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Portables (Apple) Hardware Technology

Dell Rivals Apple's MacBook Neo With $699 Touchscreen XPS 13 Laptop (bloomberg.com) 116

Posted by BeauHD from the new-challenger-appears dept.
Dell has introduced a redesigned $699 XPS 13 aimed squarely at Apple's budget MacBook Neo, offering a premium aluminum design, touch display, backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 7, 512GB of base storage, and various other configuration options. Dell's machine costs more than Apple's entry model but tries to justify the difference with lighter weight, better display specs, and upgrade paths Apple doesn't offer. "The XPS 13 begins at $699 -- students can purchase it for $599 -- while the MacBook Neo costs $599 and drops to $499 for education buyers," notes Bloomberg. From the report: Dell's product allows for more configuration, with up to 32GB of memory compared with the Neo's nonupgradeable 8GB of unified memory. Its display can also produce a wider spectrum of colors and supports refresh rates up to 120 hertz, while Apple reserves its best screens for the pricier MacBook Pro line.

The inclusion of a backlit keyboard should allow for easier typing in dark conditions. Dell has also tossed in other nice-to-have upgrades over the Neo like more robust Wi-Fi 7 wireless networking. As for battery life, Dell is touting "up to 17 hours of streaming" versus a comparable 16 hours on the Neo.

Still, the XPS comes with compromises of its own: Unlike the Neo, there's no built-in headphone jack, which means owners will need to rely on its quad-speaker audio system, use Bluetooth earbuds or plug a headphone adapter into one of the two USB-C ports. You can learn more via Dell.com.
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Dell Rivals Apple's MacBook Neo With $699 Touchscreen XPS 13 Laptop More

Dell Rivals Apple's MacBook Neo With $699 Touchscreen XPS 13 Laptop

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  • The big question is build quality and feel (Score:5, Interesting)

    by shilly ( 142940 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @12:07PM (#66169486)

    Can Dell produce somethinbg that doesn’t *feel* cheap, though? Low cost laptops aren’t new news. But low cost laptops that don’t feel like flimsy crappy plasticky things are, hence why the Neo drew attention. Will be interesting to see if Dell tackled this or not.

    • The Neo, inexpensive as it is, still feels professional. You can tell it is a budget model when comparing it with a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but it definitely has a solid fit and finish, arguably on par with most PC laptops.

      What I'd consider doing is maybe looking at budget models as loss leaders, and getting some upsell models. For example, I'd say a next step up would be an i5, 16 gigs of RAM, a TB SSD, with a fingerprint scanner. This way, as mentioned by another, there is some profit to be made fr

    • Re:The big question is build quality and feel (Score:4, Informative)

      by kriston ( 7886 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @03:58PM (#66169914) Homepage Journal

      Have you ever handled a Dell XPS laptop? They don't "feel cheap." They're the state-of-the-art in what we used to call "Ultrabooks."

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shilly ( 142940 )

        It's not about whether I think they feel cheap. It's about whether sufficient numbers of consumers do, particularly head to head vs the Neo.

      • Have you ever handled a Dell XPS laptop? They don't "feel cheap." They're the state-of-the-art in what we used to call "Ultrabooks."

        So they feel Ultracheap?

  • Leaving out the RAM size = Slashvert (Score:3)

    by greytree ( 7124971 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @12:08PM (#66169488)
    "offering a premium aluminum design, touch display, backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 7, 512GB of base storage, and various other configuration options."

    Omitting the RAM size in this sentence tells use that this is a Slashvert and not a proper story.
  • Wifi 7 is more robust?? Consumers dont give a shit. No headphone port?? LOL And its £100 more expensive? This thing is DOA If i was apple id be doubled over laughing at the attempt here. No one will but this instead of a neo. Does it even do graphics? Or is it still a shitty integrated?
    • WiFi 7 is more robust. The problem is if your network isn’t WiFi 7, then the benefits are negligible over WiFi6. But consumers can buy any new WiFi router right now so that shouldn’t be a problem . . .oh wait. Yeah . . .

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

      No headphone port??

      Headphone ports are complete wastes of space. 3.5mm headphones are almost universally garbage, and even if you have really nice high-end 3.5mm headphones their quality doesn't matter if the device's DAC sucks - like the Neo's or any other budget device with a 3.5mm port. Anyone still buying or using 3.5mm headphones is cringe.

      • Yeah, I really don't understand people that want the cheapest DAC in the universe hooked up to a 3.5mm port when USB-C is right there and allows you to plug in your own DAC that may very well be superior in every way, powered off the USB-C.

        It's really not that hard.

