When deciding between the Apple MacBook Pro 14 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus, consider that the MacBook Pro 14 has a longer battery life and better heat management, making it suitable for extended use without needing to recharge or worry about overheating. Its screen is suitable for professional photo and video editing due to high color accuracy. However, the MacBook is heavier and thus less portable than the XPS 13 Plus. The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a superior portability score, making it more convenient for frequent travel. It also has a much higher resolution touch screen, which could be beneficial for detailed work or enjoying high-resolution media. The choice ultimately depends on whether you prioritize extended battery use and color accuracy, or a lighter laptop with a better screen resolution and touch capability. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
9.2/10
8.4/10
14.2in
SIZE
13.4in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
479.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 Plus for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has an exceptional Retina display with high resolution and brightness levels that benefit general use and engineering design with rich color accuracy covering a wide spectrum. The Dell XPS 13 Plus boasts a high-quality screen with sharp resolution and strong brightness, offering vibrant colors critical for professionals in engineering and design. For 3D and gaming, neither model is ideal due to their standard refresh rates, which are lower than what is typically preferred for these fast-moving visuals.
Battery
13.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
14.2in
SIZE
13.4in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) excels in general use due to its high-quality Mini LED screen with excellent color coverage and brightness, a powerful M1 Pro CPU, and ample RAM, alongside a notably long battery life, which is beneficial for those often on the go. Conversely, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus also boasts a superb OLED screen, more RAM, and a high-quality keyboard, its shorter battery life and lighter build make it well-suited for portability but may require more frequent charging.
Gaming and AI
6.8/10
6.4/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) with its higher screen refresh rate and dedicated GPU is ideal for smoother 3D modeling and rendering, but its MacOS may limit gaming options as many popular games are not compatible. On the other hand, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, while having a less powerful integrated GPU, runs Windows, which supports a broader library of games, though its regular refresh rate may not be as optimal for fast-paced gaming.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.2/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is equipped with a powerful M1 Pro chip and a high-quality Mini LED screen, making it suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks; however, it is heavier and has less RAM than the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which boasts an Intel i7 processor with more RAM and an OLED touchscreen, enhancing multitasking and interactive design work but offering a slightly lower screen pixel density and battery capacity compared to the MacBook Pro. Both laptops exhibit excellent portability, keyboard, and speaker quality, but if portability is a priority, the lighter XPS 13 Plus might be preferable, while for those prioritizing screen size and battery life for long design sessions, the MacBook Pro stands out.
Content Creation
8.4/10
8.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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
8.3/10
8.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) 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.
Cost
$1,905
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) has a price of $1,905 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 Pro 14 (2021) 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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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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