Thursday, 19 November 2020

Best Overall

Dell XPS 13 (9300)

From $1,150 at Dell

Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • Killer display
  • Better battery life
  • Better overall port selection
  • Lower high-end price

Cons

  • Higher low-end price
  • Worse speakers

The Dell XPS 13 offers the best user experience overall thanks to its better display, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and stronger battery life. However, for people looking for something on the affordable side, the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 will be the better choice.

Best Budget Pick

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5

From $790 at Microsoft

Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • Lower low-end price
  • Strong battery life
  • Better speakers

Cons

  • Higher high-end price
  • Worse display
  • Worse port selection

The Surface Laptop 3 13.5 has a better low-end price (it will likely be even lower during Black Friday) than the Dell XPS 13 despite packing near-identical hardware, making it the best choice for people prioritizing saving money. However, it's more expensive on the high-end side of things, making it a worse option in that context.

Overall, the Dell XPS 13 is the stronger option if you want top-notch quality since it has better features and a killer display. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5 is an excellent alternative choice if you want to save money, as it has a lower low-end price while still offering reliable and robust performance.

XPS 13 vs. Surface Laptop 3: Comparison and specs

In many respects, both of these devices share very similar hardware. Both laptops have 10th Gen Intel processors and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility for top internet speeds and they both also use Intel Iris Plus graphics power and have up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM. Also, both of them are compatible with Windows Hello biometric security. The Dell XPS 13 has the edge over the Surface Laptop 3 when it comes to storage, as it can be configured with a 2TB SSD while the Surface Laptop 3's SSD options max out at 1TB. However, it's worth noting that you can upgrade the SSD on both devices to whichever amount you want yourself. Overall, these two devices perform nearly the same when it comes to web browsing, work tasks, and media consumption.

Dell XPS 13 (9300) Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5
CPU Intel i5-1035G1
Intel i7-1065G7
Intel i5-1035G7
Intel i7-1065G7
GPU Intel UHD Graphics
Intel Iris Plus
Intel Iris Plus
Memory 8 or 16GB of DDR4 8 or 16GB of DDR4
Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB SSD 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD (replaceable)
Display 13.4-inch HD anti-reflective 500 nits (touch or non-touch)
13.4-inch 4K anti-reflective 500 nits (touch)
13.5-inch PixelSense 2256 x 1504, 400 nits (touch and inking)
Speakers Waves MaxxAudio stereo speakers Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio
Aspect ratio 16:10 3:2
Ports 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 3
1x microSD card slot
3.5mm audio
1x USB-C
1x USB-A
3.5mm audio
Biometrics Windows Hello-enabled 720p camera
Fingerprint reader
Windows Hello-enabled 720p camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0
Battery 12-19 hours 10-12 hours
Weight 2.65-2.80 lbs 2.79-2.84 lbs

Where the Dell XPS 13 starts to take the lead is in the display and features department. Unlike the Surface Laptop 3's display, the Dell XPS 13's is anti-reflective, brighter, sports a higher resolution, and has better color accuracy. All of these advantages make it the definitively better screen in this matchup. On top of the killer display, the Dell XPS 13 also has dual USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports (a USB-A to USB-C adapter is included in the box) and a microSD card slot, which trump the Surface Laptop 3's offerings of a single USB-C and USB-A port. The Thunderbolt 3 ports are a big deal, as they allow the user to do things like hook up an external GPU for improved gaming performance or transfer data to and from external drives much faster. The Dell XPS 13 also comes with a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello and a camera, while the Surface Laptop 3 only has a camera. Finally, the battery performance of the Dell XPS 13 is better, too, offering up to seven more hours of life on a full charge than the Surface Laptop 3.

The Surface Laptop 3 isn't without some advantages of its own, though. It has better speakers and also compatibility for inking with digital pens that use the Microsoft Pen Protocol. The Dell XPS 13 displays can't be used with pens, although it does still support basic touch with your finger.

XPS 13 vs. Surface Laptop 3: Which should you buy?

Both of these laptops are great, and they both offer excellent performance. With that being said, I think the Dell XPS 13 will be the better choice for most people, as it provides better overall quality compared to the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 while simultaneously being less expensive on the high-end of the configuration scale. If you want something more affordable, though, don't count out the Surface Laptop 3 13.5. While it lacks several of the things that make the Dell XPS 13 incredible, it's still a fantastic device in its own right, and the lower-end versions of it are more affordable than their Dell XPS 13 equivalents. If neither one appeals to you, head over to check out our best Windows laptop picks.

Additionally, something to keep in mind is that with the various Black Friday deals available right now, you may end up better off by going with other comparable devices that are heavily discounted (these two devices may go on sale, too). Make sure to check out our best Black Friday laptop deals roundup for more details.

