Light And Portable But Powerful

Rewind five or more years ago to look back at business laptops, and you’d likely find a pretty bland and boring device. Fast forward to 2025, and devices such as the Dell Pro 13 Premium and the rest of the Dell Pro lineup are shattering old stereotypes. In previous years, not much thought was given to style or user comfort. Most brands just threw something together that was fairly simple but also robust enough to take hits and tumbles. Now, with the Dell Pro 13 Premium, we are finally getting some style and comfort alongside the utility and build.

Estimated reading time: 19 minutes

Listen, I’m not saying there were never any nicely styled and comfortable business laptops in the past. They were just not as common. I’m seeing brands like HP, Lenovo, and Dell now take these things more into account than ever before. And that’s a great thing. While businesses do want a certain level of monotony in their devices, they are also realizing that employees might actually work better with devices they actually like using. Let’s get into the full review of the Dell Pro 13 Premium. Spoiler alert, most of this review is going to mirror the Dell Pro 14 Premium.

The Quick Take

This review will be similar to my Dell Pro 14 review, as these are just about the same thing aside from the display and size. That’s actually one of the largest differences. The 14 I reviewed had the tandem-OLED display, while this one has an IPS display. So if you’re concerned about burn-in and prefer the IPS display, this one might be for you. These laptops are made for large deployments, so I suspect some IT managers will be reading these reviews.

Like the 14, the Dell Pro 13 Premium brings all those required IT demands but also brings a better-looking design, display, and aesthetics. The old Latitudes were boring, and even as a business user, you like to have something that looks good. This is a solid laptop for business users who want something portable, lightweight, secure, feature-packed, and stable.

Score and Bottom Line

If you’re looking at the Dell Pro 13 Premium, or the Premium line in general, as a personal laptop, you might look at some of Dell’s other offerings. Of course, if you require the enterprise features like the security, management features, and stability of the platform. Then you’re probably looking in the right place. For general users, you need to browse other Dell options.

For the rest of you. Like its bigger brother, the Dell Pro 13 Premium is a massive upgrade in its design aesthetic and feel. The old Latitude lineup was boring, and this is a fresh, sleek, and refreshing change. The lattice keyboard is one of the main design changes that brings that fresh, sleek change to the lineup. It looks spectacular, though I will add that the travel on these models feels a bit shallow, which may not sit well with some users.

The Dell Pro 13 Premium is also extremely lightweight, even though its profile looks a bit chunky. Unlike the 14, the Dell Pro 13 Premium I have here has an IPS display with 500 nits of brightness. One of my complaints about the 14 I had was the brightness of the OLED. This is 100 nits brighter, and I like it more than the Tandem OLED. Especially for business use. I don’t think business users are really looking for deep blacks and saturated colors. They do need a bright screen, though, and this IPS display is fantastic. The battery life is also outstanding, and that should please users who are on the move.

Overall, I believe when IT teams start issuing these Dell Pro Premium models, users are going to actually love what they’re being given. It’s a bold new look that finally throws out the boring look of its predecessor and opts for something far more appealing. But pleasing the end user is only half the battle, as the other half is security, stability, and manageability by IT, and the Dell Pro 13 Premium hits most of these points.

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Dell Pro 13 Premium Specifications

• Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 268V, vPro® (48 TOPS NPU, 8 cores, up to 5.0 GHz)
• Operating System: Windows 11 Pro, Copilot+ PC
• Graphics Card: Integrated Intel® Arc™ graphics for Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 268V vPro® processor
• Display: 13.3″, Touch, QHD+, Anti-Glare, 500 nit, 100% sRGB, ComfortView Plus, Low Power
• Memory: 32 GB LPDDR5x, 8533 MT/s (onboard)
• Storage: 1 TB TLC SSD
• Case: Magnesium
• Keyboard: English US battery-saving mini LED backlit Copilot hotkey zero-lattice keyboard
• Ports:
  • 2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (40 Gbps) with DisplayPort™ Alt Mode/USB Type-C/USB4/Power Delivery ports
  • 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) with PowerShare port
  • 1 HDMI 2.1 port
  • 1 headset (headphone and microphone combo) port
• Dimensions & Weight:
  • Height (front): 0.65 in. (16.55 mm)
  • Height (rear): 0.68 in. (17.19 mm)
  • Height (max): 0.70 in. (17.95 mm)
  • Width: 11.63 in. (296.00 mm)
  • Depth: 8.23 in. (208.90 mm)
  • Starting weight: 2.36 lb (1.071 kg)
• Touchpad: Multi-touch gesture-enabled precision touchpad with integrated scrolling collaboration touchpad
• Camera: 8MP HDR + IR Camera with Presence Detection, TNR, Camera Shutter, Microphone
• Audio and Speakers: Stereo speakers with Cirrus Logic Smart Amp, 2W x 2 = 4W
• Wireless: Intel® BE201 Wi-Fi 7 2×2, Bluetooth® 5.4 Technology, Wireless Card
• Primary Battery: 3-cell, 60Wh, ExpressCharge™, ExpressCharge™ Boost
• Power: 65W AC adapter, USB Type-C
• Model Number: PA13250 (Dell 14 Pro 13 Premium)

