
What are the biggest difference between XPS 13 and Macbook Pro? - stealthmodeclan
Other than the specs listed on websites. Some are non obvious differences in experience. What according to you are biggest pro or con of one of these laptop for developers?
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timrichard
I use both (with the XPS 13 just for Linux).

The XPS just feels a bit smaller, but perhaps that's because the bezel on the
display is tiny in comparison.

Build quality on both machines is generally excellent (notwithstanding MBP
keyboard problems that have troubled some). I don't think the display on the
XPS is that far behind in use (I have the FHD display, rather than the fancier
one). Having done lots of tweaking in X, I think mine looks great with Arch
running i3.

As others have mentioned, the smaller trackpad on the XPS isn't quite as good.

Goes without saying I suppose, but a big consideration might be whether you
have buy-in on or would have interest in various OSX companion apps that are
useful as a developer (Alfred, Kapeli Dash, etc). Also, if you have any
intention to develop iOS or dual-platform apps then the Mac's XCode and iOS
simulator would require you to go in that direction.

One thing I would mention is that if you're going ultralight with the XPS to
develop on the move, then the higher capacity Power Companion is really useful
piece of gear to keep you going [1]

Much lighter and slimmer than the Hyperjuice brick I used to hike around with
for the Mac.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Power-
Companion-18000-WCKF2/dp/B...](https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Power-
Companion-18000-WCKF2/dp/B00PC9HG0Q)

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orliesaurus
The keyboard: the latest macbook has a terrible keyboard for development, not
only it feels awkward to press but it is prone to breaking very often than you
would imagine with keys getting stuck and costing hundreds of dollars to get
fixed.

They touchbar, if you opt for one, is pretty much useless other than to unlock
the macbook. Fiddling with the volume and the bright switch is a pain.

The track pad is superior in the macbook.

The screen resolution, is superior on the macbook, unless you go for a 4k
display xps at the cost of battery life.

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owenwil
Well one runs Windows and the other macOS, for a start. Otherwise, most apps
already work on Windows that you're familiar with, thanks to the prominence of
Electron. If you need Sketch, which is not on Windows, thankfully there's
tools like Figma now that support 1:1 SKetch import and work better anyway.

