A few days ago, I received a message on LinkedIn from a senior executive who asked for my advice on a premium laptop. I suggested a few options, but he kept telling me how he was hesitant to change when it came to laptops. This conversation made me realize that not everyone is willing to trade comfort and familiarity for a laptop with experimental design and features. When I reviewed the XPS 13 Plus, I got the impression that Dell has found a balance between the aesthetic of thin-and-light laptops and modernizing it with their own unique style that will appeal to their most loyal high-flying executives. The XPS 13 Plus is a combination of sleek looks and innovation, but still builds on the formula of top-of-the-line compact laptops that the XPS line is known for.
In my review of the Dell XPS 13 Plus,
I must say that not only is it a beautiful device, but it is also incredibly lightweight. At first glance, it looks similar to the 13-inch XPS model, but with a more compact footprint. As someone who values small and travel-friendly laptops, the XPS 13 Plus gave me the impression of a notebook that is an extension of a smartphone – both in terms of its size and its ease of use. In fact, it is even lighter than my previous go-to laptop, the M1 MacBook Air.
One of the standout features of the XPS 13 Plus is its stunning display. I had the pleasure of reviewing it with a 3840x2400p OLED touchscreen display. The 13.4-inch nearly borderless touch display has a 16:10 aspect ratio, giving you more space to work and a nicer look than the MacBook’s screen. The colours and sharpness on the XPS 13 Plus’s display are accurate enough for most uses, particularly for those making presentations, watching Netflix shows, writing and editing copies, and doing other office work. The only downside is that it has a bit of a glossy display, but otherwise, it looks great.
The XPS 13 Plus boasts an impressive feature with its invisible touchpad. Unlike traditional touchpads, the XPS 13 Plus uses haptic technology, which allows the touchpad to blend seamlessly into the notebook’s design. This is similar to the touch bar found on the MacBook Pro, but the XPS 13 Plus takes it a step further by eliminating the need for a dedicated touchpad space. Scrolling and zooming felt intuitive and responsive, even without the physical click of a traditional touchpad.
I hope this sets a trend for future laptops to adopt this type of design. In terms of performance, the XPS 13 Plus exceeded expectations with its 12th-gen Intel i7-1260P processor, 1TB solid-state drive, and 16GB RAM. However, the battery life could have been better, and the laptop does tend to get warm during more intensive tasks like photo editing. Overall, the XPS 13 Plus is an excellent option for business executives and frequent travelers who prioritize sleek design and solid performance.
Final words,
The XPS 13 Plus laptop exudes a sense of mysticism with its blend of traditional form factor and futuristic features and feel. Dell’s gamble on this design appears to have been successful, as the laptop is powerful enough for everyday computing tasks, features an innovative invisible touchpad, and boasts a gap-less keyboard. Despite its lightweight design, it is quite expensive, as one would expect with the XPS brand of high-end ultra books.
Dell XPS 13 Plus review: Reaching out to the future
