It ’s not often that we have an chance to compare multiple laptop that are identical other than having different chipsets inside . That ’s precisely what we have with the Dell XPS 13 , once one of thebest 13 - inch laptopsthat can be purchased with either Intel Meteor Lake ( XPS 13 9340 ) , Qualcomm ( XPS 13 9345 ) , or Intel Lunar Lake ( XPS 13 9350 ) chipsets but are otherwise identical .

Now , when I say identical , I mean it : The shape design , aesthetics , keyboards , touchpads , display , and more are on the button the same . But at heart is where the magic befall — although in this case , surprisingly , the difference is n’t as much as you might think .

Specs and configurations

The older XPS 13 9340 uses Intel ’s previous - multiplication Meteor Lake chipsets , and there are just a few configuration . Right now , they ’re on sales event , with a Core Ultra 7 155H , 8 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 13.3 - inch FHD+ IPS display coming in at $ 1,099 ( down from $ 1,299 ) . Upgrading to 16 GB of RAM and a 2.8 K OLED display is an extra , and a 1 TB SSD extrusion the cost to $ 1,399 .

The XPS 13 9345 that ’s based on Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipsets is the least expensive of all , at least when on sale . The base manikin is $ 900 ( down from $ 1,200 ) with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 13.3 - column inch FHD+ presentation . With 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD , the price jumps to $ 1,100 , and with an OLED display , the high - ending model is $ 1,400 .

Finally , the XPS 9350 use Intel ’s latest Core Ultra 2 Series chipsets , and starts at $ 1,000 with a Core Ultra 7 256V , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 13.3 - in FHD+ IPS display . Oddly , the same contour with the slower Core Ultra 5 226V is $ 250 more . you could upgrade to the Core Ultra 7 258V for $ 300 and a Core Ultra 9 288V for $ 850 . Upgrading RAM to 32 GB summate $ 300 , while a 1 TB SSD is a $ 100 uncharge and a 2 TB SSD is an extra $ 300 . The QHD+ IPS video display is $ 300 more and the 2.8 K OLED display is also an extra $ 300 . The high - end configuration with a Core Ultra 9 288V , 32 GB of RAM , a 2 TB SSD , and the OLED panel is $ 2,350 .

The most low-cost models are those using the Qualcomm chipset , while the Lunar Lake machine are well more expensive . While you’re able to still grease one’s palms the laptop computer with Intel Meteor Lake , there ’s no effective understanding given Leontyne Price that do n’t volunteer much of a price reward .

Design

Both versions look very on the outside . There ’s the slick XPS build with sleek lines and a minimalist facial expression in either silver or black , and then on the inside the latest XPS designing esthetic tends toward the futurist . The zero - lattice keyboard , all - glass medallion rest with hidden haptic touchpad , and conduct spot function keys are as modern as they get along . When combined with the XPS card ’s usual incredibly svelte display bezels , it all create each XPS 13 framework stand out .

At the same time , this is one of the most robust designs usable in a laptop today . The figure has a dense feel that exudes quality , and the chassis , lid , and keyboard pack of cards are all incredibly strong . Here , too , the XPS 13 stands out as one of the best laptops you may buy .

Stepping into those modern aim touches , though , and things start to get a little less attractive . The zero - lattice keyboard , while it has snappy replacement and big keycaps , takes some getting used to given the gross lack of central spacing . The haptic touchpad is fantabulous , except for the fact that it ’s hidden — it ’s easy enough to lose trail of the touchpad ’s airfoil and to swipe against the thenar respite rather . And the lead contact function keys have no tactual feedback to allow you sleep together when you ’ve successfully engaged a function , and you have to look at the keyboard to even hear .

Then , there are only two ports , USB - C with Thunderbolt 4 in the Intel version and USB4 in the Qualcomm translation , and in both one of them is used for charging . And there ’s no 3.5 mm audio laborer . At least wireless connectivity is completely up - to - engagement with Wi - Fi 7 .

Finally , both laptop have the same 1080p webcam with infrared photographic camera for Windows 11 Hello facial realization , and they both have fingerprint readers embed in the touchpad . The Qualcomm and Intel Lunar Lake variant benefit from much faster neuronal processing units ( NPUs ) give away at 45 tera operations per 2nd ( meridian ) for Qualcomm and 47 TOPS for Lunar Lake , compared to the Intel Meteor Lake variation ’s 10 top . That make the XPS 13 9345 and 9350 both a part ofMicrosoft ’s Copilot+ PCinitiative with more AI features and tenacious - terminal figure potential as new features are rolled out .

Performance

The XPS 13 ( 9340 ) use Intel ’s Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 cores ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low Power Efficient ) and 22 threads , campaign up to 4.8GHz . That compare to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80 - 100 with 12 cores ( eight Performance and four Efficient ) , run at up to 3.4GHz . The XPS 13 9350 we reviewed uses the 8 - core/8 - thread Core Ultra 7 256V. The Intel chipsets use Intel Arc integrated graphics while the Qualcomm chipset uses the Adreno integrate graphics .

In our CPU - intensive benchmark that run natively on Windows on branch and so provide a fair compare , at least for apps that do n’t play in emulation on the Qualcomm chipset , which will be slower , the XPS 13 ( 9345 ) is considerably fast . That ’s in both single - centre and multi - core applications , which is the first time that Windows on limb running on a Qualcomm chipset is faster than Intel . The XPS 13 9350 GPU is irksome than both competition .

None of these laptops are optimized for creating applications and play , but productiveness king users will witness the XPS 13 ( 9345 ) incline on the Qualcomm chipset to be a batch quicker .

Display

Both laptop have identical video display options , all 13.4 - in 16:10 control board running at 120Hz . resolution and applied science include Full HD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) IPS , QHD+ ( 2560 x 1600 ) IPS , and 3.8 kilobyte ( 2880 x 1800 ) OLED .

Given that these are the same option , you wo n’t be choosing between them on display alone . remark that contrary to some reports , thetandem OLED displayin the XPS 13 ( 9345 ) is the same as the one that ship first in the XPS 13 ( 9340 ) .

Portability

All three laptops are incredibly small thanks to their thin display bezel , they ’re slight at 0.69 inch , and they ’re scant at 2.6 pounds . They ’re among the most portable laptops around .

When I go over the Qualcomm rendering , I expected it to get much good battery life than the Intel Meteor Lake version . After all , much well efficiency is the chief advantage of Arm chipsets . Surprisingly , though , that ’s not what I establish . When looking at versions with the same IPS displays , the Qualcomm model did get 2.5 hours longer battery life when run our test video . That ’s the least demanding trial , though , and when connection browsing and extend a demand process like the Cinebench 2024 benchmark , the two laptops are almost monovular .

Then the XPS 13 9350 with Lunar Lake was safe across the board . Again , it testify up best in the video recording iteration test , but it was also strong in the more demanding tests .

So , that makes battery life a bad effectiveness for the XPS 13 9350 .

Battery life versus performance

These three laptop are very closely matched and they ’re even similarly priced . The XPS 13 ( 9345 ) edition scat Qualcomm is a somewhat better value overall . They have the same display pick , and the Intel Lunar Lake version gets the adept battery life , especially while doing more demanding tasks .

That makes the XPS 9350 the most attractive model if battery life is your most important measure . If vapourous performance count more , then the XPS 13 9345 is the good pick — unless you run into compatibility concerns . Although the XPS 13 9340 is still useable , it ’s not worth considering .