Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Dell XPS 13 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Mar 26, 2024 01:44 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Aug 08, 2024 02:46 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Size13.4"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size13.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7412WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7439WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-5024SLV-SUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i5/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7375SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7795SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/32GB/2TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7085SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7198SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7825SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7788SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/32GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7477SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1195G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i3/8GB/256GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7392SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7422SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1195G7/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGND3LL/A) (Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGNE3LL/A) (Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN93LL/A) (Silver - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGNA3LL/A) (Silver - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN63LL/A) (Space Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN73LL/A) (Space Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) are both ultraportable laptops designed for general productivity like web browsing, text formatting, and video playback. The Dell is available with Intel 11th Gen CPUs and runs Windows, while the Apple laptop uses Apple's ARM-based M1 SoC and runs macOS. The Apple has a sharper display, but the Dell's is brighter, and you can also configure the XPS 13 with a 4k IPS or 3.5k OLED panel. The Dell laptop's keyboard feels better to type on; however, the Apple laptop's haptic touchpad is easier to use because you can click anywhere. If you're often on video calls, the Apple laptop's webcam is much better, even though it's the same resolution as the XPS 13's. Performance-wise, Apple's M1 SoC is faster than Intel's 11th Gen processors, even against the top-end i7-1195G7. The Apple laptop has longer battery life, lasting a little over 3 hours more than the Dell in light productivity workloads.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
8.0
8.4
Battery
7.9
8.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
8.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
140°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.4"
13.3"
Thickness
0.6" (1.6 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)
Width
11.7" (29.6 cm)
12.0" (30.5 cm)
Depth
7.8" (19.7 cm)
8.4" (21.2 cm)
Volume
56.9 in³ (933.0 cm³)
51.3 in³ (840.6 cm³)
Weight
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
Charger Size
4.0 in³ (65.5 cm³)
5.5 in³ (90.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.5 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
5.8
3.3
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
7.5
5.5
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
1
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
169 PPI
225 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
90%
84%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
8.0
6.8
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,804 : 1
1,044 : 1
Brightness
8.5
7.8
Maximum Brightness
475 cd/m²
372 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
27 cd/m²
4 cd/m²
Reflections
8.3
8.9
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
2.86%
1.73%
Indirect Reflections
0.87%
0.16%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.99%
1.57%
Black Uniformity
6.4
7.4
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.696%
1.071%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
7.3
6.8
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
31°
25°
Color Washout From Right
34°
28°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
51°
40°
Color Shift From Right
57°
46°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
31°
28°
Brightness Loss From Right
35°
31°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
36°
29°
Gamma Shift From Right
40°
32°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.3
6.8
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
22°
25°
Color Washout From Above
21°
25°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
35°
37°
Color Shift From Above
40°
41°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
25°
27°
Brightness Loss From Above
26°
28°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
20°
37°
Gamma Shift From Above
22°
35°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
8.4
9.7
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.93
1.75
Avg. Gamma
2.17
2.2
Avg. Color dE
1.87
1.21
Avg. Color Temperature
6,466.5 K
6,883.6 K
Color Gamut
8.5
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.81%
99.96%
sRGB uv
99.24%
99.84%
Adobe RGB xy
77.37%
88.07%
Adobe RGB uv
87.92%
92.88%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
78.13%
99.57%
DCI P3 uv
83.48%
99.15%
Rec. 2020 xy
56.11%
72.25%
Rec. 2020 uv
61.02%
73.92%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
No
Yes
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
1%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
7.6
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
7.5
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
70 gf
63 gf
Actuation Force
37 gf
37 gf
Pre-Travel
0.79 mm
0.76 mm
Total Travel
0.91 mm
0.85 mm
Touchpad
8.4
8.8
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.0
9.0
Size
11.2 in² (72.1 cm²)
14.9 in² (96.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.4
8.9
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
79 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.5 dB
4.5 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.7
1.6
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
298 Hz
247 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
8 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
0.7 dB
1.9 dB
Webcam & Microphone
7.0
8.2
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
7.0
8.5
Resolution
720p
720p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
5.0
4.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3
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
MicroSD UHS 1
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
No
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.2
5.0
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core i3-1115G4
M1
Core Count
2
8
Thread Count
4
8
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
UHD Graphics G4
M1
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Modules
8 (Soldered)
2 (Soldered)
Type
LP-DDR4X
LP-DDR4X
Speed
4,267 MHz
4,266 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
180 GB
218 GB
Drive 1
Western Digital PC SN530
SDRGJHI4
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
6.9
8.8
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,329 points
1,721 points
CPU Multi-Thread
2,937 points
7,437 points
GPU Compute
10,417 points
19,359 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
7.2
9.1
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,282 points
1,497 points
Multi-Thread
2,526 points
6,855 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
0.9
6.2
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
17.8 min
7.3 min
GPU Render Time
18.1 min
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
4.2
6.1
Basemark Image
Overall Score
10,928
26,868
Storage Drive Performance
9.0
9.3
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
738.7 MB/s
2,580.5 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,836.1 MB/s
2,487.4 MB/s
Random Write Speed
111.0 MB/s
51.5 MB/s
Random Read Speed
46.6 MB/s
60.5 MB/s
Battery
7.9
8.8
Capacity
52 Wh
50 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
10.2 hrs
13.3 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
5.2 hrs
6.6 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.9 hrs
2.6 hrs
Charge Time
2.0 hrs
3.1 hrs
Borderlands 3
0.0
2.4
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
15 fps
1% Low
N/A
6 fps
0.1% Low
N/A
3 fps
1% Low Delta
N/A
86 ms
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
302 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
N/A
32 fps
Civilization VI
2.6
5.6
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
11 fps
32 fps
1% Low
8 fps
23 fps
0.1% Low
8 fps
21 fps
1% Low Delta
32 ms
12 ms
0.1% Low Delta
40 ms
17 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
41 fps
71 fps
Avg. Turn Time
12.07 s
11.63 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
5.0
7.7
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
41 fps
65 fps
1% Low
22 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
16 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
21 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
38 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
75 fps
94 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
0.0
2.0
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
13 fps
1% Low
N/A
9 fps
0.1% Low
N/A
5 fps
1% Low Delta
N/A
31 ms
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
135 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
N/A
26 fps
Thermals And Noise
7.2
8.3
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
34 °C (93 °F)
28 °C (82 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
50 °C (121 °F)
47 °C (117 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
40.0 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
7.9
7.5
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
73 °C
N/A
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
8% loss
13% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
72 °C
N/A
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
5% loss
3% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
You have 10/10 free reviews left
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Comments
Dell XPS 13 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020): Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.