The Dell XPS 13-inch laptop is a laptop to rival other portable ultrabooks on the market. With an i7 7th generation processor, 16Gb of RAM, 250GB SSD and 13-inch “Infinity Edge” touch screen display it packs a pretty decent array of specs. You can pick up one of these, starting from just £1149 with lower but decent specs.
Probably the most important part of the Dell XPS 13 portable laptop is the display, with Dell’s ‘Infinity Edge’ the XPS has almost no bezel which gives you a nearly full screen to edge look and it really stands out. The benefit of being able to do this, you get more screen for your money. What would normally only contain an 11 or 12-inch screen, now holds the 13-inch touch screen (on some models) display because the extra space is no longer taken up by the bezel around the frame.
Other parts of the laptop are strongly made, the outside consists of a machined aluminium frame which gives you that sturdy and nice textured feel. With the latest range, you can also pick up the XPS 13 in rose gold same as the unit we reviewed, with subtle tones of pink and gold the colour is a nice upgrade but does cost extra. So if you are a fan of having something different, it is worth checking out but for the budget conscious who want to stick that extra cash into the specs, you can still pick up the standard light grey version.
If I had to choose between the two colours though, I would have to pay the extra for the rose gold as it just grabs your attention. The silver is professional looking but lacks that “POW” that the rose gold colour offers and in my opinion is worth forking out that little bit extra for. However, the rose gold version does not seem to be available with the i3 processors or the i5 in the UK. So it will cost you a minimum of £1399 if you wish to pick it up with an i7 processor.
As with every ultrabook, the thing needs to be portable and the XPS 13 weighs 2.7 – 2.9 pounds or just over 1.2kg for us Brits. This makes the laptop lighter than the MacBook Air but not as light as the 12-inch MacBook which weights just 2 pounds or 0.9kgs. It is also a little bit thicker than its competitors, don’t let that put you off as there is a reason and it’s a good one….more ports. In terms of weight, I don’t think anyone will really notice whether a laptop is 2 pounds or 2.7 when you are carrying it around in your bag. The XPS is perfectly capable of being held for practically forever without your arm dropping off.
Ports, ports and more ports. The Dell XPS 13 as mentioned is a little bit thicker than some of the other ultras on the market. The benefit to it being a little bit chunkier is the ability for it to hold more ports than other competitors.
You will find that it has two USB 3.0 ports (one on either side), an SD card reader, a USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 support and a headphone jack along with the charging input. With the USB 3.0 you can connect up to two 4K monitors and with the USB-C it will charge the laptop from it. Being able to charge the laptop from a USB cable is a great addition but don’t worry it does come with its own standard power adapter.
