Surface Pro 3 vs. Dell XPS 15 9550: Full specs comparison

Here is a comparison of the specs between Surface Pro 3 and Dell XPS 15 9550, including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

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Surface Pro 3 image

Surface Pro 3

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Dell XPS 15 9550 image

Dell XPS 15 9550

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Surface Pro 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 3 is better than Dell XPS 15 9550.

About 55% lighter

Surface Pro 3 weighed 1.76 pounds, 55% lighter than the 3.9 pounds Dell XPS 15 9550.

WeightSurface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Pound
1.76 lbs.
3.9 lbs.
Kilogram
0.80 kg
1.77 kg

Dell XPS 15 9550 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9550 is better than Surface Pro 3.

Newer manufacturing

2015 vs. 2014

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-6700HQ inside Dell XPS 15 9550 has a 148% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-4650U inside Surface Pro 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell XPS 15 9550 - Intel Core i7-6700HQ
3,073
Dell XPS 15 9550 - Intel Core i5-6300HQ
2,409
Dell XPS 15 9550 - Intel Core i3-6100H
1,597
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i7-4650U
1,236
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i5-4300U
1,234
Surface Pro 3 - Intel Core i3-4020Y
782
Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9550 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Pro 3. It supports up to 32GB versus 8GB of system memory on the Surface Pro 3.

Max system memory size
Dell XPS 15 9550
32 GB
Surface Pro 3
8 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell XPS 15 9550 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Pro 3. It supports up to 2133MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the Surface Pro 3.

Memory type and speed
Dell XPS 15 9550 - DDR4
2,133 MHz
Surface Pro 3 - LPDDR3
1,600 MHz
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia Quadro GTX 960M 2GB GDDR5 vs. integrated

30% larger display

Dell XPS 15 9550 has a 15.6-inch screen size 30% larger than the 12-inch Surface Pro 3.

Display size
Dell XPS 15 9550
15.6-inch
Surface Pro 3
12-inch
Has three more ports and slots

Dell XPS 15 9550 has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 3. It has nine versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 3.

PortsSurface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Battery gauge buttonNoYes
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMINoYes
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotNoYes
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portNoYes
Surface ConnectYesNo
Thunderbolt 3NoYes
Type Cover portYesNo
USB-AYesYes x2
Total69
More versatile connectivity

Dell XPS 15 9550 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 3. It has six versus four commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Pro 3.

PortsSurface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
headphone jackYesYes
USB-AYesYes
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMINoYes
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portNoYes
Thunderbolt 3NoYes

Prices

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

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
$249.00
See at Amazon
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
$158.00
$238.00 34% OFF
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
 Microsoft Surface Go 3 - 10.5" Touchscreen - Intel® Pentium® Gold - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Device Only - Platinum (Latest Model)
By Microsoft
$390.92
See at Amazon
Dell XPS 15 9550 Price
Dell XPS 15 9530 15.6'' FHD+ (Intel 13th Gen 14-Core i7-13700H (Beat i9-12900H), 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Arc A370M) Business Laptop, Backlit, Fingerprint, Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6E, Platinum Silver
 Dell XPS 15 9530 15.6'' FHD+ (Intel 13th Gen 14-Core i7-13700H (Beat i9-12900H), 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Arc A370M) Business Laptop, Backlit, Fingerprint, Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6E, Platinum Silver
By Dell
$1,654.00
See at Amazon
Dell XPS 15 9550 Business Laptop, 15.6" FHD (1920×1080), Intel Core i7-6700 up to 3.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 pro (Renewed)
 Dell XPS 15 9550 Business Laptop, 15.6" FHD (1920×1080), Intel Core i7-6700 up to 3.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$302.00
See at Amazon
DE10020 Dell XPS 15 9550-15.6" 4K Touch - i7-6700HQ - NVIDA GTX960M - 16GB - 1TB PCIe SSD
 DE10020 Dell XPS 15 9550-15.6" 4K Touch - i7-6700HQ - NVIDA GTX960M - 16GB - 1TB PCIe SSD
By Dell
$791.00
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Released20142015
Release Date
  • Introduced: May 20, 2014
  • Pre-ordered: May 20, 2014
  • Released: June 20, 2014
-
PricingStarting at 799$-
Generations

