The long rumored iPad Air 6 may arrive in March and the hint we were waiting for is here. Apple's 5th generation iPad Air is on sale for $449 at Best Buy — its lowest price yet! This is one of the best iPad deals we've seen since the holidays/ 

At this tempting discount, the iPad Air 5 is a no brainer if you're in the market for a tablet to replace or complement your laptop. 

Today's best iPad Air 5th generation deal

The 13-inch laptop is a wonder of modern design.

It's often so light you'll barely notice it in your bag while still delivering plenty of performance. Students breeze through campus with these lightweight wonders, while pros tuck them into briefcases for on-the-go productivity (or just conquering emails from the couch). You'll love the convenience and portability they bring, making them the perfect companion for busy, on-the-move individuals.

But just because they're small doesn't mean you should underestimate their bite. These aren't the underpowered thin and light laptops of yesteryear; 13-inch laptops are available to handle almost any workload. They make for the best travel-friendly laptops available, with a sturdy chassis, enchanting display, and long battery life. So ditch the bulk and embrace the possibilities — 13-inch laptops are where extreme portability meets powerhouse.

If you want the thinnest and lightest laptop possible while still offering enough power to handle most tasks easily, a 13-inch laptop is the answer.

If you need a laptop today, these are the best 13-inch laptops based on our extensive testing and reviews.

The Quick List

Best 13-inch laptops in 2024

Best 13-inch overall laptop

Apple's MacBook Air M3 is staggering, asserting itself as one of the best overall laptops. If you need a 13-inch, most people would not go wrong with it, as its excellent performance and miraculously long battery life are impossible to deny.

The MacBook Air M3 towers above the premium laptop's average performance with its Geekbench 6 overall multi-core score of 12,087. Its SSD speeds are also hyper-fast, hitting an average of 3,031 megabytes per second in our file transfer test. Plain and simple, there are very few scenarios in which you can go wrong with the MacBook Air M3.

On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits, The MacBook Air M3 lasted 15 hours and 13 minutes. No, you didn't misread that. Its battery life goes above and beyond reason, and it is one of the longest-lasting laptops you can buy today.

It's also impressive that this is a whole hour longer in longevity when compared to the M2 MacBook, meaning there's no better time to invest in the latest model. MacBooks are also famous for their great-feeling keyboards, and if you want a springy and quiet one to keep your fingers happy while typing the day away, look no further.

Otherwise, its 13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display is crisp enough to perform in-depth work. Its 77.8 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut is solid, but what sets it apart is an average brightness of 476 nits. The brightness is enough to handle even the sunniest days, as there's nothing worse than intense glare, making it impossible to see what's happening on-screen.

See our full MacBook Air M3 review.

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Best 13-inch business laptop

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 is the perfect business laptop for those who need a quality ultraportable. Its total weight of 2.2 pounds is as light as a feather, and if you need something truly capable with solid performance and a bright display, look no further.

Our configuration costs $1,599, and Lenovo built it with an Intel Core i7-1360P processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage space, and a 13.3-inch 2K IPS touchscreen. While it's important to remember that it's using a last-generation processor, its Geekbench 5.5 multi-core performance of 9,268 is good enough to handle a heavy workload.

We were pretty disappointed by its longevity, though. In the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits, its subpar 8 hours and 28 minutes of battery life is enough to sustain an entire workday. Still, depending on how demanding your workflow is, you might need an outlet nearby. This is also worse than the original's 12 hours of battery life and is significantly below the 9-hour and 45-minute ultraportable average.

The laptop can also get bright enough to survive blinding sunlight, with an average brightness of 483 nits. That's even higher than the MacBook Air M3, which hits 476 nits. However, its color depth leaves much to be desired, coming in at a 70.9 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

We also wish it had more ports, but considering it's a thin and lightweight laptop, it's typical for these products to have a small selection. At the very least, its two Thunderbolt 4 ports will allow for the best laptop docking stations to be attached. You also get an audio jack, so there's that.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 review

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Best 13-inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Counting the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i as a 13-inch laptop might be cheating, as it features two 13.3-inch 2,800 x 1,800-pixel displays, but this adds to the diversity of its use cases. How does it work, you ask? Pop the lid open and use it as a standard laptop, but detach its Bluetooth keyboard and get to work when you want to use two screens at once. You can even use an included external mouse and Lenovo Digital Pen.

It is absolutely worth considering its price, though, as you'll be paying $1,999 for this beast. Beyond just its incredible foundation, its 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1355U is solid, with a Geekbench 5.5 score of 7,765. While this is slightly below our 7,767 premium laptop average, it's not drastic enough of a drop for us to avoid recommending the product.

The dual OLED displays are also a glorious sight, covering 136.5 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut on the top display and 136.7 percent on the bottom display. This isn't a surprise, as they're identical panels, and it pulls ahead of competitors like the MacBook Air M3 (77.8 percent) without issue.

It also sports battery life within our recommended range, lasting 9 hours and 18 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits. While that's not quite as impressive as the MacBook Air M3's 15 hours, it's still great for a 2-in-1 laptop.

The brightness could be better, though. It is 335 nits on the top display and 344 nits on the bottom display, which is lower than the 392 nits average for this category.

See our full Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review.

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How to choose the best 13-inch laptop

Do your intensive daily workloads require more RAM than the average Joe? Are you a video editor who needs extra storage? Are you a gamer who wants a powerful GPU? Sorting through the best laptops to fit your lifestyle is a tricky business.

Budget: What you get for your money

You can find decent Windows laptops and high-quality Chromebooks for under $500. However, better mainstream laptops usually cost more than $700 and premium Ultrabooks can run over $1,000. The best gaming laptops can cost $2.000 and up, but you can play the latest titles at decent frame rates on gaming laptops under $1,000.

Design: 2-in-1 or clamshell?

