Review of Macbook Pro Vs Dell Xps 13

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Dell XPS xiii vs MacBook Pro: Which laptop is best?

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The ongoing battle of Dell XPS xiii vs MacBook Pro is heating upward at present that Apple's finally ditched its problematic keyboard. Meanwhile, Dell continues to meliorate on one of the best laptop designs in the concern.

We've considered the Dell XPS 13 to be the all-time laptop you can buy for quite some time, and the new Dell XPS thirteen 2020 is the all-time iteration even so. Simply now that the MacBook Pro also has 10th Gen Intel CPUs and an improved keyboard, does Apple tree accept a winning-plenty equation to topple Dell?

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This confront-off is based on results nosotros plant in our Dell XPS xiii 2020 review and our MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) review. Simply we should notation that Dell announced new Intel Tiger Lake 11th Gen CPU equipped laptops, while Apple'south got the expected Apple tree Silicon MacBook Pro laptop on deck as well.

Dell XPS xiii vs MacBook Pro: Specs

	Dell XPS 13	MacBook Pro (13-inch)
Starting toll	$1,029	$1299
Screen	13.4 inches (1920 x 1200 or 3840 x 2400), with touchscreen option	13.iii inches (2560 x 1600)
Battery life	12:39 (1080p) viii:14 (4K)	x:21
Processor	Intel 10th Gen Core 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 three USB-C ports, 1 microSD reader, USB-C to USB-A adapter included	ii to 4 Thunderbolt iii USB-C ports
Fingerprint Reader	Yes	Yes
Dimensions	11.6 10 7.8 ten 0.6 inches	12 x viii.four x 0.vi inches
Weight	2.6 (not-touch), 2.8 pounds (touchscreen)	three.ane pounds

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Price

Unsurprisingly, the XPS thirteen has the meliorate 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 eighth Gen Intel Core i5 processor, and the aforementioned amount of memory and storage.

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To get a MacBook Pro with an 10th Gen Intel CPU, you need to spend $one,799 for a model with a Cadre i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Dell's comparable model is well-nigh $525 less, at $ane,274 (and it's 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 panel) some models do come with a UHD (3840 x 2160) touch display, giving yous the touch screen that Apple tree seems to have no interest in.

Winner: XPS 13

Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Pattern

While Apple's been slimming down the MacBook Pro, it'due south however more or less got the aforementioned design that information technology's had for a while. The XPS 13, though, is hit habitation runs with its design, lapping Apple in a category information technology used to dominate. Both laptops characteristic aluminum chassis, while the XPS has a carbon fiber keyboard deck.

This is thanks to Dell's InfinityEdge display, which shaves off nearly all of the bezel for a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro'south bezels are notwithstanding visibly there, and chonky past comparison.

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In terms of hues, Apple simply gives you either space gray or traditional silver. The XPS 13, though, comes in an chill white interior pair for a super-clean look, merely traditionalists could opt for the silver-and-black model if yous desire something more subdued.

(Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

And past the numbers, the Dell XPS xiii (eleven.6 x 7.8 x 0.six inches, 2.6 to ii.eight pounds) both smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro (12 x 8.4 x 0.half dozen inches, 3.1 pounds).

Winner: Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Ports

The Dell XPS thirteen and MacBook Pro volition both send you looking for an adapter if you have anything with a USB-A port. Both primarily offer Thunderbolt iii USB-C ports, pushing users to adapt or evolve.

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While the XPS 13 also has a tertiary USB-C port, merely MacBook Pro shoppers who spend at least $ane,799 (more than twice as much equally the entry-level XPS 13) will upgrade to four Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Plus, the XPS 13 has a microSD reader for expanded storage, which the MacBook Air does non.

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Dell, nonetheless, includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter, which Apple makes you buy separately.

Winner: Dell XPS 13.

Dell XPS xiii vs MacBook Pro: Brandish

The MacBook Pro just has one screen: the gorgeous xiii-inch Retina Brandish screen, while the Dell XPS 13 lets you option betwixt a Total Hard disk screen for longer battery life and a 4K screen for gorgeous paradigm quality (they fifty-fifty offering touchscreens, which accept all the same to make information technology to a MacBook).

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The MacBook Pro likewise offers Apple's own True Tone brandish engineering science, which gives you the choice to accept the system automatically adjust the panel'south white balance based on ambient lighting. The Dell XPS 13 doesn't have such an option, just nobody's crying foul.

In our lab tests, key differences emerged. The MacBook Pro's screen (according to our Klein 1000-10a Colorimeter) gets brighter, maxing out at an boilerplate of 485 nits of brightness. That beats both the Dell XPS 13's 301-nit 4K screen and its 1080p console (417 nits) as well.

A closer battle was constitute in colour reproduction. The MacBook Pro's screen produces 114% of the sRGB colour gamut, which is near the 1080 XPS thirteen (114.8%) and above the 4K XPS thirteen (107.5%).

Winner: MacBook Pro

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Keyboard and trackpad

The nigh of import part of the 2020 MacBook Pro is that Apple ditched the flawed "butterfly" switch mechanisms, and went back to a traditional scissor-switch keyboard. Meanwhile, the XPS xiii has constitute other ways to improve for this twelvemonth'south model.

I blazon on the MacBook Pro on a regular basis, and find it to be blissfully simple to the bespeak where I still wonder why Apple tree tried to reinvent the keyboard in the start identify. Its keys have acceptable vertical travel then you're non bottoming out. and clicking its keys provides pleasant feedback.

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Keyboard reliability has never been an result for the XPS 13. Not only do its keys feel groovy to type on, but Dell has also applied a soft-touch keycap coating for better tactile feedback. The XPS 13 also features a textured and soft wrist, for comfy typing.

