I’m not one for hyperbole, but the Dell XPS 13 powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor might just be the best Windows on ARM experience available right now. Here’s why:
The introduction of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite ARM processors marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Windows laptops, promising to redefine user experiences with unprecedented performance and efficiency. Unveiled in October 2023, the Snapdragon X Elite series is designed to compete directly with Apple’s M-series chips and Intel’s latest offerings, bringing a new level of competition to the ARM-based laptop market.
The Dell XPS 13 X Elite delivers in spades when it comes to dragging the Windows on ARM platform forward as well as making a claim at Apple-style battery life experiences for users.
Starting at $1,199.99
Tech Specs
- Processor
- Qualcomm® Snapdragon® X Elite X1E-80-100
- Operating System
- (Dell Technologies recommends Windows 11 Pro for business) Windows 11 Home
- Graphics Card
- Qualcomm® Adreno™ Graphics
- Display
- 13.4″ non-touch FHD+ (1920×1200)
- Memory
- 16 GB LPDDR5X
- Storage
- 512 GB SSD
- Case
- Graphite
- Microsoft Office
- Activate Your Microsoft 365 For A 30 Day Trial
- Keyboard
- Graphite Backlit English Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
- Ports
- 2 USB4™ 40Gbps USB Type-C® with DisplayPort™ and Power Delivery
- Dimensions & Weight
- Height: 0.60 in. (15.30 mm) for computers shipped with FHD+ or QHD+ display
Height: 0.58 in. (14.80 mm) for computers shipped with OLED display
Width: 11.62 in. (295.30 mm)
Depth: 7.84 in. (199.10 mm)
Starting weight: 2.62 lb. (1.19 kg) for computers shipped with FHD+ or QHD+ display
Starting weight: 2.60 lb. (1.17 kg) for computers shipped with OLED display - Touchpad
- Multi-touch gesture-enabled precision touchpad with haptic function, seamless glass haptic touchpad
- Camera
- 1080p at 30 fps FHD RGB camera, Dual-array microphones
360p at 15 fps IR camera - Audio and Speakers
- Quad-speaker design (tweeter + woofer), Qualcomm® WSA8845, 2W x 4 = 8 W total
- Chassis
- Exterior Chassis Materials
CNC-machined aluminum - Wireless
- Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi 7 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.4 Wireless Card
- Primary Battery
- 3 Cell, 55Wh, integrated
- Power
- 60W AC adapter, USB Type-C
- Regulatory
- Product Safety and Environmental Datasheets
Dell Regulatory Compliance Home Page
Dell and the Environment
Design
Dell uses its reimagined XPS designed chassis it upgraded back in 2022 for this year’s Qualcomm powered laptop, which means customers get a borderless trackpad area, completely flush keyboard deck, capacitive function row as well as the patented InfinityEdge Display that offers a 91.5 percent screen to body ratio.
The review model I got a hold of was a svelte 2.6-pound solid piece of machined aluminum. The Dell XPS 13 X Elite comes in a familiar 13-inch form factor that feels slightly smaller than the rest of the industries 13-inch offerings thanks to the ultra slim bezels of the display as well as the zero-gap spacing around the keyboard. The full dimensions of the laptop read 11.62 x 7.84 x 0.6 inches, and for comparison, Apple’s MacBook Air 13-inch M3 comes in 2.7 pounds and 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches. Compared to a slim Windows laptop like the Asus Zenbook 14-inch, the Dell is still lighter and smaller.
For anyone who hasn’t handled a recent Dell XPS 13 laptop, they’re very cool to the touch and since the removal of the carbon fiber rest pad areas, the entire slab of aluminum is a refreshing experience for these long summer days of work. On the flipside, this could be an issue for some in the Fall and Winter, but that’s a future problem for future users.
The overall presentation of the Dell is future leaning as it moves away from contour keys and segregated touch areas to a clean and unhindered smooth surface across the function row, embedded fingerprint reader, keyboard and trackpad, all accented with glowing lights.
Unfortunately, that futuristic look comes at a price, and port selection is that penitence.
The XPS 13 only host two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C slots flanked on both sides of the device. They can both be used for charging or connecting peripherals, but that’s about the extent of connectivity this powerful device can do on its own.
However, a $15-50 dock will breathe new connectivity life into the Dell and provide that full workstation experience on a budget.
