Yeah Apple gets a lot of bad press for this (as they should) but others like Dell and Microsoft do it as well. The base models just shouldn't be offered with those specs.
6-core is a waste for most users of ultraportables. Browsers run fine even on dual cores (but a quadcore is probably optimal when buying now). At least 8 GB of memory is much more important, as well as better GPU.
Are there good laptops with more than 8GB RAM around $1000? I'm looking for one but either they're too expensive or they are at 8 GB RAM. I was looking at 16 GB and hopefully a 512 GB SSD, can stretch to $1200 maybe but not beyond that
Yes well, SSD upgrades are easy and cheap if there is a M.2 slot. On this XPS 13 the SSD is "onboard": it's soldered down. No available M.2 slot, nothing you can do to upgrade. Buy it, and when you need more disk space or more memory, trash it.
If you're willing to go Ryzen you can get 16GB for $800 from multiple retailers. They're not perfect but as long as you pay attention you should get all the necessary features.
Haven't explored Ryzen in laptops. Have had decent experience with both Lenovo and Dell in the past, though all were Intel. I don't mind checking that though.
Check the HP X360 13" with 3700U. 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM models start at ~€900, and offer a lot for the price- thin and light, backlit keyboard, fingerprint censor, good screen, 'performance' mode for light gaming.
You really cant compare Apple to PC anymore because of some key features. If security is any concern, the T2 chip is a must. Camera, mics, bootprocess and so on is on a security enclave with an own M3 ARM CPU/own OS. It's totally separate from the OS. I can therefore clearly see what apps can use camera/location/microphone. Cant be done on PC. The other big problem PCs have had for years are bad screens. In 2017 when I wanted to buy a PC laptop: there were 0 laptops with a screen with correct colors. P3 wide color. Even today there are just a few laptops that have in on PC and the strange thing is that they usually are a bit more expensive than Apple (but the PCs have some better specs like better graphics). I want a PC maker to be crazy and have color correct screens, have a security enclave so hackers cant control the mic/camera. So Siri/Cortana/Google cant listen to me without me knowing. With a security enclave, I am in charge. (but that is the business differences. Google/MSFT are about collecting personal data for ads to pay for "free" services. Apple can skip that since they make money on hardware /low-profit margins for selling macs. 8% compared to PC sold in shops 30+%. And that is the reason why shops recommend PC/Android instead of Apple. Dollars and cents. (and I don't like Tim Cook. He is incompetent and has zero clues about IT. So I defend Apple only on a high degree of knowledge of IT)
Yeah they don't do 4 GB of RAM, but both the Air and the Macbook Pro start with 128 GB of storage. I fail to see how that is significantly different in terms of gimping a premium system.
Unix can handle memory way better than the NT kernel can + macOS uses compressed memory for many years. Apple can do it since all macs last 5 years were shipped with PCI express SSD. Large numbers are just for consumers and have nothing to do with usability.
THere is a difference between offering it as an option on an i3 model and actually shipping many of them or making it a normal SKU. Some people might want a decent designed machine with no need for specs for their single Google Apps window.
The RAM is also soldered, so if someone makes the mistake of getting the base model with that super low RAM and later on wants to add more RAM he can't. He/she would need to replace the entire laptop..
Keep in mind 4GB version is only on i3 model, not sure why anyone would purchase that version, maybe if only uses for word processing and such - you don't need it - but still faster than the Snapdragron junk
At Anandtech, you need to learn that all of the "pipeline stories" on the right side are essentially slightly modified ads (for any company that submits a story).
Its sort-of like an ad, but not quite the same. Regardless, being informed that new devices exist is still a valuable service, and once they are out, you can ask for proper reviews.
That is ok, I have both the older XPS 13 2in1 and XPS 15 2in1, and find 4k on my 15 2in1 is harder to read than non 4k on my 13 2in1. But the 13 2in1 has advantage of being extremely light and portable and low power. I did expect better video on 15 2in1 but the power of CPU is quite nice and bee curious how close the new 13 2in1 is to 15 2in1 with both CPU and GPU. I expect the next XPS 15 2in1 will have Xe graphics next year.
