The biggest disappointment is that there's a 52Whr battery instead of the previous 60Whr :( That paired with an unnecessarily high 4k screen resolution (seriously how is 3200x1800 not high enough?) is undoubtedly going to result in much poorer battery life. I'll stick to my 2017 model.
Indeed fascinating they are willing to lose to Samsung on this... until 2017 they were among if not the best but it looks like Dell failed to push hard enough!
How many displays can this thing support simultaneously? It looks like each of three Type-C connectors looks like it can send an output signal but call all be in use simultaneously? How about with the internal screen enabled as well?
Also no Type-A connectors? I love Type-C but so much is based around Type-A that there omission right now is noteworthy.
I find myself missing having an HDMI output on my MBP way more than I do a Type-A connector. I've had to replace a few cables and swap to a Bluetooth mouse, but HDMI is the only thing I've ever NEEDED a dongle for.
Certainly the thing I really want improved in my current XPS 13 (9350) is gaming. Other than this I don't see much need in upgrading to a new model.
That said, I'm waiting to see how Ryzen Mobile really turns out in this form factor. The HP ENVY x360 laptop is pretty power hungry, with the Ryzen configured to boost to use more power than 15W, so isn't an indication of either power draw or performance.
Based on comparing the x360 Ryzen to the Intel variant of the same model (the only sensible comparison currently available), we can infer both that the Ryzen's power characteristics are not significantly worse than the equivalent Intel chip and also that HP's Envy x360 series is seriously deficient with regards to power efficiency.
Intel's current 8th gen U series use up to 30W under some conditions - the throttling of the older XPS 13 15W design and increase to 27W cooling capability in this model both demonstrate that very well.
So basically all indications are that this system with Ryzen would be very, very neat for people wanting a do-it-all ultra-lightweight system. Odds on us getting what we want from Dell are near zero though.
If you want to game with them it'll be eGPU's for these type of systems for a while. No mobile chip will come close, but at least the eGPU case prices are going down. I'm pretty sure there are some decent ones for $200 now. Still a lot, but not $400 like the early ones.
Just get the 15in model with NVidia GPU - only thing I wish they would do enhanced to later generation CPU - probably waiting for 6 core mobile Coffee Lake version or such.
Great machines but for one deal-killing fault carried over from last gen: camera placement still at the bottom by the hinge?? Pass. Nobody enjoys seeing your nosehairs.
That's a very weird design choice. I'd kind of prefer they put a USB port at the top of the screen and have the camera as a detachable module (no-one can hack into your camera if it's not there).
They really don't want to ruin the 'infinity' 'bezel-less' design. Pretty much every reviewer has complained about the webcam placement for years (although praising the thin bezels has likely negated this in the eyes of Dell). Functionality be damned.
Well, there are SSD options. They are just tied to base options for the 999/1199 levels, for some weird reason. In fact, there are a lot of customizable options but they aren't fully interchangeable. Like, if you select the $999 model, you can up to memory to 8GB but cannot change the SSD or display. If you select the $1199 model, you can change the SSD and display, but not the memory. The $1449 model allows just changing the display and the $2049 allows you to upgrade to the 1TB SSD.
What the hell. I don't get why I can't select the $999 model, change the RAM to 16GB and upgrade the display? Dell is weird.
That's an SSD-only laptop, jrs77.. It's been that way since the Sandy Bridge XPS13 at least.
Most of the limited customizability comes to Dell finding it cheaper to just cut down on the number of possible SKUs, and that's made especially worse with them offering 3 screen options. IMO they should just have shipped the 4K touchscreen as the only option, but that's just my opinion on it.
" I don't get why I can't select the $999 model, change the RAM to 16GB and upgrade the display?"
Dell's website does not show 4K display for XPS 13 - but QHD+ is available for $999 and higher version but not for i3 $799. It would be insane to have i3 processor with 4K screen.
When I purchase my Dell XPS 13 2in1, I had no trouble on phone changing options. I opted not to go for QHD
You might be able do upgrades on model - it just might mean that will take longer to do get the model.
"Small battery, no SSD-options for the i5-model, only USB-C, etc....
Why would I want to buy this, when I can get the MacBookPro?"
