Are you trying to figure out which laptop is a better choice between the Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2? If yes, this Dell XPS 15 vs Microsoft Surface Book 2 comparison is just the help you need.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: At First Glance
Year after year, Microsoft and Dell have proven to know just what their users want and this puts laptop users in a fix. Dell technology, for instance, has become a household name with its various durable and efficient products.
Like Dell, Microsoft has equally carved out a niche for themselves in the technology market. Alongside its wide range of brilliant software, Microsoft further impressed its users in 2012 with its first manufactured laptop.
In 2017 though, Microsoft released the Surface Book 2, following the success of the Surface Book 1. The Dell XPS 15 however is a more recent laptop released in 2020.
Now, you may be wondering, what makes these laptops even worth a comparison? Well, they have some very similar features that are worth comparing.
Want to know what these features are? Then keep reading to find out!
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Design, Dimensions and Weight
“Premium” is the best word to summarize the design of both the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and the Dell XPS 15. Both laptop manufacturers seem to understand the true meaning of aesthetics.
To be well descriptive, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 follows the same sleek build quality as its predecessors. This laptop has a smooth magnesium silver alloy finish that is always a delight to touch.
As delicate as it looks, it is actually durable so you would not have to worry about it being easily dented. Speaking of durability, the hinges of the Surface Book 2 are solid enough for a detachable.
Yeah, you read that right. This laptop is a detachable device which means you can separate the display from the keyboard.
This makes it serve as a laptop or just a tablet. Asides from easing the detachable feature of this laptop, these hinges also add to the appealing look.
To be exact, the hinges of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 have a book-edge pattern. In technical terms, this is referred to as the “fulcrum” hinge which makes the device look like a book when closed.
With such a look, you may mistake the Surface Book 2 for an actual book when it’s laid flat.
On a different note, let’s focus on the Dell XPS 15 for a moment.
The Dell XPS 15 9500 is built with a well-constructed aluminum chassis that makes you want to flaunt it with its premium look. This makes it the same build quality as the Microsoft Surface Book 2.
In addition to it looking like the Surface Book 2, you will almost mistake this Dell laptop with an Apple MacBook. Perhaps this explains why both laptops had a face-off in our Dell XPS 15 vs MacBook Pro comparison article.
The Dell XPS 15 also has durable hinges you can rely on, however, do not expect it to be flexible like the Surface Book 2. As a matter of fact, the hinges of this Dell laptop are not designed to make the laptop lay flat – talk more of being detachable.
Back to the detachable feature of the Surface Book 2, you’ve probably seen laptops of its kind getting wobbly when on a surface right? Well, the Surface Book 2 is not any different.
For a laptop, this device isn’t exactly lap-friendly, meaning, it does not sit well when placed on the leg. The reason for that is the heavyweight of the tablet as compared to the lightweight keyboard at the base.
Even at that, the hinges can very much handle the wobbly nature of this device. Speaking of which, both the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15 are lightweight laptops.
More precisely, the Dell XPS 15 weighs 2005 g and measures 344.72 x 230.14 x 18 mm (W x D x H) in dimension. Comparatively, that is almost similar to the 1905 g weight of the 15-inch Microsoft Surface Book 2.
The Surface Book 2 has a dimension of 312 x 232 x 15-23 mm (W x D x H). By the way, it’s worth noting that this laptop also comes in a 13.5-inch variant.
This 13.5-inch model measures 312 x 232 x 13-23 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 1534 g. By looking at the numbers, we can say that both 15-inch laptops (Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15) are relatively slim and would not be a hassle to move around with.
Away from weight, it’s time to highlight features under the lid of both laptops. Starting with screen bezels, Dell definitely gave the Surface Book 2 a run for its money.
Contrary to the fairly thick bezels surrounding the display of the Surface Book 2, the XPS 15 features very thin bezels on all four sides. Such modern slim bezels further add to the premium qualities of this Dell device.
As we know, bezels surround the display of a device. Switching over to that aspect, let’s now discuss the display features of both laptops.
The Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2 both have the same display size of 15-inch. However, as already hinted earlier, there is an alternate 13-inch model of the Surface Book 2.
As for resolution, they both do not share common features but they do provide different display resolution options. To be precise, you can get the Dell XPS 15 with a 4K Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) or Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution.
