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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize long battery life and higher screen refresh rates for smoother visuals, choose the Apple MacBook Pro 14 with its 17-hour usage time and 120Hz display. However, you'll sacrifice some portability and general performance compared to the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which offers higher RAM capacity, potentially better for multitasking and intensive tasks despite its 10-hour battery life. The Dell's OLED touchscreen and lighter weight also make it more portable, but it may not manage heat as efficiently as the MacBook Pro. For engineering, 3D, or machine learning, neither laptop is optimal for intensive gaming but can perform moderately well in other demanding tasks. 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 Pro 14 (Late 2023)
- 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
8.4
14.2in
SIZE
13.4in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
489.0 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's display, known for its high resolution, exceptional brightness, and wide color gamut, offers sharp visuals and vivid colors, making it optimal for professionals in engineering and design who value color accuracy for their work. In contrast, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus also offers high resolution and excellent color reproduction, appealing to users in engineering and design, it may fall short in brightness compared to the MacBook Pro. However, neither laptop is ideal for 3D work or gaming, as both lack the high refresh rates preferred for those activities, which can hinder the smoothness and responsiveness of on-screen action.
Battery
17.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
8.5
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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
$1,499
$1,849
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.4
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
489.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
17.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its Apple M3 processor, Mini LED screen, and longer battery life, provides a balanced experience for general use, but with half the RAM of the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which has a high-resolution OLED touchscreen and a more powerful processor suitable for multitasking and demanding tasks. Both laptops offer portability and premium build quality, but while the MacBook excels in battery longevity, the Dell's superior RAM and processor could better handle more resource-intensive applications.
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.4
4.5/10
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 (Late 2023) and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-refresh-rate screen and powerful integrated GPU, is well-suited for 3D work, although its MacOS may limit its gaming capabilities since many popular games do not run on Macs. Conversely, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, though its screen has a lower refresh rate which might not be optimal for fast-paced gaming, comes with Windows 11 Home which supports a wide array of games and its high-quality screen and capable GPU also make it good for both gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus stands out for engineering and design with a high-powered Intel processor and significantly more RAM, vital for demanding software, while its OLED screen offers superior resolution and contrast for detailed work. Conversely, the Apple MacBook Pro 14, although it features an Apple M3 processor and integrated graphics, has less RAM and a lower screen resolution, but comes with a larger Mini LED screen and better battery life, which alongside MacOS might suit certain engineering applications and design preferences.
Content Creation
8.4
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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
8.2
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) | Dell XPS 13 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,499 | $1,849 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 2.71 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.31" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.71" | 7.84" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M3 | Intel i7-1280P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 17 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 69.6 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.2" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | Mini LED | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 489 nits | 374 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"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."
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 Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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.
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