When it comes to sleek, portable, and powerful laptops, the MacBook Air M3 and Dell XPS 13 Plus (2025) are two of the most searched and compared devices this year. Whether you’re a student, creative professional, or business traveler — both offer compelling features, but which one deserves your money?
🔍 Design & Build
- MacBook Air M3 continues Apple’s iconic minimalist design with a super-thin aluminum chassis and comes in four elegant colors.
- Dell XPS 13 Plus pushes the envelope with a near-invisible touchpad, edge-to-edge keyboard, and futuristic glass deck.
Winner: Tie
Apple wins on elegance, Dell wins on innovation.
💻 Display Quality
- MacBook Air M3: 13.6″ Liquid Retina, 2560×1664 resolution, 500 nits brightness
- Dell XPS 13 Plus: 13.4″ OLED (optional), 3.5K resolution, 400–500 nits
Winner: Dell XPS 13 Plus
The OLED option delivers better contrast and deeper blacks for media consumption.
🚀 Performance
- MacBook Air M3: Apple’s custom M3 chip offers blazing-fast performance with amazing efficiency.
- Dell XPS 13 Plus: 13th/14th Gen Intel Core Ultra CPUs with Intel Arc graphics
Winner: MacBook Air M3
The M3 chip beats Intel Core in multi-core and battery-optimized tasks.
🔋 Battery Life
- MacBook Air M3: Up to 18 hours
- Dell XPS 13 Plus: Around 10–12 hours with OLED variant
Winner: MacBook Air M3
Apple continues to dominate in battery longevity.
🧊 Thermals & Fan Noise
- MacBook Air M3 is fanless — silent and cool under most loads.
- Dell XPS 13 Plus uses dual fans, may get warm under load.
Winner: MacBook Air M3
💰 Pricing in India (Approximate)
- MacBook Air M3 (8GB/256GB) – ₹1,14,900
- Dell XPS 13 Plus (16GB/512GB, OLED) – ₹1,35,000+
Winner: MacBook Air M3
Dell offers more storage but Apple wins in price-to-performance.
🎯 Verdict
If you’re looking for better battery, smoother performance, and long-term reliability, go with the MacBook Air M3.
But if you want Windows flexibility, a jaw-dropping OLED display, and futuristic design, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is an excellent choice.