Dell XPS 13 Review: Move Over, Neo

Unlike astir each Windows laptop selling for nether $1,000, the Dell XPS 13 takes that aforesaid approach. Even the basal configuration comes with a 2560 x 1600-resolution interaction show with a 120-Hz refresh rate, up to 427 nits, and fantabulous colour reproduction. The touchpad is solid and feels fantabulous to use. In presumption of physique quality, it’s top-tier. It’s made retired of aluminum, and there’s nary flexing to beryllium heard of successful the chassis. It opens with 1 finger, and the hinge doesn’t wobble. The bezels astir the show are tiny, giving it a precise modern look. It’s besides incredibly bladed astatine conscionable fractional an inch thick, matching the MacBook Neo. That’s each very charismatic worldly that makes a beardown archetypal content erstwhile handling the instrumentality for the archetypal time.

Here are immoderate things the caller Dell XPS 13 has that the Neo doesn’t:

• A touchscreen display
• A 120-Hz refresh rate
• A backlit keyboard
• Two up-to-date, 10-Gbps USB ports (one connected each side!)
• Support for 2 4K monitors (or 3 if the lid is closed)
• Fast retention speed

The 1 happening it’s missing is simply a headphone jack. The MacBook Neo includes one, and I bash deliberation that’s an unfortunate miss. But I truly admit that Dell didn’t skimp connected larboard quality. There’s 1 USB-C larboard connected each broadside of the device, some of which tin enactment a 4K show simultaneously astatine 60 Hz, complaint the device, oregon transportation files astatine 10 Gbps.

While the speakers aren’t what I’d telephone good, Dell did propulsion successful 2 tweeters for 8 watts of output. They’re astatine slightest connected par with the Neo. It's the aforesaid communicative with the 1080p webcam. The summation of an IR camera for Windows Hello login is appreciated.

So, with each that, you mightiness beryllium wondering however Dell is getting distant with selling the XPS 13 for a starting terms of $700. There's a catch, arsenic always.

More Memory Please

Dell made 2 important compromises to trim the terms of the XPS 13. First, it uses a lower-powered Intel processor, the Core 5 320. Dell is surely redeeming wealth connected this six-core chip, but to my surprise, I was impressed by this humble small portion of silicon. The XPS 13 is 1 of the archetypal laptops to usage this chip, which is portion of the caller Intel Wildcat Lake line. There are immoderate different laptops coming retired with this chip, meant to vie with the Apple A18 Pro utilized successful the MacBook Neo and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is 1 specified option, which uses the Intel Core 7 350, but arsenic a 16-inch laptop, it's hardly a rival to the highly compact XPS 13.