All Dell XPS 13 have SSD, the battery is about same side as new MacBook Pro - probably because Dell has 8th generation and not 7th generation CPU's that used less power. But 52watt vs Apples 54watt is not much difference. But Apple and Dell have USB-C that are also Thunderbolt 3. Dell also has USB 3 ports
My Dell XPS 13 2in1 has a finger print reader - this model was on Dell website in late 2017, they are probably waiting for 10nm later this year to upgrade other XPS models.
Worse port selection (an additional USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port would have been welcome, if they didn't remove other ports) and the same crappy webcam and webcam placement.
When will companies stop putting trash Killer WiFi in their laptops? First thing I did when I bought my XPS 15 9560 was go and order an Intel 8265 WiFi card for it. I didn't even boot it up before I swapped out the WiFi chipset. F killer and F companies that put that garbage in their products.
Agreed. The table above says "Intel 8265 802.11ac (2T2R for vPro)" underneath but I don't see that option available anywhere on the Dell website. It was only a few days ago that I stopped a friend from making the purchase because of the Killer NIC, but good call on swapping it out.
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akmittal - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
There is typo in spec chart written as i5-8520U instead of i5-8250Ukoekkoe - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
I guess the screen is glossy? In that case, no thanks.nerd1 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Non touch version is always matteManch - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
Get a matte screen overlay. Its not that serious.steve230230 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
The biggest disappointment is that there's a 52Whr battery instead of the previous 60Whr :( That paired with an unnecessarily high 4k screen resolution (seriously how is 3200x1800 not high enough?) is undoubtedly going to result in much poorer battery life. I'll stick to my 2017 model.skavi - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
First thing I noticed. They're doing this while Samsung brings 75Wh in a 13".jospoortvliet - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Indeed fascinating they are willing to lose to Samsung on this... until 2017 they were among if not the best but it looks like Dell failed to push hard enough!deepblue08 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
That's what happens to nearly all big companies, once the product starts selling well they get complacent and lazy.Kevin G - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
How many displays can this thing support simultaneously? It looks like each of three Type-C connectors looks like it can send an output signal but call all be in use simultaneously? How about with the internal screen enabled as well?Also no Type-A connectors? I love Type-C but so much is based around Type-A that there omission right now is noteworthy.
erwos - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
I find myself missing having an HDMI output on my MBP way more than I do a Type-A connector. I've had to replace a few cables and swap to a Bluetooth mouse, but HDMI is the only thing I've ever NEEDED a dongle for.Alistair - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Wish they'd make a Ryzen APU version :)ET - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Certainly the thing I really want improved in my current XPS 13 (9350) is gaming. Other than this I don't see much need in upgrading to a new model.That said, I'm waiting to see how Ryzen Mobile really turns out in this form factor. The HP ENVY x360 laptop is pretty power hungry, with the Ryzen configured to boost to use more power than 15W, so isn't an indication of either power draw or performance.
Spunjji - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Based on comparing the x360 Ryzen to the Intel variant of the same model (the only sensible comparison currently available), we can infer both that the Ryzen's power characteristics are not significantly worse than the equivalent Intel chip and also that HP's Envy x360 series is seriously deficient with regards to power efficiency.Intel's current 8th gen U series use up to 30W under some conditions - the throttling of the older XPS 13 15W design and increase to 27W cooling capability in this model both demonstrate that very well.
So basically all indications are that this system with Ryzen would be very, very neat for people wanting a do-it-all ultra-lightweight system. Odds on us getting what we want from Dell are near zero though.
BPB - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
If you want to game with them it'll be eGPU's for these type of systems for a while. No mobile chip will come close, but at least the eGPU case prices are going down. I'm pretty sure there are some decent ones for $200 now. Still a lot, but not $400 like the early ones.HStewart - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Just get the 15in model with NVidia GPU - only thing I wish they would do enhanced to later generation CPU - probably waiting for 6 core mobile Coffee Lake version or such.careyd - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Great machines but for one deal-killing fault carried over from last gen: camera placement still at the bottom by the hinge?? Pass. Nobody enjoys seeing your nosehairs.stephenbrooks - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
That's a very weird design choice. I'd kind of prefer they put a USB port at the top of the screen and have the camera as a detachable module (no-one can hack into your camera if it's not there).Tams80 - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
They really don't want to ruin the 'infinity' 'bezel-less' design. Pretty much every reviewer has complained about the webcam placement for years (although praising the thin bezels has likely negated this in the eyes of Dell). Functionality be damned.deepblue08 - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
I love the bezel-less design though, the overall size of the laptop decreases while the screen doesn't. Plus it looks sexy as hell.jrs77 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Small battery, no SSD-options for the i5-model, only USB-C, etc....Why would I want to buy this, when I can get the MacBookPro?
