Note: This review was first published on 17 December 2024.
Image: HWZ
The popular XPS 13 ultraportable returns in 2024 as Dell’s first Microsoft Copilot+ certified PC and sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. It bears mentioning that the XPS 13 is also one of the rare few modern – if not the only – 13-inch ultraportable powered by an ARM and not an x86 processor.
Upon unpacking the laptop, it’s obvious the Dell XPS 13 (2024) retains the look and build of earlier models and does not stray far from its iconic XPS ultra-slim lineage. At just 1.48cm thick and a featherweight 1.17kg for our test unit, the XPS 13 still remains one of the most portable in its class. Dell hasn’t compromised on durability either – the CNC-machined aluminium chassis feels premium and rock-solid. Available in Platinum and Graphite finishes, the design also fends off fingerprint smudges surprisingly well and should be a relief for some of us with an obsessive compulsion to keep our devices pristine.
The TL;DR version:
Despite some quirks, the Dell XPS 13 (2024) is a Snapdragon X-based 13-inch ultraportable that has a great battery life and office productivity performance.
Note: It is available at Dell's website, starting from S$2,349.
Model | Dell XPS 13 (2024) |
Display | 13.4-inch, Touch, 3K 2880x1800, 60Hz, OLED, Anti-Reflect, 400 nit, InfinityEdge, Eyesafe |
Processor | SnapdragonX Elite X1E78100 Processor (3.40 GHz) |
Memory | 32GB DDR5 |
Storage | 1TB SSD M.2 |
Graphics | IntegratedAdreno GPU |
Battery capacity | 55Wh |
For those who are keen to know what the new Qualcomm processor is all about and if it matters because it's not an Intel or AMD processor, here's our video primer to walk you through:-
Form over function
Image: HWZ
This display is where the XPS 13 flexes its muscles. Our XPS 13 comes with a gorgeous 3K 2,880 x 1,800 pixels OLED touchscreen with 60Hz refresh rate, and the 13.4-inch display delivers ample brightness and nice contrast. The screen also has a matte finish that helps minimise glare from light sources. Ultra-thin bezels frame the display seamlessly, yet Dell has still managed to cram in a 1080p Full HD webcam. Video calls look good, but I’d argue that most contemporary laptops come with pretty good webcams that get the job done anyway, so there isn’t anything that stands out here.
But if, for some reason, an OLED display isn't quite your thing, then Dell also offers the laptop with FHD or QHD display, but this bumps up the thickness to 1.53cm and a teeny-weeny weight penalty of 20g.
Audio performance from the XPS 13 (2024) is pretty decent too, punching above its weight class thanks to quad speakers. It’s also noteworthy that Dell even added Dolby Atmos support, which is great for shows that support this audio format. What surprised me was how well the XPS 13 handled bass even with the volume cranked up, considering how small and svelte the laptop is. That said, you’ll want to stick with Bluetooth-compatible headphones (more on this below) for listening to music.
Image: HWZ
Now for the not-so-nice bits. First is the divisive zero-lattice keyboard that looks very futuristic and sleek with its edge-to-edge design, but I found the keys to be shallow and stiff to type on – for me, anyway. The touchpad and wrist rest are made entirely from Gorilla Glass with no visible boundaries, and while it adds a modern touch to the laptop’s overall design, it can take some getting used to at the beginning as it’s very easy to mouse off the edge.
Image: HWZ
Image: HWZ
Then there’s the lack of connectivity, which, unfortunately, remains a pain point for the XPS 13 series. With this XPS 13 (2024), you are stuck with just two USB-C ports. There isn’t an audio jack, no USB-A and certainly no SD card reader. If you depend on wired peripherals, then tough luck because Bluetooth is your only lifeline. Dell does include a USB-A adapter, but you'll probably want one of those portable USB-C hubs that fan out to give you more connections such as HDMI, Ethernet, storage card reader and many more ports. It becomes more of a necessity considering that if you do want to charge your laptop, your left with only one port left.
Carrying a separate accessory around isn’t always ideal (what if you forget to bring it along?), and it’s hard to fathom how Dell could not even fit an audio jack for wired headphones. On a slightly positive note, the laptop has the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support for wireless connectivity.
Battery life and real-world performance
In my battery and productivity performance tests using UL Solution’s Procyon (the only real-world office productivity benchmarking tool compatible with non-x86 chips), the Dell XPS 13 (2024) performed pretty well considering its smaller battery capacity – compared to larger, similar Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops.
Like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x that I reviewed a little while back, the XPS 13 (2024) comes with a Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100 processor, 32GB of memory and 1TB for storage. While the 14.5-inch Lenovo laptop isn’t of the same class, using it as a performance benchmark against the XPS 13 (2024) in Microsoft Office showed some interesting results.
The higher the score, the better. Image: HWZ
The higher the score, the better. Image: HWZ
As we can see from the charts above, the Dell XPS 13 (2024) may not have scored as well as the Yoga Slim 7x when plugged to a power source. But its performance when running on battery is almost consistent to when it was running off a power source, unlike the Lenovo laptop. This, of course, comes at the expense of battery life and the XPS 13's smaller battery capacity is a necessary compromise due to the smaller chassis.
That’s pretty impressive, despite the display specifications and other variables not being the same.
It also did well in Handbrake, where we encoded a 4.7GB 1-hour long video file, and completed the run in 11mins 27secs. It’s really not too shabby a score coming from such a petite ultraportable.
Perhaps the only downside when it comes to performance has nothing to do with the laptop itself, but developers and software support for ARM. While Qualcomm has done a great job in massively improving software compatibility for its Snapdragon X processors since launch, a few hiccups still exist – mainly with gaming and some apps – despite Windows 11’s excellent built-in Prism emulator. But this should hopefully change soon.
Is the Dell XPS 13 (2024) worth it?
Image: HWZ
The Dell XPS 13 (2024) is without a doubt one of the best Snapdragon X-based ultraportable laptops you can get today. Dell even allows you to configure your own specifications, going up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage with a maximum price tag of S$3,849. Our test unit by comparison is priced at S$2,849 and should serve more than well enough for productivity workloads. What’s interesting is that Dell also offers an XPS 13 (2024) with an Intel Core Ultra 200V processor, with a price starting from S$2,299. If light gaming and software compatibility are key to you, then at the very least you have an alternative processor to choose from.
The laptop isn’t without some niggling concerns though, such as its lack of ports and audio jack, and a keyboard and touchpad that may not suit some people. But if you can look past and get used to them, then the XPS 13 (2024) is an easy sell thanks to its great battery life and performance, all housed in a sleek and svelte chassis.
The Dell XPS 13 (2024) is now available at Dell's website, starting from S$2,349.
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