12 Nov
Blog

Dell XPS 13 Black Friday Deal 2021: Cheapest Price Today

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There have been tons of amazing discounts and promotions for weeks as retailers got going earlier than ever this year. These include some of the best Black Friday deals we've seen in a long time. Of course, if you're looking for something specific, like Black Friday laptop deals, it makes sense to check out not just the big retailers, but some of the more popular tech stores as well. Take Dell Black Friday deals for example. There are tons of great deals out there in their store, even Dell XPS Black Friday deals on their latest XPS 13 laptops.

Dell XPS 13 Black Friday Deal 2021: Lowest Price Today

Person sits and holds Dell XPS 13 laptop on lap.

However, there are also stand-alone offers that are in the spotlight for some time. Right now, you can get the latest model of the Dell XPS 13 laptop for $ 650 with free shipping – that's $ 300 off the normal price! That's a great deal for a 13.3-inch Windows 11 laptop with an 11th generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. You can check out this fantastic offer below or read on for more information on the XPS 13 laptop!

There's a reason the Dell XPS 13 9305 (2021) deserves a spot on our list of the best Dell laptops for 2021. It's powerful, offers great battery life, and is a "stylish trendsetter" that looks absolutely stunning. But much more is under the hood and offers a user-friendly and pleasant experience.

The full specs include an 11th generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with clock speeds of up to 4.2 GHz. It also has 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM at 4267 MHz, a 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 solid-state drive, and Intel Iris Xe graphics. The 13.3-inch FHD display runs at a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 and has ultra-thin InfinityEdge bezels. You also get the Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2 × 2), Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity, and the CNC machined aluminum case, and all of this feels great thanks to its lightweight design.

You normally pay $ 950 for the latest Dell XPS 13 laptop, but they dropped the price by $ 300 thanks to a crazy Black Friday deal. That means you can grab it now for $ 650 with free shipping and have it delivered to your door within the next few days. If you're interested, act soon – we're already seeing some wait on the Dell website and it looks like this deal is in high demand!

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we carefully and independently choose what we cover. The prices, details and availability of the products and offers in this post are subject to change at any time. Make sure they are still valid before buying.

Digital Trends can earn commissions on products bought through our links, which supports our work for our readers.

Editor's recommendations



04 Sep
Blog

Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED Review: The Best Keeps Getting Better

Dell XPS 15 OLED laptop sits on a small table.

Dell XPS 15 OLED 2021

RRP $ 2,400.00

"The Dell XPS 15 is everything you could want in a powerful 15-inch laptop."

advantages

  • Superior build quality

  • Nice aesthetics

  • Excellent creative and productive performance

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Beautiful OLED display

What are you doing to make the best 15 inch laptop even better? Well, you don't change what is outwardly. It already has a killer design and an excellent OLED screen.

Instead, you change what's inside instead. That is exactly what Dell did with the update of the XPS 15 in 2021, the CPUs of the 11th generation.

I tested the XPS 15 with a Core i7-11800H CPU and the RTX 3050 Ti, which costs a cool $ 2,400. This is not a cheap laptop. But as we'll see, with the XPS 15, you get what you pay for – a laptop that does what it has to do to hang on the crown.

draft

Dell XPS 15 OLED laptop sits on a small table. Look at the back.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

My wife, who rarely comments on the laptops I have tested, called the XPS 15 “beautiful”. That is kudos, and it is well deserved for this remarkably designed laptop. It's hard to point out simplicity, but that's exactly what Dell did. The XPS 15 does not have the extravagant gemstone-cut aesthetics of the HP Specter x360 15, for example with contrasting colors and large bevelled and angled edges.

Instead, the XPS 15 has sparkling clean lines, a silver aluminum lid and case base with a black soft-touch carbon fiber or white fiberglass keyboard deck, and double anodized chrome edges that resist scratches and pull the design together. The tiny display bezels offer a true screen-to-body ratio of 92.9% (no big chin tucked under the back of the keyboard deck), which makes the larger 16:10 screen seem to float in mid-air. In short, the XPS 15 has a uniform look that is unmatched among 15-inch laptops.

And the XPS 15 doesn't just look good. It's also rock-solid without bending, bending, or twisting in the lid, keyboard deck, or case. The machined aluminum combined with the carbon or fiberglass gives the XPS 15 a feeling of durability that you won't find in many other laptops. The Specter x360 15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 are just as stiff, but I can't think of any other 15-inch laptop that feels this solid. Even the hinge on the XPS 15 works better than most, making the laptop easy to open with one hand and still keeping the display firmly in place. These are all traits shared with other XPS laptops like the XPS 13 and XPS 17, and it is evident that Dell has paid a lot of attention to making laptops that exude quality.

If the XPS 15 has one weakness in design, it's connectivity.

The XPS 15 is also a remarkably small laptop for such a powerful device that is narrower than the Specter x360 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3. Thanks to the larger 16:10 display, it's a little deeper than the Specter and it always is even thinner than the ThinkPad, even if you take into account the traditional 16: 9 panel of this laptop. The XPS 15 is 0.71 inches thick compared to the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 at 0.72 inches and the Specter x360 15 at 0.79 inches.

Finally, the XPS 15 with the OLED display and 86 watt-hour battery weighs 4.31 pounds, compared to the Specter at 4.23 pounds and the ThinkPad at 3.75 pounds. Overall, that makes the XPS 15 a smaller laptop that is a bit heavier and feels tighter in the hand, which isn't a bad thing with these weights – none of these laptops are particularly heavy for larger machines.

Left side view of the Dell XPS 15 OLED notebook. Two micro USB ports.

Right side view of the Dell XPS 15 OLED notebook. Micro USB port and SD card reader.

If the XPS 15 has one weakness in design, it's connectivity. You'll only find three USB-C ports, two with Thunderbolt 4 support, a full-size SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Dell includes a USB-C to HDMI and USB-A adapter, which is a plus, but it's unfortunate to need dongles at all. However, the SD card reader will be welcome to developers compared to the microSD card readers you typically find on modern laptops. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 provide wireless connectivity through the Killer AX1650 chipset.

power

You can configure the XPS 15 with a range of Intel 11th Generation H-Series processors, from the Core i5-11400H to the Core i9-11900H. My test device was equipped with the Core i7-11800H, a fast 8-core CPU with 16 threads that has proven itself well in other devices, along with 16 GB of RAM (up to a whopping 64 GB can be configured) and a 512- GB PCIe solid state drive (SSD and up to 4 TB can be ordered). Two SSD slots mean you can install two 4TB SSDs for a total of 8TB of storage.

You'll also find a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU inside, which lives on the lower end of the RTX line but still beats the integrated graphics many times over. You would expect this combination to work well for demanding tasks like video editing and others that appeal to both developers and productive users.

The XPS 15 performed admirably in our benchmarks. We didn't do all of the testing with the 2020 XPS 15, but where we overlap, the new model is faster. That is to be expected. The new XPS 15 does not dominate our comparison group, but it is right at the front. It does particularly well against the XPS 17, which benefits from a larger case and even better thermal than the very well constructed XPS 15.

Dell XPS 15 OLED laptop sits on a small table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

If you look at the CPU-intensive benchmarks, our handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video in H.265 and Cinebench R23, the XPS 15 competes strongly with the XPS 17 and the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. The Ryzen chips are fast on CPU-intensive tasks, and so the XPS 15's score here is impressive. When you get to the Core i9 model, you will likely outperform the Ryzen 7. The XPS 15 also scores well in the PCMark 10 Complete Benchmark, scores in the upper range of the laptops we tested and scores particularly well in the content creation part of the test.

In the Pugetbench test, which uses Adobe Premiere Pro for several brutal tasks, the XPS 15 got a score of 507. Dell equipped the XPS 15 with its power supply to optimize the CPU for less heat and fan noise while the performance limited or running at full speed in performance mode. In all of our other tests, the utility made no difference in performance, but in Pugetbench, the performance mode increased the score to 590. That's well below the 692 on the XPS 17 (with the faster RTX 3060) but closer to the 622 on the Legion 5 Pro makes the XPS 15, which benefits from both a fast CPU and a discrete GPU that can speed up some tasks in Adobe apps, a strong performer for Adobe developers – if not the most powerful we've ever seen.

Overall, the update to the XPS 15 has increased its performance enough to be worth the effort, and it's one of the faster 15-inch laptops you'll find – especially for such a thin and light device. Of course, it flies through productivity tasks and won't slow down no matter what you throw at it. As mentioned earlier, it works for both mobile developers and productive users.

Laptop 3DMark time spy Cinebench R23 Underdog bench 5 Handbrake
(Seconds)		 PCMark 10 Fourteen days
(1080p epic)		 Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Dell XPS 15 OLED 2021 (Core i7-11800H) 4540 1513/9979 1544/8299 101 6024 50 fps 73 fps
Dell XPS 15 (Core i7-10875H) 3860 n / A 1314/7549 122 n / A 60 fps 53 fps
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 7039 1525/10145 1568/8801 n / A 6209 78 fps 104 fps
LG gram 16 (Core i7-1165G7) 1390 1394/4137 1573/5454 213 4827 13 fps n / A
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Ryzen7 5800H) 9175 1430/11195 1460/7227 99 n / A 101 fps 114 fps

The RTX 3050 Ti installed by Dell in the XPS 15 is limited to 45 watts, although it is technically designed for 80 watts. Hence, it's not the fastest iteration of the chip you'll find. In theory, this limits performance, especially when gaming. In our tests, however, the XPS 15 did well and achieved 4540 points in the 3DMark Time Spy test. That's a solid result for laptops with the RTX 3050 Ti.

It managed 73 frames per second (fps) in Civilization VI at 1080p and ultra graphics, beating the Acer Swift X with the same GPU and a Ryzen 7 5800U at 66 fps and the 2020 XPS 15 at 53 fps. Eventually, the XPS 15 managed 50 fps at 1200p and epic graphics in Fortnite, oddly behind the 2020 XPS 15 but within a few fps of other RTX 3050 Ti laptops. Despite the slower clocked GPU, the XPS 15 is a good entry-level gaming laptop.

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Dell XPS 15 OLED screen.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Dell offers several 15.6-inch 16:10 displays for the XPS 15. You can choose between a Full HD + (1,920 x 1,200) non-touch display, a 3.5K (3,456 x 2,160) OLED touch display and a UHD + (3,840 x 2,400.) IPS touch display. The latter two support Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR) for excellent Netflix binging (though, read on). My test device was equipped with the 3.5K OLED display and it is stunning. Colors pop, black is ink, and it's bright enough to be used outside (though maybe not in direct southern California sunlight). I'm not sure why Dell went for the 3.5K resolution versus true 4K as the latter would be great for watching 4K HDR media, but the display is sharp enough for everything else you do want to use it. Subjectively, this is a great ad.

