MacBook Air M4 vs Dell XPS 13: which ultrabook in NZ?
The Air wins this on the things you feel every day. It has no fan, so it is silent; its battery genuinely lasts a full working day where the XPS needs a charger by mid-afternoon; and 16GB is now the base configuration. The XPS answers with a gorgeous chassis, a slightly lighter body and Windows — which matters if your work depends on software that has no Mac version, and that is a real constraint for plenty of New Zealand businesses. Dell's invisible haptic touchpad and the missing headphone jack are polarising, so try one in a store before committing. For most buyers with a free choice, the Air is the better machine; for anyone tied to Windows, the XPS is a fine place to land.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13" (M4, 16GB/256GB) | Dell XPS 13 (Core Ultra 7, 16GB/512GB) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M4 (10-core CPU)✓ | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| Memory | 16GB unified | 16GB LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 13.6in Liquid Retina, 500 nits | 13.4in FHD+ InfinityEdge✓ |
| Battery | Up to 18 hours✓ | Up to 14 hours |
| Weight | 1.24kg | 1.19kg✓ |
| Ports | 2× Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe, headphone | 2× Thunderbolt 4 |
A tick marks the stronger spec on that row — not necessarily the one that matters to you.
Which one should you buy?
Buy the Apple MacBook Air 13" (M4, 16GB/256GB) if…
You have a free choice of operating system and you value silence, battery life and resale value.
Prices & specsBuy the Dell XPS 13 (Core Ultra 7, 16GB/512GB) if…
Your work requires Windows-only software, or you want a touchscreen and an OLED option.
Prices & specsCommon questions
Is 256GB enough storage on a MacBook Air?
For browsing, documents and streaming, yes. If you keep a large photo library locally, edit video, or install big games, upgrade at purchase — the SSD is soldered and cannot be changed later.
Can the MacBook Air run Windows software?
Not natively. You can run Windows on ARM in a virtual machine like Parallels, which handles most productivity apps but not everything — check your specific software before switching.