With Intel and AMD announcing new processors this week, many PC manufacturers are also sharing details on their latest laptops. One of those is ASUS, which on Wednesday unveiled its 2022 ZenBook 14 lineup. At first glance, the most notable difference about the new "ZenBook 14 OLED" is that it features an updated design that's more square and less obtrusively branded. 

ASUS will offer separate versions of the ZenBook 14 OLED with the latest CPUs from Intel and AMD. You’ll need to go for a 12th-gen Core H processor if you want DDR5 RAM and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Ryzen models will ship with DDR4X memory instead. Either way, you can configure the ZenBook 14 OLED with up to 16GB of RAM, though you’ll get faster clock speeds from the DDR5 modules. In addition to up to 1TB of PCIe storage, there’s an extra M.2 slot available if you decide you need more space. Powering everything is a 75Whr cell, and the entire laptop weighs less than three pounds.

The ZenBook 14 OLED comes with plenty of ports for an ultraportable, including two USB-C connections, a single USB-A port, HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. It also comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support. If you get an Intel CPU, the two USB-C ports will offer Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, allowing for data transfer speeds of 40Gbps.

However, the highlight of the ZenBook 14 OLED is without question its display. On paper, it’s impressive. It’s a 14-inch OLED panel with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and 550-nit peak brightness. Add to that 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, a 90Hz refresh rate and claimed 0.2 millisecond response time, and you have a display that should be equally great for productivity, gaming and video streaming.

ASUS

ASUS will also sell a “Space Edition” of the ZenBook 14 OLED. It has many of the same features as the standard 14-inch model, but you can configure it with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, your only option on the CPU front is an Intel processor. Notably, it also comes with a smaller 63 Whr battery. The computer's exterior, which includes a 3.5-inch OLED display, was inspired by the MIR space station. Morse code across the outside of the laptop says Ad Astra Per Aspera. Roughly translated from Latin, that’s “through the hardships to the stars.”

There’s no word yet on pricing for either the ZenBook 14 OLED or ZenBook 14x OLED Space Edition, but ASUS promised to share more information when the laptops go on sale closer to the second half of 2022.

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Lenovo always unveils a cornucopia of gadgets at CES and this year is no different. In addition to smart home products and various laptops, the company is showing off an unconventional approach to PCs. Since introducing the ThinkBook Plus series in 2020, Lenovo has used it as a platform to roll out unusual form factors, like the previous iteration with an e-ink screen on its lid.

Now that the laptop is in its third generation, Lenovo is moving its second panel down to the keyboard deck and making it a full-color LCD instead. Not only is this approach more useful, it’s also potentially more power-intensive. At a recent hands-on in New York (held in accordance with COVID-19 regulations), I checked out the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 and, in spite of some bugs, I’m intrigued by the premise.

The laptop’s main screen is a 17.3 inch IPS display that runs at a 3K resolution. It’s accompanied by an 8-inch 800 x 1,280 LCD to the right of the keyboard and features an integrated digitizer layer to enable stylus support. The machine runs an interesting version of Windows 11 that offers several more orientations, in addition to the typical snap shortcuts that you see when you hover over an app’s title bar.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

On the ThinkBook Plus, when you drag an app, a small dialog box pops up with two suggested layouts (and five more appear when you hover over an arrow here). Windows 11 will just see the 8-inch LCD as an external screen and push out content the way it would to your connected monitors. You can choose to snap a window to take up the whole bottom panel, half of it, cover the entire top display, take up only two thirds of it and more. The most unconventional of these layouts is something Lenovo called “waterfall” where an app can spill over the top screen into the bottom, which could be nifty for extra long lists.

I dragged a long spreadsheet into waterfall mode, for example, and could see entire columns at a glance. Or say you’re watching a live-changing Ted Talk up top and want to jot down notes by hand. Writing on the demo unit was surprisingly smooth with satisfying latency. I also appreciated the position of the pad because it felt more intuitive than trying to draw on a laptop’s display.

During my hands-on, the ThinkBook Plus was responsive at snapping apps where I wanted them to go and did so quickly. But it struggled when launching some other functions that Lenovo built into the lower display.

