CES 2022 | Dell XPS 13 Plus 9320 gets upgraded to 28 W Intel Alder Lake-P, screams minimalism with capacitive function keys, seamless haptic Forcepad, and no headphone jack

The Dell XPS 13 has always been one of the most-anticipated devices at CES and this year it's no different. There haven't been too many modifications to the XPS 13 in recent memory, but Dell is bringing some radical design changes to the table at CES 2022 with the XPS 13 Plus 9320. 

Design: Capacitive function keys and a seamless Forcepad

The 2022 XPS 13 Plus is all about offering a premium, seamless, and minimalist design without wasted spaces. The device will be available in Platinum (light) and Graphite (dark) color options, weighs 1.24 kg, and is about 0.6 inches thick. The chassis is made of CNC-machined aluminum with a glass palm rest. Dell said that the aluminum used in the chassis is processed with hydropower to reduce the carbon footprint of the aluminum. 

The XPS 13 Plus sports a radically different keyboard and touchpad area compared to its predecessors. Dell has substituted the top row physical function keys with capacitive ones that light-up when needed. Users can toggle between F1-F12 and other multimedia functions. Dell said that removal of the physical upper function keys helps to offer more room for improved cooling, but we will believe that when we get to test the device ourselves.

The keycaps themselves have been somewhat enlarged and Dell said that this "zero-lattice" keyboard with a 1 mm travel is more comfortable and smoother to use. It's early to tell, but it is possible that the lack of a physical Esc key may form divided opinion.

Another major change is with the touchpad. Now, users are greeted with a seamless glass "Forcepad" with haptic feedback in the palm rest with no boundaries. The company said that the Forcepad uses Piezo technology with small, actuated motors to provide responsive and precise feedback.

Display: Dolby Vision across all options

Dell has been steadily enabling Dolby Vision capabilities for most of its laptops, and the new XPS 13 Plus 9320 joins the fray as well. Buyers can choose from among several 13.4-inch 4-sided InfinityEdge display options including:

• FHD+ (1920x1200), 500 nits, 100% sRGB, 2000:1 contrast ratio, anti-glare
• FHD+ (1920x1200), 500 nits, touch, 100% sRGB, 2000:1 contrast ratio, 0.3% anti-reflective, anti-smudge
• 3.5K (3456x2160), 400 nits, OLED touch, DisplayHDR 500, 100% DCI-P3, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 0.5% anti-reflective, anti-smudge, Corning Gorilla Glass 7
• UHD+ (3840x2400), 500 nits, touch, DisplayHDR 400, 90% DCI-P3, 1650:1 contrast ratio, 0.3% anti-reflective, anti-smudge

A Windows Hello camera for biometric logins (in addition to a fingerprint reader in the power button) and an ambient light sensor for backlight control are provided in the upper bezel.

Internals: 28 W Alder Lake-P with LPDDR5 and no headphone jack

Unlike previous generations, Intel has now split the U-series chips in Alder Lake into distinct 15 W and 28 W families. The XPS 13 Plus 9320 uses the 28 W versions of Intel Alder Lake-P across all configurations. Buyers can configure the XPS 13 9320 with Core i5-1240P, Core i7-1260P, Core i7-1270P, and Core i7-1280P processor options.

Dell said that the XPS 13 Plus now offers larger fans that provide up to 55% better airflow without increased noise, but this claim will have to be put to the test in our review. Up to 32 GB of 128-bit dual-channel LPDDR5-5200 can be configured during checkout along with up to a 2 TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD.

Dell has been on a port-culling spree with the XPS 13 lineup for quite some time now, and the new XPS 13 Plus 9320 loses even the microSD card slot and the 3.5 mm headphone jack that were present in the XPS 13 9310. You get just two full-speed Thunderbolt 4 ports, so be prepared for "dongle hell". A USB-C to USB-A adapter ships in the box. Networking is facilitated by the Killer Wi-Fi 6E 1675 adapter based on Intel AX211 with Bluetooth 5.2.

Unfortunately, Dell continues to offer only a 720p webcam with the XPS 13 Plus. However, we do get a quad-speaker setup this time — two top-firing ones beneath the keyboard and two bottom-firing ones at the base.

A 55 Whr battery comes standard in all configurations and can be topped-up to 80% in less than an hour with Express Charge 2.0.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus 9320 will be available from Spring this year starting from US$1,199.99.

Buy the Dell XPS 13 9310 with Core i7-1185G7 on Amazon