Anotn, do you know if these 2-in-1s run the CPU in 25W cTDP-up mode like the regular XPS 13 now, or at 15W? The cooling solution looks very similar to the regular XPS 13.
If it's at 25 this is nearly my perfect laptop. Convertible with pen support, taller than 16:9 display (though I would prefer 3:2, at least the contrast and colors look great!), a GPU capable of light gaming (it'll run Rocket League, finally!), decent battery life, lightweight, durable (my partner's XPS is built well, at least). The only thing missing would be a ThinkPad keyboard with a trackpoint.
The lack of an edit button is especially glaring when the word you misspell is not only the first in the post, but also the name of the author of the piece. Sorry Anton!
I think the cooling solution is similar to XPS 15 2in1, it is obvious that Dell wanted the 13 2in1 to have more performance but I am curious what is difference between 9W Ice Lake and ones in this one. So far I seen nothing on the performance but besides power and frequency, the specs are the same.
the 15 2 in 1 had a gloriously beefy heatpipe inside. Both fans were next to each other also. The fan arrangement was similar in the older XPS 13. This looks like a ground up redesign to me. If anything, it resembles the MacBook Pro.
Probably so, I can hear my 15 2in1 fans as I type this. But they did use a lot of good things like keyboard from it. One MacBook Pro does not have - it not 2in1 and it does not have touch. I still never under stand why the MacBook Pro did not use same CPU/GPU as the 15 2in1, it sounds like it would be perfect combination since Mac use AMD GPU's
I can't believe Apple users haven't demanded to have expandable memory on iPads yet,Rip off artists ! Love the XPS 15 w/ i9 and 32 GB of RAM or Surface Laptop 2 w/ the same specs. Beats MacBook pro, they don't even have a touch screen yet. Go Dell Go Microsoft Go Intel. Always rooting for you all 💪👊💪👊💪✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️
Looks like intel has finally decreased the board size for 15 watt parts. I doubt an older design would have been able to fit a 51 Wh battery in that slim a form factor.
> XPS 13 2-in-1 7390-series hybrid notebooks are paired with up to 32 GB of soldered-down LPDDR4X-3733 memory as well as a PCIe SSD of up to 1 TB capacity.
Can you rephrase this to make it more abundantly clear that the pci ssd is soldered-down as well. Total utter dealbreaker for what otherwise would have been in the top 3 candidates for my next laptop.
Please remove the word "Available" from the article title. Available implies that a consumer can purchase the machine today. There is only a speculative ship date of some time in September.
I wonder if we're also going to see 15" models with Ice Lake, I would prefer that and with more thermal headroom instead of "7% thinner" (previous models are already thin enough).
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JanW1 - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
4 GB of RAM on an ultrabook costing a grand in 2019 ? WTF !!??ingwe - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Yeah Apple gets a lot of bad press for this (as they should) but others like Dell and Microsoft do it as well. The base models just shouldn't be offered with those specs.skavi - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Apple does not sell a single laptop with less than 8 GB of base RAM.Alistair - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
this laptop starts with the useless G1 version of the i5, and 4GB or ram, lol... nice joke IntelAlistair - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
oops Dell starts with the i3 G1 hahahahahahhahahaha... anyone not being an idiot should buy a 6 core laptop instead for the same moneyneblogai - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
6-core is a waste for most users of ultraportables. Browsers run fine even on dual cores (but a quadcore is probably optimal when buying now). At least 8 GB of memory is much more important, as well as better GPU.Alistair - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
A 6 core lightweight 15 inch laptop is $800. Ultraportable 6 core is $1900 (Lenovo) or $2400 (Apple).Teckk - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Are there good laptops with more than 8GB RAM around $1000? I'm looking for one but either they're too expensive or they are at 8 GB RAM. I was looking at 16 GB and hopefully a 512 GB SSD, can stretch to $1200 maybe but not beyond thatcatavalon21 - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
"Good" is certainly subjective, but HP has one with 12 GB in that price range with a 512 GB SSD.https://store.hp.com/app/pdp/hp-pavilion-x360-15-d...
skavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
HP's Pavilion line is awful. I'd go for at least an Envy.Alistair - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
https://www.newegg.com/p/1XV-0001-00PV0?Item=9SIAH...Teckk - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
This is actually awesome, would really have preferred a SSD though instead of the spinning drive.I'd gladly trade the graphics card for SSD.
Teckk - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
I've replaced the disk on my old laptop with a SSD but don't want to do that on a brand new buy 😅Alistair - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
The SSD is the easiest and cheapest replacement nowadays. 500GB for $50.JanW1 - Tuesday, August 13, 2019 - link
Yes well, SSD upgrades are easy and cheap if there is a M.2 slot. On this XPS 13 the SSD is "onboard": it's soldered down. No available M.2 slot, nothing you can do to upgrade. Buy it, and when you need more disk space or more memory, trash it.Rookierookie - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
If you're willing to go Ryzen you can get 16GB for $800 from multiple retailers. They're not perfect but as long as you pay attention you should get all the necessary features.Teckk - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Haven't explored Ryzen in laptops. Have had decent experience with both Lenovo and Dell in the past, though all were Intel.I don't mind checking that though.
neblogai - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Check the HP X360 13" with 3700U. 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM models start at ~€900, and offer a lot for the price- thin and light, backlit keyboard, fingerprint censor, good screen, 'performance' mode for light gaming.shompa - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
You really cant compare Apple to PC anymore because of some key features. If security is any concern, the T2 chip is a must. Camera, mics, bootprocess and so on is on a security enclave with an own M3 ARM CPU/own OS. It's totally separate from the OS. I can therefore clearly see what apps can use camera/location/microphone. Cant be done on PC. The other big problem PCs have had for years are bad screens. In 2017 when I wanted to buy a PC laptop: there were 0 laptops with a screen with correct colors. P3 wide color. Even today there are just a few laptops that have in on PC and the strange thing is that they usually are a bit more expensive than Apple (but the PCs have some better specs like better graphics). I want a PC maker to be crazy and have color correct screens, have a security enclave so hackers cant control the mic/camera. So Siri/Cortana/Google cant listen to me without me knowing. With a security enclave, I am in charge. (but that is the business differences. Google/MSFT are about collecting personal data for ads to pay for "free" services. Apple can skip that since they make money on hardware /low-profit margins for selling macs. 8% compared to PC sold in shops 30+%. And that is the reason why shops recommend PC/Android instead of Apple. Dollars and cents. (and I don't like Tim Cook. He is incompetent and has zero clues about IT. So I defend Apple only on a high degree of knowledge of IT)damianrobertjones - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
"Google/MSFT are about collecting personal data for ads to pay for "free" services. Apple can skip that since..."....They have the iPhone and iPad for that.
Alistair - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
This is a 2 core laptop for $1000 USD with 4GB memory. Nice.Ironchef3500 - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
+1nevcairiel - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Blaming Intel for Dells choices in how they assemble their systems. Classy.ingwe - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Yeah they don't do 4 GB of RAM, but both the Air and the Macbook Pro start with 128 GB of storage. I fail to see how that is significantly different in terms of gimping a premium system.diehardmacfan - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
For a lot of users who are almost exclusively using web based applications now, 128GB of storage might be fine. 4GB of RAM though... yikes.skavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
128 is fine if you store media externally.shompa - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Unix can handle memory way better than the NT kernel can + macOS uses compressed memory for many years. Apple can do it since all macs last 5 years were shipped with PCI express SSD. Large numbers are just for consumers and have nothing to do with usability.Jorgp2 - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Umm, no.Just no.
