The gorgeous Dell XPS 13 has been consistently ranked one of the best windows laptops in the last year and we can see why. It’s extremely portable and elegantly lightweight, with a powerful processor and a bright, modern display!
One of the best ways to describe the Dell XPS is a reliable lightweight laptop that shouldn’t be overlooked due to its size – it’s actually an extremely powerful machine that can handle a lot. This is a great laptop for everyday use, and it works well for casual gaming, business tasks, college and school students, and streaming videos.
However, despite being a great overall laptop, the Dell XPS 13 might not be for everyone. So to help you work out if it could be a great option for you, we’ve created this guide to everything you need to know about the laptop.
This includes a breakdown of pricing of how much is the Dell XPS, all its key specifications including ram, display, storage, and size, the pros, and cons of the laptop, and more!
So, if you want to find anything more about this popular laptop on the market have a read below…
Key Specs of the Dell XPS 13
Display: 13.4 inches at 1920 x 2000 / 4k / 3.5k OLED
Ram: Adaptable from 8GB to 16GB to 32GB
Storage: Adaptable options include 256GB, 512GB and 1TB which is the solid-state drive option.
Size: 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 2.6 pounds (super lightweight!)
Graphics: Intel Iris Plus (integrated)
Ports: Two x USB-C 3.1 with Thunderbolt 3, microSD card reader and a combo audio jack
Battery Life: 10 hours of light use and 5 hours of high intensity video playbacks
Camera: 1080p IR Webcam
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 AX1650, 2 x 2
How long does the Dell XPS 13 take to charge? It will take around 1.5-2.5 hours for the Dell XPS 13 to fully charge which is pretty speedy.
More About the Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 is powered by one of the best processors on the market: Intel’s Tiger Lake processor – 11th core. This makes for a smooth and faster user experience in comparison to other Windows laptops on the market. We’ve noticed it takes the Dell XPS 13 a long time to slow down after extensive use which is also a perk and there tend to be very few glitches.
Another added factor that users get included with the Dell XPS 13 is that one of Windows 10 or Windows 11 will already be installed on the laptop! This means there isn’t that added extra cost and hassle of downloading them and we assume most users buying the laptop will want to use them.
How Customizable is the Dell XPS 13:
The laptop is fully customizable from its processor, ram, and storage. We discussed the ram and storage options for the Dell XPS 13 in the key specifications section of this article, however, there is also the option to customize the processor.
Users have the option to stick with the 11th Gen Intel Core i5, i7 or there are several options including the Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 all the way up to 4.8 GHz Turbo. If you’re looking to upgrade your display for even more pristine visuals, then there is the option to get the 13.4-inch OLED touchscreen.
The Display of the Dell XPS 13
The display of the Dell XPS 13 is arguably the main perk of the laptop and has been praised by tech users across the world and has been revolutionary in the windows laptop industry. But what is so unique and great about the display of the Dell XPS 13?
What the Dell XPS 13 has done is it has squeezed the biggest screen possible into a small frame with everything in the lid section being shrunk to optimize screen space. This has led to a very aesthetically pleasing screen that graphics lovers will adore. The specifications for this are a 13.4-inch screen that has only the smallest bezels around the corners and a 16:10 ratio.
If this even doesn’t sound enough for you then you can also upgrade the laptop screen to a 4K OLED touchscreen! We’ve heard these screens are incredible and totally worth it if you rely on good graphics and display for your job. However, the original screen is great itself, so if you don’t fancy splashing out then we wouldn’t worry about doing this.
Dell XPS 13 and Sound
The speakers and audio on the Dell XPS 13 are pretty solid and there don’t seem to be too many problems with past users complaining about muffled effects. It typically sounds good if you’re using day-to-day activities such as watching movies, listening to podcasts, etc.
However, if the sound is a key aspect that you want to be of high quality, then the Dell XPS 13 might not be the one for you. Particularly if your job is in audio-based activities, it might not cut it. Along with this, unfortunately, you can’t upgrade your speakers with the Dell XPS 13.
How Much is the Dell XPS 13?
If you’re wondering how much is the Dell XPS 13 then this is the section you need to read! Here, we breakdown the different options from starting prices, high-end upgrades, and the prices for a refurbished Dell XPS 13.
The starting price for a brand-new Dell XPS 13 laptop will set you back just under a grand at R12 999. This is for the basic sizes of 8GB and 256GB storage.
However, the price of Dell XPS 13 will vary depending on if you get any upgrades including on the ram and storage space.
If you’re looking for the most premium and high-functioning version of the Dell XPS 13 that includes 32GB Ram and 1TB you can look to be spending around R28 999.
If you’re looking to save yourself some cash but have your eyes set on the Dell XPS 13, you can consider looking at getting the laptop refurbished. This often saves people a fair bit of money and you can sometimes even cut the price of the brand-new laptop in half.
Pros of the Dell XPS 13
- The design of the Dell XPS 13 is aesthetically pleasing with a sleek design and a LED function row to edges keyboard.
- Has an incredibly high-speed performance and software technology
- Study keyboard with an anodized aluminium chassis keyboard deck
- Possibility to add screen panels for higher quality images and text
- Highly portable which it makes it great for those who are on the go including college students, digital nomads and those who have to travel a lot for work/business meetings
- The fans are pretty quiet which saves the irritating noise and stress that your laptop might break.
Cons of the Dell XPS 13
- Despite still having a decent battery life, it is on the lower range for its class and cost
- Could have more ports to increase useability
- Not the best laptop on the market for gamers, mainly due to its CPU and GPU not being powerful enough to handle high intensity gaming workloads which can also lead to throttling under load
- The webcam display is not of the highest quality, the image is slightly grainy.
- There is a tendency to have software problems on the Dell XPS 13
- On the more expensive side of things in comparison to other similar laptops on the market.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it – a completely unbiased guide to everything you should know about the popular Dell XPS 13 laptop.
As you can tell it certainly has its perks with it being user-friendly, lightweight, and portable, high-speed performance along with it looking the part too. However, it does come with some downsides including a lack of ports, poor webcam quality, and slightly weak when it comes to processing games.
All in all, we’d recommend the Dell XPS 13 as a decent and sturdy everyday laptop that is great for administering everyday tasks and would be perfect for all users from college students to digital nomads.
However, if you’re an avid gamer that needs high speeds for all types of gaming and an ultra-strong processor, then it might not be the laptop for you. Or, you may have to upgrade the laptop so that it has its highest ram and storage options.
