CES 2017 | Dell officially announces XPS 13 Convertible

Dell’s XPS 13 has been an incredibly popular option for consumers craving a portable thin-and-light Windows notebook. The ultrabook topped several “Best of” lists over the past year, and its successor has been highly anticipated. Initial leaks gave us an idea of what to expect, and the waiting is finally over. Earlier this week, Dell officially announced the new XPS 13 9365, which will bring some major changes to the lineup.

Dell keeps the device relatively small; the machined aluminum chassis weighs in at only 2.7 lbs (~1.2 kg) and measures 0.54 inches (13.7 mm) at its thickest point. The keyboard deck is covered with Dell’s popular carbon fiber finish, a constant in the XPS 13 line since the 2015 redesign.

Perhaps the most striking departure from last year’s model is the inclusion of a 360-degree hinge, allowing the new XPS 13 to convert into a tablet. The 2-in-1 design has been a go-to for notebooks recently, and Dell looks to be pushing this form factor. To support the new tablet-centric design, the touch screen panel sports an active digitizer capable of recognizing 2,048 level of pressure. The almost bezel-free screen also supports Dell’s active pen and comes in either a FHD (1920 x 1080) or Quad HD+ (3200 x 1800) resolution.

Another big change is Dell’s decision to go fanless. Users can choose from two processors in Intel’s Kaby Lake-Y line, the Core i5-7Y54 (1.2 GHz base / 3.2 GHz boost, 4 MB cache) or the Core i7-7Y75 (1.3 GHz base / 3.6 GHz boost, 4 MB cache). Both chips are low-powered dual-core processors with a TDP of only 4.5 Watts. While they may seem slow on paper, they benefit from low thermal output and don’t require a fan. As such, the XPS 13 9365 is completely fanless and thus silent in operation. The processors both feature hyperthreading to help with multitasking.

Other specs include Intel HD Graphics 615, up to a 1 TB PCIe SSD, up to 16 GB of Dual Channel LPDDR3 RAM (clocked at 1866 MHz), dual-band AC WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.2.

Dell’s new device is also equipped with a fingerprint reader for added security, two USB Type-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 3), a microSD card slot, a Noble lock slot, a headphone jack, and a 46 WHr battery. There is no dedicated DC-in connection, but either USB Type-C port can be used to charge the device.

The XPS 13 9365 will be available January 5th starting at $1,000.

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