Running limited-time flash sales seems to be Dell‘s favorite thing right now and as if on cue it’s back with another one this week. A new selection of laptop deals is up for grabs until Thursday, including savings of up to $400 on its popular Inspiron and XPS devices. Jump through to browse the full sale for yourself or scroll down for my top four picks.
Leading the way for me is this Dell Inspiron 15 for $449.99 (was $649.99). The $200 savings is strong, making this powerful all-around laptop great value for money. It boasts an Intel i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a large 512GB SSD to ensure fast load times, boot times and excellent overall performance for everyday computing needs.
If you want a cheaper model, you can get this basic Dell Inspiron 15 for $279.99 (was $449.99) instead. This one includes more entry-level components such as an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM. But that can still handle light tasks and general work, including web browsing, word processing, sending emails, and making video calls.
Meanwhile, if you want a real performance powerhouse, this Dell XPS 13 is $949 (was $1,409). Like many previous XPS models, it’s a powerful, portable, and stylish machine with an impressive battery life, making it one of the best laptops you can buy. It’s best suited to demanding work such as coding and creative tasks like video and photo editing thanks to top-end components like the Intel i7 processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD.
Dell Flash Sale – the 4 best laptop deals
The Dell flash sale only runs through April 12 so you haven’t got long to pick up these best laptop deals. Before you hit that buy button, though, you should check out all the latest Dell coupon codes to save even more money at the manufacturer’s store.
A medical school student’s charming dual-display setup adds an M3 MacBook Pro as a third display by keeping it open on a stand. And the three displays form a pleasingly staggered formation, with one in portrait on the left, one in landscape at center and then the laptop’s screen.
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M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup uses the laptop as a third display
Redditor and medical student felluimeinmeer (“Lu”) showcased the charming setup in a post entitled, “New setup.” Its subhed reads, “What is missing?”
“To give you the best tips, though, we need to know what you’re using it for,” a commenter pointed out. “Editing, coding, streaming? It helps to suggest stuff that actually fits your needs — like, no point in a webcam if you’re not video calling, right? Let us know your workflow, and we can go from there!”
“It basically just for med school,” Lu replied. “Having multiple sources open without interruption is the goal of this setup: Safari, Digital Book Word/Notion and a video. No need for a webcam I only have like two meetings in one semester.”
Space black M3 Pro MacBook Pro
Lu uses a space black M3 Pro MacBook Pro to drive two 27-inch Dell 4K displays, one in portrait orientation (vertical) and the other in landscape (horizontal). The MacBook sits open on an Amazon Basics stand. A nice BenQ Screenbar Halo LED Monitor Light sits on the center display.
The laptop may look exactly the same as the base M3 MacBook Pro, but it features a big step up in the chip department. And you can’t get the base model in space black, by the way. But the bigger difference is in computing power, with the M3 Pro, which gives you 50% more bandwidth with its greater number of CPU and GPU cores, not to mention more unified memory. And the base M3 only supports one external display.
Lu rounds out his setup with a full-sized Magic Keyboard with number pad and Touch ID, a Logitech MX Master 3S for Mac mouse and a pair of KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers.
So what’s missing?
And given the subheading on his post, did commenters tell him what’s missing? You bet they did.
Commenter recommendations for the M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup:
“I would recommend the LG DualUp Monitor. It’s excellent for multitasking, allowing you to keep multiple sources open within your direct line of sight.”
“KEF stands would be a nice addition.”
“Get rid of the spotlights.” (Lu’s reply: “They are for my eye health, without them at night it’s quite eye-straining with the huge contrast between monitor and wall.” Separate reply to the reply: “Turn down the brightness on the monitor then?”)
