Dell's new-look XPS 13 Plus is now available starting at $1,299

Dell announces the XPS 13 Plus is bold It debuted at CES 2022 Now available for purchase. It starts at $1,299, and while Dell hasn’t spelled out exact specs for this configuration, you’ll likely get the lowest specs listed on the spec sheet the company shares. This includes a 13.4-inch 1920 x 1200 16:10 display with an aspect ratio of 500 nits, Intel 12th Gen Core i5-1240P processor (28W, 12-core, 4.4GHz boost), 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM clocked at 5200MHz and 256GB SSD.

Each model includes a 60W USB-C AC adapter and features two Thunderbolt 4 ports (but no headphone jack), a Windows Hello 720p webcam, plus a fingerprint reader built into the power button.

As we noted back at CES, this new version of the XPS 13 has a more futuristic design than the standard Dell model. The most notable differences include the row of backlit function keys similar to the Touch Bar, as well as the keyboard that fits into the chassis. Finally, there’s the new trackpad that’s invisible to the eye but takes up just as much (if not a bit bigger) real estate in the middle of the glass-encased wrist rest. Rather than actually clicking, trackpad hardware simulates a click with haptic feedback, like recent Apple laptops.

It sure looks nice, but we’ll have to see in the full review if the new keyboard and trackpad are really fun to use.

Del

While Dell hasn’t shared pricing information for other configurations, you’ll be able to upgrade the XPS 13 Plus at the time of purchase with a 1080p touchscreen (non-touch by default) or a 4K touchscreen. A better display option is a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) Gorilla Glass-coated OLED touchscreen with 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

In terms of processing power, Dell can go for a 12th generation Intel Core i7-1280P with 14 cores, plus up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Oh, and one last thing: There will be an upgraded version of the XPS 13 Plus that will ship with Ubuntu 20.04, and will cost $1,249.99.

We look forward to testing the XPS 13 Plus soon. As my colleague Monica Chen wrote, In its hands-on experience in January, we’re cautiously optimistic that all of these aesthetic changes won’t stand in the way of it being a good machine. But stay tuned for the full review to find out.