More and more of today's laptops are 2-in-1s with screens that either bend back 360 degrees or detach so you can use them as tablets. If you like the idea of using your laptop in slate mode for drawing, media consumption, or just standing up, a 2-in-1 could be for you. However, you can often get better features or a lower price by going with a traditional clamshell-style laptop.

Battery Life: 9+ hours for portability

Battery life matters unless you plan to use your laptop only on your desk. Even in the home or office, having plenty of juice enables you to work on the couch or at the conference table without being chained to the nearest outlet. We recommend getting a laptop that lasted over 9 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test for the best portability. The longest-lasting laptops endure anywhere between 10 and 15 hours.

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How we test the best 13-inch laptops

Over the course of a year, we review over 150 laptops covering every price point and use case. Whether you’re looking for a productivity workhorse, a badass gaming system, or a multimedia machine to kick back and watch a movie or two, we can help you find your ideal match.

In order to make our list, the system needs to score at least 4 out of 5 stars on our reviews and deliver on the things shoppers care about most. In our evaluations, we focus on design and comfort, display quality, the keyboard and touchpad, performance, battery life, and especially value.

Our expert reviewers also use each product to see how it looks, feels, and performs in everyday situations. Because we see so many different notebooks, we can compare each to its direct competitors and give you an idea of how it stacks up to the average laptop in its price band.

When we bring a laptop into our laboratory, our goal is to see how it would work if you brought it into your home or office. While we use a number of industry standard benchmarks such as Geekbench and 3DMark, we focus heavily on real-world tests that we have developed in-house.

To test endurance, the Laptop Mag Battery test surfs the web at 150 nits of brightness until the system runs out of juice. To judge pure processing power, we use a giant spreadsheet macro that matches 65,000 names with their addresses, a video transcoder that converts a 4K video to 1080p, and the Geekbench 5 synthetic test. We measure graphics prowess with both 3DMark Ice Storm / Fire Strike and a series of games including Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Metro: Exodus, Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption just to name a few.

We use a colorimeter to measure screen brightness and color gamut while other instruments help us determine a laptop's key travel and ambient heat. See this page on how we test laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

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Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

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I’ve been living with an Arm-based Mac for close to five years now. Since Apple first debuted its in-house silicon, I have had few complaints, and whatever compatibility snags I faced when I reviewed the M1 Mac Mini have disappeared -- so much so that Apple’s set to phase out Intel chips altogether. 

Despite an eight year head start, Microsoft hasn’t had the same success.  Arm-based hardware like 2022’s Surface Pro 9 (SQ3) hasn’t done well either and met with underwhelming reviews. So when a new Chinese-American startup, Robo & Kala, sent me their latest, Arm-powered Windows two-in-one, I was skeptical, but to my surprise, weeks later, it’s become the computer I reach for daily to work and leisure. 

For a $799 Windows convertible, the Robo & Kala two-in-one, except for its tedious name, gets everything right on paper: it has a 12.3-inch, OLED 2.5K screen, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of upgradable SSD, and a light, slim design. But unlike most of its competition, it doesn’t run on a traditional AMD or Intel chip; Instead, it’s powered by Qualcomm’s ARM system-on-chip, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 -- the same one found inside the Surface Pro 9 ARM, whose otherwise high-end experience was marred with a range of Arm compatibility issues. 

Half a year later, how far have Microsoft’s arm efforts come? Here’s what it was like to live with an arm-based Windows PC in 2023. 

ARMed to the teeth

If you are not familiar with how an Arm SoC differs from typical computer chips, it works similarly to the processor powering your smartphone. This architecture allows manufacturers to integrate various key components like the GPU and the CPU onto a single chip, enabling a more efficient output. 

However, traditionally such chips have been limited to smaller devices like a phone or a smartwatch, PC makers are now increasingly adopting them as well to capitalize on a host of upsides such as a much longer battery life, 5G compatibility, and more. Because it’s so different, it also needs its own kinds of apps, and developers have to update their services for arm-based chips to get the most out of them. While even when they don’t, an Arm SoC can run their x86 apps in an emulation, the experience won’t be nearly as efficient, or smooth as it can be. 

Historically, Microsoft has struggled to convince developers to release Arm versions of their software, unlike Apple, which is why you won’t find many Arm-based PCs on sale. But things appear to be taking a turn for the better. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve extensively put the Robo & Kala computer through its paces. Many of the apps I rely on every day, including Mozilla Firefox, Zoom, Adobe Photoshop, VLC, and Spotify have already been updated for Windows on Arm, and run well. More, such as WhatsApp, and Dropbox, are expected to follow suit soon. 

When I exclusively work from Arm-native Windows apps, the results are impressive: Not only does the Snapdragon chip perform well and do a decent job at preventing lags even when I have dozens of tabs open, but the laptop also lasts comfortably up to nine hours and longer than most Windows PCs I have tested. Another Windows on Arm quality that’s on full display here is that the laptop boots near-instantly and barely warms up under heavy duress. 

In the last two years, Microsoft has made a series of updates to improve Windows on Arm. It has introduced better support for third-party developers, via kits, and Arm-native versions of Visual Studio and .NET platforms. Thanks to some under-the-hood Windows 11 updates, it’s also made it easier for developers to convert their existing x86 and x64 apps and ensure they’re stable even if they’re not completely compatible with Arm-based chips. 

Not quite there yet…

At the same time, there’s still a long way ahead for Windows on Arm to become a default choice for most buyers. While unlike before I’m not constantly reminded -- whether via poor performance or crashing apps -- that I’m on an Arm-based chip, non-native app support is far from perfect. 

For starters, many of the popular apps people look for immediately after setting up their PC like Google Chrome have not yet received the Windows on Arm overhaul. Though most run just fine in emulation, some like Slack are particularly bad and jittery. I could, however, overcome many of these issues simply by switching to a service’s web app or by changing their emulation settings from the right-click menu. 

More importantly, when you do actively work on non-Arm apps, you won’t benefit from the chip’s extended endurance, and in my experience, it can slash the battery life by nearly 2-3 hours. 