What’s in the Box?

• Dell Pro 13 Premium
• Power supply and cable
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

Dell changed all of its laptop designs this year, and the Dell Pro 13 Premium has one of the most significant design changes from its Latitude ancestors. The Latitude lineup had been getting stale, if it wasn’t already stuffy before. The really nice, sleek designs seemed to be reserved for XPS, but this year, I feel that’s changed.

You can think of the Dell Pro 13 Premium as a slightly smaller Dell Pro 14 Premium. This basically looks identical to the 14. So most of this review is a rehash of my 14 review.

The top of the laptop is simple but with some nice lines that fall off the sides. At some angles, the light reflection gives a nice look to this laptop. The Dell logo is front and center, but it’s nicely done and not gaudy. I am glad the round Dell logo is gone.

Flipping the Dell Pro 13 Premium over, it’s business as usual here. With two front rubber feet and one long foot at the rear. There’s also a long vent for cooling and two bottom-firing speakers. The bottom is held on with seven screws, and the SSD is upgradeable, but the RAM is soldered on, so choose wisely.

Along the right side of the laptop are the USB-A port, Thunderbolt 4 port, and Kensington Lock slot. Along the left side are the HDMI 2.1 port, Thunderbolt 4 port, headphone jack and microphone. You can charge this laptop from either Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port with the included 65W charger.

The hinge reminds me of last year’s XPS, and when you open the lid, this hinge slightly raises the laptop, tilting it towards you. It’s not an extreme tilt, but it is noticeable. The top edge houses another microphone and the privacy shutter switch. I like that this is mechanical.

You can open the lid with one finger, not a problem, and once that’s done, you’re greeted with the IPS display. There is a small rubber gasket all the way around the glass to keep it elevated from the deck. The bezels are very slim, with the top one being slightly bigger. The glass is edge-to-edge, so no plastic frame here.

Moving down to the deck, you’re greeted with the backlit zero-lattice keyboard. This reminds me of last year’s XPS models, but slightly different. This keyboard really gives this laptop a more modern look, and I love that. The keyboard itself is comfortable to type on, though the travel is shallower than other keyboards I’ve used. Some people may not like that.

There is a fingerprint sensor at the top right of the keyboard, and that doubles as a power button. Of course, there is a Co-Pilot key here as well. The space bar is much shorter than what I am used to, but it works fine.

The trackpad is a diving board-style trackpad, not haptic; I wish it were. That being said, this is one of the nicest diving board trackpads I’ve used in a long time. The range of tactility is better than most, and the touch responsiveness and gestures work great. I will say, it is a bit smaller than I prefer.

Laptops these days do lack ports, so if you need more, you can get something like the Dell Pro Thunderbolt 4 Smart Dock to add some ports you might be lacking. And while the Dell Pro 13 is a robust laptop, the Dell Pro 14–16 Premium EcoLoop Backpack is also a great add-on to protect it while you move from one job to another.

Overall, the Dell Pro 13 Premium design is part of a new effort from Dell to change not only its naming convention but its look as well. I think they did the enterprise community a favor by making something that looks fantastic.

Display

The most significant difference between the Dell Pro 13 Premium and 14 is the display and size. Most of this review is apples to apples between the 13 and 14. But the display is much different.

This QHD+ IPS display with Antiglare is touch-capable, and responsiveness is good. I rarely use the touchscreens on my laptops, mostly because I abhor fingerprints on my screen, and I’d rather not use it. But I did use it here to test quickly, and this bright display on the Dell Pro 13 Premium works very well with accurate inputs.