There’s a whiteboard tool that turns the panel into a notepad, as well as a digital numpad. With supported apps like Adobe Lightroom, you can also have a dedicated dashboard of shortcuts or a magnified view sitting next to the keyboard. Lenovo made a “Magic Launcher,” which is a row of buttons at the bottom of this screen for quick access to the whiteboard, numpad and other specialized software.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

This was the most buggy part of my hands-on experience. Sometimes, tapping the buttons wouldn’t work (or would take more than a few seconds before anything happened). The demo unit crashed at least once, too. But we’re at least a few months away from May, when Lenovo expects to sell these machines, so it has some time to iron out these kinks.

The rest of the system performed as expected. The main 17.3-inch IPS display runs at 3,072 x 1,440, which is an aspect ratio of 21:10. It’s easy enough to split three apps on that roomy screen, though if you want to use all of it for editing pictures in Lightroom, at least you can keep an eye on Slack or Twitter with the bottom display.

Keeping all this running is a 12th-generation Intel Core processor with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. It uses Intel’s Xe graphics with Unified Memory Architecture, which should be powerful enough for some photo editing. There's also a Full HD IR camera with a privacy shutter and an array of ports including an HDMI socket, two USB A jacks and a Thunderbolt 4 connection.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

It’s worth noting that the battery size here is 69 Whr, which is pretty typical for most laptops this size. But most laptops this size don't also have a secondary monitor to power, so we'll have to wait till we can test one out for ourselves to get a sense for real-world endurance. You'll only be able to get these in May, and they'll start at $1,399.

Lenovo also announced a slew of other products in its ThinkBook and ThinkCentre family of business-minded devices. There’s the updated ThinkBook 13x Gen 2, which can work with a “Wireless Multi-Device Charging Mat” that recharges Qi-compatible gadgets while also powering the laptop itself. The company also debuted a new ThinkCentre Neo line comprising three desktop systems for small and medium businesses. Finally, the new ThinkBook 14 and 16 Gen 4+ i (yes, that’s part of the name, not a stray letter) sport 16:10 screens running at 90Hz and 120Hz respectively, among other updates.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is one of the most eye-catching things I've seen this CES, though that’s not to say Lenovo is breaking new ground. ASUS has already made several dual-screen laptops in its ZenBook Pro Duo series, and Lenovo itself also tried before with the ill-fated Yoga Book line. Dell and Intel have shown off some concepts, too and I'm very intrigued by the premise here. With Windows 11’s release last year, it seems like more PC makers could be ready to deliver real dual-screen laptops and we could see more of them in 2022. As a taste of what’s to come, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is tantalizing and I applaud Lenovo for continuing to try and innovate.

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Intel debuted its new chips for laptops — and a handful of devices that use them — at this year's CES. The chipmaker has announced that it's bringing its hybrid 12th-gen CPUs to laptops a few months after they were introduced for desktop computers. These CPUs combine performance cores (P-cores) and efficient cores (E-cores) on a single chip to be able to better handle the demands of various real-world tasks. Their faster cores can power your game, for instance, while the slower cores are taking care of your livestreaming needs. They'll top out at 14 cores for laptops, which include HP's updated EliteBook and ZBooks, as well as MSI's new Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66 gaming laptops. Intel has also revealed that its 12th-gen KS-series chips for desktop, which are arriving this spring, will be able to reach 5.5GHz on a single core. Plus, it's adding a foldable specification for its premium Evo PC line this year. You can watch a condensed version of the company's CES event in our video above. 

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Like many other PC manufacturers, MSI is refreshing its gaming laptops this week with the new CPUs and GPUs Intel and NVIDIA announced at CES 2022. Among the models the company is updating are its popular Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66 laptops. New to the 2022 versions of the laptop is a more durable zinc alloy hinge. They also feature larger trackpads and keycaps for a more comfortable typing experience. Between the Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66, MSI will offer 10 different configurations.

With the latter, the most affordable model will cost $1,799 and feature an Intel Core i7-12650H processor, NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of NVMe storage. It also comes with a 17-inch 360Hz Full HD display. If you want MSI’s most powerful GS77 model, you’ll need to set aside $4,199. That gets you a computer with a 14-core, 20-thread i9-12900H; NVIDIA’s new flagship laptop GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti; 32GB of RAM; and a 1TB M.2 drive. Instead of a Full HD or QHD panel, it comes with a 4K 120Hz display that covers the entire Adobe RGB color gamut.

