Dell relaunches XPS 13 as MacBook Neo rival, now $599
▼ Summary
– Dell announced a new XPS 13 budget laptop starting at $699, with a promotional student price of $599 until September.
– The XPS 13 is Dell’s thinnest and lightest model at 0.5 inches thick and 2.2 pounds, but has only two USB-C ports and no audio jack.
– The entry-level configuration includes a six-core Intel Core 5 chip, 512GB storage, and 8GB of RAM, while all models feature a 13.4-inch anti-glare touchscreen with high resolution and color coverage.
– The laptop offers up to 17 hours of streaming battery life and a backlit keyboard, directly targeting Apple’s MacBook Neo.
– Dell teased a future XPS model with discrete Nvidia RTX graphics, a tandem OLED screen, HDMI port, and SD card slot, to compete with MacBook Pros.
Dell has officially unveiled the return of the XPS 13, positioning it as a direct competitor to Apple’s MacBook Neo. Following a teaser at CES, the company confirmed that this refreshed laptop will launch in July with a promotional student price of $599, though that deal runs only through September for back-to-school season. After that, the standard price will be $699. While the student promo matches the MacBook Neo’s starting price, Apple’s budget laptop is actually $100 cheaper for students, meaning Dell must prove the XPS 13 justifies the premium.
This iteration marks Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS ever, measuring just 0.5 inches (12.7mm) thick and weighing 2.2 pounds (1kg). Like its more expensive predecessor, it features only two USB-C ports and lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. Even higher-end configurations, which will arrive later with Intel Panther Lake chips and Thunderbolt 4, won’t include a dedicated headphone port. Those premium models will support up to 32GB of RAM.
The entry-level version comes with a six-core Intel Core 5 320 “Wildcat Lake” processor, 512GB of storage, and just 8GB of RAM. That limited memory could be a sticking point for Windows 11 users, but Dell compensates with a strong display across all configurations. Every XPS 13 model includes a 13.4-inch anti-glare touchscreen with 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 30-120Hz variable refresh rate, 500 nits of brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage.
Other features include a backlit keyboard and a claimed 17 hours of streaming battery life. Dell representatives say the laptop should easily handle a full day of classes. In a media briefing, COO Jeff Clarke directly named the MacBook Neo as the target. The XPS 13 is lighter than Apple’s offering and adds a backlit keyboard plus more powerful configurations, but the 8GB RAM floor on Windows 11 remains a clear weakness.
Dell also teased a new XPS with discrete graphics, set to be shown at Computex this week. That model is expected to include an Nvidia RTX GPU, a bright tandem OLED screen, a dedicated HDMI port, and an SD card slot. While details remain scarce, it sounds like a larger, more powerful XPS aimed at competing with MacBook Pro models, even as the new XPS 13 takes aim at the Neo.
The XPS 14 and XPS 16 models reintroduced at CES already corrected some missteps from 2025, when Dell briefly killed the XPS brand. Now, competing at $599 or $699 against the MacBook Neo presents a much stiffer challenge for the revived lineup.
(Source: The Verge)
