Dell XPS 12 − a Strange Tablet/Notebook with a Flip Hinge

As far as unusual notebook designs go, 360-degree hinges are past the point where they qualify as odd, which means that Dell's XPS Duo wins in terms of weirdness over Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga devices.

Sony's Vaio Duo 11 is odd, but it doesn't really have a hinge mechanism, more like a couple of rails on which the top slides back and forth.

Dell's XPS 12, however, comes with an entire frame, or flip hinge, that lets the 12.5-inch Full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels) spin and lie on top of the keyboard, thus switching from notebook to tablet modes.

Out hands-on photos in the gallery below were taken during IFA 2012, where Dell exhibited several different sizes.

Pre-orders should be open in the United States at this point, but shipments will only commence at the end of the month (October 2012, probably the 26th when Windows 8 appears). The price is of $1,199 / 925-1,199 Euro.

In addition to this product, Dell has prepared the XPS One 27 All-in-one and the Inspiron One 23 All-in-one.