The Dell XPS 13 has been one of the best ultraportable notebooks on 2016. A 13-inch notebook with an 11-inch footprint, it is a solid option for consumers looking for premium finish combined with a good performance package.
While it was always a traditional notebook, Dell has now made it into a 2-in-1. The new XPS 13 2-in-1 is Dell’s answer to Lenovo’s Yoga and HP’s 360 range. The company has basically added hinges that allow the screen to fold all the way back so that you can use the notebook in tablet mode, tent mode or a presentation mode. Oh and you still get that gorgeous (almost) bezel-less display.
As for the features, the new 2-in-1 is slightly smaller that the original because it is running on the new Intel 7th-generation Kaby Lake processor. While Dell says you can opt for a Core i5 or a Core i7 processor, it is not what you think. Thanks to Intel’s new naming scheme these are actually Core M processors allowing Dell to offer a fanless design. However that could be a compromise on the overall performance. Memory options go upto 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.
As mentioned above, the infinity display is still present and you can chose between a Full HD (1920×1080) and QuadHD+ (3200 by 1800). Again you get the webcam sitting at the bottom of the display, but Dell has upgraded it to support Windows Hello so you can unlock the machine with face recognition. There is an option to add a fingerprint sensor as well.
As for the ports, Dell has made some questionable changes. You get two USB Type-C ports, one of which is Thunderbolt 3.0 compatible. These ports can be used to charge the machine or connect and power up to two 4K displays at once. Dell will also bundle a USB-C adapter for connecting older peripherals. Dell has removed the full SD card slot and replaced it with a microSD one, which could be agonising for photographers.
Clearly the new XPS 13 2-in-1 is not an update for the original XPS 13, rather its an alternative. Prices start at $1000 (Rs 68,000 approx) and it will start shipping in the US from 5 January.
