Dell Takes Aim at the MacBook Neo With Its $599 XPS 13 Laptop
Key takeaways
- Apple reset the budget laptop market earlier this year when it debuted the Mac Book Neo, a machine with a design superior to anything near its price of $599 and enough performance for most students.
- The XPS 13 follows on the heels of Dell relaunching its XPS line with the XPS 14 and XPS 16.
- You can't take on a MacBook without delivering a sleek, all-metal design, and it appears Dell did just that with the XPS 13.
Apple reset the budget laptop market earlier this year when it debuted the Mac Book Neo, a machine with a design superior to anything near its price of $599 and enough performance for most students. It was only a matter of time before Windows laptop-makers responded, and Dell has answered with the XPS 13. The XPS is Dell's premium brand, but it's built an entry-level XPS 13 model for students that gets it close to what they'd pay for a Neo.
The XPS 13 follows on the heels of Dell relaunching its XPS line with the XPS 14 and XPS 16. The XPS 13 starts at $699, and students can buy it for $599. That's $100 more than the baseline Neo that costs $499 with Apple's education discount, but the XPS 13 has a few advantages over the Neo.
You can't take on a MacBook without delivering a sleek, all-metal design, and it appears Dell did just that with the XPS 13. The aluminum chassis is thin at just 0.5 inches thick and weighs only 2.2 pounds. That's a half a pound lighter than the Neo.