M1 MacBook Air vs. Dell G5 15 5511: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between M1 MacBook Air and Dell G5 15 5511 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than Dell G5 15 5511.

About 53% lighter

M1 MacBook Air weighed 2.8 pounds, 53% lighter than the 5.84 pounds Dell G5 15 5511.

WeightM1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Pound
2.8 lbs.
5.84 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
2.65 kg

Dell G5 15 5511 Pros

Reasons that Dell G5 15 5511 is better than M1 MacBook Air.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-11800H inside Dell G5 15 5511 has a 6% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell G5 15 5511 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)
7,414
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
Dell G5 15 5511 - Intel Core i5-11400H
5,592
Supports larger memory

Dell G5 15 5511 supports a larger memory capacity than the M1 MacBook Air. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the M1 MacBook Air.

Max system memory size
Dell G5 15 5511
32 GB
M1 MacBook Air
16 GB
Upgradable memory

Dell G5 15 5511 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the M1 MacBook Air since it has onboard memory.

MemoryM1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeUnifiedDDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

Upgradable storage

Dell G5 15 5511 comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

SlotsM1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
M.2
Onboard
Yes x2
17% larger display

Dell G5 15 5511 has a 15.6-inch screen size 17% larger than the 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Air.

Display size
Dell G5 15 5511
15.6-inch
M1 MacBook Air
13.3-inch

Prices

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

M1 MacBook Air Price
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$648.14
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$609.99
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$779.99
Dell G5 15 5511 Gaming Laptop (2021, 11400H) Price
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch FHD 120Hz Display - Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Black (Latest Model)
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch FHD 120Hz Display - Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Black (Latest Model)
By Dell
$1,009.87
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch 120Hz FHD 1080p Display - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Windows 11 Home - Black
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch 120Hz FHD 1080p Display - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Intel Core i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Windows 11 Home - Black
By Dell
$1,119.99
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch FHD 120Hz Display - Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Black
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop - 15.6 inch FHD 120Hz Display - Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Black
By Dell
$1,199.99

Availability

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Released20202021
Release DateAnnounced on November 10th, 2020Announced on May 11, 2021
Pricing
  • $999
    Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,249
    Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $949.99
    i5-11400H 8GB 256GB RTX 3050 FHD 120Hz
  • $999.99
    i5-11400H 8GB 512GB RTX 3050 FHD 120Hz
  • $1,349.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 512GB RTX 3050 Ti FHD 120Hz
  • $1,549.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3060 FHD 165Hz
Generations

Exterior

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Dimensions
  • Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
  • Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
  • Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)
14.06” x 10.74” x 0.98” (357.26 x 272.83 x 24.9 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)Starting at 5.84 kg (2.65 kg)
Colors
Gold Space Gray Silver
Dark Shadow Grey Specter Green with speckles Phantom Grey with speckles
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
  • Keyboard
    • US English Orange Qwerty Backlit Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and G-Key.
    • US English Qwerty 4-Zone RGB Backlit Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and G-Key.
  • Touchpad
    • Size: 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 60 mm).
    • Precision Touchpad.
    • Supports multi-touch gestures.

Display

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Size13.3 Inches15.6 Inches
InfoRetina display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1024 by 640
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • 400 nits brightness
  • Supports wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology
  • 15.6” FHD 120Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI 250 nits 16:9 45% NTSC 800:1 Anti-glare WVA Non-touch 4.6W
  • 15.6” FHD 165Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB 800:1 Anti-glare WVA Non-touch 6W

Ports

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Charging, DisplayPort
Right (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Dell G5 15 5511 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Dell G5 15 5511
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 1 x RJ45 network port
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock
  • 1 x Power-adapter port
Dell G5 15 5511 with RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 2.0.
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 2.0 with PowerShare.
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1.
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 with DisplayPort with alt mode.
Dell G5 15 5511 with RTX 3060
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1.
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 with PowerShare.
  • 1 x USB-C
    Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort alt mode.

