While it's a few generations old, the M1 MacBook Air still has plenty of power and amazing battery life for the price. But, the design it showing its age.
For
- Remarkably fast performance
- Strong legacy app support
- Amazingly long battery life
- Comfy Magic Keyboard
- Improved webcam
Against
- Still has thick bezels
- Light on ports
The XPS 13 has an incredibly light chassis, a great display, even better battery life than before, and starts at a very affordable price.
For
- Ultraportable design
- Solid display quality
- Excellent battery life
Against
- No headphone jack
- Middling performance
- Difficult to open lid
The battle for the title of best laptop just got a whole lot more interesting. The Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air comparison is one we’ve been making for years, with Dell’s laptop usually landing on top thanks to its best-in-class design, gorgeous display and powerful performance. But Apple threw a big wrench into things with the MacBook Air with M1, which delivers absolutely blistering performance and a massive battery life boost.
And, now that the MacBook Air M3 has arrived, the M1 version has been discounted to just $699 at Walmart, making it even more attractive for those who want an inexpensive Mac.
But Dell hasn't been idle, either: The Dell XPS 13 is slimmer and lighter than before, has excellent battery life, and packs Intel's 12th gen Intel Core processor. And, it starts at just $599, making it a real bargain for PC users looking for an ultraportable.
But which new version of the two best laptops on the market is most worth your money? Read our full Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air showdown to see how these powerful notebooks stack up on value, performance and more.
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Specs
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Price and value
The MacBook Air has a starting price of $699, while the XPS 13 starts at $599. At those prices, you get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, with the MacBook Air sporting Apple’s M1 chip and the XPS 13 starting with an 12th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU.
The MacBook Air M1 starts with a higher resolution 2560 x 1600 display compared to the XPS 13’s starting 1900 x 1200 screen. Neither can be configured, but if you step up to the Dell XPS 13 Plus, you have the option of choosing a 4K touchscreen.
No other configurations of the M1 MacBook Air are available; you'd have to step up to the MacBook Air M2 or the MacBook Air M3 if you want more options when it comes to RAM and storage.
The XPS 13 can be configured with a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 8 to 32GB of RAM, and 256 to 1TB SSD.
Winner: Dell XPS 13
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Design
Dell has been refining the XPS 13’s design to near perfection over the years, and the 2022 iteration might just be the best-looking laptop on the planet. With razor-thin aluminum edges and a truly borderless InfinityEdge display, Dell’s flagship notebook is a joy to look at and use. Our biggest nitpick is that there's no indentation on the front edge, so opening the laptop is more difficult than it should.
The M1 MacBook Air was the last generation Air to sport the wedge shape that was a trademark of the line since it launched, but the Air’s chunky display bezels are a bit dated. The versions of the Air that have launched since the M1 have been redesigned completely, and while they don't have a wedge shape, they do look more modern.
Both of these laptops are wonderfully portable. But at 2.8 pounds and 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, the XPS 13 has a slightly smaller overall footprint than the MacBook Air (11.63 x 7.86 x 0.55 inches, 2.59 pounds).
Winner: Dell XPS 13
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Ports
The MacBook Air and XPS 13 are both light on ports, but one laptop has a slight edge. Each notebook sports just two USB-C ports (the XPS 13 has Thunderbolt 4; the MacBook Air is still rocking Thunderbolt 3).
But, in an effort to slim down even more, the XPS 13 no longer has a headphone jack nor a microSD card slot; say what you will about Apple's paucity of ports, but at least the Air still has a headphone jack.
Winner: MacBook Air 13
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Display
The MacBook Air and XPS 13 have some significant pros and cons on the display front, so it comes down to which features are most important to you. The XPS 13 offers the more modern, immersive display, with a near bezel-less InfinityEdge display that boasts an impressive 91.5% screen-to-body ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 1200.
The MacBook Air’s lone 2560 x 1600 display option is sharper than the XPS 13’s display out of the gate. However, its chunky bezels are starting to show their age, especially compared to the practically borderless XPS 13.
The good news is that both of these laptop screens look great in day to day use. When watching movies and shows on both notebooks, we noticed lush colors, fine details and satisfying contrast. But our lab results reveal some key differences between the XPS 13 and the MacBook Air.
