The XPS 13 is a beauty. Among midrange laptops, it boasts the sleekest, most compact design, packing a 13.4-inch 16:10 display into an enclosure that looks hardly any larger than an 11-inch Chromebook. But this is no Chromebook. Made from machined aluminum in an alluring blue hue and only a half an inch thick, the XPS 13 has premium-grade looks. For regular trips and daily commutes, the XPS 13 is an easy travel mate to take along.
Despite its luxurious looks, the XPS 13 is a midrange ultraportable. It starts at $749 with Dell’s current discount, and our test system’s upgrades still keep the price at a reasonable $1,149. Our test system features the baseline CPU, a 12th-gen Core i5, that provides acceptable application performance but still trails that of other midrange laptops that dial back the design touches and put more of their budget toward more-capable Core i7 parts. It also lacks an OLED panel and 1080p webcam, two features that are becoming more common on midrange laptops. And we found it annoyingly difficult to open the laptop’s lid, a seemingly small issue that became a great nuisance in quick order.
SPECIFICATIONS
Our Dell XPS 13 test system is selling for $1,149 at its current discount from Dell and features the
