Dell’s Latest XPS 13 Is Thinnest Yet, With New Intel CPUs and Multi-Day Battery Life

26 hours of battery! And, of course, AI-ready hardware

why this matters?

Portable devices are increasingly expected to deliver both high performance and long-lasting battery life, and Dell’s Intel XPS 13 exemplifies this balance.

Dell’s latest XPS 13 laptop is a compelling choice for those who need performance on the go. Dell highlighted significant upgrades under the hood, aiming to deliver more than just a sleek design.

The Dell XPS 13 now features Intel’s Core Ultra processors from the Series 2 lineup. This makes it more capable of handling heavy multitasking, intensive software applications, and other demanding tasks. Its dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) can perform up to 48 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This NPU boosts AI capabilities, enabling advanced tasks like generative AI for text and image creation, and faster photo and video editing.

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Key Takeaways

• Dell’s XPS 13 is now available with an OLED display.
• OLED’s excellent contrast and deep, inky shadows demolish LCD screens.
• Brightness and HDR performance are still OLED’s Achilles heel.

Dell’s XPS 13 is now available with an OLED display, and it’s gorgeous.

OLED remains strangely rare among laptops. All of today’s most popular phones, including Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy line, have embraced it in a warm, fuzzy, high-contrast hug. Yet few laptops have taken the same step, and those that have are typically large, powerful 15-inch models aimed at a niche audience.

A week with the Dell XPS 13’s OLED left me wishing the tech was more readily available on modern laptops. Yet its arrival in the XPS 13 might be a case of too little, too late.

The XPS 13 introduces a tandem OLED display, a first for any laptop, which not only delivers higher brightness but also extends battery life compared to traditional OLED screens. Combined with a claimed 26 hours of battery life while streaming on an FHD+ display, this makes the Dell XPS 13 a practical choice for those who need long-lasting performance, whether for work or media consumption, without constantly searching for a power outlet.

The laptop has a 13.4-inch InfinityEdge display, Intel Arc graphics, a 1080p webcam, Windows Hello support, and two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports. Graphite and Platinum are the case color options.

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Why OLED?

OLED is self-emissive, which means each individual pixel creates its own light. This also means each pixel can be shut off entirely, achieving a deep, abyssal black that a typical LCD panel can’t match.

Most high-end laptops have great displays: the MacBook Pro 13, Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, and prior Dell XPS 13 all can impress with bright, vibrant images. Yet they fail when displaying photos or dark, atmospheric movies.

Starlit skies that should contrast the infinite darkness of space against brilliant points of light instead look hazy, as if a light fog had crept into the shot. Dell’s XPS 13 with OLED doesn’t have that problem. Shadows have true depth, providing a sense of presence and realism not found from competing LCD laptop displays.

This advantage isn’t just for 4K movies or high-res photos. On the contrary, I appreciate it most when doing what I’m doing at this very moment: writing.

The Dell XPS 13’s OLED looks distinct from LCD laptops. It’s as if the screen is not a screen at all, but instead a page ripped from an enchanted high-gloss magazine that can magically change form. It’s simply fantastic.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Pro vs. iPad Pro
OLED’s downsides make it more of an alternative, rather than a straight upgrade, over the quality LCDs available in Apple’s MacBooks and in Lenovo laptops. In fact, Dell offers its own 500-nit 4K LCD for the XPS 13, and I can see why some would choose it. OLED makes sense in a home office with proper light control, but a brighter LCD could be preferable for travel.