Exterior

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Dimensions11.50” 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)
14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45 - 0.66 in (357 x 235 x 11 - 17 mm)
Width: 14.06” (357 mm)
Depth: 9.27” (235 mm)
Height: 0.45 - 0.66” (11 - 17 mm)
Weight
  • 1.76 lbs (800 g)
  • 3-cell battery models: 3.9 lb (1.78 kg)
  • 6-cell battery models: 4.4 lb (2.0 kg)
Colors
Silver
  • CNC machined aluminum
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™ on 4K Ultra HD display
  • Carbon fiber composite palm rest with soft-touch paint
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • 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.
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel.
  • 4.13 x 3.15 in (105 mm x 80 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Size12 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 2160 x 1440 (3.1M Pixels)
  • Density: 216 PPI
  • ClearType Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Touch: 10 point multi-touch
  • Surface Pen support
  • 15.6-inch WED FHD non-touchscreen
    1920 x 1080, IPS, 141 PPI, 400-nit brightness 100% sRGB, InfinityEdge Anti-Glare, Non-touch support.
     
  • 15.6-inch WED UHD touchscreen
    3840 x 2160, IPS, 282 PPI, 350-nit brightness, 100% AdobeRGB, InfinityEdge Anti-Reflective, Touch support.

Ports

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
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
Dell XPS 15 9550 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (5)
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), PCIe Gen 3 x2, DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 1 x power port
Right (4)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x lock slot
  • 1 x Battery gauge button

Internal Specs

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Processor
  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
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-6100H
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.70 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 35W
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300HQ
    4 cores, 4 threads, 2.30 → 3.20 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  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
  1. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-6100H
    Intel® HD Graphics 530
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 900 MHz
  2. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 530
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 950 MHz
  3. 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ
    Intel® HD Graphics 530
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
  • 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
    2133 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M (Optional)
    Maxwell Architecture, 2GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1033 → 1098 MHz, 640 CUDA Cores.
Storage
64 GB 128 GB 256 GB 512 GB
SSD
  • 500GB/32GB SSD 512GB/128GB SSD
    Hybrid Hard Drive.
  • 256 GB 512 GB
    PCIe Gen 3 SSD.

Connectivity

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
  • DW1820A
    Up to 867 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac).
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
  • Bluetooth 4.1

Battery

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Size42.2 Wh
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion 56 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion 84 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 9 hours of web browsing
  • Up to 17 hours
* Tested on 84 WHr battery, FHD panel, SSD models.
Power Supply
  • 36W proprietary power supply
    • USB-A output: 5W
    • Surface Connect: 31W
130 W power adapter
Power rated at 19.50VDC/6.67A.

Software

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
OSWindows 8.1 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 10
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 30-days trial
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
Camera
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 5.0MP rear-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • Front-facing camera
    Bottom-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
Audio
  • Front and rear-facing microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio enhanced sound
  • Realtek ALC3266 with Waves MaxxAudio Pro
  • Two speakers (2W x 2 = 4W total)
  • Digital-array microphones

Misc

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
InkingSupports Surface Pen
256 levels of pressure
N-trig Active Pen technology
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
-
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Kensington lock slot
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

Surface Pro 3Dell XPS 15 9550
At Glance
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
Released in
2015
16:9 4K UHD
15.6”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
3.9 lb
1.77 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4C/8T, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz
Geekbench 5
798
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,073
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 530
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
Up to
32GB
2133 MHz DDR4
Dell XPS 15 9550 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
GTX 960M
2GB GDDR5

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