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Updated January 12, 2024·
If you prioritize performance and build quality and are willing to invest more money, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is a superior choice, commonly favored for demanding tasks and high-end features. However, if affordability is a key concern and you use a laptop for routine tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" offers a budget-friendly option with adequate performance for everyday computing, although it might not excel in more intensive tasks. Remember that while the Dell may offer a more polished experience, the Lenovo IdeaPad provides functional adequacy without straining your budget. 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 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
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
- The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
Key differences
General Use
8.4
6.2
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
374.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.4
5.8
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.2
5.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is better suited for engineering and design due to its powerful CPU and GPU, ample RAM, and high-resolution OLED screen, which ensure smooth running of demanding applications and vivid display of detailed designs. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a less powerful CPU and GPU, less RAM, and a lower quality TN screen with lower resolution, making it less capable of handling engineering software and offering less precise visuals.
Content Creation
8.3
6.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
8.4
5.2
13.4in
SIZE
15.6in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
374.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a vibrant, crisp display for productivity or design tasks, the Dell XPS 13 Plus offers high resolution and brightness suited for general use and accurate colors for engineering and design, but its refresh rate isn't ideal for 3D or gaming. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has lower screen quality across the board with less focus on resolution and color accuracy, making it less suitable for both everyday and specialized tasks. For 3D applications and gaming, neither laptop is optimal due to the lack of high refresh rates, but the Dell may still offer a slightly better visual experience due to its superior panel type and resolution.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
6.5
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,849
$360
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a price of $1,849 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
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How the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,849 | $360 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.71 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.63" | 14.26" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.84" | 9.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1280P | Intel i3-1115G4 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 55 Wh | 35 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 374 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | February 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 13 Plus or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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.
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