Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Dell XPS 13 vs. HP Spectre 13

The Dell XPS 13 vs. the HP Spectre 13: Laptops don't get better than this

Dell XPS 13 9370 review | Full laptop from directly in front
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The 13-inch form factor is one of the most hotly contested in the laptop market because it’s the sweet spot between functionality and portability. Our favorite for the past few years has been the Dell XPS 13 and with good reason. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in potential competitors.

Recommended Videos

In this head to head, we’ll pit the Dell XPS 13 vs. HP Spectre 13, to see which is the best mid-range laptop. We’ll look at everything from their style, to internal hardware, to display quality, and battery life, so you can make an informed choice when it comes to your next laptop buy.

Interested to see how the XPS 13 holds up against the Zenbook 13, or against its bigger brother, the XPS 15 2-in-1? Check out our other head to heads.

Specifications

Dell XPS 13

HP Spectre 13

Dimensions 11.9 x 7.8 x 0.46 inches (0.3 at thinnest) 12.03 x 8.83 x 0.41 inches
Weight  2.67 pounds 2.45 pounds
Processor 8th Generation Intel Core i5, i7 8th Generation Intel Core i5, i7
RAM 4GB, 8GB or 16GB 8GB, 16GB
Graphics Intel HD 620 Intel HD 620
Display 13.3-inch InfinityEdge 13.3-inch IPS display
Resolution 1080p or 4K 1080p or 4K
Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD (PCIe optional) 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD PCIe
Networking 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
Ports USB-C, 2 x Thunderbolt 3, Headset, microSD 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, 1 x USB-C 3.1, 3.5mm combo jack
Operating System Windows 10 Windows 10
Battery 52 watt-hours 43.7 watt-hours
Price

$1,000+

$1,080+
Availability

Now

Now
Review Full Review: 9/10 Full Review: 8/10

Design

When HP released the Spectre 13 at the tail end of 2017, it touted it as the world’s thinnest touchscreen notebook. Although such claims are always a hard sell in such a competitive space, the Spectre 13 is certainly a streamlined laptop and the latest version is incredibly thin. If we’re looking at just the thinnest point on the laptop though, the XPS 13 does technically beat it by a fraction of an inch.

The XPS 13 is a little more svelte on the other dimensions too, but again by barely noticeable margins. Despite the Dell laptop’s new, trimmer physique though, it is certainly the heavier of the two, coming in at almost 10 percent weightier than its opponent. It’s not likely you’d notice it during casual use, but it all helps improve a laptop’s portability.

Both systems look great and offer more than their typical styling options alongside new, white and gold combinations — the XPS 13 sporting rose gold for its metallic look. It’s nice to see both manufacturers mix it up, considering how MacBook lookalikes are a dime-a-dozen in this price range now. Although looks are largely subjective, we think the XPS 13 is the slightly fancier looking of the two. Its slimmer bezels help that along.

In both our reviews of these laptops, we noted that the weight loss programs both have been on for their new renditions have left them a little weaker than their predecessors. Both exhibited a tiny bit more flex than we’d like, especially when opened, though it was more noticeable on the Spectre 13 — and could warrant some care when moving it with an open lid.

Neither laptop offers you USB connectivity in a format other than Type-C, so it’s worth making sure the retailer you buy from ships it with an adaptor — some do, some don’t. The XPS 13 does sport a microSD card reader though.

While both systems have similar layouts, great looks and trim designs, we still have to give the nod to the XPS 13. It just looks that little bit better, and with the added functionality of a microSD slot, it’s the slightly more functional design too.

Winner:

$1,000+

Performance

It shows how competitive this mid-range space in the laptop market is, that both the XPS 13 and the Spectre 13 come with almost identical hardware offerings. Both systems have eighth generation Intel processors, with the choice of a Core i5-8250U or i7-8550U CPU. The XPS 13 offers a 4GB RAM configuration, though both come in 8GB and 16GB guises too.

That said, the Spectre 13’s memory has a default speed of 2,133MHz. While the XPS 13 does offer that in its 16GB configuration, its 8GB iterations only come with 1,866MHz RAM. That’s not going to make the Spectre dramatically more powerful, but it’s about the biggest differentiating factor in this entire category.

Since neither laptop sports a dedicated graphics chip, unlike the Asus ZenBook 13, both systems are stuck with the Intel HD 620. That’s a perfectly capable on board graphics solution, but it’s not a patch on dedicated graphics hardware, or even something like AMD’s new Ryzen APUs.

The storage options are also pretty much the same, with both Dell and HP offering 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB PCIe solid-state storage to pick from. Again, the only real difference is that Dell offers a low-end 128GB solid-state drive (SSD) solution.

With a slight increase in its base memory speed and low-end configurations that are more powerful than the XPS 13’s admittedly broader range of hardware, so this category goes to the Spectre 13 by a hair.

Winner: Spectre 13

HP Spectre 13 2017 Review
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Display

Although both the XPS 13 and Spectre 13 offer 1080P and 4K displays, there are some noticeable differences between the two. In the 1080P form factor the Spectre 13 lacked brightness, contrast and color accuracy in comparison to the XPS 13. We found it pleasant to use in our testing, but its contemporaries are better equipped in terms of overall display quality at that detail level.

We loved the XPS 13’s 1080P panel, even preferring it in our testing to the 4K version, which while a much crisper and more detailed display, lost out a little in contrast ratio and color accuracy. However, Dell has dropped the option of touch functionality from its 1080P versions, meaning you have to buy the most expensive configuration with a 4K panel to gain that functionality. You save on weight (slightly) and overall cost by purchasing a non-touch panel, but it seems like a pretty standard feature to lose from a modern laptop.

