Dell’s new premium XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 laptops, which are a part of Intel’s EVO program, an evolution of Intel’s Project Athena, are available today. The Dell XPS 13 follows the traditional clamshell laptop experience for uses who do not need to use it as a tablet.
Performance is the most standout upgrade here. The XPS 13 now uses 11th-Gen Intel Core processors, with the Core i7-1185G7 as the highest-end option. In addition to faster Willow Cove processor architecture, Intel’s 11th-Gen processors also have much faster UHD or Xe integrated graphics, faster media encoders, and improved neural engines.
The refresh brings faster memory as well. The new XPS 13s now use the faster LPDDR4x memory at 4267MHz across the board. Memory capacity ranges from 8GB to 32GB. The laptop can be configured with up to 2TB of PCIe 3 x4 SSD storage.
The updated XPS 13 still uses an aluminum outer shell with black carbon fibre composite interior for the Platinum Silver model, or woven glass fibre interior for the Frost white model, both have a UV-resistant and stain-resistant coating.
Display options include FHD and 4K resolutions. The top display configuration consists of a 13.4-inch, 3840x2400p, HDR400 panel that can achieve up to 500-nit brightness. It supports 100 per cent of the sRGB colour space and 90 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. All displays are protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6.
Uses can also choose between touch and non-touch displays. Note that the non-touch displays are slightly lighter at 1.2kg (2.64lbs), while the touch option is just a hair heavier at 1.27kg (2.8lbs).
Powering the device is a 52Wh battery. The laptop charges at 45W through the USB-C port.
Alongside the USB0C port are two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
Dell also offers a developer variant of the XPS that comes with Ubuntu 20.04 Linux OS preinstalled. Even if you aren’t using a developer model, Dell is Ubuntu as a free download that dual-boots with Windows 10.
The new XPS 13 is available today starting at US$1,000 (~CA$1,330).
The story is much the same with the foldable Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. It has also received a processor upgrade, but its fastest option is capped at the Intel Core i7-1165G7 instead of the Intel Core i7-1185G7. The two chips are practically identical, though; the latter just runs 100MHz faster. Memory configuration is the same as the clamshell XPS 13, although storage capacity is limited to 1TB PCIe 3 x4 SSD.
The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is available now starting at US$1,250(~CA$1,662).