INTRODUCTION
The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best all-rounder laptops we have seen all year, and is sleek, powerful and speedy. Its phenomenal display and lightweight design make it a brilliant addition to the list of 2015 Ultrabook’s, and additionally a good choice for students looking for a new machine.
Whilst the size of the screen might be 13 inches, Dell has managed to fit it into the body of an 11 inch laptop, due to the extremely small bezel size. Our review kit was fitted with an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which was more than enough to cover everyday tasks such as using the Microsoft Office Suite, both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, and website browsing.
The XPS 13's professional design and eye-popping IPS display raise it up above similar Ultrabook’s in the same price range. Next, let’s talk about the design and specs of the system.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
One of the most impressive factors that is immediately apparent when using the XPS 13 is its light-weight body that can be held in one hand with ease. The machine resembles a MacBook Air, made from an aluminium base with a silver shine. After a month or so of taking the device to and from lectures, it has proved to be incredibly durable, picking up little to no dust or scratches.
The keyboard of the XPS 13 proves to be quite the dilemma, as whilst it is clicky and responsive, it does take a while to get used to, almost seeming cramped for people with larger hands, such as myself. On the other hand, both the latter and the palm rest are built with a suburb carbon fibre overlay that is a delight to rest your hands on. It managed to stay comfortable after numerous hours of use, avoiding the common discomfort of sweaty hands.
Dell has added a few premium design features to the XPS 13, helping to add to the slick design of the device. One of these is a small battery gauge button hidden away on the left side of the laptop, next to the headphone jack. When pressed, it tells the user how much battery life is remaining, basing from five small lights. Additionally, the device contains two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and the new USB-C port. It would have been nice to see a HDMI port on the XPS 13, but this could have compromised the thin size of the laptop.
Something that immediately blew my socks off was the sound quality and loudness of the two speakers, hiding on both sides of the machine. It pumps out audio that is crisp and delightful to the ear, proving to be louder than some of our personal speakers. This was definitely a stand out feature for the laptop.
VIBRANT AND COLOURFUL
The Dell XPS 13's close to bezel-less "infinity" display is gorgeous. It gives a full 13.3 inch experience whilst hiding away in the design of an 11.9 inch device. The display manages to cover 80% of the panel, an impressive feat for Dell. The miniscule bezels manage to immerse the user to a higher degree, especially in the realm of entertainment. As expected, everything from web browsers, to films, to games, manage to look crisp on the XPS 13.
Our review unit packed the 1920 x 1080 resolution, and whilst this was excellent on the display side of things, there were some scaling issues that occurred with certain programs. The unit came pre-loaded with Windows 10, and was automatically scaled to 150%, otherwise the text on the device would be un-readable. This caused some issues with Chrome, Steam, and Adobe Photoshop and Premiere, that actually made specific elements of text blurry/unfocused. Whilst certainly not a major issue, it did manage to annoy on multiple occasions.
The brightness of the screen is another huge plus, managing to be almost blindingly bright at 100%. Whilst studying or at lectures, I mostly set the brightness to 50%, whilst on the power saver mode, which dims it a bit more. This was perfect for an inside environment, and was also fine for outside use.
One of the issues with having a large display and a small device was the placement of the webcam, which Dell located in the lower left of the XPS 13. Whilst it has been hard getting used to, it has managed to be fine on the few occasions when I have used video chat on Skype.
DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER?
The size of the Dell XPS 13 is probably one of my favourite factors about the laptop, but also manages to be the bane of some small, niggling issues. Opening the device often manages to be challenging, with no opening slot to put your fingers in. At least however, the laptop doesn't manage to discriminate against people with no fingernails (such as myself).
As mentioned earlier, the keyboard has also managed to be cramped at times, as due to the smaller size of the laptop, the spacing between keys has decreased slightly. The space bar has also had some strange issues, not recognizing presses, and I have often had to press harder on this key specifically. I am unaware if this is a hardware issue, but I will update the review after the issue has been resolved.
Another personal complaint with the device was the trackpad. In my extended use of the laptop, I have found it to be overly sensitive from the smallest of movements, and this was irritating whilst using it for studying, or editing on the rare occasion that I didn't have a mouse. Over the course of the last month, it did get better usability wise, but I have still had these smaller issues over the course of using the unit.
DEVICE SPECS
CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.8 GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
RAM: 8GB LPDDR3 (1,866MHz)
Screen: 13.3-inch QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) InfinityEdge touch display
Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.0 w/PowerShare, 1 x USB Type C and Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader, headset jack
Connectivity: DW1820A 2x2 802.11ac 2.4/5GHz; Bluetooth 4.1
Camera: 720p widescreen HD webcam with dual array digital microphones
Weight: 2.93 pounds (1.32kg)
Size: 11.97 x 7.87 x 0.35 – 0.59 inches (W x D x H) (30.4 x 19.9 x 0.89-1.5mm)
The XPS 13 is priced at AU$1,999 (US$1,449, £1,149) for the unit we received, which was the mid-level device fitted out with the Intel i5-6200U, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 256 PCIe SSD. Personally, I would go for the mid-level device that we received, as the more expensive QHD touch screen has proved to drain the battery quite a bit faster, and the HD screen that we used was more than enough for the average user.
DAILY USAGE AND BATTERY LIFE
As well as being one of the user-friendly and light-weight laptops we've ever used, the Dell XPS 13 manages to be suitable for a wide variety of everyday tasks, such as the Microsoft Suite, internet browsing, and the Adobe Suite. For example, on multiple occasions I used Adobe Photoshop and Premiere to put together some new projects, and the laptop blew through these like a breeze.
Gaming wise, the XPS 13 will manage to play most of the more modern games you throw at it, at lower graphical settings and/or resolution of course. I played a fair bit of Life is Strange of the laptop, which seemed to run at a smooth framerate on medium settings, so that is always a plus.
The battery life has been relatively impressive, but there were a few occasions where it did run out earlier due to excessive use of Photoshop, or heavy duty web browsing. This however, was not a problem with the Dell Power Companion, a battery pack used to further extend the power of your device by a good 7-8 hours, when the pack is fully charged. I used this on multiple occasions, and was impressed by its usability, and impressive size and compact nature. On average, I received about a 6 1/2 to 7 hour battery life for the device, whilst on 50% brightness with power saver mode on. This could vary throughout the day though.
THE THINGS WE LOVED
The Dell XPS 13 is a laptop hard not to love, through its impressive screen, lightweight design, impressive specs and speedy processor. These all combine to create one of the standout laptops of 2015, beating out products such as the Apple MacBook Air, and the Lenovo ThinkPad. Keep an eye out for this one in the future, especially if you are a student at college or Uni.
THE THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED
Some of our complaints regarding the Dell XPS 13 included the wonky touchpad, the less spacy keyboard and some issues with different keys. Luckily, most of these issues will probably be fixed in the future, so as we get more information into this, the review will be updated.
MY VERDICT
Overall, the Dell XPS 13 is a magnificently designed wonder of a laptop that stands out above other brands due to its impeccable design by Dell. It is suitable for most people, and is efficient with its great specs, sure to impress the everyday user.