Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: What's the difference?

Dell XPS xiii Plus vs XPS 13: What'south the difference?

(Prototype credit: Time to come)

The Dell XPS 13 has long held a spot on our list of the best laptops you tin buy, which is why it'due south so exciting that Dell has unveiled a new spin on the tried-and-true design at CES 2022: the Dell XPS thirteen Plus.

The XPS 13 Plus looks to exist somehow even slimmer and lighter than the already svelte XPS 13, yet it packs the latest 12th Gen Intel CPUs and as much ability nether the hood equally the beefiest XPS thirteen. However, to slim down the XPS 13 Plus, Dell trimmed off a few ports, including the headphone jack — which ways that you lot'll be stuck relying on Bluetooth (or a dongle) if you desire to do some private listening on the Plus.

But where you'll really see a difference is on the keyboard deck, where Dell has done abroad with concrete role keys in favor of a row of capacitive affect keys reminiscent of the controversial Touch Bar on Apple's sometime MacBook Pros. It'south a modify that volition probably take some getting used to; read on for a full rundown of all the changes you'll come across in the XPS 13 Plus, which could end up being one of the all-time 13-inch laptops of 2022 when information technology ships later this year.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Specs

Dell XPS xiii Plus vs XPS thirteen
	Dell XPS thirteen Plus	Dell XPS 13
Price	from $1,199	from $979
Display	13.4 inches (full HD+, full Hd+ touch, 3.5K OLED or 4K LCD)	13.4 inches (total HD+, full HD+ touch, 3.5K OLED or 4K LCD)
CPU	12th gen Intel Core i5, Core i7	12th gen Intel Core i5, Core i7
GPU	Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics	Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics
RAM	viii-32 GB	viii-32 GB
Storage	256GB - 2TB SSD	256GB - 2TB SSD
Ports	2 Thunderbolt iv (USB-C), USB-C to USB-A adapter	two Thunderbolt iv (USB-C), microSD bill of fare reader, headphone jack, USB-C to USB-A adapter
Size	eleven.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches	11.6 ten 7.viii 10 0.6 inches
Weight	ii.73 pounds	2.9 pounds

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Price

The Dell XPS xiii Plus will go on sale in spring of 2022, though Dell has yet to announce a specific appointment. It will accept a starting price of $1,199, and for that you'll go the base model with a 12th gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage.

Dell XPS 13 Plus two colors — The Dell XPS 13 volition be available in two color schemes: Platinum and Graphite (Epitome credit: Future)

That'southward roughly in line with the latest XPS 13, which Dell sells via its website for equally low every bit $979, at least as of this writing (laptop pricing tends to be pretty volatile, especially during the ongoing pandemic-related supply chain shakeup). That gets you an XPS 13 with an 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

So, at to the lowest degree equally far as pricing goes, the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the XPS 13 aren't as well unlike. They both have enough of room for upgrades too, and if yous're willing to pay more you can get either with upwardly to Core i7 CPUs, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage and a 4K touchscreen or a 3.5K OLED touchscreen.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Blueprint

We've long been fans of the Dell XPS 13 design, with its sparse-bezelled InfinityEdge brandish housed in a slim-and-light chassis that's easy to carry and comfortable to type on.

Dell XPS 13 Plus Platinum — The Dell XPS 13 Plus looks pretty similar to the XPS 13, except for its edge-to-border keyboard, capacitive office keys, and seamless capacitive touchpad — annotation how it blends into the deck beneath the keyboard. (Image credit: Hereafter)

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is pretty similar, but its pattern differs in some central means that help it stand up apart from the vanilla XPS 13. Information technology weighs 2.7 pounds and measures xi.6 x 7.viii x 0.6 inches, which is basically the aforementioned as the vanilla XPS 13. Like the XPS 13, it also comes in a light and dark end (Platinum vs Graphite), but once you open up the chapeau the XPS thirteen Plus sports some primal design changes.

