Dell XPS 13 - 2026

At $699, Dell's 2026 XPS 13 serves up flagship-grade metalcraft, a 120Hz touch display, and marathon battery life. Mind the 8GB of memory, but this is today's budget Windows ultraportable to beat.

I know I've been spoiled by living with systems with 32GB and even 64GB of RAM, but I'd have a hard time recommending anyone spend $700 on a PC just to have an experience like this. That's especially true when you can't even upgrade the RAM down the line, as you could with older laptops. Everyone but the most basic users would be better off shelling out the additional $200 to get the XPS 13 with 16GB of RAM. It'll be far more functional, and it's still under $1,000.

The Dell XPS 13 (2026) is great for everyday work and browsing. It's very portable, with a thin, lightweight aluminum body that has excellent build quality. The entry-level configuration we tested has only 8GB of RAM, which can limit heavier multitasking in Windows 11, but more expensive 16GB configurations handle multiple apps and browser tabs more effectively. It also has superb battery life, easily lasting through a full work or school day with light use. Its IPS display gets bright but doesn't handle reflections particularly well.

Dell’s XPS 13 is a compelling budget laptop, even if it falls just slightly behind the MacBook Neo.

Dell has boiled a laptop down to its basic parts and offers a slim, efficient machine that feels better than its price suggests.