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InnoReviews

Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) vs Dell 16 Premium

Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)
56.9Inno Score
VS
Dell 16 Premium

Dell

Dell 16 Premium

$2,700

56.9Inno Score
65.5Performance57.6
—Graphics87.6
29.8Displayspec-based35.1
55.3Batteryspec-based69.3
79.6Portabilityspec-based45
4 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)7 spec wins — Dell 16 Premium

InnoReviews verdict

This one is close to a dead heat: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) scores 56.9 against 56.9 for Dell 16 Premium. Pick by the categories that matter to you — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) edges ahead in performance, or by price.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)

  • Stronger performance score: 66 vs 58
  • 50% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 4,195 vs 2,792
  • 39% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 18.7 mm
  • 35% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 2.34 kg
  • 25% higher Peak brightness: 500 nits vs 400 nits
  • Lower launch price: $1,299 vs $2,700

Reasons to pick the Dell 16 Premium

  • 117% higher charging: 130 W vs 60 W
  • 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
  • 100% higher RAM: 32 GB vs 16 GB
  • 100% higher storage: 1,024 GB vs 512 GB
  • 50% higher capacity: 99.5 Wh vs 66.5 Wh

Display

Display comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Screen size15.3 ″16.3 ″+7%
Panel typeIPS (Liquid Retina)OLED (touchscreen)
Resolution2880x18643840x2400
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz+100%
Peak brightness500 nits+25%400 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
ProcessorApple M5 (10-core)Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GraphicsApple M5 10-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR7)
RAM16 GB32 GB+100%
RAM typeLPDDR5X (unified)LPDDR5X-8400 (soldered)
Storage512 GB1,024 GB+100%
Storage typeSSDPCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Geekbench 6 (single)4,195+50%Top 3%2,792Top 50%
Geekbench 6 (multi)16,995Top 24%17,326+2%Top 22%
3DMark Time Spy Graphics (GPU)—13,644Top 31%

Battery

Battery comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Capacity66.5 Wh99.5 Wh+50%
Web browsing endurance—11 h
Charging60 W130 W+117%

Design

Design comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Weight1.51 kg+35%2.34 kg
Thickness11.5 mm+39%18.7 mm
MaterialRecycled AluminumCNC aluminum and Gorilla Glass 3

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Ports2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C, 40Gbps, DisplayPort 2.1, Power Delivery), microSD card reader (v7.1), 3.5mm universal audio jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth65.4
Webcam12MP Center Stage1080p FHD + IR
BiometricsTouch IDFingerprint reader, IR face recognition (Windows Hello)

Software

Software comparison: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) versus Dell 16 Premium
SpecApple MacBook Air 15 (M5)Dell 16 Premium
Operating systemmacOS TahoeWindows 11 Home

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