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If you’re looking for a 13-inch or 14-inch laptop and want something truly premium, Dell’s XPS 13 Plus and Apple’s MacBook Pro 14 might be on your list. Perhaps the MacBook is in a separate class as a powerful creator’s machine, as opposed to the XPS 13 Plus, which is aimed at demanding productivity workers.
Still, the MacBook Pro 14 has elements that make it a stronger competitor to the XPS 13 Plus than the cheaper MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Air M2. So it’s important to evaluate the two to see if it’s worth the extra bucks for the more expensive MacBook.
specification
Dell XPS 13 Plus | Apple MacBook Pro 14 | |
size | 11.63″ x 7.84″ x 0.60″ | 12.31″ x 8.71″ x 0.61″ |
weight | 2.71 pounds | 3.5 pounds |
processor | Intel Core i5-1240P Intel Core i7-1260P Intel Core i7-1280P |
Apple M1 Pro Apple M1 Max |
graphic | Intel Iris Xe Graphics | integration |
sheep | 8GB 16 GB 32GB |
16 GB 32GB 64GB |
screen | 13.4 inch 16:10 IPS Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) non-touch 13.4 inch 16:10 IPS Full HD+ touch 13.4 inch 16:10 OLED 3.5K (3456 x 2160) touch 13.4 inch 16:10 IPS UHD+ (3840 x 2400) touch |
14.2″ 16:10 Liquid Retina XDR 3024×1964 |
depository | 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2GB SSD |
512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD 4TB SSD 8TB SSD |
touch | option | No |
port | Two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 | USB-C x 3, Thunderbolt 4 compatible 1 x HDMI2.0 1 x 3.5mm audio jack SD card reader |
wireless | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 |
webcam | 720p, Windows Hello IR webcam | 1080p |
operating system | Windows 11 Home or Pro | MacOS Monterey |
battery | 55 watt hours | 70 watt hours |
price | $1,299+ | $1,999+ |
evaluation | 4 out of 5 stars | 5 out of 5 stars |
Pricing and configuration
Both are high-end laptops, but the MacBook Pro 14 is much more expensive on the high end. Pricing starts at $1,999 for an 8-core CPU/14-core GPU M1 Pro processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. Fully loaded with a 10-core CPU/32-core M1 Max CPU, 64 GB of RAM, and an 8 TB SSD, it’s a whopping $5,899.
The XPS 13 Plus starts at $1,299 with a Core i5-1240P CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a Full HD+ non-touch IPS display. Its most expensive configuration is $2,399 for a Core i7-1280P, 32 GB of RAM, 2 TB SSD, and a 3.5K OLED or UHD+ IPS panel.
The top-of-the-line MacBook Pro 14 is aimed directly at the most demanding creative professionals. However, the MacBook costs $2,199 for the M1 Pro, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, and the XPS 13 Plus is a Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, and a 3.5K OLED display. These configurations are perfect for users with the most demanding productivity workflows and are where these two laptops compete directly.
design
The XPS 13 Plus is a very well designed laptop. The aluminum lid and chassis are sturdy, the hinge opens smoothly with one hand, and the fit and finish are exquisite. The MacBook Pro 14 meets the same standards and exceeds them at the same time. It’s a larger laptop with a 14.2-inch display versus 13.4-inch, and the XPS 13 Plus is even smaller thanks to smaller display bezels. It’s the same, which gives the MacBook a sense of density that exudes quality. Its hinges are even sleeker than Dell’s superior version.
To draw this distinction, we drill down into some details. I’ll have to deal with both laptops myself to see if the MacBook Pro 14 offers a significantly better build than his XPS 13 Plus. The glass palm rest with hidden touchpad on the XPS 13 Plus is more futuristic, but you’ll feel you get your money’s worth on both machines. Hands-on time is a real boon to choose between them when it comes to design and build quality.
MacBooks have a notch at the top of the display that some people find annoying and it’s there to accommodate a 1080p webcam. The XPS 13 Plus is limited to a 720p camera due to its extremely thin bezels. So the MacBook makes a better video conferencing tool, especially given the software that does a great job of optimizing video quality. Dell includes an infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello passwordless login with facial recognition and a fingerprint reader on the power button, while the MacBook uses the Touch ID power button.
