Dell is bringing back its XPS 13 as a lower-cost premium laptop designed to compete directly with Apple’s MacBook Neo, with the company targeting students and younger buyers with a promotional US$599 (A$830) launch price.

The new 13-inch model, revealed around Computex 2026, will normally start at US$699, but Dell is offering a temporary student discount that brings it in line with the MacBook Neo’s headline price.

The offer is aimed at the back-to-school market and positions the XPS 13 as Dell’s most accessible XPS laptop to date.

The device, built from aluminium, is also Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS yet, measuring 12.7mm thick and weighing around 1kg.

The base configuration includes Intel’s Core Series 3 ‘Wildcat Lake’ processor, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Higher-end Intel Core Ultra ‘Panther Lake’ models are expected later, with support for up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

Dell is leaning heavily on features it says give the XPS 13 an edge over Apple’s entry-level MacBook Neo, which launched in March.

Every XPS 13 model includes a 13.4-inch 2.5K touchscreen, 30Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate, 500-nit brightness and full DCI-P3 colour coverage. It also includes Wi-Fi 7, a backlit keyboard, Windows Hello support and quad speakers.

Battery life is rated at up to 17 hours of video streaming, with Dell claiming the machine is designed to last through a full day of student use.

However, the XPS 13 makes some compromises. It has only two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm headphone jack. The base model’s 8GB of RAM may also raise questions for buyers running Windows 11 in 2026.

Dell has made no secret of the target. Company executives have directly referenced Apple’s MacBook Neo, framing the XPS 13 as a premium Windows alternative at a much lower entry price than the XPS line has traditionally commanded.

The launch comes as Dell looks to rebuild momentum behind the XPS brand after previously reshuffling its consumer laptop portfolio.