Alternatives to the MacBook Pro

By Staff Reporter / 1481107592
(Photo : James Chao) The new MacBook Pro is outselling other laptops out in the market today, but that does not mean that it is the best in its class.

Buyers on the fence about getting one of Apple's new high-end MacBook Pro may want to consider some of these alternative laptops which are equally powerful and as aesthetically pleasing as a MacBook Pro. These laptops might even be able to deliver on certain aspects where the new MacBook Pro falls short.

First up is the Dell's XPS 13, which is arguably the MacBook Pro's direct rival. It comes with a class display enclosed in a tiny bezel that offers an immersive and almost borderless visual. This is complimented by a sleek, ergonomic keyboard, an excellent trackpad, a sturdy chassis, and a battery that can last for 10 hours. Inside it lies Intel's newest of the seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, which is more advanced than the Skylake inside the MacBook Pro.

The XPS 13 is priced at $1,119 and comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It also comes with various ports unlike the MacBook Pro, which only sports two to four USB-C ports. The MacBook Pro price starts at $1,499.

Next is the Microsoft Surface Book which is a hybrid laptop that does not defer its power, unlike many hybrids and two-in-ones. Microsoft has boasted that the new Surface Book as all about power and graphics.

The Microsoft Surface Book features a detachable touch screen, while inside is a sixth-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M GPU and up to 16 GB of RAM with up to 1 TB of internal storage. The device is priced at $3,299.

Another option to look at is HP's Spectre x360 which seemingly trounces almost anything that the MacBook Pro can offer. For one, it has an edge-to-edge 1080p display, like the Dell XPS 13, but it also has a rotating hinge like the Surface 4 Pro. It gives users two USB-C ports, a regular USB port, and an SD card slot.

Users can choose from either a core i5 or i7 processor, with options for up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage. HP's Spectre x360's basic model starts at $1,159, which is a good price and gives users a little more room to bump up its' specs, as opposed to spending the budget solely on the MacBook Pro.

The new MacBook Pro is outselling other laptops out in the market today, but that does not mean that it is the best in its class.