The Dell XPS 13, for years, had a slight asterisk here and there. But the most recent updates have solidified the XPS 13 as not only the best laptop you can buy, but a laptop that pushes the competition to do better.
So, it's no surprise that the XPS 13 wins the first-ever Tom's Guide Award for the top laptop in the world, even while Apple finally fixes its keyboards and HP keeps gaining style points.
The XPS 13 is so sleek it can easily make MacBook owners jealous. Not only does the aluminum and arctic white XPS 13 we tested look like it's carved out of Wall•E's world, but at 2.8 pounds, it's as light air (the MacBook Air 2020, that is) and even lighter than the 3.1-pound 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020.
Amazingly enough, this lightweight powerhouse also offers excellent battery life, with the 1080p XPS 13 lasting 12 hours and 39 minutes on our battery test. That time edges out the elegant HP Dragonfly (12:25) and beats the MacBook Air (9:31).
And about those MacBooks, which are so well-loved: they don't compare well to the XPS 13 at all in terms of power. The XPS 13 comes with U-series Intel CPUs that outpace the slower Y-series chips in the MacBook Air. Oh, and the XPS 13 has 10th Gen Intel CPUs at every single price point, unlike the MacBook Pro, where you have to pay $500 if you don't want to get stuck with 8th Gen chips.
The XPS 13's most obvious winning touch, though, is its 13.4-inch Infinity Edge display. Its 91.5% screen-to-body ratio looks like something ripped out of a sci-fi movie, and should make some smart phone bezels blush.
The laptop world is not willfully accepting Dell's dominance. The Google Pixelbook Go is a premium ChromeOS laptop that doesn't break the bank while the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex is doing interesting things with its Qi-charging touchpad and super-bright QLED display.
But the Dell XPS 13 does everything right (if not amazingly), to the point where our only major gripe is the lack of a USB-A port — no wonder it won the inaugural Tom's Guide's award for best laptop.
