2026 saw the release of the familiar Dell XPS 13, a 'new' laptop designed to be the ultimate, affordable gateway for first-time PC users thanks to its respectable performance, long-lasting battery life, high-quality build, and general reliability.
The XPS 13's work-focused 16GB configuration normally sells for $999.99 at Dell, but Best Buy now has a cheaper alternative for $799.99, thanks to a limited-time 20% discount.
XPS 13 (Intel Core 5 Series 3 320, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD): was $999.99 now $799.99
"The Dell XPS 13 returns as an excellent Windows-based answer to the MacBook Neo. It’s an excellent option for students or mainstream users who don’t need more CPU or GPU muscle." — Matt Safford, Managing Editor, Tom's Hardware
Tom's Hardware review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½View Deal
Why buy Dell XPS 13 laptop?
The new Dell XPS 13 has been making waves in the PC market for its shockingly high quality for an entry-level laptop.
Even our Windows laptop connoisseurs Zac Bowden and Cale Hunt were blown away by this laptop, with Cale calling it the "perfect starter PC" and Zac saying, "MacBook Neo's reign as the best deal in computing is well and truly over, all thanks to Dell".
They don't make those comments lightly because the Dell XPS 13 has plenty of features to help it live up to the hype and make it an easy recommendation for beginner PC users, students, and workers.
These include a strong battery life of nearly 15 hours per charge, a 13.4" 3K Touchscreen with 2560x1600 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate to provide crisp and detailed images and videos, and a solid, thin 0.5 inches thick chassis weighing in at 2.2lb for easy portability.
On top of that, the Dell XPS 13 has a solid and responsive keyboard, a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports to plug in useful accessories, an IR sensor for facial recognition, great-sounding speakers, Wi-Fi 7 support for faster and more stable internet connections, and decent performance for casual use and mid-level intensive workflows thanks to its Intel Core 5 Series 3 320 CPU and 16GB of RAM.
Can it's RAM and SSD be swapped with different ones?
The Dell XPS 13 laptop's RAM can't be removed and swapped for a different one due to being soldered, so you will need to decide how much RAM it gets during checkout.
Its SSD, however, can be swapped out with a different one, and the Dell XPS 13 supports up to 4TB of storage.
Is it worth waiting until Black Friday?
In the past, we'd recommend waiting until Black Friday for a chance at a better discount, as laptops are usually discounted to their lowest by then.
However, with the ongoing RAM crisis hiking the prices of laptops further and further, who's to say that the Dell XPS 13 won't have a good price by then, even with a Black Friday discount?
With that in mind, it's still worth using Best Buy's 26% discount for the Dell XPS 13 now in case things get worse, especially if you're in a hurry for a high-quality, beginner-friendly laptop.
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