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Displays and lightbar:
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There are a frankly ridiculous number of Chromebooks on sale to choose from, but Google’s Chromebook Plus initiative that launched last fall has gone a long way towards standardizing some key specs for ChromeOS devices. That in turn has made it a little easier to pick ones that’ll provide a consistent quality experience without breaking the bank. Acer’s latest Chromebook Plus 514, which the company just announced today, is a good example — at first glance, it looks like it checks most of the boxes I’m looking for when recommending a basic Chromebook that’ll work for most people.
To make things confusing, Acer already sells a few Chromebook Plus 514 models; this one is the CB514-4HT and is priced at $399. Look for that SKU if you want to make sure you’re getting the latest one. This laptop is powered by Intel’s 13th-gen Core i3-N305 processor and pairs that with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage — that latter spec is a bit of surprise and is a lot more storage than I’d expect to see on a $400 Chromebook. To meet the required Chromebook Plus specs, this laptop includes a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter. While the resolution is pretty solid, not all webcams are equal so we’ll have to see how this one performs in real life.
Acer
The display is a 14-inch, 1080p touchscreen, so it’s not quite as tall as the 1,920 x 1,200 screens that I’ve seen on a number of other Chromebook Plus laptops. But again, at the price I’m not going to complain too much. It has a decent selection of ports, too: two USB-C and USB-A slots along with a microSD card reader. I wouldn’t have minded seeing HDMI here, as the USB-C ports could quickly be taken up by power and a monitor, but I just keep reminding myself this computer is only 400 bucks.
Acer says that this laptop will hit stores in early May, though the specific SKU we’re talking about here should also be at Costco as early as next week. The company also says it’ll have some other configurations available in the near future, though they didn’t say what’ll change. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a model with less storage or perhaps no touchscreen, which could drive the price down even more. If so, this might be a great budget option. But even as is, you should get a pretty good laptop here for the price.
It’s been a long time since I’ve used a laptop with a screen larger than 13 or 14 inches for any length of time. It’s so refreshing to have the room to spread my apps out … even if the machine no longer fits in my backpack. Maybe being able to fit your bag under the seat in front of you is overrated.
Compared to the cavalcade of 13- and 14-inch laptops that cross my desk, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra, with its 16-inch touchscreen (2,880 x 1,800 pixels), is a behemoth. Weighing in at 3.9 pounds (but only 19 mm thick), it has a heft that’s backed up by its top-shelf specs, which include 32 GB of RAM, a 1-terabyte SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card. The centerpiece is the new Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, the current top-of-the-line processor in Intel’s Core Ultra CPU lineup.
Photograph: Samsung
As benchmarks go, the Galaxy Book4 ran rings around all the other Core Ultra laptops I’ve tested in the last few weeks since the new chips launched, though none of those had an Ultra 9 or a discrete graphics processor. On some CPU-based tests, the system doubled up on the performance of the Lenovo X1 Carbon, and on graphics-based tests, I was regularly able to get three to five times the frame rates I saw on machines that used the Core Ultra integrated graphics processor. The Book4 is certainly credible for use as a gaming rig if desired. Plus with 12 hours and 43 minutes of battery life, as tested via my full-screen YouTube rundown test, you need not fret about being away from an outlet all day.
The larger chassis gives Samsung room to squeeze a numeric keypad into the picture, though I longed for full-size arrow keys when working with the device. The responsive keyboard is paired with one of the largest touchpads I’ve ever seen on a laptop. At 6 x 4 inches, it’s considerably bigger than a standard passport—arguably too big, as there’s barely room on the left side of the touchpad for your palms to rest. I generally disliked working with this touchpad, as I found it both missed clicks and inadvertently registered unintended taps much too often.
HP has launched a new ultra-portable laptop in Japan, and the sleek and powerful EliteBook 635 Aero G11 is already being hailed as a potential competitor to Dell‘s XPS 13, thanks to impressive specs and a lightweight design.
The Windows 11 Pro laptop is powered by either an AMD Ryzen 5 8640U or Ryzen 7 8840U processor and comes with 16GB of onboard LPDDR5 memory and a 512GB M.2 SSD. It features a 13.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) LCD display with a maximum brightness of 400 cd/m².
