Dell's $699 XPS 13 closes the gap at the tier that decides fleet refreshes

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].