It was the critical darling of 2016, but we always found the Dell XPS 13 wanting because of its lack of pen support.
Dell has remedied that with the announcement of the 2017 XPS 13 2-in-1. Besides folding into tablet and tent modes, the edge to edge display supports the Dell Active Pen (Wacom ActiveES) with 2048 pressure levels.
Below are details from Dell's reviewers guide:
Smallest 13-inch 2-in-1 on the planet
The XPS 13 2-in-1 introduces the innovative InfinityEdge display to the 2-in-1 for the first time. With only a 5.2mm border on the top and both sides, the XPS 13 2-in-1 cleverly fits a stunning 13.3-inch display in an 11-inch size laptop, making the it the smallest 13-inch 2-in-1 on the planet. Less bezel means you can literally take your view to the edge, no matter what you are doing.
Sleek, silent design
The XPS 13 2-in-1 takes the sleek design of the beloved XPS 13 and kicks it up a notch. With a more aggressive back angle and less height on the table, what’s not to love? The sleek, silent design enables a thinner form factor (813.7mm) and a quieter laptop experience. No fans means no spinning noise and efficient processing means less heat. Plus, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a 360-degree convertible, meaning in can be used in 4 modes, so you watch, work or surf the way you want.
Long battery life
Depending on how you use your laptop, your battery life will vary. Dell uses a variety of battery benchmarks to test our XPS laptops. When you are using productivity applications, like Word or Excel, experience exceptional battery life with up to 15 hours1 on a FHD model or enjoy up to 9 hours of when streaming Netflix content. On the go for even longer? Get up to 11 hours, 45 minutes additional of battery life (up to 26 hours total) with the optional Dell Hybrid Adapter + Power Banks, a power reserve for all of your devices (PCs and tablets).
Stunning viewing experience
Enjoy eye-popping clarity and detail with an UltraSharp Quad HD+ display, which boasts an incredible 5.7 million pixels. That is 4.4 million more pixels than an HD+ and 2.5 times that of a Full HD display. High resolution means, whatever you are doing, your image is precise and clear. With IPS wide-viewing angles, you can enjoy 170° views on a brilliantly bright, 400-nit screen. An anti-reflective coating gives the display a glossy finish without high glare, beneficial for outdoor use. High color gamut and contrast ratio provide rich color. Movies come to life. Presentations shine. And photos can be edited with pinpoint precision.
Fast mobile performance
With 7th Gen Intel® Core i5 and i7 processors, the XPS 13 2-in-1 delivers amazing performance and responsiveness at lower power. Plus, Dynamic Power Mode delivers extra processing power in short bursts when you need it, delivering up 10% more performance than previous generation XPS 13.2 Memory is expandable to 16GB and with solid state drives, the XPS 13 2-in-1 boots from cold in seconds. Whatever state it’s in, it comes back in a snap. With a maximum solid state capacity of up to 1TB, you have plenty of room to store your music, videos and photos. To accelerate performance even more, the XPS 13 2-in-1 also offers faster PCIe drives. USB Type-C and Thunderbolt™
The XPS 13 2-in-1 features 2 USB Type-C 3.1 ports, both supporting charging and display functionality. One is also a Thunderbolt 3 port, enabling up to 8x the transfer speeds of USB 3.0 at up to 40Gbps and twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2. This multi-use port than can charge your device, power up to two 4K displays and supports one cable docking. To support legacy peripherals, Dell ships a USB-A to USB-C adapter with every system.
Backlit keyboard and precision touchpad
Always an XPS standard, the XPS 13 2-in-1 comes with a backlit keyboard, for anytime, anywhere usage. Keys are illuminated so you can use your keyboard in low- and no-light situations. Dell’s precision touchpad delivers improved performance, making every click count. Your touchpad will deliver the exact action you intended, every time. Precision touchpads deliver fluid panning, pinching and zooming, for an experience that’s touchscreen-smooth and quick, and even use gestures similar to the ones you make on screen.
Crafted without compromise
XPS laptops are artfully constructed with premium materials for maximum durability. Sleek and beautiful overall design is a side effect of careful performance-driven construction. Machined aluminum provides strength and durability. The top cover and base are precision cut from a single block of aluminum. The carbon fiber palm rest is strong like aluminum, and thin, but feels cooler to the touch. Finally, edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla Glass NBT™ is bonded to the aluminum display back for added strength. Durability continues with the hinge design, which is made of steel and encased in machined aluminum. We test the hinge over 20,000 times to ensure durability in the most rigorous of use cases. With quality craftsmanship and premium materials, XPS products are strong and durable, look stunning, and feel even better in your hands.
The best Windows ever keeps getting better
Windows 10 gives you all the features you know from the world’s most popular operating system, plus great improvements you’ll love.
