Dell’s $599 XPS 13 is coming for the MacBook Neo’s lunch money

News Dell’s $599 XPS 13 is coming for the MacBook Neo’s lunch money Dell promised a smaller, cheaper, XPS 13, and it's delivering. By Mark Hachman Senior Editor, PCWorld May 31, 2026 4:00 pm PDT --> Image: Dell Summary created by Smart Answers AI In summary: PCWorld highlights Dell’s new XPS 13 (2026) targeting students at $599, directly competing with Apple’s MacBook Neo in the premium laptop market. The laptop features Intel Core Series 3 processors, a 13.4-inch OLED display with dynamic refresh rates, and impressive 17-hour battery life in a 2.2-pound design. Dell’s aggressive pricing strategy aims to disrupt competitors while offering a full premium experience without compromises for budget-conscious students. Dell’s latest XPS 13 might not have set out to specifically challenge Apple’s MacBook Neo, but it arrives at the right time. Its $599 price for students directly challenges the MacBook Neo’s own $599 price, with either Intel’s latest “Wildcat Lake” or the more powerful “Panther Lake” processors under the hood. Better yet, the new XPS 13 sports an OLED display and a 17-hour battery life despite its modest sticker price. Dell is continuing its redemption arc with this budget head-turner. After killing the XPS brand in 2025, Dell brought back the Dell XPS 14 and XPS 16 at CES 2026, tipping the reveal of a less expensive XPS 13 later in the year. That gives Dell a little street cred, as it had already planned a less expensive XPS before Apple made low-cost laptops a talking point again. The productivity story here is slightly unusual. Though we recommend the best laptops for college students , it’s rare that a PC maker explicitly markets their product in that direction. That’s the case here, where students will be able to buy the XPS 13 for $599, but everyone else will have to pay $699 and up. “We’re not trying to be the cheapest option with the XPS 13; we’re n