The EliteBook 635 Aero G11 includes a 5MP webcam (with a sliding privacy cover), an IR camera compatible with Windows Hello, Poly Studio audio, and a backlit keyboard. With a magnesium casing the laptop is impressively lightweight at just 1kg, making it perfect for users on the go.
Japan only
Aimed at business users, the EliteBook 635 Aero G11 has a variety of ports including USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, a combo stereo headphone/mic jack, two USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports with USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities, HDMI 2.1, and another USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port. Connectivity is provided in the form of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
It looks great, but there is a huge catch – the EliteBook 635 Aero G11 is currently only available in Japan, with no plans for a global launch. It’s possible that HP may be testing the waters with a limited release there first and will bring it to other territories in due course, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see.
In Japan, the EliteBook 635 Aero G11 will be released on April 26, priced from 274,780 yen ($1796.79).
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It was expected that Intel‘s LGA1851 socket would house the tech giant’s next-gen Arrow Lake chips, but for now it seems the company might have another use for it.
At the recent Embedded World conference, Intel unveiled its Meteor Lake-PS architecture for edge systems, the first Core Ultra processor on an LGA socket.
The new SoC design, which integrates the Intel Arc GPU and a neural processing unit, is aimed at enabling generative AI and handling demanding graphics workloads for sectors such as retail, education, smart cities, and industry.
Ultra low TDP
Intel says its Core Ultra processors offer up to 5.02x superior image classification inference performance compared to the 14th Gen Core desktop processors. Applications for the PS series include GenAI-enabled kiosks and smart point-of-sale systems in physical retail stores, interactive whiteboards for advanced classroom experiences, and AI vision-enhanced industrial devices for manufacturing and roadside units.
The new chips are designed with low-power, always-on usage scenarios in mind. This is evident from the fact that none of these chips have a Thermal Design Power higher than 65W. There’s even a low-power version with a 15W rating (12-28 configurable TDP).
Intel says “Moving away from the conventional setup where Intel Core desktop processors are combined with discrete GPUs, the PS series of Intel Core Ultra processors introduce an innovative integration of GPU and AI Boost functionalities directly within the processors, alongside the flexible LGA socket configuration. Offering four times the number of graphics execution units (EUs) compared to their predecessors in the S or desktop series, these processors deliver a powerful alternative for handling AI and graphics-heavy tasks. This design not only negates the necessity for an additional discrete GPU, thereby lowering costs and simplifying the overall design process, it also positions these processors as the go-to solution for those prioritizing efficiency alongside enhanced performance.”
The desktop LGA1851 socket can support 5600MHz DDR5 memory, two PCIe Gen4 SSDs, and four Thunderbolt 4 devices. There is a notable absence of chipset support for Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, and PCIe Gen5, however.
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The new desktop Intel Meteor Lake chips are not expected to be available until the fourth quarter of 2024. This timeline also coincides with the expected launch of Arrow Lake desktop CPUs, according to the latest industry rumors.
If you’re looking for a slick gaming laptop, one of the best options on the market right now has to be the latest Asus Zephyrus G14. This superb machine has just received a new iteration for 2024 – and we’ve just spotted its first-ever price cut.
Best Buy currently has the mid-range RTX 4060 configuration for just $1,449 (was $1,599), which is a superb price considering this is a shiny new gaming laptop. Alongside a powerful GPU, this config includes a Ryzen 9 8945HS chipset, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is plenty of power for all but the most intensive of applications.
We haven’t reviewed the latest Asus G14 yet here at TechRadar but our sister-site PCGamer gave this model a glowing score, praising its new all-metal chassis and 120HZ OLED display. The latest model is a more premium machine versus its predecessor, directly competing with the likes of the Razer Blade 14. It does, however, feature slightly weaker gaming performance due to the graphics card receiving less power draw – a change that’s proven divisive in some circles.
