A high-end ultrabook that hits all the marks
The good: The well-made XPS 13 finally combines a current-gen CPU, high-res display, touch screen, and nearly everything else on our wish list.
The bad: For
the same premium price, you could get a MacBook Pro, ports are limited,
and the basic design hasn't changed in a couple of years.
The bottom line: Early
versions of the Dell XPS 13 had promise, but lacked must-have features.
Over time, the system slowly added a high-res display, then a touch
screen, making the new 2014 version an ultrabook that hits nearly all
the marks.
The first generation of the Dell XPS 13 was so obvious in its intentions, we gave it the nickname DellBook Air.
Since its 2012 launch, the XPS 13 changed in small but important ways, while keeping its slim silhouette intact. In the intervening years, ultrabook and ultrabook-style laptops have become commonplace, so at least the XPS 13 now looks a lot like many other laptops, not just Apple's.
I've liked previous incarnations of the XPS 13 well enough, but there were always a few missteps that kept it from being a top choice, usually because they left the system feeling like the last leg of the previous generation of hardware, not a high-end, high-price, cutting edge example of forward-looking technology.
The original 2012 XPS 13 was hobbled by a low-resolution 1,366x768-pixel
display (which also suffered from poor off-axis viewing) -- a notable
omission for a thousand-dollar laptop. Still, it was a slim, sturdy
laptop in a smaller-than-expected chassis for a 13-inch screen.
By 2013, Dell had finally added a full-HD 1,920x1,080 display. Unfortunately, the company missed the boat on that year's big trend, touch screens. Yes, that was a 2013 Windows 8 13-inch ultrabook that cost $1,300, but had no touch screen.
Can you see where this is going?
It's late to the party, to be sure. But the Dell XPS 13 is finally available with a 1080p touch display. It took too long, but give Dell credit for finally getting there. With this new addition, the XPS 13 is a great all-around very portable laptop, and in some ways, more useful than a 13-inch MacBook Air.
The price is still a point of contention. $1,049 will get you a non-touch version, which seems like a poor way to save a few bucks (I've got a $300 laptop with a touch screen sitting on our testing bench right now). This configuration, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, is $1,349. A premium price, to be sure, considering you can get the same specs for under $1,000, but the design and craftsmanship make it feel reasonable, if not exactly a bargain. A further upgrade to a Core i7 CPU and 256GB SSD takes you to $1,649.
The XPS 13's original pitch as a crossover business/consumer machine is still evident in its lack of an HDMI port (you get mini-DisplayPort instead), and its optional TPM/BitLocker support, but the small size, year-over-year upgrades, and a body that's closer to an 11-inch laptop finally move the XPS 13 into the top-tier of 13-inch ultrabooks.
Design and features
The silver aluminum look of the XPS 13 (largely the same at the 2012 original) is about as standard as laptops get, and frankly very MacBook like, which is usually the first observation out of anyone's mouth seeing it for the first time. In the intervening two years, so many new ultrabooks have followed a similar design strategy that the XPS 13 just looks like part of the pack now, and less tightly tied to Apple's design.
It also feels nearly bulletproof. The upper half is aluminum, while the base is carbon fiber. Of course, with a big sheet of Gorilla Glass covering the entire front panel, and the same components packed into a slightly smaller body, the system feels dense, and is heavier in the hand than you might expect.
The all-matte-black interior is minimalist, with only a large clickpad-style touch pad and Dell's standard island-style laptop keyboard. The backlit keys have the slightly exaggerated rounded corners we've seen on the last few generations of Dell laptops, and typing is pleasantly quiet. Your only complaint might be about the half-height row of Function keys, or that the more useful functions of those keys, such as brightness or volume control, require you to also hold down the Fn key to access.
Since its 2012 launch, the XPS 13 changed in small but important ways, while keeping its slim silhouette intact. In the intervening years, ultrabook and ultrabook-style laptops have become commonplace, so at least the XPS 13 now looks a lot like many other laptops, not just Apple's.
I've liked previous incarnations of the XPS 13 well enough, but there were always a few missteps that kept it from being a top choice, usually because they left the system feeling like the last leg of the previous generation of hardware, not a high-end, high-price, cutting edge example of forward-looking technology.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
By 2013, Dell had finally added a full-HD 1,920x1,080 display. Unfortunately, the company missed the boat on that year's big trend, touch screens. Yes, that was a 2013 Windows 8 13-inch ultrabook that cost $1,300, but had no touch screen.
Can you see where this is going?
It's late to the party, to be sure. But the Dell XPS 13 is finally available with a 1080p touch display. It took too long, but give Dell credit for finally getting there. With this new addition, the XPS 13 is a great all-around very portable laptop, and in some ways, more useful than a 13-inch MacBook Air.
The price is still a point of contention. $1,049 will get you a non-touch version, which seems like a poor way to save a few bucks (I've got a $300 laptop with a touch screen sitting on our testing bench right now). This configuration, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, is $1,349. A premium price, to be sure, considering you can get the same specs for under $1,000, but the design and craftsmanship make it feel reasonable, if not exactly a bargain. A further upgrade to a Core i7 CPU and 256GB SSD takes you to $1,649.
The XPS 13's original pitch as a crossover business/consumer machine is still evident in its lack of an HDMI port (you get mini-DisplayPort instead), and its optional TPM/BitLocker support, but the small size, year-over-year upgrades, and a body that's closer to an 11-inch laptop finally move the XPS 13 into the top-tier of 13-inch ultrabooks.
| Dell XPS 13 | Acer Aspire S7- 392-6411 | MacBook Air 13-inch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,349 | $1,399 | $1,099 |
| Display size/resolution | 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 touch screen | 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 touch screen | 13.3-inch, 1,440 x 900 screen |
| PC CPU | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 4200U | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 4200U | 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 4250U |
| PC Memory | 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz | 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz | 4GB SDRAM 1600MHz |
| Graphics | 1792MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 4400 | 128MB Intel HD Graphics 4400 | 1024MB Intel HD Graphics5000 |
| Storage | 128GB SSD hard drive | 128GB SSD hard drive | 128GB SSD hard drive |
| Optical drive | None | None | None |
| Networking | 802.11 a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 (64-bit) | Windows 8 (64-bit) | OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.4 |
The silver aluminum look of the XPS 13 (largely the same at the 2012 original) is about as standard as laptops get, and frankly very MacBook like, which is usually the first observation out of anyone's mouth seeing it for the first time. In the intervening two years, so many new ultrabooks have followed a similar design strategy that the XPS 13 just looks like part of the pack now, and less tightly tied to Apple's design.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
When lined up with other 13-inch laptops, you'll notice that the XPS 13
has a slightly smaller footprint. Dell says it's closer to an 11-inch
body, but with a larger 13-inch screen. I wouldn't go that far, but it's
definitely smaller than your average slim 13-inch laptop.It also feels nearly bulletproof. The upper half is aluminum, while the base is carbon fiber. Of course, with a big sheet of Gorilla Glass covering the entire front panel, and the same components packed into a slightly smaller body, the system feels dense, and is heavier in the hand than you might expect.
The all-matte-black interior is minimalist, with only a large clickpad-style touch pad and Dell's standard island-style laptop keyboard. The backlit keys have the slightly exaggerated rounded corners we've seen on the last few generations of Dell laptops, and typing is pleasantly quiet. Your only complaint might be about the half-height row of Function keys, or that the more useful functions of those keys, such as brightness or volume control, require you to also hold down the Fn key to access.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Wow, everything looks so amazing..!!sony mobiles
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