Head to head

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) vs Dell XPS 13 (2024)

They split the 10 rankable specs evenly, so cost decides it: Dell XPS 13 (2024) costs $1,000 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Panel: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lists ROG Nebula OLED (ASUS sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists OLED InfinityEdge touch (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Processor: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lists Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (ASUS sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU) (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Memory: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lists 32GB LPDDR5x (ASUS sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists 16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s) (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).
Claimed battery life: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lists ~8–10 hours productivity (other published figure, not on maker sheet); Dell XPS 13 lists Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED) (other published figure, not on maker sheet).
Size: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 lists 16.0 inches (ASUS sheet, 2026-09-02); Dell XPS 13 lists 13.4 inches (Dell sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)

$2,2995 spec wins

Swap

Compare a different laptop

Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition$999 MacBook Air 13" (M3)$1,099 MacBook Air 15" (M3)$1,299 Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15")$1,499 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,599 MacBook Pro 14" (M4)$1,599 HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)$1,699 Dell XPS 14 (2024)$1,699 Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16$1,799 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12$1,849 Framework Laptop 16$1,999 MacBook Pro 14" (M4 Pro)$1,999 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition$1,999 Dell XPS 16 (2024)$2,199 MacBook Pro 16" (2024)$2,499 Razer Blade 16 (2024)$2,999 MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max)$3,499

Dell XPS 13 (2024)

$1,2995 spec wins

Swap

Compare a different laptop

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your laptop.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 5 to 5

Tied overall. Dell XPS 13 is cheaper.

The 10 rankable overall specs split 5 to 5.
Saves $1,000 at list price.

Check first: the Dell XPS 13 has no HDMI port. the Dell XPS 13 has a 60 Hz display.

5 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G1610 rankable of 29 specsDell XPS 13 5

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No touchscreenrow
No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.
Trips:ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 · NoClear:Dell XPS 13 · Yes (on OLED configuration)
RAM cannot be upgradedrow
The memory you buy today is the memory you keep.
Trips:ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 · No (soldered)Trips:Dell XPS 13 · No (soldered)
No HDMI portrow
Projectors and meeting-room TVs need a dongle.
Clear:ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 · HDMI 2.1 FRLTrips:Dell XPS 13 · No (via adapter)
Over 4 lb (1.8 kg)row
Heavy in a backpack on a daily commute.
Trips:ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 · 4.30 lbClear:Dell XPS 13 · 2.6 lb
60 Hz displayrow
Scrolling and games look less smooth than on a 120 Hz panel.
Clear:ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 · 240 HzTrips:Dell XPS 13 · 60 Hz (120 Hz on FHD+ IPS)

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

4 of 4 differ

Panel≠

ASUS

ROG Nebula OLED

Dell

OLED InfinityEdge touch

Processor≠

ASUS

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

Dell

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU)

Memory

ASUS

32GB LPDDR5x

Dell

16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s)

Claimed battery life

ASUS

~8–10 hours productivity

Dell

Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED)

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16

Upfront list price$2,299

3-Year Estimated Total$2,299

Dell XPS 13

Upfront list price$1,299

Essential add-ons (USB-C multiport adapter (only 2x Thunderbolt ports, no headphone jack))+$35

3-Year Estimated Total$1,334

Commuter Portability & Lap Comfort Check

Real-world travel weight including chargers, bag fit, and lap thermals.

Ergonomic & Spatial Check

Backpack Sleeve Compatibility

ASUS

Standard laptop bag sleeve

Dell

Ultra-compact 11.6 in footprint (nearly 11" tablet sized)

Lap Ergonomics & Vent Placement

Bottom intake vents can choke and heat up your lap when used on beds or couches.

ASUS

Standard hinge exhaust

Dell

Dual fans exhaust at hinge; bottom can warm up under load

Total Travel Weight (Chassis + Charger)

Always factor in the power adapter when calculating commuter bag weight.

ASUS

Standard carry weight

Dell

2.60 lb laptop + 60W Type-C adapter = ~3.1 lb total carry

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

ASUS: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

Dell: What to watch for

Ergonomics
Capacitive touch function row lacks physical travel and tactile feedback.
The Escape and media keys are flat illuminated touch surfaces with no haptic click, making touch-typing difficult.
Hardware Quirk
Zero headphone jack and only 2 USB-C ports.
Completely omits the 3.5mm audio jack and legacy USB-A ports, forcing users to carry dongles for wired headphones and USB flash drives.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16$2,2995 wins

