Dell’s new XPS 13 Plus is now available, starting at $1,299

Dell has announced that the bold XPS 13 Plus that debuted at CES 2022 is now available for purchase. It starts at $1,299, and while Dell hasn’t spelled out exact specs for this configuration, you’ll likely get the lower specs listed on the spec sheet the company shares. This includes a 13.4-inch 1920 x 1200 16:10 aspect ratio display with 500 nits peak brightness, a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor (28W, 12 cores, 4.4GHz boost), and 8GB LPDDR5 RAM clocked at 5200MHz and 256GB SSD.

Each model includes a 60W USB-C power adapter, two Thunderbolt 4 ports (but no headphone jack), a Windows Hello 720p webcam, plus a fingerprint reader built into the touch button.

There will also be a Developer Edition which will ship with Ubuntu 20.04

As we noted at CES, this new version of the XPS 13 has a more futuristic design than the standard Dell model. The most notable differences include the row of backlit function keys similar to the Touch Bar, as well as the keyboard that fits into the chassis. Finally, there’s the new trackpad that’s invisible to the eye but takes up a similar (if not slightly larger) space in the middle of the glass-encased palm rest. Rather than actually clicking, trackpad hardware simulates a click with haptic feedback, like recent Apple laptops.

It sure looks nice, but we’ll have to see in the full review if the new keyboard and trackpad are really fun to use.

Del

Although Dell hasn’t shared pricing information for other configurations, you’ll be able to upgrade the XPS 13 Plus at the time of purchase to either a 1080p touchscreen (non-touch by default) or a 4K touchscreen. The most outstanding display option is the 3.5K Gorilla Glass 7 covered touchscreen (3456 x 2160) with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

In terms of processing power, Dell can go for a 12th generation Intel Core i7-1280P with 14 cores, along with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Oh, and one last thing: There will be an upgraded version of the XPS 13 Plus that will ship with Ubuntu 20.04, and it will cost $1,249.99.

We look forward to testing the XPS 13 Plus soon. As my colleague Monica Chen wrote in her practice in January, we’re cautiously optimistic that all of these aesthetic changes won’t stop her from being a good machine. But stay tuned for the full review to find out.

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