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@@ -14,19 +14,40 @@ I've been testing Dell XPS 13s for seven years now. I even bought one years ago Dell sells the XPS 13 2-in-1 in a variety of configurations, starting at $999, but that does not get you the keyboard folio, which is a $100 add-on. You definitely want the keyboard too, without it the XPS 13 is considerably less useful (mostly do to Windows 11's tablet limitations). -Call the starting price $1,099 then. That gets you an Intel Core i5, 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 256-gigabyte SSD. The configuration I tested had the i5 processor, but bumped the RAM to 16 gigabytes and the SSD to 512 gigabytes, which brings your total price to $tk (including the folio Keyboard). For reference a similarly specced Microfot Surface Pro 9 would set you back $tk. Fully decked out the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 with an i7 chip and 1 terabyte SSD is $2,200 to the Surface 9's $2,800. +Call the starting price $1,099 then. That gets you an Intel Core i5, 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 256-gigabyte SSD. The configuration I tested had the i5 processor, but bumped the RAM to 16 gigabytes and the SSD to 512 gigabytes, which brings your total price to $tk (including the folio Keyboard). For reference a similarly specced Microfot Surface Pro 9 would set you back $tk. Fully decked out the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 with an i7 chip and 1 terabyte SSD is $2,200 to the fully decked out Surface 9's $2,800. + +The XPS is the clear winner when it comes to price, but there are some trade offs. + +The XPS folio cover lacks the Surface's kickstand-style design, which allows you to rest the screen at any angle you like. The XPS 13 folio cover slides down the back of the tablet, locking in place with magnets, which means it's limited to only those angles where there are magnets. The most obvious is the first, the angle you'd want for typing at a desk. After that you have to slowly slide the folio down until you feel it lock in place. In the end there are three possible angles (that I could find anyway), but switching between them is a not simple like it is with the Surface. + +As with any folio-style keyboard typing in your lap is awkward, but possible. I wrote most of this review with it balanced in my lap. That said, if you primary want to type with this in your lap, I have a device for you: it's called a laptop. + +Typing on the Dell folio keyboard is not unlike typing on the XPS 13 Plus ([7/10 WIRED Review](https://www.wired.com/review/dell-xps-13-plus/)). The keypress is shallower than an ordinary laptop, but still deep enough that feel like you pressed something and the response is springy in a satisfying way. One thing to note, this keyboard does not tilt like the Surface Pro. + +The other thing to consider here is that, given that most of us do want a keyboard, pairing a 1.6 pound tablet with a 1.26 pound keyboard give you a 2.8 pound device. The Dell XPS 13 laptop weighs 2.6 pounds and has a screen that can be adjusted to any angle. The main reason I can see to pick this over the laptop is for those who primarily want a Windows tablet. + +When it comes to performance the 2-in-1 XPS 13 proved curiously powerful, considering its thermal limitations. In fact, it scored better in the Geekbench test suite than the XPS 13 laptop I briefly tested last year. In theory these are the same chip, and given the fanless design of the 2-in-1 I would expect *worse* performance. And yet, in benchmarks it came out slightly ahead. In real world use I did not struggle or encounter a long to lag. And I spend most of my time in Windows using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which is notoriously heavy on the CPU. + +Suffice to say that performance of the i5 model, which uses a 12th-generation Intel U-Series processor, is good enough for most of the use cases in which you'd want a hybrid device like this. If you're thinking you want this for video editing, you are wrong, you do not. Nor is it a good gaming setup. But for browsing the web, working with documents, even editing very large spreadsheets, the XPS 13 was plenty snappy. + +XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with a very different, and in my view much nicer, display from its laptop sibling. Like the Surface Pro it uses a 3:2 ration screen with a 2880 x 1920 pixel screen. With 500 nits of brightness, it works great outdoors and is plenty sharp. Dell also says there's support for DisplayHDR 400 and Dolby Vision, which you won't find in the XPS 13 laptop. It's also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and its a touchscreen (it also works with the sold-separately pen) + +Another place that the tablet XPS 13 outshines its laptop sibling is the webcam, which is a 5MP camera which streams very nice 1080p video. I'd really love to see this camera in the regular laptop. + +Dell XPS 13s have never had many ports and every year we seem to get fewer. Like the XPS 13 laptop, the 2-in-1 has just two Thunderbolt 4 ports. You do get adapters for any USB A devices and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but seriously Dell, just build a headphone jack into the device. + +Probably the biggest disappointment of the XPS 13 2-in-1 is battery life. In our standard local video playback battery test I got only 6 hours 43 minutes of battery life. In real life use I didn't ever manage to get through a workday without plugging in. Battery life is only marginally worse than the Surface Pro, so it's not bad for a Windows tablet, but it's a far cry from what you get from even an average laptop. + +The final thing I will note is that so far there is no developer edition of the 2-in-1 with Ubuntu Linux install by default. I was able to install and run Arch Linux without any major issues, but you might run into some hardware compatibility issues with older Linux Kernels. Touch support varies considerably across Linux desktops, but in my experience it's generally no worse than Windows, which isn't that great. + + -The XPS is the clear winner when it comes to price, but there are some trade offs to be made. The biggest is the worst: the XPS lacks the Surface's very nice kickstand design, which allows you to rest the screen at any angle you like. The Dell XPS 13 is limited to a single viewing angle. It's the angle you'd want for typing at a desk, but it's subpar for working almost anywhere else. For Zoom calls with my editors I would wedge a variety of things under the back of the folio to get it to right angle. A Bic lighter worked quite well, as did a Corsair memory stick and a Benchmade knife. All sold separately. ---- -On its own, the super-light tablet is a capable enough performer, with new 12th Generation Intel U-Series processors and two high-resolution cameras in an expectedly premium build. -But to function as a true laptop replacement, it needs the XPS Folio accessory (a $100 add-on), which is a kickstand, keyboard, and cover all in one. The combined solution works well, so while there are some limitations with the ports and middling battery life, this is one of the better detachable 2-in-1s around. The Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 Gen 7 is a cheaper, faster one-piece convertible alternative that’s more potent and longer-lasting, and holds an Editors' Choice award, but lacks the detachable design if you’re married to that form. -Pricing starts at $1,099 including the XPS Folio keyboard, but you can get just the tablet for $999. That also includes an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. # Guides Existing |