Products
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Oct 29, 2025 03:01 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Oct 29, 2025 03:01 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Size
13.4"
Operating System
Windows 11
Size
16"
Operating System
macOS
Our Verdict
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021)
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021) is better than the Dell XPS 13 (2021) for most uses; however, they're also very different laptops. The XPS 13 is a Windows thin and lightweight laptop designed for light productivity tasks like text formatting and spreadsheets, while the MacBook Pro 16 is a macOS mobile workstation designed for demanding workloads, like video editing. You can configure the XPS 13 with a fairly capable Intel 11th Gen CPU, but it throttles under load, and its integrated GPU isn't powerful enough for graphically-intensive tasks.
Variants
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7412WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7439WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-5024SLV-SUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i5/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7375SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7795SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/32GB/2TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7085SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7198SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7825SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7788SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/32GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7477SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1195G7/16GB/1TB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i3/8GB/256GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7392SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
- XPS 13 (XPS9310-7422SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1195G7/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1H3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1F3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro chip/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1E3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK1A3LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Max/10‑core CPU/32‑core GPU/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK193LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 16 (MK183LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
Main Differences for
School
School
Threshold
School
8.0
8.6
Portability
9.1
7.2
Battery
7.9
9.4
Ports
5.0
8.5
Touchpad
8.4
9.7
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
6.9
9.7
Webcam & Microphone
7.0
9.1
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
8.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
140°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
7.2
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.4"
16"
Thickness
0.6" (1.6 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
11.7" (29.6 cm)
14.0" (35.6 cm)
Depth
7.8" (19.7 cm)
9.8" (24.8 cm)
Volume
56.9 in³ (933.0 cm³)
91.6 in³ (1,500.9 cm³)
Weight
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
4.7 lbs (2.2 kg)
Charger Size
4.0 in³ (65.5 cm³)
13.3 in³ (218.3 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.5 lbs (0.2 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
Serviceability
5.8
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
7.5
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
1
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
1920 x 1200
3456 x 2234
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
169 PPI
254 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
90%
91%
Refresh Rate
5.9
8.7
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
Apple ProMotion
Contrast
8.0
10
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,804 : 1
50,250 : 1
Brightness
8.5
8.5
Maximum Brightness
475 cd/m²
469 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
27 cd/m²
4 cd/m²
Reflections
8.3
8.8
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
2.86%
1.91%
Indirect Reflections
0.87%
0.18%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.99%
1.73%
Black Uniformity
6.4
10
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.696%
0.355%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
7.3
6.9
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
31°
25°
Color Washout From Right
34°
29°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
51°
39°
Color Shift From Right
57°
47°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
31°
28°
Brightness Loss From Right
35°
32°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
36°
33°
Gamma Shift From Right
40°
38°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.3
7.0
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
22°
26°
Color Washout From Above
21°
31°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
35°
38°
Color Shift From Above
40°
45°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
25°
29°
Brightness Loss From Above
26°
34°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
20°
28°
Gamma Shift From Above
22°
33°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
8.4
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.93
1.46
Avg. Gamma
2.17
2.22
Avg. Color dE
1.87
1
Avg. Color Temperature
6,466.5 K
6,709.7 K
Color Gamut
8.5
9.5
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.81%
99.94%
sRGB uv
99.24%
99.76%
Adobe RGB xy
77.37%
88.91%
Adobe RGB uv
87.92%
94.33%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
78.13%
99.73%
DCI P3 uv
83.48%
99.09%
Rec. 2020 xy
56.11%
72.6%
Rec. 2020 uv
61.02%
73.59%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
No
No
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
1%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
70 gf
59 gf
Actuation Force
37 gf
41 gf
Pre-Travel
0.79 mm
0.78 mm
Total Travel
0.91 mm
0.86 mm
Touchpad
8.4
9.7
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.0
9.5
Size
11.2 in² (72.1 cm²)
24.8 in² (160.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.4
8.4
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
76 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.5 dB
4.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.7
0.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
298 Hz
116 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
8 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
0.7 dB
1.5 dB
Webcam & Microphone
7.0
9.1
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
7.0
9.5
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
5.0
8.5
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
3
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
No
2.0
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
MicroSD UHS 1
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.2
5.0
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core i3-1115G4
M1 Max
Core Count
2
10
Thread Count
4
10
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
UHD Graphics G4
M1 Max
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
32 GB
Modules
8 (Soldered)
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR4X
LP-DDR5
Speed
4,267 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
512 GB
Usable Capacity
180 GB
463 GB
Drive 1
Western Digital PC SN530
Apple SSD AP512R
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
6.9
9.7
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,329 points
1,784 points
CPU Multi-Thread
2,937 points
12,733 points
GPU Compute
10,417 points
68,226 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
7.2
9.6
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,282 points
1,535 points
Multi-Thread
2,526 points
12,390 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
0.9
7.9
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
17.8 min
4.1 min
GPU Render Time
18.1 min
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
4.2
9.0
Basemark Image
Overall Score
10,928
80,945
Storage Drive Performance
9.0
9.5
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
738.7 MB/s
4,506.1 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,836.1 MB/s
4,846.1 MB/s
Random Write Speed
111.0 MB/s
54.2 MB/s
Random Read Speed
46.6 MB/s
57.5 MB/s
Battery
7.9
9.4
Capacity
52 Wh
100 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
10.2 hrs
15.0 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
5.2 hrs
8.4 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.9 hrs
2.1 hrs
Charge Time
2.0 hrs
2.1 hrs
Borderlands 3
0.0
6.0
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
48 fps
1% Low
N/A
30 fps
0.1% Low
N/A
16 fps
1% Low Delta
N/A
12 ms
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
43 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
N/A
58 fps
Civilization VI
2.6
6.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
11 fps
52 fps
1% Low
8 fps
37 fps
0.1% Low
8 fps
33 fps
1% Low Delta
32 ms
8 ms
0.1% Low Delta
40 ms
11 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
41 fps
97 fps
Avg. Turn Time
12.07 s
9.69 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
5.0
9.1
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
41 fps
129 fps
1% Low
22 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
16 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
21 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
38 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
75 fps
162 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
0.0
6.0
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
93 fps
1% Low
N/A
25 fps
0.1% Low
N/A
11 fps
1% Low Delta
N/A
29 ms
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
77 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
N/A
134 fps
Thermals And Noise
7.2
7.7
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
34 °C (93 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
50 °C (121 °F)
45 °C (112 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
40.0 dBA
43.4 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
7.9
9.8
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
73 °C
93 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
8% loss
1% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
72 °C
88 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
5% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
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Dell XPS 13 (2021)
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Comments
Dell XPS 13 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1, 2021): Main Discussion
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