JanW1 - Tuesday, August 13, 2019 - link
I don't know about other Unix variants, but Linux sucks under memory pressure:https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&a...
sorten - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Very unfortunate. I guess they weren't all-in on the Project Athena idea from Intel.danielfranklin - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
THere is a difference between offering it as an option on an i3 model and actually shipping many of them or making it a normal SKU.Some people might want a decent designed machine with no need for specs for their single Google Apps window.
Santoval - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
The RAM is also soldered, so if someone makes the mistake of getting the base model with that super low RAM and later on wants to add more RAM he can't. He/she would need to replace the entire laptop..skavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
That's how it has always been for a while with the XPS 13 line.Ironchef3500 - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
wowHStewart - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Keep in mind 4GB version is only on i3 model, not sure why anyone would purchase that version, maybe if only uses for word processing and such - you don't need it - but still faster than the Snapdragron junkclose - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
If there's one thing to like about this it's the resolution/AR.close - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
And if there's one thing to hate it's that they still thing 4GB of RAM is still acceptable these days. Especially for prices starting at $1000.Jaguar36 - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I was expecting some sort of commentary on the 10th Gen CPU. This just seems like an Ad for the XPS.dullard - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
At Anandtech, you need to learn that all of the "pipeline stories" on the right side are essentially slightly modified ads (for any company that submits a story).jordanclock - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Press releases aren't ads.dullard - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
What do you think the main purpose of a company doing a press release on a new product is then? If it isn't to advertise the new product, then what?nevcairiel - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Its sort-of like an ad, but not quite the same. Regardless, being informed that new devices exist is still a valuable service, and once they are out, you can ask for proper reviews.lmcd - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
No? They're cleaned-up press releases that don't gush for hours on something we've already read about.sorten - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
It's an announcement for a newly available computer. What were you expecting? You wanted them to rehash their Ice Lake coverage?HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Lets see some performance comparing the Dell XPS 2in1's1. this new XPS 13 2in1
2. The XPS 15 2in1
3. and for kicks the old XPS 13 2in1
Just have a feeling this new XPS 13 2in1 may just give XPS 15 2in1 a run for its money
skavi - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Very interesting display options. It seems the 1080p model may be superior in some respects. I'm interested in what it's gamut might be.skavi - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
shoot, did not mean to reply to that comment.HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
That is ok, I have both the older XPS 13 2in1 and XPS 15 2in1, and find 4k on my 15 2in1 is harder to read than non 4k on my 13 2in1. But the 13 2in1 has advantage of being extremely light and portable and low power. I did expect better video on 15 2in1 but the power of CPU is quite nice and bee curious how close the new 13 2in1 is to 15 2in1 with both CPU and GPU. I expect the next XPS 15 2in1 will have Xe graphics next year.ionuts - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
1200p :)Here's hoping that Dell brings 16:10 (or 3:2) to the XPS 15 (and the mythical 17").
ltcommanderdata - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I'm just happy to have more options for laptops with 16:10 screens.Sttm - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Yeah, that is a key improvement here that has me seriously considering buying one.Valantar - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Anotn, do you know if these 2-in-1s run the CPU in 25W cTDP-up mode like the regular XPS 13 now, or at 15W? The cooling solution looks very similar to the regular XPS 13.If it's at 25 this is nearly my perfect laptop. Convertible with pen support, taller than 16:9 display (though I would prefer 3:2, at least the contrast and colors look great!), a GPU capable of light gaming (it'll run Rocket League, finally!), decent battery life, lightweight, durable (my partner's XPS is built well, at least). The only thing missing would be a ThinkPad keyboard with a trackpoint.