The biggest roadblock to Windows on Arm for many people could be the lack of VPN apps. Almost no VPN provider, from ExpressVPN to NordVPN, is available at all on Arm-based chips and doesn’t run in emulation either due to its incompatibility with the TAP adapter, a key module needed to configure safe virtual networks. After some back and forth with the ExpressVPN team, though, I did figure out a workaround and was able to set it up manually but I doubt most users would want to do that. Plus, you still don’t get to use the VPN app interface and have to connect or switch coverage areas through a tedious, technical process. 

Another thing to remember about arm chips is that they’re not nearly as capable of high-performance or graphic-intensive tasks. Adobe, for example, even excludes a bunch of tools from its arm-native Photoshop program like the oil paint filter and video layer edits. Often, new features such as Android’s Nearby Sharing, too are limited to Intel and AMD computers. 

Game on!

Gaming, surprisingly, is not terrible on Windows on Arm. Of course, you won’t be able to install most titles, let alone play them, but Microsoft has been steadily rolling out improvements. 

It recently updated the Xbox app for Arm-based chips so that you can stream any Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games to Arm devices, and added Unity engine support, allowing devs to target Windows on Arm devices to get native performance on current and future titles. 

What was more impressive was that I could effortlessly play a couple of older games such as Team Fortress 2 at 50-60fps. Hopefully in a couple of years, you won’t have to switch on another PC like me to play your usual desktop games. 

Bottom Line

There’s no denying the efforts Microsoft for Windows on Arm has put in have borne solid results. The Robo & Kala two-in-one is one of the best Windows experiences I have had in a while. Yet, Windows on Arm still often feels like an afterthought. Since it’s such a small user set, it’s difficult to get support for it too. 

I couldn’t find any material on VPN installation for Windows on Arm, for example, and there are no dedicated categories on the Microsoft Store for arm-native apps and games and you have to scroll all the way down to an app’s technical details to understand whether it’s compatible with arm chips. 

A Microsoft spokesperson told me the company “regularly shares resources and continues to listen to end-users and developers feedback in these areas, and have more planned ahead.”

The company appears to have momentum now with arm chips with many, reliable hardware like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13s and Robo & Kala that have done well to showcase the best of Windows on Arm and we expect more from Microsoft itself at its upcoming Surface event. 

But this year and the next may very well be its chance to get it right. The question is whether it can get itself out of its long struggle with arm chips before buyers lose trust.

The iPad Air 5 is at its lowest price ever ahead of Amazon's October Prime Day sale. If you don't want to wait for the Prime Big Deal Days event, you can get the Wi-Fi/Cellular model iPad Air 5 for $599 at Amazon. That's $150 off its normal price of $749 — its biggest discount yet. 

If you don't want to wait, this is one of the best iPad deals you can get today. 

Today's best iPad Air deal

Released in 2022, Apple's 5th Gen iPad Air is the lightest iPad next to the iPad mini. It improved the iPad Air 4 with faster performance, more storage, and better battery life. 

The iPad Air in this deal has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Touch ID and Apple Pay functionality allow for fast and secure payments. Other notable features include built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera, and 12MP FaceTime camera for video-calls. 

Although we  didn't get to test the iPad Air 5, we gave the iPad Air 4 a solid rating of 4 out 5-stars,  lauding  the tablet's excellent A14 Bionic CPU performance. We were also impressed by the iPad Air 4's sleek, thin-bezel design, loud, clear speakers and 10 and half hour battery life. We expect the iPad Air 5 to be on par if not better given its upgraded M1 8-core chip and 8-core graphics. This ensures snappy responsiveness and smooth gameplay. 

With a weight of 1 pound and 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5 is one of the more portable tablets out there. It's slightly thinner and lighter than competitors like the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

The iPad Air 5 works with Apple Pencil and Apple Magic Keyboard (both sold separately). If you're on the prowl for a lightweight tablet to replace or complement your laptop, the iPad Air 5 is a wise choice. 

UPDATE: Since the publishing of this article, more details have come to light about iPad Air 5 and iPad mini 7 availability. For the latest details, catch our coverage of how new iPads aren't expected until 2024. Boo! Hiss!

With all the talk of the iPhone 15, it’s easy to forget that Apple has a lot of cards left to play before the end of the year. While there’s an outside chance that we will see an upgraded iPad Mini 7 at the Apple September event (dubbed ‘Wonderlust’), it’s now looking increasingly likely that we can expect a new iPad Air release in 2023. 

iPad Air 6 release date could be right around the corner

The last iPad Air release was in March 2022, seeing the device pack the M1 Apple Silicon processor, an improved USB-C port, 5G support, and a 12MP front camera featuring Center Stage — allowing it to track and frame users during video calls.

The new iPad Air refresh could arrive as soon as October 2023 if Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is to be believed. Speaking on a recent episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Gurman revealed that a new generation of iPad Air is in the works and could be “coming soonish.” He would later speculate on the iPad refresh’s likely date being October — though not to expect a large-scale announcement.

Gurman continued, “I’m not sure they have enough to drag people down to Cupertino to watch the video like they do for this launch,” when speaking of the upcoming iPhone 15 reveal. Instead, it looks like the sixth generation of iPad Air could be unveiled with a quick press release and video — similar to Apple’s announcement of the MacBook Pros featuring M2 and M2 Max processors.

Outlook

While we don’t know what the iPad Air 6’s refresh entails, there’s a chance we could see an M2 chip outfitting alongside Thunderbolt support for even faster USB-C data transfer rates and improved charging much similar to what we expect of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.

Apple launching the iPad Air 6 would make it the only iPad set for a release in 2023, with the rumored iPad Mini 7 reportedly being pushed into early 2024. However, never count out a surprise or two as Apple still has a busy few months to go with iPhone and MacBook reveals.

iPhone 15 is steadily approaching with Apple's September event set for the 12th. We've predicted an exact release date on September 22, although the iPhone 15 Pro Max delay rumors could take it beyond September. And even with Apple's next flagship phone not even in our hands yet, iPhone 16 rumors are already overwhelming the internet.

