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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Dell XPS 14 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Dell XPS 14 (2024)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 03:08 PM
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Updated May 02, 2025 02:57 PM
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Size14.5"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size13.6"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- 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)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXW3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCT3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXR3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCR3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXP3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
Our Verdict
Dell XPS 14 (2024)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
The Dell XPS 14 (2024) and Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) are premium laptops targeting different uses. The Dell is a thin, light laptop capable of performing more demanding workloads like video editing or 3D animation. In contrast, the Apple laptop shines as an ultraportable for light productivity tasks and media consumption (even if the M3 SoC can handle the occasional demanding workload). In this sense, the Apple model provides a better user experience with its better battery life, brighter display, and great haptic touchpad. However, the Dell sports a better port selection and a wider range of hardware, including user-replaceable RAM and storage.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
8.5
8.7
Touchpad
7.3
9.2
Portability
8.3
9.1
Battery
9.4
8.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.3
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Size
14.5"
13.6"
Thickness
0.7" (1.9 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)
Width
12.7" (32.2 cm)
12.0" (30.4 cm)
Depth
8.5" (21.6 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)
Volume
80.6 in³ (1,321.5 cm³)
51.9 in³ (849.7 cm³)
Weight
3.6 lbs (1.6 kg)
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
Charger Size
5.2 in³ (84.8 cm³)
5.5 in³ (89.4 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
5.8
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
7.5
6.0
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 1664
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
156 PPI
224 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
93%
86%
Refresh Rate
8.7
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Dynamic Refresh Rate
No
Contrast
8.0
7.6
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,788 : 1
1,518 : 1
Brightness
8.3
8.4
Maximum Brightness
450 cd/m²
453 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
20 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.3
9.2
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Matte
Glossy
Total Reflections
3.19%
1.35%
Indirect Reflections
1.96%
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.23%
0.95%
Black Uniformity
8.2
9.4
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.808%
0.556%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
5.7
9.3
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
5.37
2.18
Avg. Gamma
2.14
2.25
Avg. Color dE
3.3
1.38
Avg. Color Temperature
6,841.1 K
6,821.3 K
Color Gamut
8.3
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
98.36%
99.98%
sRGB uv
99.28%
99.98%
Adobe RGB xy
73.2%
87.68%
Adobe RGB uv
85.87%
92.89%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
73.03%
99.31%
DCI P3 uv
80.61%
99.25%
Rec. 2020 xy
52.46%
72.02%
Rec. 2020 uv
59.05%
73.74%
Flicker
10
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
7.7
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
66 gf
64 gf
Actuation Force
34 gf
39 gf
Pre-Travel
0.64 mm
0.76 mm
Total Travel
1.20 mm
0.86 mm
Touchpad
7.3
9.2
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
6.5
9.5
Size
18.0 in² (116.0 cm²)
15.8 in² (102.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.0
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
85 dB SPL
75 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
6.4 dB
3.7 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.1
0.1
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
349 Hz
236 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.6 dB
1.3 dB
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
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
6.5
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
3
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 2
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.3
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core Ultra 7 155H
M3
Core Count
16
8
Thread Count
22
8
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Arc Graphics
M3
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
16 GB
8 GB
Modules
8 (Soldered)
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5x
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
512 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
410 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
KIOXIA BG6 512 GB
Apple SSD AP0256Z
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)
9.3
9.3
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,757 points
2,347 points
CPU Multi-Thread
11,577 points
10,793 points
GPU Compute
30,484 points
29,965 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.8
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,741 points
1,897 points
Multi-Thread
12,897 points
9,006 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
8.5
8.6
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
3.0 min
3.9 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
2.2 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
5.7
6.8
Basemark Image
Overall Score
21,960
36,620
Storage Drive Performance
9.4
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
1,750.2 MB/s
2,816.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
3,668.6 MB/s
2,702.2 MB/s
Random Write Speed
94.4 MB/s
40.0 MB/s
Random Read Speed
49.6 MB/s
64.2 MB/s
Battery
9.4
8.8
Capacity
70 Wh
53 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
15.2 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
13.8 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.3 hrs
3.3 hrs
Charge Time
2.7 hrs
3.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
3.9
3.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
27 fps
20 fps
1% Low
11 fps
7 fps
0.1% Low
3 fps
3 fps
1% Low Delta
51 ms
88 ms
0.1% Low Delta
297 ms
265 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
56 fps
37 fps
Civilization VI
6.3
4.4
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
42 fps
30 fps
1% Low
27 fps
17 fps
0.1% Low
25 fps
14 fps
1% Low Delta
14 ms
27 ms
0.1% Low Delta
17 ms
37 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
103 fps
92 fps
Avg. Turn Time
6.75 s
11.76 s
Counter-Strike 2
5.3
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
60fps
N/A
1% Low
18fps
N/A
0.1% Low
6fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
38 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
156 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
78fps
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
4.3
4.3
Avg. FPS
31 fps
31 fps
1% Low
15 fps
11 fps
0.1% Low
8 fps
5 fps
1% Low Delta
36 ms
62 ms
0.1% Low Delta
93 ms
150 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
54 fps
41 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.8
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
26 °C (79 °F)
28 °C (83 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
36 °C (96 °F)
49 °C (119 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
40.0 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
No
Performance Over Time
7.9
5.7
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
85 °C
83 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
12% loss
12% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
74 °C
83 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
16% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
Biometrics
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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Dell XPS 14 (2024)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Comments
Dell XPS 14 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024): Main Discussion
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