Dell leak details next-gen Windows on Arm chips, 29-hour laptops, and more – The Verge

We already know Dell is getting ready to launch a new Arm-powered variant of its popular XPS 13 laptop. A confidential document has leaked a lot more details on Dell’s future XPS plans. VideoCardz has obtained and published a 311-page document from Dell that goes into detail on the XPS 13 — that’s due soon — and when we can expect to see Qualcomm’s next-generation chips for Windows on Arm.

Qualcomm-powered Snapdragon X Elite laptops look set to debut next week. Asus announced it has a new “AI PC” ready to launch on Monday — the same day Microsoft is holding a Surface and Windows event all about Windows on Arm. Dell’s own XPS 13 variant running the Snapdragon X Elite leaked just a few days ago, and this new document from VideoCardz reveals it will ship in three versions that have different displays (FHD, QHD+, and OLED).

The leaked Arm-powered XPS 13 model. Image: Dell (via VideoCardz).

This latest leak confirms that Dell is planning to refresh its XPS 13 Plus from 2022. It will have a touch bar on the top row of the keyboard and only two USB-C ports for I/O. Battery life will naturally vary per model, but web browsing is listed at around 13 hours on the FHD+ display, more than 12 hours on the QHD+ version, and around 9 hours on the LG Display OLED variant. Local video playback is rated at more than 29 hours on the FHD+ version, which if accurate is an impressive improvement on the current crop of Windows laptops.

The leaked document mentions a new “tandem OLED” panel from LG Display that will be used in this upcoming XPS 13. LG Display first introduced tandem OLED panels in 2019 primarily for automotive displays, but it expanded to 17-inch foldable tandem OLED panels last year. Apple just launched a new iPad Pro with a tandem OLED panel, which uses two OLED layers to improve brightness and the lifespan of the panel.

The XPS 13 battery life estimates for the QC (Qualcomm) models. Image: Dell (via VideoCardz).

Dell’s future XPS plans. Image: Dell (via VideoCardz).

Dell’s leaked document is dated from August 2023. The plans are leading up to a release of the XPS 13 Qualcomm models in June — a date we’ve heard rumored for Microsoft’s next Arm-powered Surface devices. Microsoft is also rumored to be moving to OLED on its Arm-powered Surface Pro 10 model, so it’s possible we’ll see tandem OLED there too.

The document also hints at Qualcomm’s timing for its next-generation Snapdragon chips for laptops. Dell lists “QC Oryon V2” in the second half of 2025, with QC standing for Qualcomm and Oryon the name of the CPU tech Qualcomm acquired from Nuvia in 2021. A V3 of these chips is listed for late 2027, suggesting there might be a significant gap between revisions.

A next-generation XPS 14 is also listed for a January 2026 release with the Oryon V2 chips or Intel’s Panther Lake CPUs. It will be alongside an updated XPS 13 model with Intel’s Lunar Lake CPUs and Qualcomm’s Oryon V2 chips. Dell is also expecting next-gen Nvidia GPUs in early 2025, with a refresh due in early 2026. Nvidia hasn’t yet launched its rumored RTX 5000 series, which are expected to be based on its Blackwell architecture, and Dell’s slides from 2023 could already be out of date in terms of Nvidia’s release schedules.

Original Author: Tom Warren | Source: The Verge