MacBook Air is the better value in 2025.

Yes, for almost everyone. The gap has only widened.

The MacBook Air with the M4 chip (or whatever Apple calls it by then) will still crush the XPS 13 on battery life, sustained performance without a fan, and build quality. It won’t throttle after ten minutes of real work. The XPS 13 is a fine laptop, but it’s a Windows laptop trying to be a MacBook, and that means compromises. Ports are fewer on both now, but the Air’s trackpad and keyboard are still class-leading.

If you absolutely need Windows for specific software (CAD, some enterprise tools, or gaming), get the XPS. But for everything else—coding, writing, browsing, light photo editing—the Air is cheaper (or comparable), lasts longer, and keeps its resale value better. The XPS’s only real advantage is the more familiar OS for people who hate macOS.

The Air is just the smarter buy.