The Dell XPS 13, at a lower price, offers great portability and battery life suitable for general use, while the Lenovo Legion 7, at a higher price, provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics. However, its larger size and weight make it less portable and it has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use, but better for gaming and intensive tasks. Both have high-quality keyboards and similar screen sizes, but the Legion 7 has a higher resolution and refresh rate, better tailored for fast motion and gaming. 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 Dell XPS 13
Excellent portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 7
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 7 excels in gaming and 3D tasks because it is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, whereas the Dell XPS 13 is fair for these tasks with its Intel i7-1250U Iris Xe integrated graphics and a lower refresh rate of 60 Hz.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
8.2/10
6.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell XPS 13 is good.
The Dell XPS 13, with its lightweight design and quieter operation, offers good portability and a quality screen for design work, but its integrated graphics may be less suitable for more demanding engineering tasks compared to the Lenovo Legion 7, which boasts a powerful dedicated graphics card and a larger, higher-resolution screen, enhancing performance for engineering and design applications at the cost of heavier weight and reduced battery life.
Screen Quality
7.2/10
8.3/10
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
442.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Dell XPS 13's screen offers crisp visuals and brightness suitable for various lighting conditions, while the Lenovo Legion 7 provides an even brighter and sharper display, enhancing the user experience during everyday tasks. In engineering and design, both laptops deliver wide color ranges covering DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, enabling accurate color representation for professional work, although the Legion 7's display may edge out with more vibrant colors and contrasts. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which are less optimal for the smooth motion and fast-paced visuals required in these scenarios.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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
Excellent
Good
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Dell XPS 13 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$850
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell XPS 13 has a price of $850 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell XPS 13 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.7/10
7.9/10
6.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell XPS 13 are both 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
7.5/10
7.6/10
6.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell XPS 13 are both 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.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 and Lenovo Legion 7 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo Legion 7 compare to other laptops
"In the past, the XPS 13 was a hands-down contender for the best laptop on the market. But the Apple-silicon MacBook has since barrelled onto the scene, and it wipes the floor with most of the ultraportable Windows laptops that cross my desk on a daily basis. This XPS is no exception. Compared to the M2 MacBook Air, battery life is worse."
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 13 or the Lenovo Legion 7
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.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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
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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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