Total Downloads

2,702,031

Total Files

9,210

Latest Update

10

Dell XPS 13 (Late 2017) First Impressions

Posted October 30, 2017 | Dell | Dell XPS 13 | Hardware | Windows | Windows 10


Earlier this year, Brad and I reviewed two members of the XPS family, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the Dell XPS 15, respectively. Both are Kaby Lake-era PCs, but as you may have noticed, the industry isn’t standing still. So with Intel shipping 8th generation Core processors this Fall, PC makers are outfitting existing products with the new chips or, in some cases, shipping new designs.

The new Dell XPS 13 is of the former variety: That is, this is basically the same Dell XPS 13 form factor that first shipped earlier this year, but it can now be outfitted with far more powerful—and quad-core—8th generation Intel Core processors.

You may recall that I had previously referred to the 15-inch version of this laptop as “a portable workstation.” Just six months ago, the availability of a quad-core processor in a laptop was pretty rare, and even most premium laptops—not just from Dell, but from HP, Lenovo, and others—included a dual-core part as had been standard for years. So the XPS 15 really stood out, for that reason, and for its stunning 4K display.

But Intel is feeling the heat. And with Qualcomm set to really raise the bar on battery lifetime with Snapdragon 835-based laptops, the microprocessor giant is pulling a carefully guarded card out of its sleeve. And that card is performance: By switching to quad-core processors across the board, the firm’s PC maker partners can now deliver dramatic performance improvements over the nearly-identical PCs they were selling for most of 2017. That’s astonishing.

And Dell isn’t just relying on Intel here: It has also created its own Dynamic Power Mode, which is tailored to deliver the best possible performance with these new chips. The two combined provide a 44 percent performance boost over the early 2017 version of the XPS 13, Dell reports.

So that’s on the inside. From an exterior perspective, the Dell XPS 13 delivers everything we’ve come to expect from Dell’s most trend-setting product. And that’s mostly good with just a few disappointing items.

So let’s get those out of the way first.

Yes, the webcam is still, inexplicably, located at the bottom of the display, providing that nasty up-the-nose view that generates so many complaints. I suspect that Dell retained this design so that it can continue bragging about the device’s admittedly gorgeous InfinityEdge display. But come on. This is getting embarrassing.

Second, and also inexplicably, Dell is still using a proprietary power connector on this device and not USB-C. That is surprising and disappointing, though the device does at least include one USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port. (And two full-sized USB 3 ports, plus a memory card slot.) And, yes, you can charge the device from that port if you have a USB-C charger.

From there, it’s all good news. Like, really good news.

Dell originated the now-common design trend of near bezel-less displays, which let them—and now other PC makers—place larger displays in smaller form factors. So practically speaking, the XPS 13 is a 12-inch form factor, which makes it smaller, lighter, and thinner than a traditional 13.3-inch laptop.

As such, the new version retains everything that was wonderful about the XPS 13 form factor before. That is, it’s as elegant, professional looking, and attractive as ever. It is also quite portable, with its sub-3 pound curb weight. (The version I’m testing is 2.9 pounds, Dell says, while non-touch versions weigh in at 2.7 pounds.)

Dell offers two primary choices here, a non-touch 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel and the multi-touch 13.3-inch Quad HD+ (3200 x 1800) IPS display that I’m testing. It’s glossy, bright, and colorful, and it offers very wide viewing angles. At 400 nits, it’s also brighter than the 4K display I tested previously on the XPS 15, and it’s a stunner that almost approaches the vibrancy of the 2017 ThinkPad X1 Yoga. Almost.

As before, the display panel, whichever version you choose, is surrounded by an incredibly small 5.2 mm bezel on three sides. This creates the infinity pool-like view which gives InfinityEdge its name, and while the webcam experience is not great, the edges of the display do seem to just disappear in use. It’s an almost mesmerizing look.

Thanks to its CNC machined aluminum construction, the XPS 13 body is rigid and of obvious high quality. (There’s even a rose gold option which I’m honestly curious to see.) The keyboard deck, including the palm rest, is covered in a nice carbon fiber composite material that feels great to the touch. (On the XPS 15, I noted its fingerprint-grabbing capabilities, so I’ll be looking for that here too.)

One thing I should point out: This is a laptop, not a convertible. The display doesn’t lay flat, though it does push back a lot further than is the case on some machines, like Surface Book.

Given the evolutionary nature of this laptop, I’ll be looking at two big buckets for the review, plus the usual testing of the day-to-day experience: Battery life and performance. Dell claims that the new XPS 13 delivers “the longest battery life of any 13-inch laptop,” with up to 22 hours of life on the Full HD version. Those kinds of claims are often inflated, and I typically see about 2/3 of that in my own tests. But of course I’m testing the Quad HD+ version, and that will impact battery life further. So something in the 10+ range would be exceptional.