In the same light, the Surface Book 2 offers the option of choosing a Quad HD (3240 x 2160) or (3000 x 2000) resolution. It appears that both laptop manufacturers want to give users the option of buying the display resolution that best suits their needs.
By comparing all four resolutions I stated above, it’s worth noting that the 4K Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) of the XPS is the most impressive. This resolution, which our comparison is based on, reveals more details and depth of a display.
Nonetheless, this fact does not nullify the good resolution of the Surface Book 2. It is worth noting that our Surface Book 2 comparison is the model with the Quad HD (3240 x 2160) resolution.
Asides from providing clarity and depth to a display, the resolution types of both laptops have impressive viewing angles. There is no loss of sharpness or clarity when you’re using the XPS 15 or Surface Book 2 from different angles.
In addition to viewing angles, another feature that makes you enjoy a display is screen brightness. For both laptops, brightness levels appear to be very similar with the XPS 15 having about 500 nits, while the Surface Book 2 has 450 nits of brightness.
Apart from brightness level, the Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2 share yet another feature. More precisely, they both offer the touchscreen feature.
There is a twist however, the Surface Book 2 has the touchscreen feature by default regardless of the model you purchase. Unlike this Surface Book, the touchscreen feature of the Dell XPS 15 is optional.
This means that not all Dell XPS 15 laptops have is touchscreen-enabled. You only get the touch-screen feature based on the model you request for.
On a different note, looking downwards of the display, there’s the keyboard deck. As I earlier stated, the Surface Book 2 has a detachable keyboard.
This keyboard looks every bit like a non-detachable, conventional laptop. However, there’s nothing conventional about how this keyboard feels.
It is super smooth with bouncy keys that make typing a delight rather than a task. Comparatively, we cannot say anything less for the Dell XPS 15 which also has a well-spaced, work-friendly keyboard.
A piece of further information on keyboard performance is key travel. This refers to how deep a key gets into the laptop chassis before bouncing back up.
The next likely question on your mind is, “what is good key travel?”. Ideally, no one’s fingers should get lost in a keyboard when typing so, 1.5mm is a decent key travel.
Fortunately, 1.5mm key travel is exactly what the Surface Book 2 offers. If you think that’s impressive, the Dell XPS 15 beats that with its 1.3mm key travel.
Such amount of key travel explains why typing on these laptops is not uncomfortable. To further enhance the typing experience, the keyboard of both laptops are backlit.
Invariably, using any of these keyboards in the dark will not hinder your productivity.
Meanwhile, one thing that always accompanies a keyboard is a trackpad. Like the keyboard, both laptops have responsive trackpads that are great to use.
Another feature both laptops share about the touchpad is the integrated click buttons. As the term suggests, the click buttons are integrated into the touchpad, which is more modern than thick click buttons.
An additional similarity of the touchpads of both laptops is the multi-touch gesture. You can use more than one finger while using the touchpad of both the XPS 15 and Surface Book 2.
Although, one major difference between the trackpad of the Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15 is their size. Dell offers a bigger trackpad than that of the Surface Book so if you’re a lover of big trackpads, you probably already have a choice.
Away from the keyboard and touchpads, a variety of ports are what you’ll find on the sides of both laptops. Starting with the Surface Book 2, there are 2 USB Type-A 3.1 ports and a full SD card reader on the left side.
Since this laptop can be used as a tablet, Microsoft place the headphone jack at the side of the display screen – instead of the keyboard deck area.
Moving on, the right side of this laptop is where you’ll find the Surface Connect port used for charging. Another port on the right of this laptop is a USB Type-C.
As for the Dell XPS 15, this laptop has a USB Type-C, full SD card reader, and a headphone jack on the right side. It does not end there though, this laptop also has two Thunderbolt 3 ports that support power delivery & DisplayPort.
To make up for the absence of the USB Type-A and HDMI ports, Dell included a dongle. If you’re wondering what that is, a dongle is a small external adapter that kinda looks like an earbud case.
This dongle has ports that enable you to connect to a USB Type-A and HDMI port. As innovative as that may sound, it just seems like something extra you have to carry around.
Even though laptop users (including myself) do not appreciate the “dongle-life”, some people are indifferent about it. All the same, it is good that Dell considered including a dongle which is better than not having it at all.
Looking at the design features of both the XPS 15 and Surface Book 2, it is understandable that some people may be indecisive. It is apparent that both laptops have relatively good design features.