This is an excellent display that, with the performance of the XPS 15, does well for creators.

My colorimeter agreed. The colors were extensive with 99% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB and also spectacularly accurate with a DeltaE of 0.49 (1.0 or less is considered excellent). At 381, the brightness wasn't as high as some OLED displays, but that's nothing to complain about. The contrast was a gaudy 381.130: 1, which is what makes the inky black colors. Compare that to the AMOLED display on the HP Specter x360 15 and you'll find similarly wide colors and high contrast, though the Specter was a bit brighter at 405 nits and not as accurate at 1.29.

The 2020 XPS 15's 4K IPS display was just as colorful and almost as accurate at 0.65 and much brighter at 442 nits. The contrast was 1480: 1, high for an IPS display, but not as unearthly as the OLED panel on the XPS 15.

Subjectively or objectively, this is an excellent display that goes well with the performance of the XPS 15 for developers. It's also a nice display for the productivity worker who appreciates the rich colors and black text that contrasts against white backgrounds.

The sound of the XPS 15 is also impressive. Four speakers – two facing up flanking the keyboard and two facing down and to the sides – pump tons of volume without distortion. There's more bass than usual, and the mids and highs are clear and comfortable. This is the best set of Windows 10 laptop speakers I've personally tested, with only the MacBook Pro's speakers doing better. You don't have to worry about carrying headphones around unless you want your privacy – this audio system will be more than enough for your Netflix Bing and music listening needs.

Close up of the correct size speaker on the Dell XPS 15 OLED laptop.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard of the XPS 15 is spacious with large keycaps and light gray lettering. There's a lot of travel and a light touch that's consistent across the keyboard, though I found the punch-through action less snappy than I remembered it on the last XPS laptop I used, the XPS 13. There's a reason for this – the XPS 13 keyboard has less travel, so Dell tuned the mechanism in no time.

The XPS 15 has a comfortable feel that helps long typing sessions without fatigue, but I missed the XPS 13's precise responsiveness, but it's also faster and offers more feedback for each key press. Lots of people will love the XPS 15's keyboard, so I won't fault it, but it's not my personal favorite.

Image of the keyboard and trackpad of the Dell XPS 15 OLED.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The XPS 15's touchpad is huge by Windows 10 standards, thanks to the ample palm rest offered by the taller display and Dell's decision to fill most of it with touchable surface. It's fun to use, with soft-click buttons and a smooth glass surface that feels incredibly large. Of course, the touchpad supports Microsoft's Precision drivers, so Windows 10's multi-touch gestures are reliable and responsive. It's the best touchpad you'll find on a Windows 10 laptop (alongside the XPS 17). Additionally, the OLED display is touch sensitive, and I appreciated that as I tapped the on-screen buttons with my thumb and scrolled long web pages.

Passwordless login under Windows 10 Hello is provided by a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button and an infrared camera for facial recognition. Both worked perfectly, logging me in the minute I hit the power button if I walked that route or as soon as I woke up the laptop if I turned on face recognition.

Dell does not offer a webcam privacy option. That's a shame because the feature has become standard on premium laptops.

Battery life

Close-up shots of the bezels and screen of the Dell XPS 15 OLED.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Dell has reduced the maximum battery capacity on the new XPS 15 design from 97 watt hours to 86 watt hours, but the usable battery life has even improved in some areas. In our web browser test, the XPS 15 lasted over nine hours, while the 2020 XPS 15 only lasted seven hours in this test and was equipped with a 4K IPS display. With its 4K OLED display and 82 watt-hour battery, the Specter x360 15 only manages six hours. Yes, the display on the XPS 15 isn't quite 4K, but it's close enough that we shouldn't expect 50% more battery life. In the video test, which repeats a local Full HD Avengers trailer, the XPS 15 reached 11.15 hours. Many laptops exceed 14 hours on this test, but they don't have energy-hungry high-resolution OLED displays. And the 2020 XPS 15 managed just seven hours in the test, which means that the results of the new version are significantly better in comparison.

I also tested the PCMark 10 Applications Battery Benchmark, the best test for typical productivity battery life. The XPS 15 only survived this test for eight hours, less than what I expected given the results when surfing the Internet. We didn't test the 2020 XPS 15 with the benchmark and the Specter x360 15 got 6.5 hours. We don't have many other relevant comparisons, so 15-inch laptops with H-series CPUs and OLED displays, but to get an idea of ​​what's possible, the LG Gram 16 with a Core i7-1165G7 and WQXGA (2560 x 1,600) IPS display lasted a spectacular 17.8 hours in the test. In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which drives the CPU and GPU, the XPS 15 managed around 1.5 hours. This is typical of the more powerful laptops that we tested and showed that the XPS 15 kept up speed on battery power.

Overall, these results are pretty good for a machine the size of the XPS 15. It is quite possible to last a whole working day on a single charge, which I did not expect. Obviously, you'll need to have your charger handy whenever you're doing something intense, but for general productivity work, the XPS 15 is a surprisingly durable laptop.

Our opinion

The Dell XPS 15 is the best 15-inch notebook you can buy. In addition, it is one of the best laptops available today. It's beautiful, has a sense of quality the moment you touch it, and works extremely well. You will probably love the keyboard, you will definitely love the touchpad, and the 3.5K OLED display is great.

You could complain about the price, but that would be silly. Yes, the XPS 15 is expensive, but Dell obviously put a lot of engineering into making this luxurious, high-performance laptop – and it's well worth the money.

Are there alternatives?

In all honesty, there aren't many 15-inch laptops that I would recommend as serious alternatives. The HP Specter x360 15 performs well and has its own gorgeous OLED display if you want the flexibility of a 2-in-1 convertible, and it's less expensive. So there is a possibility.

You could step up to the XPS 17 and get even better performance, the same build quality, and a display that – while not an OLED – offers great colors, brightness, and contrast. It's expensive too, so keep that in mind when choosing.

If you really want to save money, you can also consider the HP Envy 15. It's also fast, with an even faster GPU and an AMOLED display that is just as good as Dell's OLED version.

How long it will take?

Forever. No, seriously, the XPS 15 will last you for as long as you want to use it, with a build that can withstand abuse and a configuration that will keep Windows 10 buzzing for years. If the configured 16 GB in our test device is not enough for you, you can upgrade the RAM to 64 GB and add a second SSD to expand the memory.

The one-year warranty is disappointing for such an expensive notebook, but it still offers on-site service.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you're looking for a 15-inch laptop that's as beautiful as it is powerful, you've come to the right place.

Editor's recommendations



07 Aug
Blog

Dell XPS 17 Review: A Mobile Workstation in Disguise

The Dell XPS 17 sits in front of a window.

Dell XPS 17 in the test: a camouflaged mobile workstation

RRP $ 2,800.00

"The Dell XPS 17 is unrivaled when it comes to extra-large, high-performance laptops."

advantages

  • Bright, beautiful screen

  • Fantastic build quality and design

  • Performance is impressive

  • Ultra-thin bezels

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

disadvantage

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Bad webcam

If you mainly work from home, the idea of ​​a large 17-inch laptop may sound attractive. The screens on these laptops are just inches smaller than some external PC monitors, wrapped in a single package that you can take with you on the go.

But the Dell XPS 17 is more than just that. It's a powerhouse in terms of performance and hopes to replicate not only the large-screen format of a desktop setup, but performance as well. The latest model comes with an Nvidia RTX 3060, an Intel Core i7-11800H and a touchscreen with 4K resolution. That particular configuration costs a whopping $ 2,800, but if you need the size and performance, the XPS 17 remains one of the best laptops you can buy.

design

The Dell XPS 17, opened in front of a window.

The Dell XPS 17 is a very large notebook. I'll start there as it's the most important feature of this laptop from the rest of the XPS range.

Apart from the XPS range, the size of the XPS 17 is unique. Other 17-inch laptops like the LG Gram 17 or the HP Envy 17 are much smaller than the XPS 17, but that's hardly a fair comparison. These laptops run on lower wattage processors and cannot be configured with high-end discrete graphics cards.

The XPS 17 has more in common with modern workstation laptops like the Asus ProArt studio books or the HP ZBook Fury 17. But even there, many of the options you find haven't been updated in a while and aren't nearly as slick as the XPS 17.

In terms of size (and performance), the Razer Blade 17 is the closest competitor to the XPS 17. The XPS 17 is slightly smaller in most dimensions than in thickness, where the two laptops are almost on par.

It feels high quality and looks elegant, just like other XPS laptops.

If you're looking for a bigger, more creative-facing laptop, chances are, 16-inch laptops are also worth considering. Laptops that fit into this category, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, the ROG Zephyrus M16, and the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, follow in the footsteps of the MacBook Pro 16-inch. The XPS 17 is thicker and heavier than most of these laptops, despite everything Dell has done to shrink the case, weighs 5.3 pounds and measures 0.77 inches thick.

But Dell has stuck to its guns with the XPS 17, making it a pretty unique offering in 2021. The larger screen with 16:10 aspect ratio makes the laptop appear even more expansive – even with the insanely thin bezels that wrap around the display.

The Dell XPS 17, open to reveal its carbon fiber palm rests.

The XPS 17 is heavier, wider, and thicker than the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and is larger in almost every way compared to the LG Gram 17. But size comparisons with laptops like this one are hardly fair, especially considering how much more power there is to pack into the XPS 17.

Otherwise, the XPS 17 looks almost identical to the XPS 15. While much of the internal structure is unique, the aluminum shell, ultra-thin bezels, and black carbon fiber palm rests will look very familiar. It feels high quality and looks elegant, just like the smaller versions of the same laptop.

It's one of my very favorite designs. I wish Dell offered the white variant (as seen in the XPS 13), but I'm not going to complain about the aesthetics. Since it was first launched, it's one of the best looking laptops you can buy.

Ports

The closed Dell XPS 17, held in one hand.

The Dell XPS 17 keeps its connections simple: four Thunderbolt 4 ports and a full-size SD card slot. These ports say a lot about where the XPS 17 gets its inspiration from and who it is primarily intended for. If you're frustrated by the limited ports in the MacBook Pro, the XPS 17 isn't of much help. It is noteworthy that there is no HDMI port or USB-A.

Fortunately, Dell includes a USB-C adapter with USB-A and HDMI for free, which makes me happy. Hard to complain with Dell doing the dirty work for you.

The full-size SD card slot is of course there for photographers and videographers. The ability to switch directly from a camera to a computer is extremely useful, even for hobbyists and amateurs. If you have one, your friends and colleagues with MacBook Pros will get jealous.

Keyboard and touchpad

No surprises – the XPS 17 has an excellent keyboard and touchpad. The keystrokes are bouncy and contain no nonsense about nonsense with low travel. Typing is quiet and comfortable.

