Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 review: Part laptop, part tablet, all screen

What if you took one of the best-looking, most capable 13-inch Windows laptops and added a 360-degree hinge that let you fold back the screen into a makeshift tablet? Make it thinner and lighter, and keep the entry price just under the $1,000 mark and you'd really have something.

8.3

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

The Good

This new version of the XPS 13 adds a hybrid hinge and thinner body. The edge-to-edge, nearly bezel-free display makes maximum use of space, and the starting price is extremely reasonable.

The Bad

Standard USB ports get swapped for USB-C ones, the Intel Y-series processor isn't as fast as those found in more traditional laptops and the power button can be tricky to hit.

The Bottom Line

Despite a few trade-offs in ports and processing power, this slimmer hybrid version of the XPS 13 is an excellent full-time laptop and part-time tablet.

That perfectly describes the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1.

The original XPS 13, which dates back to 2015, delivered a striking design that stretched the laptop display from one edge of the lid to the other, reducing the bezel (that black strip around the screen) to a bare minimum. Now, as the thinner and lighter laptop design and no-bezel look has become a bit more of a commodity, Dell has upped the ante, allowing this touchscreen laptop to transform into a tablet.

I'd call the new 2-in-1 version of the XPS 13 a full-time laptop and part-time tablet, as opposed to something like the Microsoft Surface Pro, which is a full-time tablet and -- with the addition of its optional snap-on keyboard -- part-time laptop. And even if you never fold the XPS 13 2-in-1 back into a tablet, it still works perfectly well as a clamshell laptop.

The overall design is close to my platonic ideal of a modern laptop. It's slim, there's little wasted space on the compact body, and it has a few high-end features that help it stand out, such as a fingerprint reader, Thunderbolt-enabled USB-C ports, a dual-lens IR webcam, and that great edge-to-edge display. Note that the fingerprint reader works for Windows Hello login right now, but support for facial recognition login from the camera is coming via a future software update.

It benefits greatly from a comparison to the standard XPS 13 model, which Dell still sells (see our most recent review here). The 2-in-1 version is thinner and doesn't have the wedge shape that made the standard XPS 13 feel a bit bulky, but still has the same excellent keyboard and large touch pad. The configuration of the XPS 13 2-in-1 tested here is $1,299 in the US, but it starts at $999 for a decent set of components and the same 1,920x1,080 touch screen as this one.

This should be your default choice for an XPS laptop right now, even over the standard clamshell version, although it's worth noting the non-hybrid XPS 13 pulls its processors from a faster selection of CPUs. It's also a strong competitor with other premium hybrids, such as the Acer Spin 7.

Available configurations in the UK and Australia vary a bit from the US ones, with starting prices of £1,349 and AU$2,299, making it less of a midprice system in those territories.

A tale of two chips

There are a few sacrifices to make. The most important is swapping a standard Intel Core i3 or i5 U-series CPU for a lower-power Y-series one. That's basically a rebranded version of what Intel previously called the Core M CPU, which isn't as fast, but does work better in slim PCs that need to run for a long time with minimal fans or cooling.

Is there a performance difference? You bet there is. Core M and Core i-Y CPUs have never been as performance-oriented as even the low-voltage Core i5 and i7 U-series chips found in most mainstream slim laptops. They can, however, offer extra power on an as-needed basis thanks to some dynamic power throttling, boosting performance then easing off to keep internal temperatures in check.

Still, in everyday use, you're unlikely to notice too much of a difference. I've used Y-series and Core M CPUs regularly for the past two years, and for web surfing, streaming HD video and office productivity, the current versions of these chips are just fine. I was even able to do some light gaming on the XPS 13 2-in-1, loading up my current indie game obsession, the excellent Oxenfree, with no trouble at all.

Battery life gets close to MacBook territory, running for an impressive 8 hours and 56 minutes on our streaming video playback battery drain test. The most recent non-hybrid XPS 13 we tested ran for 7 hours and 52 minutes on the same test, while the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro ran for just over 10 hours.

Trade-offs and pop-ups

There are a few other issues to keep in mind that might be more impactful than the CPU choice. Compared to the standard XPS 13, you're swapping two full-size USB ports and an SD card slot for two smaller USB-C ports and a micro-SD card slot. That's a short-term hassle, but it's going to end up being the new long-term norm, so the sooner you jump aboard the USB-C train, the better. Dell includes a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter with the system, which is a welcome extra.

But, I'm bothered by the power button, which is a tiny sliver on the right side edge. It's hard to hit on purpose, but surprisingly easy to to hit accidentally. Also, this is more of a general Windows PC problem and something I've specifically run into on the other XPS laptops I've tested, but the sleep/wake cycle here can try my patience. Using either the Dell-provided preset or the standard "balanced" battery power plan, the system can a long time to wake from a sleep state, and usually requires hitting that power button and waiting around for a bit. To date, no one can match the simple, always works, instant-gratification sleep/wake cycle of a MacBook.

One more minor irritation: Microsoft is annoying enough with its repeated pop-up plugs to use the Microsoft Edge browser over other web browsers, I don't also need Dell to send along its own pop-ups, like the one from Dell Customer Connect, which suggested: "Tell Dell about your experience!" Yes, with the exclamation point.

The XPS to get

Even just as a clamshell laptop I like this better than the standard XPS 13, which is an excellent system, but its bulkier wedge-shaped design is a few years old at this point.

If you need something with more performance, there's always the 13-inch MacBook Pro. For a 2-in-1 hybrid with more advanced features, I love the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, which features an amazing OLED display.

But both of those are significantly more expensive. At $999 to start, and $1,299 for this higher-end configuration, this is both a sharp-looking hybrid and a great value.