Moving to the smaller GS66, your most affordable option here is a $2,499 model with an i9-12900H, RTX 3070 Ti, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of internal storage and a 15-inch 360Hz Full HD display. For $1,000 more, you can get the computer with an RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB of RAM and 4K display.

MSI

If one of MSI’s new computers comes with at least an RTX 3070 and Core i7 processor, it will feature a “Meta-Ready” sticker on its case to tell you you’re ready to experience the Metaverse at its best. The company doesn’t say who decided you need one of NVIDIA’s latest GPUs for a technology that is more an idea than a reality at this point.

One of the ways MSI hopes to differentiate its laptops from all the other Intel 12th-gen machines you’ll have the chance to buy in 2022 is through its new cooling technology. The Core i9 Stealth GS77 will come with a metal pad that melts when the computer reaches a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid fills the space between the CPU and thermal block, leading to a more efficient transfer of heat, according to MSI. The company claims the technology allows for an up to 10 percent increase in performance.

MSI

MSI is also updating its Creator series of laptops, including the Z17, Z16P and M16. The highlight of the line is the Z17. It features a 17-inch 16:10 display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. The base model comes with an RTX 3070 Ti, i7 12700H processor and 32GB of RAM for $3,249. We’re waiting on details for when MSI plans to release all the laptops it announced today.

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ASUS' gaming laptops have caught up to the work-from-home era. The PC maker has unveiled its ROG laptop line for early 2022, and the centerpiece for many is likely an updated Zephyrus G14 (shown above) that finally, finally includes a webcam — one with Windows Hello-friendly infrared, no less. ASUS told Engadget gamers didn't mind the absence of a camera in the past, but a combination of shrinking panels and smaller cameras made the inclusion possible. Whatever the reasoning, this will be welcome for anyone who had to forego the G14 (or buy an external webcam) to participate in virtual classrooms and meetings.

There are plenty of performance-related upgrades, of course. The reworked Zephryus G14 uses AMD's new Ryzen 6000-series chips (up to the Ryzen 9 6900HS), a maximum 32GB of DDR5 memory and dedicated Radeon graphics up to the RX 6800S. Cooling has improved, too, thanks to a new vapor chamber, liquid metal on the CPU and GPU, a dust filter and higher-airflow fans. You'll also find slimmer overall display bezels, a 50 percent larger trackpad and a flashier mini-LED lid with 19 percent more lights and smoother animations. It's too soon to say if the G14 will match ASUS' claims of 10-plus hours of video playback on battery, but USB-C fast charging and reduced GPU thermal design power (from 100W to 65W) should minimize the amount of time you need to plug in.

ASUS hasn't divulged pricing for the Zephyrus G14 as of this writing, but you'll have options for 144Hz 1080p and 120Hz 1440p screens, and you can spring for more frugal components like the Ryzen 5 6600HS or Radeon RX 6700S to keep costs down.

ASUS

There are other laptops in store. The new Zephyrus Duo 16 (pictured at middle) builds on the dual-screen concept with some unique display tricks. If you spring for the 120Hz 4K main panel, you can switch to 1080p at 240Hz thanks to a clustering technique — you can trade resolution for speed. You'll also find a tweaked second-screen mechanism that makes for a more "seamless" integration with the primary display. The G14's Ryzen 6000-series CPUs, liquid metal-enhanced cooling and the IR camera have made their way to the Duo, although you'll be using NVIDIA graphics (up to the new RTX 3080 Ti).

 Other laptops aren't quite as eye-catching, but might still scratch the itch for gamers on the move. The ROG Flow Z13 (at bottom) is a Surface Pro-like 13.4-inch detachable for the gamer crowd with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i9, a 4K screen and RTX 3050 Ti video, while the Strix G15 and G17 are more conventional 15- and 17-inch gaming portables that leap to the newest AMD processors and NVIDIA graphics. While pricing and availability are unknowns here as well, we'd expect machines like the Duo and Flow to carry premiums given their still-rare form factors.