The keycaps, however, are the highlight of the keyboard. They feel sturdy under the fingers instead of wobbly. I also love how big the keycaps are, leaving very little white space between the keys and nice wide keys on the sides. You can find wider shift keys on another laptop.

The touchpad is similarly wide. Rather than just using the same-sized touchpad on the smaller XPS laptops (as other manufacturers do), this touchpad was specifically designed to take advantage of the 17-inch form factor. The tracking is precise and the click is pleasantly quiet.

Display and speakers

The Dell XPS 17 is all about its screen. The 17-inch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is perfect for this size laptop. It offers a large workspace for expanding windows and multitasking. The resolution is 3840 x 2400, which is even more pixels than a standard 4K screen. The result is an extremely sharp display with a touch function.

The base model is a 1920 x 1200 model and does not come with a touch screen. It's a $ 400 difference in price, so choose wisely. I don't recommend going for 1080p resolution on such a large display as you start to pick the pixels.

Like the port selection, this high-resolution screen was designed with the creative in mind. It is a bright and colorful screen with almost perfect color saturation, reaching 100% in sRGB and 98% in AdobeRGB color spaces. The color accuracy is also on point and the maximum brightness was measured with 491 nits. It's a thoroughly bright, beautiful screen.

However, the temperature of the screen is rather warm. In many cases, the warmer tint is welcomed. But while watching videos or movies, I noticed some skin tones with a strange orange tinge. Dell only includes a single color mode in the Windows settings.

The 720p webcam, which is located in the frame above the display, is terrible.

Speaking of entertainment, the speakers are decent. I was hoping for more bass for a laptop of this size, but the XPS 17 offers a nice stereo image and can be quite loud without crackling. If you want to hear background music or podcasts while you work, these speakers should be enough without too much discomfort.

However, I have a lot of complaints about the webcam. The 720p webcam located in the frame above the display is terrible. It's part of the compromise with such a narrow top bezel. It gets you through the occasional video call, but if you have to be in front of the camera all day, this isn't the laptop for you.

perfomance

The Dell XPS 17 starts at $ 1,550. What you get in this base model is the Intel Core i5-11400H, integrated Intel UHD graphics, 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. This model is a bit cheaper, but does not rely on the strengths of the XPS 17.

With up to eight cores (and the addition of a separate graphics card), the Dell XPS 17 becomes a much more powerful performer. My device came with the Core i7-11800H, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia RTX 3060 and a 1 TB SSD. But in exchange for your $ 2,800, you get a laptop that excels at heavy-duty tasks like creative application performance and gaming.

Laptop 3DMark time spy Cinebench R23 Underdog bench 5 PCMark 10 Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 7039 1525/10145 1568/8801 6209 78 fps 104 fps
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-10875H) 5801 13876 1315/7959 n / A 82 fps 90 fps
LG Gram 17 (Core i7-1165G7) 1408 1312/3912 1503/4606 4880 13 fps n / A
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Ryzen 7 5800H) 9175 1430/11195 1460/7227 n / A 101 fps 114 fps

The XPS 17 was already a powerful laptop, but the jump to the RTX 30 series graphics increases performance. The benefits are easy to see when comparing the 3DMark results, with the newer model being 18% faster in the same test. You may write off the RTX 3060 compared to the 3070 or 3080 in gaming laptops, but the names can be misleading. The system can deliver 70 watts of power to the graphics card, which is more than what many non-gaming laptops can do. However, to put things in perspective, the Razer Blade laptops can deliver up to 100 watts of power to the graphics.

This leads to faster frame rates in the games I tested. Outside of the heaviest games, the XPS 17 can achieve over 60 fps (frames per second) in games with 1920 x 1200. Outside of a lighter, more processor-heavy game like Civilization VI, you won't be trying to play games in native resolution, of course. The 60 Hz refresh rate is also a limitation on how enjoyable the gaming experience will be. Because of this, it's not a laptop that should be bought primarily for gaming. But it's a bloody benefit, that's for sure.

The improved graphics as well as the better performance in creative applications. I tested the laptop's video editing capabilities in PugetBench's Premiere Pro benchmark, which tests everything from 4K video playback to timeline export. It outperformed the last Intel-based 27-inch iMac I tested, which had a desktop Core i9-10910. It is the top-scoring laptop that I tested in this benchmark, and you will likely see comparable performance in many other content creation applications.

Of course, processor performance is also extremely important in these tests, and the 11th generation Intel Core i7-11800H, the heart of the XPS 17, does admirably. The CPU hummed with around 3.2 GHz and occasionally increased up to 4.19 GHz. Its PCMark 10 results were fantastic, which tests daily tasks like web surfing, video conferencing, and spreadsheets. It should be noted, however, that laptops with AMD's Ryzen 5000 platform are just as strong in this benchmark, even with smaller 13-inch laptops like the Asus ROG Flow X13.

Much of the XPS 17's impressive performance comes from its good thermals. The surface temperatures never get too hot and the internal temperatures stay pretty cool. I noticed occasional jumps up to a maximum of 100 degrees Celsius (for both the GPU and CPU), but temperatures mostly stayed below 70 degrees for most of my tests.

Battery life

The battery life of the Dell XPS 17 is not that great. Dell packed a 97-watt-hour battery inside – you can't safely pack a much larger battery. Still, you shouldn't expect all-day battery life. The combination of large, high-resolution screen, 45-watt CPU and RTX graphics are all power guzzlers and show how long the battery will last.

The laptop lasted a little over five hours in our light web browser test. It did much better on video playback, where it took nearly 10 and a half hours while a 1080p movie trailer repeated until it ran out of battery. It's unusual to see such a large discrepancy between these two tests, but no matter what you do, you can't expect the XPS 17 to last a full day on a single charge.

The 1080p model with no RTX graphics will of course likely last longer. The XPS 15 also gives you a few hours more battery life.

Our opinion

That Dell XPS 17 is in a class of its own. If all you want is a big screen, the price and size of the XPS 17 may be excessive. However, if you need a bigger screen and extra performance, the XPS 17 is hard to beat.

Are there alternatives?

The next real alternative to the Dell XPS 17 is the Razer Blade 17. These are the only two 17-inch laptops that can be configured with powerful graphics, 4K screens and powerful 45-watt processors. The Razer Blade 17 is more expensive, however.

The LG Gram 17 or HP Envy 17 are both cheaper and more portable options, but they can't be configured as high as the XPS 17.

If you like the design and performance of the XPS 17, then you should also consider the smaller XPS 15. It's a little cheaper, has better battery life, and is easier to carry around.

How long it will take?

The Dell XPS 17 should last four or five years if you look after it. The model offers the possibility of exchanging components such as RAM, memory and the Wi-Fi card. Dell also allows you to add tons of RAM or storage during configuration – but it costs you extra. The XPS 17 can be configured with up to 64 GB RAM and a 2 TB SSD via Dell's own store.

Should you buy it?

Yes, especially when you can take advantage of the extra power and brilliant screen.

Editor's recommendations



30 Mar
Blog

Dell XPS 8940 SE Desktop Review: The Do-It-All Home PC

dell xps 8940 se desktop review 2

"Dell's midrange GPU still delivers over 80% of the performance of the flagship GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card, saving customers a ton of money."

  • Chic aesthetics

  • Good balance between performance and price

  • 4K games in a compact design

  • Easy way to get an RTX 3070 despite a GPU shortage

  • No Ryzen configurations

  • Limited expandability

If you need a work-from-home desktop, you've probably considered the Dell XPS desktop at some point. It's neither for hardcore gamers nor as boring as a normal office tower. Don't forget, however, that this is XPS, a premium brand that is highly regarded in the laptop space. So the question is whether the XPS desktop strikes the same balance between excellent design and impressive performance.

To find out, I looked at the latest iteration, the XPS 8940 SE desktop, which is the white version of the standard black model. Prices start at $ 649, but my updated configuration rose to $ 2,136 because of the Intel Core i7-10700K, Nvidia RTX 3070, and 32GB of RAM.

Aside from problems with GPU supply, Dell offers numerous upgrade options to get a system that does as much as you need it to be. This makes the XPS Desktop a versatile champion for homes, dorms, and even games and moderated creative endeavors when it has top notch chores. the-line specifications.

design

The XPS 8940 is available either in a subtle night sky black or in the chic mineral white color of our Special Edition configuration. It's a new look for the line and definitely an improvement overall. It's a simplified and modernized design as long as you know what you're getting into. Compared to the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop from Dell, the XPS foregoes the pronounced curves and strong contours of its premium sibling in favor of a traditional and decidedly box-shaped design.

Although the sharp lines and angular design of the XPS desktop create boring images of a corporate desktop, it looks less conservative than it appears in the mineral white color. The top half of the front is surrounded by a slightly curved, smooth plastic plate that houses the optional optical drive – a rarity even for desktops these days – as well as a power switch and vertically oriented ports, one of which is a USB-C port for a little future security.

Immediately below the curved plate is a flat and slightly recessed perforated grill in the lower half of the front panel of the XPS Desktop. This lower panel adds not only a bit of texture to an otherwise muted design, but also a bit of visual interest. The special edition white shade enhances the overall aesthetics of the desktop. The perforated plate can resemble a car panel and give the desktop a modern and contemporary look in a minimalist structure. However, you can also feel equally comfortable in a summer house, as the lattice can also be seen as a modern reinterpretation of sugar cane or rattan furniture in this setting. I wish the plastic plate on the front was a bit higher quality as it feels hollow and light to the touch.

The sides of the XPS Desktop consist of color-coordinated metal plates, which are connected at the top with an off-center seam. The left cover can be easily removed with a couple of thumbscrews on the back, making upgrades and repairs relatively easy. The solid metal sides – instead of a clear tempered glass side window – help ensure that the XPS Desktop's design is conservative enough to be used in a more professional office setting, as there is no attention-grabbing RGB lighting coming from inside the tower.

And without the distraction of clear panels, Dell was able to focus its engineering efforts on function rather than form. Cable management is still tidy despite the lack of a window design, but the layout of the interior is rather sparse without many details or RGB lighting. The nice thing about it is that Dell did an excellent job with cooling and airflow. While the XPS isn't as whisper-quiet as a fanless laptop – like Apple's MacBook Air – the fan noise is very quiet and not distracting. The Dell desktop has a single fan in the case and two fans to cool the GPU. The CPU, meanwhile, uses a twin-tower style air cooler. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it does the job.

Ports and Connectivity

I really appreciated that the ports are split between the front and back, which is both easy to access and easy to manage cables.

