Dell XPS 13
"BEst Laptop gets better"
The new iteration of the Dell XPS 13 Touch ($1,449.99 as tested) is an ultraportable laptop that you'll be proud to show off. The sleek build and brilliant QHD+ touch screen carry over from last year's model, but adds a sixth-generation Intel Core i5 processor and the first USB-C portwith Thunderbolt 3 support that we've seen on a laptop. This is notable, considering that Thunderbolt upgrades usually appear first on Apple laptops like the latest MacBook Pro. The XPS 13 Touch (9350)$1,699.99 at Dellhas a much higher-resolution screen in a frame that's more compact than the MacBook Pro, and also has the build quality, performance, and battery life that should come with a premium system. It's our new Editors' Choice for high-end ultraportable laptops.
The Dell XPS comes in a variety of specification options. My review model came equipped with an Intel Core i7-7500U processor, a 256GB PCIE SSD, and 8GB of RAM. There are lower-specified models with an Intel Core i5-6300U processor, and you can also upgrade your storage to 1TB and plump for 16GB of RAM, an addition video editors will likely choose to make.
You can now order this aluminum machine in a fetching rose-gold color, too, if you're willing to pay more for it. The XPS 13 isn't perfect -- see the webcam -- but overall, it remains our top pick.
The new XPS 13 design has been around for a couple of years, but nobody has successfully replicated its trademark ‘InfinityEdge’ bezel that gives this machine its unique profile. It still looks great, as does the carbon-fibre finish on the palm rest. The palm rest does start to look a little greasy after use, but it’s not as significant as it is on darker, metal-finished laptops.
The lid, previously only available in silver, can now also be bought in rose gold. The same colour is also found along the bottom half of the laptop’s edges, which makes for a slightly odd-looking pink-bronze sandwich with a matte black filling. I’m not convinced that it looks better than the silver model, but many of my colleagues were smitten with the new design, so it’s clearly a matter of taste.
Like any pure metal laptop lid, we was obsessively worried about scratching it, and while we didn’t damage it during our testing, a ding or two feels inevitable in the average life of an ultra-portable laptop.
The model is the touchscreen version, which weighs in at 1.29kg. If you pick one of the matte, non-touch models that’ll drop to 1.2kg. It’s neither lightest nor the heaviest in its size category, but it certainly won’t be a strain on your shoulder when it’s stuffed into a satchel.
You get a full complement of useful ports on the XPS 13, including two full-size USB 3.0 connectors and a single Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1-C combination port. The latter can be used for high-power, high-bandwidth devices with a maximum throughput of 40GB/s. It’s perfect for high-end monitors and storage arrays – something videographers will appreciate.
Elsewhere, there’s an SD card slot, a 3.5mm headset jack and a small button the left side to check the battery’s charge level when the machine is switched off. It’s a fine selection of ports that’s more generous than all of its rivals, although higher-end users might actually miss the three extra Thunderbolt 3 ports offered by the high-end MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
The keyboard is standard Dell fare, with small, backlit, chiclet keys. It doesn’t feel overly cramped, even when you consider the Dell’s reduced footprint, although the overall design and feel of the keyboard have been made to look pretty dated by the latest MacBook Pro. It’s unfortunate, because nothing’s changed and it’s actually a very good ‘board.
The keys on the top row double up as dedicated function keys for all the usual controls, including media playback, volume, keyboard backlight and screen brightness.
The touchpad is among the best found on Windows laptops. While it isn’t as responsive as any MacBook Pro, it comes a very close second. The surface is smooth and comfortable, gestures are reliable, and physical clicks are satisfying. Palm rejection is dependable, too – even when typing with my palms resting on the corners of the pad, I never activated any rogue clicks or swipes.
As you can see from the picture above, there’s a fairly significant gap between the touchpad and the palm rest, and you might also spot that a tiny piece of tissue paper has found its way into it. The same goes for the keys, which aren’t properly flush with the chassis. It may sound finnicky and fussy, but at this price point every flaw counts.
Dell XPS 13 Display
You have two display options on the Dell XPS 13, and both of them are pretty great. There's a full-HD, non-touch-screen model with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a matte finish. Or, if you want to spend $1,599, there's a quad-HD touch-screen model with a higher resolution of 3200 x 1800 pixels. This glossy panel also offers richer colors, though it's more reflective.
While watching the 4K movie "Tears of Steel" on both XPS 13s, it was clear that the high-res screen was the winner, with far more details in the character's skin and smoother lines in a sniper's scope. In the 1080p trailer for "Wonder Woman," the blue skies of Themyscira were much more vibrant on the touchscreen, as was the red in Diana's outfit. The only issue with the high-res monitor is that it has a bit of glare, so its viewing angles wash out at narrower points than the non-touch version.
Based on our lab tests, the nontouch screen produces a strong 93.6 percent of the sRGB color gamut and the QHD touch version covers 105.7 percent (100 percent or above is great). The nontouch screen is highly accurate with its Delta-E rating of 0.8 (0 is best), but the QHD version is less precise, but much more vibrant, with a score of 4.
The HP Spectre hit 100 percent of the gamut and notched a Delta-E of 1.3, and the MacBook delivered 107 percent and 1 on the same tests.
The XPS 13's nontouch panel isn't the brightest, as it reached 302 nits on our testing (the 3200 x 1800 touch display reached 305 nits) That result is above the category average but below the Spectre (359 nits) and the MacBook (327 nits).
Dell XPS 13 Webcam
The webcam is of a decent quality, although in order to make the ultra-thin bezel possible it’s been moved to the bottom left of the screen. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does mean you have to push the screen back a little further than you might want in order to give your chat partners a better view of your face.