For instance, they are both lightweight with premium looks and feature great work-friendly keyboards. Even though the Surface Book 2 has a thicker bezel than the XPS 15, the creative hinges of the former are impressive.
Despite all that goodness, some aspects of these laptops clearly show that one is more impressive than the other.
For example, there are more ports available on the Dell XPS 15 than what you’ll find in the Surface Book 2. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the fact that the Surface Book 2 is clearly a game-changer with its detachable feature.
Following those facts, I will rate the Dell XPS 15 a score of nine out of ten. As for the Surface Book 2, it deserves an eight in this Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2 design comparison.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Processor (CPU) Performance
Knowing the performance level of a laptop processor is definitely something you should be concerned about. Rather than jump in to discuss the processor performance of these two laptops – I’ll take the time to discuss the processor features first.
A common trend for laptops these days is the various processor options laptop manufacturers provide. This means you can get the best processor that works for you when purchasing the laptop.
Thankfully, both Dell and Microsoft are not relenting in this trend and I’ll be discussing them in detail. Starting with the Dell, it’s impressive to know that the Dell XPS 15 has four processor options.
To further break it down, you can get this laptop with an octa-core Intel Core i5-10300H processor. This processor also has an 8 MB cache with a base and boost frequency of 2.50 GHz and 4.5 GHz respectively.
Another processor option you can opt for is a 6-core Intel Core i7-10750H processor with a 12 MB cache. To add to that, this processor has a base frequency of 2.60 GHz while its boost frequency is 5.0 GHz.
If this Core i7 does not do it for you, Dell offers the third option which is an 8-core Intel Core i7-10875H processor. This processor has a 16 MB cache with a base and maximum frequency of 2.30 GHz and 5.1 GHz respectively.
The fourth and most powerful option for a processor on the Dell XPS 15 is an 8-core Intel Core i9-10885H. This processor has a 16 MB cache, as well as a base and maximum frequency of 2.40 GHz and 5.3 GHz respectively.
Moving away from the Dell XPS 15, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 offers multiple processor options. Rather than four, this laptop has three processor options to choose from.
First off, you can get the Surface Book 2 with a dual-core Intel Core i5-7300U with a 3 MB cache. As regards processor speed, this particular processor has a 2.60 GHz base and 3.50 GHz boost frequency.
Alternatively, there’s another Intel Core i5-8350U but more powerful with four cores. This processor also has a 6 MB cache and runs at a base frequency of 1.70 GHz with 3.60 GHz as its boost frequency.
As a final option, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 can be purchased with a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U processor.
Having provided all the CPU features of both the Dell XPS 15 and Microsoft Surface Book 2, let’s talk about their performances. To determine the performance level of a processor, it’s imperative to know how it performs with real-life work and benchmark tests.
Just before I get into details, it’s important to know which specific model of both laptops we are actually reviewing since there are so many processor options. On that note, the Surface Book 2 in this comparison is powered by the Intel Core i7-8650U processor.
The Dell XPS 15 model, on the other hand, is powered by an Intel Core i7-10875H processor. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the performance of both laptops by revealing benchmark test scores.
There are different benchmark test tools that are used in analyzing the performance level of a laptop. For a computer processor, the Geekbench 4 is one benchmark that lets you know just how much work capacity the computer processor can handle.
Like almost every other test, the higher the score of the Geekbench 4, the better the processor performance. On that note, the Surface Book 2 scored about 12,221 points while the Dell XPS 15 doubles that score with 25,934 points.
With such a wide disparity in test scores, you are probably asking yourself how both laptops perform in real-life use. To answer that, both laptops have good scores which means they should be able to handle tasks well.
Whether it’s editing media files, word processing, or web browsing, both laptops are capable. You can be sure they will not be heating up when you try carrying out these tasks without lagging.
To summarize, both laptops deliver good processor performance and multiple processor configuration options. However, it is apparent that the Dell XPS 15 is worth rating a nine for its higher benchmark test score and its additional processor options.
The Surface Book 2, on the other hand, did not perform poorly and for that, I will rate it an eight. Based on my scores, the Dell XPS 15 wins this round as well.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Memory (RAM) Performance
In the memory department, both the Dell XPS and Microsoft Surface Book are sufficient depending on your needs. Unlike the processor options where both laptops shared some similarities, they both are actually different in terms of memory features.
