Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS 15 ($999.99 to start, $2,074.99 as tested) is the best 15-inch laptop money can buy. That's thanks to strong build quality, a brilliant screen, a comfortable soft-touch deck and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU that can handle entry-level gaming and some serious Photoshopping. You'll pay a premium price for the privilege, but the experience of using the preeminent 15-inch consumer laptop on the market is well worth it.
The latest model, the 9560, is perhaps the best yet. With the latest 7th-Gen Intel Kaby Lake processors, Nvidia’s power-efficient Pascal graphics architecture and that now-famous “InfinityEdge” display, this remains Trusted’s favourite Windows laptop.
The bezel means you get a 15.6-inch screen in a 14-inch body – it even fits in a 13-inch laptop sleeve – so it’s much more portable and easy to use on trains and planes.Dell hasn't changed the XPS 15's design for the last couple of years, so the latest model doesn't look all that different from the last few. It's still a clean and functional design that's built rock-solid, but I'm hoping Dell switches things up next year just for the sake of novelty.
It’s still fairly hefty in terms of weight, tipping the scales at around 2kg if you go for the bigger 97Wh battery (which you should). Despite its svelte form factor, there’s still room for an impressive range of ports including two full-size USB 3.0 ports, a third USB 3.1 Type-C connector with ThunderBolt 3, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headset jack. You also get a locking port and a proprietary power port.
There's a small, square fingerprint reader on the deck of our review unit, beneath the bottom-right corner of the keyboard. It's a $25 optional add-on that worked flawlessly in my testing with Windows Hello.
The Full HD version (which is also £200 cheaper) is a non-touch matte screen. I must admit it doesn’t look quite as vibrant, but still looks great and is surprisingly colour-accurate. It covers 99% of the sRGB and 77% of the Adobe RGB colour gamut.
It gets bright, too, producing 369 nits according to my measurements, so it’s easy to use outdoors. It’s a personal preference, but for me the Full HD panel is the better option – and if you’re a gamer, it means you won’t need to reduce the resolution to get a smooth, playable frame rate.
If you want , there’s also a touchscreen configuration doing the rounds for the not-so-affordable asking price of £1,799. While I haven’t had the opportunity to prod it, I imagine, like with most, it’ll help soften your workload.
Our two biggest gripes with the XPS 15 are with the webcam and speaker quality. The webcam is still located on the bottom portion of the bezel, which means it’s looking up your nose all the time. If you use the webcam regularly for video conferencing or Skype video calls, you might want to give this one a miss (or buy an external camera). This comes up in every Dell InfinityEdge laptop review, but the firm has still failed to address it, which is frustrating.
You get the option of either an Intel Core i5-7300HQ or i7-7700HQ – there’s also a Core i3 version available in the US. They’re all the latest quad-core 7th-gen Kaby Lake chips. You also get 8, 16 or 32GB of DDR4 memory running at 2,400MHz and every model (bar the i3 in the States) comes with the new desktop-class Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 memory.
The new XPS 15 comes with either a 56Wh or 97Wh battery, depending on the spec you go for. On my review model packing the larger battery, a 1-hour Netflix movie at 50% brightness and with the power-saving mode on only dropped the battery by 14%. You can expect to get around 7 hours of video playback on the XPS 15, which is very good.]
The Dell XPS 15 is a premium 15-inch notebook with an incredible screen and strong performance, along with enough power for some gaming, assuming you don't get the base model. The keys could be more tactile, but they're not a deal breaker.
Dell’s XPS 15 is still an award-winning laptop. It might not have the instant visual impact of the diminutive XPS 13, but it’s crammed full with unrivalled horsepower in that 15.6in chassis. The XPS 15 is the perfect marriage of raw performance and lavish looks, but it doesn’t come cheap.
The XPS 15 is very light considering what’s inside of it, though. Our scale put it at 4 pounds and 2 ounces—just half an ounce lighter than the HP Spectre X360 15T. While the glass touchscreen of the HP adds to its weight, the Dell has to keep both a discrete GeForce GTX 960M and quad-core cool. So hats off to the XPS 15. The HP does have slightly less body flex when squeezed, but neither feels hollow.
