- " Want a laptop with a great display, long battery life and strong performance? Dell’s revised XPS 13 is the real deal, and it’s even reasonably priced."
Two years ago, at CES 2012, a pleasant but rushed Dell rep met us outside the Sbarro in the Las Vegas Convention Center. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a black velvet case. Inside was the Dell XPS 13, a system that was among the first Ultrabooks to hit the market and among the first to employ carbon fiber in its chassis. Though the Dell rep went on to give us the lowdown on the XPS 13, he didn’t have to say a word. The system’s exceptional design spoke for itself.
Of course, that was two years ago, and the Ultrabook has changed since then. Prices have dropped, hardware has improved, and battery life has shot through the roof. Dell’s response has been to merely keep up with the pace of innovation. Hardware has improved, but the core chassis is the same system we first laid eyes on at CES two years ago.
This is a risky strategy, but Dell seems to think that there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken. Fortunately, Dell has at least dropped the price; the base model is now just $1,049. Meanwhile, our review unit, which includes a 1080p touchscreen, Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, is $1,299.
The question is, can this system’s aging design still hack it?
Old man XPS
The XPS 13 may be getting up there in age, but it’s aged pretty gracefully: Think modern day George Clooney versus current-day Val Kilmer (Sorry, Val. We loved you in Top Secret though!)
The XPS 13 is the pinnacle of design in the Ultrabook market.
The XPS 13 weighs three pounds, which is still respectable, and the chassis is no thicker than seven-tenths of an inch. On top of that, the XPS 13 simply looks good. The bezel is still thinner than most competitors, and the soft matte-black interior wards away fingerprints, yet feels great.
Dell’s success with this chassis is remarkable given how poorly the transition to carbon fiber has worked out for some other Ultrabooks, like Sony’s Vaio Pro 13. While Carbon fiber is technologically advanced, it often feels cheap when left on its own. Silver metal accents reinforce the XPS 13, so the notebook is rock solid no matter how it’s handled. Even the thin display allows only the slightest hint of flex.
Connectivity is a weak spot, however. There are only two USB 3.0 ports and mini-DisplayPort is the sole video output. A combo headphone/microphone jack rounds out the options. There’s no SD card or Ethernet, but 802.11ac Wi-Fi is supported.
Keyboard conundrum
Keyboard quality is an area where the XPS 13 hasn’t kept up with the pace of change. While it’s fine, with decent key feel and plenty of space, the keyboard lacks the pleasing, definitive key action found on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Retina or Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1.
Backlighting is standard and offers two brightness options. They’re fairly dim, and are superior when used in dark environments. Light leakage is a bit of an issue, however, as the LEDs beneath several keys have an unobstructed line-of-sight to the user.
Highs
- Strong, attractive chassis
- Thin and light
- Great 1080p display with record-setting contrast
- Excellent battery life
- Minimal bloatware
Lows
- Warm and loud under load
- Limited connectivity
For any help contact me at : ghulamahmed123@hotmail.com
