During my tests though, the XPS 13 actually ran at 2.5GHz, while the X1 Carbon ran in the 2.17GHz range. One thing to keep in mind when comparing the two, however, is the Core i5 5200U in the XPS 13 actually has a lower-rated turbo frequency of 2.7GHz, compared to 2.9GHz for the Core i5 4300U in the X1 Carbon. The XPS 13 easily outruns the older X1 Carbon in this pure CPU test. In our Handbrake test, we take a 30GB 1080p resolution MKV file and transcode it to a far more manageable size for viewing on an Android tablet.ĭespite having a lower Turbo Boost clock, the XPS 13 pulls ahead of the Lenovo X1 Carbon by a good margin. The real burn for Apple users, though, will be the panel in the XPS 13. Except Apple didn’t do it-Dell did it, and then posted “first” on the Internet. It looks like someone took the display from the MBA13 and put it into the MBA11. Give all three laptops a nice, long stare. Put the XPS 13 next to the vaunted MacBook Air 11 and the MacBook Air 13.

Small indeed: Dell’s new XPS13 with a 13-inch screen on top of a Mac Book Air with a 13-inch screen. The XPS 13 body itself is just 12 inches by 7.8 inches. Most manufacturers would have settled for an 11-inch display in a body this size (see Apple’s current MacBook Air lineup for evidence). Then there’s the real star of Dell’s show: a 13.3-inch, practically bezel-less display. The XPS 13 has Intel’s latest Broadwell U CPU 8GB of DDR3/1600 an M.2 SSD great battery life and a sexy aluminum-and-carbon-fiber shell.

Mobilemark 2014