Photo Credit: Jeandré Badenhorst/techTography
Working on the go has become a necessity in today’s fast-paced life. Videos and photos need to be edited quickly after an event to make the deadline, websites need to be updated, articles need to be finished, the list goes on. Dell makes all of these things easier with their new XPS 13 which will have a Developer Edition as well.
Specs
CPU
This year’s XPS 13 has a wide range of CPU choices, ranging from Intel’s 10th generation Ice Lake Core i3-1005G1 to the Core i7-1065G7.
RAM
Having enough RAM is always a problem but the XPS 13 has multiple options starting at 4GB LPDDR4 up to 32GB LPDDR4x.
Storage
SSD storage is available in sizes varying from 256GB to 2TB.
Screen
I think the screen size was exposed in the name. The screen is 13.4 inch to be precise. Calling it the Dell XPS 13.4 would just have been weird. The engineers have also done a fantastic job with a nearly bezel-less display.
Dell’s InfinityEdge display shines on the XPS 13 with Full HD+ (1920×1200) and a 4K (3840×2400) variants which is an aspect ratio of 16:10. Both are fitted with Dolby Vision and has a 178-degree viewing angle.
Battery
We talked about working on the go earlier. This requires enough battery power to keep you powered the whole day. Dell said they have done just that with a 52Wh battery which will allegedly last nearly 19 hours.
Design
Dell used CNC machined aluminium to construct the body and used carbon fibre for the keyboard to make sure this laptop is both sturdy and elegant.
Ports
The XPS has two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack and a microSD card reader.
Have a lot of USB 3.0 devices? Dell cares about compatibility and will supply you with a USB-C to USB-A 3.0 converter to use with your devices. Not sure how true this one is, but let’s cross fingers.
Thin and Lightweight
Getting laptops thinner and lighter is one of the biggest trends these days. Dell succeeded in this category with the XPS 13 weighing only 1.27kg (2.8lbs) with a thickness of only 14.8mm (0.58inches).
Speakers
Dell? Dell? Dell, are you there? Can you hear us? Oh, maybe it’s because we are also sitting on our speakers! For some peculiar reason, Dell keeps their laptop speakers on the bottom of the device. But let’s wait for the reviews before we judge.
Developer Edition
There are not many differences between the standard and the Developer Edition.
The latter will ship with Linux Ubuntu 18.04 LTS pre-installed where the former will ship with Windows 10.
Another visible difference is fingerprint reader support that will be incorporated into the Developer Edition.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing starts at $999 (R14,237.15*) for the entry-level with the Core i3, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD
The Developer Edition will start at $1,199.99 (R17,102.94*) for the Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and a Full HD display.
Standard editions excluding the 32GB version are already available. Shipping for all Developer Editions as well as the 32GB Windows version will start in February.
Closing
Starting at $999 (R14,237.15*), the XPS 13 is not a laptop for anyone on a budget. The XPS 13 is more for the working professional who needs a quality, lightweight build and enough power to edit or develop on the go. Let’s wait for the reviews to see where exactly this one fits in.
*- Exchange rate from Investing.com as on 10 January 2020 at 15:14.
*- Excluding import and other taxes.
