Products
Tested using Methodology v0.9.1
Updated Aug 28, 2026 05:11 PM
SEE PRICE
Dell
Tested using Methodology v0.9.1
Updated Aug 28, 2026 04:20 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Size
14"
Operating System
Windows 11
Size
13.6"
Operating System
macOS
Our Verdict
Dell XPS 14 (2026)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026)
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026) and the Dell XPS 14 (2026) are premium ultraportables designed for general productivity and light creative work. The MacBook Air has a significantly longer battery life, a more color-accurate display out of the box, and a silent fanless design; it also maintains its performance more consistently during sustained workloads. The Dell offers more configuration flexibility, including up to 64GB of RAM and a 2.8k 120Hz OLED touchscreen that produces deeper blacks and smoother motion than the MacBook Air's 60Hz IPS panel. It also has a higher-resolution 4K webcam and a third USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port. Neither is ideal for demanding GPU-heavy work, so the choice largely comes down to display preferences, application compatibility, and whether you prefer macOS or Windows.
Variants
- XPS 14 (DA14260) (Graphite - 2.8K/Touch/Ultra X7 358H/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MDHF4LL/A) (Midnight - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MDHG4LL/A) (Midnight - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
Main Differences for
General Productivity
General Productivity
Threshold
General Productivity
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Build Quality
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
Hinge Photo
Range
Stability
One Finger Lift
Portability
Dimensions Photo
Size
Thickness
Width
Depth
Volume
Weight
Charger Size
Charger Weight
Serviceability
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
RAM Slots
Storage Slots
Replaceable Battery
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
Aspect Ratio
Pixel Density
Panel Type
Touch Screen
Screen-To-Body Ratio
Refresh Rate
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
Contrast
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
Brightness
Maximum Brightness
Minimum Brightness
Reflections
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Total Reflections
Indirect Reflections
Calculated Direct Reflections
Black Uniformity
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
Avg. Gamma
Avg. Color dE
Avg. Color Temperature
Color Gamut
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
sRGB uv
Adobe RGB xy
Adobe RGB uv
Gamut HDR
DCI-P3 xy
DCI-P3 uv
Rec. 2020 xy
Rec. 2020 uv
Flicker
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Flicker Frequency
Flicker Active Below
Interface
Keyboard
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
Numpad
Backlighting
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
Actuation Force
Pre-Travel
Total Travel
Touchpad
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
Size
Material
Dedicated Buttons
Speakers
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
Webcam & Microphone
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
Resolution
Position
Privacy Cover
Face Unlock
Connectivity
Ports
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
USB-C Ports
Thunderbolt
USB-C Charging
USB-C Display Out
HDMI
DisplayPort
3.5mm Jack
Card Reader
Ethernet
Proprietary Port
Security Lock
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Model
Core Count
Thread Count
GPU
Brand
Model
Dedicated/Integrated
VRAM Size
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
RAM
Capacity
Modules
Type
Speed
Storage
Advertised Capacity
Usable Capacity
Drive 1
Drive 1 Type
Drive 2
Drive 2 Type
Performance
CPU/RAM Performance
Cinebench 2024 - Single Core
Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core
Geekbench 6 - Single Core
Geekbench 6 - Multi Core
Blender - CPU (Avg)
PassMark PT - CPU Mark
PassMark PT - Memory Mark
PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)
Mozilla Kraken
Low Tier Graphics
Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute
Basemark Web 3.0
PassMark PT - 2D Mark
PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)
PassMark PT - 3D Mark
PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)
Novabench 5 - GPU
mprep - Stress My GPU
High Tier Graphics
3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)
3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)
Basemark GPU (DX12)
Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)
GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)
Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)
Blender - GPU (Avg)
Cinebench 2024 - GPU
CPU-Intensive Game Performance
Civilization VII - AI
Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)
Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)
Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)
Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)
Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)
Previous Methodology Score
Previous Methodology Score Converted
GPU-Intensive Game Performance
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
GTA V (Avg)
GTA V (1% Low)
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
Resident Evil 4 (Avg)
Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)
Previous Methodology Score
Previous Methodology Score Converted
Ray Tracing Performance
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
Storage Drive Performance
Sequential Write Speed
Sequential Read Speed
Random Write Speed
Random Read Speed
Battery
Capacity
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
Battery Life (Video Playback)
Battery Life (Gaming)
Charge Time
Thermals And Noise
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
Keyboard Temp Under Load
Fan Noise While Idle
Fan Noise Under Load
Power & Fan Control App
Performance Over Time
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
GPU Temp (Heaven)
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
Additional Features And Software
Dell XPS 14 (2026)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026)
Comments
Dell XPS 14 (2026) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026): Main Discussion
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