So what's different? The most obvious upgrade is that Dell has completely gotten rid of the XPS 13's lower screen bezel. Now the display nearly touches the edge of the keyboard area, even further than the XPS 13 2-in-1. That effectively gives the computer a slightly taller 13.4-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. While it's not quite the extra-tall 3x2 ratio we've seen on Microsoft's Surface laptops, the extra screen space is enough to make working on the notebook a bit more freeing. And it's worth noting that Microsoft's machines still can't match ultra-thin bezels of Dell's InfinityEdge displays. The XPS 13's 91.5 percent screen-to-body ratio is also impressive, and it even manages to outdo HP's ultra-sleek Spectre x360. The XPS isn't nearly as flashy as the Spectre, but I actually prefer Dell's understated design.

Additionally, Dell also pushed the keyboard to the edges of the XPS 13 and made the keycaps nine percent larger, both of which make for a more comfortable typing experience. Thankfully, you won't find the maglev keyboard from the 2-in-1 model, which was a controversial way of adding feedback to that laptop's shallow keyboard. Instead, Dell stuck with the scissor switch key design the XPS 13 is known for. While it doesn't have the luxuriously deep key travel of the Spectre x360, it still felt better than most ultrabook offerings. The XPS 13's trackpad is also 17 percent larger than before, and it feels just as smooth and accurate as the last model.