I have been a windows user. I wanted to try out Mac OS for the first time.Since I have all other apple products at home except the MBP. I wanted to use this for my regular uses, photo editing works with lightroom & photoshop CC with some light video editing work. I dont game but my son loves playing fortnite on the laptop. I'm a photo hobbyist. I do landscape photography, travel and portraits photography are my main interests. 4k screen is a must have for me. If i choose 2018 MBP 15 i will buy an external LG 27" IPS monitor.
These are two models shortlisted.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1423733-REG/apple_mr932ll_a_15_4_macbook_pro_with.html
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-x...1050-512gb-ssd-silver/5784589.p?skuId=5784589
Well, I do have a XPS 15 9550 and a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Prior to that, I had a 15-inch retina MacBook Pro.
What can I say? It really depends on what you really want. The MacBook Pro is a superior machine in terms of build quality. It has the quality details that you only notice after using for a while. Every MacBook I had was the best laptop I had up to that point. And after I bought the Dell, coming from the retina MacBook Pro, I regretted the decision in the first weeks, before getting used to it. A Mac is really great.
While the 4K screen on the Dell is gorgeous, the higher resolution does not make much difference. 2880x1800 is already a lot of pixels for this screen size. The screen on the MacBook Pro is brighter, has better color reproduction, and reflects less light (the Dell screen is annoying in this respect). I prefer the screen on the Mac, even though both are great.
Have in mind that the screen ratio on the MacBook Pro is 16:10 and the one in the Dell is 16:9. In 15-inch screens, I tend to prefer 16:9 as there is already good vertical space (on 13-inch screens I prefer 16:10). But this is a matter of personal preference.
There is a touch screen on the Dell and I barely use it. The Touch Bar on the Mac is also pretty useless, and it only serves the purpose of reducing battery life.
Sound is good on both, but the MacBook Pro is better.
I prefer the keyboard on the MacBook Pro and never had a problem with it. It feels rock solid. I had a problem in the Dell keyboard as some keys register two strokes. This repeat character keyboard is a recurring problem on the Dell, but it gets less attention than all the hype around problems on the Mac.
The trackpad on the MacBook Pro is better. The one in the Dell is good, but the trackpad on a Mac is just perfect.
The quality of materials on the Mac is really impressive. The Dell is good, but the Mac is really on another league.
And the Mac is thinner and lighter than the Dell, easier to carry around.
As for battery life, I cannot really say as both will be of a different generation with different components.
The MacBook Pro offers only USB-c ports, which is very annoying, since nothing uses those things and you have to keep carrying dongles around.
The Dell is certainly cheaper and offer better specs for the price.
By the way, if you want to run Windows alongside macOS (which would be wise since you are coming from Windows), you should choose at least a model with 512GB SSD if you buy a Mac. It is expensive, but required to accommodate two operating systems in one machine.
Remember, however, that user experience running Windows on a Mac is an inferior one. The trackpad works poorly and you would be better off with a mouse. The Dell machine is a better choice if you want to run Windows.
My advice: if you want to use macOS, or both macOS and Windows, and have the cash, buy a MacBook Pro, not the base option, but beef it up. It is an amazing machine.
If you don’t want to spend a lot, perhaps you should buy the Dell. If you are not sure if you would like macOS or not, perhaps you could buy a Mac Mini or something less expensive before forking more than USD 2,500 on a laptop.