Internal Specs

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Processor
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
  2. Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.70 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    Apple M1 iGPU
    7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
  2. Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    16 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB
    unified memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
  • Memory Slots
    • 2 x DDR4 SODIMM
  • Memory Configurations
    • Minimum Memory: 4GB
    • Maximum Memory: 32GB
    • Memory Speed: 3200MHz
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050, 4GB GDDR6
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti, 4GB GDDR6
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060, 6GB GDDR6
Storage
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
256GB 512GB
M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive.
2 x M.2 2230/2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe slots.

Connectivity

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Up to 2500 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
  • Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Up to 2500 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.2
Ethernet-Dell G5 15 5511 with RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti
  • Realtek RTL8125BGS PCI-e 1 Gigabit ethernet controller
    Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
Dell G5 15 5511 with RTX 3060
  • Killer E2600 PCI-e 1 Gigabit ethernet controller
    Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.

Battery

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Size49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
  • 51 Wh
    3-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
  • 86 Wh
    6-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback
-
Power Supply30W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • 180W power adapter
    Power rated at 19.5VDC/9.23A.
  • 240W power adapter
    Power rated at 19.5VDC/12.31A.

Software

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
OSShipped with macOS Big Sur
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Dell Digital Delivery
  • Dell Mobile Connect
  • Dell Recovery Environment
  • DropBox
  • Microsoft® Office 2016 trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Camera720p FaceTime HD cameraFront-facing camera
Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
Audio
  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Realtek ALC3254 with Nahimic 3D Audio for Gamers
  • 2 x 2.5W tuned speakers
  • Dual-array microphones

Misc

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
-
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
Chassis wedge-shaped security lock
In the box
  • MacBook Air
  • 30W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
-
WarrantyYour MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.1 Year Ltd Hardware Warranty Mail-in Customer supplies box Dell pays to ship
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
    • One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
-

Key Features

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511
At Glance
Released in Late
2020
16:10 QHD
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
2.8 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
8C/8T, 3.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,705
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,414
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M1 iGPU
8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
Unified Memory
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Starting at
$999
M1 (7 GPU Cores), 8GB, 256GB SSD
Up to
18 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
Touch ID
With T2 Chip
Dual
USB-C
USB4 & Thunderbolt 3
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0
Released in Mid
2021
16:9 FHD
15.6”
1080p 165Hz
Weight
5.84 lb
2.65 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-11800H
8C/16T, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,466
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,908
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Dell G5 15 5511 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3060
6GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

M1 MacBook Air vs. Dell G5 15 5511

Apple has released the M1 MacBook Air, a 13.3-inch machine, in late-2020. It is powered by up to an octa-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G). The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M1 iGPU (8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch G5 15 5511 was introduced by Dell about a year later in mid-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i7-11800H with a boost clock speed up to 4.60 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 6GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

M1 MacBook Air1
Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)1,705100.00%
2
Apple M11,705100.00%
Dell G5 15 55111
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H1,32077.42%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,46685.98%
01,705

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

M1 MacBook Air1
Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)7,41493.75%
2
Apple M17,41493.75%
Dell G5 15 55111
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H5,59270.71%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,908100.00%
07,908

The M1 MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch display which is considerably smaller than the 15.6-inch Dell G5 15 5511. In addition, The M1 MacBook Air weighs 2.8 lbs. about 108% lighter than the 5.84 lbs. Dell G5 15 5511. Moreover, measured at 11.97” x 8.36” x 0.63”, the M1 MacBook Air is much more portable than the Dell G5 15 5511 at 14.06” x 10.74” x 0.91”.

M1 MacBook AirDell G5 15 5511

Moving over to upgradability, Apple claims that the M1 MacBook Air supports up to 16GB Unified memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. It also has soldered storage, and there are no M.2 slots for expansion.

For Dell G5 15 5511, it supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

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