MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Which laptop wins?

(Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

The boxing for the title of best laptop simply got a whole lot more interesting. The Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air comparison is one we've been making for years, with Dell'south laptop usually landing on top thanks to its best-in-class design, gorgeous display and powerful performance. But Apple merely threw a big wrench into things.

The new MacBook Air with M1 is the first with Apple Silicon, which delivers absolutely baking functioning and a massive battery life heave that puts both the Dell XPS thirteen and Apple'south ain MacBook Pro on detect. That's non to say the latest XPS xiii is a slouch past any stretch, equally Dell's flagship notebook only got a functioning boost of its own via Intel's 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs.

Our picks for the best laptop right now
Hither are the all-time laptops under $500

Just which new version of the two all-time laptops on the market is about worth your coin? Read our full Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air showdown to see how these powerful notebooks stack upward on value, performance and more than.

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2020 specs

	MacBook Air M1	Dell XPS xiii
Starting cost	$999	$999
Display	13.3-inch, 2560 ten 1600 Retina display	xiii.4 inch Infinity Edge display (1920 ten 1200 or 3840 x 2400, touch optional)
Processor	Apple M1	11th Gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7
Graphics	Apple M1	Intel Iris Xe
Storage	256GB to 2TB	256GB to 2TB
RAM	8GB / 16GB	8GB / 16GB
Ports	2 USB-C Thunderbolt iii, headphone jack	two USB-C Thunderbolt 4, microSD slot, headphone jack
Battery life (tested)	14:41	11:07
Dimensions	12 x 8.four x 0.six inches	xi.6 x 7.viii ten 0.6 inches
Weight	ii.8 pounds	ii.8 pounds

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2020: Cost and value

The new MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 take the same starting price of $999, but there's some variance around what yous get for the coin -- particularly at college configurations. Both laptops start with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, with the MacBook Air sporting Apple's M1 flake and the XPS xiii starting with an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 CPU.

The MacBook Air M1 starts with a higher resolution 2560 10 1600 display compared to the XPS 13'southward starting 1900 x 1200 screen. But while Apple only offers ane resolution selection, the XPS 13 tin can be configured to sport a 4K touch brandish for an extra $392.

The MacBook Air's $1,249 configuration gets you a bigger 512GB SSD, with options to upgrade to 1TB ($200) and 2TB ($600). A similarly configured XPS xiii will cost you a bit more, every bit a $ane,499 model will become you lot 512GB of storage in add-on to an Intel Core i7 CPU. Dell also offers upgrades to 1TB ($147) and 2TB ($441) storage drives. Upgrading to 16GB of RAM on the MacBook Air costs $200, while doing so on the XPS xiii is much cheaper at $98.

Overall, the XPS 13 offers more configuration options, the highest-end brandish option and gives y'all the flexibility to choose between three different processors based on your needs. But in terms of sheer blindside for your buck, the MacBook Air'southward base configurations give y'all a bit more for the coin.

Winner: MacBook Air

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS thirteen 2020: Design

Dell has been refining the XPS 13's design to near perfection over the years, and the 2020 iteration might just be the best-looking laptop on the planet. With razor-thin aluminum edges, a soft chill white interior and a truly borderless InfinityEdge display, Dell's flagship notebook is a joy to look at and use.

MacBook Air M1 vs Dell XPS 13: Which laptop is best? — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Meanwhile, MacBook Air hasn't really inverse much for 2020. The notebook'due south slim shape and aluminum outside are all the same easy on the eyes (especially in gilded), merely the Air's chunky display bezels are starting to look a bit dated.

Both of these laptops are wonderfully portable. Simply at two.8 pounds and eleven.half dozen x 7.8 10 0.6 inches, the XPS 13 has a slightly smaller overall footprint than the MacBook Air (12 x viii.iv x 0.half-dozen inches, two.viii pounds).

Winner: Dell XPS thirteen

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS xiii 2020: Ports

The MacBook Air and XPS 13 are both light on ports, only one laptop has a slight border. Each notebook sports just two USB-C ports (the XPS 13 has Thunderbolt 4; the MacBook Air is even so rocking Thunderbolt 3) in addition to a headphone jack.

But the XPS 13 has the added bonus of a microSD card slot, which is handy for quickly transferring photos and videos, and comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter for using your older accessories. Power users will likely have to spring for a dock or dongle for either notebook, but the XPS 13 gives you a little scrap more than out of the box.

Winner: Dell XPS thirteen

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2020: Brandish

The MacBook Air and XPS xiii have some significant pros and cons on the display front, so it comes downwardly to which features are well-nigh of import to you. The XPS 13 offers the more modern, immersive brandish, with a well-nigh bezel-less InfinityEdge brandish that boasts an impressive 91.5% screen-to-body ratio. And while the XPS thirteen starts with a 1920 x 1200 screen, you can configure information technology with an optional 4K (3840 x 2400) touch display.

The MacBook Air'due south lone 2560 ten 1600 display option is sharper than the XPS 13'due south display out of the gate. However, its chunky bezels are starting to evidence their age, especially compared to the practically borderless XPS 13.

The good news is that both of these laptop screens expect great in day to twenty-four hour period use. When watching movies and shows on both notebooks, we noticed lush colors, fine details and satisfying contrast. But our lab results reveal some key differences between the 1080p XPS 13 and the MacBook Air.

