The New Dell XPS 13 Won’t Look Up Your Nose

The New Dell XPS 13 Won’t Look Up Your Nose

Last year’s Dell XPS 13 is considered one of the best laptops of 2018.

On the high end model you’re looking at an i7 with 16GB RAM and a 4K touchscreen. It was an expensive unit at launch, but it was (and still is) a solid unit that will be future proofed for a couple of years.

Dell just announced a very important upgrade to this flagship laptop at CES. But it has nothing to do with the specs.

Full disclosure, I own the 4K XPS 13. After reviewing it last year I knew it was the laptop for me. Not only did it have beefy specs and stunning aesthetics, it was the first laptop that made me actually enjoy touchscreens.

It hasn’t been perfect of course – nothing ever is. After six months of use I’m finding the keys to be a little spongy, especially in comparison to something like that Huawei Matebook X Pro, which are far less shallow by default.

My only other real issue has been the webcam placement. It sits below the screen, offering users the iconic Blair Witch Project angle – straight up the nose. It’s not cute.

Apparently Dell recognised the problem because the 2019 models will be returning the webcam to its rightful place – above the display. Praise be!

At 2.25mm it is the smallest camera that Dell has ever produced and fits into the laptop’s Infinity Edge display. Sure, it isn’t bezel-free, but its still quite thin.

There will also be a few more changes to the new XPS 13 lineup. This includes new i5-8265U and Core i7-8565U CPUs, Dell Cinema 2.0 with Dolby Vision HDR (which basically means that that you’ll get 40 times brighter colours and 10 times darker blacks) and Dell Mobile Connect which allows wireless integration between the laptop and your phone.

Lastly, there has been a couple of style upgrades. The signature white woven glass interior is somehow brighter and there is a new frosted exterior option.

Then there’s the redesigned hinge which will apparently let you open the lid with a single finger, as well as improve screen stability.

You’ll also find that the screen has been cut down by 23 per cent and has a brand spanking new anti-reflective coating.

The new XPS 13 will start at $US899.99 and will be available later this year. We’ll let you know when we have Aussie pricing and availability.

The author travelled to CES 2019 as a guest of Dell and Samsung.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.