Dell’s new XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 are both totally redesigned

Today, Dell is introducing an all-new XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1. You might recall that earlier this year, the company introduced the Dell XPS 13 Plus, a modernized take on a laptop. But if you thought that that was the end of the firm’s redesigns, you’d be mistaken. With the new Dell XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1, everything is different.

The thinnest and lightest Dell XPS 13 ever

Dell actually redesigned the XPS 13 fairly recently. when it moved the webcam above the screen, gave it a 16:10 aspect ratio, and cut down on the chin size. The XPS 15 and XPS 17 followed that same design after that, but while it was clearly different, it stayed true to that classic XPS look. This is something totally new.

As you can see from the image, there’s no more black carbon fiber palm rest with a silver exterior. Still made of CNC machined aluminum, it comes in two colors: Sky and Umber. Unlike the new Dell XPS 13 Plus, the keys are still islanded, and it still has a traditional touchpad. Also, it’s not getting the P-series processors that the Plus model got; instead, it’s using Intel’s 9W U-series processors, which is boosted to 12W thanks to Dell’s cooling solution and is still promised to be more powerful than the 15W U-series processors in the previous generation.

It’s 13.9mm thin and it weighs in at 2.55 pounds, making it the thinnest and lightest Dell XPS 13 to date. Indeed, the company mentioned its mission of technology fading into the background, starting with its InfinityEdge display and right into how thin, light, and easy to carry the product is. To get down to this size, Dell made the motherboard 1.8x smaller than the 2021 model.

As for other specs, it comes with a 13.4-inch FHD+ or UHD+ display, up to 32GB LPSSR5-5200 memory, and up to a 1TB SSD. Unfortunately, the webcam is still 720p, although the XPS 13 still meets Intel’s Evo spec thanks to Intel’s points system, where it makes up for the lack of an FHD webcam in other areas.

It’s also got a 51WHr battery, which Dell says is good for up to 12 hours of battery life.

The Dell XPS 13 is available beginning today, starting at $999, and the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (including Ubuntu 20.04) starts at $949.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is a tablet now

Historically a tablet with a 360-degree hinge, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is now a tablet, similar to a Surface Pro. However, unlike Windows tablets of years past that have been clones of the Surface Pro, Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 has a more unique design.

Aside from the all-new design, there are a lot of firsts for the XPS lineup here. Indeed, it’s the first Dell XPS PC to have a 1080p webcam, which is a really big deal in the age of working from home and video calling. It’s something that we’re seeing across the board in Intel Evo PCs with 12th-gen processors, and it’s always a welcome change. There’s also a 4K world-facing camera on the back.

The other thing is that it’s the first Dell XPS to include cellular connectivity, specifically 5G. That means that pretty much wherever you go, you can seamlessly connect to the internet. Indeed, when you talk about technology fading into the background, not having to concern yourself with figuring out how to connect to the internet is a great way to do that.

The 13-inch display for this one is 3:2, with 2,880×1,920 resolution, and it comes with LPDDR4x memory and a 9W 12th-gen processor. Starting weight is 1.6 pounds, and starting thickness is 7.4mm. The 5G model is a half a millimeter thicker, and it’s 0.2 pounds heavier.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is coming this summer with pricing to be announced later. The Wi-Fi only model comes in the same Sky color as the XPS 13, and the 5G model comes in Slate.