Dell Xps 13

Pros

• Stylish aluminium case
• 13-inch screen in a 12-inch body
• Very long battery life
• Great value

Cons

• Would like one more USB port
• Webcam in odd position
• FHD screen isn't the very best

Review Price £849.00

Compare all prices

Key Features: Sixth generation Intel Core CPU; Aluminium and carbon fibre body; Backlit keyboard

Manufacturer: Dell

What is the Dell XPS 13?

Mere months ago Dell wowed me with its first 2015 XPS 13 laptop. Featuring a slick design, powerful components and a beautiful display the XPS 13 waltzed in and won the coveted TrustedReviews Awards Best Laptop award.

In fact, the XPS 13 was so good that I couldn’t think of any serious ways Dell could improve it at the time. But with the new year approaching, Dell has done just that with its latest XPS 13 refresh.

Related: Best Laptops, Ultrabooks and Hybrids

Dell XPS 13 – Design

From a distance the XPS 13 looks identical to its predecessor, though this is no bad thing. The XPS 13’s metal frame and compact 304 x 200 x 15mm dimensions give it a sleek premium look that rivals Apple’s Macbook.

Dell’s InfinityEdge screen tech is another pleasing feature. This reduces the screen’s bezel size to mere millimetres and according to Dell makes the XPS 13 the “world’s smallest 13-inch laptop”.

I’ve not verified the claim, but can tell you that, compared to competing ultrabooks such as the Lenovo Yoga 900, the XPS 13 is noticeably smaller and more travel friendly. The non-touch model I reviewed fit neatly into my satchel and survived all the usual wear and tear expected of a laptop when dragged around London, with no scratches, chips or blemishes. The laptop’s 1.2kg weight – 1.29kg for the touchscreen version – also meant the laptop never felt like a burden to lug about.

Dell’s done a decent job of taking advantage of what little surface real estate the XPS 13 offers and has loaded it with a reasonable selection of ports. Along its right and left sides you’ll find two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI, headphones socket, Noble Lock slot, SD card reader and Dell Thunderbolt 3 connector.

In a perfect world I’d have liked to have another USB 3.0. But considering the laptop’s super-slim dimensions and the fact that most competing ultrabooks don’t feature three USB connectors, this is a very small qualm and the XPS 13 will meet most users’ needs.

The inclusion of the Thunderbolt 3 connector will be useful in the future, though it’s not really a big deal now. Thunderbolt 3 aims to offer radically better performance the competing USB 3.0 and USB C standards. The connector is the same shape as USB-C, but, on paper, offers data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps – four times the speed of USB-C.

Dell’s also managed to load more storage into its refreshed XPS 13 and is now offering it with 128GB SATA, 256GB PCIe, 512GB PCIe and 1TB PCIe SSD options.

My only other issue with the XPS 13’s design is that, once again, its front-facing webcam has been placed on the bottom left of the screen. It means whenever I take video calls on Skype or Hangouts, the person on the other end gets treated to a wonderful view directly up my nose.

Dell XPS 13 – Keyboard and trackpad

I found the backlit keyboard comfortable to type on despite the laptop’s slightly squished dimensions.

The keys have decent travel and a pleasantly reactive, tactile feel that makes typing smooth and pleasant. The backlight also ensures you can still type quickly when using the XPS 13 in dim lighting conditions – I used the XPS 13 at some poorly lit launch events without issue.

The carbon-fibre-esque finish around the keyboard further aids the laptop’s appeal, and acts as a comfortable place to rest your hands when typing.

The trackpad is fairly large, despite the XPS 13’s limited real estate. It’s also suitably reactive and in general I never had any issues using it.

Dell XPS 13 – Display

Dell’s offering the XPS 13 with a choice of two resolutions for its 13-inch display: FHD or QHD+. The QHD+ option also adds touchscreen functionality. Sadly I reviewed the more basic non-touch, FHD option.

I’d have liked to use the QHD+ version, but found the FHD to be still pretty good. To the naked eye icons and text are universally sharp. Viewing angles and brightness levels are solid and I didn’t notice any backlight bleed.

However, I did notice a couple of niggling flaws. Whites are suitably clean but blacks are not the deepest I’ve seen at this price point, while colours also don’t appear as vibrant or balanced as on some competing devices, such as the Surface Pro 4.

Whacking out my trusty X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter, my naked eye impressions of the XPS 13’s screen rang true. The screen features a warm 7971K colour temperature that’s well above the 6500k ideal. Its 2.13 Delta E – a measurement of the distance between colours – is also a little high. Ideally you want the Delta E to be floating around or below 1.0.