Oh, and since the XPS thirteen'southward keyboard is also edge-to-edge, it's able to make its keys larger, a big deal for people with larger hands.

Winner: XPS xiii

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Similarly, the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 13 both pack big trackpads that offer accurate input tracking. Apple's trackpad doesn't actually click, as the Force Touch pad simulates a click with haptic feedback. But nosotros establish both trackpads to be snappy and responsive in our testing.

Winner: Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Functioning

Both the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 we reviewed characteristic 10th Gen Intel CPUs, but there's a large difference between them. Apple's decision to put less-impressive Y-series Intel processors in the MacBook Air puts that laptop at a disadvantage, as the XPS 13 rocks faster U-series chips.

Our XPS 13 review unit packs a speedy Core i7-1065G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, which soundly (and predictably) trounces the Core i5-1030NG7 chip and 8GB of RAM in the MacBook Air 2020 we tested. We look forward to testing a Core i5 version of the XPS 13 to see how a more comparable model compares to the MacBook Air.

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The Geekbench 5 general performance benchmark gave the MacBook Pro 2020 (10th Gen Cadre i5, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD) a strong multi-cadre performance score of 4,399. The Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1065G7, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD) did even better, posting a score of 4,648. That's not actually a loss for the MacBook, though, considering the XPS 13'south Core i7 CPU is a notch higher.

The MacBook Pro took a articulate win in our Handbrake video editing examination, needing only 12 minutes and 43 seconds to convert 4K video to 1080p. The Dell XPS thirteen (fifteen:forty) needed a little under three more than minutes.

The Dell XPS thirteen took that win back on the PugetBench Photoshop benchmarks, which perform the aforementioned 21 tasks three times. The XPS 13 netted a 657, beating the MacBook Pro's 569.

Neither the MacBook Pro 2020 nor the XPS 13 (both armed with Intel Iris Plus graphics) proved to exist a gaming machine. The MacBook Pro only ran Civilization Vi at 18 frames per second, a second behind the XPS 13's 19 fps. Both rates roughshod below our 30 fps smoothness threshold.

Winner: Tie

Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Battery life

The XPS 13 can outlast the MacBook Pro; it simply depends on what screen you lot cull.

On our spider web surfing-based battery test (with the display gear up at 150 nits of brightness) the 1080p XPS 13 lasted 12 hours and 39 minutes, while the 4K XPS thirteen only posted a time of 8:xiv. This differential is explained past the elementary fact that college-resolution screens take more energy to power.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro falls right in the middle of those ii times, lasting ten hours and 21 minutes.

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Personally, this is function of why I prefer the MacBook Pro. It gives you more than 10 hours of bombardment life with a super-sharp screen, without making you choose 1 over the other.

Winner: Necktie

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Audio

When we tested these laptops' sound systems out, Apple showed serious sound chops with the MacBook Pro's speakers that "pump out and clear audio," co-ordinate to my colleague Mark Spoonauer, who too noted a "surprising amount of bass."

Tom'southward Guide editor-in-main Mike Andronico wasn't as happy when listening to 4 Year Strong's "Crazy Pills" on the Dell XPS thirteen. He noted that the song "sounded dingy and diddled out at max book."

Winner: MacBook Pro

Dell XPS thirteen vs MacBook Pro: Software

Odds are, y'all know if you prefer Windows 10 or macOS. Both are pretty good platforms, each with its own pros and cons.

Lately, Windows has been more known for the never-ending series of bugs that arrive through Windows Update, and not the diverse array of applications available to information technology. Windows is also the better platform for gaming, with access to a wider range of titles across storefronts such every bit Steam, Ballsy Games Store and Origin. But neither of these laptops are serious gaming machines, as I've explained above.

The incoming macOS Big Sur update is going to exist a role of a gigantic rethinking of the Mac. Information technology gives the Apple desktop OS a more iPhone-like look, with squared icons and the Command Center. It's simply one half of this fall's big modify to the Mac: Apple Silicon will enable better battery life and faster performance, likewise as emulation of iOS apps.

Winner: Necktie

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Verdict

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We appreciate how the new MacBook Pro resolves Apple tree'due south keyboard effect, but we really wish it came with tenth Gen Intel Processors standard, and didn't make yous pay upwards to get them. And while it goes toe to toe with the Dell XPS thirteen on bombardment life and functioning, its superior screen isn't enough for this duel.

	MacBook Pro	Dell XPS xiii
Design (ten points)	viii	10
Ports (5 points)	4	five
Display (fifteen points)	xv	12
Keyboard and trackpad(xv points)	13	15
Functioning (10 points)	9	ix
Battery life (15 points)	13	13
Sound (5 points)	5	4
Software (v points)	iv	four
Value and price (20 points)	17	twenty
Overall (100 points)	91	92

On the other side of the table, the Dell XPS 13 stands strong, like a mountain king of beasts watching out for challengers to its throne. Its screen to torso ratio is impressive, its bombardment life (with its 1080p screen) is phenomenal and it'south available at much more affordable prices.

How will the tail of 2020, and 2021, shape up this battle? The XPS 13 looks to gain a operation bound off new Intel Tiger Lake 11th Gen processors, while Apple'due south ready to strike out on its ain without Intel, and see how high Apple Silicon fries can take the MacBook Pro.

Simply if you're looking for the best laptop to buy correct at present, the latest Dell XPS 13 takes the win here.

Henry is a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple tree, reviewing devices and services for the by seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Mag. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/dell-xps-13-vs-macbook-pro-which-laptop-is-best

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