The screen on this XPS 13 does not use bleeding edge OLED or TandemOLED technology, but the 192x 1200 panel supports 120Hz refresh rate as well as coming with an anti-reflective coating applied to deaden much of the gloss that comes with most new laptops. Where Dell traded shinny for a matte visual experience, users will appreciate the extended battery life that comes from very fine display versus a jaw-dropping connected paperweight.
Despite its matte appearance, the XPS 13’s screen still manages to achieve 95.6% of the DCI-P3 color gamut while boasting close to 500 nits of unadulterated brightness.
There are options and configurations customer can get that will bless them with a 3K resolution OLED panel, but I can’t speak to the battery hit such a high-performance screen would demand.
Performance
Here is where Dell made its biggest change for this model, replacing the customary Intel CPU with that of Qualcomm’s latest ARM chip.
At the heart of the Snapdragon X Elite is the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, built on a 4nm process and featuring 12 cores that can boost up to 4.3 GHz in dual core mode. This powerful CPU is complemented by the Adreno GPU, capable of delivering up to 4.6 TFLOPs of graphical performance, making it well-suited for gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks. Additionally, the Hexagon NPU provides 45 TOPS of AI acceleration, enabling advanced AI features and applications to run smoothly on Windows laptops.
Pair this chip with 16GB of memory and you get some pretty strong benchmarks that outpace top performers in the category such as the MacBook Air M3, Asus Zenbook 14, and HP Spectre x360 Intel variants.
I don’t put much stock in benchmarks alone.
One of the standout features of the Snapdragon X Elite processors is their efficiency. These chips are designed to deliver high performance while maintaining low power consumption, which is crucial for extending battery life in portable devices. This efficiency is achieved through a combination of advanced manufacturing processes and innovative architectural design, allowing users to enjoy powerful computing capabilities without compromising on battery life.
And that is where the XPS 13 rises above the crowd of not only most Windows powered PCs but even its own Windows on ARM counterparts.
The XP3 13 X Elite laptop is battery-sipping powerhouse that’s silent and maintains a steady temperature no matter what’s being thrown at it. Be it Copilot AI tasks like generative graphical editing or practical image editing in Photoshop, the Dell XPS 13 whipped through tasks while the remaining battery percentage indicator barely moved.
In terms of software compatibility, Qualcomm has worked closely with Microsoft to ensure that the Snapdragon X Elite processors are fully optimized for Windows 11. This collaboration has resulted in a seamless integration of hardware and software, providing users with a smooth and responsive experience. The Snapdragon X Elite processors support a wide range of Windows applications, including those that require high computational power and advanced graphics capabilities.
Boot times are impressively fast, and the overall responsiveness is top-notch. I’m not sure what chip magic Microsoft manages with Qualcomm but the sleep to wake experience on these Snapdragon PCs rival that of their Intel predecessors by wide margin. The sleep/wake cycles are seamless while Intel users notice that weird automatic hibernation lane some PCs drift into when they’re not woken up at their regular 8-to-10-hour intervals.
Moreover, whether you’re running productivity apps or engaging in more demanding tasks, the XPS 13 handles it most of it with ease.
Because it is a Windows on ARM operating system, support for native applications that thread tasks specific to the chipset are little harder to find than x86 applications that are forced through Microsoft’s latest translation layer, but most users would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
Yes, there are still a handful of common apps such as Google Drive, Discord, AnyDesk, NordVPN, Dreamweaver, AutoCad, and most PC games.
However, for a majority of customers, apps like Apple Music, Adobe Premiere, Minecraft, Audacity, Blender, Vivaldi, qBittorent, Visual Studio, Spotify, Skype, Reddit, Zoom, Slack, Concepts, Davinci Resolve, Debian, ExpressVPN, Instagram, TikTok, and most streaming services all work seamlessly either through direct support or emulation.
Check out this website to see if a specific app you need is in beta or supported through emulation or natively, windowsonarm.org.
Without native support for PC games or dedicated GPUs, gaming will bring the XPS to a halt. However, I argue that this two-and-a-half-pound laptop has never been a gaming destination for even its Intel + NVIDIA combo models.
The Snapdragon X Elite processors also bring enhanced connectivity options to Windows laptops. With integrated support for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, users can experience faster and more reliable internet connections, whether they are working from home, in the office, or on the go. This improved connectivity is essential for modern workflows that rely heavily on cloud services and online collaboration tools, and also plays a big role in how efficiently the XPS 13 manages battery life.
