Should you get an XPS 13 or a Surface Pro 7?

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 is essentially an Ultrabook like the XPS 13 but without a fixed keyboard. It’s much more versatile than Dell’s flagship notebook, and can be used as a tablet or laptop, but if you’re after a notebook experience alone, you may want the XPS 13 instead.

Dell XPS 13 (7390) vs Surface Pro 7 tech specs

Category	Dell XPS 13 (7390)	Surface Pro 6
OS	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Processor	10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10710U	10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G4 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7
Display size	13.3 inches	12.3 inches
Display resolution	UltraSharp 4K (3840×2160) FHD (1920 x 1080) non-touch display	2736 x 1824 touch (3:2 aspect ratio)
RAM	8GB DDR4 2133MHz 16GB DDR4 2133MHz	4GB DDR4 8GB DDR4 16GB DDR4
Graphics	Intel UHD 620	Intel UHD 620 Intel Iris Plus
Storage	256GB PCIe SSD 512GB PCIe SSD	128GB PCIe SSD 256GB PCIe SSD 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 3 with PowerShare 1x USB-C 3.1 MicroSD card reader Headset jack	1x USB-C 3.1 1x USB-A Headphone jack 1x Surface Connect Surface Type Cover MicroSDXC card reader

Impressive portable performance

There aren’t a lot of differences between the Surface Pro 7 and Dell XPS 13, especially when comparing specifications. Both options come with the possibility of choosing an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, but Microsoft is able to undercut Dell by around $200, which is a considerable sum of change.

The company achieves this is by offering less RAM on the base model (4GB vs. 8GB in the XPS 13) and less storage (128GB vs. 256GB in the XPS 13). These won’t matter too much in the great scheme of things, but if you plan on doing anything other than checking email, browsing websites, and chatting to friends and family on instant messengers, you’ll want to consider at least 8GB of RAM.

The Surface Pro 7 and XPS 13 have plenty of options to choose from, including the 10th Gen Intel CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB storage for the XPS 13 or 1TB storage for the Surface Pro 7. There is a slight downside to the Surface Pro 7 in that it doesn’t technically come with a keyboard … at least not a physical one. You’ll need to shell out some more for the fancy Type Cover, but it’s well worth it.

Both devices have Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C for hooking up all your accessories and even an external GPU or display if you need to do a little more than word processing.

Laptop or tablet?

There’s no real wrong answer here. Specifications are close, as is pricing when you consider optional accessories you really cannot live without on the Surface Pro 7. Howevr, it comes down to whether you need a laptop or tablet. If you want something more like a tablet experience that you can use without a keyboard with your feet up on the sofa or to relax reading a book on, the Surface Pro 7 is the winner.

The XPS 13 is about the best Ultrabook money can buy and it’s perfect for anyone who wants a great laptop. You can’t ink on it, and the keyboard is always attached, but it’s a machine. Whether you need to hit the road for the day, treat it like your desktop workstation, or unwind with some top-notch PC gaming, the XPS 13 has the ability to handle everything you throw at it.

Dell XPS 13 for laptop lovers

If you want the best Ultrabook look no further than the XPS 13. It houses the latest Intel processors and can be kitted out with plenty of RAM and storage to let you get on with the day.

Go with the Surface Pro 7 for something a little different

There are plenty of laptops out there to choose from and the XPS 13 really is the best of the best. However, if you fancy trying something new, the Surface Pro 7 gives you both a notebook and tablet experience wrapped up in a gorgeous form factor.

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