The Dell XPS 13 is a thin ad light notebook with a high-resolution, 13.3 inch display. But Dell says it’s packed that display into a laptop that’s the size of a typical 11.6 inch model.

I’ve heard companies make that kind of claim before, but it’s usually marketing hype. This time, I actually believe Dell. After spending a little time with the XPS 13, I can say it really is smaller than just about any other 13.3 inch notebook I’ve used.

xps13_03

That’s because the XPS 13 has some of the thinnest borders around the screen that I’ve ever seen. That allows Dell to make the entire case a bit smaller than it would otherwise need to be for a laptop with a display of this size.

xps13_06

The XPS 13 measures just 0.6 inches thick and weighs just 2.6 pounds. A touchscreen option is also available, and it increases the overall weight to 2.8 pounds.

Despite the laptop’s slim size, Dell still packed the computer with a 52 Whr battery that the company says should provide up to 15 hours of run time.

Dell will offer models of the XPS 13 withe Core i3 through Core i7 Broadwell processors, with prices starting at $799 for a version with a Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

That entry-level model also has a 1920 x 1080 pixel display, but higher-priced models have 3200 x 1800 pixel displays, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage.

The laptop also has 2 USB 3.0 ports, mini DisplayPort, 802.11ac WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. It has a backlit keyboard which feels pretty comfortable, and a nice wide touchpad.

Dell’s XPS series ultrabooks have historically been premium devices with nice specs, but rather high prices. It’s nice to see a lower starting price for the latest model.

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8 replies on “Hands-on: Dell XPS 13 ultrabook with Broadwell”

  1. What’s the laptop to the left of the XPS13 in the first picture? Looks like an ultrabook with a pointing stick! Any details?

  2. That looks pretty nice. Will be interesting to see if it’s reliable.

  3. Am I wrong or while making the frame smaller, they forgot the camera ?
    Also please tell Ces folks we are bit tired to see 4gb ram, on everything is not a atom based hw ( or soon phone will overcame computer standard) ….

    1. A) The camera is on the bottom bezel, just above the keyboard.
      B) This system is also available with 8GB of RAM. You just have to pay extra for it.

  4. I’d rather they put a 15 inch into a 13 inch chassis for the next XPS 15. Adn please keep the weight down to 3 pounds 🙂

  5. I feel apple will beat this on weight and thinner with new MacBook Air…
    But it will only have one usb port and audio jack….

  6. Really nice laptop. Really great price and specs (particularly IPS screen and battery life). Great job, Dell!

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