Apple MacBook Air 2013 vs Dell XPS 13: Spec showdown

By Drew Prindle June 10, 2013

MacBook Air vs Dell XPX 13

This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple kicked off this year’s WWDC conference with a slew of new announcements, and among them was the new and improved fleet of MacBook Airs. This year’s 13-inch model boasts a handful of improvements over last year’s, but it isn’t exactly enough to make Apple king of the Ultrabook market. To help you get a sense of how the new Macbook Air stacks up against the competition, we’ve put it up against Dell’s XPS 13 Ultrabook in this detailed spec comparison.

	Dell XPS 13	13-inch Macbook Air 2013
Dimensions	12.4” x 8.1” x 0.71”	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”
Weight	2.99 pounds	2.96 pounds
Chassis	Carbon fiber	Aluminum
Keyboard	Backlit	Backlit w/ ambient light sensor
Processor	2.6 GHz Core i5-3337U	1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Haswell)
RAM	8GB	4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3
Graphics	HD Graphcis 4000	Intel D Graphics 5000
Screen Size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution	1920 x 1080	1440 by 900
Storage	256GB SSD	256GB SSD
Networking	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0	Wi-Fi (including 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0
Ports	HDMI, Mini Display port, 2 USB 3.0, SDXC card reader	USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, SDXC card reader
Webcam	1.3 MP webcam	720p HD webcam
Operating System	Windows 8	Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Battery Life	8 hours	12 hours
Price	$1,400	$1,300

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As you can see, the new Macbook is a bit slimmer and lighter than the XPS, but also doesn’t come with nearly the screen resolution, storage space, or RAM that Dell boasts. Still, it’s worth noting that Apple’s machine boasts superior battery life, and comes equipped with the latest 802.11ac wireless networking standard, meaning it’ll be capable of faster throughput and data transfer rates – if you’ve got an AC router.

As for the pricetag, Apple is a bit easier on your wallet than Dell, but depending on how much you value your pixels and storage space, the XPS 13 might be worth the extra $100.

Which laptop would you choose, and why?

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

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If you worry about misplacing items, you need Apple AirTags. With a simple one-tap setup, your iPhone or iPad is instantly connected to an AirTag so that you can always use find items via the Find My app. That could be your car keys, your bag, or anything else that you can fit or slip an AirTag into. If you misplace something, you can simply put the AirTag into Lost Mode to be notified when it's detected in the Find My network helping you pin it down. You can also play a sound through the built-in speaker if you know it's nearby but you're not sure if it's worth moving the couch to find it.

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The Dell XPS 13, open on a table in front of a window.

There are a lot of reasons why Dell XPS deals are always in high demand, and most of them can be found in the Dell XPS 13. The laptop, originally priced at $949, is on sale from Dell with a $100 discount that pulls its price down to $849 ahead of the new school year. Students of all levels will benefit from having this device as their companion, but if you want to enjoy the savings, you're going to have to complete the purchase as soon as possible because stocks are in danger of running out quickly in this clearance sale.

Why you should buy the Dell XPS 13 laptop
The Dell XPS 13 is our top choice among the best laptops because of the value that you'll get from it. It's pretty affordable, considering it's equipped with the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, plus 16GB of RAM that's the same as top-tier machines, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. It's not the most powerful machine in the market, but it's more than enough to make sure that schoolwork is finished quickly and efficiently by allowing seamless multitasking and properly running the different kinds of apps needed by students.