Dell XPS 13 9343 vs. Surface Pro 3: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell XPS 13 9343 and Surface Pro 3 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Dell XPS 13 9343 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 13 9343 is better than Surface Pro 3.

Newer manufacturing

2015 vs. 2014

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-5500U inside Dell XPS 13 9343 has a 12% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-4650U inside Surface Pro 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell XPS 13 9343 - Intel Core i7-5500U
1,390
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i7-4650U
1,236
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i5-4300U
1,234
Dell XPS 13 9343 - Intel Core i5-5200U
1,232
Dell XPS 13 9343 - Intel Core i3-5010U
1,064
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i3-4020Y
782
10% larger display

Dell XPS 13 9343 has a 13.3-inch screen size 10% larger than the 12-inch Surface Pro 3.

Display size
Dell XPS 13 9343
13.3-inch
Surface Pro 3
12-inch
Has one more port and slot

Dell XPS 13 9343 has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 3. It has seven versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 3.

PortsDell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
full-size SD card slotYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotYesNo
microSD card slotNoYes
Mini DisplayPortYesYes
power portYesNo
Surface ConnectNoYes
Type Cover portNoYes
USB-AYes x2Yes
Total76
Slightly more versatile connectivity

Dell XPS 13 9343 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 3. It has five versus four commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Pro 3.

PortsDell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
headphone jackYesYes
Mini DisplayPortYesYes
USB-AYesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
microSD card slotNoYes
power portYesNo

Surface Pro 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 3 is better than Dell XPS 13 9343.

About 33% lighter

Surface Pro 3 weighed 1.76 pounds, 33% lighter than the 2.6 pounds Dell XPS 13 9343.

WeightDell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Pound
2.6 lbs.
1.76 lbs.
Kilogram
1.18 kg
0.80 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Dell XPS 13 9343 and Surface Pro 3.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 8GB

Both laptops supports up to 8GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Dell XPS 13 9343
8 GB
Surface Pro 3
8 GB

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Dell XPS 13 9343 Price
Dell XPS 13 9343 QHD 13.3 Inch Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-5200U 8 GB RAM 256 GB SSD Silver Win 10 (Renewed)
Dell XPS 13 9343 QHD 13.3 Inch Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i5-5200U 8 GB RAM 256 GB SSD Silver Win 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$295.11
Dell Laptop Charger Slim 45W watt Power AC Adapter(Power Supply) Include Power Cord for Dell XPS 13 9333 9343 9350 9360 9370,LA45NM131 DA45NM131
Dell Laptop Charger Slim 45W watt Power AC Adapter(Power Supply) Include Power Cord for Dell XPS 13 9333 9343 9350 9360 9370,LA45NM131 DA45NM131
By Dell
$26.90
$30.00 10% OFF
Dell XPS 13 9343-2727SLV 13.3" Full HD Signature Edition Laptop - Intel Core i5 Broadwell, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8.1,Intel HD Graphics 5500 - Silver
Dell XPS 13 9343-2727SLV 13.3" Full HD Signature Edition Laptop - Intel Core i5 Broadwell, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8.1,Intel HD Graphics 5500 - Silver
By Dell
$569.99
Surface Pro 3 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (256 GB, Intel Core i5)(Windows 10 Professional 64 bit) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (256 GB, Intel Core i5)(Windows 10 Professional 64 bit) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$229.73
$252.52 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet (1631) Silver - 256GB, 12in, Windows 8, Intel Core i5 - Renewed
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet (1631) Silver - 256GB, 12in, Windows 8, Intel Core i5 - Renewed
By Microsoft
$269.00
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet PC - Intel Core i5-4300U 1.9GHz 4GB 128GB SSD Windows 10.1 (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet PC - Intel Core i5-4300U 1.9GHz 4GB 128GB SSD Windows 10.1 (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$185.00

Exterior

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Dimensions11.98 x 7.88 x 0.35 - 0.60 in (304 x 200 x 9 - 15 mm)
Width: 11.98” (304 mm)
Depth: 7.88” (200 mm)
Height: 0.35- 0.60” (9 - 15 mm)
11.50” x 7.93” x 0.36” (292 mm x 201.3 mm x 9.1 mm)
Width: 11.50” (292 mm)
Height: 7.93” (201.3 mm)
Thickness: 0.36” (9.1 mm)
Weight
  • Non-touchscreen: 2.6 lb (1.18 kg)
  • Touchscreen: 2.8 lb (1.27 kg)
  • 1.76 lbs (800 g)
Colors
  • Platinum silver with black carbon fiber palm rest.
Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Full-size backlit chiclet keyboard with 1.3mm key travel.
  • Precision touchpad, seamless glass integrated button, 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 60 mm).
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Supports up to three-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Size13.3 Inches12 Inches
Info
  • 13.3-inch FHD AG non-touchscreen
    1920 x 1080, 166 PPI, 60 Hz, Non-touch support, anti-glare.
  • 13.3-inch QHD+ touchscreen
    3200 x 1800, 276 PPI, 60 Hz, IGZO2 IPS, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 nits luminance, 72% color gamut, Touch support.
  • Resolution: 2160 x 1440 (3.1M Pixels)
  • Density: 216 PPI
  • ClearType Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Touch: 10 point multi-touch
  • Surface Pen support

