Dell XPS 15 9520 vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

In depth comparison and review of Dell XPS 15 9520 and Apple MacBook Air with Retina display. Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Dell XPS 15 9520 Review

Advantages and disadvantages of Dell XPS 15 9520 based on its technical characteristics, features, user experience, expert reviews and price level.

stunning 4k display

powerful intel performance

solid build quality

good battery life

advanced thermal design

high base price

heavier than competitors

no full-size usb port

limited color options

Laptop Comparison and Tests

Difference between Dell XPS 15 9520 and Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
85 % - Design
83 % - Display
85 % - Performance
85 % - Connectivity
85 % - Battery

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Dell XPS 15 9520 vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Product Type Notebook Notebook
Dimensions (WxDxH) 34.44 cm x 23.014 cm x 1.854 cm 30.41 cm x 21.24 cm x 1.56 cm
Weight 1.92 kg 1.25 kg
Case Material - Aluminum
Colour Silver Space grey | Gold | Silver
DISPLAY Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Screen Size (Type) 15.6" 13.3" - IPS
LCD Backlight Technology - LED backlight
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1200 (Full HD Plus) 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA)
Pixel Density (ppi) 145 227
V-Sync Rate at Max Res. 60 Hz -
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 16:10 16:10
Image Brightness 500 cd/m² -
Colour Gamut 100% sRGB -
Features Anti-glare, Infinity Edge display, Wide Viewing Angle, ±85° horizontal viewing angle, ±85° vertical viewing angle, 35 ms response rate, 0.18 mm pixel pitch, Eyesafe technology BFR/PVC-free, Mercury free, beryllium free, arsenic free, Retina display
PROCESSOR Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
CPU Intel Core i7 (12th Gen) 12700H Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) 1.6 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 4.7 GHz 3.6 GHz
Number of Cores 14-core Dual-Core
Cache 24 MB L3 - 4 MB
64-bit Computing - Yes
Features Intel Smart Cache Intel Turbo Boost Technology
MEMORY Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
RAM 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 8 GB (provided memory is soldered)
Max RAM Supported 64 GB -
RAM Type DDR5 SDRAM LPDDR3 SDRAM
Speed 4800 MHz 2133 MHz
Rated Speed 4800 MHz -
Form Factor SO-DIMM 262-pin -
Slots Qty 2 -
Empty Slots 0 -
STORAGE Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 512 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 - NVM Express (NVMe) 128 GB SSD soldered PCIe
AUDIO & VIDEO Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Graphics Processor (GPU) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Intel UHD Graphics 617
Video Memory 4 GB GDDR6 SDRAM -
Camera Yes - 1280 x 720 (standard), 576 x 360 (infrared) Yes - 720p
Resolution 0.9 Megapixel (standard), 0.2 Megapixel (infrared) -
Camera Features IR/RGB camera, 78.5 degrees FaceTime HD camera
Image Sensor Type CMOS -
Video Resolutions 1280 x 720 -
Frame Rate 30 frames per second -
Sound Stereo speakers, dual array microphone Stereo speakers, three microphones
Codec Realtek ALC3281 -
Compliant Standards High Definition Audio -
COMMUNICATIONS Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Wireless Bluetooth 5.2, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi-Fi 6E) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2
Wireless Controller Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675 -
Features Dual stream (2x2) -
BATTERY Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Technology 6-cell Lithium Ion Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 86 Wh 50.3 Wh
Battery Life - Up to 12 hours
Battery Run Time - Web browsing over Wi-Fi: up to 12 hours
Video playback: up to 13 hours
Standby time: up to 30 days
AC ADAPTER Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Input AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 130 Watt, 20 V, 6.5 A 30 Watt
INPUT Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Type Keyboard, touchpad Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad
Keyboard Backlight Yes Yes
Features - Pressure sensitivity, multi-touch touchpad, Multi-Touch Gesture Recognition, ambient light sensor, force click, Touch ID sensor
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Interfaces USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (supports DisplayPort Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
2 x USB4 Gen 3x2 (supports Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort 1.4a Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
Headphone/microphone combo jack
2 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
Headphone output
Memory Card Reader Yes (SD Card, SDHC Card, SDXC Card) -
SOFTWARE Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Operating System (OS) Windows 11 Pro - Dutch / English / French / German / Italian Apple macOS Big Sur 11.0
Software Included Microsoft Office (30 days trial, excludes office licence), McAfee Small Business Security (30 days trial) iTunes, Apple iMovie, Apple Safari, Apple GarageBand, Photo Booth, Apple Time Machine, Apple FaceTime, Apple Preview, Mail, Maps, Photos, Reminders, App Store, Contacts, Stocks, Notes, Calendar, Siri, Messages, Apple iBooks, Apple Keynote, Apple Pages, Apple Numbers, News, Voice Memos, Home
MISCELLANEOUS Dell XPS 15 9520 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Included Accessories USB-C power adapter USB-C power adapter
Cables Included - USB-C charge cable
Security Fingerprint reader Apple T2 Security Chip, fingerprint reader
Security Slot Type Noble Wedge security slot -
Theft/Intrusion Protection Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately) -
Features - T2 Security Chip
SAR Value - 0.71 W/kg (body)
Repairability Index - 6.1 (out of 10)
ENERGY STAR Certified - Yes
EPEAT Compliant - EPEAT Gold
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C 10 °C
Humidity Range Operating 10 - 90% (non-condensing) 0 - 90% (non-condensing)
Manufacturer Warranty - Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
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