Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 vs Dell XPS 14 (2026)

Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Display 2304 x 1536
CPU
RAM
Storage

Review

Evaluation of Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 and Dell XPS 14 (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)

Please input up-to-date prices for the selected laptop configurations to get an accurate value-for-money index.
Currency
VS
61.5
(Average)
Value Index
50.1
(Average)

Key Differences

What are the key differences between the notebooks
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8
  • Includes an old-school USB-A port
  • Can run popular games at about 31-42% higher FPS
  • Around 41% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
  • Display has support for touch input
  • 24% sharper screen – 201 versus 162 pixels per inch (PPI)
  • Provides 20% higher max. screen brightness: 600 vs 500 nits
Advantages of the Dell XPS 14 (2026)
  • Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 3 versus 2
  • Features a much bigger (~30%) battery – 70 against 54 watt-hours
  • Thinner bezels and 2% higher screen-to-body ratio
  • Better webcam recording quality

Tests and Specifications

Comparison table of test results and technical specs

Case

Weight 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) 1.36 kg (3 lbs)
Dimensions 301 x 220 x 17.5 mm
11.85 x 8.66 x 0.69 inches
309.52 x 209.71 x 14.62 mm
12.19 x 8.26 x 0.58 inches
Area 662 cm2 (102.6 inches2) 649 cm2 (100.7 inches2)
Screen-to-body ratio ~85.6% ~87.6%
Side bezels 4.7 mm 4 mm
Colors Black, Gray, Green Gray
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 135° 140°
Size comparison
Cooling solution
Cooling system Active Active
Vapor chamber No Yes
Liquid metal No No
Number of fans 1 2
Noise level (max. load) 42.4 dB 45.7 dB

Display

Size 13.8 inches 14 inches
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes Yes (20-120 Hz)
PPI 201 ppi 162 ppi
Aspect ratio 3:2 16:10
Resolution 2304 x 1536 pixels 1920 x 1200 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision No
Sync technology No No
Touchscreen Yes No
Coating Glossy (Antireflective) Matte
Ambient light sensor Yes Yes
Display tests
Contrast 1300:1 2000:1
sRGB color space 97.8% 100%
Adobe RGB profile 86.5% -
DCI-P3 color gamut 96.5% -
Response time 29 ms 35 ms
Max. brightness
600 nits
500 nits

Battery

Capacity
Voltage - 11.49 V
Full charging time 1:40 hr 1:30 hr
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Fast charging Yes Yes
Charging via USB (Power Delivery) Yes Yes, 96 W
Charging port position Left, Right Left, Right
Charge power 39 W 100 W
Weight of AC adapter 160 grams 381 grams

CPU

CPU name
Base frequency 4.04 GHz 2.1 GHz
Turbo frequency - 4.5 GHz
Cores 10 8 (4P + 4E)
Threads 10 8
L3 Cache 6 MB 12 MB
Integrated GPU Adreno X2-45 Intel Xe3 Graphics
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 2450 MHz
FLOPS 3.9 TFLOPS 2.5 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 512
Texture mapping units (TMUs) 72 32
Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) 36 16
GPU performance 3.9 TFLOPS 2.5 TFLOPS

RAM

RAM size
Channels 2x8 GB 4x4 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 5.0 (4x)
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x256 GB 1x512 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 ~87 dB
Microphones 2 2

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard v7 v7
Bluetooth v5.4 v6.0
Fingerprint No Yes
Infrared sensor Yes Yes
Optical drive No No
Webcam Above the display Above the display
Webcam resolution 1920 x 1080 2560 x 1440
Ports
USB-A 1x USB 3.2 No
USB Type-C 2x 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 No
Proprietary charging port Yes No

Input

Keyboard
Keyboard type Island Island
Numpad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key travel 1.5 mm 0.8 mm
Touchpad
Size - 15.0 x 7.3 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.

Cast your vote

So, which laptop would you choose?
1 (100%)
0 (0%)
Total votes: 1

Comments

Write your opinion about the comparison of Dell XPS 14 (2026) and Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 13.8 or ask any questions
🌐 Register your profile and become part of NanoReview community!