Almost notably, the XPS 13 Plus has a function row of capacitive touch keys, rather than concrete keys. That means they don't actually press down when yous hit them, which could take some getting used to. You can toggle them betwixt function and media keys, and hopefully they'll be a niggling more intuitive to use than the Touch Bar on Apple's one-time MacBook Pros.

Dell XPS 13 OLED review — Yous can see the 2021 Dell XPS 13 has a slightly narrower keyboard, physical function keys, and a clearly visible touchpad. (Image credit: Future)

Beneath the new capacitive touch keys the XPS 13 Plus sports a keyboard that stretches from edge to edge. That makes information technology a bit wider than the keyboard on the XPS 13, which has some infinite between it and either edge of the laptop. More than notably, the XPS 13 Plus has a haptic touchpad that's seamlessly integrated into the deck underneath the keyboard. Information technology looks slick, simply information technology tin can also make it difficult to tell where the touchpad starts and ends. Both the haptic touchpad and the capacitive bear on function keys seem like the kind of thing you'd become used to, but we'll accept to expect until nosotros review one to know how usable the XPS 13 Plus really is.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Display

Dell'southward patented InfinityEdge brandish design helps the xiii.4-inch screen in the XPS 13 really pop, equally the bezels around the screen are then sparse that they seem to disappear when you're engrossed in watching something. The display itself is good, as well; the FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS panel on the base of operations model delivers bully image quality, and if you lot're willing to pay extra for a Dell XPS thirteen OLED model, the vibrant colors, deeper blacks and amend contrasts are well worth it.

That's why we have high hopes for the brandish options on the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which wait to be very like to the XPS 13. Dell says the XPS thirteen Plus features the same thin-bezeled InfinityEdge brandish design, but with fewer layers to amend paradigm clarity and cut downwards a smidge on weight.

Dell XPS 13 Plus graphite — We're looking forward to putting the Dell XPS 13 Plus display through its paces. (Epitome credit: Time to come)

Like the Dell XPS 13, the XPS 13 Plus starts with a FHD+ IPS display (one,920 ten 1,200 pixels), and you tin pay extra to get a touchscreen version. Yous can pay even more to get a 4K touchscreen, or a three.5K OLED touchscreen on your XPS 13 Plus. Nosotros loved the OLED upgrade on the XPS 13, and in our Dell XPS 13 Plus hands-on nosotros had a chance to see how the new model looks with an OLED display — and it looks pretty darn good.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Performance

The Dell XPS 13 has long held a reputation for delivering solid functioning, and the entry-level models are plenty good enough for but about any mean solar day-to-twenty-four hour period piece of work. If you're willing to splurge, you can become a model with the latest Core i7 CPUs and up to 32GB of RAM, which is more than plenty power for productivity work and even a bit of light gaming. However, at least right now, there's no option to buy an XPS 13 with a discrete graphics card — to go one, you lot need to upgrade to an XPS fifteen with a discrete Nvidia GPU.

Dell XPS 13 Plus front — The Dell XPS 13 Plus should be enough fast enough for business or personal apply, and fifty-fifty some light gaming. (Image credit: Future)

The Dell XPS xiii Plus also can't be configured with a detached GPU, then y'all're express to Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, but y'all tin can get the latest 12th Gen Intel CPUs. These are more than powerful and more performant than the 11th Gen Intel chips available in concluding twelvemonth'due south XPS xiii, though past the time the Plus goes on sale Dell will probable be selling refreshed XPS laptops with 12th Gen Intel chips.

Like the base XPS 13, the XPS 13 Plus can exist configured with upwards to a Core i7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of PCIe SSD storage. These peak-of-the-line models should be productivity beasts, though they'll struggle to run most demanding 3D games.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS xiii: Ports

The Dell XPS 13 has never been known for its expansive port pick, just recent models give you plenty to get things done. The current XPS 13 offers just four: a pair of USB-C/Thunderbolt four ports, as well equally a headphone jack and a microSD card reader. The fact that Dell put a USB-C port on either side is dainty since it gives yous some flexibility in what you plug in where, but it's nevertheless slim pickings.

