Dell Inspiron vs XPS 13 (latest models)

[projeffboy]

XPS 13 is clearly the better more expensive one, so I was gonna buy that one. Except now I'm not so sure. The new inspiron 13 that came out last month has almost the same slim bezels, QHD+ display, and a i7-11370H as opposed to the XPS's i7-1185G7. More info: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/04/dell-refreshes-its-entire-inspiron-lineup-with-intel-tiger-lake-cpus/

 

This seems like incredible value. Am I missing anything? Should I still stick with the XPS 13?

[PineyCreek]

Buy what you want, when you want, or wait and see.  Looks and bezels are also subjective per person.  OEMs are refreshing their product lines all the time.  If the laptop lines use similar tooling, they might even be made on the same assembly lines.  If one similar unit gets a refresh, chances are they'll refresh the other one in the near future.

 

Based on the choices given though, I look at random sites like

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-1185G7-vs-Intel-Core-i7-11370H/m1268967vsm1444990

and I think the difference is there, but it's a relatively small difference to base a purchase on alone.

 

I do have an older model Inspiron 13 2 in 1 (flip to tablet mode) and it works fine.  Biggest complaint I have would be the small battery (but it's a slim laptop...so it's expected).

[projeffboy]

@PineyCreek What was your battery life when you first got it and now?

[PineyCreek]

Got mine secondhand from my Dad. It's roughly 6 years old now.  The Inspiron 13 2 in 1 looks exactly the same now.  Technically the model is Inspiron 7348.  Battery life on high performance is anywhere between 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours or so, but not sure if this is the original battery.  I would hope they're incorporating more efficiency and better battery tech in the design, perhaps?

 

I might be talking out my *** and the innards are entirely different on the new model...but I used to work for the OEM that rhymes with Hell, and they don't fix what isn't broken...they just tend to find new plastics to cover it.  Maybe it's not a good comparison.  I REALLY want to believe there have been some efficiency improvements on Intel's side in the past 6 years.

[AMD A10-9600P]

5 hours ago, PineyCreek said:

Got mine secondhand from my Dad. It's roughly 6 years old now.  The Inspiron 13 2 in 1 looks exactly the same now.  Technically the model is Inspiron 7348.  Battery life on high performance is anywhere between 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours or so, but not sure if this is the original battery.  I would hope they're incorporating more efficiency and better battery tech in the design, perhaps?

 

I might be talking out my *** and the innards are entirely different on the new model...but I used to work for the OEM that rhymes with Hell, and they don't fix what isn't broken...they just tend to find new plastics to cover it.  Maybe it's not a good comparison.  I REALLY want to believe there have been some efficiency improvements on Intel's side in the past 6 years.

 

7 hours ago, projeffboy said:

XPS 13 is clearly the better more expensive one, so I was gonna buy that one. Except now I'm not so sure. The new inspiron 13 that came out last month has almost the same slim bezels, QHD+ display, and a i7-11370H as opposed to the XPS's i7-1185G7. More info: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/04/dell-refreshes-its-entire-inspiron-lineup-with-intel-tiger-lake-cpus/

 

This seems like incredible value. Am I missing anything? Should I still stick with the XPS 13?

I can make a firm guarantee that Intel's 11th gen laptop CPUs are much more efficient than those from 6 years ago, and I can also guarantee that Dell aren't selling the same laptops as they were 6 years ago. What I can't guarantee is how Dell handles the parts, as I use an ASUS, but I can say from my experience with the similar i7-1165G7 that, although beaten by the Apple M1 and AMD, it is still a great CPU, with impressive single core speeds and a best in class integrated GPU.

 

The differences between the i7-11370H and i7-1185G7 so far seem minimal, and you won't see any difference between the two in basic tasks, and likely not even in demanding tasks too. I would guess, however, that the Inspiron has better cooling than the XPS, as one of the XPSs main selling points is its thinness, which could harm performance and cooling, whereas the slightly thicker Inspiron may pack better cooling. It is also worth noting that some of the Inspirons also pack dedicated Nvidia GPUs, which could be useful for you, such as the MX350 and the GTX 1650 Max-Q (note that the MX350 isn't all that useful alongside the Xe iGPU, but the newer MX450 is a nice option). Please note though, I'd stay away from the models with the dedicated Intel Iris Xe Max GPUs, as they have a lot of driver issues and can ruin the battery life; I watched a reviewer get less than half the battery life advertised by Dell in light use, along with BSODs and regular crashes and graphical glitches.

 

Dell must have made improvements to their XPS and Inspiron lines in the past 6 years, the design is a lot more appealing, the parts are more power efficient, and I've seen some pretty favourable reviews. Basing your opinion on 6 year old models is not a fair way to recommend or dissuade from a purchase of the brand new models (not that I'm saying Dell doesn't neglect issues, but there is always a chance that they have fixed an issue, so it's better to know for a fact, rather than just to assume).

 

That said, some reviews I watched and many that I read on the 2020/21 XPS 13 said the battery life was very poor, like 4 or so hours, so keep that in mind, as that is one of the many things that persuaded me to go for my ASUS ZenBook over the XPS. It's likely that the Inspiron will have a bigger battery, and may also be more power efficient compared to the XPS, especially on the AMD models.

 

What I will say @projeffboy is this; watch as many video reviews as you can from reputable reviewers on both laptops, then get an idea on which suits your price range and needs best. Also, I know you seem set on Dell at the moment, but don't hesitate to check out what other manufacturers are offering, as there is a lot of competition out there for thin and light laptops around this price range. Regarding Dell though, my guess is that the Inspiron will be the best fit, as it is the best value for money and offers some significant advantages over the XPS.

