What are your thoughts on the Dell XPS 13?

[pgiguere1]

My thoughts:

- Pretty for a PC laptop but not as good-looking as a Mac
- Plasticky body
- 1366x768 display for 13" is poor for a PC this price
- Terrible viewing angles
- No SD card slot
- Sub-par battery life
- Thicker than MBA
- Crappy touchpad that can't detect multi-touch gestures properly

Ultrabooks are supposed to be high-end machines. Besides the weight and use of SSD, this laptop looks like a very cheap one. You'd be better off getting an Asus Zenbook if you want a Windows laptop that feels almost like a MBA, minus the backlit keyboard.

 

[Boe11]

Ultrabooks are supposed to be high-end machines.

I don't think that's true. They're marketed as mid-range machines, that's why if their price exceeds the 900-1200 range they're no longer considered ultrabooks by definition. Take the new samsung series 9 for example, Looks like an ultrabook but is actually a high end machine and not an ultrabook in class because of its price point.

 

[pgiguere1]

I don't think that's true. They're marketed as mid-range machines, that's why if their price exceeds the 900-1200 range they're no longer considered ultrabooks by definition. Take the new samsung series 9 for example, Looks like an ultrabook but is actually a high end machine and not an ultrabook in class because of its price point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook

Intel defines them as high-end subnotebooks. There is no maximum price for a laptop to be called an ultrabook, only minimum specifications.

The specifications, for a Sandy Bridge-based laptop, are:

- ULV processor
- Maximum 18mm thick for laptops 13.3" and smaller, 21mm for larger ones
- Minimum 5 hours of battery life
- Maximum 7 seconds to resume from hibernation

Ivy bridge-based laptops will also need a USB 3.0 port and SSD to be called ultrabooks.

The Samsung Series 9 is an ultrabook, while this Dell XPS 13 is not, according to Intel specifications, since it doesn't meet the battery life requirements.

EDIT: Actually, you can't get 5 hours of battery from a Samsung Series 9 either. I'm not sure if manufacturers need to prove it's possible for their "ultrabook" to have 5 hours of actual real-world usage, or they just need to claim it in their marketing.

Both get less than 5 hours of battery in reviews and are still listed on Intel's ultrabook list.

 

[Boe11]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/redesigned-samsung-series-9-laptop-announced/

engadget says the s9 isn't an ultrabook but rather a "premium, top-tier machine". You might be right, but I think we're in semantics territory. I've seen other videos reviews that indicated that the s9 isn't an ultrabook because of its higher price.

 

[KPOM]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/redesigned-samsung-series-9-laptop-announced/

engadget says the s9 isn't an ultrabook but rather a "premium, top-tier machine". You might be right, but I think we're in semantics territory. I've seen other videos reviews that indicated that the s9 isn't an ultrabook because of its higher price.

It's mostly semantics. Ultrabook is an Intel brand and they require use of a few Intel-specific technologies (such as some security technology that Apple does not use), as well as badging to qualify for the marketing support and use of the brand. The Series 7 and MacBook Air are Ultrabooks in all but name, and so is the s9.

Intel would like manufacturers to make Ultrabooks less than $1000, and to date there have been some, but it isn't a set requirement. Remember, they want to attract buyers to move up from the $350-$600 notebooks that are currently mainstream.

 

[LordVic]

EDIT: Actually, you can't get 5 hours of battery from a Samsung Series 9 either. I'm not sure if manufacturers need to prove it's possible for their "ultrabook" to have 5 hours of actual real-world usage, or they just need to claim it in their marketing.

Both get less than 5 hours of battery in reviews and are still listed on Intel's ultrabook list.

the battery thing is always going to be questionable.

Under certain usages you can definitely squeek longer times out than others. What' the criteria measured for battery usage. whats the standard testing?

for example, you claim that the XPS battery does not hit 5 hours. intel / Dell claim 8 hours. Engadget did a review yesterday and hit 4 hours and 58 minutes on their standard test, and managed around 6 hours while just using it normally with some battery tweaks.