If you want the best possible value, another option could be to wait for the older 2023 model to go on sale again at Best Buy. Currently, it’s sitting at $1,599 at the retailer, but we’ve seen it go for as little as $999. Bang for your buck, this one is a great option – although you miss out on the OLED display and premium redesign.
Who doesn’t love a good MacBook? Or maybe two MacBooks, like in today’s setup. The guy has his own M2 MacBook Air, a formidable machine. But he’s lucky enough to add to it an absolutely screaming M3 Max MacBook Pro courtesy of his employer. Nice perk, that.
He can also thank work for his second 4K display. But it doesn’t top his own.
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So now he runs two powerful Apple laptops. His personal one is a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air with 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. And his work provided him with a 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with a whopping 95GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.
He uses the two slick laptops with two slick displays. First, his own is a big 40-inch Dell UltraSharp U4025QW curved 4K display he got after trying two other configurations. And second, his work provided him with a 27-inch LG UltraFine 4K monitor.
Then he rounds out his setup with a Logitech C920 webcam, a Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keyboard, a Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, a Blue Yeti USB microphone and an Elgato Stream Deck.
Powerful M3 Max MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air laptops
Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind if work handed me a nice laptop like an M3 Max MacBook Pro packed with memory and a nice 4K display. Not that Chris’ personal M2 MacBook Air is much of a slouch, but his work laptop must be blazing fast.
And with that much memory, it’s future-proofed for a good while. You can actually pack one with 128GB or memory to max it out.
A 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro hails from late 2023. Its M3 Max chip carries a 14-core CPU and a 30-core GPU. Loaded with 96GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD for storage, Chris’ model goes for a little over $4,100. It comes with 6.56-foot USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable and a USB-C power adapter.
M3 Max MacBook Pro features:
M3 Max chip with up to 16-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU
Up to 128GB of unified memory
Up to 8TB of super-fast SSD storage
16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with Extreme Dynamic Range, 1000 nits of sustained brightness (HDR content) and up to 600 nits of brightness for (SDR content)
Up to 22 hours of battery life
And if you like the desktop wallpaper showing on the big display, you can find it here.
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This version of Apple’s professional laptop comes with a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display and an M3 Max Chip with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, plus 96GB of unified memory and 1TB SSD storage.
ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus G14 has been one of our favorite for damn near half a decade. But the 2024 model is on another level. That’s because even without a fresh generation of GPUs from NVIDIA, ASUS went and redesigned the entire thing anyway. And the result is a notebook with a gorgeous aluminum unibody chassis with a more mature design that doesn’t need to throw RGB lighting in your face to get some attention. This edition is also sleeker and lighter while still providing powerful performance. Though ASUS made a few trade-offs when compared to its predecessor, with a starting price of $1,600, the new ROG Zephyrus G14 is not only a better value than almost all of its 14-inch rivals, it’s also simply one of the best pound-for-pound gaming laptops around.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
For anyone who wants strong performance in a portable design, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is both pound for pound and dollar for dollar the best choice around.
Compared to previous models that were awash in RGB or had dot-matrix displays built into their lids, this year’s G14 is an exercise in restraint. It’s almost like the line has grown out of its awkward teenage phase and become a stylish but still fun-loving adult. The lid is accented by a simple diagonal slash with white (not RGB) LEDs embedded down the middle. Meanwhile, on the inside, there’s a sturdy deck with a large touchpad and surprisingly powerful speakers.
The one thing I miss is per-key RGB lighting instead of ASUS’ single-zone approach. After all, this is a gaming laptop and if you’re going to offer multiple colors, it’d be nice to have full customizability.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
That said, the G14’s redesign isn’t just about style, it’s functional too. The switch to a unibody aluminum frame has strengthened the whole machine. There’s barely a hint of flex even on typically weaker parts like the lattice between keys. But more importantly, ASUS also reduced the laptop’s weight to just 3.3 pounds, which is noticeably lighter than rival notebooks with similar metal builds like the (3.95 pounds). Plus, even with the smaller size, the G14 features a healthy selection of ports including a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack, two USB-C (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), two USB-A and a microSD card reader.
