By Patrick Avenell
Dell will be launching its new XPS 13 Ultrabook into the Australian market in March 2012, with the local pricing to be around the same as its US $999 starting point.
Available in 128GB and 256GB solid state drive models, the XPS is the latest slimline, self-described superfast notebook PC to be released under Intel’s Ultrabook banner. Although the first shipment of XPS13s will run Sandy Bridge (Core i5 and i7), a refresh of the range later in the year will incorporate the new Ivy Bridge microarchitecture announced earlier this year.
The XPS 13 is between 6 and 18 millimetres wide at its thinnest and widest points and has a quoted weight of 1.36 kilograms. Its screen is 13.3 inches, and is HD 720p (1366×768). The XPS 13 has 4GB of memory (DDR2 SDRAM).
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The chiclet keyboard is backlit and features all 26 letters, while there’s also USB 3.0 and 2.0, a mini-display port and a headset jack.
At the launch event today in Sydney, which coincided with the US presentation taking place at CES in Las Vegas, Dell Australia did have one XPS 13 available for show and tell. Although it feels heavier than a superslim notebook promises, the XPS 13 is a sturdy, robust computer that definitely has a certain chic style to it. There was no time to run any diagnostic tests on it, but the superficial consensus among the assembled hacks was very positive.
For a look at the new XPS 13, check out this Dell promo video: