Dell XPS 13.4" 9300 Silver 2020

The XPS 9300 is in the 94th percentile for compactness at 1.20kg, and the 500-nit display is genuinely good. But the i5-1035G1 CPU sits in the 13th percentile, and 8GB of RAM with a 256GB SSD will frustrate you quickly. Buy it for the build quality and portability, not the performance.

Let's be honest about what this machine is. The Intel Core i5-1035G1 is a 4-core chip from 2019, and it lands in the 13th percentile in our database. That's not a typo. For everyday tasks like browsing, email, and document work, it'll get the job done. But push it with anything heavier and you'll feel the age. The integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics sit in the 14th percentile, so gaming is essentially off the table. Our gaming score for this unit is 4.4 out of 100. That's not a weak spot, that's a crater.

The 8GB of RAM is another constraint. It's in the 14th percentile, which means multitasking with a dozen browser tabs and a few apps will start to feel tight. The 256GB SSD is in the 16th percentile, so you'll be managing storage space from day one. This is a machine where the performance ceiling is low, and you'll hit it quickly if you try to do more than light productivity work.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro, this XPS gets absolutely demolished on performance. The M4 Pro is in a different universe for CPU and GPU work. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and Lenovo Legion 5i are gaming machines with dedicated GPUs, so they're not even playing the same sport. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and MSI Raider are similarly performance-focused. What the XPS 9300 offers that none of those do is the 94th percentile compactness and the premium aluminum build at 1.20kg. If you need a machine that disappears into a bag and handles light work, this is the one. If you need any real computing power, every single competitor here beats it by a wide margin.

Pricing is scattered across currencies, with a single listing at CAD 1,343, another at JPY 178,076, and one at MXN 39,490. These amounts aren't directly comparable, but the pattern is clear: this is not a budget laptop. You're paying for the build quality and the compact form factor, not the internals. For the same money in most markets, you can find machines with newer CPUs, double the RAM, and double the storage. The value proposition here depends entirely on how much you care about the aluminum chassis and the 1.20kg weight.

The Dell XPS 9300 lands in the 94th percentile for compactness, and that's the headline here. At 1.20kg with a 13.4-inch display, this thing disappears into a bag. The CNC-milled aluminum chassis and carbon fiber palm rest feel premium in a way most ultrabooks don't. But that portability comes with some serious trade-offs. The CPU sits in the 13th percentile, the RAM in the 14th, and the GPU in the 14th. This is a machine built for carrying, not crunching.

The screen is a bright spot, literally. 500 nits with 100% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3 coverage puts it in the 73rd percentile. That's a solid showing for a laptop this size. The 16:10 aspect ratio at 1920x1200 gives you a bit more vertical space than the standard 1080p panels. But storage is a weak point at 256GB, landing in the 16th percentile. And the port situation is thin, just two USB-C ports and Thunderbolt, which puts it in the 41st percentile.

Skip this if you need any real computing power. The CPU in the 13th percentile, RAM in the 14th, and storage in the 16th make this a poor fit for developers, video editors, or anyone who multitasks heavily. The gaming score of 4.4 out of 100 means gamers should look elsewhere immediately. And if you need ports, the two USB-C connections with no USB-A or HDMI will require dongles for everything. The reliability score in the 33rd percentile is also worth noting, this isn't a machine with a stellar track record for longevity.

The Dell XPS 9300 is a beautifully built ultrabook with a genuinely good screen and best-in-class portability. But the internals are dated, and the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD are serious limitations in 2025. The 94th percentile compactness score is real, and if that's your top priority, this machine delivers. But the 13th percentile CPU and 14th percentile RAM mean you're making a big compromise on performance. This is a niche machine for people who prioritize build quality and portability above everything else.