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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) vs Dell XPS 14 (2024)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)
Dell XPS 14 (2024)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Jul 23, 2024 05:56 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Dec 06, 2024 03:10 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Picture

Variants

  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY43LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7X4LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY33LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY03LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MC7V4LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXY3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXX3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7U4LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLXW3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY23LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC7W4LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MLY13LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
  • XPS 14 (XPS9440) (Platinum - FHD/Non Touch/Ultra 7/16GB/512GB)
  • XPS 14 (XPS9440-7134SLV-PUS) (Platinum - OLED/Touch/Ultra 7/32GB/1TB)
  • XPS 14 (XPS9440-7892SLV-PUS) (Platinum - OLED/Touch/Ultra 7/RTX 4050/32GB/1TB)

Our Verdict

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

Dell XPS 14 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) is better for most people than the Dell XPS 14 (2024). The Apple is a 13-inch ultraportable designed for general productivity tasks. It offers a much better keyboard and haptic touchpad, exceptional battery life, and a better display with DCI P3 coverage; this makes it suitable for color correction work. By contrast, the Dell model has options for more powerful hardware, making it suitable for workstation tasks on the go. While you can configure the Dell with a sharper 3.2k OLED panel than the Apple laptop's IPS display, you have to pay extra for it.

0

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

School 

8.5
8.4

Battery 
 

8.4
9.4

Touchpad 
 

9.2
7.3

Portability 
 

9.1
8.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Style Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Build Quality Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Build Quality Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Build Quality Photo

Show text

Hinge 
 

9.1
9.1

Hinge Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Hinge Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

135°
135°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Portability 
 

9.1
8.3

Dimensions Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Dimensions Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

13.6"
14.5"

Thickness 
 

0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.7" (1.9 cm)

Width 
 

12.2" (31.0 cm)
12.7" (32.2 cm)

Depth 
 

8.5" (21.5 cm)
8.5" (21.6 cm)

Volume 
 

52.9 in³ (866.5 cm³)
80.6 in³ (1,321.5 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
3.6 lbs (1.6 kg)

Charger Size 
 

5.0 in³ (81.7 cm³)
5.2 in³ (84.8 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)

Show text

Serviceability 
 

3.5
5.8

Internals Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Internals Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

6.0
7.5

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

0
1

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

No
No

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) In The Box Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) In The Box Photo

Show text

Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Display Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

2560 x 1664
1920 x 1200

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

225 PPI
156 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

84%
93%

Show text

Refresh Rate 
 

5.9
8.7

Motion Blur  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Motion Blur
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

60 Hz
120 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

No
Dynamic Refresh Rate

Show text

Contrast 
 

7.6
8.0

Contrast Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Contrast Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

1,490 : 1
1,788 : 1

Show text

Brightness 
 

8.5
8.3

Maximum Brightness 
 

468 cd/m²
450 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

2 cd/m²
20 cd/m²

Show text

Reflections 
 

8.9
8.3

Reflections Photo Off  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Reflections Photo Off
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Reflections Photo Max
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

1.73%
3.19%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.39%
1.96%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.34%
1.23%

Show text

Black Uniformity 
 

8.2
8.2

Black Uniformity Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Black Uniformity Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

0.814%
0.808%

Show text

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.5
7.5

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

27°
31°

Color Washout From Right 
 

27°
30°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Hue Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

31°
60°

Color Shift From Right 
 

34°
60°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

30°
31°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

30°
32°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

27°
36°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

27°
38°

Show text

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.6
7.3

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Chroma Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

25°
29°

Color Washout From Above 
 

27°
29°

Vertical Hue Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Hue Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

28°
45°

Color Shift From Above 
 

36°
45°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Vertical Lightness Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

27°
32°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

30°
33°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

29°
29°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

31°
30°

Show text

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

9.3
5.7

White Balance Screencap  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) White Balance Screencap
Dell XPS 14 (2024) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamma Curve Screencap
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Color Screencap
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

2.02
5.37

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.31
2.14

Avg. Color dE 
 

1.66
3.3

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,695.9 K
6,841.1 K

Show text

Color Gamut 
 

9.4
8.3

Gamut SDR  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamut SDR
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

99.95%
98.36%

sRGB uv 
 

99.81%
99.28%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

88.14%
73.2%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

92.92%
85.87%

Gamut HDR  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Gamut HDR
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

99.68%
73.03%

DCI P3 uv 
 

99.15%
80.61%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

72.43%
52.46%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

73.13%
59.05%

Show text

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Flicker Graph
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

