Dell’s new XPS 13 for 2026 is the company’s thinnest, lightest and most accessible XPS laptop yet, and its answer to Apple’s MacBook Neo is pretty straightforward: more choice.
It brings the premium Dell badge down to a lower price point, while still giving buyers room to add more memory, more storage and more capable Intel hardware. And that’s all inside a tiny 12.7mm thin chassis that weighs only 1kg.
That makes it a very different kind of affordable premium laptop from the MacBook Neo. Apple’s machine is the cheapest way into a new MacBook, and if you want something more capable, the path is obvious: Air, then Pro.
Dell takes the Windows route. The XPS 13 (2026) gives buyers more choice from the start, which is useful, but choice always comes with a follow-up: how far down the upgrade rabbit hole do you go before the affordable option starts nudging you towards the next tier of laptops?
Dell XPS 13 (2026) | Image: Supplied
XPS 13 vs MacBook Neo: Key Specs Comparison
Feature
Dell XPS 13 (2026)
Apple MacBook Neo
Starting price
USD$699, with a temporary USD$599 student price in the US
From AUD$899 in Australia, or AUD$749 through education pricing
Australian pricing
Not yet confirmed
Confirmed
Display
13.4-inch 2.5K LCD touchscreen
13-inch display
Resolution
2560 x 1600
2408 x 1506
Brightness
500 nits
500 nits
Colour
100% DCI-P3
Supports 1 billion colours
Touchscreen
Yes
No
Refresh rate
Variable 30Hz to 120Hz
60Hz
Processor
Intel Core 5 320 at launch, with higher-end Core Ultra options coming later
Apple A18 Pro
Memory
8GB or 16GB RAM, with up to 32GB on higher-end models
8GB unified memory
Storage
512GB SSD at launch, with 256GB and 1TB options expected on select configurations
256GB or 512GB SSD
Ports
Two USB-C ports with USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds; higher-end model to offer two Thunderbolt 4 ports
Two USB-C ports: one USB 3 up to 10Gbps and one USB 2 up to 480Mbps; 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery claim
Up to 17 hours of Netflix streaming, 53Wh battery
Up to 16 hours of video streaming, 36.5Wh battery
Weight
Around 1kg
Around 1.2kg
Thickness
12.7mm
12.7mm
Keyboard
Backlit keyboard standard
Magic Keyboard
Authentication
Windows Hello
Touch ID
Speakers
Quad speakers
Dual side-firing speakers
Wireless
Intel Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 6E
Colours
Sky and Storm
Silver, Blush, Citrus and Indigo
Operating system
Windows 11
macOS

Dell XPS 13 Design and Features
The XPS 13 (2026) has the hardware to make Apple’s cheapest MacBook look deliberately restrained.

Dell is all too happy to lean into that comparison, calling out the 2.5K touchscreen, backlit keyboard, faster USB-C, Intel Wi-Fi 7, Windows Hello and quad speakers as standard features “you won’t find on a MacBook Neo”.
Of those, the display is the biggest win. The XPS 13 (2026) doesn’t just have a touchscreen for the sake of it; it pairs it with a 13.4-inch LCD with 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour coverage and a variable refresh rate ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz for smoother scrolling.

[…]

Source: Dell XPS 13 (2026): The Premium Windows Challenger to Apple’s MacBook Neo

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