Opening up the XPS 13, users will immediately notice that there isn’t a notch on the display surface to help users lift up the screen. The lid of the laptop is made from a brushed machined aluminum plate, which helps to protect the display and the only thing breaking up the display is the Dell logo, encased in a circle, that’s fashioned from a black chrome-like finish. Displayĭell has paid a lot of attention to the aesthetics and design of the XPS 13, and you can clearly see this even before opening up the display.

The main difference is that while Dell has upped the resolution to 1080p full HD on the XPS 13, the Kirabook debuted with an even higher 2560 X 2440-pixel display, though the XPS 13 trumps the Kirabook in build quality. Though when compared to the Kirabook, the XPS 13 is about the same size and both systems utilize a touch-enabled 13-inch panel. While that was a sizable accomplishment over a year ago, the XPS 13 is now faced with heavy competition from rivals like Toshiba and its 13-inch Kirabook notebook. Thanks to very slim bezels, Dell was able to make the XPS 13 fit into a footprint that was only slightly larger than an 11-inch MacBook Air despite having the larger screen real estate of the 13-inch Air. In terms of dimensions, when the XPS 13 was first shown off in late 2012 to us, Dell promoted the system as being one of the smallest 13-inch Ultrabooks on the market. Unlike other systems that rely on carbon fiber–the material itself is strong but not solid like a unibody aluminum construction would be–the XPS 13 feels a lot more mature and solid in construction, which can be attributed to Dell’s strategic use of a metal ring around the keyboard deck and within internals itself make the undercarriage of the notebook feel solid.

Now, in its third generation, the XPS retains the same wedge shaped design that clocks in at just 0.7-inch thick in the back and tapers to a slim 0.2-inch at the front.ĭesigned to take on the MacBook Air, you can see that Dell has placed a lot of emphasis in making the XPS 13 a stylish notebook by utilizing a combination of carbon fiber, metal, and soft touch finishes along with accents like polished chamfered edging. The XPS 13 is a well equipped laptop with a consistent design in the same way that Apple’s successful line of MacBook Air has seen little changes over the years. Opting for the most expensive configurations, users will also be treated to a rare, but included, 3-year warranty plan. Verdict. The XPS 13 stands out with one of the best construction of a PC laptop in recent years.

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