Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs Dell XPS 13 (2026)
44.5Performance44
29.8Display38.4
66.7Battery77.9
88Portability93.4
3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)5 spec wins — Dell XPS 13 (2026)
InnoReviews verdict
Dell XPS 13 (2026) wins this laptop face-off, 58.9 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+11) and display (+9). Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
- 11% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 12.7 mm
Reasons to pick the Dell XPS 13 (2026)
- Stronger display score: 38 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 78 vs 67
- Stronger portability score: 93 vs 88
- 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 100% higher storage: 512 GB vs 256 GB
- Lower launch price: $800 vs $1,099
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″+1% | 13.4 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | LCD |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 2560x1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 320 |
| Graphics | Apple M3 8-core GPU | Intel Graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB+100% |
| Storage type | NVMe SSD | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,050Top 33% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,000Bottom 17% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 53 Wh+1% | 52 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | 15 h | 18 h+20% |
| Charging | 35 W | 60 W+71% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1 kg+19% |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm+11% | 12.7 mm |
| Material | Aluminum | CNC Machined Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB Type-C |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 6.0 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p FHD IR webcam |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Fingerprint reader, Windows Hello facial recognition |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Dell XPS 13 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home |
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