Dell updates Inspiron, XPS 13 laptops with Intel Kaby Lake processors
Dell's new Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 laptop
Dell is wasting no time in announcing that it's updating some of its laptops with the latest Intel Core processors, which were launched last week. The 8th-generation Core CPUs, code-named "Kaby Lake," currently entail a handful of quad-core i5 and i7 chips that Intel claims perform up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation.
In particular, Dell is refreshing its Inspiron lineup with the new processors, and is taking the opportunity to add to its Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 family. There will now be 13-inch and 15-inch models, with the smaller convertible available with optional PCIe NVMe SSD drives and the larger one with 4K display and Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics options. The new 2-in-1s will go on sale in October for starting prices of $879.99 for the 13-inch system and $849.99 for the 15-inch device.
The Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 gets a Kaby Lake update and will also be available through Best Buy when the new version is released in October. The Inspiron 13 and 15 5000 convertibles are also refreshed, with prices for the 8th-generation models starting at $799.99 for those active pen capable and $749.99 for those without. In addition to the processor update, standard Inspiron 7000 laptops now include PCIe NVMe SSD options, with the 15-inch laptop getting a UHD display option and 13-inch model receiving optional login via Windows Hello feature and infrared camera or fingerprint reader.
Finally, Dell's well-received XPS 13 laptop is also getting the 8th-generation Core processor upgrade, which doubles the number of processing cores the thin-and-light notebook will have. But you'll pay significantly for the privilege. While the least expensive XPS 13 configuration with 7th-generation Core processor starts at $799, the Kaby Lake configs will be nearly double the price, starting at $1399.99.