---
title: 'Who Really Makes the Best Cheap Laptop? - MacBook Neo vs XPS 13'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z5XOhPfIgho'
video_id: 'Z5XOhPfIgho'
date: 2026-06-16
duration_sec: 0
---

# Who Really Makes the Best Cheap Laptop? - MacBook Neo vs XPS 13

> Source: [Who Really Makes the Best Cheap Laptop? - MacBook Neo vs XPS 13](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z5XOhPfIgho)

## Summary

The video compares the Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Neo as budget laptops, focusing on the entry-level models priced around $600-$700. It highlights the XPS 13's superior specs on paper but notes real-world trade-offs in speakers, webcam, and RAM management.

### Key Points

- **MacBook Neo Disruption** [0:00] — The MacBook Neo disrupted the market with great performance, build quality, and a low price of $500-$600 for students.
- **Dell XPS 13 Competitor** [0:29] — Dell's XPS 13, announced at Computex, is the first real competitor at a similar price point ($699 regular, $599 student).
- **XPS 13 Specs Superior on Paper** [1:03] — The XPS 13 has a bigger, 120Hz touchscreen, upgradeable storage, backlit keyboard, better ports, and faster Wi-Fi.
- **Build Quality Comparison** [1:37] — The XPS 13 feels well-built but the MacBook Neo seems more durable.
- **Screen and Speakers** [2:29] — The XPS 13 screen has better colors and higher refresh rate, but the MacBook Neo's speakers are significantly better.
- **Keyboard Advantage** [3:43] — The XPS 13 has an excellent backlit keyboard, while the MacBook Neo lacks backlighting.
- **Performance and RAM Management** [5:06] — For light tasks, both are similar, but under heavy RAM loads, the MacBook Neo handles swapping better.
- **Missing Audio Jack** [6:56] — The XPS 13 has no audio jack, which is a problem for precise audio timing.
- **Battery and Fans** [7:31] — The XPS 13's battery life is slightly better for video playback, but it has audible fans.
- **Temporary Pricing** [8:04] — The XPS 13's price is likely temporary; at the current entry-level price, it's a great value.