To be exact, the Dell XPS 15 has as many as five memory options depending on the model you purchase. The Microsoft Surface Book 2, on the other hand, offers just one option for its memory.
To be descriptive, I will be providing the details of the memory of both laptops. Firstly, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 has just one memory slot that accommodates 8 GB RAM or a maximum of 16 GB.
Since this laptop has just one LPDDR3 1866Mhz RAM soldered to the motherboard, you would not be able to upgrade the memory.
Meanwhile, the memory of the Dell XPS 15 is more impressive because this is a DDR4 Dual Channel 2933 MHz RAM. Unlike its Surface Book 2 counterpart, this Dell laptop allows you to upgrade the RAM because it has two slots.
One slot is soldered to the motherboard which means that you will not be able to replace or upgrade the RAM on this slot. Alternatively, the other slot is not attached to the motherboard so you can easily replace it yourself.
Furthermore, these two memory slots of the Dell XPS 15 can take as much as 64 GB of RAM. When purchasing this laptop, you can get the model with 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB.
No matter the number of RAM you go for, do have in mind that this Dell laptop cannot take more than 64 GB. Apparently, the Dell XPS 15 has more to offer than the maximum 16 GB RAM capacity of the Surface Book 2.
As relevant as memory size is, knowing the performance level of that memory is of great importance. To determine that, I will be providing benchmark test results as well as their real-life performance.
Starting with the latter, the PCMark 8 is the appropriate benchmark test tool used for analyzing the performance level of a computer’s memory. PCMark puts the computer under immense pressure by making it execute multiple computing tasks at the same time.
Notably, just like the processor benchmark test, a higher score for the PCMark means better performance. In this test, the Dell XPS 15 outperformed the Surface Book 2 by a large margin.
Microsoft’s product scored 3076 points while the XPS 15 scored 5052 in the same test. Just by looking at the figures, it’s obvious that the Dell XPS 15 is more powerful.
Now that you know what the benchmark score says, I’ll move to real-life use. For memory-intensive tasks like web surfing, data entry, audio, and video streaming, both laptops should be up to the task.
With 27 web tabs open, including streaming videos on YouTube, and audio streaming on Audiomack, both laptops should not slow down.
In brief, the Dell XPS 15 has more memory options you get to chose from compared to the Surface Book 2. Not forgetting also that Dell XPS 15 makes provision for easily replacing/upgrading the RAM while the Surface Book 2.
Furthermore, we cannot neglect the fact that Dell’s product scored higher in the memory benchmark performance than the Surface Book.
Considering all that, nine is the ideal score for the Dell XPS 15 while I will rate the Surface Book 2 a seven. This means that both laptops scored a nine and seven respectively in this Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2 memory performance comparison.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Storage Options and Performance
Laptop storage is an aspect of a laptop we cannot overlook. Insufficient storage is something nobody wants in a PC and fortunately, both the Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15 offer sufficient storage.
Although both laptops do not have the same storage capacity, they both have the same storage type. In precise terms, both laptops use the SSD storage type but with various sizes.
The Dell XPS 15 is the large one with 4 SSD slots having a capacity of 2TB maximum. Consequently, it means you can have 500 GB SSD storage in each slot.
In a lesser capacity to the XPS 15 is the Microsoft Surface Book 2 which has a maximum storage size of 1 TB. Also, this Surface Book 2’s storage is a single slot.
If at some point, you need to expand storage, both laptops have options for storage expansion through the full SD card slot.
In case you do not know, SSD (solid-state drive) is a faster alternative to the HDD (hard disk drive). Consequently, you can expect that SSDs will send and receive files faster than HDDs.
Speaking of storage speed, a file transfer test is one way to know how fast or slow storage can transfer files. Despite both laptops being SSD, the Dell XPS 15 outperformed the Surface Book 2.
To be precise, the Dell XPS 15 9500 copied a 4.98 GB file in 8 seconds at a transfer rate of 710 MB per second. Comparatively, it took the Surface Book 2, 25 seconds to also transfer a 4.97 GB file at a rate of 203 MB per second.
Asides from file transfer speed, you probably want to know just how fast or slow it takes a storage type to save or open a file. Fortunately, there’s a way to determine that.
