Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Which laptop is best?
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Which laptop is best?
The ongoing battle of Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro is heating up now that Apple tree'southward finally ditched its problematic keyboard. Meanwhile, Dell continues to meliorate on one of the best laptop designs in the business organisation.
Nosotros've considered the Dell XPS 13 to exist the all-time laptop you lot tin buy for quite some time, and the new Dell XPS 13 2020 is the best iteration yet. But now that the MacBook Pro also has 10th Gen Intel CPUs and an improved keyboard, does Apple have a winning-enough equation to topple Dell?
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This face-off is based on results we found in our Dell XPS 13 2020 review and our MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) review. But we should annotation that Dell announced new Intel Tiger Lake 11th Gen CPU equipped laptops, while Apple's got the expected Apple Silicon MacBook Pro laptop on deck as well.
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Specs
| Dell XPS 13 | MacBook Pro (13-inch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting cost | $1,029 | $1299 |
| Screen | 13.4 inches (1920 x 1200 or 3840 10 2400), with touchscreen choice | 13.3 inches (2560 x 1600) |
| Battery life | 12:39 (1080p) viii:14 (4K) | x:21 |
| Processor | Intel tenth Gen Cadre i5 and i7 | Intel 8th Gen Core i5 and i7, and 10th Gen Core i5 and i7 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 and Intel Iris Plus Graphics |
| Storage | 256GB to 2TB | 256GB to 4TB |
| Memory | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, one microSD reader, USB-C to USB-A adapter included | ii to 4 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yep | Yes |
| Dimensions | eleven.6 x 7.8 10 0.six inches | 12 x 8.four x 0.six inches |
| Weight | 2.half-dozen (non-touch), two.viii pounds (touchscreen) | three.ane pounds |
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Price
Unsurprisingly, the XPS thirteen has the better starting price, with the entry-level model starting at $999. And that's with an Intel 11th Gen Cadre i3 CPU (plus 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD). The cheapest MacBook Pro starts at $500 more, with the $1,299 model that packs an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, and the aforementioned amount of memory and storage.
To get a MacBook Pro with an 10th Gen Intel CPU, y'all demand to spend $ane,799 for a model with a Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Dell'due south comparable model is about $525 less, at $one,274 (and it'due south got an 11th Gen CPU, too).
Oh, and while the XPS 13 starts with a 1920 ten 1080-pixel screen (which is lower resolution than the MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600-pixel console) some models exercise come with a UHD (3840 x 2160) bear upon brandish, giving you lot the touch screen that Apple seems to accept no interest in.
Winner: XPS 13
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Design
While Apple'southward been slimming down the MacBook Pro, it's notwithstanding more than or less got the same design that information technology's had for a while. The XPS 13, though, is hitting dwelling runs with its blueprint, lapping Apple in a category it used to dominate. Both laptops feature aluminum chassis, while the XPS has a carbon fiber keyboard deck.
This is cheers to Dell'due south InfinityEdge display, which shaves off well-nigh all of the bezel for a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro's bezels are still visibly in that location, and chonky past comparing.
In terms of hues, Apple simply gives you either space greyness or traditional silver. The XPS 13, though, comes in an arctic white interior pair for a super-clean look, merely traditionalists could opt for the silver-and-black model if you want something more subdued.
And by the numbers, the Dell XPS 13 (11.6 x 7.8 ten 0.6 inches, 2.six to 2.8 pounds) both smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro (12 x 8.four x 0.6 inches, 3.1 pounds).
Winner: Dell XPS 13
Dell XPS xiii vs MacBook Pro: Ports
The Dell XPS thirteen and MacBook Pro will both send you lot looking for an adapter if you have anything with a USB-A port. Both primarily offering Thunderbolt iii USB-C ports, pushing users to suit or evolve.
