Dell XPS 15 9530 (2023) vs XPS 14 9440 (2024)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Display
CPU
GPU
GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile 6GB
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Dell XPS 15 9530 (2023) and XPS 14 9440 (2024) 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
30.4
(Mediocre)
Value Index
41.2
(Average)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Dell XPS 15 9530 (2023)
  • Features a bigger (~24%) battery – 86 against 69.5 watt-hours
  • User-upgradable RAM (up to 64GB)
Advantages of the Dell XPS 14 9440 (2024)
  • Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
  • Slightly easier to carry: weighs 180 grams less (around 0.4 lbs)
  • Can run popular games at about 52-71% higher FPS
  • Performs significantly better (up to 92%) in 3DMark Steel Nomad Lite
  • Around 20% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
  • Better webcam recording quality
  • Much smaller footprint: 13% more compact case (107.1 vs 122.9 square inches)

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 1.86 kg (4.1 lbs) 1.68 kg (3.7 lbs)
Dimensions 344.72 x 230.14 x 18 mm
13.57 x 9.06 x 0.71 inches
320 x 215.98 x 6.7-18.03 mm
12.6 x 8.5 x 0.26-0.71 inches
Area 793 cm2 (122.9 inches2) 691 cm2 (107.1 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~88.9% ~88.2%
Side bezels 4.4 mm 3.8 mm
Colors Black, Silver Silver, Gray
Material Top: Aluminum
Middle: Carbon fiber
Bottom: Aluminum
Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 140° 135°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber No No
Liquid metal No No
Number of fans 2 2
Noise level (max. load) 44.6 dB 43.3 dB

Display

Size 15.6 inches 14.5 inches
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate - Yes (30-120 Hz)
PPI 145 ppi 156 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 1920 x 1200 pixels 1920 x 1200 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync technology No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Glossy (Antireflective) Matte
Ambient light sensor Yes Yes
Screen space comparison
XPS 15 9530 (2023)
15.6″ (16:10 ratio) = 109.4 in2
XPS 14 9440 (2024)
14.5″ (16:10 ratio) = 94.5 in2
~15% more screen space
Display tests
Contrast 1650:1 2000:1
sRGB color space 100% 100%
Max. brightness

Battery

Capacity
Voltage 11.4 V 11.7 V
Full charging time 2:30 hr 1:45 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Fast charging Yes Yes
Charging via USB (Power Delivery) Yes Yes
Charging port position Left, Right Left, Right
Charge power 130 W 60 / 100 W
Cable length 1 meters 1 meters
Weight of AC adapter 463 grams 263 / 357 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 2.6 GHz 1.4 GHz
Turbo frequency 4.7 GHz 4.8 GHz
Cores 12 (4P + 8E) 16 (6P + 10E)
Threads 16 22
L3 Cache 18 MB 24 MB
Integrated GPU Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU) Arc Graphics (8-Cores)
Fabrication process 10 nm 7 nm

Benchmarks

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

Graphics Card

GPU name
TGP 50 W 30-40 W
Nvidia Optimus Yes, Advanced Optimus Yes
Type Dedicated Dedicated
Fabrication process 6 nm 5 nm
GPU base clock - 1140 MHz
GPU boost clock - 1605 MHz
FLOPS 4.2 TFLOPS 8.2 TFLOPS
Memory size 4 GB 6 GB
Memory type GDDR6 GDDR6
Memory bus 64 bit 96 bit
Memory speed ~12 Gbps ~16 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 1024 2560
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 64 80
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 32 32
GPU performance 4.2 TFLOPS 8.2 TFLOPS

GPU Benchmarks

Steel Nomad Lite Score
Blender GPU 349 1848
Solar Bay 11534 26055
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details

RAM

RAM size
Channels 1x8 GB 2x8 GB
Clock 4800 MHz 7467 MHz
Type DDR5 LPDDR5X
Upgradable Yes No
Total slots 2 -
Max. ram size 64 GB -

Storage

Storage size
Bus PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x512 GB 1x512 GB
Upgradable Yes Yes
Total slots 2 2
NVMe Yes Yes

Sound

Audio chip Realtek ALC3281 CirrusLogic CS42L43
Speakers 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers)
Power 2x2W, 2x3W 4x2W
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Loudness ~83.4 dB ~82.8 dB
Microphones 2 2

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v6 v6E
Bluetooth v5.3 v5.3
Fingerprint Yes No
Infrared sensor Yes Yes
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Ports
USB-A No No
USB Type-C 3x USB 4.0 3x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt Thunderbolt 4 Thunderbolt 4
HDMI No No
DisplayPort No No
VGA No No
Audio jack (3.5 mm) Yes Yes
Ethernet (RJ45) No No
SD card reader Yes Yes
Proprietary charging port No No

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 1.3 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size 15.0 x 9.0 cm 14.9 x 7.4 cm
Surface Glass Glass
Windows Precision Yes Yes
Further details
Notes on XPS 14 9440 (2024):
    - The RAM operates at 7467 MHz only in configurations with the RTX 4070 graphics card. Other configurations run at 6400 MHz.
    - Included are two adapters: one from USB-C to USB-A and another from USB-C to HDMI 2.0.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.

Cast your vote

So, which laptop would you choose?
18 (60%)
12 (40%)
Total votes: 30

Comments

Write your opinion about the comparison of Dell XPS 14 9440 (2024) and XPS 15 9530 (2023) or ask any questions
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ComputerNerd January 26, 2024 at 02:15 PM
Depends on what you are looking for in a laptop. For a portable desktop with slightly more performance punch and adjustable RAM, then the 2023 Dell XPS 15 is the better choice. Also, no SD card reader is built in. There is a Type-C dongle converter that comes with the Dell XPS to help with that. Otherwise, the Dell XPS 14 is a better mobile device. Better battery life, better RAM speed, better screen refresh rate, better heat management, better quality web camera, better Wifi, and Dolby Atmos sound system. Just a step back in performance power.
+4 Reply
Avatar
Ken Chieu January 23, 2024 at 01:07 PM
I went with the 9530 because of the larger screen size, which makes it a desktop replacement. The 14-inch XPS 14 is NOT a desk replacement. It requires to be hooked up to a large external screen monitor, such as 27 inches, especially for spreadsheets detailed budget work, and detailed stock and financial statement reports. The XPS 15 9530 can be used by itself, without a large external monitor. It can also be carried on overhead storage in a hard case on an airline flight. The XPS 16 will be too large to fit easily or at all in a hard case overhead storage carrier for an airline flight. The faster speed of the XPS 14 is not an important factor. The upgradeability of the RAM of the 9530 is always an advantage over the XPS 14 and XPS 16. The higher resolution camera of the XPS 14 and XPS 16 is an advantage over the XPS 15 9530, but how often does one actually use the camera, compared to the fact that the larger screen size of the XPS 15 9530 is a constant advantage over the XPS 14.
+13 Reply