The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 for 2022 is a big departure from previous iterations, switching to a tablet form factor from the convertible design of the past. With that change also come a few others, including a 13-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, and the thinnest chassis yet for the XPS family. But considering that the XPS family usually doesn't have a ton of ports, what does that mean for this new device? Does the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 still have Thunderbolt ports? Yes, and that's about it.
Indeed, two Thunderbolt 4 ports are all you get built into the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. There's not even a headphone jack on this chassis, the newest sacrifice Dell is making in its flagship laptops. The clamshell model of the XPS 13 and the new XPS 13 Plus have also ditched this port, and instead you get adapters for both USB Type-A and the 3.5mm headphone jack if you need those ports. This is a device that's more reliant than ever on adapters, and that's why Thunderbolt support is so important.
Why do you need Thunderbolt on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2022)?
The thing about Thunderbolt 4 is that it's an incredible versatile interface. It uses a USB Type-C connector, but it's capabilities goes far beyond what regular USB-C ports usually offer. They can charge your laptop, and they also provide up to 40Gbps of bandwidth, which you can make use of with high-speed Thunderbolt accessories. There are things like Thunderbolt SSDs, but the most popular kind of Thunderbolt accessory are docks.
Thunderbolt docks allow you to connect a bunch of peripherals at the same time, and because they have a lot of bandwidth, those accessories can have higher speeds. One of the more popular uses for this is support for multiple monitors. With the help of a dock, a single Thunderbolt 4 port can support up to two 4K displays at 60Hz, making it ideal for multi-monitor setups. And because it uses a single port on your laptop, it's easy to plug in your laptop when you get to your desk, and unplug it when you're ready to leave.
There's something else that's special about Thunderbolt, and that's PCIe signaling. PCIe is the interface that the internal components of a computer use to communicate with the motherboard and other components. It's a high-speed connection, but it's not usually accessible from the outside of the laptop, But with a Thunderbolt 4 port, you can use PCIe signaling to power an external GPU, which can effectively turn your PC into a gaming machine. To be clear, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 doesn't have a great CPU for gaming, but with a powerful GPU, you should still be able to play a good chunk of modern games without too much of a problem, and that's awesome.
That's about all you need to know about Thunderbolt support on the 2022 Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. It's definitely a great feature to have, and it means you can have this relatively small device power a full desk setup with all kinds of peripherals, and even an external GPU if yu want to get into gaming or do creative work.
If you want to buy the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, you'll have to wait a little longer, since it's not available just yet. It's expected at some point in July, so it's not that far off. We'll be sure to ahve a link below as soon as it's available, but if you don't want to wait, check out the best Windows tablets you can buy today. Or if you're keen on buying from Dell, check out the best Dell laptops.