Dell’s XPS laptop computer lineup is a perennial decide close to the highest of the perfect laptops lists. Between the high-quality shows that merely look gorgeous and the latest-gen specs, there’s lots to love.
We’ve been testing Dell’s newest technology XPS 15 for just a few weeks now, and it’s as a lot a looker as it’s a performer. However you’re going to pay for that have, with the evaluate configuration we had been despatched costing $2,599.
You don’t need to spend that a lot on a completely loaded XPS 15, nonetheless, as configurations begin as little as $1,299 — very like the superb new 15-inch MacBook Air. So, is Dell’s newest big-screen laptop computer value it? Right here’s what we expect.
The Dell XPS 15 is among the finest 15-inch laptops you should buy, with a wealthy, vibrant display screen and loads of high-end efficiency for productiveness and gaming.
I all the time stay up for testing Dell’s XPS laptops for one easy cause: the display screen. And the XPS 15 sitting on my desk proper now doesn’t disappoint. It’s a 15.6-inch 3.5K (3,456 x 2,160) OLED touchscreen that’s filled with brilliant and vivid colours with loads of saturation. The bezels surrounding the show are impressively skinny as properly, making it seem that the lid of the laptop computer is nothing however display screen.
I streamed loads of YouTube movies on the XPS 15 throughout my testing, and all of them appeared clear and crisp. And because of the pocket book’s quad stereo audio system, the whole lot I streamed and the music I listened to had loads of quantity and depth.
And whereas folks do like to stream movies on their laptops, the actual good thing about the XPS 15’s 3.5K show (and the remainder of its specs I’ll get to in a minute) is its assist with video and photograph modifying. If that’s what you usually end up doing, the XPS 15’s show will certainly assist you to get your job achieved.
Dell additionally affords an FHD+ show that lacks contact and has a decision of 1,920 x 1,200 for many who don’t need or want a better decision display screen, particularly for the reason that OLED show provides an additional $800 to the construct.
Contained in the Dell XPS 15 I obtained is sort of each element you’d need in a high-performance laptop computer. That features the thirteenth Era Intel Core i7–13700H processor, Nvidia’s RTX 4070 laptop computer GPU, 32GB of DDR5 reminiscence and a 1TB SSD for storage.
That specification sheet is just like what you’d count on to see in a laptop computer constructed for and devoted to gaming. Alas, the Dell XPS 15 will not be a gaming laptop computer. You possibly can play any main title you need, however the expertise isn’t going to be the identical as it could be on a system that’s designed to deal with the resource-hungry process of lengthy gaming classes.
 Dell XPS 15 (2023) |
 Lenovo Yoga E book 9i (2023) |
 Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (2023, M2) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 single-core efficiency |
1,719 |
1,700 |
1,929 |
| Geekbench 5 multicore efficiency |
11,006 |
7,265 |
8,972 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, max settings) |
38 fps |
N/A |
26 fps |
That mentioned, the XPS 15 has sufficient energy to deal with just about any process you possibly can throw at it, be it heavy photograph and video modifying and even some informal gaming classes.
I didn’t have any points utilizing it for primary duties with a number of tabs open in Edge, streaming music or movies and doing a little mild photograph modifying.
Granted, that’s the anticipated expertise of a system with these explicit specs. You could have loads of choices in the case of customizing the XPS 15 to suit your wants, with builds starting from $1,299 all the best way as much as $3,949.
The bottom $1,299 mannequin offers you a 1080p show, with the identical Intel Core i7 processor, 512GB of storage and 16GB of reminiscence. That’s going to be greater than sufficient for on a regular basis computing duties plus some occasional video and photograph modifying.
I’ve lengthy referred to as out PC makers for pre-installed bloatware resembling anti-virus instruments that usually trick customers into buying a subscription, and even decelerate the machine, so it’s time to provide credit score the place it’s due. The XPS 15 is as bloatware-free as you’ll see in a modern-day Home windows laptop computer.
Exterior of a handful of Dell’s personal instruments, that are used for buyer assist and putting in firmware updates, the core of the preinstalled apps and providers on the system I examined is all Home windows 11 apps and applications.
That is precisely the best way it needs to be, particularly with a dearer construct like this $2,600 unit. Good on you, Dell.
One factor I saved noticing throughout my time testing the XPS 15 is how usually the followers are working. As I kind this, the followers are persistently and always spinning, producing noise within the course of. I’m not even doing something that ought to trigger the followers to run. In reality, now that I give it some thought, the followers had been working once I walked into my workplace and the XPS 15 was sitting idle with the show off.
I suppose it’s one thing I’d get used to over time and the fan noise would turn into simply background noise to no matter else I’ve happening, however one factor I’ve observed is that if the XPS 15 is open, the followers are on and I can hear them, no matter what I’m doing on the laptop computer.
At any time when I’m testing a laptop computer that’s constructed with one of many newest GPUs just like the RTX 4070 that’s contained in the XPS 15, my battery life expectations instantly drop.
With the XPS 15, that was a barely unfair assumption. I put the laptop computer via our typical battery benchmark check the place we play a 4K video on loop with the show’s brightness set to 50% and any further options, like Bluetooth and keyboard backlight, turned off.
The XPS 15 powered via 8 hours and half-hour of playback earlier than it powered down, which is fairly good if you evaluate it to the likes of the Lenovo Yoga E book 9i, which lasted 8 hours and 58 minutes, or the 15-inch MacBook Air that lasted 9 hours and quarter-hour in the identical check.
My real-world utilization backs up the battery life benchmark, with the XPS 15 having sufficient juice to get via a typical workday on a single cost. However that quantity will undoubtedly see a giant discount for those who’re somebody who depends on the power-hungry GPU for resource-heavy duties, like video and photograph modifying or intensive design applications.
There are a handful of ports on the XPS 15, together with two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, each on the left aspect of the laptop computer, with one other USB-C port, a full-sized SD card reader and a headphone jack on the alternative aspect.
It’s a good quantity of ports — and extra sturdy than the 15-inch MacBook Air that packs simply two USB-C connections — however you’ll possible wish to use a USB-C hub to increase what number of gadgets you possibly can connect with the laptop computer.
Tucked contained in the XPS 15’s field is a really small USB-C dongle that’s simple sufficient to place in a random spot inside a backpack or tote round in a coat pocket. There’s a USB-C cable that folds into the adapter for straightforward storage. As soon as linked to the XPS 15, the adapter offers you a single USB Sort-A port for connecting exhausting drives, a keyboard or perhaps a mouse, together with an HDMI connection.
Each of these are welcome additions, however they’re additionally not sufficient. If Dell’s going to incorporate an adapter, I’d like to have entry to a different USB Sort-A port, and possibly even an Ethernet port for a hardwired connection. As it’s now, and I believe I’m not alone on this, I must buy a extra sturdy USB-C hub as a way to take full benefit of all of the peripherals and equipment I routinely use.
Dell’s 2023 model of the XPS 15 picks up proper the place final yr’s mannequin left off, providing an exquisite show, stellar efficiency and good-enough battery life. Whether or not you’re searching for a laptop computer that’s constructed for primary duties, or one thing that may deal with a good quantity of PC gaming and photograph/video modifying, the XPS 15 can fill that function.
If the XPS 15 isn’t precisely calling your identify, Apple’s MacBook Air (13- or 15-inch) is a dependable different that stays cooler and quieter whereas providing barely longer battery life — to not point out seamless integration along with your different Apple devices. And for many who wish to keep on with a Home windows machine, Dell’s very personal XPS 13 is a extra compact and reasonably priced possibility.
