When Apple released its MacBook Neo at a price of $599 earlier this year, it completely redefined the budget portable device market. The device served as a direct challenge to Windows manufacturers thanks to its premium design and excellent performance for students. Naturally, the Windows camp could not stand by for long, and now Dell is raising the banner of challenge by launching its iconic XPS 13 laptop starting at $599 for students to fight Apple on its favorite turf.
Lightweight and screen power: Dell begins the attack
To take on a MacBook, you must first offer a sleek metal design that rivals its beauty, and it seems Dell has learned the lesson well. The new XPS 13 comes with a full brushed aluminum chassis, just under half an inch thick, and an impressive weight of 2.2 pounds (about 1 kilogram). This makes it a full half-pound lighter than the MacBook Neo, a clear advantage for university students who move between lecture halls all day long.
As for the screen, Dell has equipped its device with a 13.4-inch LCD display with 2.5K resolution. Surprisingly, it supports touch and comes with a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz. In contrast, the MacBook Neo settles for a slightly smaller, non-touch screen that operates at the traditional 60Hz refresh rate. Here, Dell clearly excels in display smoothness and versatility thanks to the responsive touch screen.
Internal hardware and specifications: Dell doubles the storage
Under the hood of the $599 XPS 13, we find a six-core Intel Core 5 320 processor with integrated Intel graphics, supported by 8GB of RAM and a 512GB fast SSD. The MacBook Neo also starts with 8GB of RAM and a six-core A18 Pro processor, but it leaves you in a tight spot with only 256GB of storage in its base model. Dell offers you double the storage for the same price, which is undoubtedly a winning deal for those who have many files and study projects.
If you are looking for stronger performance, Dell allows upgrading the device to 16GB of RAM for $899. It also plans to launch higher options later this summer with an eight-core Core Ultra 7 355 processor and up to 32GB of RAM with 1TB of storage, though Dell has not yet disclosed the prices for these higher tiers.
Small details that make huge differences
Dell did not stop at competing with Apple on the screen and storage; it focused on vital details in the daily lives of students. The device comes with four speakers compared to only two stereo speakers in the MacBook Neo, which means a much better surround sound experience. It also supports Windows Hello facial recognition through its webcam, which the MacBook Neo completely lacks, as it does not contain any biometric authentication system in its base version.
Add to that Dell’s support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless technology, while the MacBook Neo stops at the previous generation, Wi-Fi 6E. And because writing university research papers continues into the early hours of the dawn, the XPS 13 features a fully backlit keyboard—a vital feature that Apple decided to deprive MacBook Neo users of to save costs!
Battery and available colors
Regarding the battery, Dell claims the XPS 13 targets up to 17 hours of continuous video streaming. If this figure is proven accurate in actual tests, it will outperform the MacBook Neo, which lasted 13.5 hours in CNET’s video streaming test. With the efficiency of third-generation Intel processors, reaching this number is not impossible.
However, not all battles are in Dell’s favor; when it comes to colors and device aesthetics, Apple clearly wins. Apple offers the MacBook Neo in four cheerful colors in addition to the traditional silver, while Dell only has two options, Sky and Storm, which appear in photos as two different shades of boring traditional gray.
Student discount terms and availability
The student discount of $100 is available, bringing the device price to $599 instead of $699. This discount is available to university students and high school students aged 16 and over (our apologies to younger first-year high school students!). It is worth noting that this special pricing offer from Dell for students is available from now until November 2nd.
Source:
Leave a Reply