Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: A Surprising Upset
Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: A Surprising Upset
Dell XPS 13 对决 MacBook Neo：一场令人惊讶的逆袭
Ever since the MacBook Neo was announced this spring, I’ve been looking for a serious alternative. Not a cheap knockoff that sacrifices quality for price. No, no. I was hunting for a Windows laptop with the same goal as the MacBook Neo—hiding its compromises and delivering an otherwise premium laptop at a lower cost. For months, it was crickets. 自从 MacBook Neo 在今年春天发布以来，我一直在寻找一款真正能与之抗衡的替代品。我指的不是那种为了压低价格而牺牲质量的廉价仿制品。不，完全不是。我一直在寻找一款与 MacBook Neo 目标一致的 Windows 笔记本电脑——即在降低成本的同时，巧妙地掩盖妥协之处，并提供出色的高端体验。然而几个月过去了，一直杳无音信。
Then, the Dell XPS 13 showed up on my doorstep, and it understood the assignment. For many reasons, this was the one I’d been waiting for. But the question remains: Is it actually the better budget laptop? The answer surprised me when I dug into the testing. 直到 Dell XPS 13 送到我手中，它完美地完成了任务。出于诸多原因，这正是我一直等待的产品。但问题依然存在：它真的是更好的预算型笔记本电脑吗？当我深入测试后，结果令我大吃一惊。
Hidden Compromises
隐藏的妥协
When the MacBook Neo was originally announced, it was a shocker. Apple coming in at the $599 price point for the base configuration felt unreal. Apple had never in its history brought the MacBook to such a low price. Even at its new $699 starting price, it’s in unprecedented territory. Importantly, this encroached on the territory of Windows laptops, where it has traditionally had a monopoly. 当 MacBook Neo 最初发布时，它令人感到震惊。苹果将基础配置的价格定在 599 美元，这感觉很不真实。苹果历史上从未将 MacBook 的价格降至如此之低。即使是现在 699 美元的起售价，也处于前所未有的领域。更重要的是，这侵入了 Windows 笔记本电脑的传统领地，而后者此前一直占据着这一价位的垄断地位。
And while many Windows laptops are available at this price, they suffer from many of the same problems, such as cheap materials or corners cut with low-quality displays and touchpads. Even a cheap laptop I like quite a bit, like the HP OmniBook 5 (with the Snapdragon X Plus), has a weak point in its touchpad. 虽然市面上有很多这个价位的 Windows 笔记本电脑，但它们往往存在同样的问题，比如材质廉价，或者在显示屏和触控板上偷工减料。即使是我相当喜欢的一款廉价笔记本电脑，如 HP OmniBook 5（搭载 Snapdragon X Plus 处理器），其触控板也存在明显的短板。
But the Dell XPS 13 sought to match the MacBook Neo’s premium quality in nearly every aspect. It has the same starting price of $699 (or $599 for students). It’s exactly the same size at just a half-inch thick, so when the lid is closed and you’re holding it, it feels just as portable. The XPS 13 weighs 2.2 pounds, half a pound lighter than the MacBook Neo. The Neo isn’t heavy, but holding both in your hands, the difference is noticeable. That’s the first point in favor of the XPS 13. 但 Dell XPS 13 试图在几乎所有方面都与 MacBook Neo 的高端品质相媲美。它的起售价同样是 699 美元（学生价为 599 美元）。它的厚度仅为半英寸，与 Neo 完全相同，因此当你合上盖子拿在手里时，感觉同样便携。XPS 13 的重量为 2.2 磅，比 MacBook Neo 轻了半磅。Neo 本身并不重，但当你同时拿在手里时，差异非常明显。这是 XPS 13 的第一个加分项。
Despite a slightly smaller screen (13 inches, measured diagonally), the MacBook Neo sits taller than the XPS 13 when the lid is open. That’s because the XPS 13’s 13.4-inch display is surrounded by much smaller bezels—particularly the bottom, which gives the XPS 13 a more modern look. The white keyboard and flashier color options of the MacBook Neo certainly have their appeal, especially since the XPS 13 comes in only two shades of silver. But in general, more screen real estate and smaller dimensions are preferable, especially if you want to travel on an airplane with your laptop. 尽管屏幕略小（对角线测量为 13 英寸），但 MacBook Neo 在打开盖子后看起来比 XPS 13 更高。这是因为 XPS 13 的 13.4 英寸显示屏周围采用了更窄的边框——尤其是底部边框，这让 XPS 13 看起来更具现代感。MacBook Neo 的白色键盘和更炫目的配色方案确实很有吸引力，尤其是 XPS 13 只有两种银色可选。但总的来说，更大的屏幕空间和更小的机身尺寸更受欢迎，特别是如果你经常需要带着笔记本电脑乘飞机旅行的话。
And then there’s the screen itself. Most $700 laptops have mediocre screens that aren’t bright enough and have poor colors. I never expected Apple to skimp on the display, of course, and it didn’t. It goes up to 509 nits (as tested) and has decent color reproduction. But the XPS 13 is better in three ways. First, it has a touchscreen, which MacBooks don’t (yet) have. That’s a nice addition for an entry-down model. It also has a 120-Hz refresh rate, which gives the screen fast, fluid responsiveness that not even the MacBook Air has. Again, that’s a feature that’s exceedingly rare to find on a budget-level laptop. Lastly, the XPS 13 has better color saturation, specifically on the Adobe RGB and P3 color scales. It’s actually one of the better IPS screens I’ve tested on a laptop, and it’s as sharp as the MacBook Neo. 接下来是屏幕本身。大多数 700 美元的笔记本电脑屏幕表现平平，亮度不足且色彩还原较差。当然，我从未指望苹果会在显示屏上吝啬，事实也确实如此。它的亮度最高可达 509 尼特（实测），色彩还原度也不错。但 XPS 13 在三个方面更胜一筹。首先，它拥有触摸屏，而 MacBook（目前）还没有。对于入门级机型来说，这是一个很好的补充。其次，它拥有 120Hz 的刷新率，这使得屏幕响应速度极快且流畅，甚至连 MacBook Air 都没有这个功能。同样，这在预算级笔记本电脑中极为罕见。最后，XPS 13 拥有更好的色彩饱和度，特别是在 Adobe RGB 和 P3 色域方面。它实际上是我测试过的笔记本电脑中表现最好的 IPS 屏幕之一，清晰度与 MacBook Neo 不相上下。