ASUS

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Acer’s flagship line of Swift X notebooks is going to be one of the first to tote around Intel’s new Arc graphics. The 16-inch model, at least, will be Acer’s first with Intel’s attempt at toppling NVIDIA’s leadership position in the mobile graphics space. That comes with a handful of other quality-of-life improvements, including a 400-nit (up from 300 nits last year), 100 percent sRGB, 16:10 display. You can choose either a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) or WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution screen to cram inside, too.

Build-to-order options include a new 12th-generation Intel Core processor paired with the new Arc graphics. That will be paired with up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 2TB SSD storage, as well as WiFi 6e. In person, it’s a little lighter than its immediate predecessor although if you were walking past it in a hurry you’d barely know the difference. The webcam is now FHD, too.

I wasn’t able to take any benchmarks on the pre-release hardware I was able to see in the flesh, but Acer is feeling bullish about the performance here. It says that its new dual fan design, bigger air vents (and they are beefy) and bigger inlets on the keyboard should expel up to 10 percent more heat than previous versions. You’ll also be able to switch to silent running should the need arise, albeit at the cost of much of your performance.

Acer also made it clear that the existing Swift X, which is currently shipping with the option of an RTX 3050 / 3050 Ti, will remain on shelves for the foreseeable. That way, should you find Intel’s new silicon not to your taste, you can still get the upgrade you crave.

The 14-inch model, meanwhile, gets all of the other hardware bumps, including the better display options, the 12th generation Intel Chip, up to 16GB RAM and Windows 11. But graphics-wise, you’re left with the RTX 3050 / 3050 Ti, which is probably enough for most users who aren’t yet ready to jump feet-first into Intel’s new ocean.

We don’t have US pricing or availability for the Swifts just yet, but in the UK we’re expecting them to arrive by the end of February or the start of March for around £1,000 (around $1,350).

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Acer is often quick to embrace the latest chips in its gaming laptops, and that's particularly true this year. The brand has updated its Predator Helios and Triton portables to use both Intel's 12th-generation Core processors and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 30 Ti graphics. The Helios 300 (above) is the star of the show with synced RGB light bar on the deck, up to the latest Core i7 chip, as much as 32GB of DDR5 memory and ether RTX 3070 Ti or RTX 3080 graphics. You can also expect a "cleaner" chassis, improved cooling (such as liquid metal thermal grease) and a 1440p screen with a speedy 165Hz panel.

You can also expect a raft of modern connections that include 2.5Gbps Ethernet, WiFi 6e, an HDMI 2.1 port, Thunderbolt and regular USB-C and -A connectors. The new Helios arrives in May starting at $1,650 for a 15.6-inch system and $1,750 for its 17-inch counterpart.

Acer

The Triton 500 SE (middle) is billed as a 'thin' gaming rig, but it might just offer some advantages in the performance realm. You'll have options for a Core i9, RTX 3080 Ti video and the same 32GB DDR5 memory ceiling. Acer is promising aggressive cooling that includes liquid metal, heat pipes and the latest "3D" fans. Only a 16-inch display is available, although the 240Hz 1600p panel isn't hurting for resolution or speed.

You won't have to wait so long for the Triton with its March release, although you'll have to pay a premium with a starting $2,300 price. You'll have to spring for the new Nitro 5 (also unveiled today) to pick up a more affordable Acer gaming laptop — these are for enthusiasts willing to splurge.

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Intel hasn't forgotten about Evo, its premium branding for PCs that meet its array of performance benchmarks. Now in its third iteration (remember it was originally called Project Athena), the company says it's also adding a foldable specification for Evo PCs this year, along with new requirements around "intelligent collaboration" and support for faster H-series 12th-gen chips. So, in addition to guaranteeing long battery life and instant wake, new Evo PCs will also need to include WiFi 6E support, tap into the company's AI noise cancellation capabilities as well as Intel's Connectivity Performance Suite. The goal, as always, is to make sure consumers get the best experience possible when they're buying an "Intel Evo" branded PC.