The XPS 13 Plus has changed the traditional XPS 13 keyboard and mouse. Dell has switched to an edge-to-edge keyboard with larger keycaps and virtually no space between keys. The switches are shallow, but snappy and precise, with a confident bottoming action. Dell implemented a series of LED touch-function buttons, which is fine, but he’s not really better than the MacBook’s physical keys. The MacBook Pro 14 uses Apple’s Magic Keyboard. This is a more traditional design and also on the shallow side. But it has the best switches on a laptop keyboard and provides a consistently accurate feel across reasonably sized keys. I’m here.
Dell also implemented a haptic touchpad on the XPS 13 Plus and it works well. But Apple’s Force Touch touchpad remains the standard and is more responsive and realistic. The XPS 13 Plus has the advantage of an optional touch display that the MacBook Pro 14 lacks.
Finally, connectivity favors the MacBook. There’s one extra Thunderbolt 4 port, and it adds an HDMI port, a full-size SD card reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a MagSafe 3 plug that allows you to use both Thunderbolt 4 ports while charging. The XPS 13 Plus doesn’t even have an audio jack. Dell ships a dongle, but it’s a hassle. However, Dell’s wireless connectivity is modern with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 compared to the MacBook’s older standards of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
performance
When configured with an 8-core CPU/14-core GPU M1 Pro, the MacBook Pro 14 is faster than the XPS 13 Plus with a 14-core/20-thread Core i7-1280P. But the difference in CPU-intensive benchmarks isn’t big enough to put the MacBook in a completely different class. Where it shines, however, is in GPU-bound creative apps, and Apple’s optimizations should make the M1 Pro faster than Windows laptops with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics.
However, in this comparison, we’re looking specifically at how well each laptop meets demanding productivity needs. , is fast enough. Note that the MacBook Pro 14 stays quiet and cool, while the Dell runs even hotter and louder when fully plugged in. And with the faster M1 Pro and M1 Max available, the MacBook has plenty of headroom.
Dell XPS 13 Plus (Core i7-1280P) |
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M1 Pro 8/14) |
|
geek bench 5 (Single/Multi) |
Bal: 1,316 / 8,207 Performance: N/A |
Bal: 1,728 / 9,955 Performance: N/A |
handbrake (seconds) |
Bal: 170 Performance: 94 |
Bal: 123 Performance: N/A |
Cinebench R23 (Single/Multi) |
Bal: 1,311/ 6,308 Performance: 1,650 / 7,530 |
Bal: 1,531 / 9,519 Performance: N/A |
screen
We reviewed the XPS 13 Plus with its 13.4-inch 16:10 3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED touch panel. It offers plenty of brightness, very wide and accurate colors, and incredibly deep contrast with inky blacks. Slightly sharper than the 16:10 mini LED on the 14.2-inch, 3024 x 1964 MacBook Pro 14. The MacBook’s panel is significantly brighter and enjoys equally deep contrast, but the colors aren’t as wide and accurate as the Dell.
What’s great about the MacBook Pro 14 (no pun intended) is how well it plays high dynamic range (HDR) video, which Apple calls extended dynamic range (XDR). The XPS 13 Plus also has great HDR, but Apple’s implementation is brighter and more dynamic in comparison.
These are two great displays for productivity, creativity, and media consumption. Dell nods by offering alternatives to Full HD+ and UHD+ IPS panels.
portability
The XPS 13 Plus is a small laptop. Smaller and lighter than the MacBook Pro 14. However, both are reasonably portable and can be slipped into a backpack without issue. If you want the smallest laptop you can find, the XPS 13 Plus wins out, but Apple’s laptops are plenty small.
At the same time, the MacBook Pro 14 is built around Apple’s ARM processor, which is not only powerful but also incredibly efficient. The MacBook’s larger 70 watt-hour battery is larger than Dell’s (55 watt-hour), with a CPU that can draw power when it’s not running at full speed. That’s a lot more battery life, promising multi-day battery life that the XPS 13 Plus would need to use the charger for a day.
MacBook Pro 14 has more headroom
If you’re looking for a productivity laptop, the Dell XPS 13 Plus or Apple MacBook Pro 14 are a good choice. Both are fast enough for demanding workflows, have solid build quality and excellent displays, and the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use.
However, the MacBook Pro 14 is faster and has significantly better battery life. You can spend about the same amount on both laptops, but the MacBook has higher limits. All in all, it’s a great laptop overall for those not looking for the tiniest machine.
Editor’s pick
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