Dell’s XPS 13 Plus gets 13th Gen Intel processors

Dell has refreshed what might be its boldest and funkiest laptop, the XPS 13 Plus. The new model looks quite similar to the product released last year; the flat keyboard, LED function row, and invisible haptic touchpad remain. But inside, the new model is powered by Intel’s 13th Gen Core processors — specifically, from what I can see on Dell’s website, the Core i7-1360P.

Honestly, the processor is probably what most needed changing. The XPS 13 Plus I reviewed in 2022 was a nice-looking, well-built machine with a great screen, but it was hot and loud with subpar battery life. Those are big issues for a thin and light laptop, but they’re also issues that a better processor could potentially fix.

The 2023 XPS 13 Plus will still use Intel’s P-series, the somewhat confusing chip family that sits between the ultra-efficient U-series and the heavy-hitting H-series. However, Intel has made an important change to the 13th Gen P-series that might work in the XPS 13 Plus’ favor. It has increased (roughly doubled, in fact) the number of efficiency cores available in this year’s generation. That means we can hope to expect more battery life and (please, knock on wood) quieter machines.

The only 13th Gen configuration that I’m seeing on Dell’s website currently includes a Core i7-1360P. You can pair that with either 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5 memory, up to 2TB of storage, and either a 1920 x 1200 IPS display, a 3840 x 2400 IPS display, or a 3456 x 2160 OLED display. The cheapest model I’m able to configure (which includes 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and the 1920 x 1200 non-touch panel) is $1,399 — which means it’s looking, on the whole, a bit cheaper than last year’s Core i7-1280P models were at launch.