The Atari 8-bit series of computers was around for a very long time. The Atari 400 and 800 were first introduced in 1977. While the Commodore 64 and Apple II would be the most direct competitors, the Commodore 64 wouldn't even be around for another few more years. However, once the Commodore 64 was introduced it was all downhill for the Atari 8-bits. While the Commodore 64 had a few technical advantages, they were really very similar in capability. However, the Commodore 64 had huge advantages in price and ultimately in 3rd party software support.
The Atari 130XE was introduced in 1985 and was the last computer introduced in the Atari 8-bit line. Technically, it wasn't all that different from the original Atari 800. Mostly, the XE line was introduced as a cosmetic change that made the 8-bits look more like the Atari ST. However, there were a couple of technical differences over the previous XL line. The biggest differences were probably that it had a new memory management chip and 128K of RAM instead of 64K. There was also a nearly identical Atari 65XE released at the same time with 64k of memory instead of 128k.
While the 130XE is the most advanced of the Atari 8-bits, the 800XL is probably my favorite form factor. Since very little ever used the extra memory in the 130XE, it doesn't really have much of an advantage. Plus, it has a terrible keyboard with a very mushy feel. If you are looking for the newest and technically the best Atari 8-bit then look for a 130XE. However, the 800XL has a better keyboard, look better in my opinion and will run all the same software.
Read more: http://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2019/01/22/atari-130xe/
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