Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display vs HP Spectre x360 vs DELL XPS 13:Which is better?

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display (13-inch,2015)                                                                          The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display adds the Force Touch trackpad from the new MacBook as well as fifth generation Intel processors, Intel Iris Graphics 6100 graphics, and up to 10 hours of battery life.Apple adds new Intel CPUs, faster memory, longer battery life and its new Force Touch trackpad to the standard 13-inch MacBook Pro, which keeps its generous selection of ports.  When compared to last year’s 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, the new models are only 7 percent faster than the older laptops they respectively replace. In order to see gains over 10 percent, you have to compare the new laptop to models released in 2013.

The graphics improvement is much more impressive: The new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro had a 29 percent increase over last year’s models in the Cinebench OpenGL tests. It’s not the 40 percent that Apple touts, but Apple’s testing was done with a different benchmark that includes three video games.

In the Black Magic Disk Speed Test, the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro posted an average write speed of 1156.1 MBps and an average read speed of 1299.9 MBps. The 13-inch Macbook Pro hasn't had a radical redesign, and its shape, dimensions, weight and port configurations are identical to the outgoing model. That means two Thunderbolt 2 ports, a USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack and a MagSafe 2 port on the left, and a second USB 3.0 port, SDXC card slot and HDMI 1.4 port on the right. The screen resolution is 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, but you actually get the screen real-estate of a 1,280 x 800 pixel-resolution display due to the pixel-doubled effect that provides Retina-like sharpness. Apps like SwitchResX allow you to access even higher resolutions than OS X allows, stretching all the way up to 3,360 x 2,100.

Text is too tiny to be legible at that setting, but opting for one in-between, such as 1,920 x 1,200, lets you fit much more of spreadsheets and other apps into the display than any of the default screen resolutions at the expensive of clarity.

but,The 2015 updates make only a minor difference to the hands-on experience, while similar high-end 13-inch laptops continue to get thinner and lighter.

THE BOTTOM LINE While the upcoming 12-inch MacBook has all the buzz, this 13-inch system gets a handful of updates to remain a top choice for combining power and portability.                                           Specs                                                                                                                                                  Display:13.3-inch    Processor: Intel Core i5     Processor Speed Standard :2.7GHz  Memory (RAM):8GB Solid State Drive (SSD):128GB    Processor Speed Maximum: 3.1GHz    3D:  Intel Iris 6100                  Display Finish : Glass    Ethernet:  No    Wi-Fi:  801.11ac      Mobile Broadband/3G: No                       Bluetooth: 4.0              Webcam: Yes   HDMI: Yes    DisplayPort:  2 (Thunderbolt)                                  Audio Connections: Single multi-jack    USB 3.0 : 2                                                                       Price:$1299:00                                                                                                                                              VS                                                                                                                                                             HP Spectre x360                                                                                                                                    The HP Spectre x360 has a solid aluminum body, smooth 360-degree hinges, an excellent display and very long battery life.The Spectre x360 is one of our new favorite laptops, thanks to its premium design, fast performance, vibrant screen and comfortable keyboard. It's relatively heavy compared to competing laptops, but it mostly makes up for it with nearly best-in-class battery life.                                                                   Performance and battery                                                                                                                               With dual video outputs, HDMI and mini-DisplayPort, the Spectre x360 can drive two external monitors at once, and the system also follows a welcome recent trend of dropping older USB ports and making every port a USB 3.0 version.

But, before you expect too much in terms of performance from the new Intel CPUs, a MacBook with last year's Core i5 CPU, was still in the running (and led in one test), while a different Broadwell-generation chip, the ultra-low-voltage Core M found in the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, was slower in all tests by a noticeable margin.

 It's battery life that really makes this system stand with the best in its category, with the Spectre x360 running for exactly 12 hours in our video playback battery drain test. That's not as rare a score as it might have been even last year, but having more laptops that top a dozen hours of battery life is not a trend anyone should argue with.

A pair of Dell XPS 13 systems, with substantially similar hardware configurations (including the same fifth-gen Intel Core i5 CPU), showed the wide range of possible battery life, with a higher-res touchscreen model running for about seven hours, while a non-touch 1,920x1,080 screen model running for about 12 hours, closely matching the Spectre x360.

