Dell has taken Windows 8 into convertible territory – with a two-in-one flip screen that takes an old design – first seen in the Inspiron Duo – and updates it for the Ultrabook era.
The Duo 12 is a hugely impressive two-in-one device that banishes the weight problem that held the Inspiron Duo back – as well as the not inconsiderable increase in oomph; The XPS Duo 12 features Core i5 or -i7 processors instead of the Atom in the old Windows 7-powered Duo.
So what we have here is, to all intents and purposes, an XPS 13 Intel Ultrabook with a flippy screen that can face either in or out of the lid for tablet or laptop use.
It's exactly the kind of device that Windows 8 was built for; great for touch, but it can get out of the way when you need to get some actual work done on the desktop.
Here's the screen fully rotated. Ignore the gaps you can see around the bezel - it's because this is a pre-production unit. The copy of Windows 8 on the unit was also in "test mode" - something we haven't seen before - but presumably it's nowhere near the final version that Dell will ship with the device.
The screen has a Windows button for returning to the Start screen when you're in tablet mode.
"Some of our competitiors think about mobile design and think it's impossible to do a good or great convertible design," said Dell's Sam Burd during this morning's IFA 2012 Dell press conference. "The [XPS Duo 12] combines the power of working with a PC with the ability to consume content in other ways. The two devices in a pretty awesome combination."
The XPS Duo 12 features the now-expected XPS chiclet keyboard, which remains great to type on.
The Duo 12 has the same 12.5-inch form factor as the XPS 13 and many of the same materials, too. There's plenty of machined aluminium and carbon fibre around the system. The quality of the screen is also a major part of the story here; there's a Full HD 1,920 x 1,280 display behind a Gorilla Glass outer.
You'll also get all the usual accouterments you'd expect from a Dell XPS PC - there's a backlit keyboard and a very similar array of ports to the XPS 13 (we're not allowed to tell you exact specifications for the XPS Duo 12, so why don't you pop and read our review of the older model).
The XPS Duo 12 release date is late October when Windows 8 becomes available.
Like the XPS 10, our main caveat with the XPS Duo 12 is the price. Don't expect it to be cheap, though it's difficult to tell how much it will cost when it hits the streets. However, the combination of an i5 or i7 plus the twist-screen means we'll surely be looking at well over the MacBook Air mark.
In terms of hardware, the Duo 12 is a beautiful thing. It did seem a little weighty though, so we'll wait for our full review to give a better assessment of that. One thing's for sure - we're really, really looking forward to trying it out properly.
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