Dell XPS 14 (2026) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2026)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Display
3024 x 1964
CPU
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Dell XPS 14 (2026) and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2026) important characteristics
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
NanoReview Score
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

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Currency
VS
41.7
(Average)
Value Index
70.1
(Good)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Dell XPS 14 (2026)
  • Easier to carry: weighs 240 grams less (around 0.53 lbs)
  • Thinner bezels and 4% higher screen-to-body ratio
  • Better webcam recording quality
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2026)
  • MacBook with the Apple M5 (10-Core) chip maintains its performance even when running on battery power.
  • Around 92% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
  • Provides 100% higher max. screen brightness: 1000 vs 500 nits
  • 57% sharper screen – 254 versus 162 pixels per inch (PPI)

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 1.36 kg (3 lbs) 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs)
Dimensions 309.52 x 209.71 x 14.62 mm
12.19 x 8.26 x 0.58 inches
312.6 x 221.2 x 15.5 mm
12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches
Area 649 cm2 (100.7 inches2) 691 cm2 (107.2 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~87.6% ~84.6%
Side bezels 4 mm 3.4 mm
Colors Gray Black, Silver
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 140° 135°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber Yes No
Liquid metal No No
Number of fans 2 2
Noise level (max. load) 45.7 dB 53.2 dB

Display

Size 14 inches 14.2 inches
Type IPS LCD Mini LED
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (20-120 Hz) Yes (24-120 Hz)
PPI 162 ppi 254 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 1920 x 1200 pixels 3024 x 1964 pixels
HDR support No Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync technology No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Matte Glossy (Antireflective)
Ambient light sensor Yes Yes
Screen space comparison
MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2026)
14.2″ (16:10 ratio) = 90.6 in2
XPS 14 (2026)
14″ (16:10 ratio) = 88.1 in2
~2% more screen space
Display tests
Contrast 2000:1 1000000:1
sRGB color space 100% 100%
DCI-P3 color gamut - 100%
Response time 35 ms -
Max. brightness
500 nits
1000 nits

Battery

Capacity
Voltage 11.49 V -
Full charging time 1:30 hr 1:30 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Fast charging Yes Yes
Charging via USB (Power Delivery) Yes, 96 W Yes, 100 W
Charging port position Left, Right Left, Right
Charge power 100 W 70 / 96 W
Cable length - 2 meters
Weight of AC adapter 381 grams 165 / 375 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 2.1 GHz 4.61 GHz
Turbo frequency 4.5 GHz -
Cores 8 (4P + 4E) 10 (4P + 6E)
Threads 8 10
L3 Cache 12 MB -
Integrated GPU Intel Xe3 Graphics Apple M5 GPU (10-core)
Fabrication process 2 nm 3 nm

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

Graphics Card

GPU name
TGP 25 W -
Type Integrated Integrated
Fabrication process 3 nm 3 nm
GPU base clock 300 MHz -
GPU boost clock 2450 MHz 1620 MHz
FLOPS 2.5 TFLOPS 4.1 TFLOPS
Memory size System Shared System Shared
Memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Memory bus - 128 bit
Memory speed 7.47 Gbps 9.6 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 512 1280
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 32 80
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 16 40
GPU performance 2.5 TFLOPS 4.1 TFLOPS
Blender GPU - 2007
Solar Bay - 22280

RAM

RAM size
Channels 4x4 GB 2x8 GB
Clock 7467 MHz 9600 MHz
Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Upgradable No No

Storage

Storage size
Bus PCI-E Gen 5.0 (4x) Custom
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x512 GB 2x512 GB
Upgradable Yes No
Total slots 1 -
NVMe Yes Yes

Sound

Audio chip CirrusLogic CS42L43 -
Speakers 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers)
Power 2x2W, 2x3W -
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Loudness ~87 dB ~83.1 dB
Microphones 2 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v7 v7
Bluetooth v6.0 v6.0
Fingerprint Yes Yes
Infrared sensor Yes No
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 2560 x 1440 1920 x 1080
Ports
USB-A No No
USB Type-C 3x USB 4.0 3x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt Thunderbolt 4 Thunderbolt 5
HDMI No 1x HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort No No
VGA No No
Audio jack (3.5 mm) Yes Yes
Ethernet (RJ45) No No
SD card reader No Yes
Proprietary charging port No Yes

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 0.8 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size 15.0 x 7.3 cm 13.2 x 8.1 cm
Surface Glass Glass
Windows Precision Yes No
Further details
Notes on MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2026):
    - The standard M5 model has Thunderbolt 4, while the M4 Pro and Max feature Thunderbolt 5.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.

Cast your vote

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10 (40%)
15 (60%)
Total votes: 25

Comments

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ComputerNerd March 4, 2026 at 01:04 PM
I really do like the new Dell XPS 14 (2026), but with less ports and a weaker CPU performance it falls behind the M5 Pro MBP. The new MBP is best in class for video editors. I still think the Dell XPS 14 is still excellent for C# programmers making games or just want to game on the side after a long day of programming.
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