The same issue even arises with the MBA. the 11 is quoted at what, 5 hours? somedays under heavy use i get 4, and when i'm just causually browsing / chatting while watching hockey i can easily get 6+ so which is it?

the other things such as measurements of chassis, processor limitations and the like make sense as they're easy to benchmark.

its that dang battery that just can't be done.


quite honeslty, aside from the glossy screen, and if i were in the market today for a $999 laptop (which i was in August 2011), i would likely have chosen the dell over the MBA.

if you comparison shop, the Dell at 999 provides more "bang for the buck" than the 11" MBA. the only real faulting of the Dell is again, that bloody screen. its the same resolution as the smaller 11" laptop at a bigger size.

- 1366x768 display for 13" is poor for a PC this price

how do you figure? the 11" MBA is 999 and has the same resolution screen.

- No SD card slot

the MBA 11" at the same price, yet again, does not have this either.

- Plasticky body

It's a carbon fiber body. if you confuse carbon fiber for plastic, I question your knowledge of materials. unless of course, you're just judging based on look and not actually having one in hand, in which case, you're not really in place to say "plasticy body"

 

[pgiguere1]

the battery thing is always going to be questionable.
[...]

the other things such as measurements of chassis, processor limitations and the like make sense as they're easy to benchmark.

its that dang battery that just can't be done.

I agree, there is no standard battery measurement method, and it's not even possible to have one if two computers don't run the same OS.

if you comparison shop, the Dell at 999 provides more "bang for the buck" than the 11" MBA.

That's only true if you're only comparing the internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD) for the price. Your productivity can also be determined by external hardware, like the screen resolution (more screen estate) and trackpad (time-saving gestures). The battery that lasts around an hour and a half more in the MBA should also make you more productive.

And considering the resale value of Macs, I'm pretty sure the cost of ownership of a MBA is lower than a Dell XPS 13 if you're gonna resell it, regardless of the original price.

how do you figure? the 11" MBA is 999 and has the same resolution screen.

1366x768 makes sense for a 11" screen, you have to consider pixel density. 1440x900 on a 11" MBA would have made text look so tiny than it would be pretty hard to read.

the MBA 11" at the same price, yet again, does not have this either.

In the 11" MBA's case, I'm pretty the limitation is not price, but room to fit a SD slot. I think it's more fair to compare the XPS 13 to the 13" MBA since it proves that it's possible to fit a SD card slot in a 13" thin laptop.

It's a carbon fiber body. if you confuse carbon fiber for plastic, I question your knowledge of materials.

Thanks for caring about my knowledge.

By the way, carbon fiber is reinforced plastic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-fiber-reinforced_polymer

It's harder to break because of the fibers inside and the term sounds cool and all, but what you're touching is still plastic that scratches easily and feels like regular plastic.

 

[Consultant]

At least Dell XPS 13 has the best trackpad on the market:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/03/06/dell-xps.php

 

[PaulNI]

I was all set to buy an Asus Zenbook UX21E, thankfully I had to contact Asus about a faulty graphics card I had.

It was like banging my head against the wall, passed around from person to person. Wasted hours getting nowhere, only wanted a RMA form to return the graphics card that was still under warranty.

That's my two cents, don't go with Asus because they don't have customer support plus they take days to reply to emails or just ignore you.

----------

You'd be better off getting an Asus Zenbook if you want a Windows laptop that feels almost like a MBA, minus the backlit keyboard.

But if you ever have a problem with the Asus Zenbook forget about sending it back because their customer support couldn't give a toss.

Kendo what about installing VirtualBox on your Macbook Air?

 

[pesos]

1366x768 nuff said. Too bad too, otherwise a decent machine. Sticking to the air for now.

 

[jterp7]

1366x768 nuff said. Too bad too, otherwise a decent machine. Sticking to the air for now.

yeah, right now the asus is the only pc that's worth talking about in the same sentence. The next gen is a worthy option especially with dedicated graphics plus 1080p IPS.

 

[entatlrg]

It's a poorly done, cheap knock off of the MacBook Air.

Really, the Air has been out three years or more? And this is the best competitors can do three years later, even when they had a working prototype to go by, LOL.