However, now we're getting a glimpse even further into the future with iPhone 17 rumors, even though the phone is more than two years away from release. This latest rumor comes from industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will implement "its own modem chip starting in 2025" (via Android Authority). If true, this should apply to the iPhone 17.

Apple branded modem chip inside an iPhone 17?

Qualcomm is the current primary supplier for Apple's 5G modem chips, but Apple's rumored shift to its own line would further prove that the company is doing this on a large scale across multiple products. 

It has only been a few years since laptops powered by Apple Silicon through the original M1 chip were released after the company made a shift over from Intel processors.

But Kuo's information doesn't completely confirm which iPhone model will be launched with the modem first. iPhone 15 is certainly launching this year, while 2024 will be reserved for iPhone 16. 

Considering Kuo claims 2025 will be when Apple is "expected to use" its own chips, we will likely see it on the iPhone 17. The only other alternative for a late 2025 launch would be a cellular iPad model, but Apple is no stranger to delays so we could see it pushed back to iPhone 18 in 2026.

We expect to get a full collection of iPhone 17 rumors at the start of next year, as we received plenty of iPhone 16 leaks early in 2023. 

Even though we’ve just seen the last of the M2 chips, M3 is coming sooner than you think. In fact, you may want to hold off on buying a MacBook because of it.

According to a recent report, Apple may be launching the M3 MacBook Air, a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, and even an upgraded iMac with this new M3 chip.

(M)3 is a magic number

In his latest newsletter for Bloomberg, Gurman reports that Apple is set to launch the first wave of M3 Apple Silicon Macs this October. This would follow the inevitable September iPhone 15 event, plus the launch of the Apple Watch Series 9, and the new Apple Watch Ultra.

Much like the A17 Bionic you’ll see in the iPhone 15 Pro, the M3 is manufactured on a 3nm process. But while the core count will reportedly stay similar to what, the manufacturer TSMC’s enhanced process means we can expect to see impressive upgrades in performance and power efficiency — more than what we saw between M1 and M2.

Now, there is one big question. Why is M3 coming so soon after the M2 lineup has seemingly wrapped up with the most recent Mac Studio and Mac Pro models at WWDC? It all seems awfully fast. 

Well, as we’ve seen, supply chain issues have held back the likes of the M2 Ultra, which doesn’t seem to have affected the M3, given Apple bought up 100% of TSMC’s stock of 3nm chips. So the crossover between these two generations has been a lot more apparent this time around than usual.

Outlook

The likes of the new 15-inch MacBook Air sounds great on paper, but with M3 laptops coming in just three months time, I’d probably hold off on that purchase. Not just to see what the performance gains would look like, but for the discounts that come for older models.

Gurman does not specifically confirm that an October keynote will happen. There is a chance these new models are announced via press release (just like the M2 Pro/M2 Max MacBook Pros). But for something as significant as a brand new generation of Apple silicon, I’d put money on seeing a full announcement event.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to setup a prayer circle for a 13-inch MacBook Pro redesign that finally ditches the touchbar.

Prime Day is just hours away from ending, but many of the best Prime Day laptop deals are still hanging on.

But don't count on them sticking around once Prime Day comes to a close tonight, including $250 off the MacBook Air M1. The base MacBook Air M1 is just $749, the lowest price we've ever seen on it, making it one of the best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals.

• Browse: Amazon's entire sale

Apple's stylish and wildly popular laptop is ultraportable, crazy fast, and has a long lasting battery. The laptop in this deal packs a 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600) IPS Retina display, Apple's M1 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256 of fast SSD storage.

In our MacBook Air with M1 review, we were floored by its breathtaking performance and slim, unibody design. It also blew us away in terms of battery performance —lasting 14 hours and 41 minutes during testing. The MacBook Air M1 garnered a 4.5 out of 5-star rating and the Editor's Choice award. 

In one test, the laptop's Apple M1 chip scoffed when we loaded 25 tabs on Google Chrome, four of which played YouTube videos while another pair streamed Twitch. We then ran the same tasks on the Safari browser and it all loaded instantly. 

With a weight of 2.8 pounds and measuring 12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches, the M1 MacBook Air is just as portable as competing 13-inch laptops. It on par with the Dell XPS 13 (11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, 2.8 pounds) and 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (12.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches, 2.9 pounds). For your connectivity needs, the MacBook Air affords you two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack. 

The MacBook Air M1 is still a good buy, particularly at this price, but if you want the latest and greatest the MacBook Air M2 is $949 at B&H currently, also the lowest price we've seen on the base model M2 Air.

Blackmagic Design announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 17.3, which brings some major performance boosts for Apple's M1-powered MacBook Pro and MacBook Air as well as the Mac mini. The update supposedly brings a huge 65% boost in performance for M1-powered machines. 

Blackmagic also promises faster rendering and better battery life when working on your Apple laptop due to the new tile-based rendering engine. You can expect up to a 30% improvement in battery life, which is huge when you're out in the field or traveling and need to get the most out of your system. 

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"With this massive speed increase, customers can now playback, edit and grade 4K projects faster, and can even work on 8K projects on an Apple M1 notebook," Blackmagic wrote in a press release. "DaVinci Resolve 17.3 also supports a new option on Mac computers with M1 for H.265 hardware encoding. Customers can choose to prioritize speed vs quality when rendering, further improving render times up to 65%."

With most new cameras being able to film in 4K and some even up to 12K, the ability to edit, color grade, and render faster is welcomed. Apple is expected to announce new M-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro models soon, so this update comes at the right time. 

DaVinci Resolve 17.3 Improved Features

Below is a detailed list of the features Blackmagic Design says it improved in the DaVinci Resolve 17.3 update. 

