Pics Or It Didn't Happen: The Dell XPS 15z Vs The MacBook Pro


I’m a few hours late to this party thanks to Disrupt, but damn, the Dell XPS 15z is a blatant MacBook Pro ripoff. I’m all for companies taking notes on competitor’s products but it seems like Dell failed to do anything but simply copy almost every notable design cue of the MBP. It had to be deliberate. The MacBook Pro is an iconic design and save the contoured design of the the XPS 15z, I can’t find anything worthwhile that’s different.

It’s like Dell looked over Apple’s shoulder and copied everything, then changed a few answers so it would be so obvious. They even copied one of Apple’s wrong answers.


Let’s start on the left panel. Most of the ports are lined up in a row besides the audio input and output ports are on the opposite side. The battery meter is in the same location with the same convenient, but strangely larger button. Dell even copied Apple’s worst design decision of placing the only two USB ports right next to each other, so close that you can’t plug in dongles or flash drives along side cables.

The similarities are even more clear when you open the lid thanks to a resesed backlit keyboard with color contrasting keys flanked by two rectangle speaker grills. Sure, that sort of discribes a good deal of PC notebooks, but it screams MBP clone especially when the black bordered screen is considered, too.

I’m anything but an Apple fanboy. My main computer is a PC and I use a Droid X. Hopefully those admissions will grant me a little leeway when I state that companies should look to Apple. They should be leaning on one of the most profitable CE companies. But not like this. No doubt at least some people will buy the new XPS 15z just because it looks like a MBP but from where I sit, I cannot see how Dell improved upon Apple’s long-used design. Price doesn’t count since this notebook starts at $999. The XPS is slightly thicker, arguably worse looking, and only a touch lighter. What am I missing, Dell?

[Thanks for the bottom left pic, CNET. See their review here.]