        • I would say most people who are buying a $699 laptop do not know what a DAC is nor care about buying one. What they will see is this budget laptop requires an adapter to use wired headphones. Will it completely stop someone from buying this laptop over another model? Probably not, but it is a negative.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by keltor ( 99721 ) *
        Outside of the rare device, there hasn't been an issue with DACs in any devices since the early 2000s.

        Stop letting people sell you snakeoil.

      • Re:Dang They dont get it do they (Score:4, Informative)

        by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @02:15PM (#66169710)
        People who are using headphones jacks are people who probably do not care the DAC sucks or have high end headphones to use on a $699 laptop. For example for a video conference meeting, a headphone jack is fine for that fidelity.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

          And so are cheap $20 usb-c wired headphones. No adapter needed.

          • I would think that buying headphones that can only be used in a specific and newer ports would not appeal to the average consumer, the type of customer a $699 laptop is intended. The 3.5mm jack has been around forever. Also people have headphones they already own that use these jacks. It is not about technical capabilities; it is about friction in use.

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

              The 3.5mm jack has been around forever.

              Yeah, and has been getting phased out for years. Less and less of them are used every year. Upgrade your shitty old 3.5mm, get an adapter, or shut the fuck up.

              • Upgrade your shitty old 3.5mm, get an adapter, or shut the fuck up.

                I'll just tell all the consumer electronic equipment manufacturers they need to come to my house and change out their ports on the equipment I already own. Also when I am on a plane the next time, they should phased out audio jacks long ago. I have that kind of power. . . . no I don't. Do you have that kind of power as you are the one who is demanding I change out my equipment? And everyone else's equipment because you want to use $20 headphones.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

                  No, I use nice headphones that are compatible with every modern audio producing device because they aren't reliant solely on a piece of shit 3.5mm that shouldn't bother existing anymore in most devices. I can connect them to my PC, any console, my phone, and anything else - both wired or wireless depending on the device.

                  • No, I use nice headphones that are compatible with every modern audio producing device because they aren't reliant solely on a piece of shit 3.5mm that shouldn't bother existing anymore in most devices.

                    YOU use something does not mean everyone else has your wants, needs, resources, etc. Some uses for that shitty 3.5mm jack exist because upgrading that existing equipment is expensive. For example, airplanes. For people like me, I have lots of equipment have those jacks. Some have alternate means of outputting sound but USB headphones don't work on legacy equipment without an adapter or other equipment. And there are people who simply don't care about the best sound or DAC.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

                      Some have alternate means of outputting sound but USB headphones don't work on legacy equipment without an adapter or other equipment.

                      Cool. Good thing we aren't talking about your shitty legacy equipment. We're talking about equipment coming out now and in the future. If you aren't buying anything new, then you don't need to worry for a while. But if you don't already have a 3.5mm to usb-c adapter or usb-c/wireless headphones, then you need to get with the program. Because that's the standard we're at.

                    • Dude, they still sell 3.5 mm headphones. We are not talking about phonographs. You are not the entire world.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by mccalli ( 323026 )
          Quite the opposite. A strong use-case for a jack is low-latency audio, and tht's the kind of thing used by people who use their machines for audio and music production. I'm a heavy user of Logic, and would absolutely not let wireless headphones anywhere near it.

          For "people who don't care the DAC sucks", there's wireless. For people who do care about the DAC but only for listening to music or conversation etc., then wireless also exists. For those who care about both quality and latency, and that's really
          • Not having wired headphone jacks is a negative, not a showstopper. Just like not having the right amount of USB A or C ports. Wireless headphones require pairing which is easy enough for most part, but there are some people who do not like that little bit of friction. Personally, I cannot imagine that someone who cares about the DAC would buy the $699 budget laptop anyway.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by mccalli ( 323026 )
              Yep, was more thinking of the "people using wired don't care about the DAC" part than the actual machines we're talking about.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

            and would absolutely not let wireless headphones anywhere near it.

            First of all, you don't HAVE to go wireless. There are wired usb-c headphones.

            for audio and music production

            Secondly, if you do any kind of audio production and want analog connections, you want 1/4" or XLR, not 3.5mm.

            I'm a heavy user of Logic

            Which is for amateurs.

            For those who care about both quality and latency

            You're confusing digital vs analog rather than wireless vs wired. Analog (3.5mm, 1/4") have better latency because they do not have to get translated by a DAC. Digital audio has better, and higher, quality. You can do wired or wireless with both digital and analog signals. Wireless will always add som

            • I'm a heavy user of Logic

              Which is for amateurs.