Ports

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Dell XPS 13 9343 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (4)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x lock slot
Surface Pro 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking Station
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Type Cover port
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Processor
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-5010U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.10 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5200U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  3. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5500U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.40 → 3.00 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
  1. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-4020Y
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 11.5W
  2. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.90 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 → 3.30 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-5010U
    Intel® HD Graphics 5500
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5200U
    Intel® HD Graphics 5500
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  3. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5500U
    Intel® HD Graphics 5500
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  1. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-4020Y
    Intel® HD Graphics 4200
    20 Execution Units, 200 → 850 MHz
  2. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 4200
    20 Execution Units, 200 → 1100 MHz
  3. 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U
    Intel® HD Graphics 5000
    40 Execution Units, 200 → 1100 MHz
Memory
  • 4GB 8GB
    1600 MHz Dual-channel DDR3L-RS.
4GB 8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
  • 128 GB 256 GB
    M.2 SATA (6 Gbps).
64 GB 128 GB 256 GB 512 GB
SSD

Connectivity

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Wi-Fi
  • WiFi-5
    2x2 Wi-Fi: Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
More
  • Miracast capable
-

Battery

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Size
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion
  • Battery Capacity: 52 Wh
42.2 Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours on FHD panel
  • Up to 11 hours on QHD+ panel
Up to 9 hours of web browsing
Power Supply45 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
reated at 19.50VDC/2.31A.
  • 36W proprietary power supply
    • USB-A output: 5W
    • Surface Connect: 31W

Software

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
OS
Windows 8.1
Upgradable to Windows 10 Home
Windows 8.1 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 10
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription
Microsoft Office 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Bottom-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 5.0MP rear-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
Audio
  • Realtek ALC3263 with Waves MaxxAudio
  • Two speakers (1W x 2 = 2W total)
  • Dual array microphones
  • Front and rear-facing microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound

Misc

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
256 levels of pressure
N-trig Active Pen technology
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • Noble lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
In the box-
  • Surface Pro 3
  • Surface Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
More-
  • Mechanical features: Signature unibody magnesium design with hidden perimeter venting
  • Kickstand with a full-friction multiposition hinge to 150 degrees
  • Magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power

Key Features

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3
At Glance
Released in Early
2015
16:9 QHD+
13.3”
1800p 60Hz
Weight
2.6 lb
1.18 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5500U
2C/4T, 2.40 → 3.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
645
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,390
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 5500
24 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz DDR3L
Dell XPS 13 9343 Ports
Released in Mid
2014
3:2 2.1K
12”
1440p 60Hz
Weight
1.76 lb
0.80 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-4650U
2C/4T, 1.70 → 3.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
632
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,236
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 5000
40 Execution Units, 200 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3
Surface Pro 3 Ports

Comparison Summary

Dell XPS 13 9343 vs. Surface Pro 3

Dell has released the XPS 13 9343, a 13.3-inch machine, in early-2015. It is powered by up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-5500U with a boost clock speed up to 3.00 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 5500 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 12-inch Surface Pro 3 was introduced by Microsoft about a year earlier in mid-2014. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-4650U with a boost clock speed up to 3.30 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 5000 (40 Execution Units, 200 → 1100 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Dell XPS 13 93431
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-5010U47673.80%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5200U57388.84%
3
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5500U645100.00%
Surface Pro 31
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-4020Y33652.09%
2
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4300U58290.23%
3
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U63297.98%
0645

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Dell XPS 13 93431
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-5010U1,06476.55%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5200U1,23288.63%
3
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5500U1,390100.00%
Surface Pro 31
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-4020Y78256.26%
2
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4300U1,23488.78%
3
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U1,23688.92%
01,390

The Dell XPS 13 9343 has a 13.3-inch display which is slightly larger than the 12-inch Surface Pro 3. In addition, the Dell XPS 13 9343 weighs 2.6 lbs. about 47% heavier than the 1.76 lbs. Surface Pro 3. Moreover, measured at 11.98” x 7.88” x 0.60”, the Dell XPS 13 9343 is much bulkier than the Surface Pro 3 at 11.5” x 7.93” x 0.36”.

Dell XPS 13 9343Surface Pro 3

There are a toal number of 7 ports and slots available on Dell XPS 13 9343. That includes a power port, a Mini DisplayPort, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, a full-size SD card slot, and a lock slot. With that said, it has a port or slot more than the Surface Pro 3 that has a headphone jack, a Mini DisplayPort, a USB-A port, a Surface Connect, a Type Cover port, and a microSD card slot.

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Dell XPS 13 9343 supports up to 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3L memory. It also comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Pro 3, it supports up to 8GB 1600 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Unlike Dell XPS 13 9343, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users.

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