The Dell XPS 13 (2021) is a premium ultraportable Windows laptop. This 9310 model replaces the Dell XPS 13 9300 from 2020. It's available with an Intel 11th Gen. Core i3, i5, or i7 CPU, and up to 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage. There are three display options: a FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS, a 4k (3840 x 2400) IPS, and a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED panel. Its port selection includes two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It has a 720p webcam, Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, and a 52Wh battery.
See our unit's specifications and the available configurations in the Differences Between Variants section below.
Our Verdict
The Dell XPS 13 is great for school use. It's an amazingly well-built laptop that's easy to carry around, with a battery that lasts a little over 10 hours of light productivity, long enough to get you through a typical school day on a full charge. It has a sharp and bright display, a great keyboard that feels comfortable to type on, and a large, responsive touchpad. Its Intel 11th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle most student workloads, like text formatting, web browsing, and video playback. However, they aren't powerful enough for demanding tasks like graphic design or 3D animation. Unfortunately, it only has USB-C ports, so you'll likely need dongles for your peripherals.
- Very portable thanks to compact design.
- Metal chassis feels very well built.
- Battery lasts a little over 10 hours of light productivity.
- Sharp and bright display.
- Keyboard feels great to type on.
- CPU and integrated GPU aren't powerful enough for demanding workloads.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
The Dell XPS 13 is inadequate for gaming. It's only available with power-efficient Intel 11th Gen CPUs and integrated GPUs, which aren't powerful enough to handle demanding AAA titles. You can play some lighter or older games on the Core i5 and i7 models with Intel Iris Xe graphics, though you'll have to play at low graphical settings or at 720p to get playable frame rates. Unfortunately, it has a 60Hz display with a slow response time and no VRR support.
- Quiet fans.
- CPU and integrated GPU aren't powerful enough for demanding workloads.
- 60Hz display with a slow response time and no VRR support.
- Some CPU and GPU throttling under load.
- Non-upgradeable memory.
The Dell XPS 13 is great for media consumption. It has a sharp display that gets bright enough to combat glare, even outdoors in broad daylight, and you can also configure the laptop with a 3.5k OLED or 4k IPS panel if you want even better image quality. The speakers get very loud, but they don't have much bass or treble extension, so they're better suited for spoken content than music or movies. Although it's compact and portable, you'll likely need to bring the charger with you as the battery lasts only a little over five hours of video playback.
- Very portable thanks to compact design.
- Sharp and bright display.
- Loud speakers.
- 3.5k OLED and 4k IPS panel options.
- Display supports touch input.
- Battery lasts only a little over five hours of video playback.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
The Dell XPS 13 is sub-par as a workstation. Its power-efficient Intel 11th Gen CPU and integrated graphics aren't powerful enough for demanding tasks like 3D rendering or physics simulations, and they throttle under load, further reducing performance. You can do some color correction work, though, as the OLED display has full DCI P3 coverage. Unfortunately, it only has two USB-C ports, so you'll likely need dongles or a dock for your peripherals and external displays.
- Quiet fans.
- USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 support.
- CPU and integrated GPU aren't powerful enough for demanding workloads.
- Some CPU and GPU throttling under load.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
- Non-upgradeable memory.
The Dell XPS 13 is decent for business use. It feels amazingly well-built, and it's easy to carry around for business trips. The battery lasts a little over 10 hours of light productivity, long enough to comfortably get you through a typical workday. It has a sharp and bright display, a keyboard that feels comfortable to type on for extended periods, and a large and responsive touchpad. Its Intel 11th Gen CPU can easily handle most productivity tasks like web browsing, text formatting, spreadsheets, and presentations. Unfortunately, it only has USB-C ports, so you'll need dongles or a dock for your peripherals or to connect an external display like a TV or projector. Also, the webcam's image looks soft, and voices sound harsh over the microphone.
- Very portable thanks to compact design.
- Metal chassis feels very well built.
- Battery lasts a little over 10 hours of light productivity.
- Sharp and bright display.
- Keyboard feels great to type on.
- No USB-A or HDMI port.
- Webcam image looks soft and voices sound harsh over microphone.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 26, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity and readability.
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Sep 19, 2023: Added mention of the Dell XPS 15 (2023) as an alternative with a bigger screen in the Screen Specs section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell XPS 13 (model 9310) with an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU, integrated Intel UHD Graphics for 11th Gen processors, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. The CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. Our review applies only to model 9310 of the Dell XPS 13. We consider the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 an entirely separate model.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Dell XPS 13 9310 is one of the best ultraportable laptops on the market. It stands out for its premium design, sturdy build, high-quality display, and comfortable keyboard. However, its port selection is worse than many other laptops in its class.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best laptops for college, and the best business laptops.
The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) are both ultraportable laptops designed for general productivity like web browsing, text formatting, and video playback. The Dell is available with Intel 11th Gen CPUs and runs Windows, while the Apple laptop uses Apple's ARM-based M1 SoC and runs macOS. The Apple has a sharper display, but the Dell's is brighter, and you can also configure the XPS 13 with a 4k IPS or 3.5k OLED panel. The Dell laptop's keyboard feels better to type on; however, the Apple laptop's haptic touchpad is easier to use because you can click anywhere. If you're often on video calls, the Apple laptop's webcam is much better, even though it's the same resolution as the XPS 13's. Performance-wise, Apple's M1 SoC is faster than Intel's 11th Gen processors, even against the top-end i7-1195G7. The Apple laptop has longer battery life, lasting a little over 3 hours more than the Dell in light productivity workloads.
The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) are both ultraportable laptops with Intel 11th Gen. CPUs. The XPS 13 is better in most aspects as it's a more premium laptop that provides a better overall user experience. It has a sharper, brighter, and more color-accurate display, a better keyboard and touchpad, and a much better webcam for video calls. However, the Swift 3 has a wider port selection because it includes USB-A and HDMI ports, which aren't available on the XPS 13. The Swift 3 also has longer battery life, lasting over 3 hours more in light productivity workloads.
The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Dell XPS 15 (2023) are very alike design-wise and provide a similar user experience overall. The main difference is that the XPS 13 is a more compact ultraportable designed for light productivity tasks, while the XPS 15 is a larger mobile workstation with a much more powerful H-series CPU and NVIDIA discrete GPU options. While neither is great regarding ports, the XPS 15 has one more USB-C than the XPS 13. The XPS 15 also has better serviceability, as unlike the XPS 13, its RAM and wireless adapter are user-replaceable.
The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the LG gram 14 (2023) are both premium ultraportable laptops that provide a similar user experience. Although the LG is a larger 14-inch laptop, it's lighter than the Dell, weighing only 2.1 lbs. The LG has a wider port selection and is available with faster Intel 13th Gen. CPUs; however, the Dell laptop's display gets brighter to combat glare.
Test Results
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