Entertainment, work, study: 6 reasons the Dell XPS 13 is an everyday laptop worth looking at

The perfect laptop will handle everything you throw at it, ideally acting as one singular device that covers all your digital demands. A notebook should also be portable—so you can take it anywhere—with enough battery life to ensure that its mobile nature isn't rendered pointless if you run out of juice halfway through the day.

The Dell XPS 13 embodies all of the above, so it’s little wonder that T3 recently gave it a 5-star rating, praising its “sleek and gorgeous” look and naming it “a superb meeting of design and power”.

Here are six reasons why the XPS 13 is a great choice of everyday laptop for students, workers, or anyone else.

TL;DR: The XPS 13 is thin, compact and light enough to take with you anywhere, and boasts a sturdy construction and build quality that ensures it's also durable—with a battery longevity of up to 17 hours, so you needn't worry about where the nearest power socket is

You won't be short on performance thanks to a choice of powerful Intel processors, and the XPS 13 backs up this silicon with a fast SSD and system RAM. Multi-tasking a whole bunch of apps isn't a problem here

This Dell laptop benefits from an excellent screen that's sharp and color-accurate, which is great for entertainment (like movie watching) and productivity alike.

There's also a host of thoughtful design choices—like making the display a touchscreen—which improve the everyday experience of using the XPS 13

1. The XPS 13 is very compact and light

The ideal laptop needs to be portable enough to take anywhere so you can get the most out of it by using the device in any situation, and the XPS 13 is commendably thin, compact, and lightweight.

Here are the key specs of the XPS 13:

• Dimensions: 297 x 201mm/11.7 x 7.9-inches
• Thickness: 12.7mm/0.5-inches—the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop yet
• Weight: 1kg/2.2lbs

Because of its small footprint, the XPS 13 will slide into most bags or backpacks without fuss. And if, for example, you're using the XPS 13 on the train on the way to work and using it for emails and messaging, its compact nature ensures the device fits on the smallest of tray tables.

Essentially, you can take the XPS 13 anywhere you're going, without it feeling like a chore—or burden of a hefty weight—to bring the laptop along with you.

2. Dell's laptop has an impressive battery life

As mentioned at the outset, portability isn't so useful if a notebook doesn't have the battery life to back it up, but thankfully, Dell has delivered with the XPS 13. Based on Dell's internal testing, the XPS 13 can last for up to 17 hours of Netflix streaming on a single battery charge.

Naturally, the exact amount of battery life you'll get varies depending on what you're doing with the laptop, but that amount of constant streaming potentially translates to a full working day of use for the XPS 13.

In short, this means: no power socket—no problem. If you're a student, say, with a busy day of lectures, a discussion or seminar, perhaps a trip to the library, and then into town, you don't have to worry about this laptop running out of battery. The XPS 13 will keep on going until you get back to your dorm room at night.

3. The XPS 13 is durable and robust

It's no good having a featherweight laptop that's portable enough to go anywhere if you're worried that it's fragile due to size and weight—but thankfully, the XPS 13 is suitably durable for everyday use in pretty much any setting.

The XPS 13 is made from machined aluminum, so it's laudably robust. That means if you're carrying this laptop in a light canvas bag, walking through a busy town center in a narrow street where you can't really avoid getting jostled, you know that if the XPS 13 takes the odd knock or bump, it'll come away unscathed.

Dell has also kept any joins and lines on the laptop's chassis to a minimum to ensure the XPS 13 has a more solid build quality (and this helps with the premium looks, too).

In terms of overall construction, the level of quality you'd expect from the XPS brand is present here, despite the more affordable price tag.

4. The XPS 13 packs enough performance to cover your daily needs

The XPS 13 offers a choice of powerful Intel processors, making it a speedy and performant device, despite its compact size. The XPS 13 comes with an Intel Core Series 3 processor in its entry-level line-up, but you can also buy an upper-tier model with the Core Ultra Series 3 if you want even more power.

Whatever your choice, both CPUs provide more than enough in the way of performance to make sure that you can run a host of apps together. Whether that's a browser session (or two) with a load of tabs open, alongside an image editor, and perhaps the WhatsApp client and a word processor, the XPS 13 won't break its performance stride when multi-tasking. The XPS 13 can also handle light creative usage with no fuss, such as photo editing.