Best Overall

Dell XPS 13 (9300)

Incredible quality

From $1,150 at Dell $1,213 at BDW

The Dell XPS 13 offers the best user experience overall thanks to its better display, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and stronger battery life. However, for people looking for something on the affordable side, the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 will be the better choice.

Best Budget Pick

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5

Affordable excellence

From $790 at Microsoft

The Surface Laptop 3 13.5 has a better low-end price than the Dell XPS 13 despite packing near-identical hardware, making it the best choice for people prioritizing saving money. However, it's more expensive on the high-end side of things, making it a worse option in that context.



0 comments:

Post a Comment

ShortNewsWeb

Blog Archive

Categories

'The Woks of Life' Reminded Me to Cook With All the Flavors I Love (1) 10 Scary Podcasts to Listen to in the Dark (1) 13 of the Best Spooky Episodes From (Mostly) Un-Spooky Shows (1) 13 Spooky Movies Set on Halloween Night (1) 1Password Now Generates QR Codes to Share Wifi Passwords (1) 2024 (15) 21 Thanksgiving Movies About Families As Screwed-Up As Yours (1) 30 Movies and TV Shows That Are Basically 'Competence Porn' (1) 30 of the Most Obscenely Patriotic Movies Ever (1) 31 Spooky Movies to Watch Throughout October (1) 40 Netflix Original Series You Should Watch (1) 55 Box Office Bombs Totally Worth Watching (1) Active Directory (1) Adobe's AI Video Generator Might Be as Good as OpenAI's (1) AIX (1) and I'd Do It Again (1) and Max Bundle Isn't a Terrible Deal (1) Apache (2) Apple Intelligence Is Running Late (1) Apple Intelligence's Instructions Reveal How Apple Is Directing Its New AI (1) August 18 (1) August 4 (1) August 5 (1) Avoid an Allergic Reaction by Testing Your Halloween Makeup Now (1) Backup & Restore (2) best practices (1) bleepingcomputer (63) Blink Security Cameras Are up to 68% Off Ahead of Prime Day (1) CentOS (1) Configure PowerPath on Solaris (1) Documents (2) Don't Fall for This 'New' Google AI Scam (1) Don't Rely on a 'Monte Carlo' Retirement Analysis (1) Eight Cleaning Products TikTok Absolutely Loves (1) Eight of the Best Methods for Studying so You Actually Retain the Information (1) Eight Unexpected Ways a Restaurant Can Mislead You (1) Elevate Your Boring Store-Bought Pretzels With This Simple Seasoning Technique (1) Everything Announced at Apple's iPhone 16 Event (1) file system (6) Find (1) Find a Nearby ‘Gleaning Market’ to Save Money on Groceries (1) Five Red Flags to Look for in Any Restaurant (1) Five Ways You Can Lose Your Social Security Benefits (1) Flappy Bird's Creator Has Nothing to Do With Its 'Remake' (1) Four Reasons to Walk Out of a Job Interview (1) Four Signs Thieves Are Casing Your House (1) gaming (1) Goldfish Crackers Have a New Name (for a Little While) (1) Hackers Now Have Access to 10 Billion Stolen Passwords (1) How I Finally Organized My Closet With a Digital Inventory System (1) How I Pack Up a Hotel Room So I Don’t Forget Anything (1) How to Cancel Your Amazon Prime Membership After Prime Day Is Over (1) How to Choose the Best Weightlifting Straps for Your Workout (1) How to Enable (and Turn Off) Apple Intelligence on an iPhone (1) How to Keep Squirrels Off Your Bird Feeders (1) How to Set Up Your Bedroom Like a Hotel Room (and Why You Should) (1) How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac (1) How to Take Full Control of Your Notifications on a Chromebook (1) Hulu (1) I Chose the Beats Fit Pro Over the AirPods Pro (1) If You Got a Package You Didn't Order (1) If You Hate Running (1) Important Questions (17) Install and Configure PowerPath (1) interview questions for linux (2) Is ‘Ultra-Processed’ Food Really That Bad for You? (1) Is Amazon Prime Really Worth It? (1) It Might Be a Scam (1) July 14 (1) July 21 (1) July 28 (1) July 7 (1) June 30 (1) LifeHacker (131) Linux (36) Make and Freeze Some Roux Now for Easy Turkey Gravy (1) Meta Releases Largest Open-Source AI Model Yet (1) Monitoring (3) music (688) My Favorite 14TB Hard Drive Is 25% Off Right Now (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Apple AirPods Max (2) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Apple Pencil Pro (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Google Nest Mesh WiFi Router (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Google Pixel 8 (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: PlayStation 5 (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Samsung Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: SHOKZ OpenMove Bone Conduction Headphones (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: The 13-Inch M3 Apple MacBook Air (1) My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: These Bose QuietComfort Headphones (1) My Favorite Tools for Managing Cords and Cables (1) Nagios (2) Newtorking (1) NFS (1) OMG! Ubuntu! (688) Oracle Linux (1) oracleasm (3) osnews (26) Password less communication (1) Patching (2) Poaching Is the Secret to Perfect Corn on the Cob (1) powerpath (1) Prioritize Your To-Do List By Imagining Rocks in a Jar (1) Red Hat Exam (1) register (66) Rsync (1) Safari’s ‘Distraction Control’ Will Help You Banish (Some) Pop Ups (1) Samba (1) Scrcpy (1) September 1 (1) September 15 (1) September 2 (1) September 22 (1) September 23 (1) September 30 (1) September 8 (1) Seven Home 'Upgrades' That Aren’t Worth the Money (1) Seven Things Your Credit Card’s Trip Protection Won’t Actually Cover (1) ssh (1) Swift Shift Is the Window Management Tool Apple Should Have Built (1) System hardening (1) Tailor Your iPhone's Fitness Summary to Your Workouts (1) Target’s ‘Circle Week’ Sale Is Still Going After October Prime Day (1) Target’s Answer to Prime Day Starts July 7 (1) Tech (9544) Tech CENTRAL (23) Technical stories (124) technpina (7) The 30 Best Movies of the 2020s so Far (and Where to Watch Them) (1) The 30 Best Sports Movies You Can Stream Right Now (1) The Best Deals on Robot Vacuums for Amazon’s Early Prime Day Sale (2) The Best Deals on Ryobi Tools During Home Depot's Labor Day Sale (1) The Best Early Prime Day Sales on Power Tools (1) The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Netflix This Month (1) The Best October Prime Day Deals If You Are Experiencing Overwhelming Existential Dread (1) The Best Places to Go When You Don't Want to Be Around Kids (1) The Best Strategies for Lowering Your Credit Card Interest Rate (1) The Best Ways to Store All Your Bags and Purses (1) The Latest watchOS Beta Is Breaking Apple Watches (1) The New Disney+ (1) The Two Best Times of Year to Look for a New Job (1) These Meatball Shots Are My Favorite Football Season Snack (1) These Milwaukee Tools Are up to 69% off Right Now (1) This 2024 Sony Bravia Mini-LED TV Is $400 Off Right Now (1) This Google Nest Pro Is 30% Off for Prime Day (1) This Peanut Butter Latte Isn’t As Weird As It Sounds (1) This Tech Brand Will Get the Biggest Discounts During Prime Day (1) Three Quick Ways to Shorten a Necklace (1) Three Services People Don't Know They Can Get From Their Bank for Free (1) Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Monday (4) Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Sunday (11) Try 'Pile Cleaning' When Your Mess Is Overwhelming (1) Try 'Pomodoro 2.0' to Focus on Deep Work (1) Try 'Rucking' (1) Ubuntu News (346) Ubuntu! (1) Unix (1) Use This App to Sync Apple Reminders With Your iPhone Calendar (1) Use This Extension to Find All Your X Followers on Bluesky (1) veritas (2) Videos (1) Was ChatGPT Really Starting Conversations With Users? (1) Watch Out for These Red Flags in a Realtor Contract (1) Wayfair Is Having a '72-Hour Closeout' Sale to Compete With Prime Day (1) We Now Know When Google Will Roll Out Android 15 (1) What Is the 'Die With Zero' Movement (and Is It Right for You)? (1) What Not to Do When Training for a Marathon (1) What to Do When Your Employer Shifts Your Pay From Salary to Hourly (1) What to Look for (and Avoid) When Selecting a Pumpkin (1) What to Wear to Run in the Cold (1) What's New on Prime Video and Freevee in September 2024 (1) Why You Can't Subscribe to Disney+ and Hulu Through Apple Anymore (1) Why Your Home Gym Needs Adjustable Kettlebells (1) Windows (5) You Can Easily Add Words to Your Mac's Dictionary (1) You Can Get 'World War Z' on Sale for $19 Right Now (1) You Can Get a Membership to BJ's for Practically Free Right Now (1) You Can Get Beats Studio Buds+ on Sale for $100 Right Now (1) You Can Get Microsoft Visio 2021 Pro on Sale for $20 Right Now (1) You Can Get This 12-Port USB-C Hub on Sale for $90 Right Now (1) You Can Get This Roomba E5 Robot Vacuum on Sale for $170 Right Now (1) You Can Hire Your Own Personal HR Department (1) You Can Search Through Your ChatGPT Conversation History Now (1) You Can Set Different Scrolling Directions for Your Mac’s Mouse and Trackpad (1)

Recent Comments

Popular Posts

Translate

My Blog List

Popular

System Admin Share

Total Pageviews