Ultimately the XPS 13 has the better display choices, but if you are looking for a laptop with touch functionality, the Spectre 13 may be a better choice for you.

Winner:

$1,000+

Portability

Where the XPS 13 shed battery size in order to reduce its weight this time around, HP actually added a few watt-hours to the Spectre 13. That still brought it significantly under the XPS 13 though, which is why it falls behind in real-world battery tests. When we put these laptops through their paces the XPS 13 managed a full 13.5 hours in our video loop test, where the Spectre 13 didn’t quite make 10 hours.

As one of the market leaders for battery life in this range — nothing beats the Surface Book 2 — it should come as no surprise that the XPS 13 does so well in battery tests, even if this version is a little weaker in that regard than its predecessor.

It is important to note though that the slight weight difference does hold it back from clean sweeping this category. Although a little larger, the Spectre 13 is definitely the more lightweight device, so it certainly deserves a pat on its lid for offering stiff competition.

Winner:

$1,000+

Pricing and availability

Although the XPS 13 actually starts at a lower price point than the Spectre 13 ($1,000 vs $1,080) its hardware configuration at that level is vastly inferior. A fairer comparison would be the $1,200 XPS 13, as both that and the base-level of Spectre sport a Core i5-8250U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. That makes the HP laptop the much cheaper option — and its RAM is a little bit faster too.

That disparity in price is even more apparent at the top end, where even the $1,900 reduced price tag for the XPS 13 with a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 4K display, and 512GB of storage, is much more expensive than the Spectre 13. The HP laptop costs just $1,640 in comparison.

There is always the last-generation XPS 13 which starts at $800, but its hardware is older and weaker.

It’s important to note that these prices factor in the big sale HP is running at the time of writing; the original cost of that top-tier version of the Spectre 13 was $1,850. It’s been running long enough though, that we feel confident this price tag is effectively the standard one for now.

The only leg up Dell has in this category are delivery times. Although both systems are available to buy right now, the Spectre 13 can take up to two weeks to arrive in some configurations. With express shipping you can grab the XPS 13 in just a few days.

Winner: Spectre 13

Paying for portable privilege

Dell XPS 13 9370 review | Hero shot from the side of young woman using the laptop
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The HP Spectre 13 is one of those laptops that makes it ever harder for us to outright recommend the Dell XPS 13 to everyone we know. It has comparable hardware, a near-enough overall design, and decent battery life. The fact that it’s cheaper makes it a perfectly viable alternative for those who don’t want to pay for the additional perks of our favorite Dell design.

However, the increased battery life and better keyboard/touchpad pairing push the XPS 13 over the top. Its better display quality and overall improved frame stability over the Spectre 13 are important factors too. You certainly have to pay a bit of a privilege of those benefits, but in our estimations, they’re worth it.

Overall winner:

$1,000+

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
HP Envy deals: HP’s most popular laptop starts at $830
An HP Envy 17-inch laptop sits on an office desk.

There are a lot of excellent laptop brands out there, such as Dell and Lenovo, but you're probably just as familiar with HP, which has been around for a couple of decades now and knows its stuff. While there are a lot of specific lineups we could mention, like the XPS, that are pretty great, there's another lineup that is worth considering. The HP Envy lineup is pretty great for both work and school, which also makes it a good option for those who just want a general-use computer. They can get quite pricey, though, as can be expected of some of the best laptops, which is why we've searched for some of the best HP Envy deals we could find and collected them for you down below.

Of course, if you haven't quite found what you're looking for, then be sure to check out these other HP laptop deals and our roundup of laptop deals from other brands.
HP Envy 16-inch laptop 16-T-H1000 — $950 $1,500 37% off

Read more
Prime Big Deal Days Dell XPS Deals 2024: laptops and desktops
Dell XPS 13 9345 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Update 10/09/24: We've been seeing a lot of great deals on the Dell XPS lineup, even though it's the last day of Prime Day. We've updated the article with the latest prices and deals, so be sure to check everything out and snag something if you like it.

Even though the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sales event is ending tonight (October 9), there are still some fantastic Prime Day deals happening, and we’re not just talking about at Amazon either. That’s because many other retailers get involved, such as Dell, and more specifically some great Dell XPS deals. These are the best ways to score a great desktop PC or laptop for far less than usual. These Prime Day laptop deals are sure to be something special. We’re also counting on some sweet Prime Day gaming PC deals if you don’t mind the XPS badge rather than Alienware. Read on, and we’ll take you through the very best Dell XPS deals and give you some key buying advice.
Dell XPS 15 -- $1,059 $1,359 22% off

Read more
Best Dell laptop deals: Cheap laptops starting at $270
The Dell XPS 13 9315 on a table against a window.

There are a lot of great laptop makers out there, but Dell is one of the best laptop brands you'll find, especially with its massive selection of laptops. In fact, even if you want to grab yourself an Alienware, then you'll be happy to know that its owned by Dell, so whether you're looking for a great gaming laptop or budget laptop, then Dell likely has something for you. Dell also has the XPS lineup, which is not only one of the best laptops on the market but competes with the likes of the MacBook Air in terms of size, price, and specs.
Having so many options can be a bit overwhelming for somebody unfamiliar with Dell or the laptop market, so we scoured the Dell website and other retailers for our favorite picks and listed them below. This list has a lot of crossover with the best Dell XPS deals, student laptop deals and gaming laptop deals, so make sure to check out some of those other great laptop deals as well.

Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 -- $950 $1,350 29% off

Read more