Similar to the benchmark tests I discussed in the processor and memory sections, the storage is also not left out. The CrystalDiskMark is one benchmark test tool for analyzing the read and write speed of a storage type.
By read and write speed, I am referring to how long it takes computer storage to open and save a file. In the case of the Surface Book 2, it has a read speed of 899.8 MB/s and a write speed of 656.7 MB/s.
The Dell XPS 15 beats that score with a read speed of 3420 MB/s and write speed of 2856 MB/s. From the look of things, the Dell XPS 15 yet again proves to be unshaken!
Both the storage size and performance level of the Dell XPS 15 are quite high as compared to what the Surface Book 2 is offering.
Judging by that, I will rate both laptops a separate score of nine and seven respectively in this Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2 storage performance comparison.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Graphics Card Performance
Graphics specifications of a laptop are definitely things creatives should be concerned about. Graphics is responsible for gaming performance as well as video and image editing.
On that note, you definitely want to know the graphics features of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15. Well, the good news is that both laptops have different graphics options similar to what we discussed in the processor section.
Depending on the model you purchase, both laptops have both integrated and dedicated graphics options. Wondering what integrated and dedicated graphics means?
Simply put, an integrated graphics card does not have its own dedicated RAM and so it shares the system’s memory with the CPU to perform graphics tasks.
In contrast, a dedicated graphics card has its own RAM (called VRAM) that is capable of handling graphics tasks which means it does not share the system’s memory with the CPU. Just by looking at how they both function, a dedicated graphics card is more powerful than an integrated one.
Moving on, I will go ahead to provide details on the graphics specifications of both laptops.
Starting with the Surface Book 2, the integrated graphics that comes with this laptop is the Intel UHD Graphics 620. When it comes to speed, this integrated graphics card has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.
If that graphics feature is not what you’re looking for, there’s the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card. Furthermore, this graphics card has a video RAM of 6 GB GDDR5.
As for speed, it functions at a base frequency of 1392 MHz and a boost frequency of 1506 MHz. Alternatively, there is yet another dedicated graphics card you can opt for which is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060.
This graphics card has a video RAM of 3 GB GDDR5. As for speed, its base and boost frequencies are 1518 MHz and 1708 MHz respectively.
Away from the Surface Book 2, similarly, the Dell XPS 15 offers multiple graphics configurations. There’s the integrated Intel UHD Graphics with its base and boost frequency of 350 MHz and 1250 MHz respectively.
Alternatively, there’s a more powerful option which is the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card. Its video RAM is 4 GB GDDR6 and its base frequency is at 1350 MHz while its maximum is 1485 MHz.
That said, these specifications will be of no use if you do not know their performance level. To determine that, I will be providing graphics benchmark test scores based on 3DMark.
This 3DMark is a benchmark tool that analyzes the graphics performance of a computer by running graphic-intensive tasks.
Just before I get to it, it’s important you know which model of each laptop this comparison is based on.
Our Microsoft Surface Book 2 model has the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060. The Dell XPS 15 on the other hand comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card.
Starting with the latter, the 3D mark test on the Dell XPS 15 resulted in a score of about 8780 points. On the contrary, the Surface Book 2 scored less with its 4600 points on the same test.
Dell XPS 15 does it again by outperforming the Surface Book 2! Just before we conclude though, you need to know how these laptops handle gaming.
Despite the fact that both laptops are not gaming laptops, they perform well for gaming.
To be precise, the Dell XPS 15 runs Dirt3 at about 134 frames per second on 1080p medium game settings. For the Surface Book 2, it runs the same game at 114 frames per second on the same 1080p medium settings.
Another game worth mentioning is Fortnite, which runs at about 60 frames per second on the Dell XPS 15 and about 54 frames per second on the Surface Book 2.
Consequently, both laptops have what it takes to handle games and other graphics tasks. It is also impressive to have different graphics card configuration options to choose from for both laptops.
However, there are still some differences in performance levels. This Dell laptop obviously outperforms the Microsoft laptop.
From that viewpoint, I will rate the Dell XPS 15 a nine for having the upper hand. On the other hand, the Surface Book 2 is best rated an eight in this Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2 comparison.
Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2: Battery Life and Performance
In the aspect of battery, Microsoft equipped the Surface Book 2 with a 69 Wh Lithium-ion battery. According to Microsoft, this battery can last up to 17 hours, however, we’ll find out just how true that is in subsequent paragraphs.