The screen covers 88.3% of the bog-standard sRGB colour spectrum, which is more than good enough for regular laptop users. But for designers, it covers a barebones 65.4% of the Adobe RGB – which is the standard used by most digital photographers and creatives. For serious photo editing or design work you want a display to cover at least 90% of the Adobe RGB.

Dell XPS 13 – Software

The XPS 13 comes preinstalled with the Home version of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system.

The OS is a marked step forward from Microsoft’s previous Windows 8 effort. It brings an enhanced, more robust security update cycle, improved user interface, with the much-loved Start button reinstated, and the Cortana digital assistant.

The only issue I had with the XPS 13's software stems from Windows 10's touch focus. It’s still quicker to enact various commands and actions using touch inputs than it is using the keyboard and trackpad. On a few more occasions than I’d like to admit, I found myself poking at the XPS 13’s non-touchscreen out of instinct.

This isn’t too big a problem, as Dell is offering a touchscreen option – though it will require you to shell out extra cash for it.

Dell’s also taken a pleasantly light touch with Windows 10 and hasn’t loaded it with excessive bloatware. There are a few custom apps installed, but in general they’re limited to things like McAfee Home Security and can be uninstalled. This makes the interface noticeably cleaner than competing consumer laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga 900.

Dell XPS 13 – Performance

Dell’s offering the XPS 13 in a variety of configurations. The unit I reviewed is powered by a sixth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 520 and 8GB of RAM. Those who wish to can upgrade to a more powerful core i7 processor and up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

The XPS 13 performed well during my standard set of benchmark tests. The laptop ran in with a 6242 multi-core score on Geekbench. On the GPU-focused 3DMark Cloud Gate benchmark the XPS 13 scored 5844.

The scores are a step up from Dell’s earlier XPS 13, which scored 5618 on Geekbench and 4835 on Cloud Gate. However, the scores put the XPS slightly below Microsoft’s stellar Surface Pro 4. The i5 version of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 scored 6727 on Geekbench and 6019 on Cloud Gate.

The XPS 13 is more than powerful enough for most users. Apps opened instantly and the XPS 13 ran most productivity apps, like Office 365, without issue. Gaming isn’t its strong suite, as is the case on all laptops with Intel HD Graphics. But the XPS 13 still proved capable of playing moderately demanding titles such as Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion – so long as the graphics settings aren’t cranked.

Dell XPS 13 – Battery

The XPS 13 is powered by a 56WHr Dell quotes as offering 18 hours of mixed use off one charge. I never once squeezed 18 hours of life out of the XPS 13, but found its battery is still pretty decent.

Using the XPS 13 as my primary work machine it easily breezed through a full work day and discharged 7-14% per hour. The day involved constant web browsing and word processing, occasional photo touch-up work and watching a couple of videos on Netflix during lunch.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/0000368e0/9a0f_orh616w616/Dell-XPS-13-flipped.jpg

More demanding tasks, like video streaming on Netflix, made a slightly bigger dent in the battery. Streaming video the XPS 13 lost 14-18% of its charge per hour. Gaming put a similar drain on the battery.

Dell XPS 13 – Sound

Laptop speakers generally aren’t very exciting, especially in small devices. Most small laptops I test have poor, underpowered speakers that offer tinny, unbalanced audio with close to no bass. The XPS 13’s stereo speakers don’t completely change this trend, but are pretty good by portable laptop standards.

The speakers don’t have terribly strong low end and do begin to distort when you crank them to their maximum volume. But they are more than good enough for watching Netflix or playing games. They don’t have the tinny, nasal quality I hear on most laptop speakers and at low to middle volumes offer reasonably balanced audio.

Should I buy the Dell XPS 13?

The first 2015 Dell XPS 13 was one of the best portable ultrabooks around. Offering a compact design, solid performance and comfortable typing experience, it was an exceptional mobile productivity aid.

As a result, it’s no surprise that the refreshed sixth-generation Intel-powered model is also excellent and easily outclasses competing ultrabooks, such as the Lenovo Yoga 900. If you want a portable laptop then you should definitely consider the XPS 13.

However, the basic £850 version's display isn’t the best I’ve seen. Those with the cash would do better to invest in the more expensive QHD+ touchscreen model.

If you’re not dead set on getting a proper laptop, there are also a number of convertibles at the same price point, like the Surface Pro 4, that are also worth a look.

Verdict

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best no-nonsense portable laptops around.

Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/dell-xps-13-2015-review-battery-life-performance-and-verdict-page-3#DAz4KBLaW2MUd1wQ.99