Retina MacBook vs Dell XPS 13: Which Is The Better Laptop

Manufacturers and developers of tech gadgets are always in a pursuit to equip their devices with the latest and best hardware. Two devices in the market having the potential to be crowned as the best portable laptops of recent times have been highly reviewed and scrutinized. In 2015 the latest Apple MacBook and Dell XPS13 are in the top league. The newest offering from Apple is a super-thin, 12-inch device with Retina display and all day battery life. Whereas the comparable model of Dell XPS 13 flaunt a 13.3-inch touch screen with Core i5-5200U processor.

Display

The MacBook’s 12-inch screen is LED-backlit display with IPS technology and supports 2,304×1,440pixels resolution. Whereas the Dell XPS 13 touts an UltraSharp QHD+ infinity 13.3 –inch touch display with a higher resolution of 3,200×1,800pixels. The Retina display is the most notable upgrade of the MacBook.

Design

The edge-to-edge glass gorgeous MacBook has a redesigned trackpad and keyboard with individual backlit keys, which stretches across the width of the display. The new trackpad is equipped with ‘Force Click’ feature that lets the user do additional actions with a forceful click. Dell has opted for very thin bezels with aluminium exterior build. This would protect from fingerprints and scratches.

Hardware and Operating System

The MacBook is powered by the second best version Intel Core M-5Y70 Processor with 1.1 GHz (4MB Cache, up to 2.4GHz) and backed by Intel HD Graphics 530. The fan-less Core-M gives it the super thin look. MacBook houses 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 and 256GB of internal storage. On the other hand the Dell XPS 13 is equipped with industry standard Intel i5-5200 processor (3M Cache, up to 2.70 GHz) with a way faster Intel HD Graphics 5500. This gives an edge to XPS 13 over MacBook in terms of gaming capabilities. But XPS 13 majorly cuts down the internal to 128GB. The MackBook runs on Mac OS X Yosemite, while the Dell XPS 13 comes loaded with Windows 8.1.

Price

Dell offers multiple configurations (with different screen sizes and key specifications) of XPS13 and price starts from $800. Whereas the top end models are priced around $1300. MacBook price starts at $1300 as well.

Other Features

Both MacBook and XPS 13 are equipped with front cameras - 480p FaceTime camera on the MacBook and 720p HD webcam on the Dell XPS 13. Both laptops support 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0. However, while the MacBook has only a USB-C and minijack, the Dell laptop supports a, mini DisplayPort, SDXC card reader, headset jack and USB 3.0. The MackBook has a 39.7-watt-hour battery, much lesser than 52-watt-hour battery of Dell XPS 13.