If you prioritize performance and are willing to invest in a higher-cost laptop, the Dell XPS 13 Plus stands out with its high-resolution OLED touchscreen, more memory, and longer battery life, making it well-suited for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 16 comes at a lower price and offers more storage out of the box and a larger screen, which is attractive for general use and productivity. However, its heavier build compared to the lightweight Dell XPS 13 Plus may impact portability for those frequently on the go. Both laptops are not ideal for intensive gaming despite having decent overall performance for general and engineering use. 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 Vivobook 16
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has no clear advantages over the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
295.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
While the ASUS Vivobook 16 offers satisfactory performance through its CPU and adequate RAM, with a larger screen that's nice for viewing content, the Dell XPS 13 Plus stands out for its superior CPU performance, sharper screen quality, and exceptional portability, enhanced by its lighter weight and longer battery life. However, the Vivobook may be appealing for those who prioritize a larger screen and more storage at a potentially lower cost, whereas the XPS 13 Plus offers a better keyboard, quieter operation, and more efficient heat management, making it an excellent choice for those who need a high-performance laptop on the go.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
8.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus stands out for engineering and design due to its higher RAM capacity, superior OLED screen with higher resolution for sharper image quality, and a more powerful Intel CPU that is likely better suited for compute-intensive tasks compared to the ASUS Vivobook 16's AMD CPU and screen. However, the Vivobook 16 offers a larger screen and more storage space out-of-the-box, which may favor users who prioritize these features along with the added benefit of a larger, albeit lower resolution, display for multitasking or design work.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
7.3/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.4/10
16.0in
SIZE
13.4in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
295.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers superior visuals with its higher resolution and brightness, making it an excellent choice for detail-oriented work like engineering and design due to its wide color gamut coverage. The ASUS Vivobook 16’s screen is adequate for everyday tasks but its lower resolution and lesser brightness might not bring out the fine details as much. Both laptops are not ideal for gaming or 3D applications, as they lack high refresh rates essential for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 8 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
Good
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.4in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$669
$1,849
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a better experience for gaming and 3D with its higher-quality screen and more powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics, while the ASUS Vivobook 16, with its AMD Ryzen 7 7730U Vega 8 graphics, offers sufficient performance but falls short compared to the Dell in both GPU and screen quality. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates, which is very important for gaming, but the Dell's superior screen and GPU make it more suitable for these tasks.
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How the ASUS Vivobook 16 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
"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 Vivobook 16 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.
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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