Review: Dell’s XPS 13 Plus pulls high performance from a frustrating design


Dell XPS 13 Plus open, front-facing

Enlarge / Dell's XPS 13 Plus clamshell laptop. (credit: Scharon Harding)





















































































Specs at a glance: Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)
WorstBestAs reviewed
Screen13.4-inch 1920×1200 IPS non-touch screen13.4-inch 3840×2400 IPS touchscreen or 13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen
OSWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 ProWindows 11 Home
CPUIntel Core i5-1240PIntel Core i7-1280P
RAM8GB LPDDR5-520032GB LPDDR5-520016GB LPDDR5-5200
Storage512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
GPUIntel Iris Xe
NetworkingWi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Ports2x Thunderbolt 4
Size11.63 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches

295.30 x 199.04 x 15.28 mm
Weight2.71 pounds (1.23 kg)IPS: 2.71 pounds 1.23 kg)

OLED: 2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
Battery55 Wh
Warranty1 year
Price (MSRP) $1,300$2,360$2,000
OtherUSB-C to 3.5 mm and USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapters included, Ubuntu-based Developer Edition available

Dell's XPS 13 laptop has been a staple among Windows ultralights, typically offering decent performance for the price, extreme portability, and good looks.


Apparently, that wasn't enough for Dell, so it released the Dell XPS 13 Plus. Introduced this year (alongside a more traditional 2022 XPS 13), it's a revamped version of the XPS 13 that puts performance over everything else.


Wild design choices allow the system to support a 28 W CPU. With the 2021 XPS 13 carrying a 15 W chip and the 2022 XPS 13 supporting up to a 12 W one, this is a notable achievement. But it's also a case of function over form. To put it simply, using the XPS 13 Plus felt weird. From its tightly spaced keys and capacitive touch function row to its minimal port selection, questionable build quality, and extremely high temperatures, this machine can be frustrating to use for daily tasks.



Read 45 remaining paragraphs | Comments







Dell XPS 13 Plus open, front-facing

Enlarge / Dell's XPS 13 Plus clamshell laptop. (credit: Scharon Harding)





















































































Specs at a glance: Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)
WorstBestAs reviewed
Screen13.4-inch 1920×1200 IPS non-touch screen13.4-inch 3840×2400 IPS touchscreen or 13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen
OSWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 ProWindows 11 Home
CPUIntel Core i5-1240PIntel Core i7-1280P
RAM8GB LPDDR5-520032GB LPDDR5-520016GB LPDDR5-5200
Storage512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
GPUIntel Iris Xe
NetworkingWi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Ports2x Thunderbolt 4
Size11.63 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches

295.30 x 199.04 x 15.28 mm
Weight2.71 pounds (1.23 kg)IPS: 2.71 pounds 1.23 kg)

OLED: 2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
Battery55 Wh
Warranty1 year
Price (MSRP) $1,300$2,360$2,000
OtherUSB-C to 3.5 mm and USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapters included, Ubuntu-based Developer Edition available

Dell's XPS 13 laptop has been a staple among Windows ultralights, typically offering decent performance for the price, extreme portability, and good looks.


Apparently, that wasn't enough for Dell, so it released the Dell XPS 13 Plus. Introduced this year (alongside a more traditional 2022 XPS 13), it's a revamped version of the XPS 13 that puts performance over everything else.


Wild design choices allow the system to support a 28 W CPU. With the 2021 XPS 13 carrying a 15 W chip and the 2022 XPS 13 supporting up to a 12 W one, this is a notable achievement. But it's also a case of function over form. To put it simply, using the XPS 13 Plus felt weird. From its tightly spaced keys and capacitive touch function row to its minimal port selection, questionable build quality, and extremely high temperatures, this machine can be frustrating to use for daily tasks.



Read 45 remaining paragraphs | Comments




September 17, 2022 at 05:15PM

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