Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 vs Dell - XPS 16 (9650)
Between the Surface Laptop Studio 3 and XPS 16 (9650), the Surface Laptop Studio 3 comes out ahead in claimed battery life and weight, while the XPS 16 (9650) wins on cpu cores and battery. Overall, the Surface Laptop Studio 3 scores 60.7 and the XPS 16 (9650) scores 76.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The XPS 16 (9650) is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 16.0 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the Surface Laptop Studio 3 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are claimed battery life, weight.
Pick the XPS 16 (9650) if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are cpu cores, battery, screen size, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, storage, refresh rate, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the XPS 16 (9650) is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 38.46% more. 18 h vs 13 h.
- ▲Weight — 0.15 kg less. 1.98 vs 2.13.
Why Dell - XPS 16 (9650) wins
- ▲CPU cores — 100.00% more. 16 vs 8.
- ▲Battery — 71.55% more. 99.5 Wh vs 58 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 13.19% more. 16.3 " vs 14.4 ".
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 1.00 more. 3 vs 2.
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.98 kglead | 2.13 kg |
| Thickness | 22 mm | 18.7 mmlead |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 14.4 " | 16.3 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
| CPU cores | 8 | 16lead |
| GPUⓘ | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 1024 GB | 1024 GB |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop Studio 3 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 58 Wh | 99.5 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 hlead | 13 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 3lead |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2 | 3lead |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, Surface Laptop Studio 3 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
Surface Laptop Studio 3 claims up to 18 hours — 18h vs 13h.
Which is lighter, Surface Laptop Studio 3 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
Surface Laptop Studio 3 is lighter at 1.98 kg vs 2.13 kg.
Which has an OLED display, Surface Laptop Studio 3 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) has an OLED display; Surface Laptop Studio 3 uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
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