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Dell and Intel are together casting a large shadow this year at Computex. For me, a bona fide laptop fanatic, one of the biggest announcements of the show is the new Dell XPS 13 featuring Intel’s Wildcat Lake Core Series 3 processors.
The XPS 13, reinvented for 2026, shocked practically everyone with its introductory $599 student price, climbing to just $699 for everyone else.
Although Dell says it’s been working on the XPS 13 for more than 30 weeks, which puts its inception before the MacBook Neo’s March 2026 launch, I can’t help but assume that Apple’s industry eye-opener played a part in that attractive price.
I joined a roundtable discussion with Dell’s Head of Consumer Products, Konstantin Tuv (KT), Intel’s GM of PC Segments, David Feng, and Intel’s Senior Director of Product Management, Nish Neelalojanan, where we discussed the new XPS 13, Intel’s Wildcat Lake chips, and more. Here’s what I found out.
Dell’s new XPS 13 is a door opener, much in the same way the Neo is positioned
Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo is a smart play in more ways than I think many people envision. Yes, it’s affordable and capable, selling faster than I ever expected, but it also acts as a shiny piece of bait on the end of a hook. If you go for it, chances are high that you’ll be taken along for a much longer ride than you were expecting.
What I mean is that the Neo is a great way to get users hooked on a certain type of device. For Apple, the Neo gets a MacBook into a student’s hands at a transformative time in their life. Once that student grows up and needs a new, more powerful PC, Apple’s MacBook Air and Pro devices are a natural progression.
Dell's Konstantin Tuv explains that this strategy is exactly what was in mind. “XPS 13 is a great student device. We want this to be their first XPS.” He adds that Dell, like Apple, has plenty of other devices for when a student’s needs inevitably change.
Considering that XPS is but a small portion of Dell’s PC portfolio, I can’t help but think this strategy could pay off better for Dell than for Apple.
The play is also about preparing a student for the workforce. Yes, MacBooks are the “cool” device that you'll see more often than not in a coffee shop, but the reality is that most of the world’s enterprises run on Windows.
Intel’s Wildcat Lake chips unlock a wider range of uses for students
One of Apple’s biggest weaknesses is gaming. That’s where Dell and Intel believe they have an edge with their ecosystem.
Tuv explains that a lot of students want to game in the evenings when study is finished. Wildcat Lake (and especially Panther Lake, which is coming to XPS 13 after launch) has that ability. As Tuv states, the XPS 13 is designed to “reset expectations in that space.”
And it’s not just about gaming, either. From an ecosystem perspective, the use of Wildcat Lake makes things smooth across the board. As Intel's Neelalojanan points out, “compatibility was one of the biggest things with Wildcat Lake, especially in emerging markets.” No port problems, no driver issues, and plenty of old software that can run perfectly on the Intel chips make for a smooth experience.
What is performance like in a $599 Windows laptop?
It’s OK to be wary of budget Windows laptops. For many years, the $600-$700 range of PCs was underwhelming, with cheap plastic bodies, mild features, and so-so performance. That’s not the case with the XPS 13.
Not only is it truly an XPS device from a design standpoint — CNC-machine aluminum chassis, superb keyboard and touchpad, beautiful 2.5K display — but also in terms of performance.
As Neelalojanan remarks, productivity performance and battery life on the XPS 13 with Wildcat Lake aren’t much different from Lunar Lake. And in terms of AI, although the XPS 13 isn’t a superstar, it’s a great starting point.
Feng explains that most of the productivity apps he uses every day sit in the same low-power island. This island is the same across Wildcat Lake and Intel’s other Series 3 chips, meaning you shouldn’t feel much of a difference. Feng states, “If my everyday work is mainly productivity, browsing, content consumption, that low-power island is there to deliver consistent performance.”
What kicked off this new generation of low-cost, high-quality PCs?
The PC industry is seemingly undergoing a major shift. Suddenly, it seems that even the budget tier is better than ever, with aluminum bodies, high-res displays, and snappy performance. So, what kicked off this revolution?
As Tuv explains, "everyone [in the PC industry] is getting more aggressive and trying to redefine what 'good' looks like." Feng adds that "engineers love to be challenged," and it was up to them to discover new ways to operate within the set budget. Everything from codec and cabling to memory and storage was considered.
And the best part? The XPS 13 isn't a one-off thing. It's official that Intel's Wildcat Lake chips will be used elsewhere in Dell's PC portfolio. Exactly where isn't yet clear, but the new XPS 13 is a great start.
My time with the new laptop was limited, but our Senior Editor Zac Bowden, who's also with me here at Computex, got the full hands-on XPS 13 experience; check it out for a lot more information about the device.
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