Dell Catches A Tiger Lake For The XPS 13 And XPS 13 2-in-1
by Brett Howse on September 28, 2020 9:00 AM ESTWith Intel’s launch of their latest 11th generation Core products, code-named Tiger Lake, it is time for the fall refresh from Intel’s customers, and one of the first out of the gate is Dell who is refreshing the XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 to utilize the newest processor. Last year, the XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 was one of the first on the market with Intel’s first properly launched 10 nm laptop parts, with the XPS 13 9300 showing up a bit later on. For Tiger Lake, both models are getting refreshed with availability on September 30th for both of the new models, which are now both branded the same 9310 series from Dell.
XPS 13 9310
The big changes for the XPS lineup happened with the previous generation, with Dell moving to a 16:10 display, and including the latest iteration of their Infinity Edge display. Both the clamshell XPS 13 and convertible XPS 13 2-in-1 with the new refreshed design move Dell at or near the top of the pack for the 13-inch range, and if you have not checked out the reviews for the clamshell XPS 13 and 2-in-1 yet, please do, as the majority of the design is moving forward to this new model year with the exception of some processor updates.
Dell XPS 9310 Lineup | |||||
XPS 13 | XPS 13 2-in-1 | ||||
CPU | Intel Core i3-1115G4 2C / 4T 1.7 GHz - 4.1 GHz Intel UHD Graphics 48 EUs 1250 MHz Intel Core i5-1135G7 4C / 8T 900 MHz - 4.2 GHz Intel Iris Xe 80 EUs 1300 MHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 4C / 8T 1.2 GHz - 4.7 GHz Intel Iris Xe 96 EUs 1300 MHz Intel Core i7-1185G7 4C / 8T 1.2 GHz - 4.8 GHz Intel Iris Xe 96 EUs 1350 MHz |
Intel Core i3-1115G4 2C / 4T 1.7 GHz - 4.1 GHz Intel UHD Graphics 48 EUs 1250 MHz Intel Core i5-1135G7 4C / 8T 900 MHz - 4.2 GHz Intel Iris Xe 80 EUs 1300 MHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 4C / 8T 1.2 GHz - 4.7 GHz Intel Iris Xe 96 EUs 1300 MHz |
|||
Memory | 8 / 16 / 32 GB LPDDR4x-4267 i3 limits memory to 3733 |
||||
Display | 13.4-inch Display Base: 1920x1200 InfinityEdge 100% sRGB With or without Touch Optional: 3840x2400 Infinity Edge HDR 400 90% P3 Touch |
13.4-inch Display Base: 1920x1200 InfinityEdge 100% sRGB Touch Optional: 3840x2400 Infinity Edge HDR 400 90% P3 Touch |
|||
Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB PCIe 3 x4 NVMe | 256 to 1 TB PCIe 3 x4 NVMe | |||
Wireless | Killer AX1650 Wi-Fi 6 2x2:2 Bluetooth 5.1 |
||||
I/O | Thunderbolt 4 x 2 Micro SD Headset 3.5mm |
||||
Webcam | 720p with IR | 720p | |||
Battery | 52 Wh 45-Watt Type-C Adapter |
51 Wh 45-Watt Type-C Adapter |
|||
Dimensions | 296 x 199 x 14.8 mm 11.64 x 7.82 x 0.58 inches |
297 x 207 x 14.35mm 11.69 x 5.15 x 0.56 inches |
|||
Weight | 1.2 kg / 2.64 lbs Non-Touch 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs Touch |
1.32 kg / 2.9 lbs | |||
Starting Price (USD) | $999 | $1,249 | |||
Availability | September 30, 2020 |
For the Tiger Lake refresh, Dell is offering the Core i3-1115G4 as the base, the Core i5-1135G7 as the mid-tier, and the Core i7-1165G7 as the top model on the 2-in-1, and the XPS 13 clamshell keeps the same lineup, but adds the Core i7-1185G7 at the high-end. Along with the new processor options comes the introduction of faster memory as well, with 8-32 GB of LPDDR4x-4267, up from LPDDR4x-3733 last gen.
With Tiger Lake also comes Thunderbolt 4, and Dell offers this on both models, still utilizing the USB Type-C connector, but offering additional features and performance. Thunderbolt 4 is the only true one-stop-shop for connectivity, with every Thunderbolt 4 port supporting the entire array of connectivity, video, and power requirements, whereas USB 4 over Type-C is a bit of a mess, as any one port could support an array of options. Thunderbolt 3 had fairly wide support, so hopefully Thunderbolt 4 continues building on those design wins.
For those looking for native Linux support, Dell is continuing with its XPS 13 Developer Edition and comes with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS pre-installed. New for this year though is that any XPS 13 owner can download the Ubuntu install which Dell uses, and run it side-by-side with Windows, or as a clean-install.
Also new to the XPS 13 clamshell model this year is that Dell has managed to squeeze an IR camera in the top bezel, and the laptop will therefore support Windows Hello facial recognition login, in addition to the fingerprint-based biometrics it previously supported.
With the XPS 13 and 2-in-1 being two of the best notebooks around, if you are after a Tiger Lake launch devices, these would be a great place to start looking. The XPS 13 will be available September 30 starting at $999 USD, and the 2-in-1 will be available on the same day, starting at $1249 USD.
Source: Dell
28 Comments
View All Comments
MrSpadge - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
Haha, this is what I also think every year when the new generations arrive.Hulk - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
16:10 is a step in the right direction but I'm hoping they eventually go 4:3.drothgery - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
Hoping for 3:2 is one thing. But 4:3 ain't happening.trivik12 - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
This is a premium laptop almost I would say Mac of windows world. Anyway you would mostly see these sold with i7 like for icelake ones at major retailers. Plus you see good discounts at costco during holidays(we had it at $300 off last year). XPS build quality is fantastic and materials/screen used are great as well.Spunjji - Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - link
I'm amused by how many of the Thunderbolt 4 vs. USB 4 tick-list items amount to "is Thunderbolt" (4) or "uses an Intel CPU" (1). I'm especially amused by the apparent minimum 40Gb/s requirement for Thunderbolt 3 - were we all just imagining all those 2-lane implementations, or is that perhaps a creative fiction..?NB: None of this is intended to excuse the absolute dropped bollock that is USB 4. If you're going to clone a standard, at least make that same standard the minimum requirement for your "new" one.
On topic for reals, the XPS 13 has always been a solid design. Even though I won't touch them since the total conversion to Type-C due to my allergy to dongles, this should be a good platform for Tiger Lake to stretch its legs.
Agent Smith - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
I'd like an XPS with dual NVME storage like the Yoga Slim 7.If that means 14" then so be it.
wmgrigor - Wednesday, October 7, 2020 - link
if you check their websit for the Inspiron 13 2-in-1, a 4 core tigerlake with xe graphic(80 core) is @ 899 MSRP, i am lookforward dell to renew the 15 inch 2-in-1 for 6 or 8 core tigerlake +Nvidia Amperealcoholbob - Tuesday, October 13, 2020 - link
these are wannabe macbooks. While the build quality is nice, but you quickly notice the leaf blower noise compared to fanless apple builds.