On the front, you'll find a full-size memory card reader, headset jack, and four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, including three Type-A ports and a single Type-C port. It's nice that Dell has a Type-C port on the front that can be used to quickly connect or charge modern smartphones. The optical drive can also write to Blu-ray discs.

On the back you will find four more USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, all of type A, as well as two additional USB 2.0 ports. There is a Gigabit Ethernet socket as well as sockets for headphones, microphone and audio output.

The motherboard has its own HDMI and DisplayPort. However, since the desktop comes with its own GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, you should use either the line HDMI or three DisplayPort video outputs to connect an external display.

Expandability

Dell's use of proprietary components can make this rig less attractive to enthusiasts. The tower's compact size of 19 liters also means that Dell used a dedicated motherboard, so upgrades (aside from RAM and storage) could become more difficult as the system ages.

However, if you're a data hunter, the good news is there are two empty 2.5-inch drive bays to add more storage space. Installing more space should be fairly easy, even for a novice PC.

Dell Special Edition XPS Desktop RTXChuong Nguyen / Digital Trends

Despite its small size, Dell was able to put a full-length GPU under pressure in our test unit. The graphics card occupies both the PCIe x16 slot and the expansion slot for graphics cards with double width. However, upgrading to an RTX 3070 can be pointless. The desktop can also accommodate additional PCIe x1 and PCIe x4 cards.

There are some limitations with this desktop. The first is that while the 500 watt power supply is sufficient for this class of graphics, upgrading the power supply for more powerful graphics is a challenge. Do-it-yourselfers are limited by the space available for the power supply at the bottom of the case. The bigger problem, however, is using a proprietary Dell 6-pin connector to power the motherboard. This means that if you want more powerful graphics, you'll have to resort to an external power supply and plug cables into the inside of the case as a clumsy workaround.

The cables inside are neatly arranged – wires generally snake across the top, down the front, and flow down to where the power supply is located. Cables are bundled with a few zip ties, but you won't find the sleek cable management systems found in premium boutique buildings. It's not a complete mess which is good.

performance

Our Special Edition XPS Desktop, priced at $ 2,136 configured, came with a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10700K processor, though Dell didn't overclock the CPU straight away, paired it with a mid-range Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU and 32 GB memory. Given that the XPS lineup is rounded off with an RTX 3070, customers looking for something higher – like an RTX 3080 or RTX 3090 – will have to switch to the higher end Alienware Aurora Desktop in the Dell lineup.

Although Dell recently introduced a minor performance update to its XPS desktop by offering 11th Gen Intel Core configurations, AMD gamers will have to look elsewhere as well. In particular, Dell doesn't include builds with Ryzen processors, although some limited configurations come with Radeon graphics. Wish there were more different builds, but the performance I got with the 10th Gen K-Series processor on our Special Edition test unit is more than for most gaming, creativity, and productivity tasks suitable, and even gamers will be satisfied with the agility of this desktop with a few upgrades.

The XPS scored a little more than 7,300 points in our PCMark 10 test, which is what you can expect from the Intel Core i7-10700K. The performance of the XPS desktop is expected to be lower than that of a system with a Core i9-10900K configuration, but better than a rig equipped with AMD's Ryzen 9 3950X, such as the Ryien-powered Aurora R10 AMD Edition from Alienware.

The Core i7 is more than capable of handling most of the tasks I asked it to do, and Dell's K-series variant offers strong performance at a cheaper price. Similar to PCMark 10, the Core i7-10700K achieved a single-core score of 1,355 points and a multi-core score of 9,034 points. These values ​​mean that the i7 lags behind the Core i9-10900K and i9-10900KF processors, but only to a negligible extent.

In the synthetic Geekbench 5 benchmark, the XPS desktop score shows that the 10th generation Intel processor can maintain its multi-core performance compared to the new M1 processor from Apple on the Mac mini desktop. The single-core value of the Mac Mini of 1,707 points is above the XPS desktop, but the Apple desktop was almost 1,700 points behind Dell's offer in the multi-core test.

The XPS Desktop achieved competitive single and multi-core results in the Cinebench R23 test compared to other Intel processors, scoring 1,311 and 13,586 points, respectively. As with the Geekbench 5 scores, this means that the M1-powered Mac Mini performed better on the single-core Cinebench R23 score, but Intel is maintaining its multi-core performance for now with a margin of 42% over that M1 processor.

For everyday tasks, the system can handle multiple browsers with multiple tabs open, Microsoft Office applications, and creative software such as Adobe Creative Suite without noticeable delays or delays. Some more demanding games started a little faster on the better Core i9 processors. However, this is only noticeable if you can compare both systems side by side.

The XPS Desktop comes with two drives. This strategy allows Dell to provide the largest amount of storage at a lower cost and free up space for additional drives. Inside, in addition to a 3.5-inch 2TB hard drive, is a primary 512GB NVMe solid-state drive that plugs into the only M.2 slot on the motherboard. With the solid-state drive, the speeds were very fast. You want to keep your apps and games that you need most on the 512GB drive and reserve the more spacious 2TB for less frequently used digital files.

The performance of the Core i7-10700K in our Blender test shows that it lags behind the more powerful Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 9 5900X CPUs in the BMW benchmark. In fact, the rendering performance of the Core i7-10700K is similar to that of the AMD Ryzen 7 3800X and Ryzen 7 3800XT.

In the classroom benchmark, the performance of the Core i7-10700K is very similar to that of the Core i9-9900K, although the rendering time was a bit longer than the AMD Ryzen 7 2800 X and XT series. Upgrading to a 10th generation Intel Core i9 would help reduce rendering time even further.

Graphics performance

Despite a build that only comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, the XPS desktop isn't a problem. The RTX 3070 can handle most of the 4K games you throw at it. Most players will choose this card well as it can handle modern titles with ease. Dell equipped our test device with a 500 watt power supply that is powerful enough for this GPU configuration. Hobbyists who want to upgrade to more powerful graphics, however, are limited by the power of the power supply.

In our 3D Mark benchmark, the Fire Strike score of the XPS Desktop of 61,213 points and the Time Spy score of 12,489 points are ahead of the previous generation RTX 2080 and within striking distance of the premium GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. This is in view of the The middle position of the RTX 3070 in Nvidia's RTX 3000 series is quite an achievement. For comparison: The RTX 2080 scored just over 11,500 points in the Time Spy test, while the RTX 2080 Ti scored in the mid-13,000s.

The RTX 3070's performance in creative tasks is similar to its graphics performance. In our PugetBench Premiere Pro benchmark, the XPS Desktop value of 689 is again behind the performance of the RTX 2080 Ti and ahead of the RTX 2080. Compared to the almost 800 mark of the 3070, the performance is around 85% more expensive siblings. This card should be able to easily complete photo and video editing tasks for most home users.

This card should be able to handle photo and video editing tasks with ease.

Given the lower price in the Nvidia product range compared to the premium RTX 3080, it's hard to complain about Dell's decision to buy the RTX 3070, as this card can still achieve frame rates of more than 100 frames per second (fps) 4K. The RTX 3070's strong performance is reason enough for avid gamers to upgrade to the latest GeForce generation if they come from an older GPU.

In fast-paced games such as Epics Fortnite, the RTX 3070 ran at 120 fps in ultra game settings, although a reduction to high game settings increases the frame rate to a whopping 187 fps, which is a jump of 55%. In 4K, the frame rate drops to just 63 fps in Ultra and 110 fps in High settings.

This compares to the RTX 3080's 78 fps performance in Ultra at 4K and the RTX 2080 Ti's performance of around 55 fps. Here, the RTX 3070's performance is roughly 81% of the RTX 3080's, and this year's midrange card outperformed the previous generation's 2080 Ti by 8 fps.

In more graphics-intensive titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the RTX 3070 had a little more problems due to the limited hardware capabilities of the GPU and the fact that this card only contains 8GB of GDDR6 RAM compared to 10GB of GDDR6X memory on the flagship RTX 3080. This one Game was played at 74 fps in 1440p and only 48 fps in 4K with the RTX 3070, with the quality of the game set to Ultra. On a system with RTX 3080, the game never dropped below 60 fps in the Ultra settings at 4K. Players who play titles with more sophisticated graphics rendering should keep the resolution of 2K 1440p or UWQHD.

The RTX 3070 manages to handle Battlefield V, a demanding title, relatively easily and to achieve over 80 fps in Ultra settings at 4K. The performance jumps to 140 fps when you zoom out to a resolution of 1440p. With Battlefield V, Nvidia's latest midrange range outperforms the flagship of the previous generation, as the RTX 2080 Ti was only able to express 76 fps in 4K, while this year's RTX 3080 ran at 97 fps.

In Civilization VI in the Ultra settings, the game clocked consistently more than 100 fps in 4K. If you're a gamer who plays less demanding titles, even the graphics capabilities of the RTX 3070 may be over the top.

Our opinion

The Dell XPS 8940 Desktop offers a good balance of performance, performance and price in a stylish and compact tower. In a sea of ​​boring, office-oriented PC towers, the XPS has just enough design finesse to make it stand out. It's an excellent work PC and, with the right configuration, a powerful slot machine. If you want a desktop that you don't have much to do with, the XPS 8940 is the best option you can buy.

Are there alternatives?

While the XPS Desktop isn't billed as a gaming rig, it's versatile enough to compete with other creative workstations as well as gaming-forward PCs. Competitors include the powerful Lenovo IdeaCentre 5i, which, like the Dell, is available for an affordable $ 499. Unlike the XPS, however, the IdeaCentre isn't as good for gaming as it doesn't offer an option for a discrete GPU. As a result, the Lenovo desktop is better suited for office work, web browsing, and light gaming. Creatives in need of more graphics power should probably turn to the company's Legion desktop line of products.

The HP Omen 25L is another big competitor to the XPS desktop. The Omen 25L offers a more compact footprint than the larger Omen 30L, a gaming-forward window design, RGB backlighting, and more configuration options. The smaller omen only comes with an RTX 2000 GPU. So if you need more modern 3000 series graphics, you'll need to upgrade to the Omen 30L. At $ 1,999, the similarly configured HP system with a slightly better Core i9 processor in a larger size is slightly cheaper than our test device.

How long it will take?

Given the power and performance of the XPS desktop, this rig will provide years of work productivity and gaming fun. The ability to update key components such as the motherboard and GPU is more limited due to Dell's use of proprietary components. So be sure to select the build you want at the time of purchase. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) applies to the ability to upgrade this system.

Dell offers a standard one-year warranty with its Premium Support and Premium Support Plus packages with the option to upgrade to packages with longer coverage, add accidental damage, and perform at-home repairs. Extended coverage starts at $ 179 for two years of service, although a four-year plan with accidental damage coverage and automated virus removal costs $ 679.

