Antonio G. Di Benedetto is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021. Dell is making good on its tease from CES and finally announcing a new XPS 13. The XPS 13 returns as a budget-friendly option, launching in July at a promotional student price of $599 — though that introductory deal only runs until September for back-to-school shopping; it’ll start at $699 for everyone else. The $599 promo exactly matches up with the MacBook Neo’s starting price, but students can actually get Apple’s budget laptop for $100 less. That means Dell has its work cut out proving that the XPS 13 is worth the extra money. This will be Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS to date, measuring 0.5 inches / 12.7mm thick and weighing just 2.2 pounds / 1kg. It’ll have just two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm audio jack, just like the last XPS 13 that cost much more.…