Dell's XPS 13 officially goes convertible with a new 2-in-1 variant

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

Dell XPS 13
Dell XPS 13

Following a bit of an early leak, Dell has officially taken the wraps off of the 2-in-1 version (opens in new tab) of its popular XPS 13 notebook. Sporting the same edge-to-edge "Infinity" display that made its predecessors a hit, this new XPS 13 throws a convertible hinge that lets you fold the display back 360-degrees.

XPS 13

Aside from its new convertible skills, the XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips on board, and is said to fetch up to 15 hours of battery life. The 13-inch display is also available in up to a QHD+ (3,200x1,800) resolution with support for displaying vibrant HDR10 content — if you have it on hand. The laptop also throws in a fingerprint reader so you can easily unlock Windows via Windows Hello. An infrared camera will also be Windows Hello-enabled "at a later date," dell says.

Overall, the 2-in-1 XPS 13 looks to offer a pretty similar experience to its non-convertible counterpart. But if you've been aching for an XPS 13 that you can contort to your liking, this looks to be a solid option. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is set to go on sale in the U.S. on January 5 starting at $999. For more, be sure to check out Laptop Mag's quick review of the 2-in-1 below.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

22 Comments
  • Nice, but still a weird web cam position.  Unless it's in tent mode.
  • Maybe it's because I use a gaming laptop from 3 years ago, but 8:30 hours of battery sounds amazing. But, given the result of the battery and performance benchmarks, maybe the HP x360 is still the better choice, even though I LOVE how the bezels on the XPS get bigger when in tablet mode.
  • Two things I love about this xps which MSFT shld copy in the next Surface Pro. The very thin bezel and the fanless design.. How was that achieved tho? I thot the laws of physics did not permit fanlessness in non ARM devices. :-)
  • Its not non-ARM as core M intel processors allow OEMs to make fanless designs. Even the Surface Pro core M version is fanless. This also is from not one of the most powerful series of processors from intel and is closer to a core M version.
  • I own a Surface Pro 4 and I must say the bezels are nearly perfect at this size -- a teeny bit smaller could be achieved no problems -- as too thin bezels would make for a poor tablet experience, given that there'd not br much room to hold it. Be mindful that besides it is used mostly in laptop mode (at least I do), it is first and foremost a tablet.
  • I don't know, I reckon bezels this narrow on a thin tablet would be a problem.
    With the SP4, the bezels work with the thin design to allow you to grip it okay without interfering with the display. With this convertible, the bulk of the keyboard section allows for a good grip and the bezel space is less important to have. But a thin body and thin bezel combination would leave you with very little to actually hold.
  • This was very disappointing. Was so excited when I heard about Dell making a 2-in-1 version of the XPS 13, but absolutely did not expect such a butchered model. It's more money for less hardware. Who do they think they are, Apple? Y-class processors, limited port selection... Why couldn't both USB-C ports be Thunderbolt 3 (like the HP Spectre x360)? Seems like they took the cheap route. I'd feel far better if it had a full-size SD card slot, rather than microSD. All I personally wanted was a regular XPS 13 with a screen that can flip around, bu they did not provide that. Maybe 2018 will have a 2-in-1 that checks my boxes, as both the HP ENVY x360 and HP Spectre x360 fell way short for me, as did the right shift key on the Lenovo Yoga 910.
  • My thoughts exactly. I've got the 2015 XPS 13 non-touch screen and was ready to sell out to get one of these but I'm not that excited about this.
  • The entry model is a pretty lousy value
  • Camera position, battery life & performance ruined it for me.... The HP Spectre 360 is still the undisputed champ in the convertible 2n1 category
  • HP Spectre X360 undisputed champ? In the newest one, they "forgot" (sic) to implement stylus support...IF I want a 2 in 1, I need full tablet functionality, and this means making a sketch during meetings with One Note, taking handwritten notes, marking a PDF, whatever...
