The All-time Windows Laptop?

I could write this decision in but a few lines, it's that easy to summarize my thoughts on the Dell XPS xiii: simply put, this is the best Windows laptop you can currently buy. Every bit far every bit I'thousand concerned, if you're afterward an ultraportable 13-inch Windows laptop, this is the only product to consider.

The XPS 13 is good from a multitude of fronts. The pattern is spectacular, combining a premium and surprisingly tough aluminium lid with an bonny carbon fiber interior that feels groovy to the touch. The keyboard is pretty decent considering the size of this thin and light laptop that ultimately make information technology so portable.

But of course, the standout feature of the new XPS thirteen is its almost bezel-costless brandish. The 13.3-inch 1080p console is great in terms of quality, and a pleasure to use when surrounded by just 5.2mm of plastic. The thin bezel allows the 13-inch brandish to sit in a considerably smaller body. If in that location was always a laptop that deserved the term 'ultraportable', this is it, call it ultraportable 2.0.

The 1 and only real complaint I have near the XPS 13 concerns the trackpad, which needs some piece of work to perfect click-and-drag actions, and to fix the terrible correct click mechanism. Luckily I believe this is fixable through a software update, which I hope Dell rolls out in the almost futurity. It's also a footling disappointing that a touchscreen doesn't come standard and nor is information technology bachelor with the 1080p display, though on a laptop this isn't a necessary feature.

I wouldn't call the Cadre i5-5200U CPU inside the XPS 13 groundbreaking or significantly more powerful than the previous generation, but its powerful enough for this course of arrangement while delivering ameliorate battery life. I didn't achieve Dell'south 15 hours of rated bombardment life, just I'd call xi-xiii hours of general usage pretty impressive, and well higher up similar Windows laptops.

As the Windows side is substantially a no-contest, the next big challenger for the XPS 13 is the MacBook Air. It's upwards to you to decide whether you lot desire to use Windows or Bone X, though from a hardware side the XPS 13 is ahead. You lot become a higher-resolution display, similar performance, slightly ameliorate battery life, and a more portable grade factor. The Air is arguably a more attractive device, but information technology tin't trounce the firmness of the XPS 13.

I imagine this hardware lead on the MacBook Air volition slim down when Apple tree launches new Broadwell models and peradventure a Retina Air, though for now that's just theorize.

Dell has priced the XPS 13 pretty competitively considering how good the laptop is. The entry-level model is bachelor for $800, though I'd recommend spending an extra $200 to get 8 GB of RAM and the i5-5200U.

The QHD+ touchscreen model starts at $1300, though as it's $300 extra and features reduced battery life, the standard 1080p model seems like a winner. For those out in that location with money to burn down, the peak-end configuration with a Cadre i7 CPU, QHD+ brandish, and 256 GB of storage will gear up you dorsum $1600 which is still pretty decent for a incomparably powerful and very portable machine.

The XPS 13 is a return to grade for Dell in a large manner, and a laptop I am willing to recommend to nigh anybody. If only I didn't have to return this review unit to Dell.

Pros: Awesome form factor keeps the laptop slim, light, portable and almost bezel-costless. Great use of aluminium and carbon fiber. Intel delivers the goods from a performance perspective. Bright, high quality 1080p brandish that's upgradeable to QHD+. Excellent battery life.

Cons: Trackpad needs some piece of work. Touchscreen isn't standard.