While premium coverage may seem like a decadent addition to a desktop that's less prone to damage than a laptop, those working from home amid the global health pandemic may want to turn to Dell's technicians for some IT support.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It's not for the die-hard PC enthusiast, but it's a fantastic desktop tower for the average buyer.

Editor's recommendations




19 Nov
Blog

Dell XPS 13 9310 Review: Tiger Lake Perfects Perfection

Dell XPS 13 9310 Featured Image

Dell XPS 13 9310 review: Tiger Lake perfects perfection

"The XPS 13 9310 with Tiger Lake isn't so much faster than the Ivy Lake version that you'll be forced to upgrade, but it solidifies the XPS 13 as the best there is."

  • Optimized design

  • Tiny bezels all around

  • 16:10 display increases productivity

  • The keyboard and touchpad are larger and excellent

  • Solid productivity performance

  • Connectivity is limited

  • The battery life has been downgraded

I've checked many laptops for digital trends over the past few years and it has been great. There was a loophole in my experience though – I'd never had the chance to review a Dell XPS laptop, which was pretty disappointing. So imagine my excitement when I was assigned the Tiger Lake upgrade of the Dell XPS 13 for review.

I got a fairly high-quality configuration of the XPS 13 9310 for $ 1,550 – the base price is $ 1,150 – with an 11th generation quad-core Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB PCIe -Solid-state drive (SSD) and a 13.4-inch full HD display in the new 16:10 aspect ratio from Dell. I know that my editor Luke Larsen loves the XPS 13 and has consistently rated it as the best notebook on the market. I asked myself: would I feel the same way?

design

Dell XPS 13 9310 designMark Coppock / Digital Trends

OK, after spending some time with the new XPS 13, I get it. The latest versions are really well designed laptops. I say this because I haven't had a chance to spend much time with one until my test unit arrived, and while I trust Luke to do a thorough and accurate review, it's the rare laptop I believe will earned the perfect score he assigned the last version.

From a design point of view, it's perfectly proportioned and just enough aesthetic elements are mixed in to enhance the otherwise simple design. Compared to the HP Specter x360 13 (in my opinion the strongest competitor of the XPS 13) with its gem-carved design and outstanding color schemes, the XPS 13 looks serious. While I love the HP and actually consider it one of my favorites, I can appreciate what Dell has done with the XPS 13 as well. There is no unnecessary line or angle on the case of the laptop – it just looks right. My test device is the arctic white model with a woven fiberglass palm rest that is not only comfortable but also looks good. The new aluminum strips on the sides add a little flair, and the tiny bezels that wrap around the display thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio are as modern as possible.

And yes, the build quality is excellent. The laptop feels just like a premium laptop – although it's made from different materials like glass, metal, and fiberglass, it's all somehow fused into one cohesive whole. There's nowhere to bend, twist, or bend. Other laptops, like the Specter x360 13 and competitive Asus laptops, can boast the same thing, but there's no doubt that the XPS 13 is firmly anchored among the best of the group. That includes you, MacBook Pro.

Dell has also gone to some extra effort to ensure durability, such as: B. by double dipping the aluminum on the side during anodizing so that you don't scratch the surface every time you connect a peripheral device. The hinge can be easily opened with one hand and then tightened at the right moment to hold the display firmly in place.

Compared to the previous XPS 13 (not the last version, but the previous one), the laptop is 0.58 "thinner than 0.62", which is significantly thinner than the 0.67 "of the Specter x360 13. It comes with 2.8 pounds versus 2.7 pounds the smallest bit heavier than the previous generation, and the Specter x360 13 outperforms both at 2.88 pounds. To be honest, these are tiny differences. If you hold the XPS 13 next to the Specter x360 13, you'll find that it's only the smallest bit deeper and the smallest bit less wide. In practice, they are essentially the same in how small they feel when you carry them around and use them on your lap.

I'm going to criticize the XPS 13 a bit for its connectivity, which only includes two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support (in the Tiger Lake manifestation) and a microSD card reader. The Specter x360 13 also offers you two Thunderbolt 4 ports (in the latest version) and a USB-A 3.1 port for your older devices. Make sure you carry around the included USB-C to USB-A dongle, which Dell throws in the box. Of course, there is also Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 to make sure your wireless connection is as up-to-date as possible.

performance

Dell XPS 13 9310 performanceMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Will Tiger Lake Make the XPS 13 a Faster Laptop? The answer is of course yes. How much faster? That is the more important question.

Starting with Geekbench 5, the XPS 13 equipped with a Core i7-1165G7 achieved 1,540 points in the single-core test and 5,432 points in the multi-core test. This is comparable to the Ivy Lake Core i7-1065G7 version with 1,329 and 4,862. So this is a significant leap. The Specter x360 13 with its Core i7-1065G7 only managed 1,164 and 3,981 and was therefore significantly slower. Note that you can use the HP Command Center utility to enable performance mode. This affects the performance of the Specter x360 13. HP has been a bit conservative in tuning the thermals to ensure the 2-in-1 stays cool and quiet.

It took the Tiger Lake XPS 13 a little over three minutes to complete the test with the older version of the handbrake that we used to test the Ivy Lake XPS 13, which only required one test another eight seconds. Switch to Dell's performance mode and you'll save 10 seconds less than Tiger Lake. The Specter x360 13 took a full 5.86 minutes in normal mode and 3.9 minutes in performance mode. If we examine the results of the Tiger Lake XPS 13 on the newer version of Handbrake, it's faster than 10th generation CPUs.

While the XPS 13 in this version took 3.35 minutes to complete the process in this version, the Surface Book 3 13 with the Core i7-1065G7 took almost four minutes. The XPS 13 also beat some other Tiger Lake laptops, like the Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA, which took four minutes longer in normal mode and 30 seconds longer in performance mode than the XPS 13 in performance mode, which took a little over three minutes to complete. The Acer Swift 5 was only three seconds slower in normal mode than the XPS 13 in performance mode (the Acer utility's performance mode actually made things slower). In summary: The Tiger Lake XPS 13 was fast in our handbrake test, but not the fastest and not much faster than the Ivy Lake version.

I also ran Cinebench 20 on the Tiger Lake XPS 13, which we didn't run in the previous version. Here it scored 518 in single-core mode and 1,921 in multi-core mode (the increase was marginal in performance mode). This is a bit behind the Acer Swift 5, which manages 542 and 2,091, and just behind the faster Intel reference laptop we tested with the higher-clocked Core i7-1185G7. However, the XPS 13 was much faster than the ZenBook 14 UX425EA, which reached 498 and 1766 in performance mode – despite the ZenBook's thicker case and theoretically better thermals.

In short, the Tiger Lake XPS 13 is an absolute performance upgrade, if not enough to upgrade if you are happy with the performance of your Ivy Lake XPS 13. If you choose among the current Tiger Lake laptops, however, the XPS 13's performance is so good that you don't have to sacrifice speed just to get the fantastic design of the laptop.

display

Dell XPS 13 9310 displayMark Coppock / Digital Trends

One of the biggest changes to this iteration of the XPS 13, both the Ivy Lake and Tiger Lake versions, was the transition to a 16:10 aspect ratio from the usual 16: 9. The value of such movement is triple. First, you get a bigger display that shows more information with less scrolling, albeit with the trade-off between a little bit of letterboxing in the video. Second, you can fill an entire ad with actual screen real estate, leaving little or no chin under. Third, if you get it right, you can increase the amount of palm rest, which is always good.

In the case of the XPS 13, all of these things are true. The way I used it, I liked the larger display just as much as I did when I used Microsoft's Surface devices with an even larger 3: 2 aspect ratio. Is it a deal breaker for me? Not really – the difference isn't that big. The XPS 13 certainly has the smallest bezels you'll find, and that includes the chin, which is just as small as the other three sides. Third, the XPS 13 has larger palm rests and a slightly larger touchpad, both of which are very welcome changes.

My test device was equipped with a Full HD + display (1,920 x 1,200), which was a bit of a disappointment for me given my preference for high resolutions. I've also found that most Full HD displays (or something like that) are of significantly lower quality than the 4K displays that companies like Dell build into their laptops. So I wasn't expecting the best news from my colorimeter.

As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, the display is very bright at 458 nits and approaches the display's 500 nits rating. The contrast ratio is also high at 1350: 1. That's a lot better than most of the Full HD displays you'll find, like the Acer Swift 5's 14-inch, 327-nit, 950: 1 contrast ratio, Full HD display. I won't go with that Compare the Specter x360 13, because the version we tested used an OLED display that blows the Dell display out of the water.

The color support was average for a premium Full HD display. The panel covered 98% of sRGB and 75% of AdobeRGB. Both are great results, but don't come close to any of the better 4K displays you can buy. For example, choose the XPS 13 4K display and you will likely get a little north of 90% AdobeRGB, which makes creatives happy. The color accuracy was good with a DeltaE of 1.36 – less than 1.0 cannot be differentiated with the human eye and is the standard for professional displays.

In real use, the display was a pleasure. The brightness and contrast made black text pop off the page, which is incredibly important to me as a writer. I found the colors natural and more than vivid enough, but then again, I don't edit photos and videos. If you do, the 4K display will make you happier. Finally, watching Netflix was a great experience thanks to the support of Dolby Vision which continues to provide the best HDR experience in a laptop.

Audio was a nice surprise too, with lots of volume coming from the down-facing speakers and no distortion. The mids and highs were fine, and there was even a hint of bass. You won't be using the internal speakers to share Netflix with friends, but that's enough for solo sessions.

Keyboard and touchpad

Dell XPS 13 9310 keyboard and touchpadMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Dell has integrated a keyboard with larger keycaps and better spacing between the keys in the new XPS 13 and has retained the same travel as the older keyboard. For these reasons alone, I liked it better. But I also liked the switches, which provided a snappy feel and comfortable floor movement. Finally, another Windows 10 keyboard catches up with the HP Specter keyboard as my favorite – it's a virtual connection. Only Apple's Magic Keyboard on the latest MacBooks is better.

The touchpad is also slightly larger and has a convenient glass cover. The buttons click quieter than before and, like all Microsoft Precision touchpads, are responsive and precise. There's also a touch display, which like all touch panels today, works well and made me happy (I hate non-touch displays after getting used to tapping and swiping over the display).

Windows 10 Hello support is provided in two ways. First, a fingerprint reader is built into the (strangely unlabeled) power button on the top right of the keyboard. It was quick and responsive, and I prefer fingerprint readers built into the power button. Second, a very slim infrared camera is built into the tiny bezel above the display, which detects my face with absolute reliability.

Battery life

Dell XPS 13 9310 battery lifeMark Coppock / Digital Trends

There is one area where the Tiger Lake XPS 13 lags behind its Ivy Lake predecessor: battery life. I can't explain why – I didn't conclude that Tiger Lake had poor battery life, but then again, our database of 11th generation machines remains quite small. Although the XPS 13 9310 has the same battery capacity as the 9300, namely 52 watt hours, the 9310 fell significantly behind in the tests we were able to run.

