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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers higher overall performance, better screen resolution, and longer battery life, suitable for demanding tasks and professional use, but comes at a higher price. The MSI Modern 14 is more budget-friendly, with adequate capabilities for general use and some creative tasks, but it has a shorter battery life and less powerful hardware. Consider the Dell if your work involves intensive engineering, 3D, or machine learning tasks and you value a high-quality display. Opt for the MSI for everyday tasks, basic creative work, and if you prioritize saving money. Both laptops are portable, though the Dell is slightly lighter. 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 MSI Modern 14
- The MSI Modern 14 has no clear advantages over the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
Key differences
General Use
8.4
7.2
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
374.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the MSI Modern 14 is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers superior general use capabilities with a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and an OLED screen with higher resolution and color accuracy compared to the MSI Modern 14, which may result in a more vivid and responsive experience. However, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is less portable due to its lower battery life, while the MSI Modern 14 is lighter and offers more practicality for on-the-go use despite having a less impressive screen and overall performance.
Engineering and Design
8.2
6.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers more memory, a higher-performance CPU and an advanced GPU, suitable for demanding engineering software, complemented by a top-tier OLED screen with superior resolution and color accuracy, at the expense of being less portable and having slightly less flexible connectivity options compared to the MSI Modern 14. The MSI Modern 14, though still capable for less intensive tasks due to its fair CPU and GPU, has less memory and an average quality screen but gains an edge in portability and has more options for upgrades with available slots for RAM and storage.
Content Creation
8.3
7.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for content creation, while the MSI Modern 14 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
8.3
7.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the MSI Modern 14 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
8.4
6.4
13.4in
SIZE
14.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
374.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus offers a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness, making it ideal for everyday tasks and professional design work where color accuracy and detail are critical. However, its screen refresh rate isn't suited for the fast-paced visuals required in high-end gaming and 3D applications. The MSI Modern 14, on the other hand, provides a decent all-around visual experience with fair resolution and brightness, but lacks the color range needed for precise engineering and design tasks as well as the quick refresh rates desired by gamers.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 has 6 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
Very Good
13.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the MSI Modern 14 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.0
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the MSI Modern 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,849
$525
$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 MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.0
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus and MSI Modern 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is better suited for gaming and 3D applications because it employs a more powerful integrated GPU, the Iris Xe. Both laptops share an identical screen refresh rate, which is quite standard, but the XPS 13 Plus offers a stronger GPU, providing better gaming and 3D performance.
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How the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,849 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.71 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.63" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.84" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1280P | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 55 Wh | 39 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 374 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 8.7/10 | |
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 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
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."
MSI Modern 14
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Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 13 Plus or the MSI Modern 14
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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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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