Intel

Intel also offered more details around its plans for Screenovate, a recent acquisition that gained notoriety for integrating iPhones and Android devices with Windows PCs. (It also powers Dell's Mobile Connect tool, which allows you to send files to your phone and control its screen remotely.) According to Josh Newman, Intel's VP of Mobile Innovation, the company plans to bring Screenovate's technology to Evo PCs in the 2022 holiday season. The goal, naturally, is to offer it to more PCs eventually, but Newman says Intel wants to ensure that it's a high quality experience before that. The company plans to work with partners, including Apple, to make that happen.

While Intel's specialized Project Athena/Evo PC branding seemed more like a marketing stunt at first, it's actually pushing PC makers to build better hardware. Newman says that partners are building off of Intel's foldable PC design, while also adding their own twists. The specification also gives Intel a bit more leverage: for example, it's requiring partners to design keyboard accessories for their foldables. While Intel can't force them to include keyboards in the box, company representatives tells us they're being "encouraged" to do so. 

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After debuting its hybrid 12th-gen CPUs for desktops in October, Intel is ready to bring them to notebooks. To recap, the company's new CPUs (previously codenamed Alder lake) combine performance cores (P-cores) and efficient cores (E-cores) on a single chip. The idea is that they'll be able to better handle the demands of real-world computing, like juggling gaming on the faster cores while the slower ones power your livestream. In addition to faster performance, that tag-team approach could also lead to better battery for laptops.

Intel's 12th-gen laptop CPUs will top out at 14 cores, consisting of six P-cores and eight E-cores (that's two fewer P-cores than the desktop versions). At this point, Intel is mainly focusing on its powerful H-series 12th-gen chips, which are meant for 14-inch ultraportables, gaming notebooks and other beefy machines. The company also unveiled specs for its its U and P-series chips, which it'll discuss further in the first quarter. Those will be aimed at smaller ultraportables, as well as "performance thin and light" machines (like Dell's new XPS 13 Plus), respectively.

As for other new features, Intel's 12th-gen mobile hardware will also support DDR5-4800 and low-power LPDDR5-5200 RAM. Expect to pay a premium for DDR5-equipped machines, though, as PC makers predict stock will be limited throughout 2022. Wi-Fi 6E is also baked in, just in time to hop onto the new 6GHz bands from last year's 6E routers. And of course, Thunderbolt 4 is back to deliver 40Gbps of bandwidth goodness.

Intel

While we haven't been able to test out Intel's 12th-gen desktop chips, early reviews have praised their multitasking performance, especially with the increased bandwidth from DDR5 RAM. We'd expect a similar upgrade on the notebook front. For now, though, all we have to go on are Intel's numbers: the company claims 12th-gen is up to 40 percent faster than 11th-gen chips overall. The top-end Core-i9 12900HK is also up to 28 percent faster in gaming, and it has a commanding lead over the Ryzen 9 5900X across many titles.

In Hitman 3, a notoriously CPU-heavy game, the 12th-gen chips saw an 8 percent FPS bump through better workload prioritization. The P-cores handled rendering and more demanding tasks, while the E-core focused on background audio. As for productivity tasks, the 12900HK was 44 percent faster than 11th-gen hardware in the Premiere Pro PugetBench test, as well as 30 percent quicker when it came to Blender rendering. Intel's own benchmarks also showed Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max, as well as the Ryzen 5900HX, trouncing the Core i9-11980HK in Blender. In many ways, the 12th-gen hardware feels like an apology for last year's chips.

Intel

More so than the fastest 12th-gen hardware, it'd be interesting to see what sort of performance gains Intel can eke out from its more accessible Core i5 and i7 chips. The i5-12450H features 8 cores (4P and 4E) with a max Turbo speed of 4.4GHz, whereas last year's 11500H had six cores that maxed out at 4.6Hz on a single core. Both chips have 12 threads (only P-cores support Hyperthreading, so their thread number is doubled), but the 12th-gen chip should be able to use its power more wisely. That could be good news for mainstream PC buyers who can't quite justify a core i9 machine.

Intel's new hybrid architecture also leads to some interesting configurations for its other mobile processors. The fastest U-series model, the Core i7-1265U, is equipped with 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores. That technically makes it a 10-core chip, whereas the previous U-series hardware topped out at four cores. The P-series performance notebook chips, meanwhile, sport up to 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores in the i7-1280p. Each mobile CPU line also has up to 96 graphics EUs (execution units), just like the 11th-gen chips.  

