This piece covers what the review found, what it left out, and how the price and spec claims compare with other published listings and reviews.
What was reviewed
Tyson describes the unit as the step-up Aurora, above the Alienware 16 Aurora. It has these specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 with 8GB of video memory.
- Memory and storage: 32GB of DDR5 (5600 MT/s) and a 2TB M.2 Gen4 SSD.
- Display: 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS.
The review's headline price is $3,899 for the fully specced unit, with the range starting at just over $2,549. EFTM is an Australian outlet, so those are Australian-dollar prices, though the review itself doesn't label the currency. That matters, because other listings for this model look very different:
- Dell Australia lists a 290HX Plus and RTX 5070 configuration with 16GB of DDR5 and a 1TB SSD at $5,050.01. That is a newer-refresh configuration, not the one Tyson reviewed, but it shows how much Australian pricing has moved since the review.
- Dell's US page shows 290HX Plus configurations with RTX 5060, 5070 and 5070 Ti graphics, mostly with 32GB of memory, at prices between roughly $2,849 and $3,549.
- Mixed News reported a Best Buy deal at $1,949.99 for a 290HX Plus, RTX 5070, 16GB and 1TB configuration.
None of these is proof of what the reviewed unit cost. They do show that the AC16251 name covers many configurations. A buyer should compare exact specs and the local price before treating any single figure as typical.
Design and display
Tyson puts the machine in the "stealth gaming" camp. It has an "Interstellar Indigo" anodized aluminum lid and a magnesium alloy interior frame. The only real giveaway is the iridescent Alienware logo. He says the satin lid resists fingerprints and slips easily into a bag.
The reviewed unit's panel is IPS, not OLED. The OLED panel belongs to the 2026 refresh of the 16X Aurora, not the machine Tyson tested. As reported in the review:
- It runs up to 240Hz with 3ms response.
- It covers 100% of DCI-P3, with 500 nits of brightness and a matte anti-glare finish.
- Tyson calls the panel excellent, with great viewing angles and vibrant colours.
The 2026 refresh adds an OLED option. Dell's US listing describes that panel as an anti-glare OLED at 240Hz with "120% DCI-P3 col.volume" and 620 HDR nits, with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. Colour volume and gamut coverage are different measurements, so those figures don't contradict each other. Still, readers shouldn't treat them as interchangeable.
Other reviewers are broadly positive about the screen. Tom's Hardware, testing the OLED refresh, calls its display excellent. It also says the laptop's weight and middling battery life suit it better to desk duty than daily travel.
Controls, ports and everyday use
Tyson reports the following:
- Webcam: a single-lens FHD IR camera that supports Windows Hello face login. It worked in varied lighting, including backlit conditions. There is no manual privacy shutter.
- Keyboard: full-size with a numpad, 1.8mm key travel and single-zone AlienFX RGB lighting. He found it a little spongy when typing fast.
- Special keys: three programmable M1–M3 keys and a dedicated Stealth key. The Stealth key switches to quieter fans and a plain white backlight.
- Touchpad: responsive, but he says a mouse is the better choice for gaming.
- Ports: two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Type-C port, a Thunderbolt port, HDMI 2.1 and RJ45 Ethernet.
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
- Audio: a combo jack and speakers he found decent but not exciting.
Ethernet, one USB-A port and the audio jack sit on the side. The other ports are at the rear. GamesRadar praises the rear-port layout, which keeps cables out of the way.
Cooling, performance and upgrades
The review credits a "Cryo-Chamber" design with keeping the laptop cool to the touch and mostly quiet under load. The design raises the chassis off the desk. Dual fans pull air from above the keyboard into three copper heat pipes, and four exhausts vent the heat. The system is quoted at up to 155W Total Performance Power, 110W TGP and 55W TDP.