 

So, personally, I would buy the Inspiron over the XPS, due to the better cooling, refreshed design, more ports, and opportunity to get a slightly larger 14 inch display and larger battery.

 

Edit = Note that the Inspirons can come with larger batteries than the XPS, my laptop was advertised as a 63Wh battery (although it came with 65Wh), and the 2021 Inspiron can come with either a 41Wh or 54Wh battery, obviously, if you can, go for the 54Wh battery, especially if you go for an Intel model with dedicated Nvidia graphics.

[PineyCreek]

8 hours ago, AMD A10-9600P said:

 

I can make a firm guarantee that Intel's 11th gen laptop CPUs are much more efficient than those from 6 years ago, and I can also guarantee that Dell aren't selling the same laptops as they were 6 years ago. What I can't guarantee is how Dell handles the parts, as I use an ASUS, but I can say from my experience with the similar i7-1165G7 that, although beaten by the Apple M1 and AMD, it is still a great CPU, with impressive single core speeds and a best in class integrated GPU.

 

The differences between the i7-11370H and i7-1185G7 so far seem minimal, and you won't see any difference between the two in basic tasks, and likely not even in demanding tasks too. I would guess, however, that the Inspiron has better cooling than the XPS, as one of the XPSs main selling points is its thinness, which could harm performance and cooling, whereas the slightly thicker Inspiron may pack better cooling. It is also worth noting that some of the Inspirons also pack dedicated Nvidia GPUs, which could be useful for you, such as the MX350 and the GTX 1650 Max-Q (note that the MX350 isn't all that useful alongside the Xe iGPU, but the newer MX450 is a nice option). Please note though, I'd stay away from the models with the dedicated Intel Iris Xe Max GPUs, as they have a lot of driver issues and can ruin the battery life; I watched a reviewer get less than half the battery life advertised by Dell in light use, along with BSODs and regular crashes and graphical glitches.

 

Dell must have made improvements to their XPS and Inspiron lines in the past 6 years, the design is a lot more appealing, the parts are more power efficient, and I've seen some pretty favourable reviews. Basing your opinion on 6 year old models is not a fair way to recommend or dissuade from a purchase of the brand new models (not that I'm saying Dell doesn't neglect issues, but there is always a chance that they have fixed an issue, so it's better to know for a fact, rather than just to assume).

 

That said, some reviews I watched and many that I read on the 2020/21 XPS 13 said the battery life was very poor, like 4 or so hours, so keep that in mind, as that is one of the many things that persuaded me to go for my ASUS ZenBook over the XPS. It's likely that the Inspiron will have a bigger battery, and may also be more power efficient compared to the XPS, especially on the AMD models.

 

What I will say @projeffboy is this; watch as many video reviews as you can from reputable reviewers on both laptops, then get an idea on which suits your price range and needs best. Also, I know you seem set on Dell at the moment, but don't hesitate to check out what other manufacturers are offering, as there is a lot of competition out there for thin and light laptops around this price range. Regarding Dell though, my guess is that the Inspiron will be the best fit, as it is the best value for money and offers some significant advantages over the XPS.

 

So, personally, I would buy the Inspiron over the XPS, due to the better cooling, refreshed design, more ports, and opportunity to get a slightly larger 14 inch display and larger battery.

 

Edit = Note that the Inspirons can come with larger batteries than the XPS, my laptop was advertised as a 63Wh battery (although it came with 65Wh), and the 2021 Inspiron can come with either a 41Wh or 54Wh battery, obviously, if you can, go for the 54Wh battery, especially if you go for an Intel model with dedicated Nvidia graphics.

Thorough and non-biased.  I like it.  Yeah, thinking about it later, I was speaking from a jaded perspective.  After I fixed the wonky palmrest/glide mouse on mine, it's served with relative distinction.  You do have some restrictions in battery life (and this is a general statement) the more you try to slim the laptop.  The two in one form factor is a nice gimmick, especially if you need the tablet functionality (personally I've never had a reason to use the touchscreen otherwise) and an added benefit is at least in my experience with my model is that the hinges tend to be sturdier and less prone to come loose over time with usage (i.e. the screws holding the hinges in place in the frame/chassis slowly loosen).  I can only hope new models would be an even better experience.

 

I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with either model (of the two your mentioned), but I do still believe that the CPU difference is negligible.  Base your choice on other factors like the ones @AMD A10-9600P mentioned.

[projeffboy]

I'm sure performance wise the cpus are similar but what about drawing battery life? i7-11370H has a tdp down of 28 W while i7-1185G7 has a tdp down of 12 W

[AMD A10-9600P]

6 hours ago, projeffboy said:

I'm sure performance wise the cpus are similar but what about drawing battery life? i7-11370H has a tdp down of 28 W while i7-1185G7 has a tdp down of 12 W

Those TDPs don't actually mean anything in real world use. The biggest differences with battery draw between the CPUs will be under sustained loads, in which case the i7-11370H will be more powerful, and use more power, but under lightweight tasks that don't tax the CPU heavily, the power draw would be just as low on both CPUs, as they both use Intel's 10nm SuperFin design, and are essentially the same. Intel "bins" their CPUs, meaning that they often only produce one die and then select the most and least capable; the most capable in this case is the 11370H, due to its higher clock speeds, and as it is the same die, power draw is likely very comparable to the 1185G7. Intel's intention with the 11370H was to just reuse the 1185G7 and 1165G7 dies and bump up the clock speeds a bit. The size of the machines battery and other factors also factor in, for example, does it have a discrete graphics card. Again, I would assume that the Inspiron has a larger battery, due to it being thicker than the XPS.