Between the MacBook Pro 14 M5 and XPS 16 (9650), the MacBook Pro 14 M5 comes out ahead in claimed battery life and weight, while the XPS 16 (9650) wins on ram and storage. Overall, the MacBook Pro 14 M5 scores 61.8 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 14.9 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 MacBook Pro 14 M5 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, panel type.
Pick the XPS 16 (9650) if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are ram, storage, cpu cores, among others.
Both ship with comparable refresh rate, thunderbolt ports, backlit keyboard, 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 Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 84.62% more. 24 h vs 13 h.
- ▲Weight — 0.58 kg less. 1.55 vs 2.13.
- ▲Panel type: Mini-LED (vs OLED).
Why Dell - XPS 16 (9650) wins
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Storage — 100.00% more. 1024 GB vs 512 GB.
- ▲CPU cores — 60.00% more. 16 vs 10.
- ▲Battery — 38.19% more. 99.5 Wh vs 72 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 14.79% more. 16.3 " vs 14.2 ".
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.55 kglead | 2.13 kg |
| Thickness | 15.5 mmlead | 18.7 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 14.2 " | 16.3 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | Mini-LEDlead | OLED |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M5 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
| CPU cores | 10 | 16lead |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M5 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 32 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 512 GB | 1024 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 72 Wh | 99.5 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 24 hlead | 13 h |
| USB-C ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 3 | 3 |
| HDMI | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Pro 14 M5 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
MacBook Pro 14 M5 claims up to 24 hours — 24h vs 13h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Pro 14 M5 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
MacBook Pro 14 M5 is lighter at 1.55 kg vs 2.13 kg.
Which has more RAM, MacBook Pro 14 M5 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Pro 14 M5 or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) has an OLED display; MacBook Pro 14 M5 uses Mini-LED.
Spec-level deep dives
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