22 Oct MacBook Laptops vs Dell XPS – Do They Stack Up?
Top Apple Computers:
The cult of Apple is vast – which means it can be intimidating when shopping for a new smartphone or some variant of the personal computer. We at Telx Computers have compiled a comprehensive overview of the best Macs on the market:
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is part of Apple’s most affordable line of laptops. It comes in two screen sizes: 11 inches, and 13 inches.
This laptop is the ideal choice for the more budget conscious consumer. This laptop is also lightweight (note; the ‘air’ moniker), weighing between 2.4 lbs. to 3.0 lbs., depending on the model.
Specifications: The four MacBook Air models come standard with 4GB of RAM and integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000 technology. Apple touts 9 hours wireless web/10 hours iTunes movie playback of batter life for the 11-inch models, and 12 hours for both wireless web and iTunes movie playback for the 13-inch models.
Furthermore, the MacBook Air has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to a network with these other features: built-in Bluetooth connectivity for a mouse or other peripheral.
Thunderbolt 2 is the MacBook Air’s high-speed connector. The laptop also has a pair of USB 3.0 ports, which can work with devices that use USB 2.0. If you have a FireWire 800 drive, you’ll need to buy a Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adapter.
The MacBook Air is a great general-purpose laptop, good for populations such as students or a self-employed person. Because the hard drive cannot be easily upgraded, it’s best to choose the model with the most storage – unless you plan to use it just for surfing the web, and word processing.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display
The king of Apple’s laptop line – The MacBook Pro with Retina Display offers some of the best graphics and performance – within the industry. The Retina MacBook Pro features a high-density display that gives images a sharpness lacking in other models.
The Retina MacBook Pro is for the most demanding user that also wants the convenience of a portable computer.
Specifications: The Retina MacBook Pro is available in both 13 inches and 15 inches.
According to MacWorld, there is significant variety within the Retina Display, “The $1299 model has a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of flash storage. The $1499 model has a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of flash storage. The $1799 model has a 2.9GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of flash storage. All three 13-inch models have an Intel Iris Graphics integrated graphics processor.
Apple has two 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. The $1999 model has a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage, and Intel Iris Pro integrated graphics. The $2499 model offers a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB flash storage, Intel Iris Pro integrated graphics, and a discrete 2GB AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics processor.
The screen is the Retina MacBook Pro’s marquee feature. The 13-inch Retina display has a native resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixels, and OS X offers a scaled resolution up to 1680 by 1050 pixels. The 15-inch Retina display has a native resolution of 2880 by 1800 pixels, and OS X’s highest scaled resolution on those laptops is 1920 by 1200 pixels. These high-scale resolutions can accommodate the workspace of a larger-screen standard Mac laptop on a smaller Retina MacBook Pro, if you can tolerate the smaller icons, text, and other graphics on screen. If you use a third-party app such as QuickRes, you can set the Retina screen to use resolutions higher than the scaled settings OS X offers, including the native resolution.” – MacWorld
Top PC Laptops:
Although Apple Computers have become the benchmark by which all other computer are evaluated, steady gains by the competition have placed Apple’s lead into question. We will review the Dell XPS – and, you can decide which is best for you.
Dell XPS
Like the MacBook, The Dell XPS also comes in two variants: the 13-inch display, and the larger 15-inch screen. In comparison with the MacBook Pro Retina, the Dell XPS is much lighter; only 2.8 lbs., as opposed to an onerous 3.4 lbs. for the Mac.
Display: The Dell XPS enjoys an impressive 3,200 x 1,800 pixel display (which means 276 pixels per inch ((PPI)), versus 226 PPI for the new 12-inch MacBook and 227 PPI for the MacBook Pro Retina). So, not only do you get better definition than the MacBook Pro Retina, the XPS is also lighter: win for Dell!
Performance: The XPS has a Core i5-5200U– based performance. It is in the same league as the Lenovo thinkPad x1 Carbon (3rd generation) or Core i5-based Surface Pro 3. Many reviewers comment that they experience a similar level of performance between the XPS and the MacBook Pro Retina.
Price: As configured with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state dreive: $1,399. Non-touch models start at $799 with 4GB and a 128GB SSD.