As with every other Tiger Lake laptop I've tested, the XPS 13 wouldn't complete the Basemark web benchmark test, which is our biggest claim. Instead, I ran PCMark 10's gaming battery test, which put a strain on the CPU and GPU, and found it lasted almost four hours. The Acer Swift 5, the other Tiger Lake machine I tested with PCMark, lasted just under two hours. The XPS 13 beats at least one Tiger Lake rival when stressed.

The Tiger Lake XPS 13 lasted 8.5 hours and has now moved on to our web benchmark, which serves as the best estimate of battery life productivity. This corresponds to Intel's Evo certification requirement of nine hours of battery life in practice. With the right mix of tasks, you might be in the right place. The Ivy Lake XPS 13 lasted 11.5 hours and the Acer Swift 5 fell 35 minutes behind the XPS 13 9310.

Next, I ran the XPS 13 through our video loop test, which played a Full HD Avengers trailer until the battery ran out. It took 12 hours, well behind the 14.3 hours of the Ivy Lake XPS 13 and ahead of the 11.5 hours of the Swift 5. I won't bother including the Specter x360 13 in this comparison – the OLED display is incredible hungry for performance and cannot keep up with these Full HD laptops.

Ultimately, the XPS 13 9310 will likely get you through a full day of work and it is close to meeting Intel's nine-hour Evo certification requirements. As always, when you squeeze the CPU and / or GPU you get less, but for general productivity tasks, I rate the battery life as good, not great.

Our opinion

The Dell XPS 13 9310 with Tiger Lake remains the best laptop you can buy, despite the shorter battery life. It's just as good as its predecessor in terms of design, input options, and general usability, while also being a bit faster.

It's not the cheapest laptop, and as we found in the XPS 13 9300 review, you can find some great alternatives if you're on less than $ 1,000. However, if you are looking for a 13-inch clamshell laptop, the XPS 13 9310 is your best bet.

Are there alternatives?

The HP Specter x360 13 remains a strong competitor to the XPS 13 and is now available in the same tiny and eye-catching package with Tiger Lake. You'll also save hundreds of dollars over the equivalent XPS 13. You can also consider the Specter x360 14, which uses an even more productivity-friendly 3: 2 aspect ratio for its display and outfits Tiger Lake components for roughly the same price as the one XPS 13.

We recommended the MacBook Air as an alternative, but that's now made more difficult by Apple's migration to its own Apple Silicon M1 CPU, which completely changes the game. We'll check that out soon. So hold on to see if it's a viable alternative to the XPS 13.

Finally, Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 is a laptop to consider because of its similar price, weight, and thickness. It uses the 3: 2 aspect ratio, making it more productive. And it's a great looking laptop to boot into.

How long it will take?

The XPS 13 9310 has an impressive build quality that inspires confidence in years of reliable service. The components are up to date and should be able to keep up the hum. The one-year warranty is industry standard and, as usual, is disappointing. However, you can always purchase an extended warranty if you are concerned about long term coverage.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The XPS 13 9310 is still the best laptop out there.

Editor's recommendations




04 Jul
Blog

Dell XPS 17 Review: Leaving The MacBook Pro In The Dust

"The Dell XPS 17 is a remarkably small 17-inch laptop with incredible performance."

  • Almost perfect screen

  • Incredible performance

  • Four Thunderbolt 3 ports

  • Keyboard and touchpad are excellent

  • Surprisingly small

  • Disappointing battery life

  • Expensive

If you told me that you bought a 17-inch laptop in 2020, I would call you crazy. There are only a handful of 17-inch laptops, and with the good 15-inch laptops, they are hardly worth your time.

That said, unless you're talking about the new Dell XPS 17. Unlike most 17-inch models, the XPS 17 is more than just a large screen. It increases performance. Serious performance. The kind that even the XPS 15 cannot offer.

I expect a lot from a laptop that costs nearly $ 3,000, but with the Nvidia RTX 2060 under the hood and a sprawling 17-inch screen, this could be the ultimate content creation workstation.

design

17-inch laptops are massive. This is one of the reasons why they have gone out of style. However, Dell engineers and designers always strive to ensure that the laptops are as small as possible, and these principles apply here too.

The case is only slightly larger in width and depth than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. You won't notice a big difference if you push it into your backpack even though you have an inch more screen. I was surprised to see that the XPS 17 fits in the pocket of my backpack, which is only suitable for laptops up to 15 inches. This is impressive.

As always, the screen bezels on the laptop are key. With thinner edges around each side of the screen (including the lower chin), the XPS 17 can reduce its overall footprint. The display feels full. It's not as big a difference as upgrading from XPS 13 to XPS 15, but every inch counts. You will appreciate the extra screen, whether you are playing, editing videos, or just scrolling a website.

If you don't use a mouse often, you will appreciate the spacious and responsive touchpad.

Thickness is the only dimension in which the MacBook Pro 16-inch is even smaller. It measures at 0.64 inches and weighs 4.3 pounds. The XPS 17 is slightly larger at 0.77 inches and weighs 4.65 pounds. That's up to 5.53 pounds for the touchscreen option. It's not easy, although the new Razer Blade Pro 17 is still almost half a pound heavier.

However, if you've already seen the new XPS 15, nothing will surprise you. Many of the same design elements have been adopted into the larger form factor, including the keyboard, touchpad, 16:10 aspect ratio, and carbon fiber fabric in the palm rests.

The keyboard and touchpad are highlights. If you're like me and don't use a mouse often, you'll particularly appreciate the spacious and responsive touchpad. The click is quiet and the tracking is almost perfect. The loose mechanism in my test device of the XPS 15 was fixed in the XPS 17.

Ports and connectivity

Connectivity has been added to highlight the "Pro" nature of the Dell XPS 17. It has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, two on each side. That means you have access to display output, superfast transfer speeds, charging, and more.

These are two more Thunderbolt 3 ports than the Dell XPS 15 and even a 16-inch MacBook Pro with a full-size SD card slot. Photographers and videographers should be enthusiastic.

If you come from an older XPS, MacBook or even Razer Blade, older ports may be missing. If you need HDMI or USB-A connections, you have to rely on dongles or a Thunderbolt 3 hub.

The XPS 17 also features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, the latest wireless connections designed to provide strong network performance and a reliable Bluetooth connection.

performance

The Dell XPS 15 is already an extremely powerful laptop. When I heard that the XPS 17 would improve things a bit, I was curious how this could be achieved. After all, the two laptops have the same processor options. The basic model includes the Intel Core i5-10300H and extends to the Intel Core i9-10980HK with eight cores.

The Core i5 model only has four cores and integrated graphics, so you shouldn't expect anything special in terms of performance. It starts at $ 1,372, more than a base XPS 15, and you pay for the bigger screen. Laptops like the LG Gram 17 or the HP Envy 17 follow this approach – and remain relatively niche products.

The processor performance is not found in smaller laptops like the Dell XPS 15.

However, the processor used in my test device was the Intel Core i7-10875H, an 8-core piece of silicon. Together with 32 GB of RAM, the XPS 17 achieved impressive results in Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R20. It is 8% faster in the multi-core Cinebench R20 than in the 16-inch MacBook Pro with Intel Core i9-9980HK. Geekbench 5 single-core is also 9% ahead.

Laptops with the AMD Ryzen 7 3800H or the Intel Core i9-10980HK offer a slightly faster processor performance. However, a Core i9 variant of the Dell XPS 17 will close the gap. In the meantime, this upgraded Core i7 is very powerful, even for content creators, developers, designers, and anyone else running heavy-duty applications.

However, processor performance is not something you cannot find in the XPS 15. For me alone, this does not justify the larger space requirement and the higher price of the XPS 17. The graphics hardware is a different story.

Graphics performance

The Dell XPS 17 features a brand new heat solution that uses a combination of steam chambers and a redesigned airflow system. Better cooling enables the use of more power-hungry components like the Nvidia RTX 2060. We're not talking about a powerful graphics card for such a thin and light laptop.

The XPS 17 outperforms the Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti of the XPS 15 in 3DMark Time Spy by 35%. It's even on par with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a gaming laptop that uses the same RTX 2060 GPU. In contrast to the XPS 15, which always had limited gaming performance, the XPS 17 is a fully-fledged gaming laptop. It plays Assassin's Creed Odyssey at 41 FPS (frames per second) at 1080p and ultra detail, and this is an extremely challenging game. That's 37% better than the XPS 15 and just a few frames behind the ROG Zephyrus G14.

Of course, performance in lighter games like Fortnite, which was playable at almost 60 FPS, even held up to 1440p with Epic graphics settings. If you want to connect an external monitor with a high refresh rate, you can even enjoy frame rates of up to 116 at a resolution of 1080p with settings for high details. Of course it's not a good experience at 4K, but that's not surprising.

The XPS 17 had similar frame rates in Battlefield V. 4K is prohibited, but the 1440p gameplay was smooth and looks crisp.

The lack of a higher refresh rate or G-Sync support is the only function missing in the gaming experience. Limiting the frame rate and enabling V-Sync is probably the best way to avoid screen tears in most games, but it's not quite the experience of a high-end gaming laptop. As much as I wish all new laptops had 120 Hz or 144 Hz screens, we are not there yet.

But here, too, the XPS 17 is not labeled as a gaming laptop, and these inflated graphics have many other uses. It is blown through 3D modeling and AutoCAD and is an extremely powerful option for video editing.

The Dell XPS 17 cannot stand the performance of the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch.

I tried some video renderings in Adobe Premiere, in which the graphics card can be fully used on some laptops. The XPS 17 was one of the fastest laptops in our test that exported a two-minute 4K video clip to ProRes 422. The task was completed in just five minutes and 47 seconds, and the XPS 15 was exceeded by three minutes. With an Intel Xeon processor, you might get more out of a chunky workstation, but the two are hardly worth comparing.

The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch doesn't hold a candle for the XPS 17 despite the recent graphics card upgrade. The only device that could hardly beat in this test was the Microsoft Surface Book 3 15. In this 2-in-1 Device, the graphics card is in a separate housing. It's not a fair fight, but it shows how powerful graphics cards can be if the software is optimized for them.

The new Razer Blade Pro 17 can outperform it as a video editing option when it launches later this year. It offers the same eight-core processor in addition to the much more powerful Nvidia RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics card. I won't know for sure how it will work until I test it myself, but the specs look promising.

The base model of the XPS 17, of course, uses built-in Intel graphics, which means that you can't expect to be a slot machine. There's also an option for an Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti graphics card if you want a little more performance at a lower cost. The GTX 1650 Ti option can serve you well if you want to play games with medium detail settings.