                                                                                                                                                              The midrange x360 I reviewed featured Intel’s popular 5th-generation “Broadwell” Core i5-5200U, 8GB of DDR3/1600, a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD and an IPS 1920x1080 screen. This configuration will set you back $1,000, but you can step it down to $900 by halving the SATA SSD and RAM. Personally, I’d say spend the extra $100.

This configuration is actually fairly competitive. Outfitted with similar components, Dell’s XPS 13, for example, is $800—but it’s not a convertible and it even lacks the touchscreen at that price. Also, the XPS 13’s smaller, lighter form factor feels great until you touch the keyboard. The Spectre x360’s keyboard is far more comfortable to type on than the XPS 13’s. Frankly, I’d probably trade the XPS 13’s compact size for the Spectre x360’s keyboard in a second if it were my everyday driver.

Other details of the Spectre x360 also impressed me. The tiny power button on the left side of the frame is a bit annoying—you have to hunt for it. However, it takes just enough pressure that you can’t easily activate it by accident. On the convertible Yoga 3 Pro, I’d put the machine to sleep all the time just by picking up the chassis.

The clickable trackpad is superwide. While that can leads to false taps (I flail my thumbs when typing at full speed and mash my palms, too), I didn’t have any issues with it—my measured typing speed was comparable to what I’d achieve on a full-size laptop keyboard. I can’t say that about Dell’s XPS 13. One issue on the Spectre x360 worth noting: On occasion, I found it didn’t detect my right mouse-click.

In port selection, HP plays it safe and sane with three USB 3.0’s, mini DisplayPort and a full-sized HDMI. There’s also an SD card reader and a combo analog audio jack. Apparently HP doesn’t live in that bizarro MacBook world, where you get lauded for eliminating consumer choice in ports and forcing people to carry a bag of dongles.

The shell is milled from a solid block of aluminum. To add pizzazz, HP polished the edges of the body and screen. It gives this convertible a beautiful look that sets it apart from any other unit we’ve seen this year.

It's heavier than a MacBook Air, and like many similar hybrids, it leaves the keyboard exposed in tablet mode. Higher-end screen options could limit battery life.

THE BOTTOM LINE                                                                                                                                 With long battery life, good performance and an attractive design, the HP Spectre x360 is one of the best convertible notebooks you can buy. While not as light, or convenient, in tablet mode as the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, the x360 is less expensive, has a more powerful processor and lasts longer on a charge. If you're not interested in a convertible, the nontouch version of the Dell XPS 13offers similar performance and much longer battery life in a smaller package. But if you want something that can adapt with your needs, the Spectre x360 is a very good choice.

 Price:$899.00                                                                                                                                              VS                                                                                                                                                            DELL XPS 13  (2015,non-touch)                                                                                                            The Dell XPS 13 has been our favorite notebook, because it combined a slim, light and attractive design with excellent battery life at a good price. For the newest version, Dell tweaked that winning combination by adding a 6th-generation Intel Skylake processor, Thunderbolt 3 port and a higher-capacity battery. The updated XPS 13 is faster than ever and, despite a step backward in battery life, lasts nearly 12 hours on a charge. This remains one of the best ultraportable laptops on the market. Dell's revamped XPS 13 has a nearly borderless display, a very small body for a 13-inch laptop and the latest Intel CPUs. Battery life in this lower-end configuration gets a big boost.

but,There's a lot to like: the new screen is not only brighter, but it's also non-glare, which brings significant advantages for those who need or want to venture outside a lot.Dropping the higher-resolution screen and edge-to-edge glass overlay means the look is not as slick, and losing touch makes Windows 8 harder to use.

THE BOTTOM LINE With its gorgeous Infinity display, rock-solid carbon-fiber body and improved performance, the XPS 13 is the best premium ultraportable laptop.Taking a second look at the new XPS 13, this lower-end version costs less and has better battery life, but isn't as tightly designed.                          Specs:        Display size/resolution: 13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 screen   PC CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U           PC memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM  1600MHz    Graphics: 2,000MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5500     Storage: 128GB SSD    Optical drive: None    Networking: 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0              Operating system: Windows 8.1 (64-bit)                                    

Price:$899