HP Spectre 13 vs Dell XPS 13: Which is a better Windows 10 laptop?

In early 2016, Dell’s much coveted aluminium-clad ultra-portable XPS 13 received a graphics upgrade, putting it in a better position to compete with HP’s Spectre 13. Last month, HP teamed up with luxury and jewellery designers Tord Boontje and Jess Hannah to unveil its new designed line-up of Spectre 13.

The two Windows 10 powered laptops compete head-to-head in the market. Here’s a quick comparative review of the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre:

Display

The Dell XPS 13 is said to be the world's smallest 13-inch laptop with the first ever InfinityEdge display. On the other hand, HP claims the Spectre 13 to be the thinnest laptop in the market, weighing just 2.45 pounds as compared to the XPS 13, which weighs 2.7 pounds.

Both the laptops sport 13.3-inch LCD IPS display screen that carries a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

Processor, RAM and storage

The Dell XPS 13 is powered by the 6th generation of Intel Skylake processors. To help users configure the laptop according to their needs, Dell offers a wide range of processor, RAM and storage options.

Users can choose processor from Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7. There are various RAM configurations including 4GB, 8GB and 16GB coupled with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB of internal storage.

Moreover, Dell recently bumped the graphics of the variant powered by Intel Core i7 with Intel Iris graphics.

On the other hand, HP Spectre 13 is powered by Intel Core i5 or i7 processor coupled with a ground-breaking hyperbaric cooling technology. This new technology helps draw cool air to the processor, keeping it cool during peak performance.

The HP Spectre offers only 8GB of RAM in both its processor configurations and comes with 512GB of internal storage. Dell offers a wider palette as far as hardware configuration is concerned.

Battery life and OS

The ultra-thin Spectre 13 sports a hybrid battery with 38-watt-hour capacity, boasting up to 9 hours of battery life on a single charge. On a Laptop Mag battery test, the latest version of the Dell XPS 13 lasted for 11 hours and 54 minutes.

Both the HP Spectre 13 and Dell XPS 13 run on Windows 10 OS.

Price

The base model of Dell XPS 13 featuring Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage is priced at US$799.99 (AU$1,165). The HP Spectre comes with a hefty price tag.

The HP Spectre 13 price starts at US$1,169 (AU$1586). The model features an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

The Dell XPS 13 caters to a larger market with more processor, storage and RAM options at different price points, as reviewed by Digital Trends. Moreover, it also boasts a bigger battery than the HP Spectre 13.