The Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 are getting an Intel Tiger Lake refresh, which should give them a processor power boost and a decent boost in graphics performance.

The new laptops look almost identical to their predecessors, with ultra-slim bezels provided by Dell's InfinityEdge displays. However, the 2-in-1 comes in two new color options, with Dell offering "Platinum Silver, Black Carbon Fiber" and "Frost, Arctic White Woven Fiberglass Palm Rest."

Back to the spec upgrades. Both Dell machines will support the 11th generation Core i7 mobile processor, offering four cores and improved graphics with Intel's new Xe integrated GPU. They will also be available with up to 32 GB of LPDDR4x RAM, running at 4,267 MHz as opposed to the 3,733 MHz of the previous generation.

It remains to be seen how much performance gains will be seen in actual use. However, with improved processor performance, faster RAM, and a much improved GPU, the XPS 13 and its 2-in-1 siblings should perform significantly better than their predecessors, at least on paper. It will also support Thunderbolt 4 connectivity.

The new XPS 13 is available with 11th generation Core i3, i5, and i7 chips. However, if you want to take advantage of the most powerful variant of the Intel Xe GPU, we recommend opting for the Core i7 model. With this chip, proper gaming at 1080p is possible, but this was only demonstrated in the demo, and we need to try it out in person to draw any concrete conclusions.

The same goes for the XPS 13 2-in-1. Just keep in mind that both XPS 13s are fairly thin laptops, so they may not have much thermal margin to run the new Intel chips at full speed for long periods of time.

The Dell XPS 13 is our pick for the best laptop you can buy today, thanks to its sleek design, nearly bezel-less display, strong performance and battery life. And thanks to Tiger Lake, we expect its performance to improve even further.

Available in the US and Canada on September 30, the new Dell XPS 13 will start at $999 and the XPS 13 2-in-1 will start at $1249. We will be putting the laptop through its paces when we get it, so be sure to check out Tom's Guide.