Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) vs Dell - XPS 16 (9650)
Between the Surface Laptop 7 (15) and XPS 16 (9650), the Surface Laptop 7 (15) comes out ahead in claimed battery life and weight, while the XPS 16 (9650) wins on ram and storage. Overall, the Surface Laptop 7 (15) scores 61.7 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 15.0 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 7 (15) 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 ram, storage, battery, among others.
Both ship with comparable refresh rate, 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 Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 69.23% more. 22 h vs 13 h.
- ▲Weight — 0.47 kg less. 1.66 vs 2.13.
Why Dell - XPS 16 (9650) wins
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Storage — 100.00% more. 1024 GB vs 512 GB.
- ▲Battery — 50.76% more. 99.5 Wh vs 66 Wh.
- ▲CPU cores — 33.33% more. 16 vs 12.
- ▲Screen size — 8.67% more. 16.3 " vs 15 ".
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 3.00 more. 3 vs 0.
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.66 kglead | 2.13 kg |
| Thickness | 18.29 mmlead | 18.7 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 15 " | 16.3 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
| CPU cores | 12 | 16lead |
| GPUⓘ | Qualcomm Adreno | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 32 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 512 GB | 1024 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Microsoft - Surface Laptop 7 (15) | Dell - XPS 16 (9650) |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 66 Wh | 99.5 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 22 hlead | 13 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 3lead |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 0 | 3lead |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, Surface Laptop 7 (15) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
Surface Laptop 7 (15) claims up to 22 hours — 22h vs 13h.
Which is lighter, Surface Laptop 7 (15) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
Surface Laptop 7 (15) is lighter at 1.66 kg vs 2.13 kg.
Which has more RAM, Surface Laptop 7 (15) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, Surface Laptop 7 (15) or XPS 16 (9650)?+
XPS 16 (9650) has an OLED display; Surface Laptop 7 (15) uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
More from the same brands
vsMars is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.