Dell XPS 13$1,2995 wins

Display Performance Build & input Ports Battery Software

27 of 29 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Display

leads 3-2

Display specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Size	16.0 inches (wins this row: higher)	13.4 inches
Panel	ROG Nebula OLED	OLED InfinityEdge touch
Resolution	2560 × 1600 (2.5K)	2880 × 1800 (3K+ OLED) (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate	240 Hz (wins this row: higher)	60 Hz (120 Hz on FHD+ IPS)
BrightnessNot on the official sheet	500 nits peak HDR (wins this row: higher)	400 nits OLED / 500 nits IPS
Color	100% DCI-P3, Pantone Validated	100% DCI-P3
Touchscreen	No	Yes (on OLED configuration) (wins this row: has it)

Performance

leads 1-0

Performance specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 9 185H	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 cores, Intel AI Boost NPU)
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (12GB GDDR6)	Intel Arc graphics
Memory	32GB LPDDR5x (wins this row: higher)	16 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s)
RAM upgradable	No (soldered)	No (soldered)
Storage	1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD	512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Storage upgradable	Yes (2× M.2 slots)	Yes (M.2 PCIe slot)

Build & input

leads 2-0

Build & input specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Weight	4.30 lb (1.95 kg)	2.6 lb (1.19 kg) (wins this row: lower)
Thickness	16.4 mm	14.8 mm (0.58 inches) (wins this row: lower)
Materials	CNC Aluminum unibody	CNC machined aluminum and Gorilla Glass 3
Keyboard	RGB backlit stealth keyboard with 1.7mm travel	Zero-lattice keyboard with capacitive touch function row
Trackpad	Extra-large glass touchpad	Seamless glass haptic touchpad
Webcam	1080p FHD IR with Windows Hello	1080p FHD RGB-IR camera with Windows Hello
Speakers	6-speaker system with dual force-canceling woofers	Quad-speaker design (2W woofer + 2W tweeter, 8W total)

Ports

leads 1-0

Ports specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Thunderbolt / USB-C	1× Thunderbolt 4 + 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen 2	2× Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C)
HDMI	HDMI 2.1 FRL	No (via adapter)
SD card	SD Express 7.0	No
MagSafe	No (Slim Power Jack)	No
Headphone jack	Yes (3.5 mm combo) (wins this row: has it)	No
Charger	240W AC + 100W USB-C PD support	60W Type-C AC Adapter

Battery

leads 1-0

Battery specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Claimed battery lifeNot on the official sheet	~8–10 hours productivity	Up to 14 hours (IPS) / ~10 hours (OLED) (wins this row: higher)

Software

1 differences

Software specifications. Middle column is ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024), right column is Dell XPS 13 (2024).
Operating system	Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Home
Repairability	Medium (swappable SSDs and Wi-Fi card)	Low-to-moderate

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) source Dell XPS 13 (2024) source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)

Sleek aluminum gaming laptop with 2.5K 240Hz OLED ROG Nebula display and RTX 4080 GPU.

Gorgeous 2.5K 240Hz OLED G-Sync screen
Thin and rigid CNC aluminum chassis
Exceptional gaming and creator GPU horsepower

What you give up

Soldered memory cannot be upgraded
High fan noise under maximum synthetic loads

Full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) specs →

Pick this one if

Dell XPS 13 (2024)

Ultra-compact 13.4-inch premium laptop featuring Intel Core Ultra, OLED touch options, and seamless glass touchpad.

Minimalist sleek design with ultra-thin bezels
High-resolution OLED screen options
Extremely portable at under 2.6 lb

What you give up

Only two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm headphone jack
Capacitive touch function row instead of physical keys

Full Dell XPS 13 (2024) specs →

Best for each use

Travel

In a bag every day: weight, battery, a screen you can read on a train

For travel, buy the Dell XPS 13.

Leads 3 of 4 rankable travel specs; ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 takes 1.
Claimed battery life: Up to 14 hours vs ~8–10 hours productivity
Weight: 2.6 lb vs 4.30 lb
It is also $1,000 cheaper.

Heavy work

Video, 3D, compiles or games: CPU, GPU, memory and panel quality

For heavy work, buy the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16.

Leads 2 of 2 rankable heavy work specs.
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x vs 16 GB LPDDR5x
Refresh rate: 240 Hz vs 60 Hz
Dell XPS 13 is $1,000 cheaper. Pay the difference only if memory matters to you.

Longevity

Keep it five years: upgradable parts, repairability, ports without dongles

Too close to call on longevity from the spec sheets.

Storage upgradable: Yes vs Yes
Repairability: Medium vs Low-to-moderate

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) spec sheet Dell XPS 13 (2024) spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) ↗ · Dell XPS 13 (2024) ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 or the Dell XPS 13?

Dell XPS 13 costs $1,000 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 or Dell XPS 13?

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 has this deal-breaker: no touchscreen. No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.

Which is better for travel, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 or the Dell XPS 13?

For travel, buy the Dell XPS 13. Leads 3 of 4 rankable travel specs; ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 takes 1. Claimed battery life: Up to 14 hours vs ~8–10 hours productivity

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 29 specs tracked here, 19 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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