourful, though it’s not an OLED, which I would have preferred now that every laptop and smartphone I use these days uses this display technology.

The exclusion of an OLED display could be because serious gamers don’t prefer it. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

That huge 18-inch display features a 300 Hz refresh rate, 500-nit brightness, G-SYNC, and 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour coverage. Games and videos look immersive, and websites like indianexpress.com benefit from the extra screen real estate. It’s also easy to keep multiple tabs open on the screen, something I, as someone in the news business, do all the time. I think the exclusion of an OLED display could be because serious gamers don’t prefer it, and I understand why.

The speakers supported by Dolby Atmos sound very good. Obviously, they don’t match the quality of my Apple HomePod or high-end desktop computer speakers. They won’t replace studio-quality speakers. But if you are just watching a TV show, listening to music, or playing a game, they are more than adequate.

Dell has also included dual-array microphones in the 18-inch Alienware notebook. While they won’t replace professional mics used by recording artists and podcasters, they are likely to make Zoom and Google Meet calls a bit more pleasant.

The 18-inch screen has some very small bezels on the top and side. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The Alienware 18 Area-51 comes with an IR camera for Windows Hello, and it works just fine. However, the other camera, the 8MP UHD HDR, is excellent, producing a great image. That’s the webcam to be used for online calls and presentations.

A keyboard to beat

I love the keyboard on the Alienware 18 Area-51. It’s hard to impress me with keyboards; I try a couple of laptops each year, and I just know which ones feel just right for typing and gaming.

The typing experience is reminiscent of a high-end desktop keyboard. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

Dell has gone with a massive keyboard that includes a numpad, and yes- it’s mechanical (Cherry MX switches, to be precise), tactile, and backlit with per-key RGB customisation. The keyboard may not feel the same as others, but I like trying different types, and I’m okay if each feels different.

The palmrest has a well sized keyboard with a decent sized trackpad centered beneath. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The typing experience is reminiscent of a high-end desktop keyboard – clicky without being loud, and for gamers, this makes a big difference. The touchpad, though not huge, supports full RGB and is responsive and smooth. Gamers will likely use a mouse anyway, but I wish the trackpad were a bit wider and taller.

Cooling and power

Gaming laptops are traditionally designed to be more powerful than average computers, and the same can be said about the Alienware 18 Area-51. However, Dell’s flagship gaming notebook is even more powerful. I mean, this laptop is deliberately built as a performance powerhouse, though that really depends on what you plan to do with it. Gaming, for sure, but it’s also a content creation machine and also used for professionals who are into coding and AI software.

My review unit came with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GDDR7 GPU, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB NVMe M.2 Gen4 SSD. It’s one of the fastest CPU/GPU configurations on a gaming machine, and this one smokes the competition.

But what can you do with this laptop? A lot. I played Cyberpunk 2077, which is one of the most graphically demanding games on the market, and this notebook ran it at around 65 frames per second on the ray tracing overdrive graphical setting. Expect smooth graphics and fast response times while playing the most demanding games.

Sure, gaming is the foremost reason anyone would buy this notebook, but I feel the Alienware 18 Area-51 can also be used for 4K video editing and creative tasks like 3D rendering. After all, it covers the basics of many creative workflows, whether you are a seasoned gamer, a video editor, a coder, or an architect. No one’s surprised, I am sure. It all depends on your point of view and why you would invest in a notebook that starts at Rs 4,00,000.

The power adapter is heavy and adds to the already massive-sized notebook. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

It’s also important to note that a gaming laptop like this isn’t just about the hardware; cooling is an equally integral part. After all, these notebooks do get hot under heavy workloads and long gaming sessions. That’s why Alienware’s Cryo-Tech cooling technology is included, helping keep temperatures in check. Dual fans, multiple heat pipes, and strategically placed vents efficiently manage airflow. I wouldn’t say the Alienware 18 Area-51 doesn’t get warm – it does, but not to the extent that it turns the notebook into a heating chamber.

The speakers supported by Dolby Atmos sound very good. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

The notebook can be easily upgraded, and the process is pretty straightforward. The bottom panel opens with giving you access to memory slots, storage bays, and other key components. I think it is a step in the right direction and a major win for upgradability.

Finally, there’s battery life. Based on my testing, the notebook lasts anywhere between two to four hours, and of course, mileage will vary depending on the task. I think a laptop like this is best used while plugged in and pushed hard to deliver the level of performance expected from it.

The pro gaming machine that pushes performance with some extra oomph

From every product I review, I learn a lot about the market, the customers, and where the industry is headed. That’s one of the things that keeps me excited about tech and what I do.

A lot of you might be focused only on the price point of the Alienware 18 Area-51, but I would say that’s the wrong way to look at it. The true value of any product lies in what you do with it and how it benefits you. If you are a professional gamer, a developer, or into professional video editing, you need the right tools and having them can open up new opportunities to earn money and fame.

I am sure no one is going to invest this much in a notebook just to check emails, browse websites, or watch YouTube. So the purpose has to be much more than that. If your workloads require sustained performance, and if you are okay with a laptop that’s heavy and only somewhat portable but can double as a high-end desktop, then the Alienware 18 Area-51 will hold up over time.

That’s my biggest takeaway after using Dell’s flagship 18-inch notebook. It’s still not for everyone, and it likely never will be. But a notebook like this is now a better fit for a specific kind of user, one that’s growing, thanks to new types of careers that are emerging.