Dell has entered a new price fight in the premium laptop market, On May 31, 2026, Dell unveiled a new XPS 13 starting at $699, with a student price of $599. The company is moving to compete more directly with Apple’s MacBook Neo. Dell’s blog and product web page say the new XPS 13 is its thinnest and lightest XPS laptop yet. It is being positioned as a more affordable premium option for students and everyday buyers.
Dell says the laptop starts at $699 for general buyers and $599 for students aged 16 and older during the back-to-school period. The model will begin with Intel Core Series 3 processors, while a version with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips and the Storm colorway will arrive later this summer.
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Key features
Dell is pitching the XPS 13 as a slim, portable machine with more of the practical features buyers expect in this segment. Dell says the laptop is about 0.50 inches thin, weighs about 2.2 pounds, and can deliver up to 17 hours of streaming battery life. Dell also lists a 2.5K touch display, backlit keyboard, faster USB-C, Intel Wi-Fi 7, Windows Hello, quad speakers, and up to 32GB of LPDDR5X memory.
Thin laptops are in high demand in the market as they offer portability for on-the-go professionals, students, and remote workers. Buyers often compare design, battery life, display quality, and keyboard feel before they compare raw processor numbers. Dell is trying to keep the XPS name associated with premium design while lowering the entry price enough to bring in students and first-time premium laptop buyers.
XPS 13 comes in two finishes, Sky and Storm, designed to feel at home across the full range of environments its owners will take it: lecture halls, coffee shops, offices, wherever the day takes you.
Comparison with Apple’s MacBook Neo
Apple introduced the MacBook Neo on March 4, 2026, and said it was its most affordable laptop ever, pricing is $599 retail / $499 education. The MacBook Neo uses a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple silicon performance, all-day battery life, a 1080p camera, dual mics, side-firing speakers, and macOS Tahoe. Apple’s Neo machine is built from the ground up to be more affordable for students, families, small business owners, and new Mac users.
Apple is selling a laptop around simplicity, software integration, and battery life. Dell is selling flexibility, Windows features, touch support, and a more familiar PC ecosystem.
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For buyers, the decision will come down to what they already use. Mac users may stay with Apple for the software stack. Windows users, especially students, may see the XPS 13 as the better fit because it brings premium design to a lower entry price.
What it means
Dell is responding to a segment Apple has made more competitive: premium-feeling laptops priced for students and cost-conscious buyers. Dell’s XPS launch comes as the PC market encounters tighter memory-chip supply and a likely slowdown in unit shipments later in the year. That makes pricing discipline more important than ever.
The wider context
Dell first signaled in January that it wanted to compete across all price points in consumer PCs, and the company had already brought back the XPS lineup earlier this year. The XPS 13 launch fits that strategy. It also shows that the premium laptop battle is no longer only about high-end machines. The fight is now in the lower end of the premium category, where price, portability, and daily usability hold greater importance than branding alone.
