Dell Announces an Affordable XPS 13 Laptop for Students

Dell explicitly called out the Apple MacBook Neo in announcing a $599 XPS 13 laptop for students. It’s based on Intel Core Series 3 “Wildcat” chips, with upgraded models featuring more powerful Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors coming soon.

A few months ago at CES, we made a commitment: compete at every price point in the consumer market and build products worthy of the XPS name,” the Dell announcement notes. “Even though memory shortages have pushed component costs higher across virtually every industry, we are delivering on that commitment. Meet the new XPS 13. It redefines what a compact, accessible and premium laptop can be.”

Intel announced the Core Series 3 processor back in April, and PC makers like Dell are racing to introduce affordable PC models based on this chipset that can take on the MacBook Neo as quickly as possible. These Wildcat chips are based on the same architectural foundation as Panther Lake, but they aim much lower with regards to performance, capabilities, and, most importantly, price. That said, they do support modern hardware features like the 4O TOPS NPU required by Copilot+ PC, Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.

“Apple’s MacBook Neo is a capable machine, and its arrival confirms that there’s real appetite for premium quality at accessible prices,” Dell explains of its rationale for the new XPS 13. “Where Dell differs is what we think premium means at this price point and what we were willing to build to deliver it.”

In Dell’s view, premium–and thus the new XPS 13–means smaller, lighter, and less expensive, but not cheap. At just half an inch thick, the aluminum XPS 13 is the thinnest-ever XPS laptop, and at just 2.2 pounds, it’s also the lightest. Notably, it is smaller and lighter than the MacBook Neo while providing a bigger and superior 2.5K touch display with a 30 Hz to 120 Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It also has keyboard backlighting that the Neo lacks and faster USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, plus Windows Hello and quad speakers. Dell claims up to 17 hours of battery life.

The Dell XPS is available in Sky and Storm colors and will arrive soon with prices starting at $599 for students 16 year old and up or $699 for everyone else. Panther Lake models in Storm with support for up to 32 GB of RAM will arrive later this summer, Dell says.