Dell XPS 15 Review

Specs

CPU2.8-GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU
Operating SystemWindows 10
RAM16GB
RAM Upgradable to32GB
Hard Drive Size512GB SSD
Hard Drive TypePCIe SSD
Display Size15.6
Highest Available Resolution3840 x 2160
Native Resolution3840 x 2160
Graphics CardNvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU 4GB / Intel HD Graphics 630
Video Memory2GB
Wi-Fi802.11ac
Wi-Fi ModelKiller 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
BluetoothBluetooth 4.1
Touchpad Size4.1 x 3.1 inches
Ports (excluding USB)Headphone/Mic
Ports (excluding USB)Kensington Lock
Ports (excluding USB)Thunderbolt 3
Ports (excluding USB)USB 3.0
Ports (excluding USB)HDMI-out
USB Ports3
Card SlotsSD memory reader
Warranty/Support1 Year
Size14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45-0.66-inches
Weight4.6 pounds
Company Websitewww.dell.com

Design

Dell hasn't changed the XPS 15's design for the last couple of years, so the latest model doesn't look all that different from the last few. It's still a clean and functional design that's built rock-solid, but I'm hoping Dell switches things up next year just for the sake of novelty. The XPS 15 has a silver-colored aluminum lid stamped with Dell's logo in black but is otherwise completely spartan. Lifting the lid reveals the 15.6-inch, 4K InfinityEdge display with almost no bezel around the top and sides. The backlit, island-style keyboard is surrounded by a black soft-touch deck. I appreciate the battery indicator on the right side of the laptop -- with the push of a button, up to five lights will illuminate, giving you an idea of how much longer the notebook will last, even if it's closed.
 
At 4.6 pounds and 14.1 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches, the XPS 15 is an average size for a premium mainstream notebook. The 15-inch HP Spectre x360 is smaller (4.4 pounds, 14 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches), while the MSI PE60 Prestige is substantially heavier and larger (5.4 pounds, 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches).
The XPS 15's tapered design allows for only a few ports on each side, but the machine fits in all the essentials. On the left side, you'll find a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI output, a Thunderbolt 3 and a headphone/mic combo jack. The right side houses a Kensington lock slot, another USB 3.0 port and an SD card reader.
There's a small, square fingerprint reader on the deck of our review unit, beneath the bottom-right corner of the keyboard. It's a $25 optional add-on that worked flawlessly in my testing with Windows Hello.

Display

The XPS 15's 15.6-inch 4K screen is so brilliant, vivid and accurate that I would be perfectly comfortable using it for Netflix, feature films, gaming or any other need without worrying about an external monitor. When I checked out the 4K movie Tears of Steel, I was wowed by the bright colors, such as the purple, blue and green lights emitted from the holographic computers. The  hues were so vivid they popped against the black-and-gray walls of the lab. In close-ups, I could see the pores on the characters' faces.
Dell's panel covers an astounding 188 percent of the sRGB color gamut (we consider anything over 100 percent to be excellent). The mainstream average is just 94 percent, while the Spectre and Prestige covered 113 percent and 133 percent of the gamut, respectively.
It's accurate, too, with a Delta-E score of 1.4 (0 is ideal). The average is a higher 2.6, while the Spectre (3.5) and Prestige (5.1) were less precise.
The XPS 15's screen is nice and bright, measuring an average 282 nits on our light meter. It beat out the average (266 nits), as well as the scores of the Spectre (255 nits) and the Prestige (192 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the XPS 15 feels flat, but it's spacious enough that you can type without tripping over yourself. It has 1.4 millimeters of travel and requires 50 grams of force to press. While I didn't find myself bottoming out, I typed a tad slower than usual. On the 10fastfingers.com test, I registered 104 words per minute, which is below my 107-115-wpm average, but I maintained my 2 percent error rate.
he 4.1 x 3.1-inch touchpad is top-notch and supports Windows 10's precision gestures. It felt natural to use three fingers to switch between programs and tap four fingers to open the Action Center.

Audio

The XPS 15 offers crystal-clear audio, though it could use a bit more oomph on the low end. When I listened to Yellowcard's "Five Becomes Four," the vocals, guitars and drums and the band's trademark violin filled our midsize conference room.
I opened up the preloaded Waves MaxxAudio Pro app and turned the bass up, which made it far more noticeable. I also played with the details knob, which made the cymbals stand out.

Performance

Armed with a 2.8-GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD, the XPS 15 is a multitasking rock star. I opened up 40 tabs in Chrome, including one streaming Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and the XPS didn't even break a sweat as I browsed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dragon Touch Vision 3 4K WiFi Action Camera Review

Image
I ordered this camera for general filming, I wanted a small but capable camera like the GoPro that could be used for lots of purposes - without having to worry about shock or water damage. This camera was a much cheaper alternative to the GoPro. The camera comes with the standard range of mounts and accessories, but some notable ones were that it came with a carrying case (many don't), a spare battery and a remote for photos/videos. I liked that there was a spare battery as when recording at 1080p these Action Cameras only typically last for about 1.5 hours of video, so many cameras don't come with a second battery when I think it's a must-have I was a bit disappointed that at 4K 30fps some frames were dropped, although this may be because I was using an older 4GB card that wasn't fast enough, I'll have to retry 4K video later on with a faster card.  What I found much better was 1080p 60fps recording, this was crystal clear and so smooth! For action shots, you wa...
Read more

Samsung Q65Q8FN Review

Image
The QLED series from Samsung builds on the Premium UHD series by adding a wider color gamut via Quantum Dot film and Quantum Dot color. It has excellent black levels and contrast and will capture the intended increased brightness and color of HDR content. This years model focuses more on an anti-reflective screen combined with better contrast through the new Q Contrast Plus technology. Has 240 motion rate. Differences between the Q7 and Q8 QLED TVs One of the key differences between the two series is the inclusion of the high end Ultra Black Panel in the Q8. Ultra Black Elite Panel:  Samsung is marketing this panel feature which is included only in the Q8 and Q9 QLEDs for those of us that do not adjust room light conditions when watching TV. This technology built in the Ultra Black panel increases brightness while decreasing glare by using micro dots on the surface of the panel to help redirect light from surroundings that would otherwise cause glare on the screen. The ot...
Read more

Alien Skin Exposure X3 review

Image
This review is based on use of Exposure X3 and a beta version of Exposure X3 Complete Workflow Update for Mac. Introduction We’ve reached the point with image editing software that most basic features are covered. Correcting for exposure, saturation, and other settings are the expected baseline, which means applications need something more to differentiate themselves. Some, like Skylum’s Luminar or Serif’s Affinity Photo (see Review: Affinity Photo 1.5.2 for desktop), are competing on price, along with the fact that they don’t require subscription plans. Add to the mix Alien Skin Software’s Exposure X3. It’s competitive on price—$149 on its own, or $199 for a bundle that includes a couple of the company’s utilities, with no subscription—but it also includes several unique features that demonstrate the company is willing to tailor the software experience to how its customers use the product. Differentiation in organizing Like Adobe’s Lightroom family of products, Expo...
Read more