
Ask HN: What should I buy? Macbook Air or Dell XPS 13? - tsriram
I&#x27;m looking for a Linux (well, Unix based) laptop for programming. XPS 13 is too tempting.
How does it compare with Macbook Air in terms of performance (mainly SSD)? Also, would you recommend getting XPS 13 and installing Linux? or get the XPS 13 Developer Edition?<p>I have not used Mac yet and am not a fanboy of Apple (yet!). Anyone who has used both?<p>Thanks!
======
mSparks
At the risk of sounding like a Carlsberg advert, XPS13 is probably the best
laptop I have ever used (if not the best computer).

Still has windows 10 on it (my only windows machine) since I need occasionally
to use the latest versions of office, and I use eclipse for the odd bit of
programming I need to do away from my main dev machine (common workspace with
linux is awesome).

Macbook Air was good, in 2008. couple of the staff use them.

Be aware, unlike the Macs the different versions of the XPS13 over the years
are very different machines. Only this years model has the 14 hour battery
life for example. But many stores (such as Amazon) stock old models.

I was actually commenting to collegues last week that Dell appear to have
become the world leader in "real" computing - laptop, desktop and server. They
have a lot of skeletons to shake though before they are perceived that way.

------
aprdm
I am also looking for a computer to buy. Looks like the 13 Mac book pro with
retina display is a better value for the money.

I found the dell xps 13 very expensive and heard some people with wi-fi
issues.

Both Mac book pro and air seem to be close to change so it might be worth to
wait for their next version.

I don't know other brands that people use with Linux.

At the moment I am using a Toshiba that I bought very cheap with i3 and 8gb of
ram running Ubuntu 16 and everything just works... Damn marketing/consumer
instinct making me want to buy a more powerful machine.

------
altano
If you have a Microsoft Store and Apple Store nearby, just go check them out
in person and decide for yourself. I have both and prefer the XPS 13 hardware,
mainly the high resolution display with almost no bezel, but both are great.

------
mcintyre1994
I have an rMBP13 (2015) and have been given a new XPS 13 at work. I'm an Apple
fan, and prefer my macbook but I'd go for the XPS 13 - I think the MBA is a
bad buy at this point. The XPS 13 has great hardware (it looks so small
compared to my rMBP and has a 13" screen still), that display is fantastic and
performs great. I can't give anything non-subjective about the SSD but it
feels as fast as my rMBP unless Windows is doing something stupid. I don't use
the built in keyboard much because it's usually docked at work, but when I've
used it it feels good - I haven't used it enough to compare to Apple though.
The trackpad is good, and gestures work, which is more than I've ever seen
from a non-Apple laptop. I haven't tested the battery at all, obviously MBA's
is amazing in practice.

All my complaints are with software (Windows specifically), so just make sure
your Linux distro behaves sensibly with a 3200x1800 screen and whatever
external monitors you want (Windows doesn't).

------
harel
I recommend going for the thinkpad carbon x1, it's the same form factor of Mac
air, looks better in my opinion and has one of the best keyboards on a laptop
that size, not to mention it's developer friendly (has actual page up/down,
home/end keys). I'm running Ubuntu on mine (3rd gen) without problems. The 4th
gen ones can take 16gb ram as well.

~~~
wrong_variable
Just a quick question !

How would you put ubuntu on it ? I have tried changing the boot partition to
GRUB and somehow windows still ends up loading !

like how is that even possible ??

~~~
rochak
I guess you need to do a boot repair. All you need is the same bootable flash
drive and follow instructions online as to how to repair GRUB. This kind is
think l thing happens a lot, happened with me too. If the problem persists,
contact me, I'll mail the steps.

------
RaitoBezarius
It depends on what kind of programming do you do, to be honest. I am using an
X230 since ~ 10 months, specs maxed (16 GiB RAM, 256 GiB SSD, i5, Intel
Graphics Card).

Well, I can:

\- run many VMs

\- browsing using this monster of RAM named Chromium

\- have as many terminals as I wish

\- work on frontend projects (React.js, jQuery, Browserify, Webpack)

\- work on backend projects (NGINX, uWSGI, Node.js, Gunicorn)

As for the battery, it depends on how do you use it and what do you install on
it. I run on i3, and with my average workload, it can survive ~ 3 - 4 hours. A
friend can survive ~ 8 hours, but he has _different_ way to work (no Chromium
process, etc…).

The key is what do you want to do? Machine learning? Native programming?
Mobile programming?

For example, it makes sense to get a Mac to do React Native / iOS development.

But, the other way: it makes sense to get a ThinkPad / UNIX-friendly machine
to do Linux kernel development IMHO.

Anyway! Good luck with your hunt! :)

------
tedmiston
This is going to sound overdramatic, but looking at that Dell logo staring
back at me for 10+ hours per day would be unbearable. I would give
surprisingly more consideration to the machine if they removed branding on the
inside (like Apple does).

