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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell XPS 15 is well suited for professional work and multimedia due to its high-resolution screen and good color accuracy, making it ideal for tasks like photo and video editing. However, the MSI Bravo 15, with its gaming-focused hardware including a dedicated graphics card, excels in gaming and other graphics-intensive workloads, but it is heavier and may offer shorter battery life. Consider the Dell XPS 15 if portability and screen quality are priorities and your tasks are more oriented towards productivity. Choose the MSI Bravo 15 for better gaming performance and handling more demanding graphical tasks at the cost of some portability and battery life. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Dell XPS 15
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Bravo 15
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.1
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
606.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for general use, while the MSI Bravo 15 is good.
The Dell XPS 15, with superior CPU and RAM, excellent screen quality, and a very good battery life, offers robust general-purpose performance and display for a variety of tasks, making it very good for everyday use. The MSI Bravo 15, in contrast, has a good enough CPU for general tasks but lesser RAM and fair screen quality, leading to less optimal performance and visual experience, thus making it fair for general use but perhaps better suited for gaming due to its gaming-oriented design and hardware features.
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.2
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.0/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Bravo 15 is good.
The Dell XPS 15 leverages an Intel i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an Intel Arc GPU, offering robust performance and screen quality, ideal for demanding engineering and design tasks. Meanwhile, the MSI Bravo 15 pairs an AMD Ryzen 5 processor with 8 GB of RAM and an Nvidia RTX GPU, delivering sufficient power and good visual performance, but with less processing and multitasking capability compared to the XPS 15.
Content Creation
8.3
7.1
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.0/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Bravo 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.1
6.8
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell XPS 15 is very good for software development, while the MSI Bravo 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.4
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
606.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
The Dell XPS 15 has a better screen than the MSI Bravo 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell XPS 15 has a high-resolution display that offers excellent clarity and vibrant colors, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks due to its wide color gamut coverage. However, its modest refresh rate is not ideal for 3D applications and games that benefit from faster screen updates. On the other hand, the MSI Bravo 15 provides decent display quality for everyday tasks, but its color reproduction may not meet the precision requirements for professional design work and its lower refresh rate impacts the smoothness in gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell XPS 15 has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Bravo 15 has 6 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.2 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell XPS 15 has good portability, while the MSI Bravo 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
6.7
The Dell XPS 15 has very good build quality, while the MSI Bravo 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,599
$862
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell XPS 15 has a price of $1,599 and the MSI Bravo 15 costs $862.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.8
7.2
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.1/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Bravo 15 to be good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
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How the Dell XPS 15 and the MSI Bravo 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell XPS 15 | MSI Bravo 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,599 | $862 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.6'' x 9.1'' x 0.71'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.21 lbs | 4.96 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.57" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.06" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700H | AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 606 nits | 267 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Dell XPS 15
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | May 2023
"The 2023 Dell XPS 15 is more or less exactly what you'd expect from the company flagship. Its fresh components deliver measurably superior power and longevity, while the machine's premium build and design remain intact. It may not be overly exciting, but XPS loyalists and upgraders should be more than happy."
MSI Bravo 15
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMedia
Nikolay Palaozov | July 2023
"Overall, the MSI Bravo 15 C7U is a great gaming device for the masses that isn’t too pricey. The capable hardware (for the price range), the 144Hz display, and the comfortable keyboard are one of the things that should attract buyers who don’t want to spend a fortune on a new gaming laptop."
Get a great deal on the Dell XPS 15 or the MSI Bravo 15
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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