The microphone is fine – it picked up my voice from a normal sitting position pretty well, although I did catch a little static hissing in what was, in reality, a silent room
Dell XPS 13 Audio
The stereo speakers on the XPS 13 get plenty loud, but the sound gets a little harsh at maximum volume. But that's at the default settings. When I turned up the bass in the Waves MaxxAudio Pro app, Sublime's "What I Got" sounded more balanced. The guitar plucks mixed well with the punchy drum line.
You can make other tweaks, too, such as Reduce Noise and Revive for streaming, and adjusting the Details in tracks with a virtual knob.
We reviewed two models of the Dell XPs 13. One came equipped with a 7th-generation Core i5-7200U (Kaby Lake) processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB hard drive and 1080p display. The other included a Core i7-7500U CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and a 3200 x 1800 touchscreen. Both sets of components provided swift performance in everyday use and our lab tests, even if the difference between this generation and the last model isn't that substantial.
Even with more than a dozen tabs open, I was able to quickly switch from streaming the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, to popping into the Spotify Web Player, to starting a Skype call. The XPS 13 didn't stutter.
On Geekbench 3, which measures overall performance, the Core i5 model scored 7,159 and the Core i7 laptop notched 7,915. Those are solid scores, beating the HP Spectre with a 6th-generation Core i5 (7,026) and blowing past the Core m5-powered MacBook (5,906). The 7th-generation Core i7-powered Lenovo Yoga 910 (7,988) beat both versions of the XPS 13.
The XPS 13's PCI-e NVMe solid-state drive is pretty speedy, hitting 339.3 megabytes per second. That easily beats the HP Spectre (195.9 MBps) and the Yoga 910 (244.2 MBps) but doesn't quite outpace the MacBook's 355.9 MBps.
The Dell XPS 13 was already one of the longest-lasting ultraportables on the market, and the new version includes a beefier 60-watt-hour battery -- up from 56 watt hours on the previous model. As a result, the new nontouch version of the XPS 13 offers truly epic endurance, lasting 13 hours and 49 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test. (We set all screens at 100 nits of brightness.)
If you really care about battery life, you might want to think twice about the touch screen model. The XPS 13 we tested with a Core i7 CPU and a beefy 3200 x 1800 touchscreen display lasted four and a half hours less, a time of 9:11. Still, that's better than the ultraportable average of 8:05.
That runtime means the XPS 13 lasted 3 hours longer than the Asus UX306UA (10:44), 4 hours longer than the Apple MacBook (9:38) and more than double the HP Spectre (6:13). The previous nontouch XPS 13 lasted 11:54.
The nontouch XPS 13 lasted 3 hours longer than the Yoga 910 (10:36), 4 hours longer than the Apple MacBook (9:38) and more than double the HP Spectre (6:13). The previous nontouch XPS 13 lasted 11:54.
Dell XPS 13 Configuration Options
The Dell XPS 13 starts at $799, but we don't think that configuration gives you the most bang for your buck. That model comes with just a 7th-generation Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. We recommend stepping up to a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD for $999.
If you prefer rose gold to silver, you can step up to that hue for $1,149 and get the same Core i5 chip plus a roomier 256GB SSD. For $1,299, you can get the XPS 13 with a Core i7 processor.
Touch-screen models of the XPS 13 start at $1,399 for the silver color and include a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The gold touch-screen version, which has a faster Core i7 chip, goes for $1,649. The top-of-the-line XPS 13 comes in silver with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
During our time with the new XPS 13, we realized an important point: this laptop can match and even surpass the new, entry-level 13-inch MacBook Propart-for-part. For 100 bucks less than Apple’s latest laptop, the XPS 13 offers a sharper screen, a stronger processor and the same amount of RAM and storage. Oh, and this guy has a full-size SD card slot. The MacBook Pro? You’ll get one more Thunderbolt 3 port – one of which needs to be used for charging – and little else for its starting price. On paper, it seems like the XPS 13 will give you a better time editing photos and video than its archnemesis. Well played, Dell.
Should you buy the Dell XPS 13?
Despite that singular flaw, the Dell XPS 13 continues to be a thoroughly impressive piece of computing machinery. Better yet, Dell didn’t have to change much to maintain that image.
The base price for these models has risen from around £800 to £999. While a big step up, that isn’t completely out of line with the rest of the industry, where premium component pricing has taken a big upswing.
The big trend in laptops right now is making your system as thin and light as possible but at the expense of shorter battery life and too few ports. The XPS 13 doesn't cave to that peer pressure, and instead gives you nearly 14 hours of endurance and all the connection options you need in a design that's plenty light and compact for travel. Plus, the new XPS 13 offers a very strong Wi-Fi card, which allowed me to connect in parts of my abode where the 12-inch MacBook barely maintains a signal.
The big trend in laptops right now is making your system as thin and light as possible but at the expense of shorter battery life and too few ports. The XPS 13 doesn't cave to that peer pressure, and instead gives you nearly 14 hours of endurance and all the connection options you need in a design that's plenty light and compact for travel. Plus, the new XPS 13 offers a very strong Wi-Fi card, which allowed me to connect in parts of my abode where the 12-inch MacBook barely maintains a signal.
The 7th-generation Core i5 processor and SSD in the XPS 13 offer plenty of speed, and I like that there's enough oomph to play casual 3D games. This ultraportable is also comfortable to use, thanks to its soft-touch deck and accurate touchpad. Yes, the webcam is still in a weird place, but overall, the XPS 13 remains the laptop to beat.
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