Head to head

MacBook Air 15" (M3) vs Dell XPS 13 (2024)

MacBook Air 15" (M3) leads 5 to 3 on the 8 rankable specs.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Panel: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Liquid Retina IPS LED (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists OLED InfinityEdge touch (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Processor: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Apple M3 (8-core CPU) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU) (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Memory: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists 16GB unified (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists 16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s) (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Claimed battery life: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback (other published figure, not on maker sheet); Dell XPS 13 lists Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED) (other published figure, not on maker sheet).
Size: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists 15.3 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists 13.4 inches (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

MacBook Air 15" (M3)

$1,2995 spec wins

Swap

Compare a different laptop

Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition$999 MacBook Air 13" (M3)$1,099 Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15")$1,499 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,599 MacBook Pro 14" (M4)$1,599 HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)$1,699 Dell XPS 14 (2024)$1,699 Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16$1,799 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12$1,849 Framework Laptop 16$1,999 MacBook Pro 14" (M4 Pro)$1,999 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition$1,999 Dell XPS 16 (2024)$2,199 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)$2,299 MacBook Pro 16" (2024)$2,499 Razer Blade 16 (2024)$2,999 MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max)$3,499

Dell XPS 13 (2024)

$1,2993 spec wins

Swap

Compare a different laptop

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your laptop.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 5 to 3

Buy the MacBook Air 15" (M3).

Leads 5 of 8 rankable overall specs; Dell XPS 13 takes 3.
Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback vs Up to 14 hours
Size: 15.3 inches vs 13.4 inches
Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Check first: the MacBook Air 15" (M3) has no touchscreen. the MacBook Air 15" (M3) has macOS, not Windows. Tick them under deal-breakers if that rules it out.

5 MacBook Air 15" (M3)8 rankable of 29 specsDell XPS 13 3

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No touchscreenrow
No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · NoClear:Dell XPS 13 · Yes (on OLED configuration)
RAM cannot be upgradedrow
The memory you buy today is the memory you keep.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · No (soldered)Trips:Dell XPS 13 · No (soldered)
No HDMI portrow
Projectors and meeting-room TVs need a dongle.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · No (USB-C display output)Trips:Dell XPS 13 · No (via adapter)
macOS, not Windowsrow
Windows-only software such as some CAD, games and corporate VPN clients needs a workaround.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · macOS SonomaClear:Dell XPS 13 · Windows 11 Home
60 Hz displayrow
Scrolling and games look less smooth than on a 120 Hz panel.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · 60 HzTrips:Dell XPS 13 · 60 Hz (120 Hz on FHD+ IPS)

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

4 of 4 differ

Panel≠

Apple

Liquid Retina IPS LED

Dell

OLED InfinityEdge touch

Processor≠

Apple

Apple M3 (8-core CPU)

Dell

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU)

Memory≠

Apple

16GB unified

Dell

16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s)

Claimed battery life

Apple

Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback

Dell

Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED)

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

MacBook Air 15" (M3)

Upfront list price$1,299

3-Year Estimated Total$1,299

Dell XPS 13

Upfront list price$1,299

Essential add-ons (USB-C multiport adapter (only 2x Thunderbolt ports, no headphone jack))+$35

3-Year Estimated Total$1,334

Commuter Portability & Lap Comfort Check

Real-world travel weight including chargers, bag fit, and lap thermals.

Ergonomic & Spatial Check

Backpack Sleeve Compatibility

Apple

Standard laptop bag sleeve

Dell

Ultra-compact 11.6 in footprint (nearly 11" tablet sized)

Lap Ergonomics & Vent Placement

Bottom intake vents can choke and heat up your lap when used on beds or couches.

Apple

Standard hinge exhaust

Dell

Dual fans exhaust at hinge; bottom can warm up under load

Total Travel Weight (Chassis + Charger)

Always factor in the power adapter when calculating commuter bag weight.

Apple

Standard carry weight

Dell

2.60 lb laptop + 60W Type-C adapter = ~3.1 lb total carry

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Apple: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

Dell: What to watch for

Ergonomics
Capacitive touch function row lacks physical travel and tactile feedback.
The Escape and media keys are flat illuminated touch surfaces with no haptic click, making touch-typing difficult.
Hardware Quirk
Zero headphone jack and only 2 USB-C ports.
Completely omits the 3.5mm audio jack and legacy USB-A ports, forcing users to carry dongles for wired headphones and USB flash drives.