Display
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Another glowing component of the G14 is its OLED screen. In addition to producing vibrant colors, it has a sharp 2,880 x 1,800 resolution along with a 120Hz refresh rate and a color gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. Recently, I’ve been watching Three Body Problem and I’ve been absolutely loving the OLED panel’s excellent contrast and deep blacks. Furthermore, because ASUS includes a handful of color-calibrated settings for sRGB, D65 P3, DCI-P3 (but not Adobe RGB), the G14 is a very capable photo- and video-editing machine.
The one small issue is that because 2,880 x 1,800 is a somewhat uncommon resolution, you may not be able to play all of your games at their native resolution, which is an issue I encountered when playing Returnal.
Performance
A big change for the 2024 ROG G14 is that GPU options now top out with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 instead of a 4080 like on the previous model. That may be a bummer for some, but as I prefer laptops that are easier to carry around, I’m OK with trading out a little top-end oomph for enhanced portability. And with all models featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip along with at least 16GB of RAM (or 32GB like on my review unit) and 1TB of storage, you won’t be lacking in speed.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
On Geekbench 6, the G14 matched the performance we saw from a larger XPS 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. In games, it hit 90 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on ultra settings, which is just shy of a much more expensive Razer Blade 14 (101 fps). That said, there are some important details you should know. Unlike previous models, the latest G14’s memory is soldered to the motherboard, so there’s no way to add extra RAM later. Additionally, while both ASUS and Razer’s 14-inch systems appear to have the same RTX 4070 GPU, the G14’s is capped at 90 watts versus 140 watts for the Blade, which explains the small gap in gaming performance.
It’s also worth noting that heat can be an issue in certain situations. In normal use, it’s not a big deal as the fans rarely need to spin up when browsing the web or watching movies. But under load, because the G14’s vents are on the bottom of the notebook, your lap can get toasty fast. Thankfully, this won’t be a major problem if you’re gaming, since you’ll probably want to be at a desk or table to put an external mouse on anyway.
Battery life
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the G14 doesn’t last quite as long as a traditional ultrabook, it still carries enough juice to last nearly an entire workday. On PCMark 10’s Modern Office rundown test, it lasted 7 hours and 29 minutes which is slightly better than the Razer Blade 14’s time of 6:46. And, new for 2024, ASUS has added its proprietary Slim Power Jack, which sort of looks like a USB-C port if you squint (but it isn’t). However, if you want to really travel light, the G14 supports charging via USB-C so you can leave the adapter at home. The one caveat is that USB-PD on this maxes out at 100 watts (versus 180 watts when using the included brick), so the battery may still discharge while gaming or performing other intensive tasks.
Wrap-up
Even though we already loved its predecessors, the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 has managed to take another big leap. It’s got an exquisitely crafted chassis along with a vibrant new display and boomier speakers – all while shedding nearly half a pound in weight. On the inside, you still get up to an RTX 4070 GPU. Sure, it’s a touch slower than a similarly equipped Blade 14, but considering our review unit costs $2,000 compared to $2,700 for the closest equivalently specced Razer, I’m happy to trade a tiny bit of performance to get a much more affordable machine. And that’s before you factor in a starting price of just for one with an RTX 4060. My biggest gripe is that ASUS’ Amoury Crate app still feels clunky, thanks to settings that are hard to find or toggles that don’t work like you’d expect. But make no mistake, the G14 is a great laptop – for both gamers and content creators – who want good performance in a portable package. So while I appreciate what the Blade 14 and other high-end notebooks can do, ASUS’ latest creation is the one I’d buy.
