The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is known for its excellent battery life and sleek design, offering a balance of performance and portability, making it a solid option for general use and light engineering tasks. However, it might not be the best choice for applications that require high graphics performance like gaming or intensive engineering software. On the other hand, the Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a higher-resolution OLED screen and more power under the hood with an Intel processor, making it better suited for demanding engineering applications and tasks that benefit from a top-notch display, like photo or video editing. However, this comes at a higher price point and a hit to battery life compared to the MacBook Air. If portability and battery life are your top priorities and you primarily deal with everyday tasks, the MacBook Air could serve you well. If you're looking for stronger performance for professional creative work or more intensive tasks and value a better display, the XPS 13 Plus might be more appropriate despite its higher cost and heavier weight. 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 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a more powerful Intel i7 processor, more memory, and a high-resolution OLED screen, which contribute to better performance for engineering and design tasks compared to the Apple MacBook Air 15's M2 processor, less RAM, and IPS display. Although the MacBook Air offers silent operation and better portability due to its lighter weight and fanless design, the XPS 13 Plus's higher specs make it more suitable for demanding applications.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.4/10
15.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Apple MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 Plus both offer high-resolution displays with bright screens and quality panel types, ensuring crisp and vivid images. For engineering and design, the superior color accuracy and wider color gamut coverage of the Dell XPS 13 Plus make it ideal for professionals who require precise color representation for their work. However, for 3D applications and gaming, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, meaning that while they can handle less demanding tasks, they aren't suited for high-performance gaming or professional 3D work that relies on smoother motion and rapid screen updates.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 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
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell XPS 13 Plus to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is rated higher for general use than the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) largely due to its superior CPU, significantly more RAM, and a higher resolution OLED touchscreen display, which offer better performance and screen quality, although it has a smaller battery and lower battery life. The MacBook Air 15, while offering silent operation and better portability with a lighter design and longer battery life, has less powerful hardware in terms of CPU and RAM, and an IPS display which is lower quality than the OLED on the Dell.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
6.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus outperforms the Apple MacBook Air 15 for gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its Windows operating system, enabling compatibility with more games and its better performing Iris Xe GPU. While both have comparable screen refresh rates and high-quality displays, the MacBook Air's MacOS and less capable integrated GPU make it less ideal for popular gaming and intensive 3D applications that require robust graphics support.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
8.1/10
8.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
Very Good
Excellent
15.3in
SIZE
13.4in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell XPS 13 Plus to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
"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."
"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 Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Dell XPS 13 Plus
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.
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.
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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.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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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.