Dell XPS 16 9640 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Display
3456 x 2234
CPU
GPU
Apple M3 Pro GPU (18-core)
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Dell XPS 16 9640 (2024) and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) 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
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

Please input up-to-date prices for the selected laptop configurations to get an accurate value-for-money index.
Currency
VS
31.4
(Mediocre)
Value Index
45.4
(Average)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Dell XPS 16 9640 (2024)
  • Thinner bezels and 4% higher screen-to-body ratio
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
  • MacBook with the Apple M3 Pro chip maintains its performance even when running on battery power.
  • Around 10% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
  • 83% sharper screen – 254 versus 139 pixels per inch (PPI)
  • Provides 20% higher max. screen brightness: 600 vs 500 nits

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 2.13 kg (4.7 lbs) 2.14 kg (4.72 lbs)
Dimensions 358.1 x 240 x 18.7 mm
14.1 x 9.45 x 0.74 inches
355.7 x 248.1 x 16.8 mm
14 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches
Area 859 cm2 (133.2 inches2) 882 cm2 (136.8 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~89.6% ~86.2%
Side bezels 3.5 mm 3.4 mm
Colors Silver, Gray Black, Gray
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 135° 135°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber Yes No
Liquid metal No No
Number of fans 2 2
Max. fan speed (RPM) - 6000 RPM
Noise level (max. load) 50.5 dB 42.8 dB

Display

Size 16.3 inches 16.2 inches
Type IPS LCD Mini LED
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (30-120 Hz) Yes (24-120 Hz)
PPI 139 ppi 254 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 1920 x 1200 pixels 3456 x 2234 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync technology No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Matte Glossy (Antireflective)
Ambient light sensor Yes Yes
Display tests
Contrast 2000:1 1000000:1
sRGB color space 100% 100%
DCI-P3 color gamut - 100%
Response time - 58 ms
Max. brightness

Battery

Capacity
Full charging time 2:20 hr 1:25 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Fast charging Yes Yes
Charging via USB (Power Delivery) Yes Yes, 140 W
Charging port position Left, Right Left, Right
Charge power 130 W 140 W
Cable length 1 meters 2 meters
Weight of AC adapter 410 grams 347 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 1.4 GHz 4.05 GHz
Turbo frequency 4.8 GHz -
Cores 16 (6P + 10E) 12 (6P + 6E)
Threads 22 12
L3 Cache 24 MB -
Integrated GPU Arc Graphics (8-Cores) Apple M3 Pro GPU (18-core)
Fabrication process 7 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 50 W 30 W
Nvidia Optimus MUX -
Type Dedicated Integrated
Fabrication process 5 nm 3 nm
GPU base clock 1455 MHz 500 MHz
GPU boost clock 1755 MHz 1380 MHz
FLOPS 9 TFLOPS 6.4 TFLOPS
Memory size 6 GB System Shared
Memory type GDDR6 LPDDR5
Memory bus 96 bit 192 bit
Memory speed ~16 Gbps 6.4 Gbps
Shading units (cores) 2560 2304
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 80 144
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 32 72
GPU performance 9 TFLOPS 6.4 TFLOPS

GPU Benchmarks

Steel Nomad Lite Score
Blender GPU 2035 1661
Solar Bay 30891 23170
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details

RAM

RAM size
Channels 2x8 GB 3x6 GB
Clock 6400 MHz 6400 MHz
Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Upgradable No No

Storage

Storage size
Bus PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) Custom
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x512 GB 2x256 GB
Upgradable Yes No
Total slots 2 -
NVMe Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers)
Power 2x2W, 2x3W -
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Loudness ~83.4 dB ~84.3 dB
Microphones 2 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v7 v6E
Bluetooth v5.4 v5.3
Fingerprint Yes Yes
Infrared sensor Yes No
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 1920 x 1080 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 1x HDMI 2.1
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 Yes

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 1 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size 14.8 x 9.0 cm 15.5 x 9.9 cm
Surface Glass Glass
Windows Precision Yes No
Further details
Notes on XPS 16 9640 (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.
Notes on MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023):
    - Lower-end M3 Pro and M3 Max SoCs with fewer CPU and GPU cores are also available. Our tests are conducted on the maxed-out variants.
*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?
46 (54.1%)
39 (45.9%)
Total votes: 85

Comments

Write your opinion about the comparison of Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and Dell XPS 16 9640 (2024) or ask any questions
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Avatar
Marco February 23, 2024 at 01:43 AM
I've owned a Dell XPS since 2015, primarily for my graphic design and programming work. So far, it's never given me any issues. However, as I am increasing my workload, I'm considering switching to a Mac. With a higher cost of around 900€, I am wondering if it's worth it. Mac's battery life sounds appealing, as I often work while traveling and don't always have constant access to electricity. What are your thoughts? I've always used Windows.
+13 Reply
Avatar
cognitiv February 5, 2024 at 03:32 AM
The XPS 16 9640 has significantly better screen real estate. Its OLED panels display colors far better than the M3 MacBook Pro 16, and it also has a better screen-to-body ratio. Furthermore, it supports more software and applications. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro 16 M3 has a superior CPU (3nm versus 7nm). However, its GPU is worse, as Nvidia operates better and supports all 3D apps and games, and it also has a longer battery runtime. I chose the XPS 16 for its better screen and due to the nature of my 3D work and my needs for presentations.
+7 Reply
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Darkich January 6, 2024 at 09:29 AM
This is an epic match although Mac clearly has a significant edge..Dell with Intel Ultra is really good enough that casual people shouldn't notice much difference aside from the OS preference.
+12 Reply