Dell XPS – Dell is bringing back the XPS 13 with a thinner, lighter design and a student promo starting at $599. The deal runs until September, then the price rises to $699 for everyone else—an aggressive move timed against the MacBook Neo’s starting price.
On a CES stage earlier this year, Dell hinted it was ready to bring the XPS 13 back into the spotlight. Now the company has made that promise official—and it’s doing it with a price that’s designed to feel impossible to ignore.
The new XPS 13 launches in July, and Dell’s entry point for students is $599. That promotional price is only available until September as back-to-school shopping ramps up. After that, Dell says it will start at $699 for everyone else.
For students, the math is even tighter. The $599 Dell promo matches the MacBook Neo’s starting price, but students can get Apple’s budget laptop for $100 less. Dell’s challenge is straightforward: make the XPS 13 feel worth the extra money once the discount window closes.
Dell is also positioning this return as a design win. The company calls it its thinnest and lightest XPS to date, measuring 0.5 inches / 12.7mm thick and weighing 2.2 pounds / 1kg. There are trade-offs in the space Dell saved, too. The new model includes just two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm audio jack. mirroring the setup on the last XPS 13 that cost much more.
Even higher-end configurations won’t restore that port. Dell says it won’t include a dedicated audio jack on models set to arrive later with Intel Panther Lake chips and Thunderbolt 4. Those later configurations are also slated to reach 32GB of RAM.
If you’re looking at the basics, Dell’s entry-level configuration includes a six-core Intel Core 5 320 “Wildcat Lake” chip, 512GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM.
That 8GB number is likely to be the flashpoint for many buyers. The MacBook Neo comparison Dell is implicitly walking into isn’t just about thin-and-light design—it’s about whether 8GB of RAM on Windows 11 can hold up once real-world usage starts piling on.
Dell’s response is the screen. Every configuration of the new XPS 13 includes a 13.4-inch anti-glare touchscreen with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 30-120Hz variable refresh rate, 500 nits of brightness, and 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. It also comes with a backlit keyboard.
Battery life is also part of the pitch. Dell claims “streaming” battery life of up to 17 hours, and Dell reps say it should be efficient enough for a student’s full day of classes.
Dell’s targeting didn’t stay vague. In an early media briefing, COO Jeff Clarke explicitly called out the MacBook Neo by name.
And while the XPS 13 is the headline, Dell isn’t stopping there. The company also teased another XPS comeback it will show at Computex this week: the return of an XPS with discrete graphics. Dell says it should include an Nvidia RTX GPU. a brighter tandem OLED screen. a dedicated HDMI port. and an SD card slot—no further details yet. but the implication is clear. That model is meant to push closer to MacBook Pro territory. while the XPS 13 aims squarely at the MacBook Neo crowd.
The stakes for the brand are personal. Dell’s XPS line had been reintroduced after the company killed the XPS brand in 2025. and the XPS 14 and XPS 16 models debuted at CES as a course correction. But $599 / $699 competition against the MacBook Neo makes this new XPS 13 return a harder test for the revitalized lineup than fans of the brand might have hoped.
Dell XPS 13 MacBook Neo Intel Panther Lake Thunderbolt 4 Nvidia RTX Computex touchscreen Windows 11 student discount
So they’re just copying Apple and calling it “thinnest” lol. $599 is only for students until September right? What happens after that, people just don’t deserve a laptop?
Two USB-C ports?? That’s gonna be annoying fast. Also no 3.5mm jack sounds like they want everyone to buy adapters forever. I don’t get the pricing either, like $699 for everyone else then “worth it” after the promo ends.
Wait so is this the one that has Thunderbolt 4 or is it the later one with Panther Lake chips? The article says no audio jack even later too, so like… they’re basically taking features away. But it’s 0.5 inches thick so that’s good I guess?
Dell always does these “aggressive” launches and then it’s not even that good. If the student price matches the MacBook Neo starting price, doesn’t that mean Apple already won?? Plus only 2 USB-C ports means you can’t plug in anything without dongles. I’ll stick with whatever I had until it dies, prices change every month anyway.