The speakers still sit below the keyboard on the XPS 13, but the 4W drivers have been enlarged with “studio quality” tuning thanks to Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Nx 3D audio technology. Dell will make up for the lack of a headphone jack with an optional USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, but there’s no in-box replacement for the microSD card reader, which is a bit of a bummer.įor security, there’s a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button on the keyboard, as well as a special array of sensors in the top bezel for Windows Hello-enabled facial recognition. Looking around the laptop, Dell includes the same twin Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports as the previous XPS 13, but it drops the microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s made of CNC machined aluminum for a more durable and portable form factor, and it still looks every bit as premium as the XPS line historically has. They’re both a nice change from Dell’s usual white and black, and bring the colorful Surface Laptop 4 to mind. It’s launching in two finishes: Sky (a silvery blue) and Umber (a soft maroon). The result? The new XPS 13 is just 0.55 inches thick and weighs 2.59 pounds, compared to the 0.58-inch and 2.60-pound enclosure of the older model.
The company says it had to “miniaturize” the motherboard to be 1.8 times smaller, making it the smallest motherboard it’s ever shipped. To do this, Dell had to redesign the insides of the laptop to fit everything. However, the laptop does manage to get thinner and lighter. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN accountĭell’s latest XPS 13 doesn’t stray from the looks of previous models, with the same edge-to-edge keyboard and minimalist aesthetic.