The Dell XPS 13 now has the option to be equipped with an OLED touchscreen for an additional $300.

This optional upgrade will improve the contrast and color gamut of the XPS 13, putting it on par with its big brother, the XPS 15, which has had an OLED screen for some time.

The OLED screen option also gives the XPS 13 a potential advantage over the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

In our review of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020), we found Apple's 2,560 x 1,600 display to be one of the best available on a 13-inch laptop, with better brightness and color gamut than the XPS 13's HD and 4K models. The addition of an OLED screen may allow the XPS 13 to compete more effectively, but there are reports that a refreshed version of the new MacBook Pro with a mini LED screen will be available later this year.

As you might imagine, mini LED screens use much smaller LEDs than standard LED screens, making them more efficient, thinner, and more effective at local dimming. For this reason, some manufacturers and industry watchers tout mini-LED screens as cheaper and better than their OLED competitors, but it is hard to beat OLED's ability to achieve deep blacks by selectively turning off individual LEDs.

Of course, our review of the Dell XPS 13 (2020, 11th generation) found little to criticize about the standard 13.4-inch 1,920 x 1,200 WLED LCD display. The laptop can also be equipped with a 4K (3840 x 2400) display for an additional $360. [Dell classifies this new OLED screen option as a 3.5K display, as the 3456 x 2160 resolution is a bit short of full 4K. Still, it's better than some competing laptops with OLED displays, such as the HP Spectre x360 14, which has a 3,000 x 2,000 OLED, but is worth noting for true 4K enthusiasts.

The XPS 13's new OLED screen option has a brightness of 400 nits, slightly lower than the 500 nits promised by non-OLED screen options. Nevertheless, OLED screens, which display black by selectively shutting off pixels, tend to offer richer contrast between light and dark, so scenes may pop off the screen that would not be reached by simply increasing the brightness.

Whether it makes a difference to you depends on how keen your eyes are. We're eager to get our hands on the new OLED-equipped XPS 13 notebook for review so we can see for ourselves.