Dell is one of the mainstay contenders in the mobile workstation industry, particularly when it comes to laptops. With the confirmed introduction of its new XPS 12 professional-level tablet, Dell is how also entering the hybrid 2-in-1 tablet market. Meanwhile, fans are already expecting that another industry giant, Microsoft, is almost ready to unveil the latest iteration in the successful Surface Pro series, the Surface Pro 4.

Although the Redmond-based giant still has to confirm the specs sheet of its upcoming hybrid, will Dell compare with the new device from one of the cornerstones of the 2-in-1 hybrid segmentt?

Many observers think that Dell has come out with a Surface Pro clone in XPS 12. But the Verge thinks that instead of a clone, the XPS 12 as an alternative. Although the XPS 12 reportedly has many parallels with the Surface Pro series in terms of design, this is to be expected, as Microsoft is the one to revolutionize the hybrid tablet industry.

According to rumors, the displays for both devices will offer 4K screen resolution and an almost invisible bezel. This might be particularly true for the XPS 12, which will reportedly use the Infinity Edge design of another Dell bestseller laptop, the XPS 13. In addition, in a report by TechNewsToday, Dell will also reportedly come out with a lower-end model version having a 1920 x 1080 resolution display. This might be to the advantage of Dell, allowing it to corner both the premium- and mid-ranged budget users with two XPS 12 versions.

Under the hood, the XPS 12 will reportedly run on the latest Intel Core M Skylake chip. It will have different features that would clearly be advantageous to professional users like a maxium of 8 GB of RAM, speedier M2.SATA SSDs, and Thunderbolt 3-enabled and USB Type-C ports. Meanwhile, not much is known about the Surface Pro 4, but rumors say that it will be unveiled on Oct. 6 with two display versions, a new Intel processor with Skylake architecture, and an improved stylus system.