Review: Why Buy A MacBook With An M2 Processor When Dell’s Better XPS 13 Plus Has A Powerhouse Intel Processor?

Apple is feeling the pressure from rival PC developers, as more and more people opt to buy windows devices over their overpriced Apple MacBook’s, causing their PC market share to slip. Dell’s new XPS 13 Plus is one such device leaving Apple in the dust, with it’s cutting edge performance and aesthetic design making it hard for consumers to justify forking out a small fortune for an Apple equivalent, even with the new M1 and M2 processors.

As found by the International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple’s share of the PC market was just 6.7 percent in Q2 2022 vs 7.3 percent in Q2 2021 despite the US PC manufacturer moving to introduce their own so called fast M2 processor, which publications such as Digital Trends is describing as not being up to scratch yet especially when it comes to mixing business with pleasure and the need for some gaming performance at the end of a big business day.

The cooling system on the XPS 13 Plus is ideally balanced for a high-end Intel Core i7 processor, it’s  also one of those machines that despite being small packs a big punch when it comes to performance both with its display and processor.

When you first boot it up it takes a few minutes to absorb the look and feel of the machine with it’s cool grey rubbery looking keyboard, and information bar which is a tad different from most other notebooks we get to review, but after a few minutes and especially when the display screen boots in, you suddenly realise that this machine is not only stylish, but that it’s a thoroughbred racehorse that’s itching to demonstrate how fast it can run.

As for the information bar you can easily manage processes such as brightness as well as several other functions, all of which are easy to identify with backlit symbols.

At Dell the first up task with this this machine was to “Think Different”. If this was the formula for the XPS 13, the US notebook giant has seriously delivered by designing a product that raises questions as to why Apple MacBook fans should have to pay so much for a top end small format notebook with a chipset that is not setting the world on fire.

Under the bonnet is a 12th gen Intel i7 1206P 2.10Ghz processor and while this is ample for most PC needs including some gaming on the side, the screen is what makes this device very attractive with 3840×2400 pixels being pumped to the 13.4-inch screen where apps are easily opened, and tasks performed especially when pulling up gigabytes of magazine layouts.

In comparison, all-new MacBook Pro 2 with it’s all new M2 processor can only manage 2560×1600, or 227 pixels per inch.

While it’s hard for Apple fans to admit the new M2 Apple processor has still to earn its stripes compared to the pedigree performance that the 12th gen Intel i7 processor delivers inside the Dell XPS 13.

Several reviewers have said that the M2 processor is struggling to deliver despite Apple going into overdrive to hype the product.

Max Tech’s Vadim Yuryev when running 8K video saw the M2 processor in an Apple MacBook Air throttling down processing power due to high temperatures, with the fan maxed out at 7200 rpm.

This isn’t the only way in which the M2 MacBook Pro is slower than its predecessor and isn’t the only way the MacBook Air could also suffer claims Forbes.

Apple’s decision to move to a single NAND flash storage chip for the 256 GB model resulted in the disk read and write speeds being half that of the 256 GB M1 model.

With the XPS 13 Plus I really got to like the gapless rubberised keyboard though I would have liked a $ sign instead of a Euro sign on my 5 key.

The trackpad is invisible but for me I still prefer to connect a mouse, and this took seconds when I connected a Logi MX Anywhere mouse.

In the end the screen was so bright that I ended up throttling it back which raises the question of battery power.

I by majority use a keyboard at work or home, so I can easily connect a power supply to my notebook to keep the battery topped up.

But when I travelled for a day with the XPS 13 doing up to four PowerPoint presentations during the day, emails and browsing news and information sites I found I had ample battery power left and that included watching Channel Seven News via their Seven Plus streaming service.

The base and frame holding the display is from a single piece of matte aluminium giving it an Apple-like look.

And thanks to it’s matte finish, fingerprints are not a problem, however I suspect it could scratch easily, so I suggest you use a soft cover bag to put the notebook in when travelling.

The “infinity” display makes up for the smaller screen sizer because information and images on the screen really stand out and are very clear.

Compared to the previous model the new offering is significantly narrower, mainly because Dell chose to go with a 16:10 aspect ratio even though the machine has a 13-inch display.

With most people spending a lot of time on video call I would have liked to have seen a 1080p HD camera instead of the standard 720p at 30 fps.

I got a good working day out of this device with 15% juice left before I was able to re charge the notebook, via a USB C slot on the side of the machine.

In addition, the power adapter is small making it easier to carry in a bag, more so than a lot of other notebook power supplies.

As for display, it’s hard to find a notebook that delivers a better display especially when watching a football match via Foxtel or a movie from Binge.

It’s small but is still a tad heavier that some other thin notebooks at 1.26 kilo. The last Acer i7 notebook I reviewed was under 1 kilo.

At $2,799 this notebook can easily be classified as a premium offering and at this price you are still getting value for money especially as it takes a lot of technology and engineering to pack so much performance into such a small PC.

Verdict

If ever there was a brand that could take it right up to Apple it’s Dell, they not only have an excellent track record when it comes to designing high performance PC’s they also manufacture Alienware PC’s, which is one of the world’s best gaming brands. The i7 Intel processor in the XPS 13 Plus is a proven high-performance processor and what Dell engineers have done is extract the best there is get out of this processor without crippling battery power.

Pros

The begging question with this machine, that can easily be packed into a small bag, is how much power, performance or battery life does one actually need. Performance wise it delivers with a thumping big Intel i7 processor and the display at 3840 X 2400 display that is as good as it gets in a machine this size.

Cons

Personally I would have liked the hinge of the display to fold completely back. along with a HDMI port.

Rating: 10/10