Announced back at CES 2022, Dell’s all-new XPS 13 Plus sports a completely refreshed design that looks like a futuristic computer worthy of a 2022 launch. With Thunderbolt 4 in tow, alongside a trackpad that’s hidden under the front lip and a capacitive function row, the XPS 13 Plus could be the ticket for those wanting a premium Windows laptop. What else does it bring and how much does it cost? Let’s take a closer look.
Dell’s XPS 13 Plus has to be one of the sleekest laptops I’ve seen yet
Something we’ve come to expect from Dell’s XPS line is a premium build that focuses on the overall experience. The XPS 13 Plus is made from machined aluminum and glass and features Dell’s latest innovation. This model is the first time that Dell has launched a 28W spec in a 13-inch XPS and is up to twice as powerful as previous generations. On top of that, it measures just 0.6-inches thin and weighs only 2.73 pounds, making it extremely light, thin, and powerful. Plus, the XPS 13 Plus now has up to 55% more airflow, thanks to larger fans that are being used to keep it cool.
The entire laptop is designed with an edge-to-edge look in mind. The keyboard goes from one side to the other, there’s no visible trackpad, and the function row is capacitive, meaning it disappears when turned off. On top of that, the new “zero-lattice” keyboard has no spacing between keys and is made to be “fast, efficient, and comfortable.” Even the fingerprint reader is integrated with the power button and is sleekly placed next to the backspace key. This all combines to deliver the space-age design that the XPS 13 Plus brings to the table. The trackpad uses force pad haptics, similar to Apple’s MacBooks these days, as it doesn’t physically move.
You can spec the XPS 13 Plus that has up to a 3840 x 2400 4K+ OLED touchscreen, can reach up to 500 nits with 100% sRGB and 90% DCI P3 color gamut, and most importantly, doesn’t have a notch. It also features a dual-sensor camera with Windows Hello support, though the webcam is only 720p, which is a bit abysmal in 2022.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus starts with an i5-1240P processor with 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, Iris Xe graphics, and an FHD+ touchscreen for $1,299. However, maxing the computer out only costs $1,000 extra, coming in at $2,299 for the i7-1260P, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and the UHD+ touch display.
9to5Toys’ Take
I love the design of the XPS 13 Plus. Honestly, I think I like it more than the look of my new 14-inch MacBook Pro. Don’t get me wrong – Apple’s laptop is sleek and nice, but there’s a huge notch and the keyboard doesn’t look nearly as slim as the XPS 13 Plus.
The fact that Dell hid a full trackpad under glass and made it completely seamless also blows my mind. It’s a completely clean look that doesn’t sacrifice performance from what we can tell. While I won’t be ditching macOS for Windows any time soon, if I was, the XPS 13 Plus would likely be the first laptop I’d look at.
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