As for performance, I’ll subject the XPS 13 to the same video encoding test I always use. But the issue here isn’t as simple as stacking the 8th generation Intel Core processor up against the 7th generation processor (also quad-core) I tested in the XPS 15 earlier. That beast also included dedicated graphics, while the XPS 13 has only integrated graphics. So they’re not really comparable, not for that kind of thing.

Anyway, this is a great-looking update to a wonderful laptop. I’m looking forward to putting it to the test.

 

Tagged with ,



Source link

  • vans shoes
  • kyrie 4
  • lebron james shoes
  • kyrie irving shoes
  • puma fenty
  • lebron soldier 11
  • asics shoes
  • stephen curry shoes
  • pg shoes
  • puma fenty slides
  • lebron 14
  • kyrie 4
  • puma rihanna creepers
  • nmd human race
  • curry shoes
  • yeezy shoes
  • adidas nmd
  • lebron soldier 10
  • puma fenty
  • lebron soldier
  • lebron 15
  • kyrie 4
  • kd shoes
  • nike vapormax
  • stephen curry shoes
  • kyrie 4
  • kyrie 1
  • curry shoes
  • kyrie 2
  • adidas nmd shoes
  • stephen curry shoes
  • john wall shoes
  • http://www.kyrie4.us.com
  • adidas yeezy boost
  • yeezy boost
  • nike pg 2
  • kyrie irving shoes
  • adidas john wall
  • yeezy boost
  • j wall shoes
  • http://www.asicsshoes.us.com
  • curry 3 shoes
  • kyrie irving jersey
  • curry 3
  • kd 9
  • kd shoes
  • Kevin Durant shoes
  • http://www.kd-9.org
  • yeezy boost 350 v2
  • kd shoes
  • Curry 3
  • Curry 1
  • kevin durant shoes
  • yeezy boost
  • adidas nmd Runner
  • adidas nmd r1
  • kobe 10
  • adidas crazy explosive
  • air max 90
  • kobe 10 shoes
  • adidas nmd xr1
  • kobe shoes
  • curry one
  • kyrie irving shoes
  • adidas nmd
  • vans outlet
  • vans for sale
  • Curry 3
  • yeezy 350 boost
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • lebron soldier
  • under armour shoes
  • http://www.kyrie4.com
  • nike lebron soldier
  • adidas tubular instinct
  • vibram
  • vibram fivefingers
  • adidas tubular instinct boost
  • adidas ultra boost
  • adidas tubular
  • lebron soldier shoes
  • kids shoes
  • air jordan shoes
  • air max shoes
  • air force 1
  • nike air max
  • air max nike
  • lebron soldier shoes
  • soldier shoes
  • air max 90
  • air max 95
  • adidas nmd human race
  • nmd human race
  • kyrie 4
  • kobe 11
  • Curry One
  • Kobe Shoes
  • harden shoes
  • kobe 11 shoes
  • Curry 2
  • Harden 1
  • Curry 2
  • James Harden Shoes
  • lebron soldier
  • nike epic react
  • nike kyrie flytrap
  • nike epic react flyknit
  • lebron 10 soldier
  • nike lebron soldier
  • Curry Shoes 2015
  • Harden 1 Shoes
  • James Harden Shoes
  • Harden Shoes
  • James Harden 1
  • Under Armour Curry Shoes
  • kobe x
  • Kobe 10
  • Cheap Harden 1
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • kobe shoes
  • Lebron James Shoes
  • Cheap Curry Shoes
  • yeezy 950
  • Curry One Mvp
  • Nike Harden Shoes
  • Nike Kobe Shoes
  • Harden Shoes
  • Under Armour Store
  • Curry 2 Shoes
  • Curry Shoes
  • curry 1
  • curry 5
  • http://www.curry-5.us
  • Stephen Curry Shoes
  • Under Armour curry one
  • James Harden Shoes
  • stephen curry shoes
  • Steph Curry 1
  • Stephen Curry Shoes
  • kobe basketball Shoes
  • Nike Harden Shoes
  • fila shoes
  • fila
  • Nike James Harden Shoes
  • Harden Shoes For sale
  • Harden Shoes Sale
  • yeezy boost
  • new balance shoes
  • kanye west shoes
  • http://www.yeezyshoes.us.com
  • kobe x shoes
  • kd 8
  • adidas nmd xr1
  • balenciaga triple s
  • adidas yeezy boost
  • balenciaga triple s Shoes
  • adidas nmd r1
  • adidas yeezy outlet
  • adidas nmd