The Dell XPS 15, on the other hand, offers slightly different battery choices. Instead of a single battery option, Dell offers yet another option to choose the battery type best suited for you.
Consequently, you can purchase the Dell XPS 15 with a 56WHr or 86Whr battery. By the way, our comparison is based on the 86Whr battery model.
Now, let’s jump right into the real-life battery performance of both laptops. Instead of the 17 hours claimed by Microsoft, real-life use shows that the Surface Book 2 does not last that long.
To be realistic, this laptop can last you up to 13 hours on continuous browsing with screen brightness at a medium level. Notably, you will get such amount of battery life when the keyboard is attached.
This means that the battery life of the Surface Book 2 varies when this laptop is in tablet mode. In fact, you would only get about 3-4 hours of battery life in tablet mode on continuous web browsing.
With that information, you know when you should carry the charger along with you.
Comparatively, the battery life of the Dell XPS 15 is somewhat similar to that of its Surface Book 2. When fully charge, this laptop lasts up to 12 hours on continuous web browsing with medium screen brightness.
Apparently, both the Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2 offer battery life enough to last a full day’s work. Considering that, both laptops deserve an even score of nine in this Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2 comparison.
Our Rating Summary
| Rating Areas | Dell XPS 15 | Surface Book 2 | Notes/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design | 9 | 9 | Even though the word “beauty” is relative, both the Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2 are very good-looking laptops. Both laptops also share almost similar display features. The key difference between them though is something more than just looks. For example, the Dell XPS 15 offers more ports which makes it a good pick. If on the other hand, you really yearn for a laptop with a detachable keyboard, the Surface Book is sure to catch your attention. This informs my reason to rate both laptops an even score of nine. |
| Processor (CPU) | 9 | 8 | Besides the multiple processor options which give the Dell XPS 15 an upper hand, it is also a better performer. Between both laptops, the benchmark test results make it very evident that the Dell XPS 15 has more processing power than the Surface Book 2. |
| Memory (RAM) | 9 | 7 | From the wide margin of benchmark test scores between the Dell XPS 15 and Surface Book 2, we cannot deny the exceptional performance of the Dell XPS 15 over the Surface Book 2. |
| Storage | 9 | 7 | Asides from the multiple storage slots of the Dell XPS 15, this laptop also outperforms the Surface Book 2 in terms of storage speed. |
| Graphics Card | 9 | 8 | From benchmark test scores and real-life gaming of both laptops, it’s evident that both laptops are capable of handling graphics-intensive tasks. However, it is also clear that the Dell XPS 15 outperforms the Surface Book 2. |
| Battery Life | 9 | 9 | From the real-life battery tests, both laptops appear to have the same battery life. |
| Our Average Rating | 9 | 8 | On average, the Dell XPS 15 is a better laptop. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, to an extent. The touchscreen features of this laptop are actually optional.
This means that you can get this laptop with a touchscreen or non-touchscreen display.
No. This laptop was not designed for gaming. Nonetheless, with its dedicated graphics card option, the Surface Book 2 can deliver some good gaming performance.
On moderate use, the battery of this laptop should last you a full workday.
Absolutely. You can conveniently upgrade the Surface Book 2 to Windows 11.
With a weight of about 2005 g, the Dell XPS 15 is not a heavy laptop.
Conclusion
To wrap up, it is quite evident that we found a winner in the Dell XPS 15. Despite being categorized as a laptop notebook like the Surface Book 2, this Dell laptop is more than that.
The performance of the Dell XPS 15 shows that it is more than just a regular notebook, we can consider it as a proper workstation laptop. Whether it’s creative, intensive office work, or a little gaming on the side, the XPS 15 is capable.
Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 also put up a good fight with its impressive performance and great features. Not forgetting, its portable, convertible feature that makes it a tablet or laptop.
As for recommendations, you should consider the Dell XPS 15 if you need a powerful laptop with many configuration options.
If on the other hand, you are on a budget and you are not big on graphic or processor-intensive work, the Surface Book 2 is a good pick.
I hope you found this Dell XPS 15 vs Surface Book 2 comparison helpful. If you found the review helpful, we would love to hear from you.
Kindly spare two minutes to share your thoughts with our community using the comments form below.
Alternatively, simply respond to the “Was this page helpful” question below and provide us with your feedback.
Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Comparison Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.
