Starting at $799, the super-thin XPS 13 is being called one of Dell's best notebook designs to date as its cheaper and more powerful than the MacBook Air, and has a smaller footprint than competing 13-inch Ultrabooks.
Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets.
The ideal Windows laptop is very hard to find but the new XPS 13 ticks most boxes. It has a 13-inch display with a very slim bezel, the aluminium shell with a carbon fibre-style interior looks pretty darn good, there's a new Intel Broadwell Core i5 under the hood, and battery life is rated at up to 15 hours. The XPS 13 is a return to form for Dell in a big way.
I hope that other laptop makers follow Dell’s lead here. Apple has made a good start with its new 12-inch MacBook, and I think it’s time the industry stops obsessing over touchscreens and focuses on some raw laptop innovation. My MacBook Air is gathering dust thanks to the XPS 13, and I have no plans to switch back.
The Dell XPS 13 9343 stands as a shining beacon of hope in the world of Windows laptops, a compact laptop that outdoes the obvious competition in some key respects like screen quality and near-borderless display. Here is a 13.3-inch laptop that takes up little more space than an 11.6-inch model. Poor thermal management needs to be improved, while a non-touchscreen version could answer other outstanding issues.
Other than an update to the touchpad, there's very little we would change about Dell's redesigned XPS 13: It's compact and well-built, with a gorgeous screen, fast performance and surprisingly good audio quality. You'll pay dearly to get it with a touchscreen, but even then, it's priced in line with other flagship Ultrabooks -- and in some ways it's a better choice, too.
Dell has hit a homerun with the 2015 XPS 13: it's incredibly small and light yet it packs a bright and lovely set of display options along with extremely good battery life. It's as compact and light as the MS Surface Pro 3 with Type Cover
The Dell XPS 13 ends up being responsive, small, light, and well built. Dell has crafted what I am sure most people were hoping for when the original Ultrabook specification was announced. On top of that, they have designed a laptop with class-leading battery life, and plenty of choice to let people buy as little or as much as they need.
For $800, maybe $900? Yes. Yes. Absolutely. If you want a high-quality ultraportable Windows laptop at an incredible price, this is the one to get. If you want a MacBook Air running Windows, this is the closest we've ever come. Say you buy the $800 model with the $100 battery. Now you've got more battery life than the 13-inch MacBook Air, and you're still paying less than the $1,200 that Apple wants.