Colors on this display are vibrant, not as vibrant as the Tandem-OLED, but still pretty nice. The panel also has ComfortView+, great for those who suffer from eye fatigue. The blacks on this display are great, not as deep as the OLED, but still great. And the whites are clean and crisp, with the text being sharp.

The viewing angles on this panel are pretty great, with the antiglare coating helping to mitigate glare. The Dell Pro 13 Premium QHD+ display does a good job outdoors as well; it is much better than the OLED due to its higher brightness. For that reason, I prefer this display over the OLED.

You can also use the Dell Pro 13 Premium with something like the Dell 32 Plus S3225QC and pair the Dell Pro Plus Compact Keyboard and Mouse with that for office use.

Overall, this is an excellent QHD+ 500 nit display, and it should serve users well in pretty much every condition.

Software

On the software side, the Dell Pro 13 Premium is much different from what I normally review. Yes, it has Windows 11 with CoPilot+ and all those AI features every other Windows laptop has. But it also has a bunch of security and IT features, and I will list these below. Most of these I would never use, but for those who will, it’s good to know what’s here.

• Security: Improve fleet-wide security with multiple layers of defense, reduce the attack surface, and enhance long-term cyber resilience with Dell Trusted Workspace.
  • Be secure from first boot with rigorous supply chain controls.
  • Maintain BIOS integrity with deep, firmware-level visibility.
  • Protect end-user identity from malware that looks to steal credentials.
  • Enrich OS-level data with PC telemetry to speed detection, response, and remediation.
  • Layer on advanced threat protection from our ecosystem of best-of-breed software partners.
• Manageability: Manage your fleet of PCs—reliably and easily. Help secure and optimize your endpoints and deliver end-user productivity with Dell Manageability Solutions.
  • With Dell Management Portal, you can manage Dell PCs over the cloud with Microsoft Intune.
  • Update and secure your fleet of Dell PCs with one application—Dell Client Device Manager.
  • Dell Trusted Update Experience makes it simple to update endpoints with the latest BIOS and driver versions.

There are a few other software goodies included with the Dell Pro 13 Premium, but one of the more interesting ones is on the trackpad. The Collaboration Touchpad works within Teams and Zoom. You can make changes and control the touchpad functions within the Dell Optimizer app on the laptop. It’s a nice feature if you need to quickly mute your mic, turn off your cam, or whatever. The functions appear at the top of the trackpad and work like a touchscreen.

Overall, there’s a lot more here on the software side than consumer laptops get. A lot of the extras do revolve around security and manageability and will be most useful for IT and computer security teams in businesses. Though consumers could certainly take advantage of these things, should they know what they’re doing. I am assuming that if you’ve made it this far in the review, you know what you’re doing.

Performance

This Dell Pro 13 Premium had the same configuration as the Dell Pro 14 Premium I already reviewed. So performance was basically identical here. These Pro models are geared more to business users, engineers, and that type of user. I’m a content creator, and the tools I generally use are going to require a different setup. So I used the Dell Pro 14 Premium more as a day-to-day basics device. I didn’t throw any heavy programs at it, but I’m sure it could handle DaVinci Resolve or Photoshop.

As with the 14, the heaviest process I ran on this laptop was photo editing, and it ran Affinity Photo just fine. There were some AI image rendering tools I used as well, and those also had no issue. The day-to-day stuff like email, web browsing, chats, meetings, videos, and writing were all a breeze.

The processor difference in the Dell Pro 13 Premium, versus a consumer laptop, is that this one is running the vPro chip. That’s going to be a better-performing chip for business tasks and is aimed at enterprise-level users. You’re also getting Wi-Fi 7e and Bluetooth 5.4 on this SKU, something you won’t generally find on a consumer laptop, at least widely.

Overall, the performance from the Dell Pro 13 Premium is excellent. It’s hard for me to test it for business users, as I don’t run the tasks they would normally run. But I feel comfortable saying, having worked in an enterprise environment for years, this will take care of them very well.

Speakers/Sound

Like the 14 Premium, the speakers on the Dell Pro 13 Premium are pretty decent. They do struggle with bass, but most laptops do. The mids and highs are pretty good, though, and where these speakers shine is in conference calls. The callers sound full and rich, and that’s what you need in a business laptop. It’s nice that you can also catch some entertainment with these speakers as well; it won’t be home theater quality, but it’s good enough.

