The best ultrabook is about to get a whole lot more flexible. Today, Dell confirmed that it's working on a convertible version of its popular XPS 13 laptop and will announce the new system at CES 2017 in January.
The company also said that it's planning a bend-back version of the Latitude 13 business laptop, which will be unveiled at the same time.
Dell did not provide any further details on the new XPS 13, other than to say that it will have the same InfinityEdge display as its clamshell-based siblings, the XPS 13 and XPS 15. This nearly bezel-free screen is absolutely stunning and, on the regular XPS 13, allows the company to fit a 13-inch panel in a chassis that's closer to the size of an 11-inch laptop. Presumably, the XPS 13 2-in-1 will also have a very small body relative to its display.
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The one downside of InfinityEdge is that the webcam ends up on below the screen where it's pointing up the user's nose. However, on a convertible, you'd probably be able to reposition the camera by putting the laptop into tent mode.
The regular, clamshell Dell XPS 13 remains our favorite laptop overall, thanks to its light weight design, gorgeous display, strong port selection and epic battery life. We just tested the latest version of the Dell XPS 13, which is powered by Intel's 7th Generation "Kaby Lake" processor, last week and found that it lasted nearly 14 hours on a charge, two hours longer than the previous model.
The new Kaby Lake model of the XPS 13 also has much better graphics performance than its predecessor. We were even able to play a game of Overwatch at 1080p resolution, thanks to its Intel integrated HD 620 graphics. A new Killer 1535 Wireless-AC card improved network connectivity. We can safely assume that the XPS 13 2-in-1 will also be powered by Kaby Lake when it debuts in January.
MORE: New Dell XPS 13 with Kaby Lake Lasts Epic 14 Hours
We weren't nearly as impressed with the most recent Dell Latitude 13 as we were with XPS 13, because the Latitude 13 7370 used a sluggish Intel Core m processor and offered only below average battery life. Hopefully, Dell will use a more powerful CPU in the 2-in-1 version.
We look forward to learning more about the new XPS 13 2-in-1 and Latitude 13 2-in-1 when Dell takes the wraps off of them in January 2017.
