The MacBook Air has been easily beating its rivals in the past years and the latest model, practically reengineered inside and out, appears headed in the same direction. However, the Air tussling with the Dell XPS 13 is an entirely different story. The Windows-powered laptop has the chops to emerge a clear winner.
There are at least five ways that the XPS 13 can beat the MacBook Air, per the latest review of the Dell machine by Brooke Crothers for Fox News.
Solid build and practical choice of materials
Head to head, all models of the XPS 13 are lighter and thinner than the newest make of the MacBook Air and this Dell has achieved without compromising on build quality. The vendor's choice of carbon fiber composite for the XPS 13 chassis is described by Crothers as a practical choice made by Dell.
The result is sturdy and beautiful device in a single punch, the review noted.
Balance design and technology
Set beside the undeniably gorgeous MacBook Air, the XPS 13 will be overwhelmed as the review observed that "Dell has obviously gone to a lot of trouble to balance weight and thinness with performance."
So in the XPS 13, users will be getting a device that is a sight to behold and a delight to use with the assurance of experiencing top-notch performance. The Dell machine, Crothers said, is both pretty and snappy.
Wider connectivity options
For aesthetics' sake, Apple thought it wise to limit the MacBook Air connectivity options to two - the USB 3.1 Type-C and audio jack ports. The XPS 13, on the other hand, was unboxed with the following: 2 USB 3.0 with Powershare ports, mini DisplayPort, headset jack and a 3-in-1 card reader that can take in SD, SDHC and SDXC formats.
Obviously, the Dell ultrathin provides more ways to connect with peripherals without need for extra port accessories as the design that came with the MacBook Air.
Retina-beating display
Most reviewers agree that the Dell XPS 13 is largely defined by the cutting-edge display and design technology implemented with the device. It is classified as a 13-inch but the bezel-free display panel made it appear that the XPS 13 sports a 12-inch panel that boast of a majestic 3200 x 1800 screen resolution.
One notable bonus is the touchscreen version that is unable to MacBook air users, Crothers noted.
Solid price tags
This department is the deal maker for Dell as starting price of the XPS 13 is at $800, in which the package that users will take home includes a Core i5-5200U chip running at 2.19GHz, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid state drive. The counterpart in the MacBook Air line up costs $100 higher.
The same applies in the higher models, which indicates that the XPS 13 matches beauty and the beast that the MacBook Air is but offers considerable saving.
And there is an extra benefit, the XPS 13 runs on the latest Windows version and that would mean that the device will get the Windows 10 absolutely for free on its July 29 release date. The upcoming Microsoft operating system could prove as one of the reasons to pick the Dell laptop over that of Apple's, Crothers said.