Nope, no innovating on Dell's behalf there, a few years of reverse engineering and mold making at best, what a joke.

If you see the XPS TV commercial at first glance you'd think it's for sure a MacBook Air.

Dell and most other companies should of been innovating designing their own thin and lights ... instead they all sit back and wait for Apple to innovate and a few years later out comes cheap, low quality copies. Pathetic isn't it.

Never buy the knock offs ... they always suck.

 

[Riker88]

I think you guys have missed one of the main selling points of this Dell. They have managed to minimise the screen bevel meaning that they have managed to fit in a 13 inch screen to a 11 inch chasis. I bought a MBA 11inch for portability but would be tempted to switch to the XPS if it means that I can have a 13inch screen for the same size as my MBA 11inch (I run OSX and Win 7).

 

[Geekbabe]

I'm most interested in getting my hands on one of the upcoming Ivy Bridge Zenbooks from Asus, the specs are drool worthy according to what I read over at the Verge. It will be interesting to see what product Apple responds with.

 

[pgiguere1]

I think you guys have missed one of the main selling points of this Dell. They have managed to minimise the screen bevel meaning that they have managed to fit in a 13 inch screen to a 11 inch chasis. I bought a MBA 11inch for portability but would be tempted to switch to the XPS if it means that I can have a 13inch screen for the same size as my MBA 11inch (I run OSX and Win 7).

That's pretty much BS. Look at The Verge's review. Its dimensions are actually closer to the 13.3" MBA than the 11.6" MBA. More like "A 13 inch screen in a 12.5" laptop chassis". Also, its thickness make it heavier than the 13" MBA, and IMO the weight is what matters the most once it's in your backpack.

 

[Kendo]

I finally got to test drive one of these bad boys at Best Buy today and I learned never to judge a product via pictures or specs on paper. My enthusiasm from my original post is not quite as high anymore. The build quality feels cheap, it feels heavy compared to a MacBook Air (they weigh the same but since the Dell is smaller, it feels heavier since it is heavier per square inch), and it is noticeably fatter.

I was pretty pumped when I first researched the laptop but my excitement has waned. The MBA truly has no equal.

 

[calvol]

I never could figure out why the PC laptops can't get the touchpad right. It's like touchpad development is not coordinated between the ALPS and Synoptics development teams and the Win7 dev teams. Apple is light-years ahead.

 

[aristobrat]

Couldn't have said it better about the trackpad.

It amazes me how many of my coworkers disable the Dell trackpads completely and use that pointy stick thing in the keyboard because it's less irritating.

 

[soupcxan]

I like everything about it except the cheap-ass 1366x768 display. That is totally unacceptable for a "premium" product in 2012. And I hate 16:9 ratio displays as well.

 

[Medic278]

The dell xps actually seems like a decent machine. Me personally I prefer my MBA over a dell as I have heard bad things about dell. That being said Dell seems to have hit it on the head with the xps series and they generally get good reviews.

 

[underblu]

I would buy another MBA and just use it as a dedicated Windows machine.

The Dell isn't bad but it still falls slightly short of the MBA and the price difference is small between it and the air.

I'm a long time windows user and I actually like XP it's efficient relatively spartan OS and frankly it's all about the application. PS on my windows desktop looks pretty similar to PS on my MBP. Other than the terrible virus problem that afflicts windows machines I'm fine with either OS


With that said, I won't buy a windows laptop until they provide a design that is as elegant and functional as a Macbook Pro or Air and has similar levels of performance and utility.

The Macbook Air is the pinnacle of ultra books. I hope HP Dell and some of the other laptop makers catch up. It's like with few exceptions Windows laptops are stuck in the 90s with these heavy, bulky, plasticy low battery life clunkers. Billion dollar computer companies and they can't hire a design department capable of innovative designs. Amazing.

Sorry I've been ranting.

Yeah if you absolutely need Windows I'd go for the Dell you mentioned or the 14" envy which seems to have a bit less portability but a lot more performance.

 

[Nova Sensei]

The new Zenbook's look like the best alternative on the horizon.

