Dell's XPS 13 has had a little asterisk here and there over the years. But with the latest updates, the XPS 13 has firmly established itself not only as the best laptop you can buy, but as a laptop that outperforms its competitors.

So it is no surprise that the XPS 13 was the first to win the Tom's Guide Award for the top laptop in the world, even while Apple finally fixed its keyboard and HP continues to score style points.

The XPS 13 is so refined that MacBook owners are jealous. Not only does the aluminum and Arctic White XPS 13 we tested look like it was carved out of Wall-E, but at 2.8 pounds, it is as light as air (i.e., MacBook Air 2020) and 3.1 pounds 13-inch MacBook Pro even lighter than the 2020.

Remarkably, this lightweight powerhouse also has excellent battery life, with the 1080p XPS 13 lasting 12 hours and 39 minutes in battery tests. This time is better than the elegant HP Dragonfly (12 minutes 25 seconds) and better than the MacBook Air (9 minutes 31 seconds).

And as for the much-loved MacBook, it is no match for the XPS 13 in terms of power: the XPS 13 is powered by a U-series Intel CPU, which outperforms the slower Y-series chips in the MacBook Air. And unlike the MacBook Pro, the XPS 13 is powered by 10th generation Intel CPUs at all price points.

But the most obvious draw of the XPS 13 is its 13.4-inch Infinity Edge display. With a screen-to-body ratio of 91.5%, it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie and would make a smartphone bezel blush.

The laptop world has not willfully accepted Dell's dominance; the Google Pixelbook Go is a premium ChromeOS laptop that won't break the bank, and the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, with its Qi charging touch pad and ultra-bright QLED display, doing interesting things with its display.

However, the Dell XPS 13 does everything well (if not amazingly well), with the only major complaint being the lack of a USB-A port.