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Dell XPS 15 release date, specs rumors: New high-performance laptop comes with Intel Kaby Lake and GTX 1050 GPU

A promotional image for the new XPS 15 high-performance laptop. | Dell

Dell unveiled the new XPS 15 a bit earlier than initially planned. Last week, the American computer technology company put up a listing for the high-performance laptop on its official website before realizing its mistake and removing details online. Nevertheless, the upcoming device's specs and features have been revealed.

A screenshot of the listing captured by Videocardz reveals that the XPS 15 will come with the latest technologies including Intel's much-anticipated Kaby Lake processors and NVIDIA's GTX 1050 graphics card.

The XPS 15 9560 will be available in three central processing unit (CPU) variants: the dual-core Intel Core i3-7100HQ, the quad-core Intel Core i5-7300HQ and the quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ. While these processors have yet to be formally announced, they are believed to be using the seventh-generation Kaby Lake architecture.

Dell's new laptop will also come equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics processing unit (GPU) which can support up to 4 GB of GDDR5 video random access memory (RAM). According to Anandtech, NVIDIA has yet to introduce a mobile version of the GTX 1050 graphics card, but it's likely to be based on the GP107 Pascal architecture with up to 768 stream processors. It is considered to be a significant upgrade from the current XPS 15's GeForce GTX 960M.

In terms of memory, the laptop will have support for up to 32 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage space. Prospective customers will be able to choose between a traditional hard drive or an optional solid-state drive (SSD). Connectivity-wise, there is the Killer 1535 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a USB 3.1 Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI output and an SD card reader. Other notable features include a 720p webcam and an optional fingerprint reader.

Meanwhile, the new XPS 15 will retain the design of its predecessor. It will feature a 15.6-inch display either with an IPS screen with a resolution of 1,920 x 1080 pixels or an IGZO screen with a 3,840 x 2160-pixel resolution. The updated version will also be 17 mm thick and will weigh 1.8 kilograms.

The new Dell XPS 15 is slated to be officially unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) happening in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 3–8, 2017.