Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and XPS 13 (9350), the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in thunderbolt ports and screen size, while the XPS 13 (9350) wins on storage and cpu cores. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the XPS 13 (9350) scores 54.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (52.8 vs 54.7). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the MacBook Air 13 M4 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are thunderbolt ports, screen size.
Pick the XPS 13 (9350) 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 storage, cpu cores, claimed battery life, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, refresh rate, backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 wins
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 2.00 more. 2 vs 0.
- ▲Screen size — 1.49% more. 13.6 " vs 13.4 ".
Why Dell - XPS 13 (9350) wins
- ▲Storage — 100.00% more. 512 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲CPU cores — 20.00% more. 12 vs 10.
- ▲Claimed battery life — 11.11% more. 20 h vs 18 h.
- ▲Battery — 3.77% more. 55 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
- ▲Weight — 0.05 kg less. 1.19 vs 1.24.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Dell - XPS 13 (9350) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.19 kglead |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 14.8 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Dell - XPS 13 (9350) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 13.6 "lead | 13.4 " |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Dell - XPS 13 (9350) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Snapdragon X Elite |
| CPU cores | 10 | 12lead |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 512 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Dell - XPS 13 (9350) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 55 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 h | 20 hlead |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2lead | 0 |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or XPS 13 (9350)?+
XPS 13 (9350) claims up to 20 hours — 18h vs 20h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or XPS 13 (9350)?+
XPS 13 (9350) is lighter at 1.19 kg vs 1.24 kg.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or XPS 13 (9350)?+
XPS 13 (9350) has an OLED display; MacBook Air 13 M4 uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
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