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Updated January 16, 2024·
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the more expensive option, offering a high-resolution OLED screen, a more powerful Intel i7 processor with integrated graphics, and exceptional build quality, making it a premium choice for general use and some light creative work. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is less expensive, featuring an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, making it better suited for 3D work, machine learning, and gaming. It also has a larger screen and more storage space but a lower resolution display and falls behind in build quality. If you prioritize gaming or creative tasks requiring a dedicated GPU and want to save money, the MSI is the better option, whereas if you prefer a more refined design, better screen, and can afford the higher cost, the Dell may be more to your liking. Both have similar battery life, with the Dell being slightly lighter and thinner, enhancing its portability. 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 software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.4
7.8
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
374.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is favored for general use due to its top-notch screen quality, with an OLED display providing vivid colors and higher resolution, complemented by a lightweight design, making it highly portable with a long battery life. On the other hand, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio offers a larger storage capacity and dedicated graphics for better gaming or creative work, it falls short on portability and battery life, making it less ideal for users who prioritize mobility and all-day use.
Gaming and AI
6.4
7.8
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus is only fair.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus, with its higher-resolution OLED display and integrated graphics, is suited for gaming and 3D applications with an emphasis on screen quality; however, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio offers a superior dedicated Nvidia graphics card and a much higher refresh rate display, which is critical for smoother visuals in gaming and 3D rendering.
Software Development
8.3
7.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for software development, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
7.6
13.4in
SIZE
14.0in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
374.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus excels in screen quality for general use and engineering because of its high resolution and superior brightness, along with wide color gamuts that ensure accurate color representation which is crucial for design work. However, its lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops makes it less suitable for gaming and 3D tasks, which require smoother motion rendering. In contrast, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has a reasonably good display with adequate resolution, brightness, and color accuracy for both everyday tasks and professional design, it, too, falls short for gaming purposes due to a refresh rate that isn't optimal for the fast-paced visuals expected in that domain.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.6
The Dell XPS 13 Plus has very good build quality, while the MSI Stealth 14 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
$1,520
$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 Stealth 14 Studio costs $1,520.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and Dell XPS 13 Plus are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is suitable for engineering and design because it offers a high-resolution OLED display and superior processing power with more RAM, which is crucial for demanding applications, along with decent portability features. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio caters to similar professional needs with a dedicated high-performance GPU and ample storage but with a lower resolution screen and less RAM, making it more suitable for applications that rely heavily on graphics processing.
Content Creation
8.3
7.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell XPS 13 Plus to be very good for content creation, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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.
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How the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | MSI Stealth 14 Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,849 | $1,520 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | 12.4'' x 9.7'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.71 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.63" | 12.4" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.84" | 9.69" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1280P | Intel i7-13620H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 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 | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 55 Wh | 72 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.4" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 374 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.2/10 | 7.9/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
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 | 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."
MSI Stealth 14 Studio
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Francisco Lahoz | June 2023
"You'll find a versatility in the MSI Stealth 14 Studio that isn’t matched by many content-creator laptops we've tested of late. The small frame allows you to (potentially) work from anywhere with an outlet and, if noise isn’t a concern, run your most demanding of programs, thanks to some powerful hardware inside. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is an attractive and powerful option if you want a portable laptop to be the center of your content work setup."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 13 Plus or the MSI Stealth 14 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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