Dell launches the XPS 13 Ultrabook in India

Ultrabooks just started trickling in towards the tail end of last year and it’s only now that they are gaining momentum. Today, Dell joined the bandwagon, when then launched the XPS 13 Ultrabook in India. Made from a blend of aluminium and carbon fibre, their new XPS 13 is incredibly slim at just 6mm at its thinnest point and manages to pack in a 13.3-inch display into the size of a 11-inch netbook. This is their premium offering and it doesn’t come cheap, as prices start from Rs.79,900 and go all the way up to Rs.99,900.

Slim and sexy

The Ultrabook is powered by a range of Intel ULV processors, starting with a Core i5 and going all the way up to a Core i7. 4GB of DDR3 RAM comes as standard and so does a 128GB SSD. The storage space can be expanded all the way to 256GB, but you’ll have to shell out a lot more as well for that. Besides the typical Ultrabook specifications, Dell have given their own special touch to the Ultrabook to make it stand out from the crowd. Most of the chassis is made of aluminium, while the bottom portion is made from carbon fibre. The screen also has an edge-to-edge glass for a more seamless look, which thanks to Gorilla Glass is scratch resistant.

Currently, Dell is offering three pre-set configuration for Indian consumers - one at Rs.79,900, Rs.89,900, and their flagship model, which retails for Rs.99,900. The only real difference between these models is the CPU and storage space. Despite and slim and slender profile, it’s still a bit heavy and even though Dell doesn't mention this on their site, it certainly feels heavier than a MacBook Air or the Asus UX31. A nice addition is the backlit keys, which means you can work late nights without keeping anyone up. Out of the two USB ports, one of them is USB 3.0, which is good, but sadly; they’ve had to sacrifice the card reader in order to keep the notebook slim and light.

Whether or not, it offers better value than the current Ultrabooks in the market will be known once we’ve reviewed it, so stay tuned.