MBP 13 Touch Bar vs Dell XPS 15

[biskazz]

Hi guys,

I'm considering the dell XPS 15 and really in doubt which one I should get.

Can't decide between the base 13inch MBP with touch bar and the Dell XPS 15 with FHD screen and 16gb ram. Where I live the MBP is a bit more expensive than the said Dell.

What's your take on that? Which one would you get considering the HUGE price bump. Especially in Europe. That MBP is 2100 Euro. Bold move, apple.

 

[The Mercurian]

Is the particular Dell you are looking at quad-core ? Because the 13" mac is only dual core.
Cause thats no contest Dell all the way right there

 

[Ryan1524]

For you to decide:

- Do you like Windows10 vs macOS?
- Do you want a touch screen?
- 13 vs 15" screen



I'm of the opinion that touch screens should not be used when the OS is not designed for it. On a laptop, I can do faster input through the keyboard/trackpad area than constantly moving my hand up to the screen. In order to make good touch experience, the UI needs to be much bigger, and this is a waste of screen real estate.

 

[gpat]

Really different machines. There aren't many ways you could compare them.
It would be more sensible to compare XPS 13 vs MBP 13 or 15 vs 15 and ponder if the extra cash for the Apple is worth it to you.

 

[Cryates]

For you to decide:

- Do you like Windows10 vs macOS?
- Do you want a touch screen?



I'm of the opinion that touch screens should not be used when the OS is not designed for it. on a laptop, I can do faster input through the keyboard/trackpad area than constantly moving my hand up to the screen. In order to make good touch experience, the UI needs to be much bigger, and this is a waste or screen real estate.

Bingo Bingo Bingo

 

[Fancuku]

The XPS 15 has twice the power of the 13" MBP but do you really need it? Plus for most people it comes down to macOS vs Windows. Many Apple buyers are willing to pay more because they like macOS better.

Me? I'd have them both if I could afford them.

 

[biskazz]

I need it mainly for Web and Android development.

It is absolutely true that the Dell is WAY more powerful and there are not many ways to compare them but that is the problem. I'm trying to decide if I REALLY want to ditch Windows(which is the case) or I want the raw power of the Dell.
I'm talking about the FHD non-touch 16gb quad-core Sky Lake XPS.
Also, Windows only user so far. Not a fan of the idea of touch screen on a laptop.

Something very important. Which one do you think will last longer in terms of build quality and is more future proof?

 

[Sam_S]

Such a hard choice! The thing that always put me off Dell was the fact that the trackpad wasn't as good and it didn't have Magsafe (I am alway kicking my cord). However the new MacBooks do not have Magsafe, the keyboard is awful the the price difference is really encouraging me to switch to Dell and buy and external monitor, that way I only need one machine not two.
However I am worried about how much I will miss MacOS, but since Apple is slowly ruining that I am sure it wont be long until I am fed up and make the switch.
I am going to try running Windows in bootcamp for a few weeks to see how I like it.

 

[tubeexperience]

Another factor to consider is that if you buy the Dell XPS 15, you can upgrade the memory and SSD afterward.

If you buy the MacBook Pro Retina 13", you are stuck with whatever memory and SSD you bought it with.

 

[PhoneI]

Sorry, once you use a MacBook trackpad, going to a Dell is an exercise in frustration.

 

[c0ppo]

Something very important. Which one do you think will last longer in terms of build quality and is more future proof?

I was a Windows user. Actually, still use windows from time to time. And I am a developer like you. Android/iOS development.

I would go for retina MBP, but not the new one. Buy 2015 model if you can. That one will surely last you longer then Dell. You will get better support, and if you don't like it, resell value is pretty great. Resell value on Dell isn't near to rMBP.

But if you can stand ports situation on new MBP, then by all means, get that one. After you get used to OS X, you will probably love it. In case you don't, sell it and get Dell or something else. But I would avoid XPS series, way to many problems. We had 3 XPS 15 laptops that failed. Dell support is next to non existing.

Go for Lenovo P50 or something similar. Ugly, but powerful and excellent laptop.

 

[mikeo007]

Something very important. Which one do you think will last longer in terms of build quality and is more future proof?

You've already figured out that the Dell will have better raw performance in most categories (apart from SSD).

The Mac will have superior build quality. Dell isn't as bad as it used to be, but still no match for Apple's quality. Future-proofing is probably about even, although the Macbook does have more TB3 ports. The Dell will run significantly hotter and have worse battery life.

All I can say is that you shouldn't be buying the Mac for specs, you should be buying it for everything that makes a Mac a Mac. OSX, touchpad, Apple support and form factor are lightyears ahead of most Windows machines. Build quality is second to none, and I expect that to continue with the 2016 MBPs. I use Windows at work daily on a brand new HP Elitebook, and I still prefer OSX at home on my 6 year old MBP.

