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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a compact, lightweight laptop with a high-resolution OLED display, making it excellent for general use and portability, with a good balance of performance and battery life. Its sleek design and build quality are top-notch, and it's suitable for everyday tasks, including light gaming and casual content creation. However, it may not handle intensive engineering tasks or high-end gaming as well as the MSI due to its integrated graphics. On the other hand, the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is a powerhouse designed for professionals who need top-tier performance for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering workloads. With a discrete Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a high-refresh-rate Mini LED display, it's also well-suited for gaming and will provide better performance in GPU-intensive applications. It's larger and heavier, which impacts portability, and it likely has a shorter battery life compared to the Dell, but the tradeoff is significantly more processing power and a superior display for fast-motion content and color accuracy, which is crucial for content creators. If you prioritize portability, battery life, and a premium build for everyday use and light creative work, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is the way to go. However, if you need a laptop that can handle the most demanding tasks, offers a superior display for professional work, and can game with high settings, the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is the better choice, despite being less portable and having a higher price point. 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 overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Excellent for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4
8.9
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is only fair.
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
9.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is best in class for engineering and design, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.3
9.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is excellent for content creation, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is very 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
8.3
8.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for software development, though the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is somewhat better.
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
9.7
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
374.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 Plus for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Portability
Excellent
Good
13.4in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.4
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,849
$2,999
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a price of $1,849 and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio costs $2,999.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.4
8.8
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
374.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has 9 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | MSI Creator 16 AI Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,849 | $2,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | 14'' x 10.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.71 lbs | 4.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.63" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.84" | 10.22" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1280P | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 55 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 374 nits | 1000 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 13 Plus or the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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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