MacBook Air 15" (M3)$1,2995 wins

Dell XPS 13$1,2993 wins

Display Performance Build & input Ports Battery Software

27 of 29 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Display

leads 2-1

Display specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Size	15.3 inches (wins this row: higher)	13.4 inches
Panel	Liquid Retina IPS LED	OLED InfinityEdge touch
Resolution	2880 × 1864	2880 × 1800 (3K+ OLED)
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz (120 Hz on FHD+ IPS)
BrightnessNot on the official sheet	500 nits (wins this row: higher)	400 nits OLED / 500 nits IPS
Color	P3 wide color, True Tone	100% DCI-P3
Touchscreen	No	Yes (on OLED configuration) (wins this row: has it)

Performance

leads 1-0

Performance specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Processor	Apple M3 (8-core CPU)	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU)
Graphics	10-core Apple GPU	Intel Arc graphics
Memory	16GB unified	16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s)
RAM upgradable	No (soldered)	No (soldered)
Storage	512GB SSD	512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Storage upgradable	No (soldered)	Yes (M.2 PCIe slot) (wins this row: has it)

Build & input

7 differences

Build & input specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Weight	3.3 lb (1.51 kg)	2.6 lb (1.19 kg) (wins this row: lower)
Thickness	11.5 mm (wins this row: lower)	14.8 mm (0.58 inches)
Materials	100% recycled aluminum enclosure	CNC machined aluminum and Gorilla Glass 3
Keyboard	Magic Keyboard with Touch ID	Zero-lattice keyboard with capacitive touch function row
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Seamless glass haptic touchpad
Webcam	1080p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FHD RGB-IR camera with Windows Hello
Speakers	Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers	Quad-speaker design (2W woofer + 2W tweeter, 8W total)

Ports

leads 1-0

Ports specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Thunderbolt / USB-C	2× Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports	2× Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C)
HDMI	No (USB-C display output)	No (via adapter)
SD card	No	No
MagSafe	MagSafe 3	No
Headphone jack	Yes (3.5 mm with high-impedance support) (wins this row: has it)	No
Charger	35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Adapter + MagSafe 3	60W Type-C AC Adapter

Battery

leads 1-0

Battery specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Claimed battery lifeNot on the official sheet	Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback (wins this row: higher)	Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED)

Software

2 differences

Software specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Operating system	macOS Sonoma	Windows 11 Home
Repairability	Low (soldered RAM and SSD)	Low-to-moderate

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

MacBook Air 15" (M3) source Dell XPS 13 (2024) source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

MacBook Air 15" (M3)

Fanless 15-inch ultrabook powered by Apple M3 chip, offering silent operation and extreme battery efficiency.

Completely fanless silent operation
Slim 11.5mm aluminum design with massive battery life
Vibrant Liquid Retina display with dual external monitor support

What you give up

Display limited to 60Hz without ProMotion
Base model memory and storage are soldered and non-upgradable

Full MacBook Air 15" (M3) specs →

Pick this one if

Dell XPS 13 (2024)

Ultra-compact 13.4-inch premium laptop featuring Intel Core Ultra, OLED touch options, and seamless glass touchpad.

Minimalist sleek design with ultra-thin bezels
High-resolution OLED screen options
Extremely portable at under 2.6 lb

What you give up

Only two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm headphone jack
Capacitive touch function row instead of physical keys

Full Dell XPS 13 (2024) specs →

Best for each use

Travel

In a bag every day: weight, battery, a screen you can read on a train

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 15" (M3).

Leads 3 of 4 rankable travel specs; Dell XPS 13 takes 1.
Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback vs Up to 14 hours
Thickness: 11.5 mm vs 14.8 mm
Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Heavy work

Video, 3D, compiles or games: CPU, GPU, memory and panel quality

Too close to call on heavy work from the spec sheets.

Processor: Apple M3 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Graphics: 10-core Apple GPU vs Intel Arc graphics

Longevity

Keep it five years: upgradable parts, repairability, ports without dongles

Too close to call on longevity from the spec sheets. Only storage upgradable is rankable here.

Repairability: Low vs Low-to-moderate
Thunderbolt / USB-C: 2× Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports vs 2× Thunderbolt 4

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

MacBook Air 15" (M3) spec sheet Dell XPS 13 (2024) spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: MacBook Air 15" (M3) ↗ · Dell XPS 13 (2024) ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or the Dell XPS 13?

Both list at the same price.

What is the biggest catch with the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or Dell XPS 13?

MacBook Air 15" (M3) has this deal-breaker: no touchscreen. No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.

Which is better for travel, the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or the Dell XPS 13?

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 15" (M3). Leads 3 of 4 rankable travel specs; Dell XPS 13 takes 1. Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback vs Up to 14 hours

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 29 specs tracked here, 21 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

Other matchups

MacBook Air 13" (M3) vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)

MacBook Air 13" (M3) vs Dell XPS 13 (2024)

MacBook Air 13" (M3) vs Dell XPS 14 (2024)