While the XPS 13 likewise has a third USB-C port, only MacBook Pro shoppers who spend at least $1,799 (more than twice equally much as the entry-level XPS 13) will upgrade to four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Plus, the XPS xiii has a microSD reader for expanded storage, which the MacBook Air does not.
Dell, nevertheless, includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter, which Apple tree makes you buy separately.
Winner: Dell XPS 13.
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Brandish
The MacBook Pro merely has one screen: the gorgeous 13-inch Retina Brandish screen, while the Dell XPS thirteen lets you selection betwixt a Full HD screen for longer battery life and a 4K screen for gorgeous image quality (they fifty-fifty offer touchscreens, which accept yet to brand it to a MacBook).
The MacBook Pro also offers Apple's own True Tone display engineering, which gives you the option to have the system automatically adjust the panel'southward white balance based on ambient lighting. The Dell XPS 13 doesn't have such an option, but nobody'south crying foul.
In our lab tests, key differences emerged. The MacBook Pro's screen (according to our Klein Chiliad-10a Colorimeter) gets brighter, maxing out at an boilerplate of 485 nits of brightness. That beats both the Dell XPS thirteen'south 301-nit 4K screen and its 1080p panel (417 nits) as well.
A closer battle was found in color reproduction. The MacBook Pro's screen produces 114% of the sRGB colour gamut, which is most the 1080 XPS 13 (114.8%) and above the 4K XPS thirteen (107.5%).
Winner: MacBook Pro
Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Keyboard and trackpad
The nearly important office of the 2020 MacBook Pro is that Apple tree ditched the flawed "butterfly" switch mechanisms, and went dorsum to a traditional scissor-switch keyboard. Meanwhile, the XPS thirteen has found other ways to amend for this year's model.
I type on the MacBook Pro on a regular footing, and find it to be blissfully simple to the signal where I nevertheless wonder why Apple tried to reinvent the keyboard in the first identify. Its keys have adequate vertical travel so you're not bottoming out. and clicking its keys provides pleasant feedback.
Keyboard reliability has never been an outcome for the XPS 13. Not simply do its keys feel dandy to type on, just Dell has also applied a soft-touch keycap blanket for amend tactile feedback. The XPS 13 also features a textured and soft wrist, for comfy typing.
Oh, and since the XPS 13'southward keyboard is besides edge-to-border, information technology'due south able to brand its keys larger, a big deal for people with larger hands.
Winner: XPS xiii
Similarly, the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS thirteen both pack big trackpads that offer accurate input tracking. Apple'due south trackpad doesn't actually click, as the Strength Touch pad simulates a click with haptic feedback. Just we plant both trackpads to be snappy and responsive in our testing.
Winner: Dell XPS thirteen
Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Performance
Both the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 nosotros reviewed feature 10th Gen Intel CPUs, but there's a big difference betwixt them. Apple tree's decision to put less-impressive Y-serial Intel processors in the MacBook Air puts that laptop at a disadvantage, as the XPS 13 rocks faster U-serial chips.
Our XPS 13 review unit packs a speedy Core i7-1065G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, which soundly (and predictably) trounces the Cadre i5-1030NG7 chip and 8GB of RAM in the MacBook Air 2020 we tested. We await forwards to testing a Core i5 version of the XPS xiii to see how a more comparable model compares to the MacBook Air.
The Geekbench 5 general operation criterion gave the MacBook Pro 2020 (10th Gen Core i5, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD) a strong multi-core performance score of four,399. The Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1065G7, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD) did even better, posting a score of 4,648. That'south not really a loss for the MacBook, though, considering the XPS xiii'southward Core i7 CPU is a notch college.
The MacBook Pro took a clear win in our Handbrake video editing examination, needing only 12 minutes and 43 seconds to convert 4K video to 1080p. The Dell XPS 13 (15:40) needed a little under iii more minutes.
The Dell XPS thirteen took that win dorsum on the PugetBench Photoshop benchmarks, which perform the same 21 tasks 3 times. The XPS 13 netted a 657, beating the MacBook Pro'south 569.
