Versus Engine
Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra) against Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max), side by side.
Cheaper to start
Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra)
Starts about $1,800 lower.
Rated higher
Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
9.8 vs 9.1 on our design scale.
Standout
Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra)
Premium minimalist design
Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra)
A premium, minimalist Windows laptop integrating native NPU hardware and optional dedicated graphics.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Premium minimalist design
- Dedicated RTX graphics option
- Solid Intel NPU integration
Cons
- Invisible haptic trackpad has a learning curve
- Thermal throttling under heavy GPU load
Specifications
- NPUIntel AI Boost (10 TOPS)
- RAMUp to 64GB LPDDR5x
- Ports3x Thunderbolt 4, microSD, Headphone jack
- Weight1.68 kg
- Display14.5" 3.2K OLED Touch
- StorageUp to 4TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
- ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 7 155H
- battery—
- display—
- cpu_cores—
- gpu_cores—
- architecture—
- neural_engine—
- unified_memory—
- memory_bandwidth—
- fabrication_process—
Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
The definitive mobile workstation for local AI development. Powered by the M3 Max chip with a 40-core GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory running at 400GB/s, it runs massive LLMs entirely on-device without thermal throttling.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- 400GB/s memory bandwidth eliminates LLM bottlenecks
- Up to 128GB unified RAM supports massive 70B+ models
- Unmatched battery life under heavy sustained compute
Cons
- Astronomical price at high memory configurations
- Unified memory cannot be upgraded post-purchase
Specifications
- NPU—
- RAM—
- Ports—
- Weight—
- Display—
- Storage—
- Processor—
- battery100-watt-hour lithium-polymer
- display16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3456x2234, 120Hz ProMotion)
- cpu_cores16-core (12 performance, 4 efficiency)
- gpu_cores40-core (Hardware-accelerated ray tracing)
- architectureARMv8.6-A (Apple Silicon)
- neural_engine16-core (18 TOPS)
- unified_memoryUp to 128GB LPDDR5
- memory_bandwidth400 GB/s
- fabrication_process3nm (TSMC N3B)