Dell XPS 13 (9300) vs. XPS 13 (7390): Which should you buy?

Dell XPS 13 9300
Dell XPS 13 9300 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

The XPS 13 (7390) was a brilliant laptop when it launched, and it's still very good even today. But that only really applies if you currently own one, because the newest incarnation is far and away a better laptop all-around.

Dell XPS 13 (9300) vs. XPS 13 (7390) tech specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategoryDell XPS 13 9300Dell XPS 13 7390
ProcessorIntel Core i3-1005G1
Intel Core i5-1035G1
Intel Core i7-1065G7
Intel Core i5-10210U
Intel Core i7-10710U
Display resolution1080p non-touch
1080p touch>
4K touch
1080p non-touch
1080p touch
4K touch
RAM4/8/16/32GB LPDDR4X 3733MHz4GB/8GB/16GB DDR3 2133 MHz
GraphicsIntel UHD
Intel Iris Plus
Intel UHD
Storage256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB PCIe NVMe SSD256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Ports2x Thunderbolt 3
3.5mm headphone
Type-C to Type-A converter included
2x Thunderbolt 3
1x USB-C 3.1
microSD card reader
3.5mm headphone jack

The XPS 13 (9300) is all-round a better laptop

Listing where the older model has an advantage is an easier place to start; it's basically price and ports. You get a slightly larger port selection on the 7390, including a microSD card reader, and you can buy one for less. That's about it. Sure, it's still incredibly handsome, well-made, and a brilliant laptop. But now the 9300 is here, you shouldn't buy one.

The new XPS 13 is, as quoted in our review, a "perfect Ultrabook."

For one, the hardware inside has been given a lift. It uses the higher-class of 10th Gen Intel processors with the new Iris Plus graphics (on some versions), and the graphics power here is a significant lift on the previous generation XPS 13. Pair that with faster, newer-spec LPDDR4X RAM, and you have quite the performer.

The design has been refined, too, with no more chin around the display, just super thin bezels on all four sides and a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio. The keyboard is improved, the battery life is superb, there's a new, better 16:10 aspect ratio, and it retains options like 4K and touch displays, storage options up to 2TB, and has a 32GB RAM choice thrown in as well.

The XPS 13 9300 is the best non-convertible Ultrabook on the market today and best Dell laptop you can buy. You should definitely get it over the older model.

If, however, and it's a big if, you're shopping at the entry-level and things like graphics power, fancy fast RAM and the skinniest of bezels aren't so important, or you just want to spend as little as possible, you can still get the older 7390 model XPS 13. It's still a good laptop; it always was. But it now sits firmly in the shade of its successor.

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine