The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) is a premium ultraportable laptop. This 9320 model is a new addition to Dell's XPS lineup and is separate from the regular Dell XPS 13 (model 9315). It's available with various Intel 12th Gen. P-series CPUs, ranging from a Core i5-1240P to a Core i7-1280P. Memory and storage max out at 32GB and 2TB, respectively. There are also multiple display options, including two FHD (1920 x 1200) panels (with or without support for touch input), a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED panel, and a 4K (3840 x 2160) panel. It's available in two colors: Platinum and Graphite.
Our Verdict
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is good for school use. It feels incredibly well-built, and its compact design makes it very easy to carry around. The display looks sharp, the keyboard feels spacious and tactile, and the touchpad is responsive to all movements and gestures. Its Intel CPU can handle most student workloads like text processing and web browsing; however, it loses significant performance under load, so it isn't ideal for long, demanding tasks. Unfortunately, the battery doesn't last long enough to get through a typical school day.
- Sturdy build.
- Thin and light design.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- Responsive haptic touchpad.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Short battery life.
- Keyboard design and layout might take some time to get used to.
- Limited port selection.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is inadequate for gaming. It's only available with integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle graphically intensive games, and while its Intel 12th Gen. CPU is very capable, it loses a significant amount of performance when it gets too hot under load. Also, the display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, has a slow response time causing noticeable ghosting, and doesn't support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing. On the upside, the fans are very quiet, and games load quickly, thanks to its fast SSD.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- Low fan noise.
- CPU loses significant amount of performance under load.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- 60Hz display with slow response time and no VRR.
- Limited port selection.
- Poor serviceability.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is good for media consumption. It's very portable due to its thin and light design, and its battery life is decent, lasting nearly six hours of video playback. You can get the laptop with a gorgeous OLED screen, which delivers inky blacks and vibrant colors. As for the speakers, they get pretty loud but sound overly treble-heavy and shouty. If you want to use wired headphones, know that it doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning you'll have to rely on the included USB-C audio adapter.
- Thin and light design.
- Sharp, bright display.
- OLED panel displays inky blacks.
- Decent battery life for video playback.
- No 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Speakers sound treble-heavy and shouty.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is decent for use as a workstation. It has a spacious and tactile keyboard, as well as a fast, user-replaceable SSD for quick file transfers. Its Intel 12th Gen. CPU is capable; however, it loses a lot of performance under load, and its integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You can do some light color-correction work, though, as the OLED display has full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage. Unfortunately, it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, and the laptop gets very hot when performing intensive tasks.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- OLED panel has full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage.
- Thunderbolt 4 support.
- Low fan noise.
- CPU loses significant amount of performance under load.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Keyboard design and layout might take some time to get used to.
- Limited port selection.
- Poor serviceability.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is decent for business use. It's an incredibly well-built laptop that's easy to carry around, and it provides a great user experience with a sharp display, a comfortable keyboard, and a large and responsive touchpad. The Intel CPU performs well and can handle most productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Unfortunately, the battery doesn't last through a typical 8-hour workday, and it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports.
- Sturdy build.
- Thin and light design.
- Sharp, bright display.
- Comfortable keyboard.
- Responsive haptic touchpad.
- Short battery life.
- Keyboard design and layout might take some time to get used to.
- Limited port selection.
- Poor serviceability.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 01, 2024: Added mention of the Framework Laptop 13 (2023) as an alternative with better serviceability in the Serviceability section.
- Updated Dec 07, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.2.
- Updated Nov 03, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
- Updated Jul 07, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) as an alternative with a higher refresh rate.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell XPS 13 Plus (9320) with a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED display, an Intel Core i7-1280P CPU, 32GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The display, CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below.
| Screen |
|
|---|---|
| CPU |
|
| GPU |
|
| Memory |
|
| Storage |
|
| Color |
|
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is among the best premium ultraportable laptops on the market. It stands out for its sleek design and sturdy build, as well as for the quality of its OLED display. However, its battery life is short, and its CPU performance drops significantly under load, more than most ultraportable laptops.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best business laptops, and the best laptops for college.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022) are both premium ultraportable laptops. The XPS 13 Plus is only available in a 13.5-inch size, while the Surface Laptop 5 is available in a 13.5-inch or 15-inch size. The Surface Laptop 5 is slightly better, as it has a more comfortable keyboard, a more responsive touchpad, and a much better webcam. However, the XPS 13 Plus has more display options, including a 3.5K OLED panel with full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage, making it a better choice for media consumption and color work like photo and video editing.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) and the Dell XPS 14 (2024) are very similar in design and provide a similar user experience. The main difference is that the XPS 14 is more of a workstation designed for more demanding tasks like video editing and programming on the go, while the XPS 13 Plus is an ultraportable for light productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing. The XPS 14 is available with faster Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and an NVIDIA discrete RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, and its superior cooling system allows for better thermals and performance in sustained workloads. Intel's Meteor Lake CPUs are also more efficient, resulting in significantly longer battery life on the XPS 14.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) isn't a newer version of the Dell XPS 13 (2021) but rather an alternate model with a different design. The XPS 13 Plus is available with faster Intel 12th Gen. CPUs; however, it can't maintain its performance as well as the 2021 model under load. Also, its speakers don't sound as good as the older model, and its port selection is worse, as it no longer has a 3.5mm headphone jack or an SD card reader.
The Framework Laptop 13 (2022) is better than the Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022) for most uses. Although both laptops are available with Intel 12th Gen. CPUs, the Framework Laptop performs significantly better, as its CPU doesn't lose as much performance under load as the XPS 13's. The Framework Laptop is also better when it comes to ports, as its modular design allows you to swap the ports to whatever you want on the fly. If you plan on using the laptop often for media consumption or photo editing, the XPS 13 Plus is a better choice as it's available with a 3.5K OLED panel that covers 100% of the Adobe RGB and DCI P3 color spaces. The XPS 13 Plus' build feels sturdier, but the Framework Laptop is more serviceable.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