The bonus with Intel's Core Series 3 offerings is that these chips are highly power-efficient as well as fast, which contributes to the aforementioned battery life. Intel has really forged ahead on the mobile silicon front with these latest offerings, and the way the XPS 13 performs makes that clear.

Performance isn't all about the CPU, of course, and the fast RAM and SSD in the XPS 13 back up the Intel chip and ensure that apps load at speed, and that Windows 11 itself runs responsively. The XPS 13 is available in 8GB or 16GB configurations, with up to 32GB available when configured with the Intel Core Ultra processor.

5. Dell's screen sports excellent image quality

The display is a key part of any laptop—you'll be looking at it all day long, after all—and Dell has gone out of its way to equip the XPS 13 with a top-notch InfinityEdge screen (featuring very slim bezels).

It's a 13.4-inch 2560x1600 touch display with a 30–120Hz variable refresh rate, 500 nits brightness, DisplayHDR 400, Dolby Vision, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and anti-glare coating, and at a screen size of 13.4 inches, that makes for a razor-sharp image, and the color quality is equally high. That's because Dell chose a display with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, meaning that colors on the screen are true to life. That, in turn, means when you stream a movie, you're getting a realistic color reproduction with an extremely crisp picture, and immersive audio thanks to the XPS 13's quad speakers which offer spatial sound (firing both upwards as well as downwards to achieve that surround effect).

All this is perfect for watching the likes of action movies, so if you're streaming the new Spider-Man or The Odyssey, the XPS 13 provides a great experience.

What about more serious work with the XPS 13—is the screen good for that too?

The XPS 13 display isn't just great for entertainment, it's excellent for productivity apps or studying alike. For starters, it's Eyesafe-certified, with the display reducing harmful blue light levels (without messing with the quality of the color reproduction) if you're using it for longer work sessions. The crisp resolution also helps to reduce any eye fatigue, and a notably high brightness of 500 nits means this is a screen that can get bright enough to remain easily readable even in well-lit rooms (or outside for that matter).

6. A design for life: the thoughtful touches that make the XPS 13 a joy to use every day

As well as the more striking elements of this Dell laptop—like the fast processor, or eye-catching looks and sturdy build—there are lots of clever touches with the XPS 13 design that make its daily use a more pleasant experience.

One of these is a very thoughtful touch (literally) in that the screen is a touch-enabled display. This means that you can quickly tap the screen to follow a link, or swiftly scroll through a lengthy web page using your finger rather than a trackpad. And note, a touchscreen isn't something you'll usually find on rival big-name laptops in this price bracket.

The other input peripherals on this compact laptop are also high quality, with a precision touchpad, and a chiclet keyboard that provides a comfortable typing experience.

Another useful addition is that the XPS 13's infrared webcam supports Windows Hello, meaning one glance and you're logged in via Microsoft's facial recognition technology—there's no need to be tapping in (or indeed forgetting) a PIN here. All of these design elements are small performance boosts in their own right, and collectively, they make using the XPS 13 a slicker, more enjoyable and convenient experience.

At a glance: Dell XPS 13 versus rival laptops

Is the XPS 13 the all-round winner?

Add all the above up and it's easy to see why the XPS 13 is the ultimate everyday laptop, and an all-rounder of a portable that's the ideal companion for your study or work, and entertainment in your downtime.

If you think a Dell XPS 13 is right for you, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here, and UK readers here.

FAQs

Is the Dell XPS 13 durable enough for daily use?

Yes. Its CNC machined aluminum chassis, with minimal joins and lines, provides a robust, premium build that handles daily wear and tear with ease.

Does the Dell XPS 13 have a touchscreen?

Yes. All models feature a 13.4” 2560×1600 touch-enabled display with anti-glare coating and a 30–120Hz variable refresh rate—specs rarely matched at this price.

How bright is the Dell XPS 13 display?

The display hits 500 nits, ensuring excellent visibility in well-lit rooms or outdoors, plus it supports Dolby Vision and DisplayHDR 400.