Dell’s laptop is the brighter of the two, registering 460 nits of brightness on our light meter compared to the MacBook Air’s 365 nits. But the MacBook Air has a slight edge on color, producing 114.3% of the sRGB spectrum compared to the XPS 13’s 105%.
Winner: Dell XPS 13
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Keyboard and trackpad
Ever since Apple has ditched the controversial butterfly keyboard for the Magic Keyboard found in newer MacBooks, the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 are pretty comparable when it comes to typing experience. Both laptops allowed us to type comfortably at our average speeds on the 10fastfingers typing test. Dell does deserve some bonus points for the soft-touch coating on the keys, which extends to the wrist rest as well.
The Air has the larger trackpad at 4.8 x 3.2 inches versus the Dell’s 4.4 x 2.5 trackpad, but both proved responsive and reliable for multi-finger gestures. The MacBook Air’s touchpad uses haptic feedback while the XPS 13 gives a true physical click, so it’s a matter of deciding what feels best to you.
Winner: Tie
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Performance
Here’s where Apple has definitely taken the lead. The M1 chip in the new MacBook Air offered some of the best performance we’ve seen from a Mac when it first launched, but newer generations of Intel processors are catching up. Still, our test results show that there's still a ways to go.
These tests weren't performed on base-model units; rather, both were configured with 16GB of RAM. The Mac had a 1TB SSD, while the XPS 13 had a 512GB SSD.
The new MacBook Air scored 5,962 on the Geekbench 5.1 multicore performance test; the XPS 13 scored 6,489, albeit on the newer Geekbench 5.4 test.
On our Handbrake video conversion test, which transcodes a 4K video to 1080p, the MacBook Air finished the test in 9 minutes and 15 seconds, while the XPS 13 took 16:54.
We saw a similar gap when running the Civilization VI game on both systems, with the MacBook Air turning in a framerate of 37 frames per second compared to the XPS 13’s 13 fps.
Both of these laptops shine in real-world use, and we had no issues juggling dozens of browser tabs and applications at the same time on both. But if you’re looking for the best sheer performance out of the new, the new MacBook Air and its M1 processor come out on top.
Winner: MacBook Air
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Battery life
The new M1 chip doesn’t just give the Air stellar performance — it also helps give Apple’s new notebook some of the best battery life you can find on a laptop right now. The new MacBook Air lasted a whopping 14 hours and 41 minutes on our custom battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi), putting most of its Intel-based competitors to shame. And while the Dell XPS 13’s 13-hour battery life (for the 1080p version) is nothing to sneeze at, the Air lasted more than an hour longer.
Winner: MacBook Air
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Software
This round ultimately comes down to your preference of Windows vs. macOS. Windows is the most ubiquitous operating system among mainstream laptops, offering a ton of flexibility and support for a wide range of productivity apps. And while the XPS 13’s integrated Xe graphics aren’t going to play AAA games at high settings, Windows has access to a larger library of games via marketplaces like Steam and the Epic Games Store.
The MacBook Air runs on macOS, which improves on Apple’s famously clean software experience with a better Safari, an improved Messages app and new features like Control Center that make the Mac experience feel more in line with that of iOS. And thanks to the M1 chip, you’ll see even more iPhone and iPad apps make their way to the Mac ecosystem.
Winner: Tie
MacBook Air M1 vs. Dell XPS 13 2022: Overall winner
The battle between the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 is always a close one, but the superior performance and battery life made possible by the M1 chip gives Apple the win here. The MacBook Air is one of the fastest and longest-lasting laptops we’ve tested, and makes the XPS 13’s otherwise strong numbers look slow by comparison.
That said, there are plenty of areas in which the XPS 13 continues to be the best in its class. Dell’s razor-thin design and nearly bezel-less display should give Apple users serious envy, and it has a few extra options when it comes to connectivity.
Of course, your decision between these two may come down to personal taste -- gamers and power users may prefer the flexibility of Windows 11, while those tied to the Apple ecosystem might want macOS. But in terms of raw performance and battery life, the MacBook Air is the affordable mainstream laptop to beat.