Camera

The Dell Pro 13 Premium has the same camera as the 14. The 8MP HDR + IR camera is great, and you can blur backgrounds and track your movement. It’s 2025, and I think we are finally getting great cameras on laptops, finally. This one works perfectly for conferencing and video calls.

Battery Life

Battery life on any battery-operated device is going to vary wildly. I don’t do special battery tests, but instead, I rely on my day-to-day use. This will be different from your use case, and you should expect different results. Battery life will be highly dependent on your battery settings and energy settings. It will also depend on how you use your laptop, screen brightness, and the content being displayed or used.

I always leave my settings on Windows at Balanced, and I suspect most users will as well. and I always have my brightness to full, not adaptive. This is mostly doing work-related things: email, light photo editing, writing on WordPress, social media, YouTube content, and web browsing. I didn’t do anything heavy like video editing, but I did do some light photo editing and some AI photo creation. I also usually have my keyboard backlighting on all the time.

So, I was able to get through a normal day of work with about 50% battery life left on the Dell Pro 13 Premium. Which was better than the 14 OLED version. Some days were better than others; again, it depends on what you’re doing. Some days I watch YouTube videos far more often than others. It’s just going to depend on your settings and use case.

Overall, I think most users will be able to get through an entire day and more with this battery. You actually may be able to get a lot more if you’re more aggressive with the battery saver as well as brightness and keyboard backlighting. I did not try video editing here; I believe this would do fine with that, but the display is far too small for my liking for that kind of workflow.

Price/Value

Pricing for the Dell Pro 13 Premium starts at sixteen hundred dollars and can go up depending on how the system is configured. It’s difficult to talk about price when it comes to the Pro line, as most of the purchases made for these laptops are enterprise sales. Those sales tend to get a price break due to bulk ordering, so these prices may not reflect a bunch of savings that can be had. Either way, I do think the price is justified, and you are getting what you pay for here. But, for reference. This particular configuration is priced out at just under twenty-three hundred dollars when purchased from Dell’s website on its own.

Wrap-Up

If you’re looking at the Dell Pro 13 Premium, or the Premium line in general, as a personal laptop, you might look at some of Dell’s other offerings. Of course, if you require the enterprise features like the security, management features, and stability of the platform. Then you’re probably looking in the right place. For general users, you need to browse other Dell options.

For the rest of you. Like its bigger brother, the Dell Pro 13 Premium is a massive upgrade in its design aesthetic and feel. The old Latitude lineup was boring, and this is a fresh, sleek, and refreshing change. The lattice keyboard is one of the main design changes that brings that fresh, sleek change to the lineup. It looks spectacular, though I will add that the travel on these models feels a bit shallow, which may not sit well with some users.

The Dell Pro 13 Premium is also extremely lightweight, even though its profile looks a bit chunky. Unlike the 14, the Dell Pro 13 Premium I have here has an IPS display with 500 nits of brightness. One of my complaints about the 14 I had was the brightness of the OLED. This is 100 nits brighter, and I like it more than the Tandem OLED. Especially for business use. I don’t think business users are really looking for deep blacks and saturated colors. They do need a bright screen, though, and this IPS display is fantastic. The battery life is also outstanding, and that should please users who are on the move.

Overall, I believe when IT teams start issuing these Dell Pro Premium models, users are going to actually love what they’re being given. It’s a bold new look that finally throws out the boring look of its predecessor and opts for something far more appealing. But pleasing the end user is only half the battle, as the other half is security, stability, and manageability by IT, and the Dell Pro 13 Premium hits most of these points.

This review will be similar to my Dell Pro 14 review, as these are just about the same thing aside from the display and size. That’s actually one of the largest differences. The 14 I reviewed had the tandem-OLED display, while this one has an IPS display. So if you’re concerned about burn-in and prefer the IPS display, this one might be for you. These laptops are made for large deployments, so I suspect some IT managers will be reading these reviews.

Like the 14, the Dell Pro 13 Premium brings all those required IT demands but also brings a better-looking design, display, and aesthetics. The old Latitudes were boring, and even as a business user, you like to have something that looks good. This is a solid laptop for business users who want something portable, lightweight, secure, feature-packed, and stable.