Dell has taken a very lovely XPS model from 2017, the XPS 13 9360, and released a new version for the new year. Although not announced at the brink of the new year, this is still meant to be a big deal, as the XPS 13 has consistently been a favorite laptop among consumers for quite some time now. Now thinner, and with some ports switched around, the beautiful XPS 13 still remains gorgeous with a nearly borderless LCD trim bezel.

The design is more attractive than ever, with a stunning chassis made of an (optional) gold and white color scheme (for an extra $50), where the lid and bottom are made from gold colored aluminum, and the sides and deck finished with a woven crystalline silica fiber. As a lighter form factor than the previous gen, the XPS 13 9370 weighs in at just to 2.65 pounds, and is a mere 0.46 inches thick (while the XPS 13 9360 weighs 0.13 lbs more, and measures 0.14 inches thicker). The 9370’s 13.3-inch display features InfinityEdge, always a perk for resolution addicts, and such thin bezels, it’s like they're not even there. With the option of both a 3840 x 2160 4K UHD with touch, or a 1920 x 1080 non-touch, users will find their favorite, as either model offers eye-popping brightness. However, even if opting for the 1080p resolution, the display still performs with higher nit units (at 372), than what we see in the average ultraportable, which stands around 291 nits. When comparing this to the XPS 13 9360, it’s important to note its 1080p LCD screen performed with a nearly “twinning” average of 378 nit units, making both of these models stand out against competition.

Keyboard and touchpad features are positive aspects of the upgrade, where the new 9370 keyboard offers a shallow key, but with stern and mature typing ability. Because it is vital to continually compare the last year's model to this year's model, one important factor happens to be ports and connectivity. If you're in the market for a laptop with pretty much everything you need, last year's XPS 13 9360 is overall prime. Because of its slimmed-down design, the 2018 XPS 13 9370 has a little different situation going on, meaning a lack of full size, USB Type-A ports. Instead, it utilizes one USB Type-C 3.1 port with PowerShare DC-in & DisplayPort, 2 Thunderbolt 3s with PowerShare DC-In & DisplayPort, a microSD card reader, and 3.5mm audio jack.

Available with an Intel Core i7-8550U CPU processor (1.8Ghz/4.0Ghz Turbo), up to 16GB of RAM (also the same configuration as the XPS 9360), there’s also dual-fan and heatsink to cool down the system, which helps improve overall performance. The 52Wh battery inside the XPS 9370 is thinner and smaller, hence, Dell had an easier time building a thinner device Overall, the runtime for the new model is about 12 hours and 37 minutes, which is not something to complain about, at all.

Basically a more refined version than ever before, the XPS 13 9370 is not only eye-popping with its 4K display, and virtually no bezels for a more intense image, it has a speedy design, and ability to work with eGPUs for some pretty good gaming sessions (laptop gamers would love this). However, as mentioned, the lack of USB Type-A port might be important enough for folks to opt for the XPS 13 9360, which is of course still available through Dell. However, if this is as stunning as a device to you as it is to me, you’ll find its $999 starting price worth testing it out for yourself.