Dell Chromebook 13

Updated on February 5, 2026

Note: This product has been discontinued. It reached its Auto Update Expiration date in June 2021 and is no longer available for purchase new. The information below is kept for historical reference.

The Dell Chromebook 13 7310 arrived in late 2015 as a revelation for Chrome OS enthusiasts who had long wished for a premium Chromebook worthy of professional use. Before this machine, most Chromebooks were cheap plastic devices aimed squarely at students and budget-conscious buyers. Dell’s entry changed that perception entirely, wrapping the lightweight Chrome OS in a magnesium alloy chassis with a soft-touch carbon fiber lid that rivaled the build quality of high-end Windows ultrabooks and even the MacBook Air. At $429 for the base Celeron model and up to $1,079 for the Core i5 configuration with 8GB RAM, the Chromebook 13 made a bold statement: Chrome OS was ready for business.

Related Videos

Dell Chromebook 13 Comparison Chart

	Dell Chromebook 13	Dell Chromebook 13	Dell Chromebook 13	Dell Chromebook 13
Price	List Price: $927.14 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $612.86 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $755.71 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $898.57 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon
Model number	BTO005C731013US	SS0010C731013US	SS0011C731013US	BTO004C731013US
Performance Rating	4.4	2.7	3.1	3.1
Chromebook Plus	No	No	No	No
Processor	Dual-core 2.00 Ghz Intel Core i3-5005U	Dual-core 1.50 Ghz Intel Celeron 3205U	Dual-core 2.00 Ghz Intel Core i3-5005U	Dual-core 2.00 Ghz Intel Core i3-5005U
RAM	8 GB	4 GB	4 GB	4 GB
Internal Storage	32 GB SSD (upgradable)	16 GB SSD (upgradable)	16 GB SSD (upgradable)	32 GB SSD (upgradable)
Screen Size	13.3"	13.3"	13.3"	13.3"
Screen Resolution	1920x1080	1920x1080	1920x1080	1920x1080
Screen Type	IPS	IPS	IPS	IPS
Touch Screen	No	No	No	Yes
Stylus / Pen	No Stylus Support	No Stylus Support	No Stylus Support	No Stylus Support
Dimensions width x length x thickness	12.93 x 9.03 x 0.66 inches (328.42 x 229.36 x 16.76 mm)	12.93 x 9.03 x 0.66 inches (328.42 x 229.36 x 16.76 mm)	12.93 x 9.03 x 0.66 inches (328.42 x 229.36 x 16.76 mm)	12.93 x 9.03 x 0.66 inches (328.42 x 229.36 x 16.76 mm)
Weight	3.23 lbs (1.47 kg)	3.23 lbs (1.47 kg)	3.23 lbs (1.47 kg)	3.56 lbs (1.62 kg)
Backlit Keyboard	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Webcam	720p HD	720p HD	720p HD	720p HD
WiFi	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC
Bluetooth	4.0 LE	4.0 LE	4.0 LE	4.0 LE
Ethernet	No	No	No	No
Cellular Modem	No	No	No	No
HDMI	Full-Size HDMI	Full-Size HDMI	Full-Size HDMI	Full-Size HDMI
USB Ports	1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3	1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3	1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3	1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3
Thunderbolt Ports	No	No	No	No
Card Reader	MicroSD	MicroSD	MicroSD	MicroSD
Battery	6 cell, 67 WHr, Lithium-ion	6 cell, 67 WHr, Lithium-ion	6 cell, 67 WHr, Lithium-ion	6 cell, 67 WHr, Lithium-ion
Battery Life	12.0 hours	12.0 hours	12.0 hours	12.0 hours
Fanless	No	No	No	No
Auto Update Expiration Date	June, 2021	June, 2021	June, 2021	June, 2021

A Look Back at the Dell Chromebook 13 7310

The Dell Chromebook 13 7310 broke the mold for what a Chromebook could be in 2015. While competitors offered plastic shells that creaked and flexed, Dell delivered a machine that felt genuinely premium from the moment you picked it up. The magnesium alloy body provided rigid structural integrity, and the soft-touch carbon fiber finish on the lid added a sophisticated touch that resisted fingerprints while providing excellent grip. At 0.66 inches thick and 3.23 pounds, it was thicker and heavier than today’s ultrabooks, but for 2015, the dimensions were competitive with premium Windows laptops of the era.

The 13.3-inch Full HD IPS display impressed reviewers across the board, offering vibrant colors, excellent viewing angles, and sharp 1920x1080 resolution at a time when many Chromebooks still shipped with 768p panels. Engadget praised the display as providing “excellent workspace” for productivity tasks, while 9to5Google noted the screen was “great for watching movies on” thanks to its color reproduction and contrast. The display hinge allowed the screen to open to a flat 180 degrees, which proved useful for sharing content in meetings or collaborative settings.

Connectivity options were comprehensive for a Chromebook of its era. Dell included a full-size HDMI 1.4 port for presentations without needing dongles, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a combination headphone/microphone jack. The lack of USB-C reflected the technology landscape of 2015; Type-C ports wouldn’t become standard on Chromebooks until several years later. Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC provided reliable Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0 LE handled peripheral connections. Without Ethernet, users who needed a wired network relied on a USB Ethernet adapter connected to the USB-A port. The backlit keyboard illuminated evenly across all keys, making typing in dim environments comfortable.