• Up to 3x faster new processing engine enabling 8K edit and grading.
• Improved thru-latency and adjustable processing and input buffers.
• Improved export dialog with naming, metadata and format control.
• Timeline clips can be selected from the Fairlight edit index.
• Improved Fairlight timeline ruler resolution.
• Buses can be reordered by dragging in the track index.
• New audio I/O preference options with support for separate I/O selections.
• Improved mix-down support for LRC, 5.0 and 7.0 track formats.
• Improved edit, nudge and fade behavior for linked clips.
• Color Warper supports persistent default grid resolutions.
• HDR color controls support persistent default zone presets.
• Active playheads can be switched by clicking on the split screen viewer.
• New anamorphic aperture controls for Resolve FX Aperture Diffraction. Studio only.
• New shapes and finer mosaic control for Resolve FX Mosaic Blur.
• New rotation controls for Resolve FX Keyer garbage mattes.
• New sat and gamma controls and faster performance for Resolve FX Glow.
• List views in the media pool can be sorted from column selection.
• New badge to easily identify still clips on the timeline.

Qualcomm's new CEO Cristiano Amon believes the company's next CPU will dominate the laptop market, offering laptop manufacturers a custom-designed processor that will beat Apple's M1 chip and upcoming MacBook models.

The recently appointed CEO, taking over from the now-retired Steve Mollenkopf, wants Qualcomm's next-generation chips to rival new laptops from Apple, offering the "leading performance for a battery-powered device." Along with pushing 5G connectivity to laptops, the new chips are set to arrive as soon as 2022. 

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According to Amon's interview with Reuters, the CEO's $1.4 billion acquisition with startup Nuvia is the first step to making these powerful processors. What's more, Nuvia is made up of former Apple and Google chip designers (via TechCrunch), and Qualcomm is expected to release Nuvia-based laptop chips next year.

"We needed to have the leading performance for a battery-powered device," Amon said in the interview. "If Arm, which we've had a relationship with for years, eventually develops a CPU that's better than what we can build ourselves, then we always have the option to license from Arm."

Qualcomm entering the laptop CPU market 

Currently, Intel and AMD are the two major competitors to Apple's M1 chip found in the latest MacBook lineup, but now Qualcomm wants to get in on the competition — claiming it wants to be the best in the market. According to the interview, the new chips may come to Huawei devices first.

Amon states Qualcomm "will go big in China," mentioning the U.S. sanctions on Huawei is a chance to generate more revenue for the company. Interestingly, the CEO also states Qualcomm will not be developing data centers for cloud computing companies, but will license Nuvia's designs if these companies want to build their own

Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G coming to Asus, Motorola, and more smartphones later in 2021. While the new chipset seeks to dominate the smartphone market (in Android phones, at least), it may already have competition according to the Samsung Exynos chipset leak. 

Samsung only recently released its new Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 to act as the company’s line of MacBook Pro alternatives, but rumor has it there’s a new laptop in the works with a special feature.

According to Korea Economic Daily (via Windows Central), sources claim Samsung is set to release a flagship Exynos chip for an upcoming Galaxy laptop that could rival Apple’s M1 chip; the MacBook rival is due to be released later this year. What’s more, the chip is expected to work with smartphones, too. 

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The source states the new laptop processor from Samsung will use 5-nanometer processing technology, offering everything from improved functionality, battery efficiency, and “extraordinary computing power.”

That’s not all, as the report points out that Samsung has partnered with AMD to develop the laptop, equipping the rumored device with an AMD GPU that works with the Exynos chip.

The Korean tech giant recently announced the Exynos 2100 chip used in Galaxy S21 smartphones that also comes in a 5nm design. The report doesn’t mention the name of the potential processor to be used in future laptops, so it could either be the same chip or a next-gen processor.

Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro 360 uses an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU with an Intel Iris Xe graphics card.

If the report is anything to go by, Samsung is looking to follow in Apple’s footsteps by launching its own version of the ARM-based M1 chip. Since the rumored Exynos SoC is expected to work with smartphones and laptops alike, it could compete with Apple’s recently announced iPad Pro 2021. 

While the transition to Apple Silicon is proceeding far smoother than anyone outside of Apple would have predicted, one notable casualty was Boot Camp. Dropping this utility removed the ability to easily install and run Windows 10 alongside macOS. 

Enter Parallels. The team there has been delivering one of the most popular virtual machine options for bringing Windows to your Mac for years now. It was announced that a solution would be coming back in November, and now that update is here (via The Verge). 

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The Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac update adds support for running both Windows 10 on ARM and the more common x86 apps directly from macOS Big Sur. The company received feedback from over 100,000 M1 Mac users that beta tested the technical preview, which gives you confidence in the new release. 

Some of the specific benefits that Parallels points to for M1 owners include up to 2.5 times less energy consumption, up to a 60% boost to DirectX 11 performance and 30% better performance overall than running a Windows 10 VM on an Intel-based MacBook Pro.

That's all great, so what's the catch? The first is simply that Parallels is paid software. It's well worth it for those that need it, but not a free solution like Boot Camp. The other is that you can only run the preview version of Windows 10 on ARM; it is still only available for PC manufacturers, so you can't buy your own standalone copy. This just means downloading a copy directly from Microsoft Windows Insider.  

Linux fans will be happy to hear that they aren't being left out. Parallels Desktop 16.5 also adds support for a number of Linux Distros including Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 10.7, Kali Linux 2021.1 and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2.

Apple's M1 Macs have really impressed since their launch late last year, both for their performance and for the ability of macOS to help ease the transition to an ARM-based processor via Rosetta 2.

Unfortunately, MacRumors writer Steve Moser uncovered code in the latest macOS 11.3 beta 3 that suggests Rosetta 2 may be disabled in some regions, leaving those Apple M1 users without a built-in method to run legacy apps (via 9to5Mac).

