Dell's XPS 13 is back down to one of its lowest prices ever. With Dell announcing a refresh to the XPS 13, older models of the laptop are now on sale. That provides an excellent opportunity to pick up a great laptop at a more affordable price. Right now, you can get a Dell XPS 13 for $599 ($200 off) directly through Dell. That model has an Intel Core i5-1230U processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Those are entry-level specs, but they're fine for everyday computing and general productivity.
Dell had a countdown clock on its website that seemed to tick away toward the end of this XPS 13 deal, but the clock hit zero and the deal is still here. There's a chance that Dell's discount on the XPS 13 is separate from its 48-hour flash sale. Regardless of the reasoning, you can get a great laptop for $599.99.
I touch on the somewhat confusing name of the XPS 13 below, but first I want to focus on the actual laptop that's on sale. This XPS 13 is an excellent PC that competes with the best Windows laptops. This particular model has modest specs, but it has a refined design and the dependability that comes with purchasing a Dell laptop.
There aren't a lot of frills to this XPS 13. It doesn't flip around or have a fancy haptic trackpad. Instead, it delivers a solid and consistent experience for a clamshell laptop.
This version of the XPS 13 has a clean look and a minimal design. Its bezels are thin, which allows it to pack a 13.4-inch FHD display into a small body. It only has two ports, a USB-C port on each side of the device. Dell includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-C to headphone adapter in the box, but you'll have to get used to the dongle life if you want to connect non-USB-C hardware or use more than two wired accessories.
Dell XPS 13 vs Dell XPS 13 Plus
Dell's naming of the XPS 13 may cause some confusion. In 2022, Dell introduced the XPS 13 Plus, which featured a radical redesign. That refreshed laptop had a zero-lattice keyboard, a haptic trackpad, and a row of capacitive function keys. Dell sold the XPS 13 Plus and XPS 13 alongside each other for the next year or so. Then, just a few weeks ago Dell announced that the Dell XPS 13 would receive the redesign once reserved for the XPS 13 Plus.
The change essentially merged the XPS 13 and XPS 13 Plus lineups while keeping the newer design. That's good news for consumers who like the refreshed look and modern features shown off at CES 2024, but it could trip people up when shopping for an XPS 13.
The model linked above is an older XPS 13 design that will look familiar to many. The XPS 13's design received iterative updates over the years but remained largely the same. In some ways, this discounted model is the pinnacle of Dell's original XPS 13 vision.
While I like the look of the new XPS 13, there are some parts of the classic XPS 13 that many will prefer. For example, the capacitive function keys of the newer XPS 13 proved controversial, and some may like the dedicated buttons of the classic XPS 13.