 

[Pootmatoot]

This will also be a very different question in January. The leaked Kabylake quadcore results are far, far better than expected, and the new Nvidia 1050ti is absolutely incredible.

The combo of those two will make the Dell XPS15 look like it's two or three generations ahead of the current MacBook pro lineup, especially if you do CAD or similar (or gaming). For half the price.

 

[ccglows]

This will also be a very different question in January. The leaked Kabylake quadcore results are far, far better than expected, and the new Nvidia 1050ti is absolutely incredible.

The combo of those two will make the Dell XPS15 look like it's two or three generations ahead of the current MacBook pro lineup, especially if you do CAD or similar (or gaming). For half the price.

If this is true, I hope Apple refreshes them again early-mid next year. When are the Kaby Lakes expected to be released?

 

[mikeo007]

This will also be a very different question in January. The leaked Kabylake quadcore results are far, far better than expected, and the new Nvidia 1050ti is absolutely incredible.

The combo of those two will make the Dell XPS15 look like it's two or three generations ahead of the current MacBook pro lineup, especially if you do CAD or similar (or gaming). For half the price.

I haven't heard of any leaked Kaby Lake H-series benchmarks yet. Everything else Kaby Lake seems to point to the usual marginal increase, nothing special. 1050ti is looking nice, if Dell can fit it in their thermal envelope.

 

[Pootmatoot]

If this is true, I hope Apple refreshes them again early-mid next year. When are the Kaby Lakes expected to be released?

It's incredibly unlikely Apple will go Nvidia... and since when has Apple even jumped on an Intel refresh early?

I think there's little chance, unless the MacBook Pros really tank in sales (which is unlikely, they'll sell solidly).

Here are the leaked quadcore KabyLake tests:

(Note it seems to cope with 64gb as both HP and Lenovo use DDR4 in their ultrabooks)

https://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/8116503

https://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/8118719

Here are the Nvidia 1050ti results:

http://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/gtx-1050-ti-laptop

Both are scheduled for release Dec/Jan - but given they're both already with manufacturers and it's such a leap, I expect a Jan 5th CES release.

Combined there's a very real chance that next year's XPS15 ultrabook will outperform most of this year's giant gaming slabs.
[doublepost=1479753808][/doublepost]

I haven't heard of any leaked Kaby Lake H-series benchmarks yet. Everything else Kaby Lake seems to point to the usual marginal increase, nothing special. 1050ti is looking nice, if Dell can fit it in their thermal envelope.

The leaked results are above: these are not the LLD3 ones that Apple would use though, although most other ultrabook manufacturers will.

 

[mikeo007]

Those benchmarks aren't very impressive though...about 7% increase in multi-core and a lower single-core score than Skylake H.

May as well wait for Coffee Lake at this rate, at least we should see a tangible ~50% increase in multi-core performance there.

 

[ikenstein]

I was a Windows user. Actually, still use windows from time to time. And I am a developer like you. Android/iOS development.

I would go for retina MBP, but not the new one. Buy 2015 model if you can. That one will surely last you longer then Dell. You will get better support, and if you don't like it, resell value is pretty great. Resell value on Dell isn't near to rMBP.

But if you can stand ports situation on new MBP, then by all means, get that one. After you get used to OS X, you will probably love it. In case you don't, sell it and get Dell or something else. But I would avoid XPS series, way to many problems. We had 3 XPS 15 laptops that failed. Dell support is next to non existing.

Go for Lenovo P50 or something similar. Ugly, but powerful and excellent laptop.

I agree. I think you'd be best off going with a (refurb?) 2015 15" Retina Macbook Pro. Will last you years.

 

[xraydoc]

My take:
1) MacOS or Windows? If MacOS is required/desired, then there's really no discussion, is there. If you don't care, then may as well go for the cheapest option like a Dell 13" XPS and really save yourself some money.

2) Do you need a quad-core machine? Even if the apps you use are optimized for >2 cores, will the extra performance offset the extra weight, size and battery usage (and potentially cost) of a quad-core processor? If you don't absolutely require a quad-core machine, then why pay for one? Web browsing and word processing aren't any faster.

3) Do you need a 15" screen. Think portability. If it's staying put on your desk most of the time, then will you be happy with just a 15" screen and not a reasonably sized desktop monitor? And if you're going to dock to a desktop monitor often, is a 15" screen necessary then? Perhaps a 13" would be better - increased portability on the go and no difference when docked (other than the other two data points above).

 

[maratus]

I don't know about European prices, but IMO XPS 15 is a better value than rMBP 13. The only real advantage of the latter is portability and battery life under load, but the real comparison is rMBP 15 vs XPS 15. I also think that rMBP 15" offers much better bang for the buck than rMBP 13"