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While developers are increasingly converting their apps over to offer native Apple M1 support, there are still vastly more apps that require x86 emulation via Rosetta 2 to run properly on the M1-based MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini.

Now the hope is that this is purely a precautionary move as Apple may be worried about litigation from Intel. Microsoft faced threats from Intel for its x86 app emulation for Windows 10 on ARM in 2017. It's a problem that Microsoft has struggled with, it wasn't until December 2020 that Microsoft announced emulation support for modern x86 64-bit apps.

Particularly as Apple begins shipping considerably more M1-based Macs this year, it wouldn't want to face a sales ban or restriction if Intel were successful in legal action against them. This feature would allow Apple to quickly and easily disable the infringing functionality presumably without missing a beat on sales. 

While Intel is no doubt less than thrilled with the reception Apple's M1 has received, there hasn't been any indications of an impending lawsuit, the most we've seen from Intel is posturing regarding its advantages over the M1. For now, this is just a warning that Apple has seen fit to introduce this functionality, there's every chance that we will never actually see it in action.

Windows on ARM has a checkered past to say the least, with laptops like the Surface Pro X facing considerable performance and issues. This is part of why Apple’s success right out of the gate with its M1-based Macs was so shocking. 

The compatibility problem is in the hands of Microsoft and app developers but better performance would certainly help gloss over some of those issues and, according to a new report from ZDNet Korea, Samsung and AMD may be teaming up to take on Apple’s M1 laptops (via SlashGear).

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Back in 2019, AMD and Samsung announced a “multi-year strategic partnership in ultra low power, high-performance mobile graphics” that most logically assumed was going to be focused on smartphones. It appears that assumption was wrong, or at least too limited in scope, with ZDNet’s sources claiming that Samsung’s Exynos 2200 will be paired with AMD Radeon graphics for a Windows 10 laptop coming in the second half of this year.

This would be welcome news for Windows on ARM hopefuls as Apple’s M1 may have lit a fire under Qualcomm to improve its efforts in this area. Direct competition on Windows is sure to crank up the heat even more. Naturally, it is far from a given that Samsung and AMD will manage to outclass Qualcomm with their fledgling effort. Samsung’s Exynos has historically fallen short of its Qualcomm counterparts in the smartphone realm, but it can’t hurt to have additional companies working on the platform. 

Microsoft has made some strides on the software compatibility front since the last round of Windows on ARM laptops were released, so that's added reason for hope. Last month marked the 10th anniversary of Microsoft announcing Windows on ARM, perhaps this is finally the year it takes off. 

Apple M1 MacBooks are blowing the doors off the competition in many regards earning them spots among our best laptops page despite being essentially first-generation products, but of course, some bugs are to be expected.

One such bug is proving quite a bit more concerning than previous examples, MacRumors has noted in its forums and on Twitter that a number of Apple M1 users are reporting excessive drive writes on their SSDs that could dramatically shorten the life of those drives.

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While SSDs offer considerable advantages over hard drives, they aren't perfect. There is a limit to how many times that they can be written to before they become unstable. The software is meant to reduce this wear as much as possible, but over time all SSDs will reach their write limit and the likelihood of failure increases considerably.

These Apple M1 MacBooks are dramatically accelerating the rate at which the SSDs will become unstable with some users reporting up to 10% of the SSDs lifespan having been used in just two months. The expected lifespan for an SSD can vary, but somewhere between 10 and 12 years is the general estimate, so this would be coming in at less than 20% of that.

What you need to know

It's unclear how widespread of an issue this is at present. While there are numerous reports online without Apple weighing in there are no hard figures to indicate what percentage of users are experiencing difficulties. It's also unclear if the SSDs are actually wearing down at this rate or if the software itself is registering the use improperly. More isolated reports of recent SSD issues on Intel-based Macs have come in as well, which is muddying the waters a bit on identifying the source of the issue. 

Unfortunately, there is no way for you to address this issue yourself. If the problem is software-based, which is certainly the expectation, then Apple will hopefully address it with an update to macOS Big Sur in short order. 

One of the big selling points of the entire Apple ecosystem is being able to sync all your Apple products to create a user-friendly convergence of devices. 

However, recent reports suggest you might want to wait before syncing your Apple devices with your new M1 MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. In a slew of recent user complaints on Apple's support community, it appears syncing your devices with your M1 Mac may cause apps on your iPhone or iPad to no longer work. 

Many users are reporting that after syncing their Apple devices, many third-party apps no longer seem to function properly. Users also stated that they're unable to install or update apps from the Apple App Store.

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One user reported the following, "After I sync my iPhone X (on 14.3) with my M1 MBP (on 11.1), no third-party apps will open. Can’t install or update from App Store either; the progress circle will fill up and then immediately turn into the “cloud” download icon.” 

This appears to be caused by the M1 Mac. Another user claimed to have had a very similar experience, but that issue was rectified when they resynced it with a non-M1 powered Mac. The user stated “On Accident, I connected iPhone and MBP M1 via WLAN and synced…. Apps stopped working immediately. Then connected to my old MBP (2012, latest Catalina) and synced. Apps are all working again.” 

The reports of these problems start back in December of 2020 and seem to be an ongoing issue. Hopefully, Apple will address the issues in a future update. 

Apple recently released the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini which are powered by the company's new M1 processor. And while it's been getting rave reviews, including this site, consumers are reportedly having major Bluetooth connectivity issues from the new laptops. 

Recent reports have come out via a Reddit forum where many Apple M1owners have detailed issues connecting peripherals via Bluetooth. Connecting to mice and keyboards have been a recurring complaint with many mentions of Logitech as well as Apple peripherals, such as the Magic Mouse and Apple Keyboard.

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It's not yet considered a major issue as it has yet to be addressed to our knowledge by Apple. However, this is not the first time Apple has had Bluetooth connection issues. Previously in 2014, there were Bluetooth connectivity issues reported after the OS X Yosemite update. Consumers experienced problems trying to connect to Apple's Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, Apple wireless keyboard, and other third-party wireless accessories. 

