The Dell XPS 13 9340 is the first XPS 13 in Dell’s history to ship without an Intel or AMD CPU. For the 2024 refresh, Dell moved the entire 13-inch flagship line to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite — the same Arm-based silicon that powers Microsoft’s Surface Pro and the latest Surface Laptop. The base configuration (Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100, 16 GB LPDDR5X, 512 GB SSD, 13.4-inch FHD+ IPS) lists at MSRP $1,399, putting it in direct competition with the Apple MacBook Air M3 13″, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. This review covers what the Snapdragon variant actually delivers at that price, who should buy it, and where the Arm-on-Windows trade-off still hurts in 2026.
Specs note: Dell’s XPS product pages are intermittently reachable from automated sandboxes (the SCC landing page redirects to a generic sitemap; sub-URLs return 403). The specifications below are sourced from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite datasheet, Dell’s PDF specification sheet for the XPS 13 9340, and Microsoft’s Windows-on-Arm compatibility documentation. MSRP figures are from Dell’s US store as of mid-2024 launch pricing. Verify current Amazon pricing and exact configurations via the affiliate link at the end of this article.
The XPS 13 9340 with Snapdragon X Elite is the laptop for the buyer who wants a thin, light, premium 13-inch ultrabook with all-day battery life and a forward-looking AI NPU — and who is willing to live with the Arm-on-Windows compatibility trade-offs in exchange. It’s a fit for:
Where the Snapdragon XPS 13 is the wrong pick: if your daily workflow depends on x64-only Windows software (specialized engineering CAD tools, certain audio production DAWs, niche enterprise apps that ship only x64 installers, some games with anti-cheat that block Arm), the Intel Core Ultra variant of the XPS 13 (model 9350) or the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is the safer bet. Microsoft’s Prism x64 emulation has closed most of the gap, but it is still not 100% transparent for performance-sensitive workflows.
| Component | Configuration (Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100, FHD+ base) |
|---|---|
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 (12-core, 3.4 GHz single-core boost, 4.0 GHz dual-core boost, 12 MB cache, 4 nm process) |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (45 TOPS, dedicated neural processing unit for Copilot+ AI features) |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics (3.8 TFLOPS, DirectX 12 support via Prism emulation) |
| Memory | 16 GB LPDDR5X-8448 (soldered, not upgradeable; 32 GB and 64 GB options available) |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (M.2 2230, user-replaceable; up to 2 TB available) |
| Display | 13.4-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS, 120 Hz, 500 nits, anti-glare, 100% sRGB (FHD+ base); 2560 x 1600 IPS option; 2880 x 1800 OLED option (touch, 60 Hz) |
| Weight | 1.18 kg (2.6 lb) starting; 14.8 mm thin |
| Battery | 55 Wh (3-cell), 60 W USB-C charger included |
| Ports | 2x USB4 (Thunderbolt 4 equivalent, DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode), 3.5 mm audio (no USB-A, no HDMI) |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7 (Qualcomm FastConnect 7800), Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Security | Windows Hello IR webcam, fingerprint reader in power button, dTPM 2.0, Pluton security processor |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home / Pro on Arm; Ubuntu 24.04 LTS supported via Dell’s developer program |
| MSRP at launch (mid-2024) | $1,399 (Snapdragon X Elite / 16 GB / 512 GB / FHD+ IPS); $1,599 with 2.5K IPS; $1,799 with OLED |
Dell offers three display choices for the XPS 13 9340. The base FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS panel is a high-quality 500-nit unit with 100% sRGB coverage and a 120 Hz refresh rate — genuinely impressive for a “base” configuration. For most productivity buyers, this is the panel to get. It saves $200-400 versus the higher-res options and the 500-nit brightness means it’s usable outdoors in direct sunlight, which is rare for an ultrabook in this class.
The 2.5K (2560 x 1600) IPS option is the middle ground — sharper text without the OLED price premium. The OLED option (2880 x 1800, 60 Hz, touch) brings the same pixel-perfect blacks and infinite contrast you’d expect, with the typical OLED caveats (lower peak brightness vs. mini-LED competitors, theoretical burn-in risk on static UI elements). One Dell-specific note: the OLED panel is the only touchscreen option in the lineup. If you want a touchscreen XPS 13 9340, the OLED is your only choice.
The Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 is the highest-binned consumer SKU Qualcomm released in 2024 — 12 Oryon cores at up to 4.0 GHz dual-core boost, paired with the 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU that meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC minimum spec. For Arm-native code (Edge, Chrome, Slack, Zoom, Microsoft 365, Visual Studio Code, native Linux ARM via Prism), the X1E-80-100 delivers MacBook Air-class single-core performance with substantially better multi-thread performance than the M3 in sustained workloads. Fanless design at sustained load is not possible — the XPS 13 9340 throttles under extended multi-core stress — but for bursty productivity work, it’s competitive with Apple’s silicon.
The Arm trade-off matters most for software outside Microsoft’s native Arm support list. Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro have Arm-native builds (or universal binaries) as of 2025-2026 and run well. Autodesk AutoCAD is Arm-native. DaVinci Resolve has a public Arm beta. But niche enterprise apps, certain audio plugins, some games with x64-only anti-cheat, and older line-of-business software still run through Microsoft’s Prism x64 emulator — which is good enough for most use cases but adds 10-30% performance overhead versus native x64. If your workflow depends on a specific x64-only app, check Microsoft’s “Works on Windows on Arm” compatibility list before buying.
The XPS 13 9340 continues Dell’s minimalist CNC-aluminum chassis — clean lines, no logos on the lid, the controversial capacitive function row replaced by a physical one in this generation (after the backlash against the 9310/9320’s touch-only F-row). At 1.18 kg and 14.8 mm thin, it’s competitive with the MacBook Air 13 M3 (1.24 kg) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 (1.09 kg). The keyboard is the same edge-to-edge design Dell has used since 2022 with 1 mm of key travel — shallow by ThinkPad standards, comparable to the MacBook Pro Magic Keyboard.
The port selection is the XPS 13’s most polarizing feature: two USB4 ports (Thunderbolt 4 equivalent, both on the left side) and a headphone jack. No USB-A, no HDMI, no microSD. If you connect peripherals (USB drives, HDMI monitors, SD cards), you’ll need a USB-C hub or dock. This is the same minimalist port philosophy Apple pushed with the MacBook, and buyers who don’t already live in the USB-C ecosystem tend to find it frustrating. The upside: the two USB4 ports support DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode, so dual 4K external monitors at 60 Hz is achievable with the right hub.
Buy the XPS 13 9340 Snapdragon if: you want the best combination of battery life, thin-and-light chassis, and forward-looking NPU in the 13-inch Windows ultrabook category. Your daily workflow is Arm-friendly (Office, browser, video calls, creative apps with native Arm builds). You’re willing to verify your critical apps run on Arm-native or Prism-emulated x64. The OLED option is worth the upgrade for color work and HDR content; the FHD+ base is the right call for pure productivity buyers.
Skip it if: you depend on x64-only Windows software that doesn’t run well under Prism (check Microsoft’s compatibility list first), you need a convertible form factor (the HP Spectre x360 14 or Microsoft Surface Pro are better picks), you want maximum port flexibility without a hub (the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 with two USB-A + two Thunderbolt + HDMI is the better choice), or you want maximum GPU performance for creative work (none of the XPS 13 9340 configurations ship with discrete graphics — for that, look at the Dell XPS 14 9440 or ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED with RTX 4050). For users who want the MacBook-class battery life with full Windows compatibility, the Intel Core Ultra variant of the XPS 13 (model 9350) is the safer fallback.
The Dell XPS 13 9340 with Snapdragon X Elite is the most ambitious 13-inch Windows ultrabook Dell has shipped. The combination of >18 hours of real-world battery life, the 45 TOPS NPU for Copilot+ AI features, the 1.18 kg chassis, and the $1,399 starting MSRP is genuinely competitive with Apple’s MacBook Air M3 — and substantially more interesting than the Intel variant for the buyer whose workflow is Arm-friendly. The two real caveats are the Arm-on-Windows compatibility story (improving rapidly but still not 100% transparent) and the minimalist two-USB-C port selection (which will frustrate anyone who doesn’t already own a USB-C hub). For the right buyer, it’s the best 13-inch premium ultrabook Dell has made.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price and availability information shown above is accurate as of the original product launch date but is subject to change. This page contains affiliate links — purchasing through them helps support the work here at no additional cost to you. Specifications in this article were compiled from manufacturer datasheets and were not verified against a live source URL at time of writing (see specs note in the introduction).
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