The digital camera is within the right region on the brand new Dell XPS thirteen. That may additionally look like a small aspect, but to human beings who have used this pc in the beyond, it’s the principal factor. It’s the primary aspect because that reputedly minor complaint was the only real knock on an, in any other case, brilliant pc. Now that the webcam is above the display screen rather than below it, I don’t have to talk approximately the XPS 13 as an “in any other case first-rate” laptop.
I can call it an excellent computer.
The 2019 version of Dell’s nearly iconic XPS thirteen has another update compared to the preceding model, an updated eighth-generation Intel Whiskey Lake processor. Though that’s a pleasing aspect to have, it’s not as critical because Dell has nailed most of the fundamentals that make a perfect pc.
Even though the XPS thirteen has a robust pedigree, it’s worth talking about again. It turned into one of the first mainstream laptops with an almost edge-to-edge screen. It doesn’t pass in for 360-diploma hinge hints — there’s the XPS 13 2-in-1 for that — it was just constantly a great, well-built computer. It has emerged as something of a default opportunity to the MacBook Air for Windows users — something thin, light, stylish, and dependable. Windows has many more such laptops available now (the Surface Laptop 2 is a great choice), but the XPS thirteen remains at or near the front of that percent.
I certainly just like the white model of this pc. The pinnacle has a kind of silvery depth to its end, and the keyboard deck consists of woven carbon fiber. That greater touch makes it much more relaxed, and I decided on it for the Surface Laptop’s fabric end. Based on what human beings have said approximately the closing XPS model, it also needs to be maintained well over the years. It’s a completely excellent-looking pc.
The 2019 version of the XPS 13 starts at $899. However, I assume the general public will need to step up to the $1,199 (as of this writing) version. That will get you a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 1080p screen. Unfortunately, the best way to get a touchscreen is to leap all the way up to the $1,799 (as of this writing) model, which has a 4K display, more RAM, and a quicker processor. That’s the version I’ve examined right here.
Most people probably gained’t miss the touchscreen, specifically because this is a traditional pc shape thing. However, I find it remarkably convenient to have. Because the touchpad is smaller than on several different cutting-edge laptops, I regularly find myself fast attaining as much as brushing aside a notification or faucet an icon at the taskbar. I want Dell to offer a touchscreen choice at the 1080p display screen, which prices less, has higher battery life, and is available on most of its competitors.
But if you’re inclined to spend the extra cash (and take the battery life hit) to get the 4K display screen, you’ll find it to be outstanding. The thirteen-inch display screen does cover almost aspect-to-area on the top, left, and right, but there’s a massive-ish bezel on the bottom. Along with many different people, I decided on a 3:2 factor ratio for productivity work on laptops, which the XPS thirteen no longer has; it makes do with a traditional sixteen-to-nine display screen. Dell has also positioned an anti-reflective coating on the screen, which surely makes it work in a vivid room.
This device’s keyboard is terrific, with a superb stability of key travel, firmness, and thinness. I don’t love that the page up and web page down buttons are crammed in after the arrow keys, and I generally discover that white keyboards make locating the right backlighting in a dim room a trouble. Those are minor complaints, though, and if you opt for the black and silver color, the keys come in black.
As an aside, it’s weirdly tough to judge pc keyboards in an international where the butterfly keys on MacBooks are so untrustworthy. Everything feels wonderful and dependable through contrast. I don’t think I’m grading on a skewed curve here, even though it’s an awesome keyboard.
You can log in with the fingerprint sensor at the energy button — it’s speedy and correct. However, you have to wake the pc first, after which tap it in place of simply urgent down on it in a single step. It’s now not as seamless as a digital camera-based Windows Hello system, but it’s still lots greater convenient than typing in a password every time you open the lid.
And as I stated, Dell moved the webcam up above the screen so that it’s now not searching up your nose. That reputedly took a lot greater work than you would possibly guess. Dell even needed to make its own custom 2.25mm camera module to make this painting. It’s tiny, but as right as large laptop cameras I’ve used — at least for video conferencing. Here’s a shot I took in a scenario where there’s a ton of backlighting, and my face is apparent and visible.
Performance is excellent — as it must be, with a quad-center Core i7 processor. I haven’t had to restrict myself from opening apps and tabs in any respect. Don’t anticipate that you’ll be doing a lot of gaming, though, as it nonetheless makes use of an included photo card. If there’s a downside, although, it’s the lovers. They’ve settled down a bit; however, they have been spinning up way louder inside the first couple of days than I want. It has meant that the gadget by no means gets too hot (Dell did a few more works on the internal thermals), at least.
Dell rates up to 21 hours of battery life with the 1080p display and around 12 hours for the 4K. As a common assumption, I assume the one’s estimates are first-rate positive, but that doesn’t suggest I think the battery life in this computer is bad. Inactive use with battery-hogging apps like Chrome, Slack, and Tweetdeck, I’m getting over eight hours — that’s, in reality, stable considering I’m using the 4K display and haven’t been too shy approximately cranking the brightness up.
I am, by and large, pleased with the port alternatives: there are Thunderbolt ports at the left, one USB-C port at the right, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. It would have been nicer if Dell had determined a way to carry back a USB-A port. However, it at least consists of a dongle within the container.
