Dell takes cheeky swipe at Apple with budget XPS 13 laptop

It’s not often you see brands directly calling out competitors in press releases. Usually, risk aversion is the name of the game, with companies referring to other products in the vaguest possible terms to keep the lawyers at bay. Dell sang from a different hymnbook this week, specifically naming Apple’s MacBook Neo no less than four times in its XPS 13 announcement.

That in itself is remarkable, but not quite as remarkable as what Dell is doing with its flagship laptop. Traditionally, Dell reserved the XPS label for its premium, high-end clamshell PCs, but the most recent model fits a different mould. Powered by Intel’s more cost-effective ‘Wildcat Lake’ processors, the new Dell XPS 13 (specifically the DX13260 model) starts at US$699 (or US$599 for students).

Since Dell went through a confusing rebrand, only to restore the XPS name soon after, it seems that all bets are off now. But it’s Dell’s announcement of the new laptop that stands out the most. Introducing the PC as “contending with the MacBook Neo on price, and exceeding it on features”, the press release goes hard on the comparisons with Apple’s cheapest laptop.

Dell XPS 13 goes head-to-head with the MacBook Neo

Dell described the Neo as “a capable machine” that signals a “real appetite for premium quality at accessible prices”. But Dell then went on to list “standard features that you won’t find on a MacBook Neo”.

It mentioned the XPS 13’s 13.4-inch 2.5K touchscreen, multiple USB-C 3.2 ports, quad speakers, and backlit keyboard. Like the MacBook Neo, the XPS is made using a lightweight aluminium material. However, Dell claims that the starting XPS configuration is lighter, weighing 1kg and measuring 12.7mm in thickness.

Dell hasn’t confirmed the XPS 13’s Australian pricing yet; based on quick currency conversion, expect it to cost around the $1,000 mark here. That lower price point applies to the base model, which includes 8GB of LPDDR5x memory and the Intel Core 5 processor 320. According to Dell’s announcement, it will launch soon.

A more powerful XPS 13, using Intel’s Panther Lake Core Ultra chip, is set to arrive in the coming months. Segmenting one of Dell’s most recognisable laptops into two drastically different tiers is a bold strategy. If all goes well, it could mean higher standards for lower-cost laptops across the board.

Chris attended Computex 2026 in Taipei as a guest of Intel.

The post Dell takes cheeky swipe at Apple with budget XPS 13 laptop appeared first on GadgetGuy.

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