Comparisons with Microsoft's Surface tablet are inevitable ... but Dell's new XPS 12 tablet is a 2-in-1 of its own.
Dell announced the $999 XPS 12—slated for a November release—and like the Surface, it has a base unit and separate tablet. However, the XPS 12, upon first glance, looks like it's only a laptop. That's because it utilizes magnets that keep the tablet fastened to its keyboard, allowing them to close together like a laptop. A pretty impressive look and function—not to mention, quite a savvy use of magnets.
The main drawback of the design, however, is the tablet latches on to the hinge of the keyboard at a 90-degree angle—an angle that locks in place and is unable to alter. That could potentially irk plenty of users. The good news about that is that Dell told The Verge that it plans to improve the hinge's flexibility during preproduction, before the tablets ship.
That being said, Dell's new unit offers other aspects to be excited about, other than its look. Sitting on a 12.5-inch display—with a UltraHD 4K upgrade option—the XPS 12 runs on an Intel Core m5-6Y54 with 8 GB of LPDDR3. The tablet also offers a pair of USB ports, giving users 10 Gbps data rates as well as via its Thunderbolt 3.0 support.
That and the entire tablet only weighs 1.75 pounds and 2.8 with the keyboard attached. Initial reviews call both the keyboard and precision tracking pad smooth and responsive to the touch.
Not bad for a 2-in-1 trying to stand out.