And that’s the sticking point, and one where the XPS 15 starts to fall a little flat; it’s a splendid performer, yes but one that’s out of reach from most payslips. If money is no object (lucky you), Dell’s XPS 15 remains the best Windows laptop ever made, but just get an XPS 13 if you’re a little more strapped for cash. You may be losing out on an extra 2.3in of screen real estate, but it’ll soften the blow to your wallet.
Overall, the XPS 15 is a standout system. Its 4K screen is one of the best we've ever laid eyes on (to get any better, you'd have to go OLED); you can play games on it, and even though the design is safe, it's sturdy and has a comfy, soft touch deck. If you need a capable clamshell at this size, don't look any further.
The best Windows 10 Laptop
The Dell XPS 15 ($999.99 to start, $2,074.99 as tested) is the best 15-inch laptop money can buy. That's thanks to strong build quality, a brilliant screen, a comfortable soft-touch deck and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU that can handle entry-level gaming and some serious Photoshopping. You'll pay a premium price for the privilege, but the experience of using the preeminent 15-inch consumer laptop on the market is well worth it.
For the last couple of years, the Dell XPS 15 has been the standard-bearer for Windows 10 laptops. With powerful quad-core processors, dedicated graphics and a sub-£2,000 price, this is the machine that takes it to the top-end 15-inch MacBook Pros.
The latest model, the 9560, is perhaps the best yet. With the latest 7th-Gen Intel Kaby Lake processors, Nvidia’s power-efficient Pascal graphics architecture and that now-famous “InfinityEdge” display, this remains Trusted’s favourite Windows laptop.
When you first set your eyes on Dell’s gorgeous InfinityEdge bezels, it's tricky not to be immediately taken aback. Sure, it’s been a Dell staple for some time now, but I'm still unreservedly impressed (and pleased) every time I see it make an appearance again on a newer model. Everything else pales in comparison, and the same rings true for Dell’s latest XPS 15, but is it still the de facto Windows laptop in 2017?
Dell XPS 15 Design
The new XPS 15 9560 is pretty much identical to last year’s in terms of design. But that’s no bad thing and it’s still a great-looking machine, with an aluminium chassis, soft-touch carbon-fibre-composite palm rests and that wafer-thin screen bezel.The bezel means you get a 15.6-inch screen in a 14-inch body – it even fits in a 13-inch laptop sleeve – so it’s much more portable and easy to use on trains and planes.Dell hasn't changed the XPS 15's design for the last couple of years, so the latest model doesn't look all that different from the last few. It's still a clean and functional design that's built rock-solid, but I'm hoping Dell switches things up next year just for the sake of novelty.
The XPS 15 has a silver-colored aluminum lid stamped with Dell's logo in black but is otherwise completely spartan. Lifting the lid reveals the 15.6-inch, 4K InfinityEdge display with almost no bezel around the top and sides. The backlit, island-style keyboard is surrounded by a black soft-touch deck. I appreciate the battery indicator on the right side of the laptop -- with the push of a button, up to five lights will illuminate, giving you an idea of how much longer the notebook will last, even if it's closed.
There's a small, square fingerprint reader on the deck of our review unit, beneath the bottom-right corner of the keyboard. It's a $25 optional add-on that worked flawlessly in my testing with Windows Hello.
Dell XPS 15 Display
If you’re interested in buying the new XPS 15, the big decision you’ll have to make is whether you go for the Full HD or 4K touch display. The 4K panel is a glossy IGZO IPS touchscreen. On paper it’s a sharper, more vibrant and colour-accurate panel that photo and video editors will prefer.
If you’re interested in buying the new XPS 15, the big decision you’ll have to make is whether you go for the Full HD or 4K touch display. The 4K panel is a glossy IGZO IPS touchscreen. On paper it’s a sharper, more vibrant and colour-accurate panel that photo and video editors will prefer.
The XPS 15's 15.6-inch 4K screen is so brilliant, vivid and accurate that we would be perfectly comfortable using it for Netflix, feature films, gaming or any other need without worrying about an external monitor. When we checked out the 4K movie Tears of Steel, we was wowed by the bright colors, such as the purple, blue and green lights emitted from the holographic computers. The hues were so vivid they popped against the black-and-gray walls of the lab. In close-ups, we could see the pores on the characters' faces.
However, the 4K panel is very glossy and it has a big impact on battery life, dropping stamina from an average of 10 hours to about 6 hours.
