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Dell’s new Inspiron 7000 line brings XPS features at a lower price

Dell’s new Inspiron 7000 line brings XPS features at a lower price

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With a normally placed camera to boot

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Dell’s recent XPS 13 models — with its latest, 8th-Gen Intel processor and ultra-thin bezels — have become one of the best laptops around. Now, some of those features are trickling down the price spectrum, starting with the newly refreshed Inspiron 7000 lineup that was announced at IFA 2018.

The new Inspiron 7000s (which come in 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch sizes) all feature 2-in-1 designs, similar to the older models, but Dell has totally overhauled the outside. The plastic is gone in favor of a machined aluminum chassis, and the screen now has a far slimmer bezel that actually improves on the XPS 13. It manages to place the camera on top of the display (which Dell says is due to a new, ultra small part that it’s debuting with the 7000 lineup). The 13- and 15-inch models also have an optional UHD display, for those looking for an even better experience.

But it’s not just a new look: Dell has also upgraded the internal specs to keep the Inspiron line competitive, with Intel’s just-announced Whiskey Lake 8th-Gen processors and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

All three models also include a USB-C port that supports both USB-C Power Delivery and DisplayPort, which is extremely nice to see on a laptop in 2018, given the less-than-ideal adoption of the theoretically universal cable standard. Amazon Alexa is also included, which is a first for Dell.

The Inspiron 7000 lineup starts at $879.99 for the base 13-inch model, which isn’t exactly the cheapest laptop around, but it’s certainly a good price relative to the more premium XPS line. All three versions are expected to be available starting on October 2nd in the US.

This is hopefully just the start. Dell’s goal here is to make great Inspiron laptops, not cheaper XPS knock-offs, meaning we’ll likely see more of this progress continue.