Yet it is solely $699 (or $599 for college kids). The XPS 13 makes related trade-offs because the MacBook Neo. First, it begins with solely 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It additionally begins with a slower Intel Core 5 processor (word: not Intel Core Ultra). I’ll have an interest to search out how the efficiency and battery life stack up in opposition to the MacBook Neo, however Dell is clearly taking notes from Apple, which used a slower iPhone chip within the Neo as an alternative of an M-series laptop-grade processor.
What’s good in regards to the Dell XPS 13, although, is that you may scale it up appropriately. The MacBook Neo is capped in each storage and reminiscence, however the XPS 13 may be configured as much as 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.
I’ve been testing loads of $500 to $600 laptops lately from firms like Acer, Lenovo, and HP, a lot of which take a extra standard Windows strategy to rivaling the MacBook Neo by providing higher specs at decrease costs. They all have 16 GB of RAM and use extra highly effective chips, too. But none problem the MacBook Neo in show high quality and chassis supplies. That does not imply there is not a spot for one thing just like the HP OmniBook 3, but it surely does not play for a similar viewers because the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo.
The Wrong Direction
Inevitably there can be an organization that thinks it could actually journey on the success of the MacBook Neo with out understanding what makes it tick. Last week, Microsoft introduced two variations of its Surface Laptop for Business PCs: a higher-end 13.8-inch mannequin and a less expensive 13-inch gadget. The 13.8-inch mannequin is a extra commonplace refresh, implementing Intel’s new Core Ultra X7 368H Panther Lake chip—and most notably, it nonetheless begins with 16 GB of RAM.
The smaller 13-inch mannequin is the place issues get problematic. Despite its beginning value of $1,200, that configuration solely comes with 8 GB of RAM. Don’t get too caught up within the value, since enterprise PCs all the time include an up cost. The beginning RAM is the eyebrow-raising spec. Unlike the brand new Dell XPS 13, Microsoft is not tricking this out with a thinner chassis and an upgraded display screen—it is simply providing you with much less computing energy and calling it good.
And to be honest, this “non-obligatory” 8 GB mannequin is coming later this 12 months, separate from the 16 GB and 24 GB variations. But it is laborious to think about Microsoft being keen to promote an 8 GB laptop computer in 2026 if Apple hadn’t paved the best way. While there’s no 2025 Surface Laptop 13 for Business for direct comparability, the patron model of the Surface Laptop 13 began with 16 GB of RAM. This appears like a straight generational downgrade.
