Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 vs Dell XPS 13 (2026)
68
out of 100
VS
63
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
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
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8
- Includes an old-school USB-A port
- Can run popular games at about 110-150% higher FPS
- Around 2.2x better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Provides 20% higher max. screen brightness: 600 vs 500 nits
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 (2026)
- Easier to carry: weighs 350 grams less (around 0.77 lbs)
- Thinner bezels and 2% higher screen-to-body ratio
- Smaller footprint: 10% more compact case (92.4 vs 102.6 square inches)
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) | 1 kg (2.21 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 301 x 220 x 17.5 mm 11.85 x 8.66 x 0.69 inches |
296.9 x 200.66 x 12.7 mm 11.69 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches |
| Area | 662 cm2 (102.6 inches2) | 596 cm2 (92.4 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~85.6% | ~87.4% |
| Side bezels | 4.7 mm | 4.1 mm |
| Colors | Black, Gray, Green | Silver, Gray |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 135° | 135° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 1 | 2 |
| Noise level (max. load) | 42.4 dB | 40.7 dB |
Display
| Size | 13.8 inches | 13.4 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | Yes (30-120 Hz) |
| PPI | 201 ppi | 225 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 2304 x 1536 pixels | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | No |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Coating | Glossy (Antireflective) | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
Surface Laptop 8 13.8
13.8″ (3:2 ratio) = 87.9 in2
XPS 13 (2026)
13.4″ (16:10 ratio) = 80.7 in2
~8% more screen space
| Contrast | 1300:1 | 1600:1 |
| sRGB color space | 97.8% | 100% |
| Adobe RGB profile | 86.5% | 87.6% |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 96.5% | 98.2% |
| Response time | 29 ms | 35 ms |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Voltage | - | 11.7 V |
| Full charging time | 1:40 hr | 1:35 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 | 39 W | 65 W |
| Weight of AC adapter | 160 grams | 166 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 4.04 GHz | 1.5 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | - | 4.6 GHz |
| Cores | 10 | 6 (2P + 4E) |
| Threads | 10 | 6 |
| L3 Cache | 6 MB | 6 MB |
| Integrated GPU | Adreno X2-45 | Intel Xe3 Graphics (2-Core) |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 2 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 | 500 MHz | 300 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1700 MHz | 2500 MHz |
| FLOPS | 3.9 TFLOPS | 1.3 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | - |
| Memory speed | 9.52 Gbps | 7.47 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 1152 | 256 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 72 | 16 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 36 | 8 |
| GPU performance | 3.9 TFLOPS | 1.3 TFLOPS |
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x8 GB | 1x8 GB |
| Clock | 9523 MHz | 7467 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x256 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 1 | 1 |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Audio chip | - | CirrusLogic CS42L43 |
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) |
| Power | - | 2x2W, 2x3W |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | ~83.3 dB | ~85.9 dB |
| Microphones | 2 | 2 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v7 | v7 |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v6.0 |
| Fingerprint | No | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | 1x USB 3.2 | No |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | No |
| HDMI | No | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | No |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | Yes | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | No |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | No | No |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1.5 mm | 0.8 mm |
| Size | - | 11.8 x 6.8 cm |
| Surface | Glass | Glass |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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Total votes: 1