Dell is moving to target the entry-level premium laptop market with its flagship XPS brand. The newly introduced XPS 13 is positioned for a head-to-head fight with Apple’s entry-level laptop, the MacBook Neo, on a $599 student promotional price.

On May 31 local time, IT outlet The Verge reported Dell plans to launch a new XPS 13 in July. The student promotional price is $599, with the discount valid through September. After that, the regular retail price will start at $699.

The key strengths of the product are price and portability. Dell introduced the new XPS 13 as the thinnest and lightest model in its XPS lineup. It is 12.7 mm thick and weighs about 1 kg. It is designed for students and general consumers who value portability.

That follows Dell’s XPS brand overhaul strategy announced at CES. Dell has recently been strengthening the XPS brand again, expanding its lineup beyond high-priced products to models at more accessible price points.

The base specifications are closer to an entry-level model, but Dell focused on the display. The base model includes an Intel Core 5 320 “Wildcat Lake” processor, 512 GB of storage and 8 GB of memory. All models come standard with a 13.4-inch anti-glare touchscreen.

The display resolution is 2560x1600 and supports a variable refresh rate from 30 Hz to 120 Hz. Peak brightness is 500 nits and color reproduction is at the DCI-P3 100 percent level. This is seen as a strategy to keep screen quality above a certain level while lowering the price.

The port configuration follows recent ultralight laptop trends. It offers only 2 USB-C ports and does not include a 3.5 mm audio jack. A higher-end model to be released later also will not offer an audio jack.

Dell also touted battery performance as a key strength. The company said it can be used for up to 17 hours for streaming. It also said a backlit keyboard comes standard, providing enough use time for students to get through a full day of classes and assignments.

Dell’s intended rival for the product is clear. Jeff Clarke (제프 클라크), Dell’s chief operating officer, directly mentioned Apple’s MacBook Neo in an early media briefing. Dell cited as differentiators that the new XPS 13 is lighter than the MacBook Neo and offers a backlit keyboard and a range of higher-spec options.

Still, the base memory staying at 8 GB is cited as a weakness. The Verge said Apple could sell the MacBook Neo at a lower price through student discounts and other offers, and assessed that price competitiveness may not be an absolute advantage.

Dell is also accelerating its expansion of the XPS brand. The company plans to unveil new XPS models with Nvidia RTX discrete graphics at Computex this week. The product is reported to offer a brighter tandem OLED display, an HDMI port and an SD card slot.

The industry sees that if the XPS 13 targets the MacBook Neo, the new high-performance XPS is likely to be positioned as a strategic product aimed at the MacBook Pro market.

Dell at one point discontinued the XPS brand in 2025, then moved to revive it by relaunching the XPS 14 and XPS 16. The XPS 13 also is part of that effort.

The key is price competitiveness. The $599 to $699 segment is a market where Apple and major PC makers compete fiercely. Attention is on whether the revived XPS brand can win consumers with its light weight and high-end display.