Dell XPS 13 Plus ports — No headphone jack on the Dell XPS 13 Plus ways y'all're stuck relying on Bluetooth (or a USB-C dongle) if yous want to do some individual listening. (Epitome credit: Time to come)

The XPS xiii Plus offers even slimmer pickings, as information technology sports but a pair of USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, ane on either side. Dell also packs in a USB-C to USB-A adapter similar it does on the base of operations XPS 13, which is a nice touch.

Withal, the lack of a headphone jack feels way more painful than the lack of a microSD card reader. Apple has led the charge in removing headphone jacks from phones, for better or for worse, but Dell axing the headphone jack from a new model of one of its near popular laptops is a significant (and potentially controversial) move. Personally, I'yard not excited well-nigh the prospect of having to rely on Bluetooth headphones if I desire to heed to something privately on my laptop. Of course, nosotros'll have to wait until we get one in for review to find out how feasible its slim port selection is under real-earth use.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Keyboard and touchpad

As mentioned before, the Dell XPS thirteen has long been a favorite of ours in part because it has a surprisingly spacious, comfy keyboard to type on. The touchpad beneath is well-sized also, and information technology feels both accurate and responsive to use.

Dell XPS 13 Plus touch function row and keyboard — The new capacitive bear upon function keys on the Dell XPS 13 Plus may take some getting used to. (Paradigm credit: Futurity)

The XPS 13 Plus changes things up slightly, offering a function row of capacitive touch keys above the keyboard instead of physical keys. You can toggle them between role and media keys with a keypress, just similar physical function keys. And while it seems as though the Dell XPS 13 Plus copies the worst affair about the MacBook Pro (the Bear on Bar), we'll have to wait until we review one ourselves to know for certain. We're also excited to endeavor out the new seamless touchpad, which is capacitive and effectively invisible on the keyboard deck.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS thirteen: Battery life

The Dell XPS 13 delivers decent battery life, and the models nosotros've reviewed have typically lasted around 8 hours in our bombardment life test, which tasks the laptop with endlessly surfing the web via Wi-Fi with its screen set to 150 nits of effulgence.

Viii hours is good just not great, so nosotros're eager to put the Dell XPS xiii Plus through our bombardment tests to see if it can outlast its predecessor. At CES 2022 we learned the Dell XPS xiii Plus packs a 55WHr battery, which is bigger (and hopefully longer-lasting) than the 52WHr bombardment inside the one-time Dell XPS xiii. All the same, the Plus features a more powerful CPU with a higher power draw than CPUs in older models, so its bigger battery may not mean ameliorate endurance.

However, similar the XPS 13, the XPS xiii Plus has an limited charging characteristic, and Dell claims it takes less than an hour to charge the Plus upwardly to lxxx% battery ability.

Dell XPS 13 Plus vs XPS 13: Outlook

The Dell XPS thirteen is one of our favorite laptops in large function because of its svelte, eye-catching blueprint, so the fact that Dell has launched a redesigned version in the XPS 13 Plus is cause for guarded optimism on our part.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus looks like it will offer a modest but meaningful performance upgrade over older XPS 13 laptops, and the redesigned keyboard deck may evidence even more comfortable to use than the already great keyboard and touchpad on the XPS 13.

However, the fact that the XPS thirteen Plus has even fewer ports than the XPS 13 is a bit apropos, especially the lack of a headphone jack. We'll take to become one in for testing and review to see how much of a difference these design changes really make, and nosotros can't wait to run across how the Plus compares to the other heavy hitters in Dell's XPS lineup. Stay tuned!

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Programmer, Black Chapeau, and PC World magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom'due south Guide roofing all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.