------
akoncius
I used Dell XPS 13 Late 2013 model (with Ubuntu installed), and now I'm using
rMBP13. Main difference for me was noise: I was surprised how silent macbook
pro is compared to Dell XPS . For XPS it was enough to run something even
slightly more CPU hungry even for couple of seconds and you already hear quite
loud CPU fan noise. I got used to it, but when moved to rMBP13, I was
pleasantly surprised how silent this machine is, even considering that CPU was
way more powerful on rMBP laptop. so I highly recommend checking CPU fan on
new Dell XPS 13, just to make sure you will not be annoyed by loud fans.

------
trapperkeeper79
I got an HP Spectre 360 .. loving it. Get a USB docking station, an external
keyboard and mouse. Awesome dev setup. Oh .. I was an avid Mac user before.
Was in the same situation as you. I also thought the only alternatives were
Mac or Dell XPS. I then had to waste an hour at a best buy and spent time with
all the machines they had in stock. Liked the HP one the best. It has a
finicky touchpad but I was able to adjust the trackpad settings to make it
usable. Finally ... I recommend Windows Signature edition so you don't have to
deal with too much third party bloat.

------
rayalez
Have you considered ThinkPad X1? I got one and I'm really happy with it.

~~~
llamaz
I'm don't think anyone should buy from IBM after they bundled malware with
that one laptop

~~~
yazr
This is like switching cable company and expecting to get better service ;(

------
IlPeach
Have an XPS13 Dev edition. Really solid and great hardware, especially
considering the price you pay for it. As many have said the MBA is overpriced
and have old hardware, definitely not worth.

------
random778
We have a Dell XPS 13 (9343) (originally came with Windows) at work. I used
Ubuntu on it and couldn't get the display set up so that menus on IDEs etc.
was a readable size. Attaching an external display was a disaster. Then a
colleague took it over and put Windows 10 on it. Exact same issue. Anyone else
experience this?

------
tssva
If you are in the US and decide on the XPS 13 Costco has the i7 version with
16GB and a 512GB SSD for $1399.99 through today. And after that it is $1599.99
which is still hundreds less than buying through Dell. If you join Costco just
for the deal you end up way ahead. Costco also doubles the warranty to 2
years. If you are already a member or know one you don't need to go to a
Costco the deal is available on their website. $14.95 for shipping.

------
dacm
I'm in a similar situation to yours and been reading some positive reviews
about this [https://slimbook.es/](https://slimbook.es/)

They seem to be very responsive in terms of doubts, questions, etc. but as
most small companies their main disadvantage is brand awareness when compared
to Dell or Apple. But of course this is greatly compensated by a cheaper
price.

~~~
56k
That looks like a MacBook Air clone.

------
nikmobi
I would always recommend a MacBook. I used to always stick with various non-
Macbook laptops (Sony, Samsung, Lenovo, etc). I switched to a MBP a few years
ago and don't think I can go back. Have bought 5-6 different MacBooks since.

~~~
Analemma_
For the MBP I think there is no argument. The OP is asking about the MBA
though, and then it gets trickier because Apple is still shipping it with that
godawful 1440x900 screen. Computers like the XPS 13 have really leapfrogged
Apple in that respect. There are still a lot of pluses in the MBA's column but
having used high-DPI screens, I couldn't go back to that one. Don't forget
that Dell ships the "Developer Edition" with reasonably robust driver support
out of the box.

~~~
guitarbill
> because Apple is still shipping it with that godawful 1440x900 screen

This. The MBA is fine for most things I do; in fact I prefer a slower CPU if
it gives me more battery life. But the screen is so bad I regret getting the
MBA anytime I look at a different screen, including phones.

edit: however, I recommend the MBP. I've only had bad experiences with Linux
on laptops, which I have to use for work. HiDPI sucks on Linux. You'll get
conflicting advice, most of which is useless because maybe the person telling
you <Linux dist> is the best" really likes tweaking <Linux dist>.

------
shams93
Yeah these days if you want a linux laptop you're going to have a better
experience either installing linux under bootcamp on a macbook, or getting a
laptop with linux pre-installed, or getting a chromebook and running ubuntu
under crouton. The dual boot days are basically over. If you have windows
often its boot load locked into windows10. You can run bash ubuntu under
windows 10 now, but you still have the overhead of running windows10 itself
compared to the speed and efficiency of running a linux desktop like xfce.

~~~
ckdarby
Highly recommend the Asus zenbook. Was able to run Ubuntu right out of the box
with everything working aside from having to rebind the screen brightness
keys.

~~~
TimothyE
+1 for the Zenbook. I've got a UX31A (which uses the same body as the Air) and
I've been running Ubuntu pretty much stock for 3 years on it. Best ultra-
portable I've had (had a couple of the older XPS 13's but not the newest)

------
atmosx
The main reason for going Mac IMHO is the OS which feels like 2016 compared to
Linux. If that's not what you want go for the XPS

~~~
calgoo
And I see it totally reversed. I see OS X as a pile of junk that has not been
updated since 10.1.

~~~
chmaynard
> OS X ... has not been updated since 10.1

That is false. If you decide to take an extreme position to attract attention
or vent, at least say something intelligent.

------
dvhh
you could also install linux on a mac ( macbook pro ), last time I looked at a
mac it was possible.

------
bricss
Dell should you buy-out

------
whatsappjokes
Dell should you buy thanx

