Dell XPS 13 with OLED display unveiled -- here's what you'll pay

Dell XPS xiii with OLED display unveiled -- here'due south what you'll pay

(Paradigm credit: Tom'south Guide)

Tech enthusiasts accept one less nit to pick with the critically acclaimed Dell XPS 13 at present that Dell has added an option to outfit the notebook with an OLED touchscreen for an actress $300.

This optional upgrade should improve contrast and colour gamut on the XPS thirteen and bring it in line with the its big brother, the XPS fifteen, which has been bachelor with an OLED screen for some fourth dimension.

An OLED screen selection too gives the XPS 13 a potential edge over the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is in shut competition with Dell for top billing in our list of the best laptops you tin buy right now.

Come across how the XPS 13 ranks amongst our best laptops
Don't miss our Dell XPS 15 (2020) review
Plus: Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Pro: Which laptop is best?

In our MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020) review we constitute Apple's 2560 ten 1600 brandish to be among the best you can purchase in a 13-inch laptop, with better effulgence and color gamut than either the HD or 4K models of the XPS 13. The addition of an OLED screen may help the XPS 13 compete more finer, though there are reports of a new MacBook Pro refresh with mini-LED screens coming later this yr.

As yous might guess, mini-LED screens utilize much smaller LEDs than standard LED screens, making them more efficient, thinner, and more effective at local dimming. This has led some manufacturers and industry watchers to herald mini-LED screens as cheaper and better than their OLED competitors, though information technology's difficult to beat an OLED's power to achieve deep blacks by selectively switching off private LEDs.

Of class, in our Dell XPS 13 (2020, 11th Gen) review, we found little to criticize about the standard 13.iv-inch 1920 x 1200 WLED LCD display, which delivered bright, vibrant video functioning on a screen with some of the slimmest bezels nosotros've seen nevertheless. The laptop tin likewise be configured with a 4K (3840 x 2400) display for an additional $360.

We should signal out that Dell classifies the new OLED screen option as a iii.5K display, since its 3456 10 2160 resolution falls a flake short of full 4K. That'due south nonetheless meliorate than some competing laptops with OLED displays, like the HP Spectre x360 14 with its 3,000 ten 2,000 OLED, only it's something worth noting for true 4K enthusiasts.

The new OLED screen option on the XPS xiii is also rated for 400 nits of brightness, which is a bit less than the 500 nits promised past the non-OLED screen options. That said, the way OLED screens display blacks by selectively shutting off pixels tends to create much richer contrasts between light and nighttime, which could make scenes popular off the screen in a way that just cranking up the brightness can't friction match.

Whether or not that makes a difference to yous depends on how nifty your eyes are, and nosotros're eager to go one of the new OLED-equipped XPS thirteen notebooks in for review then we can see for ourselves.

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Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than than a decade of experience roofing both for outlets similar Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC Globe magazine. He currently serves every bit a senior editor at Tom'southward Guide covering all things calculating, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.