All this has left users wondering if the flaw lies within the newly released M1 processor or Apple's MacOS Big Sur update. With Apple building systems with few ports, the need for solid Bluetooth connectivity is extremely important for consumers. 

So far the number of reported Bluetooth complaints with the new Apple M1 Macs is minimal enough that Apple has yet to respond to the issue is that it's only been a few weeks since the new Macs featuring the M1 processor. We will be keeping an ear out for more information as it becomes available. 

The reception for the new MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has been almost unanimously positive with our own reviewers giving these laptops both near-perfect marks and Editor's Choice awards.

However, there are users that need more and there is good news on that front from LeaksApplePro, a leaker with a reasonable track record, who claims an Apple M1X chip is coming to the MacBook Pro 16-inch in 2021 with some upgrades to the Apple M1 (via TechRadar).

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This isn't the first time we're hearing of a higher-end version of the M1; a 12 core version of the M1 was part of a roadmap that leaked ahead of Apple's launch event in November. It was said at the time this would include eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, which mirrors what we've seen in the iPad Pro variants of Apple's A-series chips.

So the name Apple M1X is potentially news, but LeaksApplePro indicates it isn't final, although it's certainly a reasonable guess and aligns with the previous rumors that had suggested the first laptop chips would go by A14X.

The other piece is an alleged statement from someone that used the prototype: "If you think M1 is fast, you haven't seen M1X." It's difficult to know how much of a difference this is going to make, looking at the iPad Pro vs. iPad Air 4, the performance is currently quite close despite the fact that the iPad Pro is using a now two-generation old A12z processor and it still wins on GPU performance benchmarks.

The new iPad Pros should arrive ahead of the MacBook Pro 16-inch with M1X, so we will start to have a better idea of how much of a leap we'll see assuming the forthcoming iPad Pro uses a modified 12-core Apple A-series. 

With the new MacBook Pro with M1 already edging out the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019) on some benchmarks, like our Handbrake transcoding test, it stands to reason that a new M1X-powered MacBook Pro 16-inch may indeed blow minds. 

The most recent rumors still point to the MacBook Pro 16-inch (and a 14-inch variant) not arriving until mid-2021, so, unfortunately, we still have some time to wait. But with rumors also pointing to a true redesign of the laptop along with the addition of miniLED displays, it sounds like they could be well worth the wait.

Prepare for a serious brawl. For this premium laptop face-off, we have two of the most dominant flagship laptops going head-to-head. In one corner, we have the Dell XPS 13, a slim stunner that has perennially sat at the top of our best laptops list for its great blend of performance, portability and endurance. Plus, the company continues to tweak the design and it makes a big difference. The latest iteration of the laptop made the jump to Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake processor, which offers better performance, longer battery life, and with Iris Xe graphics, better gaming performance. 

In the opposing corner is the MacBook Pro 13-inch. Another laptop that constantly sits on many of our best lists, including best 13-inch laptops, the Pro is often our most recommended MacBook. It’s a portable powerhouse with a design that’s become synonymous with computing. The newest version of the laptop sports Apple’s highly anticipated M1 chip that has given rise to previously unimaginable performance results, including over 16 hours of battery life. 

But in a face-off, only one laptop can take top billing. Read on to meet the new king of premium laptops.

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Specs

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Pricing and configuration

The XPS 13 might be a premium system, but Dell still tries to go a little easy on consumer wallets –– at least at first. The notebook starts at $999 and has a 1.7-GHz Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics and a 13.4-inch, 1920 x 1200 non-touch display. 

For only $100 more ($1,099), you get a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU and an Intel Iris Xe Graphics GPU. My review unit costs $1,699 and steps you up to a 2.8-GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, and adds a touchscreen to the mix. The $2,499 model gives you 32GB of RAM, a 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD and a 3840 x 2400-pixel touch panel.

Since it’s a MacBook Pro, Apple pulls no punches on the price. The base model starts at $1,299 and features Apple’s new M1 SoC (System on a Chip), 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, an integrated GPU and a 13.3-inch, 2650 x 1600 non-touch panel. My $1,899 review model doubles the RAM and quadruples the storage while the $2,299 version brings the storage up to 2TB. 

Winner: Dell XPS 13

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Design

Both Apple and Dell’s flagship laptops have easily recognizable looks. Available in Space Gray and Silver, the MacBook Pro has a unibody aluminum chassis that’s the epitome of minimalist chic, sporting a gleaming chrome accent in the form of that eponymous half-eaten fruit. Opening the laptop reveals a familiar black island-style keyboard, And since this is a Pro, you have the Touch Bar sandwiched between the Esc and Power/Touch ID buttons. 

I reviewed the Frost Silver and Arctic White color scheme of the XPS 13, which is my favorite look, as opposed to the Platinum Silver and Black. The lid of the laptop and undercarriage is made from anodized aluminum chassis, but the top is adorned with a center-laid, shiny silver Dell logo. The notebook has a twin-coil hinge which makes opening the laptop with one hand incredibly easy. It makes getting to Dell’s proprietary Arctic White stain-proof glass fiber weave with the white Chiclet keyboard that much quicker. 

At 2.8 pounds, 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, the XPS 13 is the lighter of these two admittedly featherweight laptops. The 12 x 8.4 x 0.6-inch MacBook Pro is just a bit heavier at 3 pounds. 

Winner: Dell XPS 13

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Security

In a bit of security peekaboo, both systems have a fingerprint scanner hiding out in the power button. But where Dell relies on Windows Hello, Apple uses Touch ID. But Apple doesn’t stop there. The M1 chip provides data encryption, hardware-verified secure boot, automatic high-performance encryption and advanced runtime protections as part of its Secure Enclave software. 

I do wish Apple would use an IR camera. Since it has wake-from-sleep capabilities, the login process needs to be just as immediate. Meanwhile, the XPS 13 could use a few more security features including either a physical shutter or kill switch for the camera.

