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

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

Specs at a glance: Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)

Worst
Best
As reviewed

Screen
13.4-inch 1920×1200 IPS non-touch screen
13.4-inch 3840×2400 IPS touchscreen or 13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen
13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen

OS
Windows 11 Home
Windows 11 Pro
Windows 11 Home

CPU
Intel Core i5-1240P
Intel Core i7-1280P

RAM
8GB LPDDR5-5200
32GB LPDDR5-5200
16GB LPDDR5-5200

Storage
512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD

GPU
Intel Iris Xe

Networking
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2

Ports
2x Thunderbolt 4

Size
11.63 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches
295.30 x 199.04 x 15.28 mm

Weight
2.71 pounds (1.23 kg)
IPS: 2.71 pounds 1.23 kg)
OLED: 2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)

Battery
55 Wh

Warranty
1 year

Price (MSRP)
 $1,300
$2,360
$2,000

Other
USB-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.

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