The Dell XPS 13 has been a CES darling for as long as we can remember at this point — every show, it’s one of the most cleanly designed laptops we see, and the portability and power never disappoint. Lots of things might be different about CES 2022, but this won’t be one of them — the Dell XPS 13 Plus is, no surprise, one of the best in its class we’ve seen out of CES 2022 so far.
Dell always uses the XPS 13 line to put an emphasis on minimalism in design, and that means shrinking down those bezels. As usual, they’re razor thin, and what bezels are there enclose an impressive 13″ 4K OLED display. Dell’s Eyesafe technology filters out some of the blue light coming from the display that otherwise wreaks havoc on your ability to get to sleep after too much screen time. Rounding out the entertainment experience is a quad-speaker system, including two drivers under the keyboard that fire upwards and two more on the base that fire downwards.
Most of the new design features we’re noticing are around the keyboard. Everything looks smooth, but there’s a lot to like from a practical standpoint — the keycaps are larger thanks to new zero-lattice keys, and the limiting trackpad has been replaced by a full-length, seamless glass touchpad. At the top, there’s a row of capacitive touch buttons for switching between media and function keys.
Inside, the laptop carries your choice of 12th Gen Intel Core processors. Dell has also equipped its newest premium device with leading battery tech and Express Charge 2.0, which can refuel the device to 80% in less than an hour.
Like a lot of other folks at CES 2022, Dell has also turned their attention to more sustainable packaging. The Dell XPS 13 Plus is boxed in 100% sustainably sourced or renewable materials with paper documentation. For the laptop itself, Dell streamlined design as much as possible, removing steps and reducing materials used. This decreases scrapped parts and reduces the overall carbon footprint left behind by the manufacture of new devices.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus will be available globally by spring 2022. Pricing will be announced nearer to its launch date.