CES 2019: The ‘perfected’ Dell XPS 13

Dell has announced its refreshed XPS 13 laptop at CES 2019, with the tech company saying it has "finally perfected the product".

According to VP and GM of XPS, Alienware, and Gaming Frank Azor, the one complaint it heard about the XPS 13 -- announced at CES 2018 -- concerned the webcam.

As a result, Dell said it has "incubated" its smallest HD webcam ever, measuring 2.25mm in diameter and now located at the top of the screen.

The updated XPS 13 is the highest-performing 13-inch laptop in its class, Dell added, with the device starting at $900, powered by a quad-core 8th gen Intel processor and with a 52Wh built-in battery that is claimed to last up to 21 hours.

The laptop measures 7.8-11.6x302x199mm with a 13.3-inch display, and weighs in at 1.23kg. It comes preloaded with Windows 10 or Ubuntu 18.04, 4GB-16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 Dual Channel SDRAM, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports with power delivery and DisplayPort, a USB-C 3.1 port with power delivery and DisplayPort, a microSD card reader, a headphone jack, a Windows Hello fingerprint reader in the power button, and runs Intel UHD Graphics 620.

A new colour has also been added to the XPS 13 stable, with the laptop available in rose gold exterior and white interior, silver exterior and black carbon-fibre interior, and white and silver exterior with white interior.

See also: More CES coverage

The XPS 13 comes with five PCIe 3 storage options: 128GB x2 SSD, 256GB x4 SSD, 512GB x4 SSD, 1TB x4 SSD, or 2TB x4 SSD.

Dell showcases in-game VR access to smartphone apps

Dell also used CES 2019 to announce an update to Dell Mobile Connect that will allow users to wirelessly drag and drop files including photos, music, videos, and documents between Android phones and PCs, along with a total design update.

It additionally showed off a future Dell Mobile Connect virtual reality (VR) tie-in, which integrates smartphone notifications into the VR gaming experience without interruption, enabling response to phone calls, text messages, and notifications via screen mirroring.

"With the new VR capability via Mobile Connect, gamers will get complete access in VR to all of the mobile applications that they care about," Oren Inditzky, director of Product Management, Software Innovation said.

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"They will be able to respond to text messages, conduct phone calls, and even access all of their mobile applications by pulling a virtual 3D model of their phone and operating with touch inside the VR experience."

Dell also announced the new Latitude 7400 2-in-1 ahead of CES 2019, with the company claiming a battery life of 24 hours and a new proximity sensor to improve security and battery.

Disclosure: Corinne Reichert travelled to CES 2019 in Las Vegas as a guest of Intel

Previous and related coverage:

CES 2019: Samsung shifts to tech for pros, integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant (TechRepublic)

At CES 2019, Samsung revealed new laptops, TVs, and smart appliances that professionals and consumers can use with third-party platforms.

CES 2019: Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is a powerful laptop/tablet combo (TechRepublic)

Samsung's redesigned 2019 Notebook 9 Pro combines a 13-inch tablet and Windows 10 laptop into a stylish convertible professionals should like.

CES 2019: Sprint unveils smart home Magic Box, confirms Samsung 5G phone

Sprint has used CES 2019 to unveil a small cell smart home product with LTE and Alexa integration, as well as confirming a Samsung 5G smartphone launching in summer.

CES 2019: Ford demos cellular V2X with Qualcomm chipset

Ford is using CES 2019 to demo how its Qualcomm-powered cellular V2X technology enables multiple cars to negotiate rights of way at four-way intersections without traffic lights and stop signs.

CES 2019: Robotic suitcases back (and ... maybe better?) at this year's show

For the traveler that must keep both hands free, these totes will follow you around the terminal.

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