Tyson names Call of Duty 7, Grounded 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 as games that ran at high frame rates, and the review includes benchmark screenshots for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Crysis Remastered and Fortnite. That praise comes with no frame rates, resolutions or settings in the text, though the review publishes 3DMark result screenshots (CPU Profile, Speed Way, Steel Nomad and Storage) without quoting the scores. The 89% score is therefore a subjective judgement, and the performance claim can't be checked from the review alone.
Other outlets fill some of that gap:
- GamesRadar, which tested the RTX 5060 configuration, says the 16X Aurora performs about as expected for its spec, beating the Lenovo Legion 5 in some tests and trailing it in others. It compares the machine with the Legion 5, the Asus ROG Strix G16 and the HP Omen, not the Razer Blade 14 or the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI.
- Impulse Gamer reported a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,024 (30.25 FPS) on its test unit. That unit had 32GB of RAM, not the reviewed 16GB.
Upgradeability is a real selling point, and GamesRadar also highlights the user-accessible memory bays. Tyson reports two PCIe Gen 4 SSD slots and two user-upgradeable DDR5 SO-DIMM slots. The design is not tool-less. Third-party guidance adds one caution on storage. One upgrade guide says PCIe Gen5 SSD support is specified for RTX 5070 Ti configurations, not for the RTX 5070 model. Before you buy parts, check Dell's service documentation for your exact SKU.
Battery and charging
The review lists a six-cell, 96Wh battery and a 240W charger in the box. Tyson got around eight hours of office work from a charge. Hard gaming at full resolution on Performance mode can drain it in a little over an hour and a half.
USB-C charging works, but it can't match the supplied charger's power during gaming. These are one reviewer's usage impressions, not standardized battery tests. They fit Tom's Hardware's "middling battery life" verdict.
Windows 11 and preinstalled software
The unit shipped with Windows 11 Home, version 24H2, with the 25H2 update available. The review notes 24H2 was supported through October 2026 and 25H2 through 2027. Microsoft's release page lists 25H2 Home and Pro updates ending 12 October 2027, and 26H2 as generally available from 29 September 2026.
The software load is described as fairly minimal:
- Intel and NVIDIA configuration apps.
- Realtek and Dolby audio software.
- The usual Microsoft apps.
- McAfee, with a year of protection and prompts to sign in. The review gives no renewal price; McAfee's US pricing lists McAfee+ Premium renewing at $149.99 a year.
- Alienware Command Centre, which handles performance modes, monitoring and RGB lighting.
For readers who dislike bundled security trials, check what Command Centre and the McAfee prompts do on first boot. Removing or declining them is a routine setup chore on most OEM laptops.
Who should care
The review's case is that this is a premium laptop that can pass for a business machine. It has an excellent IPS display, a quiet-mode key and user-upgradeable memory and storage. Its weak points are the battery under load, the lack of a privacy shutter and a price that varies widely by configuration and market.
The review doesn't name competitors or compare prices, even though it says the competition "sits similarly." Treat the score as a hands-on opinion, not a measured comparison. If you are shopping, match the exact configuration code, memory and region, and check the current local price.
Correction (November 12, 2026): An earlier version of this article described the 2026 refresh of the 16X Aurora (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, OLED panel, $6,145, 90% score) as the machine EFTM reviewed. EFTM's Daniel Tyson actually reviewed the original model: a Core Ultra 9 275HX with 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD and a 16-inch IPS display, priced at $3,899, scoring 89% overall (Display 89%, Performance 88%, Value for Money 90%). The article has been corrected throughout to match EFTM's review: 155W total performance power (not 115W), a 240W charger (not 280W), 1.8mm key travel (not 1.4mm), around eight hours of office battery life (not six hours of mixed use), Windows 11 Home 24H2 with the 25H2 update available (not 25H2 with 26H2 waiting), the games Tyson actually tested, and what GamesRadar actually said about performance. The McAfee renewal price has also been corrected: the review states none, and McAfee's US pricing lists McAfee+ Premium renewing at $149.99 a year.