Dell’s New XPS 13 Is PC’s First Actual MacBook Neo Competitor

Dell’s new, smaller, lighter, and practically portless 2026 XPS 13 isn’t simply hoping to compete with Apple’s least expensive MacBook on glossy appears. It additionally seeks to carve out a distinct segment as the primary to enter the PC market with a brand new Intel chip and a price ticket certain to make each school college students and Apple followers flip their heads.

Here’s the very first thing you’ll need to take note of: the brand new model of the XPS 13 begins at $700. Students can nab it for $600. For that value, Dell guarantees you’ll get an all-CNC aluminum shell that gained’t really feel practically as low-cost as the normal PC you’ll discover at this value. From the soar, Dell is overtly hoping to compete with the $600 MacBook Neo and its high-quality building. And you realize what? It’s been a sizzling minute since most producers appeared critical about making reasonably priced PCs that don’t really feel as flimsy as a frisbee.

Dell guarantees much more facilities. The XPS 13 sports activities a touchscreen with a decent 2,560 x 1,600 decision. The backlit keyboard contains a multi-touch trackpad that we are able to all hope isn’t horrible. The entire laptop computer weighs in at about 2.2 kilos, barely lower than the MacBook Neo’s 2.7 kilos. Plus, it’s a skinny physique at 12.7mm.

Dell’s laptop computer will characteristic Intel’s Core Series 3 “Wildcat Lake” chip. We’ve already seen the Intel Core 7 350 beat Apple’s A18 Pro, although solely in multicore efficiency on a China-only Honor X14 mannequin. We’re curious how properly this light-weight pocket book can run Windows, particularly as a result of the bottom mannequin comes with simply 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can improve to 16GB or 32GB of RAM or push the SSD to 1TB, although don’t anticipate these configurations to be practically as low-cost. If you need much more efficiency, you possibly can go for the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 Panther Lake chip.

The one factor you’ll miss from this shell is any further I/O: it’s two USB-C ports, and that’s it. Acer not too long ago showcased a low-end laptop computer that includes Qualcomm’s mysterious new Snapdragon C chip, which incorporates an HDMI port. The XPS 13 is principally constructed for fundamental duties, like searching and streaming content material, so don’t anticipate an excessive amount of from the shell. If you need Thunderbolt 4 for larger information switch speeds, you’ll want a Panther Lake SKU.

Apple’s MacBook Neo remains to be extra reasonably priced than Dell’s new product on the entire, particularly in case you’re fortunate sufficient to search out one for $500 with a pupil low cost. Dell Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke instructed journalists in a briefing name that the PC maker wasn’t making an attempt to “win the pricing war.” Instead, Clarke tried to push the concept Dell’s new laptop computer was a greater deal general, with options like a 120Hz refresh price that may additionally drop to 30Hz to avoid wasting on battery life. The Liquid Retina show on the Neo maxes out at 60Hz.

The XPS 13’s value is a far cry from these of the corporate’s 14- and 16-inch XPS fashions. With latest value hikes, each laptops will value you nearer to $3,000 if you would like an OLED show and a higher-end Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chip. If the brand new XPS can keep that stable shell, it might be one of many only a few PCs, in such a RAM-ravaged yr, that appear and feel good however don’t break the financial institution.