Contents
Dell XPS 13 Full Review with pros and cons
Dell has launched its latest series of XPS notebooks in the market and there’s a new entry ‘ XPS 13 plus ‘. Equipped with a beautiful body and gorgeous infinity screen, the laptop looks as elegant as a laptop can ever get. Though with a long lineage of XPS laptops behind its back, it’s yet to prove itself in the markets in the real world. We still expect the elegant machine to sell like hot cakes, like other XPS laptops due to great tech and design.
Build Quality
The build quality on the Dell XPS 13 Plus is in a league of its own. Crafted with CNC-machined aluminum and glass with an optional graphite keyboard option makes it looks like a beast, yet so elegant and powerful.
Edge-to-edge Infinity display just adds to the alluring look of the laptop. There are 2 color options currently available in the market i.e., platinum or graphite. Coming at around 1.24 kg it’s very light as well.
Ports, I/O and connectivity
Unfortunately, the Dell XPS 13 Plus doesn’t come with a host of ports, it has chosen to go the MacBook path probably.
It comes with 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™ with DisplayPort and Power Delivery), USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapter (included in the box), and USB-C to 3.5mm headset adapter (included in the box).
Input Devices
Keyboard– The Dell XPS 13 Plus features a zero-lattice keyboard stretching from edge to edge instead of a chicklet one. Dell claims it’s for a fast, efficient, and comfortable touch-typing experience. It also features a backlit touch function row that lets the users toggle between media and function keys with ease.
Trackpad– The glass haptic touchpad on the Dell XPS 13 plus is one of the best ones can get on the market. It’s super precise and easy to use and reminds us of MacBook trackpads, which are typically the best in the market.
Webcam– Webcams are accompanied by 2 infrared sensors on either side for windows hello recognition. The quality of these webcams is very good considering all other laptops on the market.
It also features Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.2 for better connectivity.
Display
Dell XPS 13 Plus features a touch edge-to-edge infinity display with 13.4-inch screen size. It’s super color accurate as one would expect at this price range and there are even options to get it in 3.5K 3456×2160 60Hz, OLED as well as in 4K 3840×2400, 60Hz. The peak brightness is capped at 500 nits. The touch screen is anti-reflective and super responsive as well.
One can even do professional video and photo editing on this machine. The screen is a delight to work on this elegant machine.
Performance
The laptop comes beefed up with 3 options globally. There’s 12 Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1240P (12 MB cache, 12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.40 GHz Turbo), Intel® Core™ i7-1260P (18MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 12 cores) and Intel® Core™ i7-1280P (24MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz, 14 cores).
All of these 3 CPUs are pretty powerful given then cores, threads, and clock rates. They can easily handle any task one throws at them. Though one can game on this machine easily, we generally don’t recommend gaming on this as it can toggle thermal throttling which in return can decrease the life span of the laptop.
Storage
The laptop in 3 options globally- 512 GB,1 TB and 2TB M.2, Gen 4 PCIe NVMe, SSDs.In India, though Dell is yet to announce its range as well as pricing.
One can also get in 8GB,16GB,32GB LDDR5 5200MHz,dual channel RAM options.
Speakers
It features dual stereo speakers(tweeter+woofer), and Realtek ALC1319D with a peak output of 4W. These speakers sound very good with very clear sound and great treble. The speakers on the Dell XPS 13 Plus are definitely one of the best in the ultrabook segment.
Battery life
The laptop comes with a 55Whr li-ion battery pack giving up to 14 hours of battery backup on moderate usage. Though one can hope to squeeze out maximum from this laptop on light usage. Gaming will severely affect battery life.
Upgradability
Unfortunately, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is not upgradable at all. The RAM is soldered to the motherboard as in other XPS laptops. Being too lightweight and thin comes at its own cost. So one should decide the specs before buying one of these.
For more on the new Macbook Pro click here…
- Pros
- Professional grade OLED display
- Awesome trackpad and keyboard
- Good battery life
- Great webcam with windows hello feature.
- Cons
- No upgradability
Dell XPS 13 Plus