Display and speakers

Like the Dell XPS 15, the XPS 17 offers two display options. One is 1,920 x 1,200, which comes in the base model. It's more pixels than a standard 1080p screen, but most people will want to choose the 3840×2400 display. It is almost perfect. It's the most color accurate screen I've ever tested, and its color gamut is up to 96% in the Adobe RGB color space. Not even the MacBook Pro 16-inch can compare it, although it is known to be a leader in picture quality.

The XPS 17's 4K display never has as high a brightness and contrast ratio as an OLED screen, but the XPS 17 isn't a problem there either. The contrast ratio is 1530: 1, which makes it a beautiful screen for games and films and produces a wide range of color depths. With a maximum of 491 nits, I never had a problem with screen glare even when working outdoors.

The speaker grille is larger, but the sound itself is not.

I had high hopes for the rest of the multimedia experience on the XPS 17. Like the XPS 15, the speakers are hidden under a series of laser-cut holes on the keyboard deck. Here the speaker grille is larger, but the sound itself is not.

The audio of the XPS 17 sounds almost identical to that of the XPS 15, which offers a little bass and a decently rounded sound profile. It's better than many laptops, even expensive options like the Razer Blade Pro 17. But do they compete with the MacBook Pro 16-inch or even the MacBook Air? Unfortunately not. The bass and the abundance of audio quality are simply not there.

Battery life

I didn't expect the Dell XPS 17 to offer good battery life. Most laptops with 4K screens don't last long on a single charge, and adding an extra 5 cm screen doesn't help. I didn't expect it to be that bad.

Despite a massive 97 watt-hour battery, the XPS 17 only lasted about four and a half hours on my normal day of use. My workflow is not overly large and mainly consists of web applications, dozens of tabs, and video or audio streaming.

If your workload is simple, endurance will improve significantly. In our video playback test, in which a local 1080p video is repeated until the battery is empty, the XPS 17 took almost seven hours. But in everyday use, the MacBook Pro 16-inch will still outlast it.

I also tested it on the Basemark 3.0 web benchmark, which simulates battery life and puts a heavy load on the CPU at the same time. The XPS 17 only lasted three hours. This is a poor score for a modern mainstream laptop and is more like dedicated gaming laptops.

Of course, if you choose a lower resolution screen, you should see at least a few hours of extra battery.

Our opinion

If the Dell XPS 17 had been nothing more than the XPS 15 with a larger screen, I would not have been impressed. However, if you're looking for absolute performance, there's a new king in town – and it's nowhere near as big as you might think.

It is not cheap and the battery life is disappointing. However, if you're looking for a sleek, professional laptop that can handle heavy workloads, the Dell XPS 17 is the all-in-one package.

Are there alternatives?

The MacBook Pro 16-inch is the main competitor of this laptop. However, it's more expensive and doesn't offer as powerful graphics performance.

The Razer Blade Pro 17 poses a major threat to the XPS 17. The updated model now offers the same eight-core Intel processor, but can be configured up to an Nvidia RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics card. It also has a much faster 300 Hz refresh rate screen for smoother games. The Razer Blade Pro 17 is bigger and heavier and can only be configured with a 4K screen starting at a whopping $ 3,800.

Finally, the Dell XPS 15 should be considered as an alternative. It's a little cheaper, smaller, has better battery life, and is still quite powerful.

How long it will take?

The Dell XPS 17 should last for at least five years. It is a well built and powerful laptop. However, you cannot update the memory or memory. There is also only a one-year warranty, although Dell offers an extended accidental damage service or premium hardware support up to four years.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Dell XPS 17 is an extremely powerful laptop specially designed for content creation.

Editor's recommendations




11 Jun
Blog

Dell XPS 15 (9500) Review: The Best 15-inch Laptop

dell xps 15 9500 review 2020 03

"The elegant design and impressive performance of the Dell XPS 15 make it an excellent choice for creative people."

  • Efficient design

  • An additional Thunderbolt 3 port

  • World class display

  • Excellent performance

Dell hit 15 gold with the XPS. It was the perfect alternative to the MacBook Pro 15-inch, a laptop with problems ranging from thermal throttling to unreliable keyboards.

But now that Apple has the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the ball is back on Dell's pitch. The new XPS 15 is the answer. With improvements to almost every aspect of the design, this is the biggest revision of the XPS 15 since its debut.

Is this the ultimate premium laptop for creative people?

design

Known and yet fresh. That's how Dell describes the new XPS 15, and I have to agree.

The look of the Dell XPS 15 has not changed in almost five years. It took a long time to redesign, especially with all the advances the XPS 13 has received over the years.

Almost every aspect of the XPS 15 has been updated in some way. The only design elements that have remained intact are the black carbon fiber fabric used in the palm rests and the aluminum on the lid. The use of aluminum and carbon fiber makes the XPS 15 look like an XPS product, but this is where familiarity ends.

The first thing you'll notice is the display. The XPS 15 now has an aspect ratio of 16:10 for a slightly larger screen. I really like this choice. It made a difference with the XPS 13, and with the larger XPS 15 it made an even bigger difference.

More screen and less wasted space are always good.

The screen measures 15.6 inches and offers a resolution of 3,840 x 2,400. That's more pixels than a conventional 4K screen and a higher pixel density than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Angry.

Of course, a bigger screen generally means a bigger laptop. Not here. Despite the larger display, the dimensions of the new laptop roughly correspond to those of the previous model. It still weighs only 4 pounds (or 4.5 for the version with the larger battery) and is 0.71 inches thick. More screen and less wasted space are always good.

This emphasis on efficiency also applies to other areas. The keyboard has a wider, more comfortable layout with larger keycaps and a lot of travel. The touchpad is significantly larger and now corresponds to the size of the MacBook Pro 16 inches. However, you don't need to worry about it being too big – the palm rejection is as good as it gets.

My device had a problem with the touchpad. When pressed, it moves slightly as if it were working, but does not register a click. I learned that I have to push harder for it to work as expected. It's annoying with an otherwise excellent tracking experience.

There's no question that some design elements of the laptop were inspired by the MacBook Pro 16-inch, but it doesn't feel like a copycat. The look is XPS through and through.

The port selection has been reduced this time and the HDMI and USB-A ports have been replaced by plenty of USB-C. Two of them are Thunderbolt 3 ports and one is a standard USB-C 3.1 port. Fortunately, Dell has kept the SD card slot, which is a great blessing for creatives. No doubt some of them will miss their old peripheral ports like a wired mouse, but more future-proof, more powerful ports like Thunderbolt 3 are never a bad thing.

Display and speakers

Dell boasted of its new speakers, which are now located directly on the keyboard deck. The placement offers a much more satisfying audio experience than in previous years, and more bass can be heard here than I've ever heard of an XPS product.

However, this doesn't mean that it competes with the MacBook Pro 16-inch. It still fades in terms of clear bass and full mids. The speakers of the XPS 15 are even thinner than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

If you are a video or photo editor, you will love this screen.

The display and speakers have been redesigned for the better. The larger panel that Dell chose is as good as they come. Although it is an LED (not OLED), 100% was achieved in both sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces. It also has one of the most color-accurate screens I've ever seen – even the MacBook Pro 16.

Although I miss the deep black and high peak brightness of the OLED screen (which is no longer on sale), this is still one of the best laptop displays I've ever tested. If you are a video or photo editor or even a graphic designer you will love this screen.

Of course, you do not get this high-resolution screen in the basic model. It's an $ 294 upgrade to make the 1,920 x 1,200 jump – but it's a must for creatives.

Battery life

Thanks to this insanely high-resolution screen, the battery life is impaired. Dell has put a large 86-watt-hour battery in this model, but the 4K + XPS 15 still only lasts about 6 hours with a light workload. Don't expect to spend all day outside of a store.

The 1080p version of the XPS 15 was a record for battery life in the past, but this 4K model sucks batteries away like no one cares.

It is particularly noticeable when you do hard work. I tested this with the Basemark benchmark, which puts a heavy load on the CPU, and it only took less than 3.5 hours. This is not uncommon for a 15-inch 4K laptop, but it is something you should be aware of.

Compared to the MacBook Pro 16-inch and other 4K laptops, the battery life of the XPS 15 is even.

performance

The performance of the XPS 15 has always been the most important feature. In contrast to laptops like the Surface Laptop 3 15 or the LG Gram 15, the XPS 15 is not just a larger screen. It is more power. It has a 45 watt processor with up to eight cores and 16 threads. It also has an option for a discrete graphics card and plenty of memory.

My test device came with the Intel Core i7-10875H, the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD. This, of course, is one of the high-end configurations that costs $ 2,200. That's expensive, yes – although it's $ 500 cheaper than a similarly configured 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The system measures quite well. In Cinebench R20 it stomps on the MacBook Pro 16-inch and the XPS 15 from last year. However, the gap in Geekbench 5 is even bigger. However, this lead does not hold up in real performance. It's 5% slower than the MacBook Pro in handbrake video encoding and 15% behind last year's XPS 15.

Video exports to Adobe Premiere Pro are a good challenge for both discrete graphics and a powerful processor. Rendering a 2-minute 4K clip for ProRes 422 took 8 minutes and 42 seconds. Compare this to the 9 minutes and 27 seconds for the Razer Blade, which is equipped with a six-core processor and a powerful Nvidia RTX 2070 for graphics.

It's a solid performance, though it's not earth-shattering. The XPS 15 that I tested last year did that in under 5 minutes thanks to the Core i9-9880HK. It was a faster, fully unlocked processor, and the 32 GB of RAM that was included in my test device didn't hurt either. The latest version of this unlocked 10th generation chip has not yet been shipped in the XPS 15, although Dell says it will be available soon.

While the XPS 15 is a powerful laptop, it is also a fantastic 15-inch laptop in general.

The Microsoft Surface Book 3 was another laptop that surpasses this XPS 15 in terms of video editing. Although there is only one quad-core processor, its powerful graphics dominate the Premiere rendering.

The XPS 15 costs from $ 1,300 for the base model, which gives you only a quad-core processor, integrated graphics and 8 GB of RAM. This model doesn't work nearly as well as the model I've tested, but should be more than sufficient for buyers who don't have a specific, demanding application in mind. While the XPS 15 is a powerful laptop, it is also a fantastic 15-inch laptop overall. The basic model is well suited for users who are looking for a first-class laptop for everyday use.

Gaming performance

The XPS 15 has never been a gaming laptop, and that hasn't changed. The system continues to prioritize processor performance, making the GPU not glow like a gaming laptop.

