New Ground
Razer Book 13
Pros
- Gorgeous design
- 11th Gen Intel and EVO certified hardware flies
- Brilliant IGZO display
- Better keyboard
- Better speakers with THX Spatial Audio
- Plenty of ports
Cons
- More expensive entry level
- Little thicker and heavier
For Razer's first true Ultrabook, the company hit it out of the park. The design, hardware, and performance all put the Razer Book 13 on par with the very best the category has to offer, doing all the right things.
Stunning Ultrabook
Dell XPS 13 (9310)
Pros
- Stunning design
- 11th Gen Intel "Tiger Lake" CPUs
- Slightly better battery life
- Thinner and lighter
- Upgradeable SSD
- Cheaper starting price
Cons
- Less port selection
- Weaker speakers
The Dell XPS 13 is a proven Ultrabook that's seen a slight hardware update for the 9310 model. It's a little more affordable, has plenty of configurations, and great battery life.
Choosing between these two is possibly one of the more challenging choices you could make. The Razer Book 13 and Dell XPS 13 are two of the best Windows laptops you can get right now, so while there isn't really a right or wrong answer, choosing the one for you can be tough.
Razer Book 13 vs Dell XPS 13: Tech Specs
| Razer Book 13 | Dell XPS 13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 28W 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 28W 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 |
11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 Core i5-1135G7 Core i7-1165G7 |
| RAM | 8 or 16GB LPDDR4X |
8GB, 16GB LPDDR4x-4267MHz |
| Storage | Up to 512GB PCIe M.2 (upgradeable to 2TB) | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Upgradeable |
| Display | 13.4-inch 16:10 Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) Non-Touch Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) Touch UHD+ (3840 x 2400) Touch Gorilla Glass 6 Anti-reflective |
13.4 inches 1920x1200 (Non-touch) 1920x1200 (Touch) 3840x2400 (Touch) |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe | Integrated Intel UHD (Core i3) Intel Xe |
| Ports | 1x microSD card reader 1x HDMI 2.0 port 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) (power, 4 lanes of PCI Express) 1x USB-A 3.2 Headphone/mic jack |
Two Thunderbolt 4 microSD card reader 3.5mm audio |
| Biometrics | Windows Hello (face) | Fingerprint reader IR camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Intel Wireless AX 201 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac) Bluetooth 5.1 |
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2x2) Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Battery | 56WHr 65-watt charger |
52Wh |
| Dimensions | 0.60" x 11.6" x 7.8" (15.15mm x 295.6mm x 198mm) | 11.64 x 7.82 x 0.58 inches (295.7mm x 198.7mm x 14.8mm) |
| Weight | 2.95 to 3.11lbs (1.34 to 1.4kg) | From 2.64 pounds (1.2kg) |
As you can see from the spec sheets, these two laptops are incredibly closely matched. Both are using the latest generation hardware from Intel, fast storage, LPDDR4X memory, and some fantastic display options.
How to choose between the two best Ultrabooks
How exactly do you choose between the two best Ultrabooks you can currently buy? Especially when they're so closely matched in most areas. It's tough.
In most laptop comparisons, you can find even one or two significant reasons you'd choose one or the other, but the margins between the Razer Book 13 and the Dell XPS 13 are excellent. Honestly, whichever one you buy, you're getting a phenomenal laptop.
There are, however, some smaller reasons you might stump for one over the other.
In the case of the Razer Book 13, you're getting a much better port selection that includes both HDMI and USB-A alongside Thunderbolt 4. If you use an XPS 13, you're resigned to dongles to use any legacy accessories.
The Razer Book 13 also has stronger speakers that fire upwards and uses Razer-owned THX to add spatial audio technology. The XPS 13 speakers, by contrast, fire downwards and just aren't as good.
And the keyboard on the Razer Book 13 is also a little better to type on and has RGB, which adds a little visual flair.
What about the Dell XPS 13, then? For starters, it's more affordable, especially at the entry-level. Dell has more configuration options than Razer and certainly has price on its side while matching its hardware offerings in the Razer Book 13.
The XPS 13 is also a little thinner, a little lighter, and while the difference isn't enormous, years of carrying in a bag could always lean to the lightest option possible. And even though the XPS 13 has less in the way of heft and a physically smaller battery, it comes out on top for actual real-world battery life in our tests.
If any of these differences are important to you, then lean towards the laptop that favors. You won't really lose out by going one over the other, not in any significant way, but you will ensure you optimize your own purchase decision.
No bad decision
The good news is that there really isn't a wrong decision. Set your budget and pick the one that best fits and that you like the look of the most. There are minor differences that can swing your decision either way, but they're both good. These aren't the top two Ultrabooks for no reason.
It's a really great time to be buying an Ultrabook.
Top Ultrabook
Razer Book 13 (2020)
The new best Ultrabook
The Razer Book 13 is a tremendous first-gen Ultrabook that does everything right, especially when it comes to hardware and performance.
Also Brilliant
Dell XPS 13 (9310)
An outstanding Ultrabook
The XPS 13 offers strong performance and has up to a 4K touch display, and is wrapped up in a premium, light chassis. Still one of the very best you can get.
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