Yes
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

No Flicker
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

0%
0%

Show text

Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.0
7.7

Keyboard Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Keyboard Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

63 gf
66 gf

Actuation Force 
 

39 gf
34 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

0.78 mm
0.64 mm

Total Travel 
 

0.92 mm
1.20 mm

Show text

Touchpad 
 

9.2
7.3

Touchpad Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Touchpad Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

9.5
6.5

Size 
 

16.0 in² (103.2 cm²)
18.0 in² (116.0 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No

Show text

Speakers 
 

8.1
8.0

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

76 dB SPL
85 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

5.5 dB
6.4 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

2.5
1.1

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

145 Hz
349 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

17 kHz
20 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

1.5 dB
1.6 dB

Show text

Webcam & Microphone 
 

8.7
8.7

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

9.0
9.0

Resolution 
 

1080p
1080p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Connectivity

Ports 
 

5.0
6.5

Ports Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Ports Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

0
0

USB-C Ports 
 

2
3

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

No
No

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

No
MicroSD UHS 2

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

Apple MagSafe 3
No

Security Lock 
 

No
No

Show text

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.0
5.3

Show text

Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Apple
Intel

Model 
 

M2
Core Ultra 7 155H

Core Count 
 

8
16

Thread Count 
 

8
22

Show text

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

Apple
Intel

Model 
 

M2
Arc Graphics

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Integrated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

8 GB
16 GB

Modules 
 

Unknown
8 (Soldered)

Type 
 

LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5x

Speed 
 

6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz

Show text

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

256 GB
512 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

214 GB
410 GB

Drive 1 
 

Apple SSD AP0256Z
KIOXIA BG6 512 GB

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Show text

Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

9.1
9.3

Geekbench Image  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Geekbench Image
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,928 points
1,757 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

8,954 points
11,577 points

GPU Compute 
 

26,155 points
30,484 points

Show text

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

9.4
9.8

Cinebench R23 Photo  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Cinebench R23 Photo
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,581 points
1,741 points

Multi-Thread 
 

8,003 points
12,897 points

Show text

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

8.5
8.5

Blender Image  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Blender Image
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

4.2 min
3.0 min

GPU Render Time 
 

2.2 min
N/A

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

6.7
5.7

Basemark Image  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Basemark Image
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

34,329
21,960

Show text

Storage Drive Performance 
 

8.9
9.4

Storage Performance Image  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Storage Performance Image
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

2,469.6 MB/s
1,750.2 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

1,091.6 MB/s
3,668.6 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

45.0 MB/s
94.4 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

60.1 MB/s
49.6 MB/s

Show text

Battery 
 

8.4
9.4

Capacity 
 

53 Wh
70 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

10.9 hrs
15.2 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

7.0 hrs
13.8 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

2.7 hrs
2.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.0 hrs
2.7 hrs

Show text

Borderlands 3 
 

4.1
3.9

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

28 fps
27 fps

1% Low 
 

11 fps
11 fps

0.1% Low 
 

5 fps
3 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

59 ms
51 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

173 ms
297 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

36 fps
56 fps

Show text

Civilization VI 
 

5.7
6.3

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

45 fps
42 fps

1% Low 
 

27 fps
27 fps

0.1% Low 
 

21 fps
25 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

15 ms
14 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

25 ms
17 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

76 fps
103 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

10.11 s
6.75 s

Show text

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

8.9

CS:GO graph  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) CS:GO graph

Avg. FPS 
 

114 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A

0.1% Low 
 

N/A

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

175 fps

Show text

Counter-Strike 2 
 

5.3

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

60fps

1% Low 
 

18fps

0.1% Low 
 

6fps

1% Low Delta 
 

38 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

156 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

78fps

Show text

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

4.0
4.3

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

25 fps
31 fps

1% Low 
 

16 fps
15 fps

0.1% Low 
 

10 fps
8 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

22 ms
36 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

65 ms
93 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

42 fps
54 fps

Show text

Thermals And Noise 
 

8.1
8.8

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) Keyboard Temps Picture
Dell XPS 14 (2024) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

30 °C (86 °F)
26 °C (79 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

49 °C (120 °F)
36 °C (96 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

N/A
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

N/A
40.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Performance Over Time 
 

6.7
7.9

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

N/A
85 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

4% loss
12% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

N/A
74 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

18% loss
0% loss

Show text

Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

macOS
Windows 11

Additional Software 
 

None
Yes

Show text

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
No

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

Fingerprint Sensor
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor

Show text

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)

Dell XPS 14 (2024)

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