Face Off: Dell XPS 13 vs. Apple MacBook Pro 13 vs. Asus ZenBook UX305

It's no secret that we love the new Dell XPS 13. It is, after all, number one in our Top 10 Ultrabooks list as of mid 2015. Unlike most manufacturers who are aiming for razor-thin profiles, Dell has taken a different approach by minimizing the display bezel down to around 5 mm for a notebook with a truly small footprint. Indeed, the length and width of the XPS 13 are noticeably smaller than both the Apple and Asus with just a tiny hit to overall thickness. Case quality remains top notch and solid with its carbon fiber palm rests and aluminum chassis.

If minimalism is your fancy, then Apple has you covered. There is no denying that the unibody aluminum construction is anything but attractive. Stability and precision is second-to-none here, though its closed design severely limits end-user tinkering and is the heaviest of the three models by over 300 grams at almost 1.6 kg.

Finally, the Asus ZenBook UX305 is the most recent redesign of the successful UX303 series. The model is thinner than the MacBook Pro 13 by a whopping 5 mm, though at the cost of a much larger footprint and wider bezel. The fact that it is fanless and includes no glass touchscreen panel likely contributed to the extra-slim design. Its polished chassis is strong all-around with a combination of both aluminum and plastic, but the thin frame doesn't quite match the rigidity of the thicker Dell and Apple.

Declaring an outright winner here in this category is a huge toss-up. Users looking for the most solid case may want to skip the Asus, but all three competitors have their respective pros and cons to stand on almost equal ground.

Winner: Tie -- Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 13

Connections and ports are almost identical between the three models with almost no noteworthy differences. The major discrepancy here is how each manufacturer handles the video-out feature. The XPS 13 is limited to just a single Mini-DisplayPort, while the MacBook Pro 13 and ZenBook UX305 have multiple solutions. Storage is limited to a single M.2 slot for all models with no secondary options. This is compared to the previous ZenBook UX303 where users can install a secondary 2.5-inch SATA III drive for additional storage.

We'll give Apple the slight edge here as its 3x video-out ports and Thunderbolt solution are more versatile than what Dell and Asus have to offer. You'll lose a USB 3.0 port, but it's a good trade-off in this case.

Winner: Apple MacBook Pro 13

At resolutions this high, all three IPS displays here show incredible sharpness that is unmatched compared to more standard notebooks with 1080p screens. Even the lower pixel density of the MacBook Pro 13 should be more than enough for users as the higher 276 PPI on the Dell and Asus shows no significant real-world advantages in day-to-day work.

If we are to single out a "bad" display, then it would have to be the ZenBook UX305 due to its lower brightness, lower contrast, and slightly smaller color space for more inaccurate colors at higher saturation levels. At the same time, however, some users may prefer its matte panel over the glossy displays of the other two. Meanwhile, the Dell suffers from relatively inaccurate colors and grayscale, though it carries a notably stronger backlight for a brighter display than the Apple and Asus.

In terms of color accuracy, the MacBook Pro 13 offers the most precise colors and grayscale out-of-the-box without any calibration efforts needed. Outdoor users may prefer the brighter panel of the XPS 13, but we still find the MacBook Pro 13 to be more balanced overall in this particular category.

Winner: Apple MacBook Pro 13

All three integrated Intel solutions are poor choices for 3D gaming. In relative terms, the performance deltas between the GPUs are larger than any raw CPU differences according to 3DMark benchmarks. It's clear that much of the higher TDP overhead of the i5-5257U is geared towards powering the integrated Iris Graphics 6100 GPU.

With that said, the performance advantages of the MacBook Pro 13 are only barely enough to play today's 3D titles at the lowest 720p settings. Though this isn't saying much, it is still better than both the Dell and Asus where most newer games are beyond reach.

More comparisons and technical information on the HD 5500, Iris 6100, and HD 5300 can be found on our dedicated GPU pages.

System Noise & Temperature

With its whopping total of zero system fans, the UX305 takes the cake in the noise department. When comparing the XPS 13 to the MacBook Pro 13, the Dell tends to pulsate more frequently under low loads. Otherwise, fan noise is quite similar between them when gaming or performing other intensive tasks.

Surface temperature is warmest on the MacBook under most conditions. This may not be too surprising considering its more demanding CPU and dense internals. The Asus manages to perform on par with both Dell and Apple without any active cooling.

Winner: Asus ZenBook UX305

Users can expect almost 600 minutes of continuous WLAN use out of the Dell, or almost exactly one hour longer than the Apple when under the same conditions and brightness settings. This is achieved with a smaller capacity battery on the Dell, which is a noteworthy feat. The less demanding ZenBook should last longer in theory, but its even smaller battery is not enough to make up for the difference.

The extraordinarily long idling time of MacBooks in general is worth a mention as it indicates that the MacBook Pro 13 can potentially run for longer then the XPS 13 when dealing with lower loads like word processing or light browsing. Our WiFi test utilizes a looping script to simulate browsing and videos at a brightness setting of 150 nits.

Winner: Tie -- Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 13