In addition to new mobile CPUs, Intel also unveiled the rest of its 12th-gen desktop lineup. It starts with the Celeron G6900, which has just two performance cores, and tops out with the 16-core i9-12900. (Overclockers are better off with the unlocked 12900K that debuted in October.) Surprisingly, Intel isn't including any efficient-cores in its mainstream i3 and i5 chips; they're all P-cores, so they're not actually hybrid CPUs at all. System builders can buy unlocked i5 CPUs with four E-cores, but I'd wager that could make things confusing for shoppers. Why is the i5-12600 a six-core chip when the i5-12600K (thanks to the addition of four E-cores) has 10?

Intel is still lagging behind AMD and Apple when it comes to node size — the 12th-gen chips are a refined version of its 10nm process, while AMD has been building 7nm chips since 2019 and is eyeing 5nm this year — but the company's hybrid design shows plenty of promise. Just like with its recent desktop chips, though, the real question is how Alder Lake will compete with what AMD and Apple have in store for 2022.

We've practically run out of superlatives for Dell's XPS 13, the company's flagship ultraportable that sparked the slim bezel trend and has remained one of our favorite notebooks for years. So where does Dell go from here? Say hello to the XPS 13 Plus, a more powerful and ambitiously designed notebook with a lattice-less keyboard (read: no space between the keys) and a glass haptic touchpad that blends right into the palm rest. It's a laptop that looks so sleek, it practically begs to be touched. It's just a shame that in its frenzy to create a modern masterpiece, Dell also removed the headphone jack. Sigh.

But before we dive into the many problems with that, let's take a look at what's good: The XPS 13 Plus pushes Dell's design capabilities to new heights. There's a focus on clean lines and minimalism, as if Dell carved a computer directly out of a slab of polished metal. In addition to that attractive new keyboard (which also sports larger key caps), the XPS 13 Plus is also powered by Intel's 28-watt 12th-gen processors. That's a healthy jump from the standard XPS 13's 15-watt chips, and it means you can expect a lot more performance from its 2.73-pound frame.

There's also a row of capacitive touch function buttons above the keyboard, which look as if they're embedded right into the computer's metal case. I'm sure some may prefer sticking with physical function buttons, but losing the extra row of keys adds to the air of simplicity Dell is striving for.

But of course, minimalism also means cutting out extraneous design elements, which in this case means the headphone jack and mini-SD card slot from the standard XPS 13. It's not too surprising to see Dell cleaning up its port situation, but losing the headphone jack seems particularly egregious for a machine that's meant to be a super-powered XPS 13.

When we pressed Dell representatives on the issue, they noted that plenty of smartphones are also losing the nifty 3.5mm jack. While that's true, phones are also a very different use case. It makes more sense to wireless buds or headphones on the go, but I'd wager many people have a nice pair of wired headphones by their computers. Part of me also wonders if the Dell reps have ever tried to connect random Bluetooth headphones Windows. It's not nearly as simple as it is on phones.

During our brief hands-on time with the XPS 13 Plus, I also noticed that its new haptic touchpad could lead to some usability issues. You can't actually feel where the touchpad begins and ends, which led to some missed clicks while I was browsing the web and poking around Windows. I also occasionally had trouble differentiating between left and right clicks, since it was hard to judge where the center of the touchpad was. I'd wager you'd get used to it over time, but that's not exactly user friendly. Dell may have been better off using a thin Apple-esque border around the touchpads, which still looks pretty sleek on MacBooks.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Despite my reservations around some of Dell's design choices, the XPS 13 Plus still looks and feels like an upgrade from the standard XPS 13. (That laptop isn't going anywhere either, but Dell isn't announcing any updates for CES.) The large borderless keyboard is a touch-typist's dream, and the Infinity Edge display still looks fantastic. You'll also be able to choose between OLED and LCD screen options, as you'd expect. Dell managed to squeeze four speakers into the XPS 13 Plus as well, a first for its 13-inch ultraportables.

Dell says it's targeting a $1,200 starting price for the XPS 13 Plus — a bit more than the XPS 13 — and that it's planning to ship the notebook this spring.

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