“Multi-day” battery life promised for new Intel-powered Dell XPS 13

The Dell XPS 13 will be among the first laptops to come with the Intel Core Ultra 200V series CPUs, which have just been announced in the lead up to the IFA 2024 technology show in Berlin.

The new laptop will adopt the same updated design that was unveiled at CES earlier this year, along with Intel’s first series of Core Ultra CPUs, and the PC manufacturing giant has since used the new Snapdragon X Elite chip in that chassis, as well.

Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 200V series) hands on: Specifications, price and release date

• 13.4in 1,920 x 1,200, 30-120Hz IPS display (100%sRGB, 500cd/m2); or 13.4in 2,560 x 1,600, 30-120Hz IPS display (100% DCI-P3, 500cd/m2); or 13.4in 2,880 x 1,800 60Hz OLED display (100%DCI-P3, 400cd/m2, Dolby Vision)
• Intel Core Ultra 200V series CPU: 4.5GHz Core Ultra 5 226V; 4.8GHz Core Ultra 5 256V; 4.8GHz Core Ultra 7 258V; 5GHz Core Ultra 7 268V; 5.1GHz Core Ultra 9 288V
• Intel Arc graphics (Xe2)
• Intel AI Boost NPU (peak 48 TOPs)
• 16GB or 32GB of on package LPDDR5x RAM
• 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB PCIe 4 SSD
• 55Wh battery for up to 26hrs video streaming (FHD+, Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD); up to 30hrs in flight mode
• 1080p webcam with Windows Hello login
• 2 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-PD charging)
• Dimensions: 295 x 199 x 14.8mm (OLED model); 295 x 199 x 15.3mm (IPS model)
• Weight: 1.2kg

Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 200V series) hands on: Key features and first impressions

So far, we’ve been impressed with the Snapdragon laptops we’ve seen, principally due to their impressive battery life but also because, largely, we’ve been able to use them across most of our favourite software, and even the odd game. That’s mainly where Intel is targeting its new series of chips, promising improved battery life to compete with the hyper-efficient Snapdragon X machines.

Dell is promising 26 hours of video streaming from the Full HD+ Dell XPS 13 and a ridiculously impressive 30hrs with flight mode engaged, which is right up there with what Dell claims for its Snapdragon-based XPS 13 (27 hours of streaming). Given both machines use what looks to be the same 55Wh battery, that’s a huge leap over the previous generation of Intel Core Ultra machines.

Indeed, at the launch event for the new Intel chips, I was shown a pair of Dell XPS 13 machines playing a local video while connected to a power meter and the new Intel machine was consuming half the power of the old one. That’s a very good sign, although it’s worth bearing in mind that Dell’s battery life estimates for its OLED model are a lot less ambitious, at up to 16 hours of HD video playback in flight mode.

The other area in which Intel and Dell are hoping to address prior shortfalls is AI performance, with the new Series 2 CPUs promising up to 48 peak TOPs of performance from the onboard Intel AI Boost NPU. That’s a massive four-fold increase over the paltry 11.5 peak TOPs delivered by the previous generation NPU, and enables the laptop to claim Microsoft’s CoPilot+ certification.

So far, we’ve been less than impressed with what the latter adds, with a smattering of fairly inconsequential local AI features (the only truly useful one being live translation) introduced with CoPilot+, but with the proliferation of AI increasing by the day, this extra oomph will surely help to future-proof the laptop as more AI-powered features are added to the software applications you use day-to-day.

Intel is, naturally, promising increased CPU performance from its new chips as well, including a much more powerful integrated GPU. Dell is showcasing five of Intel’s new CPUs: at the bottom of the range is the Intel Core 5 Ultra 226V, an octa-core 4.5GHz CPU with Intel Arc integrated graphics, next up are three Intel Core Ultra 7 models – the 4.8GHz 256V, 4.8GHz 258V and 5GHz 268V – while at the top of the pile is the model powered by the 5.1GHz Corel Ultra 9 288V.

If you want to discover all the differences between these, check out our more in-depth piece on the new Intel Core Ultra 200V Series 200V processors here.

In the meantime, the rest of the laptop is the same top-quality design we loved so much in the Dell XPS 16 we reviewed a couple of months back and the XPS 13 we first saw at CES back in January. It’s a fantastic machine: slim at 14.8mm, light at 1.18kg and attractive, with superb build quality, a lovely keyboard and all the mod cons you could possibly ask for.

We particularly love the flush haptic touchpad topped with Gorilla Glass 3, and the function key strip that sits above Dell’s brilliant “zero lattice” keyboard. These worked beautifully when we reviewed the 16in XPS earlier this year and the XPS 13 should deliver exactly the same experience here.

This is topped by a choice of three different displays: either an FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200) or QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600) IPS screen with variable refresh rate of 30Hz – 120Hz, or a 2.8K (2,880 x 1800) tandem OLED screen with similar attributes. The latter, by the way, utilises the same technology as the impressively efficient iPad Pro 13in – the first in the world to do so, according to Dell.

The Core Ultra 200V series CPU is accompanied by a choice of either 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and either a 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB SSD. And, finally, rounding out the specification is fast Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, thanks to a pair of USB-C ports, with additional support for DisplayPort 2.1 and USB PD charging, while wireless support stretches to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

Dell XPS 13 9350 (Intel Core Ultra 200V Series) hands on: Early verdict

We know that the Dell XPS 9350 is going to be a great laptop, that much is clear from the experience we’ve had with its larger sibling, the Dell XPS 16. This is a cracking piece of hardware. It should be faster than the previous Core Ultra XPS 13 machines and it has the AI chops to claim Microsoft CoPilot+ accreditation, so you’ll get to experience features such as on-device live translation and Microsoft Paint’s Cocreator feature.

However the key, ultimately,  will be battery life – and if this is as good as Dell is claiming it to be, it will a very big deal. I look forward to running my own tests on it to find out how good it really is – check this space for reviews of the new laptops, which we’ll thoroughly testing as soon as we can lay hands on review samples.