  • adidas nmd runner
  • adidas nmd pk
  • adidas nmd footlocker
  • adidas nmd r1 primeknit
  • new era caps
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • lebron soldier 11
  • kobe shoes
  • kyrie 3
  • nike kyrie 3
  • kyrie 3 shoes
  • air max shoes
  • yeezy boost
  • nike air max shoes
  • nike air max
  • kevin durant shoes
  • kd vii
  • kd 7
  • curry 3
  • curry 3 shoes
  • ua curry 3
  • curry 3 low
  • kyrie 3
  • adidas porsche shoes
  • adidas porsche design shoes
  • lebron james shoes
  • kobe shoes 2015
  • nike air shoes
  • nike air max shoes
  • kyrie 3
  • kyrie 3 shoes
  • nike kyire 3
  • cheap air max shoes
  • air max shoes
  • kd vii shoes
  • kd shoes
  • kevin durant shoes
  • adidas zx flux
  • adidas zx
  • jordan retro
  • nike soccer cleats
  • adidas tubular
  • adidas flux
  • cheap kd shoes
  • adidas ultra boost
  • kobe shoes nba
  • palladium boots
  • lebron soldier 10
  • air jordan 32
  • lebron soldier
  • lebron soldier shoes
  • kd 11
  • nike lebron soldier
  • air jordan retro/a>
  • cheap kobe shoes
  • soldier 10
  • adidas ultra boost shoes
  • adidas ultra boost
  • kevin durant shoes
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • jordan retro shoes
  • hyperdunk 2017
  • kd 7 shoes
  • porsche design shoes
  • curry 5
  • adidas porsche design
  • adidas shoes
  • kevin bryant shoes
  • kd shoes store
  • kd 7
  • Cristiano Ronaldo CR7
  • herve leger dresses
  • kobe shoes
  • curry 5 shoes
  • anello backpack
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • kd shoes
  • lebron shoes
  • kd sneaker
  • http://www.curry-5.com
  • adidas alphabounce
  • adidas boost
  • adidas d rose 7
  • jeremy scott adidas
  • nike sb dunk
  • jeremy scott wings
  • Nike CR7
  • jeremy scott shoes
  • js wings
  • lebron shoes
  • kobe shoes
  • balenciaga shoes
  • kobe bryant shoes
  • kyrie irving shoes
  • nike epic react flyknit
  • nike epic react
  • asics gel kayano 23
  • http://www.kyrie3.com
  • canada goose
  • lebron james shoes
  • asics gel kayano 22
  • Nike Lebron James Shoes
  • lebron soldier 12
  • Lebron James Shoes
  • asics gel lyte iii
  • adidas eqt
  • kd 10
  • nike kd 10
  • kyrie 3
  • adidas nmd womens
  • keen uneek sandals
  • prada shoes
  • air jordan 31
  • nike air poresto
  • nike air vapormax
  • nike huarache
  • nike vapormax shoes
  • nike mercurial
  • stephen curry shoes
  • kyrie irving shoes
  • kyrie irving basketball shoes
  • reebok pump fury
  • reebok pump superme
  • air max 270
  • kevin durant jersey
  • adidas iniki
  • adidas porsche design
  • lebron shoes
  • http://www.lebron-shoes.us
  • adidas porsche
  • wholesale hats
  • nike air more uptempo
  • kobe bryant jersey
  • wholesale caps
  • curry 5
  • http://www.curry-5.us
  • adidas superstar
  • curry 4
  • curry 4
  • kd 10
  • air max 270
  • Nike Pegasus 35
  • nike air max 270
  • adidas deerupt
  • supreme yeezys
  • nike kd 10
  • kevin durant 10
  • nike epic react
  • birkenstock sandals
  • nike epic react flyknit
  • nike kids shoes
  • adidas pure boost
  • lebron james shoes
  • calvin klein underwear
  • curry 4
  • birkenstock sandals
  • http://www.kyrie-4.com
  • curry 4 footlocker
  • http://www.birkenstocksandals.us.com
  • nmd r1
  • harden vol 2
  • stephen curry jersey
  • kobe shoes
  • nike roshe run
  • curry 4 shoes
  • new balance running shoes
  • ecco
  • childrens shoes
  • boys shoes
  • girls shoes
  • ecco Shoes
  • asics gel kayano 24
  • puma suede
  • kyrie 4 confetti
  • nike zoom vaporfly
  • birkenstock
  • mizuno shoes
  • ultra boost shoes
  • adidas clothing