Dell XPS 13 vs. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5

Best overall

Dell XPS xiii

Dell XPS 13 9300

Best upkeep option

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.five

Surface Laptop 3

The Dell XPS 13 offers the best user experience overall thanks to its amend display, Thunderbolt iv ports, and stronger battery life. However, for people looking for something as affordable as possible, the Surface Laptop 3 13.five will be the meliorate choice.

From $980 at Dell

Pros

Slightly better functioning
Killer display
Meliorate battery life
Better overall port selection

Cons

Higher low-end cost
Worse speakers

The Surface Laptop 3 13.5 has a better low-terminate price than the Dell XPS xiii, making information technology the best choice for people prioritizing saving money. That being said, the Dell XPS thirteen offers many performance advantages and has more than modern hardware under its hood.

From $849 at Amazon

Pros

Great functioning
Lower low-stop toll
Potent battery life
Better speakers

Cons

Worse display
Worse port choice

While both of these devices are some of the best Windows laptops available, the Dell XPS 13 is ultimately the stronger pick if you want top-notch quality since it has better features, a killer display, and more than mod hardware. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.five is an excellent alternative option if you want to relieve money, as it has a lower overall price while withal offering reliable and robust operation.

XPS thirteen vs. Surface Laptop iii: Comparison and specs

Dell XPS 13 Source: Windows Primal

In many respects, both of these devices are like. Both laptops have very capable Intel processors (the Dell XPS 13 pulls ahead slightly with newer 11th Gen chips) and Wi-Fi half-dozen compatibility for top internet speeds, and they both also use similar graphics power (again, the Dell XPS thirteen has a notable advantage with Intel Xe) and have up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM. Also, both of them are uniform with Windows Hello biometric security. The Dell XPS thirteen has the border over the Surface Laptop three when it comes to storage, as it can exist configured with a 2TB SSD while the Surface Laptop 3'south SSD options max out at 1TB. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that y'all can upgrade the SSD on both devices to whichever amount you lot want yourself. Overall, these two devices perform similarly when it comes to web browsing, piece of work tasks, and media consumption, though the Dell XPS 13 has a clear edge.

	Dell XPS 13 (9310)	Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 xiii.5
CPU	Intel i3-1115G4 Intel i5-1135G7 Intel i7-1185G7	Intel i5-1035G7 Intel i7-1065G7
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics Intel Xe Graphics	Intel Iris Plus
Retention	8GB or 16GB of DDR4	8GB or 16GB of DDR4
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB SSD	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD (replaceable)
Display	13.4-inch Hard disk anti-reflective, 500 nits (touch or non-bear upon) xiii.4-inch three.5K anti-reflective, 500 nits (bear on) 13.4-inch 4K anti-reflective, 500 nits (touch)	13.5-inch PixelSense 2256x1504, 400 nits (touch and inking)
Speakers	Waves MaxxAudio stereo speakers	Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Sound
Aspect ratio	16:10	three:two
Ports	2x USB-C Thunderbolt iv 1x microSD card slot three.5mm audio	1x USB-C 1x USB-A three.5mm audio
Biometrics	Windows How-do-you-do-enabled 720p camera Fingerprint reader	Windows Hello-enabled 720p photographic camera
Connectivity	Wi-Fi half-dozen Bluetooth v.0	Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0
Battery	12-19 hours	10-12 hours

Where the Dell XPS 13 truly starts to take the pb is in the display and features department. Different the Surface Laptop 3'southward display, the Dell XPS 13'south is anti-cogitating, brighter, sports a higher resolution, and has better color accuracy. All of these advantages brand it the definitively better screen in this matchup. On top of the killer display, the Dell XPS thirteen as well has dual USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports (a USB-A to USB-C adapter is included in the box) and a microSD card slot, which trump the Surface Laptop 3'southward offerings of a single USB-C and USB-A port. The Thunderbolt 4 ports are a big deal, equally they let the user to do things like hook up an external GPU for improved gaming functioning 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 has only a photographic camera. Finally, the battery functioning of the Dell XPS 13 is better, too, offering upwardly to seven more hours of life on a full charge than the Surface Laptop 3.

The Surface Laptop iii isn't without some small advantages of its own, though. It has better speakers and too compatibility for inking with digital pens that use the Microsoft Pen Protocol. The Dell XPS thirteen displays can't be used with pens, although it yet supports your finger's bones touch on.

XPS 13 vs. Surface Laptop iii: Which should yous buy?

The Surface Laptop 3. Source: Windows Central

Both of these laptops are great, and they both offer reliable operation and have a fantastic premium design. With that said, the Dell XPS 13 will be the better choice for most people, as it provides better overall quality compared to the Surface Laptop 3 thirteen.five. 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 however a corking device in its own correct, and the lower-end versions of information technology are more affordable than their Dell XPS 13 equivalents.

Keep in mind that the Surface Laptop four is available, likewise, and due to its newer hardware it's a more modern competitor to the Dell XPS 13 that you should strongly consider. Yous tin can sometimes even find low-terminate configurations of the Surface Laptop four that are less expensive than the cheapest models of the Surface Laptop iii, so keep an center out for those deals.

If neither 1 appeals to you, bank check out our best Windows laptop picks.

Best overall

Dell XPS 13 9300

New Dell XPS 13 (9310)

Incredible quality

The Dell XPS xiii offers the best user experience overall thanks to its better brandish, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and stronger battery life. However, for people looking to save on a upkeep-friendly configuration, the Surface Laptop 3 xiii.5 volition exist the better choice.

Best upkeep pick

Surface Laptop 3

Microsoft Surface laptop 3 13.5-inch

Affordable excellence

The Surface Laptop iii 13.five has a ameliorate low-terminate price than the Dell XPS 13, making information technology the best choice for people prioritizing saving coin. That being said, the Dell XPS 13 offers many performance advantages and has more modern hardware under its hood.

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Enjoy a bigger display

The best docks for your Dell XPS xiii

The Dell XPS 13 is a fantastic Ultrabook, but what if you want to use it desktop-fashion? Yous're going to want to get yourself a laptop dock for that. Here are some of our favorites.