If you are in the market for a slim laptop, there are few options better than the 15-inch MacBook Air. But if you look beyond Apple’s ecosystem, there’s the Dell XPS 15. It packs a slim and lightweight design and offers more value for money than the MacBook. So, which 15-inch laptop wins the MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 15 smackdown?
Find out in this buying guide, which compares the two laptops on their designs, displays, performance, ports, battery lives and prices.
15-inch MacBook Air vs Dell XPS 15 comparison
The 15-inch MacBook Air is the world’s slimmest 15-inch laptop. Ticking inside is Apple’s M3 chip, which ensures the device has enough power for all your office and college work. But the Air has a formidable competitor in the Dell XPS 15. Packing Intel’s 13th-gen CPU, plenty of RAM and storage, plus a plethora of customization options, the XPS 15 is among the best Windows laptops around.
So, if you are in the market for a new 15-inch laptop for between $1,200 and $1,500, which one should you buy — the 15-inch MacBook Air or the Dell XPS 15? Find out in this comparison.
Table of contents: 15-inch MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 15
Design
The Dell XPS 15 looks stunning with its carbon fiber interior. Photo: Dell
15-inch MacBookAir: 13.40 inches x 9.35 inches x 0.45 inches; 3.33 pounds; six-speaker system
Dell XPS 15: 13.57 inches x 9.06 inches x 0.71 inches; starts at 4.1 pounds; four-speaker 8W system
Both Dell and Apple use anodized aluminum shells for their laptops. The machines adhere to the iconic design guidelines of their companies. Whether you prefer the MacBook Air esthetic or the Dell XPS look will come down to your taste.
You cannot either get the Dell or MacBook in catchy colors, but Apple wins on this front. The XPS 15 is only available in platinum silver with a black carbon fiber palm rest. In comparison, Apple offers four color options for the MacBook Air: silver, space gray, starlight and midnight. (If you want a stealthy look for your laptop, pick the midnight shade.)
Both the XPS 15 and MacBook Air are thin and light laptops, making them easy to carry. But the Air has the distinction of being the world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop. It weighs about a half-pound less and is slightly more compact than the Dell XPS 15.
Even more impressive is that, despite its sleeker design, the Air comes with a brilliant six-speaker sound system. It can easily fill a room while impressing you with its audio quality. On the XPS 15, you get a quad-speaker setup consisting of two stereo woofers and two tweeters for a total peak output of 8W. Its sound quality is nowhere close to what the Air delivers.
Similarly, Apple uses a three-mic array for studio-quality audio capture on the Air. In comparison, Dell’s laptop only comes with one built-in microphone.
A significant problem with the XPS 15’s design is the lack of a lip on its lid. So, you cannot open the laptop with only one hand, an area where the MacBook excels.
Overall, while both the XPS 15 and the 15-inch MacBook Air sport a premium and sleek design, the Air stands out in a few areas that give it an edge.
Display
15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip ships with a beautiful 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display. Photo: Apple
15-inch MacBookAir: 15.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS; 2,880-by-1,864 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch; 500 nits brightness; 1080p FaceTime camera
Apple uses a 15.3-inch LED-backlit IPS display on the MacBook Air with a 2.5K resolution and support for wide color gamut. On the XPS 15, you get a 15.6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel with a peak brightness of 500 nits.
While both laptops pack great screens, the MacBook Air’s superior panel delivers better color accuracy and higher resolution.
The Air’s display has a notch at the top, which houses a 1080p FaceTime camera. On the XPS 15, Dell uses a 720p webcam whose quality is nowhere near as good as the MacBook’s.
Dell allows you to configure the XPS 15 with a 3.5K touchscreen OLED display, but it add $100 and negatively impact battery life.
Performance, specs and customization options
Apple’s M3 chip makes the MacBook Air a performance monster. Photo: Apple
15-inch MacBookAir: Apple M3 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB unified memory, 256GB SSD
On paper, the entry-level Dell XPS 15 provides more value for money than the 15-inch MacBook Air. It ships with twice the amount of RAM (16GB versus the Air’s 8GB) and storage (512GB versus 256GB).
