Dell is bringing back one of its most iconic laptop series, after briefly moving away from the XPS name last year. The company has announced a new XPS 13 that aims to deliver a premium experience at a much lower price than many flagship laptops.
The new Dell XPS 13 starts at just $699 for regular buyers and $599 for students. This pricing makes it one of the most affordable premium ultrabooks Dell has launched in recent years.
Dell says the new XPS 13 is the thinnest and lightest version of the laptop it has ever made. The laptop measures just 12.7mm thick and weighs only 2.2 pounds. According to Dell, it is even smaller and lighter than Apple’s MacBook Neo, which appears to be one of its main competitors.
Despite its compact size, Dell has retained several premium elements that have long been associated with the XPS lineup. The laptop features a CNC-machined aluminum chassis that should provide a more premium feel than the plastic-heavy designs often found in this price range.
Buyers will be able to choose between two colors: Sky and Storm.
Dell has equipped the XPS 13 with a touch-enabled 2.5K IPS display featuring a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which should make it appealing to content creators, students, and professionals who care about color accuracy.
This is an area where Dell appears to have an advantage over the MacBook Neo, which reportedly sticks with a standard 60Hz display.
The laptop also includes quad speakers, which adds to its premium credentials.
The entry-level student model comes with an Intel Core Series 3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Users who need more power can configure the laptop with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, up to 32GB of RAM, and as much as 1TB of storage.
The XPS 13 relies on a dual-fan cooling system. It can help maintain performance during heavy workloads and improve thermal management when working outdoors or in warmer environments.
This could allow the XPS 13 to sustain performance better during longer tasks compared to some fanless alternatives.
The laptop appears to be targeting students, remote workers, and everyday users who want a premium laptop for productivity, web browsing, content consumption, and light creative work.
Even with its lower starting price, the XPS 13 includes many features expected from a modern premium laptop. The device supports Wi-Fi 7 and includes a built-in webcam with Windows Hello support for facial recognition login. For connectivity, Dell offers two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports.
One missing feature is a 3.5mm headphone jack. Dell has not confirmed whether a USB-C audio adapter will be included in the box, which could disappoint users who still rely on wired headphones.
In recent years, premium laptops have become increasingly expensive, with many flagship models crossing the $1,000 mark. By bringing back the XPS brand with a starting price of $699, Dell is targeting a gap in the market that many users have been asking for.
The new Dell XPS 13 will go on sale in June, including the $599 student edition. Higher-end configurations are expected to arrive later this summer.
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