The Full HD version (which is also £200 cheaper) is a non-touch matte screen. I must admit it doesn’t look quite as vibrant, but still looks great and is surprisingly colour-accurate. It covers 99% of the sRGB and 77% of the Adobe RGB colour gamut.
It gets bright, too, producing 369 nits according to my measurements, so it’s easy to use outdoors. It’s a personal preference, but for me the Full HD panel is the better option – and if you’re a gamer, it means you won’t need to reduce the resolution to get a smooth, playable frame rate.
If you want , there’s also a touchscreen configuration doing the rounds for the not-so-affordable asking price of £1,799. While I haven’t had the opportunity to prod it, I imagine, like with most, it’ll help soften your workload.
Dell XPS 15 Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the XPS 15 feels flat, but it's spacious enough that you can type without tripping over yourself. You get a full-size, backlit, chiclet-style keyboard which offers 1.3mm of travel. The action is responsive and the keys are well-spaced. It lacks the sort of clacky feedback you’d get on a Macbook Pro, so it could come across as a little spongy. For me it’s definitely one of the best Windows laptop keyboards.
The large precision trackpad is just as good – the smooth surface feels great under your fingers and on the other hand, makes perfect use of the extra space. We’ve got no complaints about tracking or responsiveness. It’s Microsoft Precision-certified as well, meaning it supports all the multi-finger gestures you can use in Windows 10 as well as having an instant and reliable response.
Dell XPS 15 webcam and Audio
The XPS 15 offers crystal-clear audio, though it could use a bit more oomph on the low end. When I listened to Yellow card's "Five Becomes Four," the vocals, guitars and drums and the band's trademark violin filled our midsize conference room.
Dell XPS 15 Performance
You get the option of either an Intel Core i5-7300HQ or i7-7700HQ – there’s also a Core i3 version available in the US. They’re all the latest quad-core 7th-gen Kaby Lake chips. You also get 8, 16 or 32GB of DDR4 memory running at 2,400MHz and every model (bar the i3 in the States) comes with the new desktop-class Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 memory.
Compared to last year’s model sporting a 960M, the GTX 1050 is on average 35% faster in most benchmarks – a decent step up. Combined with the new Kaby Lake chips which are around 10% faster, you’re looking at a decent upgrade, especially if you’re running demanding programs or games.
Dell's notebook achieved a score of 13,911 on the Geekbench 4 overall performance test, surpassing the mainstream average (11,008) and showings by the Prestige (Core i7-700HQ, 12,678) and Spectre (Core i7-7500U, 8,017).
Dell XPS 15 Battery
Should you buy on?
Dell’s XPS 15 is still an award-winning laptop. It might not have the instant visual impact of the diminutive XPS 13, but it’s crammed full with unrivalled horsepower in that 15.6in chassis. The XPS 15 is the perfect marriage of raw performance and lavish looks, but it doesn’t come cheap.
You see, it starts at an eye-watering £1,349. In hindsight, you can pick up an entry-level 13in MacBook Pro for £100 less, and should you opt for its smaller 13.3in equivalent, you’ll save yourself £200. After the top-end model with a 4K touch display, Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD? That’ll set you back a mortgage-inducing £2,199.
And that’s the sticking point, and one where the XPS 15 starts to fall a little flat; it’s a splendid performer, yes but one that’s out of reach from most payslips. If money is no object (lucky you), Dell’s XPS 15 remains the best Windows laptop ever made, but just get an XPS 13 if you’re a little more strapped for cash. You may be losing out on an extra 2.3in of screen real estate, but it’ll soften the blow to your wallet.
Overall, the XPS 15 is a standout system. Its 4K screen is one of the best we've ever laid eyes on (to get any better, you'd have to go OLED); you can play games on it, and even though the design is safe, it's sturdy and has a comfy, soft touch deck. If you need a capable clamshell at this size, don't look any further.
Conclusion
The competitive landscape for this type of notebook changes rapidly, but for the moment We can't think of another that balances all the essentials for a reasonable price as well as the Dell XPS 15. No other laptop right now comes close to offering the all-round experience of the XPS 15. It’s expensive and has a few minor flaws, but it’s absolutely worth the money.
The competitive landscape for this type of notebook changes rapidly, but for the moment We can't think of another that balances all the essentials for a reasonable price as well as the Dell XPS 15. No other laptop right now comes close to offering the all-round experience of the XPS 15. It’s expensive and has a few minor flaws, but it’s absolutely worth the money.
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