I’ll admit, I’m not sure what I was expecting when I first opened up the box for the latest Dell XPS 13 laptop. However, I know for sure I wasn’t expecting to love this tiny laptop as much as I do. At $699, this could be the mid-range Windows laptop to beat in 2026.
Dell's latest XPS 13 is its smallest XPS yet. Packing the Core 5 or Core Ultra 7 processors and up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, this ultra-compact laptop is perfect for your day-to-day tasks.
We go hands-on with every product to ensure it's worth your time and money.
The Dell XPS 13 is available to purchase directly from Dell and Best Buy, coming in three models with pricing starting at $699. There's the version reviewed here with a Core 5, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage, another model with the same Core 5 CPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage, and then the highest end model with a Core Ultra 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.
I've used many laptops throughout the years, the Dell XPS line included. While it's been about a decade since I've used an XPS, the XPS 13 absolutely blew me away with its size.
Given how many laptops I've used over the years, I've also used my fair share of small laptops. The smallest laptop I've ever used has to be the 11-inch MacBook Air, or the 12-inch MacBook — both of which it's been about a decade since I've used.
Many manufacturers have aimed at packing bigger laptops into smaller form factors, but Dell went a different direction with the latest XPS 13. It still has a 13.4-inch screen, but the body is basically designed around the display's panel.
There are hardly any bezels on this laptop, and there isn't a wasted inch anywhere that I can find. Dell did an absolutely fantastic job on the design here.
While you might expect this small laptop to lack major features, that's actually quite the opposite. Dell managed to pack a 1080p30 webcam in the XPS 13, alongside an IR camera for Windows Hello. Dual microphones are also present for a decent audio setup, and that's just the beginning.
On either side of the XPS 13, you'll find a USB-C port. On the entry-level model (which is what I'm reviewing here) both ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort support and Power Delivery. On the models with the Core Ultra processors, both ports are Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery.
The speakers are decent, but the small body definitely doesn't leave a lot of room for big, boomy bass. I don't mind watching a YouTube video on it or playing some background music, but I definitely fire up my Bose QuietComfort headphones whenever I want to actually enjoy listening to something.
I was also quite surprised by the keyboard. One of the most surprising things to me is the power button. While it looks like a normal key, it's much more difficult to press, which is actually really nice as it means I won't accidentally click it when reaching for the backspace or delete key.
The overall layout of the keyboard is a bit cramped for my personal preference, but it's a small laptop, and Dell did a really good job with the keyboard layout overall. I recently took a trip to Boston for a press event and brought the XPS 13 along with me and it was a joy to write on during the trip.
Dell also got the trackpad almost perfect. It's a fairly great trackpad, all things considered, but I really wish it would have been a force touch trackpad. As it is, there's no middle pivot like we used to see in trackpads years ago (and some mid-range laptops still have), which is very nice to see. I had no issues using the trackpad, and I think it's a solid part of this laptop overall.
I was surprised to find Wi-Fi 7 in tow here, which actually makes a marked difference in wireless performance if you have a compatible router. My UniFi Dream Router 7 was sitting about 10 feet away from the XPS 13 while I was downloading some games on Steam and Xbox, and the XPS 13 was seeing download speeds of 750 to 800Mb/s, which is nearly maxing out my network’s Gigabit WAN connection.