But I'm willing to bet Apple will give another impressive bump to the MBA just to demoralize the opposition. Competing with Apple is like playing poker against someone with 10 times more money. They can just slowly strangle you.

 

[polee]

I finally got to test drive one of these bad boys at Best Buy today and I learned never to judge a product via pictures or specs on paper. My enthusiasm from my original post is not quite as high anymore. The build quality feels cheap, it feels heavy compared to a MacBook Air (they weigh the same but since the Dell is smaller, it feels heavier since it is heavier per square inch), and it is noticeably fatter.

I was pretty pumped when I first researched the laptop but my excitement has waned. The MBA truly has no equal.

Pictures can be very deceiving. Look at those beautiful and glossy pictures of most notebook brochures. However, you are face to face with one, reality sinks it and nothing can compare to the build and design of a macbook and macbook air. Really, most of the notebooks I have seen are clunky, plasticky and just carelessly put together. It is very disheartening... to the point of embarassment.

 

[Ishmumrhmn]

I love my MacBook Air and one of the biggest challenges is finding a Windows laptop that has the beauty and design of an Apple computer. I honestly haven't been able to find a viable alternative although the HP Envy 15 came "somewhat" close (if MBP is a 10, I consider an Envy a 7). The reason why I need a Windows laptop is because of work reasons. I could install Windows on my MacBook Air but don't want to sacrifice space and also find it a pain to use hotkeys for certain Windows keys that I need on a regular basis like Pause Break.

I don't know how I never even heard of the Dell XPS 13 but today is the first time I even knew it existed. It looks similar to a MacBook Air but has carbon fiber underneath as opposed to being an all aluminum construction. What are everyone's thoughts on this laptop? I'm thinking I finally found a suitable Windows laptop to hang with my MBA. The only thing I will miss is the fact that no company can mimic Apple's absolute perfection of a trackpad. Scrolling in OS X is an absolute joy and I'm sad I can't get that experience on Windows 7.

Price-wise a 128GB model goes for $1000 while a 256GB model goes for $1300 so I'm definitely like that.

http://www.dell.com/html/global/xps13/xps-13-ultrabook.html?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&redirect=1

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105...is-this-the-ultrabook-youve-been-waiting-for/

I am standing in front of an XPS 13, Acer 3830TG and a new MBA right now. The dell looks OK compared to the MBA, like 7.5/10 while MBA is a 10/10.

Then there's tge Acer Timeline X 3830TG-6415.
Doesn't look like ANYTHING close to an MBA but much better IMO. Design+Build quality is 9.5/10 and is loaded with a massive amount of power that kills the MBA

 

[Matthew9559]

I was looking into purchasing the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook and I actually held off on my MBA purchase until it came out and users had their own reviews. Unfortunately, every Windows ultrabook I have read reviews and forums about has something about it that made it not quite as good as a MBA. For most of them, lack of a backlight keyboard. Others, terrible keyboards and touchpads that were beyond horrible with numerous driver issues.

For the XPS 13, it's mainly the fan. It always kicks on, even with little to nothing on the laptop running, and sounds like a lawn mower. I know first hand with the MBA that the fan kicks on rarely and when it does it is because I am watching flash videos or playing a game. Otherwise, it never turns on even with multiple tabs, iTunes, Mail, iCal, Evernote, Xcode, Sparrow, and a few other apps open. Notebookreviews.com forums are a great place to learn the in's and out's of laptops from users like us (tech nerds). I haven't checked the forum for a month or so but the fan issue was still very prevalent and even though a Dell rep was being active and working with users, no fix was ironed out even after 3 BIOS updates were built specifically to try and fix the issue.

I would love to get a Windows ultrabook but none have been quite as good quality wise as a MBA and most reviews would agree.

EDIT: Before the XPS 13 came out, I was really thinking that this would finally be the ultrabook that could compete with the MBA. I was all but sold but then when I read the forums, it did not seem like a good fit and most of the customers in the thread were so annoyed with fan noise (especially since it was always on) that they just returned it. Most all of them had a Dell tech come over and replace parts, or the entire laptop, only to get the same results. Lame.