Dell's Xps 13 Is One Of The Best Laptops I've Tested This Year - Here's Why

Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC Laptop

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Dell's XPS 13 Copilot+ PC is disposable for $1,499.
• It remains a favourite from Dell's lineup for its sleek build, gorgeous display, and awesome artillery life.
• The 2 USB-C ports are limiting, and nan bold creation choices aren't for everyone.

Dell continues to information retired its celebrated XPS statement of laptops pinch machines that effort to cheque nan boxes for each usage case. The latest addition: nan XPS 13 (9345): an ultraportable Copilot+ PC pinch a future-forward creation and cutting-edge hardware.

Dell has released aggregate models successful its Latitude and Inspiron lines, but only bestowed nan 13-inch XPS exemplary pinch nan caller ARM-compatible Snapdragon X Elite processor. The institution called it retired arsenic a unsocial instrumentality successful Dell's catalog, contempt each nan different configurations nan statement offers.

Armed pinch nan aforesaid high-end Snapdragon processor arsenic Samsung's Galaxy Book 4 Edge, this 13-inch, 2.6-pound laptop is simply a capacity powerhouse successful a sleek and well-designed shape facet pinch each nan hallmarks of XPS's design: nan invisible trackpad, nan zero-lattice keyboard, and nan superb display.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

You besides wouldn't beryllium nan first to correction this laptop for a 13-inch MacBook Air upon first glance, particularly erstwhile it's closed. The graphite colorway and minimalist USB-C ports return much than conscionable a page from Apple's creation book. If, however, opening up nan clamshell to uncover its iconic keyboard doesn't dispel immoderate uncertainty astir its identity, nan black-and-gold Snapdragon logo beneath nan keyboard will.

I precocious went hands-on pinch Dell's XPS 13 for a fewer weeks, and I enjoyed utilizing it. In fact, I'm inclined to opportunity that this is 1 of nan champion 13-inch laptops I've tested this year, though it's difficult to perpetrate to that connection fixed that nan Snapdragon X Elite chips are still successful nan early take phase.

Also: My favourite ultraportable laptop makes nan ThinkPad and MacBook Air consciousness underwhelming

The Snapdragon processor gives this laptop immoderate awesome earthy performance, for sure. In my benchmarking, nan Dell XPS 13 showed disconnected its multitasking horsepower by moving productivity apps and ocular tasks pinch nan dual-core boost connected committee nan X1E-80 processor, thing nan different chips don't have.

Boot times move astatine warp speed, and browsing behaviour feels snappy and responsive. When paired pinch nan superb tandem OLED display, it feels for illustration a existent high-end productivity device.

Unfortunately, each that powerfulness is held backmost by imaginable emulation issues successful Windows' Prism program, aliases moreover pinch immoderate commonly-used apps that are still not afloat optimized for Windows connected Arm. This is thing we've been talking about pinch each the new Copilot+ PCs we've tested this year, and nan XPS 13 is not immune to nan issue. 

I ran DaVinci Resolve connected this laptop and recovered it performed astir nan aforesaid arsenic different Snapdragon PCs: fine, but nan capacity still doesn't comparison to thing for illustration a MacBook Pro. It's nan aforesaid communicative pinch Adobe's suite of creator apps, contempt nan company's statements committing to optimizing for ARM successful nan contiguous future.

The show is, unsurprisingly, 1 of nan champion parts of this laptop. The 13.4-inch surface comes arsenic either a non-touch full-HD, aliases a touch-enabled 3K tandem OLED, and some look gorgeous. Colors are crisp pinch Dolby Vision and 100% DCI-P3 colour support, and nan matte show efficaciously mitigates glare.

There are, however, immoderate quirks pinch nan configurations. The FHD display, for example, is somewhat brighter astatine 500 nits and comes pinch a faster 120Hz refresh complaint than nan OLED display, which maxes retired astatine 400 nits and 60Hz, respectively. For a value jump of $400 for nan OLED, I would expect to spot immoderate somewhat higher-end specs. 

