When defining what a MacBook is and, therefore, a Windows laptop analogous to a MacBook, there are a few key similarities. While those start with the design of the laptop itself, there are some other important aspects too. MacBooks are known for their sleek, minimalist design with an aluminum chassis, making them come across as premium devices.
With that, MacBooks are also highly revered for their impressive build quality, with a large and responsive trackpad, good keyboard, and operating quietly thanks to quiet fans that rarely need to spin up. Their displays are also very high resolution, with high refresh rates and impressive color accuracy.
Finally, MacBooks are highly integrated devices, as Apple not only designs the hardware but the software as well. They work seamlessly in the Apple ecosystem of devices, with features like Handoff, AirDrop, and Continuity Camera making it all the more impressive, too. Any modern MacBook feels incredibly integrated with other Apple products, and the software itself is well-optimized.
There are two options for the Windows equivalent of a MacBook
First and foremost, there are two candidates that I already mentioned, and those are the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and the Dell XPS. Both are laptops that hit on the same features as MacBooks do, with the Microsoft Surface Laptop having the added benefit of being made by the maker of the operating system, too.
As I already mentioned, MacBooks are known largely in thanks to their design language and build quality. The Microsoft Surface Laptop series mirrors this with its premium aluminum chassis and refined aesthetic. Many of the details of it mirror the attention to detail found in a MacBook. Similarly, the Dell XPS series, with its aluminum exterior and carbon-fiber palm rest, offers a modern and robust design. The near-borderless display maximizes screen real estate, and the quality is impeccable, too.
On that note, the Surface Laptop series competes with MacBooks thanks to their high-resolution touchscreens, supporting regular touch inputs and pens. The Dell XPS also has 4K options and OLED options, which is hardware that’s actually better than what you can find in a MacBook. It’s a technology that’s at least as good as what a MacBook can offer.
Finally, the software front is what helps MacBooks really surpass their peers, but the Surface Laptop 7 is built for Windows, thanks to the fact that it’s made by Microsoft. It has a large amount of integration for Microsoft’s own services, and it’s one of the first laptops to get Microsoft’s new Copilot+ features. The Dell XPS series also offers fantastic Windows integration, with features like instant-on and secure login options, and you’ll get Copilot+ on them as well.
As a result, if you need to stick to Windows and want the closest thing to a MacBook possible, you can’t go wrong with a Dell XPS or a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. Both are fantastic options, and will get you the best of all worlds if Windows is what you truly need.