## Transcript

When Apple launched their MacBook Neo
earlier this year, this was very
disruptive because this was a good
performing laptop with great build
quality and an incredible price point.
This was like 600 bucks, 500 bucks for
students. And when it launched, the
entire like Windows laptop space felt
uncomfortable because this was it was
very difficult to compete against like
all the manufacturers were like, "Okay,
now this thing exists. What do we do?"
Now, the one and only company so far
that has come out with what I think is a
real competitor is this product right
here. So, this is from Dell. This was
announced a couple weeks ago at uh
Computex. This is their new XPS 13. I
saw it. I reached out to Dell. I'm like,
"Okay, give me your cheapest one, like
the entry level one that is also priced
at a very similar price point." So, this
thing is 700 or like $6.99 for a regular
and then for students, uh, $5.99. Now, I
specifically asked for the 8 GB entry-le
model, the one that's that price point,
because I wanted to see what the
experience was if you compare it
directly to the MacBook Neo. Now, on
paper, the XPS 13 is objectively better
than the MacBook Neo in many ways. The
screen on the XPS is a little bit
bigger. It also has a higher refresh
rate, goes up to 120 Hz, and it's also a
touch capable screen. It's running a new
chip and the base model of the XPS also
only has 8 gigs of RAM like the MacBook
Neo, but you can configure it with more
if you want. The XPS also has
upgradeable storage and the keyboard on
the XPS has back lighting. Uh, it's got
higher bandwidth ports that can handle
multiple external displays. It has
faster Wi-Fi and it's also listed as
having more speakers than the Neo, but
we'll come back to that. Now, the first
thing I noticed when I picked this thing
out of the box is that this is very well
built. I mean, it is an XPS product and
the legacy of the brand is like you
would kind of expect it to be
well-built, but it is one hand openable
for one, but it's like because of the
price point, I just imagine in my head
that somehow they'd cut corners somehow
to just make this fit that price point.
It feels exactly like an XPS product
should and would. Now, if you compare it
to the Neo side by side, uh, or just
like in hand, they're both wellb built,
but the Neo does seem a little bit more
durable. like the frame of it seems that
if I dropped it and I also dropped an
XPS, the Neo would take less damage
somehow than the XPS. It's just a little
bit, I don't know, beefier in that
sense. That being said, the XPS product
here is the best 6 or $700 Windows
laptop on the market. Usually at this
price point, you are dealing with
plastic or like stamped metal, but this
is machined. The screens, let's start
here. The screen on the XPS is
definitely better than the one on the
MacBook. Similar brightness, but the
colors are measurably better on the XPS.
It's got slightly bigger panel with
thinner bezels. The higher refresh rate
is nice, but these aren't gaming
laptops, right? You do need to play like
undemanding 2D titles to get 120 frames
per second in games. But for regular
Windows use, like just your UI and just
being in Windows, all the animation is a
little bit smoother when you have that
nice refresh rate. It's something I
value, but it's definitely not important
to everyone. Uh, now in terms of
speakers, MacBooks in general have
excellent speakers. The ones on the Neo
were a little bit disappointing. These
just don't sound as good as I would
expect. The XPS 13 with its more
speakers because it has four instead of
two as advertised. I was expecting these
to somehow be better. They are so not.
These actually sound significantly worse
than the ones on [music] the Neo.
[music]
I don't know if it's like early drivers
or something else, but these are just
not great speakers. Same thing applies
to the webcam and the mic. So, I've
obviously gotten a haircut before
shooting this demo, but this is the
camera and microphone from the XPS 13.
And then this is a camera microphone on
the MacBook Neo. It is significantly
better. The keyboard, however, on the
XPS is excellent. This is way better
than the one on the Neo simply because
of the fact that it has backlighting.
So, the actual typing experience is
solid. The keys feel responsive and I
type fast on it. But the backlighting on
this is just so important. Like, these
are products geared towards students,
right? and you know even a dim lecture
hall like there's just often scenarios
where having backlighting is just
critical and the fact that it doesn't
exist on the Neo like we know why it's
not there right they want the product
segregation and Apple wants to sell you
that whole MacBook Air for like you know
500 bucks more but I'm just so glad that
XPS 13 has it and many people might look
at the spec and be like ah whatever
that's fine I don't need it but there
will be times like for sure on an
airplane somewhere where you just can't
see your keyboard very well and you want
to change like the volume or the
brightness or something where you just
don't know where the key is and you're
like, I can't see it. You got to do the
whole like tilt your screen down to
light up your keyboard and then find the
key and then press it. It's super
annoying. Uh the trackpad on the XPS 13
is also really good. This is a
mechanical trackpad just like the Neo
and this feels really nice. I don't
think there's anything I would complain
about in terms of like size or anything.
It is uh kind of keyboard focused in
terms of sizing and it's just a small
trackpad. But I like it. I think this
feels and tracks really nicely. Looking
at performance, this is running Intel's
new Core 5320 chip. This has pretty good
CPU and GPU benchmarks, and it is aimed
at the entry level market. When I'm
using the XPS for normal or light
computing tasks, like browsing the web,
or catch up on news, typing an email,
typing a document, this feels super
responsive. There's no issue with it
whatsoever. It just feels like a very
smooth experience. Even you have a lot
of tabs open. And I would say that the
experience between the XPS 13 and the
Neo is largely the same when it comes to
just like normal light computing tasks.
However, if you have a more RAM
intensive application open in the
background, like let's say I do this a
lot. I'll have Adobe Premiere open and
I'll be all tabbed in a browser doing
stuff. Both of them can hiccup for sure.
Here and there it happens. I feel like
the XPS 13 does it a little more
frequently than the Neo. It's not often
at all, but experience-wise,
it has a little bit of a hiccup. More
noticeable on this. Now, if you run the
very unrealistic scenario where let's
say I have like four videos playing
while also running a video editing
program while also playing like a game
in the background while having a bunch
of Chrome tabs open and I run both of
these systems, I find that the MacBook
is just way better at handling that
workflow. Now, is that a realistic
workflow? Not at all. Like, no one works
like that. I don't think that it's meant
to simulate a realistic workflow. But I
think what it does indicate is that the
RAM swapping in Mac OS is just better.
It's fluid and makes it a usable
experience if even if you throw stupid
unrealistic workflows at it. But the XPS
13 with Windows 11 can make that RAM
limitation feel a little bit more
potent. Now, neither of these devices
are great for video editing. They're
both entry-level systems, right? But if
I had to pick between the two, like the
better one, I'd say the MacBook Neo, the
GPU capabilities are just a little bit
better. At least in Premiere, it's just
a little smoother on the edits. There is
another thing though. So on the XPS
device, there is no audio jack. So if
you have an external drive for your like
your media connected up to this and
let's say you have, you know, a power
cable connected to the other one,
there's no audio jack. So you would have
to use a Bluetooth connected audio. But
now you have latency like lag, right? So
if you need like millisecond precise
audio, you would have to have a USBC
audio thing and then now you're down to
one port. Uh it's not something that's
important to most people, but if you do
need precise audio for timing,
no audio jack. Okay, the battery life on
straight video playback is better on the
XPS 13 by a little bit, but they're
pretty similar when it comes to just
light workloads. The XPS 13 does have a
pair of fans on the inside. It doesn't
come on very often, but when it does, it
is audible. Like, if you're installing a
big piece of software or if you're
playing a game, something, it will kick
in. And it's quiet, but it is
noticeable. The Neo is fanless. So, the
overall experience for the XPS 13 is
quite good. And for the $7 or $600 that
the entry- level product gets you, it's
surprisingly good. There is a bit of a
caveat, though. So, for one, this is a
timelimited price. I don't know exactly
for how long it'll last. I think, you
know, they're trying to get students
into this thing, so I guess into the
fall. But this pricing will eventually
change. And as to how much it changes,
too, I don't know. I don't even know if
Dell at this point has that exact
number. But this is a variable price
depending on like the RAM situation and
the storage pricing situation. So, as it
stands, this is a phenomenal price.
Like, if you look at the market right
now, Dell is the only company that's
offering something like this in the
Windows space at this price point.
Literally, no one else is doing it to my
understanding. And I think they can't
maintain this price for all that long,
right? Because who knows how this stuff
is going to play out in terms of the
pricing of stuff. So right now, if you
get this or if you get it before the
price changes, I think you're getting a
great value. I understand that as this
thing as you throw more RAM into this
system, obviously the price jacks up and
you could argue that, you know, at 16
gigs or 32 gigs, this is an awesome
system, but at that point the price is
like so high up there that you're now
comparing it to other systems and like
MacBook Air, MacBook Pro pricing that
it's it's a separate conversation. I'm
only looking at this thing from the
perspective of the cheapest versions,
like the base entry level. And so for
that extra $100 that the XPS 13 costs,
you get a lot. You really do. uh the
overall user experience I think is just
marketkedly better. However, it's only
at that price. I think the moment the
price fluctuates or you start throwing
configurations and stuff, everything
goes out the window and I no longer have
a comment on it. It's just the entry
level price. I'm like, this is it's
good. Uh okay, there you have it. the
XPS 13.