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MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Company ProductName Specs











XPS 16
Company ProductName Specs











Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for software development
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Very good portability
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell XPS 16
  • The Dell XPS 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).

Key differences

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General Use

8.8
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
8.0
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Dell XPS 16 are both very good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.

Content Creation

8.6
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
8.1
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Dell XPS 16 are both very good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.

Software Development

8.6
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
7.8
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell XPS 16 is good.

Screen Quality

7.8
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
7.9
15.3in
SIZE
16.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 16 for software development, and content creation, while the Dell XPS 16 has a better screen for gaming and AI.

Battery

15.0 Hours
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 16 has 10 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
Good
15.3in
SIZE
16.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Dell XPS 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

10.0
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
8.5
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell XPS 16 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Gaming and AI

6.7
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
6.5
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Dell XPS 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

8.0
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
7.9
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Dell XPS 16 is good.

Cost

$1,899
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
XPS 16
$1,899
Product imageProduct image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,899 and the Dell XPS 16 costs $1,899.

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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Dell XPS 16 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)Dell XPS 16
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)Dell XPS 16

GENERAL

Price
$1,899
$1,899
Release Date
June 1, 2023February 20, 2024
Overall Dimensions
13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45''14.1'' x 9.5'' x 0.74''
Weight
3.3 lbs4.7 lbs
Width
13.4"14.1"
Depth
9.35"9.5"

INTERNAL

Processor
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
00
Storage
1024 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
15 Hours10 Hours
Battery Capacity
66.6 Wh99.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.3"16.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2880 x 18641920 x 1200
Refresh Rate
60Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
501 nits500 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
10/108.5/10
Portability Score
9/107.5/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
YesYes
Fan Noise Score
10/108.8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
10/109/10
Speaker Quality Score
10/109.5/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
00
USB-C ports
23
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
34

Shopping

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Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."

Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Dell XPS 16

About Apple

Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.

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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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,295
Recommendations made
27,148
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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