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Dell's $699 XPS 13 closes the gap at the tier that decides fleet refreshes
Two reviews grade the new XPS 13 against Apple's MacBook Neo rather than against cheap Windows laptops. The 8 GB base configuration is where the discount actually lands.
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What happened
- Dell's new XPS 13 has a price point of $699, which the reviewer says he would not have guessed if handed the laptop a year or two earlier.
- The Dell XPS 13 sells for a starting price of $700, with a better configuration at $900; the $700 model starts with only 8 GB of RAM.
- Dell's new XPS 13 launched with the purpose of competing with and taking down the MacBook Neo, and Wired says it is hard to discuss the laptop without mentioning the Neo.
- ZDNET gave the XPS 13 a build and design review score of 4/5 and called it the best budget Windows laptop on the market right now.
- Ahead of CES this year, Dell executives admitted on stage that their Pro/Plus/Premium branding decisions did not pay off financially, pledged to bring back the XPS name, and committed to making more accessible, cheaper products.
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Why it matters
Dell's new XPS 13 starts at $699, and both ZDNET and Wired reviewed it as a MacBook Neo competitor rather than as a cheap Windows machine [1][2][3]. That is the part worth noticing for anyone approving a refresh order, because the sub-$1,000 tier is where the compromises usually sit, and Wired's view is that nearly every other Windows laptop under $1,000 still makes them [30].
The specification sheet explains the reframing. ZDNET describes a 13.4-inch IPS panel at 2560 x 1600, 120 Hz, 500 nits, matte, 100 percent DCI-P3, with touch [6]. Wired says that display is standard even on the base configuration but measured brightness at up to 427 nits [7], roughly 15 percent below the figure ZDNET cites [8]. The chassis is aluminium with no flex, half an inch thick, matching the Neo on thickness [11]. It weighs 2.2 pounds against the Neo's 2.7 pounds, a half-pound or about 19 percent lighter, in a slightly smaller footprint with a screen nearly half an inch larger [9][10]. Wired lists things the Neo does not have: touchscreen, 120 Hz, backlit keyboard, two 10 Gbps USB-C ports, support for two 4K monitors or three with the lid closed, and fast storage [12].
The catch is memory. The $700 model ships with 8 GB, which Wired tested and calls not enough; the better configuration is $900 [2][14], a $200 step [16]. Dell at least sells a 16 GB option, which the Neo does not offer [15]. For a fleet, that reads as a $899 laptop with a $699 headline, and the base SKU is the one procurement will quote.
The second compromise is silicon. The XPS 13 uses the six-core Intel Core 5 320 from the new Wildcat Lake line, one of the first laptops to ship it [17], positioned against the Apple A18 Pro in the Neo and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X [18]. Wired reports weaker single-core and graphics performance than the A18 Pro but much stronger multicore [19], and 15 hours of local video playback, short of the Neo [20].
Operationally, the useful details are duller. Two USB-C ports at 10 Gbps, one per side, both supporting power delivery and DisplayPort [21], with either able to drive a 4K display at 60 Hz [22]. There is an IR camera for Windows Hello alongside a 1080p webcam [23]. There is no headphone jack, which the Neo has [13]. Speakers are two tweeters at 8 watts, which Wired rates as not good but on par with the Neo [24]. The keyboard has 0.8 mm travel, is fully backlit and, per ZDNET, completely silent, aimed at students [27]. ZDNET scored build and design 4 out of 5 and called it the best budget Windows laptop currently sold [4].
Context for the pricing: ZDNET traces the product to Dell executives conceding at CES that the Pro/Plus/Premium branding did not pay off financially, and pledging to revive XPS and ship cheaper hardware [5]. Apple, meanwhile, announced the Neo at $600 and now sells it at $700 [25], a $100 increase [26].
What to watch: whether the 16 GB configuration holds at $900 or drifts, and whether Wildcat Lake spreads into comparable compact chassis. Wired notes the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i uses the Core 7 350 but is a 16-inch machine and not a direct comparison [28]. Also worth a check before volume purchase: the brightness gap between the quoted 500 nits and Wired's measured 427 [6][7][8].