Dell recently unveiled its line of XPS Ultrabooks with the hopes of becoming the top providers of ultrabooks in the world. Despite that intention, can it really compete with Apple's MacBook Air?

Dell had just released two models for their XPS Ultrabooks line and these are XPS 14 ultrabook and XPS 15 ultrabook. These are the "larger" siblings of the previously released Dell XPS 13.

Here are the technical specifications of each Dell XPS Ultrabook and Apple's MacBook Air:

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook

Display: 14.0" (35.6cm) HD+ (900p) True Life Infinity Display

Processor: 3rd generation Intel® Core i5-3317U processor

Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with 32GB mSATA

Memory: 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 4GB)

Operating Software: Windows® 7 Home Premium (Upgradeable to Windows 8)

Wireless: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 and Bluetooth 4.0

Battery: 69 WHr 8-Cell Battery

Selling Price: Starts at AU$1,299

Dell XPS 15 Ultrabook

Display: Silver Aluminium LCD Back with 15.6"(39.6cm) FHD (1080p) True Life WLED Display

Processor: 3rd generation Intel® Core i5-3210M processor

Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with 32GB mSATA

Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Memory

Operating Software: Windows® 7 Home Premium (Upgradeable to Windows 8)

Wireless: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 and Bluetooth 4.0

Optical Drive: 8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Battery: 65 WHr 9-cell Battery

Selling Price: Starts at AU$1,499

MacBook Air (11-inch and 13.3-inch)

Display: 11.6-inch or 13.3-inch (diagonal) high-resolution LED-backlit glossy widescreen

Processor: 1.7GHz - 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

Memory: 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory

Operating Software: OS X Lion (Upgradeable to OS X Mountain Lion)

Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking3; IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible

Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery: 35 - 50 WHr lithium-polymer battery

Selling Price: Starts at AU$1,099

The Verdict:

Both the XPS 14 and 15 Ultrabook delivered considerable performance. It has a "high-quality" impression to users which is the real stamp of a good ultrabook. Aside from the physical design of these ultrabooks, both XPS 14 and XPS 15 can be upgraded to the latest Windows version which is Windows 8. This upgraded OS would certainly push the Dell ultrabooks to be more efficient to users. As for the MacBook Air, it has proven to be a dependable ultrabook up to its processing speed and display. The upcoming upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion could also make the MacBook Air faster and would provide a maximum ultrabook experience for users. In terms of selling price, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is much cheaper than the Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook.

All the ultrabooks are able to perform at par with each other but if price is the main factor for deciding, purchasing a MacBook Air is certainly less costly and could give a solid performance. If a user is more inclined in utilizing Windows OS for their computing needs, then the Dell XPS ultrabooks would be a perfect choice.