What Reviewers Said About the Dell Chromebook 13

Engadget’s Assessment

Nathan Ingraham at Engadget declared the Dell Chromebook 13 “the best Chromebook I’ve used” in their October 2015 review. His testing revealed battery life exceeding Dell’s 12-hour claim, with the machine lasting over 10 hours and 25 minutes during HD video playback at 65% brightness. He praised the carbon fiber construction as feeling “like a solid, time-tested design” rather than the experimental plasticky builds common to Chromebooks of the time. The keyboard earned particular praise for its comfortable travel and responsive feel, though he noted the trackpad was “slightly smaller than ideal.” Perhaps most significantly, Ingraham found performance remained smooth even with many browser tabs open, concluding that “there’s just no compromise to speak of here” for users whose computing needs centered on the browser.

9to5Google’s Perspective

Cam Bunton at 9to5Google reviewed the high-end Core i5 configuration with 8GB RAM and 32GB storage, experiencing the Chromebook 13 at its full potential. He was struck by the build quality, writing that “it’s hard to imagine that there’s a better all-round Chrome OS notebook out there than the 13-inch model from Dell.” The touchscreen variant he tested featured Corning Gorilla Glass and delivered vibrant, punchy colors that enhanced both productivity and media consumption. While he noted battery life of 6-8 hours on the more power-hungry Core i5 model fell below the Celeron’s longevity, the smoother multitasking experience justified the trade-off for power users. His main criticisms focused on the stiff display hinge that lacked a convenient lift cutout and keyboard switches that “feel slightly fragile when struck off-center.”

Trusted Reviews’ Take

Andy Vandervell at Trusted Reviews provided a more measured assessment, awarding 3.5 out of 5 stars. His UK-focused review highlighted the steeper pricing in that market, with the Celeron model starting at £615 including VAT, roughly £200 more than he felt the hardware justified compared to alternatives like the Acer Chromebook 14. Real-world battery testing yielded 7-9 hours at 50% brightness, falling short of the claimed 12 hours but still impressive for an active computing day. He acknowledged the premium build quality felt “like a modern laptop with quality comparable to MacBook Air standards” while criticizing the 2.17kg weight as heavy for a 13-inch machine. Ultimately, he concluded the Dell Chromebook 13 “isn’t refined enough to justify the asking price” in markets where Chromebook competition was fierce.

Performance and Daily Use

The Dell Chromebook 13 7310 shipped with three processor options to suit different budgets and workloads. The base Intel Celeron 3215U ran at 1.7GHz with two cores and two threads, providing adequate performance for typical Chromebook tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video streaming. Mid-range buyers could opt for the Intel Core i3-5005U at 2.0GHz, while professionals seeking the best performance chose the Core i5-5300U with its 2.3GHz base clock and 2.9GHz turbo boost. All processors came from Intel’s 5th-generation Broadwell architecture, which delivered improved power efficiency compared to earlier generations.

RAM configurations ranged from 4GB to 8GB of DDR3L memory, a choice that meaningfully impacted multitasking capability. The 4GB models handled casual browsing with a dozen or so tabs comfortably, while the 8GB configuration permitted more ambitious workflows with numerous tabs, extensions, and Android apps running simultaneously. Storage options included 16GB and 32GB M.2 SATA SSDs, and crucially, Dell designed the storage as user-upgradeable. Tech-savvy owners could swap in larger M.2 drives, a rare feature that extended the useful life of many Chromebook 13 units well beyond their software support period.

Battery life stood out as one of the Dell Chromebook 13’s defining features. The 67 WHr battery pack was unusually large for a Chromebook of its era, and Dell’s power management squeezed impressive longevity from it. Engadget’s testing exceeded 10 hours during video playback, while real-world mixed usage typically delivered 8-10 hours depending on screen brightness and workload. The included fast-charging capability could replenish 35% of the battery in just 30 minutes, making midday top-ups practical for road warriors.

Historical Significance

The Dell Chromebook 13 7310 arrived at a pivotal moment for Chrome OS. In 2015, many questioned whether a browser-based operating system could satisfy serious productivity needs, and most Chromebooks reinforced that skepticism with cheap construction and limited capabilities. Dell’s premium offering demonstrated that Chrome OS deserved hardware as refined as any Windows ultrabook or MacBook. The carbon fiber and magnesium alloy chassis, backlit keyboard, and sharp IPS display proved that the operating system’s simplicity didn’t require settling for inferior hardware.

This Chromebook influenced the entire category. Following its success, other manufacturers began taking premium Chromebook design more seriously, eventually leading to devices like the Google Pixelbook and HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. The Dell Chromebook 13 showed enterprise buyers that Chromebooks could deploy in professional environments without embarrassment, paving the way for Chrome OS’s expansion into business markets.

With its Auto Update Expiration date of June 2021 now long past, the Dell Chromebook 13 7310 no longer receives Chrome OS updates or security patches. Units still function for basic tasks, but they’re unsuitable for environments requiring current security. The machine remains a touchstone in Chromebook history, remembered as the device that elevated Chrome OS expectations and proved that Google’s lightweight operating system could deliver a genuinely premium experience.

Frequently Asked Questions