Dell’s new XPS 13 DX13260 was pitched as a $700 answer to the MacBook Neo, but the arithmetic gets ugly once it crosses the Atlantic. In Europe, the slim 13-inch laptop costs 1050 euros, or 1220 dollars, which puts it far closer to Apple’s MacBook Air territory than to the budget challenge Dell wanted to sell.
The pricing gap is awkward but not unusual. US launch numbers often look friendlier until local taxes, import costs, and regional positioning do their work; still, jumping from $700 to 1050 euros is a tough look for a machine meant to undercut a rival.
European pricing changes the pitch
Dell does soften the blow for students, but only a little. The education price drops to 800 euros in Europe, compared with 600 dollars in the US, so the discount is better in percentage terms yet still leaves the notebook well above the Neo’s roughly 700-euro starting point in Europe.
That leaves the XPS 13 DX13260 in an awkward middle ground: too expensive to feel like a cheap alternative, but not quite premium enough to justify the sticker shock. Dell may have intended a MacBook Neo rival; in Europe, it looks more like an Air competitor wearing the wrong price tag.
XPS 13 DX13260 specs
On paper, the hardware is respectable rather than flashy. The base configuration uses Intel’s Core 5 320 processor, paired with 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, while the display is a 13-inch panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Dell also includes Wi-Fi 7 and a 52 Wh battery.
- Processor: Intel Core 5 320
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Display: 13-inch, 120 Hz
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 7
- Battery: 52 Wh
The bigger question is whether Dell can make the price match the promise. Right now, the laptop’s specs look sensible, but its European sticker price does the opposite of what a budget rival is supposed to do: it pushes shoppers back toward the competition.