This new Dell XPS 13 build is ditching Windows 10 for Ubuntu
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition comes with Ubuntu as standard
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A new build of theDell XPS 13has gone on sale with one major difference - it has droppedWindows 10in favour of Ubuntu.
The newDellXPS 13 Developer Edition ditchesMicrosoft’s software in favour of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS preinstalled to work straight out of the box, giving developers a new ultra-portable and powerful laptop option.
The Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition is now available in North America and selected EMEA countries including UK and Ireland from today costing $1,049/around £899.
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition
The launch is is the first system available on the market withUbuntu 20.04LTS, which was released in April 2020, with Canonical pledging to provide security updates to the system for up to 10 years.
This means it comes with all the latest Ubuntu and Linux features, including new and updated applications such as LibreOffice 6.4 and Thunderbird 68.7.0. There’s also GNOME 3.36 adding improved user workflow and performance enhancements, over 6,000 snaps from the Snap Store including Visual Studio Code, Slack, Spotify, Plex and the JetBrains portfolio, a new desktop Yaru default theme with light and dark modes.
Users will also be able to benefit from increased customisation options thanks to improved settings for Wi-Fi, wallpaper and application groups in the ‘Activities’ overview.
As for the hardware, not much has changed from the initial Dell XPS 13 build, but there’s only a few configurations of offer for now. That means you’ve got the choice of 10th generationIntelCore 10nm mobile processors and up to 32 gigabytes of RAM, making the Ubuntu edition less powerful in some respects compared to its Windows 10 sibling - although there is Wi-Fi 6 configuration available.
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But you still get a light and slim design made from either CNC machined aluminium, aerospace-inspired carbon fibre or woven glass fibre, sporting a larger 16:10 display, fingerprint reader, edge-to-edge keyboard, with larger keycaps and a larger touchpad.
We’re big fans of theDell XPS 13here atTechRadar, with our review calling it, “an extremely luxurious device (with) a design that’s something to die for.” You can check out where it comes on our full list of the best laptops around today.
Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.
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