XPS 13 2-in-1: The new convertible with more cooling than you could shake a stick at

The new XPS 13 2-in-1 is but a few weeks away, with Dell working towards an early August release date. This may now be later than August 2 though considering that Frank Azor, the now ex-VP and General Manager of Alienware and XPS, seemed unwilling to stick to the previously announced date shortly before his departure.

Inexplicably, Dell has already delayed the original release date of July 10, although it has been steadily releasing videos on YouTube detailing the new features and innovations of the upcoming XPS 13 2-in-1 refresh. An image from a recent video caught our eye though, namely the exhaust vents that Dell has designed. Most laptops push waste heat out through long vents either tucked away near the display hinge or along the sides of their chassis. Some devices like the XPS 15 have a long grille on the bottom case too.

By contrast, Dell has aligned the two fans of the XPS 13 2-in-1 with its hinges, allowing it to always expel heat regardless of whether it is being used as a laptop, tablet or in tent mode. Moreover, the company has engineered 10 slits along three sides of the bottom case to aid airflow, which is something we have not seen before. Dell calls this "hidden exhaust venting", as it should be invisible when you are using the XPS 13 2-in-1 as a laptop.

Overall, these new exhaust vents look like a novel way to minimise thermal throttling, while complementing the new vapour chamber and GORE cooling. Still, soldered storage and Wi-Fi is a no from us and seems like profiteering rather than giving the device any greater functionality than its predecessors already have.