Winner: MacBook Pro 

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Ports

Both laptops leave me yearning for more ports. However, only the XPS 13 is equipped with the new Thunderbolt 4 ports while the MacBook Pro uses Thunderbolt 3 with USB4 support. If you’re wondering how Apple managed to pull that off despite not working with Intel anymore, remember the two companies collaborated a decade ago to create the technology. 

Dell has the better offering of ports with a Thunderbolt 4 port on either side of the system along with a headset jack on the right side and a microSD card slot on the left. And while Dell is kind enough to include a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter, Apple offers no such charity for its pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports and headset jack. You’ll have to fork out an extra $19 for a dongle. 

Also in terms of port location, I prefer Dell’s decision to put a port on each side of the laptop instead of putting everything on the left. 

Winner: Dell XPS 13 

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Display

Watching the Come Away trailer side-by-side on both notebooks, the MacBook Pro’s display  definitely had sharper detail. I saw more of the filigree in the red lace parasol as Alice made her way down a pathway lined with crimson leaves and thick green vines. Colors were definitely more saturated on the MacBook’s display, but Alice’s skin tone looked more natural on the XPS 13. 

When we tested the MacBook Pro’s color reproduction capabilities, it registered 78.3% on the DCI-P3 color gamut, beating the XPS 13’s 69.4%. However, the XPS 13 fought back, outshining the MacBook Pro 469 nits to 435 nits. 

And while the MacBook might have the prettier display, one thing that isn’t so cute are those chunky bezels, especially compared to the XPS 13’s barely-there InfinityEdge bezels. 

Winner: MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Audio

The MacBook Pro has a clear advantage with its top-firing speakers. The keyboard, strings and synth were definitely louder on the Pro compared to the XPS 13’s bottom-mounted speakers when I listened to 2 Chainz “Southside Hov.” Still, both systems delivered rich, clear audio, especially with the drum kit. 

I heard similar results on Masego’s “Queen Tings,” where the alto saxophone seemed to meld with the singer’s vocal at certain points on the MacBook Pro. However, I did notice that higher notes on the keyboard were a little distorted at maximum volume. The XPS 13 had a more restrained performance that did a better job of presenting balance. 

When I listened to DaniLeigh’s “Mistreated,” the Spanish guitar and bass sounded fuller on the MacBook Pro, while the higher chords on the piano had more depth on the XPS 13. The vocals were about even. 

Winner: MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Keyboard

This round was a close one. Dell increased the size of its island-style backlit keys by 9%, making it easy for anyone to peck out a message, even those with chunky digits. Despite their size, the keys are well spaced and offer firm, bouncy feedback. I reached my typical 70 words per minute on the 10fastfingers typing test.

Apple’s Magic keyboard delivers springy feedback with large keycaps and generous key spacing. I easily surpassed my 70 words per minute average, hitting 76 wpm on the 10fastfingers typing test. While both keyboards provide a comfortable typing experience, the MacBook Pro had more of a snap and a click. 

Winner: MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Performance

This was a blowout, but it didn’t start out that way. Both notebooks easily handled 40 open tabs on Google Chrome including Twitch, YouTube, Tweetdeck, Google Docs and Google Sheets. However, once we started our synthetic test, there was no contest. 

On the Geekbench 5.0 overall performance test, the MacBook Pro achieved 5,882 compared to the XPS 13’s (Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU) 5,254. 

The MacBook Pro owned the competition on the Handbrake benchmark where we have the laptop convert a 4K video to 1080p. On the Silicon Beta version of Handbrake, the MacBook clocked a time of 7 minutes and 44 seconds, during the Rosetta 2 iteration, the time rose to 13:38. Both times were better than the XPS 13’s 18:22. 

When we ran the Puget Photoshop test (looping through 21 different Photoshop tasks three times per run), the MacBook obtained 649, beating the XPS 13’s 588. 

Winner: MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Graphics

Not only is the MacBook Pro dishing out beatings in overall performance, but it also has a mean right hook when it comes to gaming. The closest discrete chip to the integrated 8-core M1 GPU is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU. It’s enough to consistently outperform Intel’s new integrated Iris Xe Graphics chips.

When we ran the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark at 1080p, the MacBook Pro had a frame rate of 18 fps, defeating the XPS 13’s 12 fps. 

During the Sid Meier’s Civilization Gathering Storm test, the MacBook Pro notched 29 fps, beating the XPS 13, which only reached 16 fps. 

Winner: MacBook Pro 

MacBook Pro with M1 vs. Dell XPS 13: Battery life

Thanks to the M1 chip, with all its fancy high-efficiency cores, this iteration of the MacBook Pro is rated for 20 hours of video playback and 17 hours of web browsing. It didn’t last quite that long, but I was still impressed that the laptop lasted 16 hours, 32 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness). The XPS 13 also did well but was nowhere close with a time of 11:07. 

Winner: MacBook Pro

Overall Winner: MacBook Pro with M1

Apple created a certified monster with its latest MacBook Pro. Armed with the company’s new M1 SoC, not only is the laptop more powerful on both the overall performance and gaming fronts, but it lasts longer too. Plus, with its vivid Retina display panel and surprisingly strong speakers, the MacBook Pro proves why it’s the ideal for content creators and consumers alike. And when it’s time to get work done, it’s got a seriously comfortable keyboard with clicky feedback. Apple has officially put the industry on notice.

That’s not to say the Dell XPS 13 is a slouch –– far from it. With its 11th Gen Tiger Lake, the XPS 13 has a whole bunch of win crammed into that 0.6-inch frame. It’s got a host of Intel promised features, including better CPU and graphics performance and longer battery life than previous versions. You also get Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6. Plus, it has a smaller frame with virtually no bezels and a bright, beautiful display. 

Overall, both laptops are great options for power users. But if you want the best performance and battery life, the MacBook Pro is your laptop.