Dell’s flagship XPS line is being expanded with the addition of the XPS 14 and XPS 15 laptops. The two new laptops are supplied with third-generation Ivy Bridge processors, Corning Gorilla Glass, and a machined aluminum case. Both of the new machines can be fitted with optional 3G or LTE connectivity, increasing utility when out of range of a Wi-Fi base station.
The XPS 14 comes with a choice of either the Ivy Bridge i5-3317U processor running at 2.6GHz, or an upgrade to the i7-3517U 3.0GHz processor. A 14-inch HD+ (1366×768) WLED display is driven by the Intel HD 4000 graphics technology with an optional upgrade to the NVidia GeForce GT 630M chipset with 1GB of GDDR5 RAM. One RAM slot is populated with either a single 4GB or 8GB DDR3 chip. A 500GB hard drive is standard, with a 512GB SSD upgrade available. Ports included are a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, a 10/100 Ethernet port, and 3-in-1 card reader. An 802.11n Wi-Fi networking package with Bluetooth 4.0 is standard, with optional 3G or LTE network connectivity at extra charge.
The larger XPS 15 is available with either an Ivy Bridge i5-3210M 3.1GHz processor, or the i7-3612QM 4-core processor also running at 3.1GHz. The Nvidia GeForce GT 630M 1GB graphics processor is standard, and drives the 350-nit 15.6 Full HD (1920×1080) WLED display. An upgrade to the 640M graphic chipset is available. Two RAM slots are available and come with a standard 6GB, but can be populated with up to 16GB. Three hard drive configurations are possible: a 500GB 7200 RPM drive with a 32GB mSATA SSD is standard, with 750GB and 1TB options. A slot-load DVD-RW or Blu-Ray disk player is available. Ports included are three USB 3.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, a 10/100 Ethernet port, and 3-in-1 card reader. Optional 3G and LTE connectivity packages can be added to the standard 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless package.
Both the XPS 14 and XPS 15 are available today. The XPS 14 starts at $1,099, and the XPS 15 retails for $1,299 and up.
