Dell XPS 13

Dude, you’re getting a Dell.

That was the catchphrase of the PC maker years ago when it was a just a featherweight going up against the heavyweights of the day. With the Dell XPS 13 and their well-publicized intentions to shift their focus away from traditional notebooks and netbook production, they may just be prepping a new line of commercials: “Dude, you’re getting an Ultrabook!”

Dell XPS13 — The Mood-Enhancer

Close the Dell XPS 13, take a few steps back, and you will be forgiven if your mistook it for a new Apple product. The clean lines and the sleek contours rivals any laptop that the Cupertino-based company currently produces. Visually, Dell hits all the right notes, and the end result is a device that is a virtual fashion statement. The machined aluminum top, the almost industrial chic carbon-fiber base combine to make the XPS 13 a standout affair. Now step closer and open up the thing. You have to smile and give it to Dell. If nothing else, with this device they are definitely bringing sexy back.

What a difference a display makes. Dell has chosen a thin display bezel. The decision gave them the ability to pack a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass–covered display into a case that is the size of a typical 12-inch laptop. When you open up the Dell XPS 13, the effect is immediate and impressive. The aura and illusion of extra size goes some way toward reducing complaints of the ho-hum 1366 x 768-resolution of the 13.3-inch display. The style points extend beyond the screen too. There is also the soft-touch coated magnesium alloy palm rest and the redesigned backlit keyboard. The XPS 13 falls a full 2 millimeters below the 20 millimeter threshold that Intel has established for Ultrabooks. It sports a tapered design, and at its thinnest point, it is a barely visible 6 millimeters thick. The clickpad is made of glass and is multi-touch enabled. The sleek and svelte Ultrabook tips the scales a sliver under the 3-pound bar coming in at 2.99 lbs. Style will only get you past the front door though; you need substance to close the deal. And Dell has packed the XPS with impressive internals for its expected price points.

The premium Dell XPS 13 model is expected to cost $1499. It will have a Core i7 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and will be configured with a 256GB Samsung Solid State Drive (SSD). The base model will cost $999 and will have a Core i3 CPU and a 128GB SSD. Both systems come with several IT-friendly features including TPM (Trusted Platform Module) Hardware security and Professional support services. Casual tests of a pre-production unit by one industry source produced a cold boot time of about 17 seconds. Another source who had access to a developer preview build of Windows 8 claims to have gotten a 3 second cold boot. Yes, you read correctly.

Of late, Dell has been struggling somewhat on the retail-consumer side of its business. It has seen setbacks in its new tablet and smartphone division, and it has decided to discontinue netbooks altogether. Dell has had its successes mainly on the commercial side with its integrated servers and network solutions. This move in a different direction may be just what it needs to recapture mind share in the lucrative consumer market.

This may be Dell’s first offering in the Ultrabook category, but judging by the look, feel, and performance of the XPS 13, it certainly won’t be its last. And when Windows 8 hits the streets, Apple may just be looking over its shoulder as the pack closes in. The XPS 13 is expected to be available at the end of February.

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