Even better, Dell offers more customization options. You can configure the machine with a more powerful CPU, a faster Intel or Nvidia GPU, up to 64GB RAM and a whopping 8TB storage. There’s also an option to upgrade the 15.6-inch FHD+ display to a 3.5K touchscreen OLED panel with anti-reflective properties. All these upgrades will cost you, but it’s nice to have the option.
With the 15-inch MacBook Air, you are limited to bumping the system memory to a maximum of 24GB and storage to 2TB. You cannot switch to a faster M3 SoC variant or upgrade the display panel.
Ports
15-inch MacBookAir: Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Dell XPS 15: Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort, headphone jack, SD card slot, wedge-shaped lock slot, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
The Dell XPS 15 packs a lot more ports than the 15-inch MacBook Air. You get three USB-C ports, including two with Thunderbolt support for connecting your high-bandwidth accessories. You even get a dedicated SD card slot.
In comparison, the MacBook Air’s selection of two Thunderbolt 4 and one MagSafe connector is downright insufficient. You can get away without carrying a USB-C hub with the Dell, but with the Air, it’s a must-have accessory. (Here’s our list of the best USB-C hubs for Mac.)
Battery life
The Dell XPS also offers all-day battery life. Photo: Dell
15-inch MacBookAir: 52.6Wh battery, up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, up to 18 hours of movie streaming through the Apple TV app
Dell XPS 15: 90Wh battery, up to 18 hours of movie streaming on Netflix
The XPS 15 ships with a bigger battery, and Dell claims an impressive 18-hour runtime for its laptop. However, the XPS 15’s battery life takes a considerable hit when under load. With moderate use, you won’t need to charge this Dell laptop in the middle of a working day. But if plan to push the processor, make sure to carry the 100W charger around with you.
Apple claims a similar 18-hour runtime for the MacBook Air. Thanks to the efficient M3 chip, the laptop can last much longer than the XPS 15 under heavy load. Irrespective of how hard you drive the Air, it will easily make it through the day.
One thing to note is that the XPS 15 ships with a bulky 100W AC adapter. Apple bundles a 35W USB-C adapter with the Air, though you must use a 70W brick for fast charging.
Price
15-inch MacBookAir:Starts at $1,299
Dell XPS 15: Starts at $1,299
The entry-level 15-inch MacBook Air and Dell XPS 15 retail for $1,299. At the base price, the Dell offers more value for money as it ships with twice the RAM and storage alongside its other advantages. You can bump the Air to 16GB memory and 512GB storage for an additional $400, bringing the total cost to $1,699. For the same $400, you can upgrade to a faster Intel Arc GPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB of NVMe storage.
Education customers can save an additional $100 off the MacBook Air’s price, which helps to a certain extent.
Conclusion: 15-inch MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 15
From a spec viewpoint, the XPS 15 offers more bang for the buck. But if you want a laptop with more compact dimensions, long battery life, and amazing speakers, spring for the 15-inch MacBook Air. Its M3 chip will also, in almost all cases, deliver better performance than the Intel CPU inside the XPS 15.
Windows or Mac?
One final thought: You need to look at more than the specs when pitting the 15-inch MacBook Air versus the Dell XPS 15. The XPS runs on Windows 11, while the Air runs on macOS Sonoma.
If you are a long-time Windows user, you will feel more comfortable with the Dell XPS. Similarly, Mac users are unlikely to switch to a Windows laptop just for expanded hardware options. (If you’re an Apple fan but need more ports or RAM/storage, you should consider a MacBook Pro.)
Even if you don’t care about the operating system, the 15-inch MacBook Air is arguably the better buy. Apple’s laptop will shine in daily use with its superior design, excellent performance, efficient M3 chip and long battery life.
