Review: Dell’s XPS 13 Plus pulls high performance from a frustrating design

Enlarge / Dell's XPS 13 Plus clamshell laptop. (credit: Scharon Harding)

Specs at a glance: Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320)
	Worst	Best	As reviewed
Screen	13.4-inch 1920×1200 IPS non-touch screen	13.4-inch 3840×2400 IPS touchscreen or 13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen	13.4-inch 3456×2160 OLED touchscreen
OS	Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 11 Home
CPU	Intel Core i5-1240P	Intel Core i7-1280P
RAM	8GB LPDDR5-5200	32GB LPDDR5-5200	16GB LPDDR5-5200
Storage	512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD	2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD	512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
GPU	Intel Iris Xe
Networking	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4
Size	11.63 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches 295.30 x 199.04 x 15.28 mm
Weight	2.71 pounds (1.23 kg)	IPS: 2.71 pounds 1.23 kg) OLED: 2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)	2.78 pounds (1.26 kg)
Battery	55 Wh
Warranty	1 year
Price (MSRP)	$1,300	$2,360	$2,000
Other	USB-C to 3.5 mm and USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapters included, Ubuntu-based Developer Edition available

Dell's XPS 13 laptop has been a staple among Windows ultralights, typically offering decent performance for the price, extreme portability, and good looks.

Apparently, that wasn't enough for Dell, so it released the Dell XPS 13 Plus. Introduced this year (alongside a more traditional 2022 XPS 13), it's a revamped version of the XPS 13 that puts performance over everything else.

Wild design choices allow the system to support a 28 W CPU. With the 2021 XPS 13 carrying a 15 W chip and the 2022 XPS 13 supporting up to a 12 W one, this is a notable achievement. But it's also a case of function over form. To put it simply, using the XPS 13 Plus felt weird. From its tightly spaced keys and capacitive touch function row to its minimal port selection, questionable build quality, and extremely high temperatures, this machine can be frustrating to use for daily tasks.

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