The impact of the Snapdragon X Elite processors on the Windows laptop market is already being felt. Major laptop manufacturers, including Dell, HP, and Lenovo, have announced plans to incorporate these processors into their upcoming models. This widespread adoption is a testament to the confidence that these manufacturers have in the capabilities of the Snapdragon X Elite series.
Comparison with Surface Pro and Surface Laptop
When compared to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, which also feature the Snapdragon X Elite chip, the XPS 13 stands out in a few key areas:
- Design and Build: While the Surface Pro offers the versatility of a tablet and the Surface Laptop boasts a premium feel, the XPS 13 strikes a perfect balance with its ultra-portable form factor and elegant design. Its physical footprint is actually smaller than a Surface Pro with attached keyboard due to its 16:10 display aspect ratio which sits squatter than the elongated 3:2 of the taller Surface Pro panel, while also offering the familiarity of a dedicated clamshell computing experiences.
- Performance: All three devices perform admirably with the Snapdragon X Elite, but the XPS 13 seems to have an edge in sustained performance during prolonged tasks, thanks to its efficient cooling system. All three devices perform admirably with the Snapdragon X Elite, but the XPS 13 seems to have an edge in sustained performance during prolonged tasks, thanks to its efficient cooling system. I’ve knocked Dell’s previous XPS models for their insistence on leveraging the same cooling system for this brand of PC for over five years, despite Intel chips running hotter each consecutive year. Fortunately, Dell retooled its cooling system in the XPS X Elite laptop and Qualcomm’s ARM chip naturally runs cooler than Intel’s power-focused Core processors. The end result is much more quiet and cooler device.
- Battery Life: The XPS 13 offers impressive battery life and outpaces the flagship Snapdragon devices in the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop and Asus Vivobook, ensuring you can work on the go without constantly searching for a power outlet. I’ve managed to go a day and half without plugging in with a heavy workload that consisted of three hours of video editing, off-and-on Photoshop editing throughout the day, constant web browsing with both Chrome and Edge, game streaming through Game Pass, four hours of Netflix watching (the latest Outlast season), continuous podcast playing via Pocket Casts, Excel work with Supermetrics enabled, Google Ads editing via Google Ads Editor, and some viewing of YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok off and on.
Adobe Premiere Pro Performance
One of the standout features of the XPS 13 is how quietly and coolly it operates, even when running demanding applications like Adobe Premiere Pro. The Snapdragon X Elite processor, combined with Dell’s thermal management, ensures that the laptop remains cool to the touch and operates silently, making it an excellent choice for video editing and other intensive tasks.
While Microsoft offers its own lightweight graphics editor in Clipchamp and there is Canva for more marketing related material, there is no getting around the 600lb gorilla that is Adobe’s suite of creative apps that help fuel tons of projects across SMB marketing campaigns to full scale movie productions.
Over the past the decade, Microsoft’s Windows on ARM efforts were stifled by lack of app compatibility and one of the largest sore thumbs in the bunch was Adobe’s lack of support, making these odd devices non-starters for the vast majority of reviewers in the world. Once word of mouth instantly soured on Windows on ARM out of the gate, public perception was hard to sway and resulted in a vicious chicken and egg situation for native support from developers.
Fortunately, this time around Adobe is better prepared for ARM support thanks to the success of Apple’s M-Series chips as well as Microsoft emulation layer technology, so running Premiere Pro on this Dell laptop feels every bit as normal as running it on its Intel counterpart. As of now, Premiere Pro is being emulated but Adobe said it should have a native app ready for customers by the end of 2024, which should perform even better than the seamlessly emulated version out now.
In summary, the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite processor delivers a stellar Windows on ARM experience, combining performance, design, and efficiency in a way that sets it apart from its competitors. If you’re looking for a powerful, portable, and quiet laptop, the XPS 13 is definitely worth considering.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Dell’s XPS X Elite laptop has set the newest benchmark for Windows on ARM and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon partnership.
While the XPS X Elite doesn’t offer an OLED display, gimmicky brand name audio partnership, dedicated GPU, quirky convertible experiences or guns for dirt cheap pricing at the expense of look and feel, Dell delivers a down-the-line fast ball with this laptop. Excellent screen, reliable software and performance experiences with a premium build and outstanding battery life with an OS transition that is practically indistinguishable for most users.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
