Dell has released a revised XPS 13 and revealed an upcoming convertible tablet, both powered by Intel’s newest 12th Alder Lake processors.
The new XPS 13 is now on sale (opens in new tab) from $999 on Dell’s US and Canadian website, with a Developer Edition on the way. O difference between the two (opens in new tab) is that the base XPS 13 runs on Windows 11 (Home or Pro) while the Developer Edition has Ubuntu 20.04. Dell claims that the Developer Edition is also for sale, but it cannot currently be found on the company’s website.
light power
Availability issues aside, one of the notable aspects of the XPS 13 is its size. It’s 0.55 inches thick with a starting weight of 2.59 pounds. Dell claims it had to create a new type of motherboard, the smallest ever made, to fit inside the thinnest XPS 13. But that size comes at a pretty substantial cost: the XPS 13 two Thunderbolt 4 ports for power and video output.
There are no headphone jacks. Granted, the XPS 13 supports Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless headphones and comes with a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter. So there are ways around the missing port (as long as you don’t lose the adapter).
In terms of hardware, you have two options for the 10-core Alder Lake CPU (i5-1230U or i7-1250U), three RAM options (8GB, 16GB, and 32GB), and two SSD types (512GB or 1 TB). Intel’s Iris Xe graphics card is the only GPU available for the XPS 13. All that power is displayed on a 13.4-inch Full HD+ screen with anti-glare technology.
At its most energy efficient, Dell claims the XPS 13 has a maximum battery life of 12 hours. Other notable features include a new woofer on the speakers and a fingerprint reader on the backlit keyboard.
XPS 13 2 in 1
Not much is known about the XPS 13 2-in-1, which is the aforementioned convertible tablet. Its pricing is still pending and is scheduled to be released later this summer.
Dell claims that the XPS convertible will be the first in its lineup to offer 5G connectivity. will also have eSIM technology installed. Dell claims that you will be able to travel with this particular model to other countries and connect to your network providers without much trouble. Like the base XPS 13, the convertible only has both ports with the same headphone adapter.
Other than the Alder Lake CPU, the hardware specs are unknown. Dell revealed that the 2-in-1 tablet has a 3K resolution display, as well as being thinner and lighter than the base model (0.29 inches thick and 1.6 pounds).
The XPS 13 comes in sky blue or umber brown. The 2-in-1 model will have the same sky blue plus a darker Slate. If you are interested in purchasing a new laptop, has a list of best picks for 2022.