At Computex, Dell is refreshing its flagship 13-inch laptop, the XPS 13. The product was first showcased at CES, and when I first saw it, I wasn't even allowed to take pictures of it. All the company confirmed at the time was that it was going to have the most accessible price of any XPS product ever.

Now, it's taking the wraps off, so we can see not just what that price point is, but how it gets there in an age of skyrocketing prices.

It starts at $699 or $599 for students. And yes, that makes it directly comparable to the MacBook Neo, especially given that the Intel processors under the hood are likely to provide greater longevity for buyers.

A premium laptop for $699

Dell makes it look weirdly easy

As you'd expect from a premium product at a mid-tier price point, there's a varying array of configurations you can get. The base model comes with Intel Core (not Core Ultra) processors, along with 8GB LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, with a 256GB base model coming later.

It does come with Intel Core Ultra options, of course. Obviously, those are going to cost more, and Dell didn't price out configurations in its press release, not that any company ever would. They start with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, as the Core Ultra ones will be Copilot+ PCs.

It's an XPS, so you already know that it's made out of aluminum. There are two colors, Sky and Storm. Notably, Sky seems to be more of a white than the sky blue "Sky" color Dell used for XPS 13 back in 2022.

It's got a 13.4-inch 2560x1600 pixel display, with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. Dell touts how good the display is in its press release, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Having reviewed well over a dozen XPS laptops at this point (who even knows how many anymore), I'd vouch for that. Dell's LCD panels have always been best-in-class on the upper-tier configurations, so if the company says it's good, I believe it.

It's 0.5-inches (12.7mm) thick, and weighs in at 2.2lbs, so it's lighter than the 2024 XPS 13 (and previous generations), which was 2.6lbs

It's better than a MacBook Neo

More than $100 better, I'd say

Obviously, Macs use Apple Silicon, so comparing chips isn't an apples to apples (I did that on purpose) situation. It's still worth considering the potential longevity of the A18 Pro in the MacBook Neo, as I've previously written about. Both products are made out of aluminum, and both start with 8GB RAM, but that's about where the similarities end.

The Dell XPS 13 has two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (Thunderbolt for the Core Ultra models, but we're not talking about that here), while the MacBook Neo has one USB 3 and one USB 2. The XPS 13 is lighter too, at 2.2lbs, while Apple's product is still 2.7lbs. It features a bigger and better display, with a similar pixel density but a 120Hz variable refresh rate.

Indeed, the XPS 13 is positioned to actually be a premium product at a budget price, rather than just being a budget product. The select Dell XPS 13 configurations with Intel Core processors will be available soon, starting at $599 for students and $699 for everyone else. Other configurations will arrive later this summer, including Core Ultra models.