  • 10 bit color screen HDR?  That would be good.  If battery life is over 12 hrs that's good.  Ports are not so well chosen but I'll have to see more details to find what worked and didn't.  Infra camera is a good addition as is finger backup/alternative.  Dell logo doesn't fit the slim look of the rest of the device.  Pen?
  • Watch the video, real battery life is not anywhere close to 12hr under testing & there is an active pen option
  • I still prefer the Surface Pro line. But this looks nice. However, let's all agree that in 2017, Windows machines with 4GB of RAM should be things of the past by now. No one should be buying PC's and laptops and convertibles with 4GB of RAM, let alone pay 1000€ for them.
  • I totally agree. Especially since mobile phones now come with 6GB or more. If Android needs 6GB to make it work, why do manufacturers still only give 4GB - only reason I can think of is because it makes the selling price cheaper. It is like the older mentality when PC's were in their infancy where there were no provisions for large hard drives -  example - who would need more than 10GB HDD's  :-) I see PC's and laptops being sold with 64bit systems and only 4 GB, what is the point of putting a 64bit system on it in the first place. I can use up to and over 20GB RAM when I check - usually when I am doing some investigitive browsing and have maybe 100 or more tabs open plus some other programs going in the background.
  • I totally agree. Especially since mobile phones now come with 6GB or more. If Android needs 6GB to make it work, why do computer manufacturers still only give 4GB - only reason I can think of is because it makes the selling price cheaper. It is like the older mentality when PC's were in their infancy where there were no provisions for large hard drives -  example - who would need more than 10GB HDD's  :-) I see PC's and laptops being sold with 64bit systems and only 4 GB, what is the point of putting a 64bit system on it in the first place. I can use up to and over 20GB RAM when I check - usually when I am doing some investigitive browsing and have maybe 100 or more tabs open plus some other programs going in the background.
  • Agree 16GB is a minimum for a decent machine these days. Also love the Surface Pro line, especially the new Performance Base version - however, the price at over $3000 CAD is ridiculous
  • Looks great. Love that its fanless.
  • Lenovo Ideapad Flex 4-1480-80VD Signature Edition 2 in 1 PC I have this and apart from the screen res, it offers better cpu, ddr4 memory and works like a dream.
  • Needs pen :) but great one for those who don't need pen!
  • There's a pen you can use with it that's $49.
  • Does it come with a precision trackpad? If no then it is a big NO. Windows hello enabled IR camera and fingerprint reader is a step towards right direction. Support for legacy ports like USB 3.1, HDMI, SD card reader and modern standards like USB C, Thunderbolt 3, Quick charge are essential. Does it come with active digitizer and pen included? If not then again a big no. Is it lighter than 3lbs? Should be. So tired of heavy weight tanks of yester-years. Last but not the least, pricing. A starting asking price of $1000 with device featuring Intel's Y series Core processors (previously called Core M) which are underclocked, not offer same performance and aren't even comparatively battery efficient than standard clocked i (U) series processors which kills the entire point of these processors other than fanless design and I for one don't overhype fan noise issues. So, what am I saying is that as good as Dell XPS branding is otherwise, these 2in1 convertible models are over priced and offer less value for money. And I am not done yet. What's wrong with PC manufacturers distribution strategy? With hefty prices and unavailability in markets like mine (Pakistan) and China, India (I'm assuming it isn't easily available there which is surprising since China and India forms half of the world population combined) and are essential for sales in mass volumes and I'm pretty sure there is still a market for PCs left now that OEMs are making some good quality devices. With some standard specs like light weight metal design less than 3lbs, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, 1080p touch screen with pen included, windows hello enabled IR camera and finger print scanner, precision touchpad, 360° convertible tablet mode, Core i (non Y) series processors, 1.3mm backlit keyboard, competitive pricing starting from $700 for these baseline specs AND A LITTLE FAITH IN GLOBAL PC MARKET and PCs could create a niche for themselves.
    This 2in1 Dell XPS, well I'll pass on this one.