jordanclock - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Well, there are SSD options. They are just tied to base options for the 999/1199 levels, for some weird reason. In fact, there are a lot of customizable options but they aren't fully interchangeable. Like, if you select the $999 model, you can up to memory to 8GB but cannot change the SSD or display. If you select the $1199 model, you can change the SSD and display, but not the memory. The $1449 model allows just changing the display and the $2049 allows you to upgrade to the 1TB SSD.What the hell. I don't get why I can't select the $999 model, change the RAM to 16GB and upgrade the display? Dell is weird.
ZeDestructor - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
That's an SSD-only laptop, jrs77.. It's been that way since the Sandy Bridge XPS13 at least.Most of the limited customizability comes to Dell finding it cheaper to just cut down on the number of possible SKUs, and that's made especially worse with them offering 3 screen options. IMO they should just have shipped the 4K touchscreen as the only option, but that's just my opinion on it.
jrs77 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
It makes no f*ing sense to not be able and select a bigger SSD for the i5-model, as SSD/HDD space is the most important aspect.HStewart - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
" I don't get why I can't select the $999 model, change the RAM to 16GB and upgrade the display?"Dell's website does not show 4K display for XPS 13 - but QHD+ is available for $999 and higher version but not for i3 $799. It would be insane to have i3 processor with 4K screen.
When I purchase my Dell XPS 13 2in1, I had no trouble on phone changing options. I opted not to go for QHD
You might be able do upgrades on model - it just might mean that will take longer to do get the model.
ZeDestructor - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
This new model isn't up for sale yet. Give it a few weeks.HStewart - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
"Small battery, no SSD-options for the i5-model, only USB-C, etc....Why would I want to buy this, when I can get the MacBookPro?"
All Dell XPS 13 have SSD, the battery is about same side as new MacBook Pro - probably because Dell has 8th generation and not 7th generation CPU's that used less power. But 52watt vs Apples 54watt is not much difference. But Apple and Dell have USB-C that are also Thunderbolt 3. Dell also has USB 3 ports
jrs77 - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Exactly. This is a copy of the MacBookPro, so why not buy the original?James5mith - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Seriously? We're back to laptop images with no fingerprint reader included?ZeDestructor - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Yet another reason I'm liking the Yoga 920 and Yoga 720 machines the better ones of the bunch :/(I got my dad a KBL-U Yoga 720 recently, and it is an excellent machine)
HStewart - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
My Dell XPS 13 2in1 has a finger print reader - this model was on Dell website in late 2017, they are probably waiting for 10nm later this year to upgrade other XPS models.Spede - Thursday, January 4, 2018 - link
Yeah but does it still suffer from COIL WHINE ? That's the single most important question.Tams80 - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
Worse port selection (an additional USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port would have been welcome, if they didn't remove other ports) and the same crappy webcam and webcam placement.Well done Dell.
oRAirwolf - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
When will companies stop putting trash Killer WiFi in their laptops? First thing I did when I bought my XPS 15 9560 was go and order an Intel 8265 WiFi card for it. I didn't even boot it up before I swapped out the WiFi chipset. F killer and F companies that put that garbage in their products.etamin - Friday, January 5, 2018 - link
Agreed. The table above says "Intel 8265 802.11ac (2T2R for vPro)" underneath but I don't see that option available anywhere on the Dell website. It was only a few days ago that I stopped a friend from making the purchase because of the Killer NIC, but good call on swapping it out.vdidenko - Sunday, January 7, 2018 - link
Alongside they also seem to share the new small DA300 hub - not yet available for purchase and no information to be found... https://photos.app.goo.gl/AwubuDkXE6UVJ9nv1