The XPS 13 is a great laptop for people who want the most powerful performance a 13-inch computer can offer. The XPS 13 Plus is a different model, and from what we can see, it’s for people who want to push this XPS’s performance to the limit.

Dell’s new XPS 13 Plus laptop is a completely new design that uses all metal and new Intel processors. It has a sleek, modern look and is very effective at performing tasks.

Design

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a laptop that looks completely unique and far more alluring than even Apple’s MacBook Air. It has a keyboard that extends across the entire width of the deck with no spaces between each key, and it looks great. Despite its unconventional stylings, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is a great choice for anyone looking for a laptop that is both stylish and functional.

We haven’t found it to be a significant problem. The keys are large enough to readily prod when typing quickly, and while we’ve made a few mistakes while typing this review by hand, we don’t believe the total is higher than it would have been with a more conventional keyboard. Although key travel is a little too shallow for our tastes, there is a pleasant auditory click when the key is depressed. ..

Dell has positioned haptic feedback motors beneath a glass panel in place of a traditional trackpad. It acts like a touchscreen, but with vibrations replicating the feel of a classic trackpad.

Keyboard and touchpad

Dell has eliminated all the interstitial pieces from its keyboard, which has allowed it to squeeze the keys tightly together. Despite this fat-burning activity, typing never felt like a hardship, and we had no trouble switching from a conventional MacBook chiclet keyboard. The generous size of the keys and the perfect feel and travel of the keys are partially attributable to this. ..

We are not as excited about the capacitive function key bar as Dell is, because it lacks a sense of feedback when you try to use it. Additionally, if Dell chooses to stick with this strategy, some haptic feedback akin to a touchpad would be a welcome addition. However, it is undeniably cool how switching the lighting on with the Fn key highlights the secondary function.

The touchpad is easy to use and has good responsiveness and robust haptic feedback.

Dell XPS 13 Plus review: Display

The Dell XPS 12 is available in three different CPU options: the Core i5-1240P, Core i7-1260P, and Core i7-1280P. The intermediate option is included in our test sample, along with a staggering 32GB of RAM. The productivity performance is excellent and comfortably provides enough power to quickly complete several workloads at once. ..

We thought the Dell M2 and AMD’s most recent processor both had significantly greater multi-core speeds, making them more capable computers for demanding applications and multitasking.

Despite having the exact same processor as the Dell XPS 13 Plus, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 2 performed better. We assume that Dell throttled performance in order to achieve a super-slim design, with the fan failing to maximise performance. You should probably avoid placing the portable on your lap because we’ve discovered that the bottom of the laptop can get noticeably warm.

Performance is not being throttled on the MacBook Pro, but if your task is consistently demanding and you want the best value performance available, you may be better off thinking about something like a MacBook Air or Huawei MateBook 16s. ..

Audio

Dell has been sneaky with their new XPS 13 Plus. They’ve hidden two of the quad speaker arrangement under the keyboard, which means that the audio is loud and distorted. Additionally, you’ll learn our full review of the Dell XPS 13 Plus here. ..

We listened to a number of songs, including “Big Ole Freak” by Megan Thee Stallion, which had very little low end. Jamiroquai’s “Time Won’t Wait” provided the best instrumental separation without sounding distorted, so it gave us the best results. We used the Waves Maxx Pro software, which provides more than 10 EQ presets for the best listening experience, to reduce some of that distortion. After experimenting with every setting, we decided on Pop because it produced the most evenly matched performance. ..

Dell XPS 13 Plus review: Graphics

The Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU, used in Tiger Lake processors, is an old favorite; it is also used in Alder Lake processors. Overall, the graphics performance is average, judging by the mixed 3DMark results. The same iGPU showed the best results in the XPS 13 9305. However, the Iris Xe is quite powerful here, although even in simple games you are usually limited to medium or high detail at best. ..

The iGPU Radeon 680M is significantly faster than the other GPUs in this review. It is also more powerful, including in gaming benchmarks. Iris Xe Graphics G7 is a decent choice for everyday multimedia use, as even high definition videos are not a problem. Graphics performance is only slightly reduced when running on battery power. Other GPU benchmarks are available here.

Performance

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a great laptop that delivers professional-level performance in a compact package. We had no problem switching between dozens of tabs and Chrome, responding to multiple Slack messages, and playing Spotify in the background. My only complaint is that the laptop sometimes lost connection with our iPhone when using it as a personal hotspot.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus scored well in Geekbench 5.4, with a single-core score of 1,797 and a multi-core score of 10,621 in the “ultra performance” mode. The XPS 13 Plus also performed better than the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro M2 in the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test. ..

The Dell XPS 13 Plus outperformed the competition in our Handbrake test for video editing, which involves transcoding a 4K to 1080p file. It took Dell an average of 8 minutes and 37 seconds in normal mode, but just 6:49 in Ultra mode. The MacBook Air M2 took 7:52 and the MacBook Pro M2 (with active cooling) took 6:51. As for photo editing, the Dell XPS 13 scored 670 in the PugetBench Photoshop benchmark and 691 in Ultra mode. ..

The MacBook Air M2 scored higher than the MacBook Pro M2 in both the 821 and 817 tests. In the Premiere Pro test, the XPS 13 Plus scored 279 in Normal mode and 327 in Ultra mode, while the Air and MacBook Pro scored 452 and 552, respectively. In terms of graphics performance, the Dell XPS 13 Plus can run some games at a lower resolution than either of the other two laptops, but not very well. For example, when we ran the Civilization VI benchmark on it, the system averaged 22 fps at 1080p resolution with the XPS 13 Plus compared to 40 fps for the Air M2 and 51 fps for the Pro M2 at a lower resolution of 1440 x 900. ..

Dell XPS 13 Plus review: Battery life

The XPS 13 Plus has a low battery life, according to Tom’s Guide. This is due to the OLED display and the fact that it needs to be constantly on for long periods of time.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a great laptop for people who want a long battery life. It has a non-touch display, so it will last longer than other laptops with touch displays. The laptop also has a fast charger that promises to get the battery up to 80 percent in less than an hour.

Heat

Dell’s XPS 13 Plus has a larger fan than the competition, which delivers 55% more airflow.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus reached a high of 85 degrees on the touchpad, which is higher than our 95-degree comfort threshold. The undercarriage reached 103 degrees, which is higher than our 95-degree comfort threshold, while the Centre of the keyboard reached 90 degrees. However, there were no negative consequences from using the notebook on our lap for more than two hours. ..

Configuration options

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a powerful laptop that starts at a high price. It has a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It also has a 1080p display.

Our test model costs $1,949, which is about the same price as the $1,999 MacBook Pro 14″, with the processor upgraded to a Core i7 and up to 16GB of RAM. There’s also an OLED touchscreen display on board, which itself costs $300. There are many other XPS 13 Plus upgrades available, including 32GB of RAM, 1 or 2TB of storage, and a 4K display (not touchscreen).

Conclusion

Dell’s new XPS family is a fantastic alternative to the M2 MacBook Air. The keyboard deck design with its concealed touchpad, large keycaps, and capacitive touch bar is modernized chassis design gives the tried-and-true XPS formula a fresh new look. The 12th generation CPUs from Intel are fantastic, and the touchscreen display is top-notch. The battery life is average, but it’s worth it for all of the other great features. ..