MacBook Pro vs. Surface Book vs. Razer Blade vs. Dell XPS 15
How do Apple's new laptops stack up with the Windows competition? Here's a huge spec breakdown.
If you really want a MacBook Pro , you'll buy a new MacBook Pro.
But maybe you're on the fence. How does the new Mac compare to the Windows competition?
Truth be told, there aren't as many direct competitors as you'd think. The recently upgraded Microsoft Surface Book, the 14-inch Razer Blade and the Dell XPS 15 are the main machines you'd probably buy instead -- if you're looking for a lot of processing power in a fairly thin frame.
Mac vs. Surface vs. Blade vs. XPS
| 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016) | 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016, w/Touch Bar) | 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016) | Surface Book w/Performance Base | Razer Blade (14-inch, QHD) | Dell XPS 15 (4K) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (USD) | $2,399 | $1,799 | $1,499 | $2,399 | $2,099 | $1,699 |
| Materials | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum, carbon fiber |
| Display | 15.4-inch 2,880x1,800-pixel | 13.3-inch 2,560x1,600-pixel | 13.3-inch 2,560x1,600-pixel | 13.5-inch 3,000x2,000-pixel | 14-inch 3,200x1,800-pixel | 15.6-inch 3,840x2,160-pixel |
| Pixel density | 220 PPI | 227 PPI | 227 PPI | 267 PPI | 262 PPI | 282 PPI |
| Dimensions (imperial) | 13.75 x 9.48 inches | 11.97 x 8.36 inches | 11.97 x 8.36 inches | 12.3 x 9.14 inches | 13.6 x 9.3 inches | 14.1 x 9.3 inches |
| Dimensions (metric) | 349 x 241 mm | 304 x 212 mm | 304 x 212 mm | 312 x 232 mm | 345 x 235mm | 357 x 235mm |
| Thickness | 0.61 in (15.5mm) | 0.59 in (14.9mm) | 0.59 in (14.9mm) | 0.9 in (22.8 mm) | 0.7 in (17.9 mm) | 0.66 in (17mm) |
| Weight | 4.02 lb (1.83kg) | 3.02 lb (1.37kg) | 3.02 lb (1.37kg) | 3.63 lb (1.65kg) | 4.3 lb (1.95kg) | 4.5 lb (2.04kg) |
| Operating system | Mac OS 10.12 Sierra | Mac OS 10.12 Sierra | Mac OS 10.12 Sierra | Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 | Windows 10 Home |
| Processors | 2.6GHz 4-core Intel Core i7 "Skylake" | 2.9GHz 2-core Intel Core i5 "Skylake" | 2.0GHz 2-core Intel Core i5 "Skylake" | Intel Core i7 "Skylake" (likely 2-core) | 2.6GHz 4-core Intel Core i7 "Skylake" | 2.3GHz 4-core Intel Core i7 "Skylake" |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Pro 450 (2GB) | Intel Iris 550 | Intel Iris 540 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M (2GB) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 (2GB) |
| Up-spec | 2.9GHz Core i7, Radeon 460 (4GB) | 3.3GHz 2-core Core i7 | 2.4GHz 2-core Core i7 | N/A | N/A | 2.6GHz 4-core Core i7 |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| RAM | 16GB | 8GB / 16GB | 8GB / 16GB | 8GB / 16GB | 16GB | 8GB / 16GB / 32GB |
| Battery | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 10 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 16 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 5 hours (mfgr. estimate) | 4 hours (CNET test) |
| Networking | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 | Killer 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1 | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Ports | 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge, 1x 3.5mm headset | 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge, 1x 3.5mm headset | 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), any can charge, 1x 3.5mm headset | 2x USB 3.0, 3.5mm headset, SD card, Mini DisplayPort, Surface Connect (dock and charge) | 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 1x HDMI, 3.5mm headset | 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), HDMI, 3.5mm headset, SD card |
| Cameras | 720p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD | 720p FaceTime HD | 8MP rear, 5MP front (1080p) | 2MP front | Front |
| Touchscreen | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | Touch Bar secondary screen, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Force Touch trackpad | Touch Bar secondary screen, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Force Touch trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | Detachable tablet, Windows Hello face sign-in, Surface Pen stylus | RGB LED keyboard, optional external graphics with Razer Core dock; also available in cheaper 1080p config | Minimal screen bezel; compatible with Dell external battery |
Because the new Macs haven't moved past Intel's sixth-gen Core processors, they may not actually have much of a speed boost over the Windows competition -- though brand-new AMD graphics may definitely help. Apple claims new MacBook Pros each have twice the graphical power of the ones it released in 2015.
Still, that's only on the 15-inch model: most of these Windows machines will likely trounce the 13-inch MacBook Pro's integrated graphics in games and other graphically intensive tasks.
And as you can see from the chart, the weight and size advantages also aren't as big as you'd think. Windows machines have made some major strides in the last few years while Apple was working on its big new update.
On paper, battery life is definitely still the best reason to buy a Mac, unless you count the Surface Book -- but the Surface Book will likely have a dual-core processor. It's impressive that Apple is quoting 10 hours for the 15-inch quad-core. If you want a touchscreen or stylus, Windows is the way to go.
And there's always way more to any computer than you'll see in a spec sheet, even when it comes to specs: we're very curious how Apple's speedy new solid-state storage and improved display stack up, too.
Plus, the new USB-C ports might make Apple's computer easier to charge -- both Microsoft and Razer's machines use proprietary chargers instead of the new USB charging standard.
We'll need to do some extensive testing to be sure.
Check out all of today's Apple news here!
Correction, 1:10p.m. PT:The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is $1,799, not $1,499. Also fixed a couple other copy/paste issues with the non-Touch Bar version, which has 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports, not 4.