However, upgrading from the Nvidia GTX 1650 to the 1650 Ti offers a significant improvement in game performance that I was happy to see. It was 105 to 20% faster than the previous model and can play most games with at least 60 frames per second (FPS). In Battlefield V I had to reduce the settings to medium to get there, but in Fortnite and Civilization VI you can easily play at maximum settings and still get 60 FPS.

This is an important number because the screen is locked at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Anything over 60 FPS is not seen.

The only game that proved unplayable at maximum settings was Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Only 26 FPS were achieved with Ultra High, 47 FPS with High (the middle setting of the game).

There are many more powerful gaming laptops out there. Laptops with more graphics options like the Surface Book 3 or Dell G5 SE are also better gaming experiences. But for those who want to use the XPS 15 on the side for a couple of games, it's just the ticket.

Our opinion

The Dell XPS 15 is the best 15-inch notebook you can buy. The design is beautiful, the screen is out of this world and the performance is impressive. The eight-core Intel Core i7 model I've tested isn't the most powerful version of this laptop, but with the Core i9 on the way, the XPS 15 will likely be one of the most powerful video editing laptops you can buy. However, it is not cheap. To get a model that is similar to the model I tested, easily spend over $ 2,000 on the combination of a premium case, a color-accurate 4K display, and powerful fixtures.

Are there alternatives?

If you want an even more powerful XPS laptop, wait for the Dell XPS 17. Not only does it have a larger screen, it also has a powerful Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics card for even better performance.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch is a good alternative, although it's a little more expensive.

How long it will take?

The Dell XPS 15 should last for at least four or five years. From the components inside to the durability of the chassis, everything is first class. However, the guarantee has nothing special. It's still just a one-year standard hardware warranty, although Dell offers premium care packages like extended support up to four years or accident damage service.

Should you buy it

Yes. It's the best 15-inch laptop you can buy, and an excellent choice for creatives who need a lot of power under the hood.

Editor's recommendations




31 Mar
Blog

Dell XPS 13 (2020) Review: Laptop Endgame

"The Dell XPS 13 has been the best laptop you can buy for years, and it will continue to do so in 2020."

  • Beautiful design

  • Higher 16:10 screen

  • Almost frameless frame

  • Two Thunderbolt 3 ports

  • Larger keyboard and touchpad

  • Excellent performance

Two designs have defined the past decade in laptops. The first ten years were all about the MacBook Air, which dominated the first half of the 2010s and inspired a sea of ​​doubles. In the second half, however, everything revolved around the XPS 13 from Dell. A trend that is ubiquitous today began with the original laptop with a thin front panel and a small footprint.

However, after four years of iteration, Dell has invented something new. Something fresh. Something that takes everything I've loved about the design to a new era.

Don't call it a restart. This is the endgame of the laptop.

Design and display

More of what matters. That has always been the motto of the XPS team, but here it is more obvious than ever. It starts with the screen, which is now 13.4 inches in an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a little closer to the square than the conventional 16: 9. It is only 0.1 inches larger than previous versions, but it feels like it more. The 16:10 ratio means extra rows in my Word document, more rows in my spreadsheet, and fewer scrolls on a web page.

This results in black bars on most videos, which are usually formatted for 16: 9. However, for the person who spends most of their time on a laptop in work mode, this is a worthy compromise.

The 16:10 screen is the same one used on the XPS 13 2-in-1, which was already the leader in the class. It offers a brightness of 500 nits, one of the best contrasts I've ever seen, and excellent color accuracy.

It's sharp too. The resolution is 1,920 x 1,200, which means more pixels than on a typical 1080p screen. You will not select any pixels on it. So if you're not an image editor, you shouldn't have to choose the higher-resolution panel. The advantage of the 4K + screen is more than just the number of pixels – it also offers a wider range of colors.

It is not just the panel itself that matters. In this way, the lack of frames frames the screen. The top and sides are as small as ever, but now the lower bezel can join in. Dell uses a unique drop hinge that sits barely under the surface of the keyboard deck. A part of this bezel, which was already small, cannot be seen. It's a little trick to make the bezel look so much thinner. With the white model I tested, I made the decision to change the bezel color to black instead of white. It makes it even less pronounced.

Despite the slim bezel, Dell pushed its 720p camera module up and the nose cam is a thing of the past. It's not a great webcam, but it is enough if necessary. To use the space even better, there is now an IR camera for easy Windows Hello face recognition.

Keyboard and touchpad

When moving from the screen to the keyboard deck, the design continues to follow the philosophy "more of what counts". Not a millimeter of space was left on the keyboard deck.

The look of the keyboard can be inspired by the XPS 13 2-in-1 – if not in terms of feel. The keycaps are larger and each have less space. They now extend to the sides of the keyboard deck.

The power switch (and the integrated fingerprint reader), which used to be on the right next to the layout, is now integrated in the top right, as with MacBooks. Another small change to the layout, which I really appreciate, is the full size arrow keys left and right. Earlier XPS keyboards contained half-sized keys, with the gaps filled up and down. This often resulted in the page being accidentally skipped.

It has quickly become one of my favorite laptop keyboards to type on.

Part of the keyboard that I'm glad Dell didn't redesign it is the actual feel of the key press. Instead of following the path of the butterfly mechanisms (as with the XPS 13 2-in-1), they still have 1 mm of travel and a snappy mechanism. Since we saw that even Apple moved away from its own butterfly keyboards, Dell made the right choice here. It has quickly become one of my favorite laptop keyboards to type on.

The same applies to the touchpad, whose overall size has grown compared to the previous year. Dell has also worked to dampen the click mechanism to make it quieter. I would still prefer it to be softer, but the tracking and gesture support is excellent as always.

Ports and build quality

You will find major changes to the pages if you are familiar with the older XPS 13. Due to the nature of this edge-to-edge keyboard, there is no more space for connections next to it. There are only a few and they are now pressed as close to the back as possible. On the right side there is a Thunderbolt 3 port and the headphone jack. Another Thunderbolt 3 port and a microSD card slot are on the left.

This is a USB-C less than the previous model, which is shit. Dell is now at the Apple level of port selection and fits the MacBook Air in the USB ports. Unlike this device, I would rather have a Thunderbolt 3 port on each side than together. This makes charging easier, regardless of which side the socket is on. The HP Specter x360 swaps the additional Thunderbolt 3 port for USB-A to support older accessories.

Despite the overall stiffer feel of the XPS 13, it's now easier to open.

The sides are now covered with diamond-cut aluminum, which gives the frame a little shine and gives the workmanship overall a more stable feel. A thin layer of polycarbonate fibers covers the wrist-rest with its unique weave structure. Aside from the unibody aluminum design of the MacBook Pro, this model is well built as laptops come.

The extra aluminum adds only the slightest amount of extra weight, which is now 2.8 pounds. This corresponds to the weight of the MacBook Air and the HP Specter x360 13. At 0.58 inches, however, it is somewhat thinner than these two laptops.

Despite the robust feel of the XPS 13, opening is now smoother. What a relief. For years it was one of the few premium laptops that couldn't be opened with just one finger. One-finger opening is now easy, although I wish there was a lip to make it even easier.

performance

It's easy to look at a laptop's processor and call it good. However, the performance offers more than just a data sheet. The XPS 13 makes that clear. Despite using the same parts as other laptops, Dell has consistently worked to improve the performance of its components.

The same tricks play a role here, for example strips of Gore material with which the heat is dissipated. The processor is now upgraded to the latest 10th generation Intel Ice Lake chips.

Dell continues to raise the bar for performance.

That's not too exciting in 2020, but again, the XPS 13 beats its rivals in terms of single-core performance in Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R20. Even the 16 GB of RAM that was included in my test device was overkill for what most people will do with this laptop. (The Core i7 model I tested costs $ 1,250, but there will also be a Core i3 option starting at $ 999.)

This is one of the most powerful quad-core laptops you can buy, and it even shows the muscles in HandBrake video encoding. At the end of last year, Dell released an XPS 13 with a six-core processor, but this new model is only 7% slower in HandBrake. Impressive.

Yes, Dell continues to set the benchmark for performance. When you upgrade to the 4K + model, you have a premium photo editing laptop. That doesn't mean you should buy this laptop for 3D rendering or video editing, but for most tasks, you won't find a faster laptop of this size.

It should be noted that the $ 999 Core i3 with 4 GB of RAM is also available (although it is not currently for sale). This dual-core processor doesn't have nearly the same performance, although I haven't tested it myself. However, if you only need a laptop to surf the Internet, Microsoft Word and watch movies, the Core i3 is more than sufficient.

Intel's discrete graphics have improved significantly with Ice Lake, allowing the XPS to play 13 games. Type of.

Dell still pulls better frame rates out of these components than its rivals, but that doesn't mean it's a gaming laptop. Fortnite can be played in 1080p if you lower all settings. However, you need to cut it down to 720p to get smoother gameplay. Casual and less demanding games can be played well enough, but the Razer Blade Stealth 13 with an Nvidia GTX 1650 offers better performance.

Battery life

I have high expectations for the battery life of expensive laptops. Somehow the XPS 13 surpassed them. In our test for easy surfing on the Internet, it took over 11.5 hours. Laptops such as the MacBook Air, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the Surface Pro 7 were destroyed. It doesn't outperform the best of the best like the HP Specter x360 or ZenBook 13 UX333, but it's not far behind either.

Battery life always depends on what you use it for. At one extreme, the XPS 13 can take up to 14.5 hours to play video locally or 5 hours to do more difficult tasks. Consistent use throughout a working day should not be a problem for the average person.

If you buy the 4K + model, you can expect these results to drop by a few hours. This also makes this 1080p + model the ideal solution for most people.

Our opinion

The Dell XPS 13 is the best laptop you can buy. This has been true for several years and also in 2020. It's not an easy task if you make so many changes to an iconic design. The XPS 13 has slowly become a little more expensive over the years, but if you are that good, premium branding has been earned.

There's a good choice if you want to spend less than $ 1,000. For everyone else, the XPS 13 should be your next PC.

Are there alternatives?

There are some very close competitors to the XPS 13. If you are looking for a laptop with a 360 degree hinge, I recommend the HP Specter x360. It's small and nifty like the XPS and a little cheaper.

Another great option is the new MacBook Air. With quad-core processors and a better keyboard, it has regained the respect of previous Mac generations. However, it probably can't keep up with battery life, and performance still lags somewhat.

The Surface Laptop 3 from Microsoft is another interesting option at an affordable price, a tight thickness and a tight weight. It also offers a larger 3: 2 screen with a higher pixel density as long as you can carry the large frames.

How long it will take?

Thanks to its modern components and robust build quality, the XPS 13 is designed for durability. The standard one-year warranty is nothing special, but this laptop should last at least three or four years.

Should you buy it

Yes. It is the best laptop you can buy.

Editor's recommendations