Dell XPS 13 Returns With Kaby Lake, Ubuntu, Rose Gold Finish

Dell joined the Intel Kaby Lake party and announced that the latest update to its XPS 13 notebook PC will feature the new 7th generation (Kaby Lake) processors. The company will also offer a developer version of the lightweight laptop that comes loaded with Ubuntu, and the XPS 13 received a new color option in the form of Rose Gold.

The Dell XPS 13 is the company’s thinnest and lightest laptop offering, weighing in starting at 2.7 lbs. and coming as thin as 9mm. The machined-aluminum and carbon fiber chassis, along with the display’s Corning Gorilla Glass, gives the device a durable, yet sleek construction.

Intel’s Kaby Lake processors have been making their way to a variety of vendors and devices, and Dell is following suit by offering the Intel Core i3-7100U, Core i5-7200U and Core i7-7500U as options in the new XPS 13. The laptop can be configured with 4, 8 or 16GB of LPDDR3-1866, and storage options include a 128GB SATA-based SSD or 256GB, 512GB and 1TB PCIe SSDs.

The 13.3-inch display comes in two different flavors: an FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge anti-glare screen or a QHD (3200 x 1800) InfinityEdge touchscreen. Dell also upgraded the battery to a larger, 60 Watt-Hour version that offers increased longevity away from the wall. The battery provides up to 22 hours runtime on an FHD display or up to 13 hours on a QHD version.

The XPS 13 sports a new Rose Gold finish option. Although this color variant has been a favorite of many manufacturers recently, it’s the first time Dell is offering the luxurious tone in the XPS 13. However, the Rose Gold finish will only come in two variations, with either a 7th generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, both with 8 GB of memory and a 256 GB PCIe SSD. The i5 version features an FHD display; the i7 has the QHD touchscreen.

Furthermore, Windows 10 won’t be the only OS option for the XPS 13. Dell is offering a developer version of the laptop loaded with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, giving Canonical enthusiasts a powerful (on paper) option for their Linux-based workloads and applications.

The Dell XPS 13 will be available starting October 4, starting at $799. The Developer Edition (Ubuntu) starts at a steeper $949.

Product	Dell XPS 13
Processor Options	- Intel Core i3-7100U - Intel Core i5-7300U - Intel Core i7-7500U
Memory Options	- 4GB LPDDR3-1866 - 8GB LPDDR3-1866 - 16GB
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 620
Display Options	- 13.3” FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge - 13.3” QHD (3200 x 1800) InfinityEdge Touchscreen
Ports	- USB 3.0 x2 - Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) - SD Card Reader - Headset Jack
Networking	Killer 1535 Wireless AC 2x2 w/ Bluetooth 4.1
Audio	1-Watt Speaker x2
Webcam	720p Widescreen w/ Dual-Array Digital Mics
Dimensions	7.88 x 11.98 x 0.33-0.60 inches
Weight	- 2.7 lbs. - 2.9 lbs. (Touchscreen)
Operating System Options	- Windows 10 - Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
Starting MSRP	- $799 (Windows 10) - $949 (Developer Edition)