              That's simply not true. It may not be the DAW with the biggest market share, but there are a ton of working professionals (including some rather famous ones) who like the workflow of Logic and use it as their primary DAW.

  • While it's easy to see Dell has chasing Apple here, I think there's a larger sense in which both companies are chasing our emerging K-shaped economy. Apple has a 17e iPhone line that is really quite surprisingly good for the price point, while at the same time introducing a foldable phone that'll likely come in at about 2K. Their laptops likewise are now split into high and low end. It's an effective way to draw a broad swath of folks at the growing lower SES tier to cover their bread-and-butter basic subsc

    • Their laptops have always been divided into high-end / low-end since the return of Jobs. Remember the eMate? the iBook? The MacBook (non-air, non-pro)?

      This is nothing new. Product segmentation is how you capture more market.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by keltor ( 99721 ) *
      Apple has always banded their products. They just decided that iPads had reached all the people they were going to reach and that they could make an iPhone level of performance laptop and it would not eat into their other products.

      Dell is just as likely to discontinue their entire laptops tomorrow to sell more "AI servers" since that was about 90% of revenue last quarter.
      • The NEO _IS_ built out of iPhone parts, so it by definition has iPhone-level performance. That being said, why don't manufacturers start replacing laptops with phones that plug into an external keyboard and display? Put two or three Thunderbolt connectors on a phone, and it's functionally equivalent to a low-end laptop.
        • Edit: Doesn't actually need 3 ports, the external keyboard and monitor could be wireless if you don't mind charging 3 different batteries.

        • The NEO _IS_ built out of iPhone parts,
          Unlikely. From where would they get the parts?

          Everything from Apple is build on ARM SoC's.
          The NEO most certainly has an Intel or similar processor.

          • The Neo is the Apple laptop here.

            Dells offering is branded XPS. It sounds like you conflated the two.

            So the Neo definitely has access to Apple parts - and its been confirmed to use the same SoC that was previously just used by the iPhone line of products.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by caseih ( 160668 )

            What? Where did you get that from? The Neo uses the Apple A18 Pro SoC. It was widely reported (here on Slashdot even) that Apple was using binned iPhone chips for the first batches of Neos, with the defective cores deactivated.

  • Doesn't seem newsworthy... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Junta ( 36770 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @01:31PM (#66169626)

    I mean I just bought a Lenovo laptop with 16G of ram for $700 with touchscreen, a pen, and OLED screen...

    • Cool, but offtopic, and I personally believe any crease in a screen is an inevitable point of failure. But then, so are the flex circuits running through every laptop and flipphone hinge.

  • Real original, Dell! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @03:34PM (#66169874)
    On a side note, I started running a Bluetooth BLE sniffer at home, and was confused why 2 Apple devices kept showing up when I have zero Apple devices in my home (can't afford the Apple Tax). Turns out the Dell KM7321W wireless keyboard & mouse advertise with the Apple manufacturer id, presumably to fool Apple devices into thinking they are Apple compatible. No, I don't think Apple manufactures mice and keyboards for Dell...

  • So macOS runs pretty happily on 8GB of RAM still, but Windows kind of doesn't anymore, and that's before you take into consideration that Apple's ARM CPUs are just really ridiculously fast for the price (and on the high end kind of just ridiculously fast period), so I'm not sure this is going to make a big dent. The Neo is kind of a genius move by Apple, as has been shown by them repeatedly selling out.

  • >"Still, the XPS comes with compromises of its own"

    Yeah, it runs MS-Windows 11.

  • It's still a ranch (Score:3)

    by RogueWarrior65 ( 678876 ) on Monday June 01, 2026 @07:14PM (#66170236)

    Reminds me of that real estate website commercial where the realtor keeps showing the couple one ranch-style house after another. It's still a PC running Windows. The same applies to NVidia's new machine. It's still Windows.

  • Apple's got many faults, but their hardware has a very premium feel. I presume this is where Dell's additional hundred bucks went, because Apple's used to doing that and Dell isn't. They think they are, but they aren't normally as good at it. But they're going to deliver this PC with Windows, and there might be Linux issues — there's no way to know until it's in reviewers' hands exactly what hardware is actually used around the parts we know about. And unless you specifically need Windows, it's very h

  • Remember when OEMs shipped "Vista Ready" computers with 512GB of RAM? The FTC fined them for deception. I think we need to bring that back. Windows 11 doesn't run on 8GB of RAM.

  • When the $100 base price difference ($200 on education) alone is going to change who can afford it at that market segment.

  • There is no competition here. Neo runs on macOS, while XPS runs on Windows. That's such a big drawback, that nothing can help Dell here. It's a lost chase for XPS.

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