None of these are weak points of the MacBook Neo, but it’s worth noting that the XPS 13 has it beat in a number of these areas. That’s also true of the keyboard and trackpad. Both are excellent on these laptops, and I found myself comfortable using them right off the bat. Again, trackpads in particular can be a sore spot for budget Windows laptops, but Dell smartly didn’t skimp on it. Apple’s the one that compromised on the keyboard, both by not including Touch ID in the base model and by removing backlighting (which the XPS 13 includes). 这些并不是 MacBook Neo 的弱点，但值得注意的是，XPS 13 在多个方面确实超越了它。键盘和触控板也是如此。这两款笔记本电脑的键盘和触控板都很出色，我上手使用时感到非常舒适。再次强调，触控板往往是预算型 Windows 笔记本电脑的痛点，但戴尔很聪明，没有在这上面省钱。反倒是苹果在键盘上做了妥协，不仅基础款没有 Touch ID，还取消了背光功能（而 XPS 13 则配备了背光）。
Ports, Storage, and Videoconferencing
接口、存储与视频会议
I already mentioned the display and the portability, but there are a few other places where the XPS 13 is the clear winner. The first is the USB-C ports. Both devices have two, but the XPS 13 splits them, so one is on the left side, and one is on the right side. I really like this decision, as it allows you to charge the device from either side. Then, there’s the speed of these USB-C ports. One of the USB-C ports on the MacBook Neo is an outdated USB 2 port. Not only is it slow for file transfers, but it also can’t natively output to an external display. Both USB-C ports on the XPS 13 are USB 3.2 Gen 2, which can each support a 4K display and transfer data at up to 10 Gbps. 我已经提到了显示屏和便携性，但在其他几个方面，XPS 13 也是明显的赢家。首先是 USB-C 接口。两款设备都有两个接口，但 XPS 13 将它们分置在左右两侧。我非常喜欢这个设计，因为它允许你从任意一侧为设备充电。其次是这些 USB-C 接口的速度。MacBook Neo 的其中一个 USB-C 接口是过时的 USB 2.0 标准。它不仅文件传输速度慢，而且无法原生输出到外部显示器。而 XPS 13 的两个 USB-C 接口均为 USB 3.2 Gen 2 标准，每个接口都能支持 4K 显示输出，并能以高达 10 Gbps 的速度传输数据。
The Neo does have an advantage when it comes to ports, though. It has a headphone jack, whereas the XPS 13 doesn’t. This might be less of a big deal today than it was in the past, but I prefer laptops to keep them. 不过，Neo 在接口方面确实有一个优势。它配有耳机插孔，而 XPS 13 则没有。虽然这在今天可能不像过去那样重要，但我还是希望笔记本电脑能保留这个接口。
The XPS 13 comes with 512 GB of storage in both the base and upgraded models. The MacBook Neo base model comes only with 256 GB, and you’ll need to upgrade to the Touch ID model for 512 GB. On top of that, Dell’s laptop uses faster storage. That’s a winning combination. XPS 13 的基础版和升级版均配备 512 GB 存储空间。而 MacBook Neo 基础版仅提供 256 GB，你需要升级到 Touch ID 版本才能获得 512 GB。此外，戴尔的笔记本电脑使用了速度更快的存储介质。这是一个制胜组合。
The videoconferencing setup is similarly good. Both webcams are 1080p. Though the image processing is a bit better on the MacBook Neo, the XPS 13 includes an IR camera for logging in without a password. The base configuration of the Neo doesn’t have Touch ID, so you have to type a password to log in, change settings, and pay online. 视频会议配置同样出色。两款设备的摄像头均为 1080p。虽然 MacBook Neo 的图像处理效果稍好一些，但 XPS 13 配备了红外摄像头，支持免密登录。Neo 的基础配置没有 Touch ID，因此你必须输入密码才能登录、更改设置和进行在线支付。
The RAM Problem
内存问题
Apple never claimed the MacBook Neo was a powerhouse. Built on an iPhone chip (the A18 Pro) and limited to 8 GB of RAM, it is clearly designed for college students and anyone with lower-level computing needs. When I tested it initially, I found that if I wasn’t paying attention, it was easy to let open applications, tons of browser tabs, and background tasks slow the computer down, with the main bottleneck being the 8 GB of RAM. Apple hasn’t sold a MacBook with 8 GB of RAM since 2024… 苹果从未声称 MacBook Neo 是一款性能怪兽。它基于 iPhone 芯片（A18 Pro）打造，且仅限于 8 GB 内存，显然是为大学生和有轻度计算需求的用户设计的。在最初测试时，我发现如果不加留意，很容易因为打开过多的应用程序、大量的浏览器标签页和后台任务而导致电脑变慢，而主要的瓶颈就在于那 8 GB 的内存。自 2024 年以来，苹果已经不再销售 8 GB 内存的 MacBook 了……