Easily interact with your own personal digital assistant: Cortana. Using Cortana with the XPS 13 2-in-1 equipped with MaxxAudio® Pro by Waves gives you a natural voice interaction experience. Enjoy password-free sign-in with Microsoft Hello, giving you the fastest, most secure way to unlock your XPS 13 2-in-1. With just a swipe of your finger on the fingerprint reader, it waves you in with a friendly hello and even works on apps and Microsoft Edge websites. And when you want to use your laptop as a tablet, Tablet Mode is the exclusive Windows feature that kicks in to deliver a smooth, touch-first experience. Onscreen features adapt for easy navigation and apps scale smoothly from the smallest to the largest displays.
Quickest way to set ideas in motion
Quickly turn thoughts into action with the magic of Windows Ink. Naturally capture notes at the speed of thought – with no need to be- logged in. And powerfully pair inking with Office to effortlessly make edits, create content and drive ideas forward.
The optional Dell Active Pen, with thousands of levels of pressure sensitivity at pro-level precision (2048), allows for a more natural handwriting experience, mimicking the standard pen experience up to the highest possible level. Quick response, optimized pen tip materials and palm rejection also contribute to making the pen feel that comes as close to writing on paper when you are taking notes or drawing.
Designed with the environment in mind
XPS laptops are among our greenest laptops ever. From our design decisions to the product and packaging we choose to our recycle options for your old PC, the environment is top of mind. XPS laptops are designed with smarter materials, by avoiding materials of concern including cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury, some phthalates, and they are all BFR/PVC-free. All XPS notebooks ship in recyclable, compost-friendly packaging, including our highly renewable bamboo trays, and we offer options to responsibly recycle your old product through our Dell Reconnect partnership. With presence in 78 countries and territories, Dell has the widest reach of free consumer take-back offering in the industry with consumer drop off in over 2000 Goodwill locations in the United States. Without exception, all XPS notebooks are ENERGY STAR® qualified and anticipated EPEAT Gold registered.
Built for business
XPS is doing more than ever before to ensure it fits into a business environment. The XPS 13 has all of the manageability and select security features of Latitude™ in an aggressively thin and competitive form factor. The most manageable 13-inch 2-in-1 and best-in-class security for commercial customers. With both Thunderbolt™ 3 and USB-C ports, the XPS 13 2-in-1 offers the same one cable docking solutions that our Latitude™ products use. Both the Dell Thunderbolt dock and the Dell Dock are easily connected with one cable. (Docks sold separately).
Dell Active Pen PN556W
Interact effortlessly with your XPS with an active pen designed for drawing, writing, and note-taking. With thousands of levels of pressure sensitivity at pro-level precision (2048), it allows for a more natural handwriting experience, mimicking the standard pen experience up to the highest possible level.
Feature Technical specifications
Processor Options
- 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-7Y54 processor (4M Cache, up to 3.2 GHz)
- 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7Y75 processor (4M Cache, up to 3.6 GHz)
Dimensions
- Height: 0.32-0.54” (8 -13.7 mm) / Width: 11.98” (304 mm) / Depth: 7.8”(199mm)
Starting at weight*
- 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)
Display options
- 13.3-inch UltraSharp Quad HD+ (3200x1800) InfinityEdge touch display
- 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge touch display
- 400-nits, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 72% color gamut, anti-reflective
- 170° wide viewing angle - 85° / 85° / 85° / 85°
- Capacitive touchscreen – 10-fingertouch support
Construction
- CNC machined aluminum in silver
- Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™
- Carbon fiber composite palm rest with soft touch paint
- Steel hinges wrapped in aluminum
Memory* Options
- 4GB, 8GB or 16GB Dual Channel LPDDR3 SDRAM at 1866MHz (On Board)
SSD options
- 128GB SATA, 256GB PCIe, 512GB PCIe, 1TB PCIe SSD with Intel® RST
Graphics
- Intel® HD Graphics 615
Battery
- 46WHr battery (built-in)*
- *Battery is built-in to the laptop and is not replaceable by the customer.
AC adapter
- 30W AC adapter
Keyboard / Touchpad
- Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel
- Precision touchpad, seamless glass integrated button
Pen support
- Dell Active Pen with 2048 pressure sensitivity
Wireless connectivity
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC + Bluetooth 4.2
- Miracast™ capable
- Intel® Smart Connect Technology*
Audio
- Stereo speakers professionally tuned with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro 1W x 2 = 2W total
Webcam
- Widescreen HD (720p) webcam with dual array digital microphones
Fingerprint reader
- Microsoft Hello compliant fingerprint reader
Ports and connectors
- Thunderbolt™ 3 with PowerShare, DC-In & DisplayPort (1); USB-C 3.1 with PowerShare, DC-In & DisplayPort (1); microSD card reader, headset jack (1), Noble lock slot (1), Thunderbolt™ 3 supports: Power in / charging, PowerShare, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps bidirectional), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps), VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB-A via Dell Adapter (sold separately)
Operating System
- Windows 10