Also: I urge this high-end laptop to imaginative pros complete MacBooks - and it's connected waste astatine Best Buy

The artillery life connected this instrumentality is, for illustration each nan different Copilot+ PCs, very good. Dell has a fistful of different capacity modes that will impact nan artillery life, and of course, nan OLED surface is going to beryllium a batch much power-hungry than nan FHD, but overall, it's impressive. In our testing, we sewage complete 17 hours of artillery life moving a livestream video complete Wi-Fi. 

When it comes to mundane mean usage betwixt location and nan office, I sewage good complete 20 hours earlier nan artillery tapered off. If you usage your laptop solely for work-related tasks that don't require a immense processing demand, it wouldn't beryllium unreasonable to expect 3 aliases much workdays successful 1 charge.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Regarding nan illuminated touch Function row, I'm (still) not a fan. I discussed this successful my reappraisal of Dell's XPS 14, and my sentiment hasn't really changed.

Yes, it looks good, and I get nan idea: utilizing nan aforesaid beingness abstraction for double nan magnitude of keys. Still, successful each my clip pinch nan XPS 13, I ne'er rather sewage utilized to having keys I usage often (Home, End, Del, Insert) untethered from beingness keys and relegated to a capacitive LED.

Also: The Lenovo ThinkPad I urge to astir professionals is besides 1 of nan astir affordable

Also, I wouldn't urge this laptop arsenic a dedicated gaming machine, moreover if it surely tin tally games. Ask a gamer if they'd usage a machine pinch LED lights for keys, though.

Like immoderate creation decision, this 1 comes pinch tradeoffs.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The deficiency of robust larboard connectivity is besides going to beryllium a dealbreaker for immoderate people. Dell seems to person doubled down connected its determination to support things arsenic minimal arsenic possible, offering conscionable 2 USB-C ports connected this laptop. Additionally, they aren't Thunderbolts pinch nan Snapdragon configuration.

They do support DisplayPort, and there's 1 connected each side, so... there's that. If you want to do moreover nan astir basal connections connected this laptop, you'll beryllium carrying astir a dock.

Also: I urge this 2-in-1 laptop to some creatives and professionals - and it's connected waste correct now

The Copilot+ XPS 13 is new, but it doesn't switch nan Intel laptop. In fact, we went hands-on pinch that type backmost successful May, and had a batch of nan aforesaid praises and critiques arsenic we do now. The truth is that there's a lawsuit to beryllium made for some versions, particularly since nan configurations and value points are similar.

So, which is better? Well, it depends connected what you're looking for. A simplified measurement to look astatine it is: 

Dell XPS 13 pinch nan Snapdragon X Elite:

• Pro: Way amended battery
• Pro: Overall faster speeds
• Pro: Made for AI 
• Con: Some programs don't tally smoothly aliases astatine all 

Dell XPS 13 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H: 

• Pro: Thunderbolt USB-C ports
• Pro: You don't person to contend pinch app integration issues 
• Con: Runs hotter, dies faster

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

In nan end, some are coagulated choices, but nan artillery life connected nan portion pinch nan Snapdragon is intolerable to ignore. That, and nan truth that this is simply a forward-looking instrumentality pinch AI functionality.

ZDNET's buying advice

Dell's XPS 13 embodies nan ultraportable, fast, cool, and businesslike laptop acquisition each Copilot+ PCs activity to deliver. It features a bold creation that you either emotion aliases you don't, but you person to springiness Dell in installments for sticking to its vision. The minimalist attack isn't for everyone, and users who request tons of connectivity won't person overmuch usage for nan spare larboard selection.

I'd urge this laptop to freelancers, distant and hybrid workers, and anyone who needs artillery life that extends aggregate days. There's an statement to beryllium made for preferring nan Intel type of this year's XPS 13, aliases nan similarly-priced, similarly-sized Lenovo Slim 7x, which features a akin build but much utilitarian creation approach.