Neither the MacBook Pro 2020 nor the XPS xiii (both armed with Intel Iris Plus graphics) proved to be a gaming machine. The MacBook Pro simply ran Civilization VI at 18 frames per second, a 2d behind the XPS xiii'due south 19 fps. Both rates brutal below our 30 fps smoothness threshold.
Winner: Necktie
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Battery life
The XPS 13 tin outlast the MacBook Pro; it just depends on what screen you choose.
On our web surfing-based bombardment exam (with the brandish set at 150 nits of brightness) the 1080p XPS xiii lasted 12 hours and 39 minutes, while the 4K XPS 13 only posted a time of viii:14. This differential is explained by the simple fact that college-resolution screens take more free energy to ability.
Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro falls right in the eye of those ii times, lasting 10 hours and 21 minutes.
Personally, this is part of why I prefer the MacBook Pro. It gives you more than x hours of battery life with a super-sharp screen, without making you cull one over the other.
Winner: Tie
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Audio
When nosotros tested these laptops' sound systems out, Apple showed serious sound chops with the MacBook Pro'due south speakers that "pump out and clear sound," according to my colleague Mark Spoonauer, who also noted a "surprising amount of bass."
Tom's Guide editor-in-chief Mike Andronico wasn't every bit happy when listening to 4 Year Potent's "Crazy Pills" on the Dell XPS 13. He noted that the song "sounded muddy and blown out at max volume."
Winner: MacBook Pro
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Software
Odds are, you know if yous prefer Windows ten or macOS. Both are pretty proficient platforms, each with its ain pros and cons.
Lately, Windows has been more than known for the never-ending series of bugs that make it through Windows Update, and not the diverse array of applications available to information technology. Windows is also the ameliorate platform for gaming, with admission to a wider range of titles across storefronts such as Steam, Epic Games Store and Origin. But neither of these laptops are serious gaming machines, as I've explained higher up.
The incoming macOS Large Sur update is going to be a function of a gigantic rethinking of the Mac. It gives the Apple tree desktop Bone a more iPhone-like look, with squared icons and the Control Center. It's only one half of this fall'south big change to the Mac: Apple tree Silicon volition enable better bombardment life and faster performance, as well equally emulation of iOS apps.
Winner: Tie
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Verdict
We appreciate how the new MacBook Pro resolves Apple'south keyboard issue, but we really wish it came with 10th Gen Intel Processors standard, and didn't make y'all pay up to get them. And while it goes toe to toe with the Dell XPS 13 on battery life and functioning, its superior screen isn't plenty for this duel.
| MacBook Pro | Dell XPS 13 | |
| Design (10 points) | 8 | 10 |
| Ports (5 points) | iv | 5 |
| Brandish (15 points) | 15 | 12 |
| Keyboard and trackpad(15 points) | 13 | 15 |
| Operation (10 points) | 9 | 9 |
| Battery life (15 points) | 13 | 13 |
| Audio (5 points) | v | 4 |
| Software (5 points) | iv | 4 |
| Value and cost (20 points) | 17 | 20 |
| Overall (100 points) | 91 | 92 |
On the other side of the tabular array, the Dell XPS 13 stands stiff, like a mount lion watching out for challengers to its throne. Its screen to trunk ratio is impressive, its battery life (with its 1080p screen) is phenomenal and information technology'due south available at much more than affordable prices.
How will the tail of 2020, and 2021, shape up this battle? The XPS 13 looks to gain a performance spring off new Intel Tiger Lake 11th Gen processors, while Apple's prepare to strike out on its own without Intel, and encounter how high Apple tree Silicon fries tin can take the MacBook Pro.
But if you're looking for the best laptop to buy correct now, the latest Dell XPS 13 takes the win here.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/dell-xps-13-vs-macbook-pro-which-laptop-is-best
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