Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Which laptop should you buy? Ali Guerra | usagoldmines.com

The Dell XPS 13 has at all times discovered a spot amongst our best Windows laptops and best laptops lists as a consequence of its ultraportable design, quick efficiency and relative affordability. Recommending the most recent mannequin of this pocket book has often been simple, but it surely’s gotten a bit extra difficult in 2024. Why? As a result of XPS 13 now comes with two processor choices.

Now you can get a Dell XPS 13 configured with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite or Intel Core Ultra 200V “Lunar Lake” chip. Each processors are highly effective sufficient to deal with on a regular basis duties like phrase processing and streaming movies. In addition they ship wonderful battery life on par with the best MacBooks packing M-series chips. You may’t go flawed with both choice, however some key variations might make you go for one configuration over the opposite.

Beneath, I’ll element the largest variations between the Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) and Dell XPS 13 (2024) that can assist you determine whether or not the laptop computer with Snapdragon X Elite or Lunar Lake is best for you.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Specs

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Worth

The Dell XPS 13 with Lunar Lake starts at $1,399 and contains a 13.4-inch (1920 x 1200) non-touch ISP show, an Intel Core Extremely 7 256V chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Conversely, the Snapdragon X Elite model starts at $1,499 and has a 13.4-inch (2560 x 1600) non-touch IPS show, a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 chip, and the identical quantity of RAM and storage because the Lunar Lake mannequin.

You may configure each fashions with a tandem OLED show, although Lunar Lake gained’t get this feature till October 15. Be aware that 2024’s Dell XPS 13 is the primary laptop computer to characteristic tandem OLED, although the iPad Pro M4 was the primary main gadget to sport the show tech. Upgrading to an OLED panel prices an additional $300.

The Intel-driven XPS 13 prices $100 lower than its Snapdragon counterpart, which might make it a greater choice if you happen to’re budget-conscious. However let’s dig deeper to see how these laptops differ past value.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Efficiency and battery life

Right here is the place issues begin getting attention-grabbing. Each Qualcomm and Intel have boasted concerning the energy and effectivity of their respective chips. Primarily based on our testing, their claims haven’t been utterly off-base, as these processors ship nice efficiency and battery life. Nonetheless, there’s a clear winner between the 2.

On Geekbench 6, which exams CPU efficiency, the Lunar Lake and Snapdragon X Elite Dell XPS 13 turned in comparable single-core efficiency scores. Nonetheless, there’s a wider gulf with regards to multi-core efficiency, with the Snapdragon chip posting the higher outcomes.

In our Handbrake video modifying check, which includes transcoding a 4K video clip to 1080p, the Lunar Lake laptop computer took twice so long as the Snapdragon X Elite XPS 13. Given the laptop computer’s decrease multi-core efficiency, these outcomes aren’t shocking.

As we mentioned in our Intel Lunar Lake benchmark story, the Lunar Lake chip we have examined is an enchancment over its Meteor Lake predecessors. Nonetheless, it might’t match the efficiency of the most effective laptop computer chips in the marketplace—specifically Snapdragon X Elite, Apple M3, and the brand new AMD Ryzen 9.

Battery life is one other space the place the Snapdragon X Elite wins over Lunar Lake. In our battery life check, which includes steady internet browsing over Wi-Fi with the show set to 150 nits of brightness, the Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon X Elite lasted for an astonishing 19 hours and 41 minutes! At the moment, that is the longest-lasting consumer laptop we’ve tested at Tom’s Information.

Although the Lunar Lake XPS 13 didn’t final so long as the Snapdragon X Elite laptop computer, it nonetheless ran for an extremely very long time. Utilizing the identical check, the pocket book endured for 17 hours and 29 minutes. For context, a lot of the Meteor Lake laptops (and Home windows laptops on the whole) we’ve examined battle to hit 10 hours of battery life, proving that Lunar Lake is certainly extra environment friendly than its predecessor.

Each the Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake Dell XPS 13 have phenomenal battery life that’ll get you thru a full workday (after which some). However with regards to uncooked endurance, the Snapdragon X Elite XPS 13 is the champ.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): App compatibility

Laptops packing Snapdragon X chips don’t disappoint with regards to efficiency and battery life. Sadly, they’ve one main downside that Lunar Lake doesn’t: App compatibility.

As we have beforehand reported, CoPilot+ PCs won’t run various apps and games. This consists of apps just like the desktop model of Google Drive and a handful of Adobe apps like Premiere Professional and After Results. Video games like Halo: Infinite are additionally incompatible with Arm gadgets. This subject ought to lower if extra builders create Arm-compatible apps and video games, but it surely would possibly take some time.

Since Lunar Lake is an x86 processor and never Arm, you gained’t have to fret about app compatibility together with your favourite Home windows apps and video games. That alone might determine which XPS 13 mannequin you need to purchase.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Copilot and AI options

Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake notebooks are marketed as “AI laptops,” with every chip that includes an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) constructed to deal with AI-driven duties extra effectively than a standard CPU. Whereas Qualcomm, Intel and their manufacturing companions have tried to persuade us that AI laptops are the subsequent massive factor, these machines have but to ship on that promise.

Exterior of packages like Gimp, OBS and a handful of others, there aren’t many apps that take full benefit of a chip’s NPU. And after they do, the outcomes aren’t all that compelling. Certain, MS Paint’s new Cocreator characteristic can repair your drawings and Dwell Captions interprets languages in real-time, however these aren’t precisely options that’ll make most individuals run out to get an AI laptop computer.

Nonetheless, if generative AI on laptops ever turns into helpful, Lunar Lake might need an edge over Snapdragon X Elite. Whereas the latter is able to 45 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second), the previous can deal with 48 TOPS. I can’t say whether or not that may make an enormous distinction, however when it comes to numbers on paper, Intel’s chip has a bonus. However with out compelling AI-driven packages, these specs gained’t matter a lot to the common particular person.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Design

I don’t need to spend an excessive amount of time on the laptops’ design since they’re similar. However given the controversial design of the XPS 13 and all 2024 XPS laptops just like the Dell XPS 14 and Dell XPS 16, I wished to briefly cowl this side earlier than wrapping up this comparability.

Just like the Dell XPS 13 Plus launched in 2022, the Dell XPS 13 has an invisible touchpad, options tightly spaced keys, and has no bodily perform row. The machined aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass 3 keyboard give the XPS 13 a premium look. At 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches and a couple of.6 kilos, the XPS 13 is a perfect journey accomplice. Each Snapdragon X Elite and Lunar Lake fashions characteristic a Windows Copilot key that shortly brings up Microsoft’s chatbot.

Given the contentious design, I can perceive if you happen to would possibly need to skip the Dell XPS 13 for a pocket book with a extra conventional design, such because the HP OmniBook X. But when the design isn’t a problem (otherwise you recognize it!), you possibly can’t go flawed with both XPS 13 mannequin.

Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) vs. Dell XPS 13 (Snapdragon X Elite): Backside line

The 2 Dell XPS 13 fashions I coated above have the identical ultraportable design, and you’ll configure each with a tandem OLED show. The laptops additionally ship nice efficiency and unbelievable battery life for Home windows laptops. For on a regular basis use, both one will go well with you simply positive.

That mentioned, in order for you a barely cheaper laptop computer that is additionally appropriate with all of your Home windows apps and video games, then get the Lunar Lake XPS 13. In case you worth battery life and higher general efficiency and are not apprehensive about app compatibility, then select the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip.

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