Dell's laptop is the brighter of the two, registering 469 nits of brightness on our light meter compared to the MacBook Air'south 365 nits. But the MacBook Air has a slight border on color, producing 114.3% of the sRGB spectrum compared to the XPS 13's 97.9%.

It'south besides worth noting that the XPS 13 is the only laptop of the ii to offer a touchscreen, if that's a priority for you. Despite more and more iOS apps becoming available on Mac, you lot'll have to stick to your trackpad and keyboard for now.

Winner: Dell XPS 13

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2020: Keyboard and trackpad

Now that Apple tree has ditched the controversial butterfly keyboard for the Magic Keyboard found in newer MacBooks, the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 are pretty comparable when it comes to typing feel. Both laptops allowed us to type comfortably at our average speeds on the 10fastfingers typing exam. Dell does deserve some bonus points for the soft-touch coating on the keys, which extends to the wrist residuum as well.

The Air has the larger trackpad at four.8 x three.2 inches versus the Dell'due south 4.4 x ii.five trackpad, but both proved responsive and reliable for multi-finger gestures. The MacBook Air's touchpad uses haptic feedback while the XPS 13 gives a true physical click, so it'southward a thing of deciding what feels best to you.

Winner: Necktie

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS xiii 2020: Performance

Here's where Apple has definitely taken the lead. The M1 chip in the new MacBook Air offers some of the best performance we've seen from a Mac, and beats the 11th Gen Cadre i7 CPU found in our Dell XPS xiii on almost every benchmark we put it through.

The new MacBook Air scored a 5,962 on the Geekbench 5.1 general functioning test, topping the XPS 13's v,319 by a solid margin. Apple's laptop ran circles around the XPS 13 on our video editing examination, converting a 4K video to 1080p in 9 minutes and xv seconds — that's nigh twice as fast equally the XPS 13's 18:22.

Apple tree'due south laptop too trounce the XPS 13 on the PugetBench Photoshop test (which performs 21 different Photoshop tasks), scoring 653 compared to the XPS 13's 588. We saw a similar gap when running the Civilisation Half-dozen game on both systems, with the MacBook Air turning in a framerate of 37 frames per second compared to the XPS 13's 21 fps.

Both of these laptops shine in real-world use, and we had no issues juggling dozens of browser tabs and applications at the same time on both. But if you're looking for the best sheer performance out of the new, the new MacBook Air and its M1 processor come out on height.

Winner: MacBook Air

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS xiii 2020: Battery life

The new M1 chip doesn't only give the Air stellar operation — it also helps requite Apple tree's new notebook some of the best bombardment life yous can observe on a laptop right now. The new MacBook Air lasted a whopping 14 hours and 41 minutes on our custom battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi), putting most of its Intel-based competitors to shame. And while the Dell XPS 13'due south 11-60 minutes battery life (for the 1080p version) is nothing to sneeze at, the new Air lasted nearly iv hours longer.

Winner: MacBook Air

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS xiii 2020: Software

This round ultimately comes down to your preference of Windows vs. macOS. Windows x is the most ubiquitous operating system among mainstream laptops, offering a ton of flexibility and support for a wide range of productivity apps. And while the XPS 13's integrated Xe graphics aren't going to play AAA games at high settings, Windows has access to a larger library of games via marketplaces like Steam and the Epic Games Shop.

The MacBook Air runs on macOS Large Sur, which improves on Apple's famously clean software experience with a meliorate Safari, an improved Messages app and new features like Control Center that make the Mac feel feel more in line with that of iOS. And thanks to the M1 flake, you lot'll encounter even more iPhone and iPad apps make their manner to the Mac ecosystem.

There is i big affair to consider if you are springing for the MacBook Air: App compatibility. macOS Big Sur doesn't run 32-bit apps, and users on the MacRumors forums are reporting that many major programs, such every bit Ableton Live and Elgato Video Capture, are having problem with the new software.

Winner: Tie

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS xiii 2020: Overall wi

The battle between the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 is ever a shut i, simply the superior performance and battery life made possible by the M1 flake gives Apple the win hither. The MacBook Air is one of the fastest and longest-lasting laptops we've tested, and makes the XPS xiii's otherwise strong numbers await slow past comparing.

	MacBook Air M1	Dell XPS 13
Price and value (x points)	8	7
Pattern (xv points)	11	xiv
Ports (5 points)	2	3
Brandish (fifteen points)	12	xiii
Keyboard and trackpad (10 points)	9	9
Performance (20 points)	xx	17
Bombardment life (xx points)	xx	15
Software (5 points)	4	4
Overall (100 points)	86	82

That said, there are plenty of areas in which the XPS 13 continues to exist the all-time in its grade. Dell's razor-thin blueprint and almost bezel-less display should give Apple users serious envy, and it has a few actress options when information technology comes to connectivity.

Of form, your decision between these two may come up down to personal taste -- gamers and power users may prefer the flexibility of Windows ten, while those tied to the Apple ecosystem might desire macOS. But in terms of raw operation and battery life, the MacBook Air is the new mainstream laptop to beat.

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the all-time Avenger.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/macbook-air-m1-vs-dell-xps-13

Posted by: simonsdoetianighim.blogspot.com

MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Which laptop wins?