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Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 offers solid performance with a high amount of storage and impressive screen quality, suitable for general use and productivity tasks, and it's relatively more portable due to its lighter weight. However, the Dell XPS 13 Plus has a superior display resolution which may be better for creative work that requires high detail, and it includes a touchscreen. While the Dell XPS 13 Plus is slightly heavier and may have shorter battery life, it also comes with a better build quality and higher-rated keyboard experience, which could be beneficial for extensive typing work. Both laptops have sufficient power for engineering tasks, but neither is suitable for intensive gaming. The choice between the two may ultimately come down to whether you prioritize a lighter laptop with longer battery life or a higher-resolution touchscreen with a sturdier build. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook S 13
- Best in class portability
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.1
8.4
13.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
365.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook S 13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus for general use, the panel type, high resolution, and brightness contribute to very good display quality, making it easier on the eyes for reading text and viewing multimedia content. For engineering and design, the Dell XPS 13 Plus has an edge with a wider color gamut, allowing it to reproduce colors more accurately which is crucial for detailed and color-sensitive work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where the refresh rate is paramount for smooth motion, both laptops may not be ideal due to their lower refresh rates compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
11.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has 11 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the ASUS Zenbook S 13 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 has a price of $1,400 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.6
8.4
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
365.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
11.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 stands out for general use with a significant storage capacity, ample RAM, and a high-quality OLED screen, all packed into an exceptionally slim and light chassis that offers portability and a long battery life. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13 Plus offers similar RAM, a potent CPU, and an even higher resolution OLED touchscreen, providing excellent visual clarity and touch functionality, although it trades off some battery life and is slightly heavier, which might make it less portable than the ASUS.
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.4
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and ASUS Zenbook S 13 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook S 13, with a robust CPU and GPU pair, ample RAM, and a high-quality OLED screen, provides the necessary power and visual accuracy for engineering and design tasks. In comparison, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, while also equipped with a powerful CPU, generous RAM, and an even higher resolution OLED touchscreen, offers these capabilities with a slight edge in portability and superior build and speaker quality, albeit with less onboard storage.
Content Creation
8.5
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.3
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Best in Class
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2.2 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook S 13 to have best in class portability, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the ASUS Zenbook S 13 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook S 13 | Dell XPS 13 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,400 | $1,849 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.7'' x 8.5'' x 0.46'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.2 lbs | 2.71 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.66" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.52" | 7.84" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Intel i7-1280P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 63 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 365 nits | 374 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.5/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.4/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook S 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | May 2023
"The Asus Zenbook S 13 is the slimmest OLED ultrabook worldwide struggles with annoying fans. The new Zenbook S 13 leaves us with mixed feelings, particularly since last year's model was so good. Asus has completely reworked the device, making the laptop noticeably slimmer. The result also looks good and the case makes a great impression, particularly also in terms of the stability. The new plasma ceramic surface feels great, and there are no problems with fingerprints. In addition, it now includes some of the known connections such as an HDMI port and a regular USB-A connection, which is a good achievement in such a slim device."
Dell XPS 13 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The XPS 13 Plus is powerful, but has its drawbacks. Dell did not only update the processor generation, but also decided to offer two completely different models from now on. The XPS 13 Plus gets the faster Intel Alder Lake-P chips, and the Core i7-1260P in our review unit offers good performance figures. However, the device once again shows the problems of the current Intel CPUs, because the high performance requires a lot of power. This affects the battery runtime as well as temperatures, so the new model (even with the Optimized power profile) is louder than the older model."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook S 13 or the Dell XPS 13 Plus
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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