Dell XPS 13.4" 9300 2020, Core i5-1035G1, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Silver

The XPS 9300 is one of the most compact laptops in our database, 94th percentile at 1.20kg, with a bright 500-nit display. But the internals are showing their age: CPU in the 20th percentile, RAM in the 13th, and a gaming score of 4.5 out of 100. Buy it for portability and build quality, not performance.

The i5-1035G1 is a 4-core, 1.2GHz chip from Intel's Ice Lake generation, and it lands in the 20th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's not a typo. This processor was mid-range when it launched, and it's now several generations behind. Everyday tasks like web browsing, video calls, and Office apps will run fine, but anything heavier will make the fans spin and the system chug. The integrated Iris Plus graphics sit even lower, 14th percentile, which means gaming is effectively off the table. Our gaming score for this machine is 4.5 out of 100. That's not a weak spot, that's a closed door.

The 8GB of RAM is the real bottleneck. It ranks in the 13th percentile, and in 2025, 8GB fills up fast with a dozen browser tabs and a video call running. The 256GB SSD is also cramped, 16th percentile for storage. You'll be managing disk space within months. The one bright spot is the display. 500 nits of brightness and 100% sRGB coverage put it well above average for this class, and the 1920x1200 resolution gives you a bit more vertical room than a standard 1080p panel. It's a lovely screen attached to a machine that can't always keep up with it.

Stacked against the competition in our database, the XPS 9300 is a specialist, not an all-rounder. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 absolutely demolish it on performance, but they're also bigger, heavier, and aimed at completely different buyers. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and MSI Raider are gaming machines with discrete GPUs, while this Dell has integrated graphics in the 14th percentile. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a desktop replacement, not a travel companion. Where the XPS wins is the one thing it was built for: being small. At 1.20kg and with a 94th percentile compactness score, it's lighter and easier to carry than any of those competitors. But every one of them beats it on CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. You're choosing between a featherweight with aging internals and heavier machines with modern muscle.

Pricing is scattered across currencies, with listings at CAD 1,343, JPY 178,076, and MXN 39,490. Those amounts aren't directly comparable, but the CAD price gives a rough sense of where this sits, and it's not cheap for what you get. You're paying a premium for the build quality and the compact form factor, not the internals. A modern budget laptop with a Ryzen 5 or a current-gen i5 will run circles around this machine for less money in most markets. The value proposition only makes sense if portability and build quality are your absolute top priorities and you're willing to accept 2020-era performance to get them.

The Dell XPS 9300 nails the compact brief, landing in the 94th percentile for portability in our database. At 1.20kg with a 13.4-inch 16:10 display, this is one of the easiest laptops to toss in a bag and forget about until you need it. The CNC-milled aluminum chassis and carbon fiber palm rest give it a premium feel that most ultrabooks at this size can't match. But the specs tell a different story once you open it up. An i5-1035G1, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD put this machine in the bottom fifth of our database for CPU, RAM, and storage. This is a 2020-era ultrabook trying to stay relevant, and the numbers show its age.

For the right buyer, that trade-off works. The screen hits the 72nd percentile with 500 nits of brightness and full sRGB coverage, which is genuinely good for a machine this size. Windows 10 Pro is a nice touch for business users. But the reliability score sits at the 33rd percentile, and the port selection is bare, just two USB-C ports and Thunderbolt. You'll need dongles for anything that isn't USB-C. If you want a tiny, well-built Windows laptop for web browsing, email, and document work, this fits. If you need real performance, keep scrolling.

Skip this if you do anything beyond basic productivity. The 20th percentile CPU and 13th percentile RAM mean video editing, photo work, coding with heavy IDEs, or any kind of gaming will be a frustrating experience. The 256GB SSD fills up fast, and the 33rd percentile reliability score suggests you might be rolling the dice on longevity. If you need a compact laptop but also need real performance, look at newer ultrabooks with 16GB of RAM and current-gen processors. This XPS is a travel companion for light tasks, not a daily driver for demanding work.

The Dell XPS 9300 is a beautifully built ultrabook with a genuinely good screen and a serious performance problem. The 94th percentile compactness score is the headline, and for frequent travelers who live in browsers and Office apps, that might be enough. But the 20th percentile CPU, 13th percentile RAM, and 16th percentile storage mean this machine is already struggling with modern workloads, and it'll only get worse. The 33rd percentile reliability score doesn't inspire confidence either. If you find one at a steep discount and your needs are genuinely light, it's a pleasant little machine. At anything close to full price, you're paying a premium for a chassis that outclasses its own components.