Valantar - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
The lack of an edit button is especially glaring when the word you misspell is not only the first in the post, but also the name of the author of the piece. Sorry Anton!ingwe - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Maybe if we misspell their names enough we will get an edit button?!? :)HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I think the cooling solution is similar to XPS 15 2in1, it is obvious that Dell wanted the 13 2in1 to have more performance but I am curious what is difference between 9W Ice Lake and ones in this one. So far I seen nothing on the performance but besides power and frequency, the specs are the same.skavi - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
the 15 2 in 1 had a gloriously beefy heatpipe inside. Both fans were next to each other also. The fan arrangement was similar in the older XPS 13. This looks like a ground up redesign to me. If anything, it resembles the MacBook Pro.HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Probably so, I can hear my 15 2in1 fans as I type this. But they did use a lot of good things like keyboard from it. One MacBook Pro does not have - it not 2in1 and it does not have touch. I still never under stand why the MacBook Pro did not use same CPU/GPU as the 15 2in1, it sounds like it would be perfect combination since Mac use AMD GPU'sskavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Because the battery life was trash (HBM), and it came out as Intel was transitioning the rest of their 45 watt lineup to 6 core, and later 8.quiksilvr - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I get more RAM on my phone for less than $500 these days.hanselltc - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
oh SURE. ONLY the i7 gets G7.HStewart - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
There is officially a G7 version of i5 - do that decision is from Dellhttps://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/produc...
Dell probably decided the price difference between I5 and i7 with G7 is not worth the difference.
Also it interesting note that 9W are only announce.
chrisrockhard4eva - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
I can't believe Apple users haven't demanded to have expandable memory on iPads yet,Rip off artists ! Love the XPS 15 w/ i9 and 32 GB of RAM or Surface Laptop 2 w/ the same specs. Beats MacBook pro, they don't even have a touch screen yet. Go Dell Go Microsoft Go Intel. Always rooting for you all 💪👊💪👊💪✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️osxandwindows - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
I have never wanted a touchscreen in a laptop.Cool for an hour and I forget about it.
Would rather have a decent trackpad.
neblogai - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Exactly the opposite for me. Would rather have a numpad in place of trackpad:)jfrickmann - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
It stinks that you can only get the 1TB SSD by going with the $2,649 top model :-(Brunnis - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Yeah, that’s probably what will keep me from buying this thing. I need 1TB, but don’t need top spec for everything else.TheUnhandledException - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
It is a standard m.2 slot. Buy the model you want and then buy a 1TB m.2 on Amazon/Newegg for $150ish.JanW1 - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
It is not. The SSD is soldered down ("onboard" - see table), just as the RAM. There is literally nothing you can upgrade here.skavi - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Looks like intel has finally decreased the board size for 15 watt parts. I doubt an older design would have been able to fit a 51 Wh battery in that slim a form factor.plewis00 - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Why did Dell think it was a good idea to name this the same as an existing Latitude 7390 model and change the XPS from 9000 series to 7000 series?!wr3zzz - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Looks like there will be no fanless premium laptops for a while in this gen. Glad I didn't wait and got a Folio.tygrus - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Low specs are to get a low priced model at the magical $999. It's the upgrades that make them and Intel the money.akyp - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
Can someone explain why LPDDR4x seems a lot faster than desktop DDR4 or are the speed ratings not directly comparable?skavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
The bus is half the width for LP IIRC. Like 32 vs 64 bit I think.yetanotherhuman - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
16:10? 8:5? 1.6:1????Oh yes. Oh man, this is looking good. Really, really good.
remosito - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
> XPS 13 2-in-1 7390-series hybrid notebooks are paired with up to 32 GB of soldered-down LPDDR4X-3733 memory as well as a PCIe SSD of up to 1 TB capacity.Can you rephrase this to make it more abundantly clear that the pci ssd is soldered-down as well. Total utter dealbreaker for what otherwise would have been in the top 3 candidates for my next laptop.
skavi - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
soldered SSDs save so much space tho. look at how tiny they managed to get the board, and how relatively large the battery is.Pessimism - Monday, August 12, 2019 - link
Please remove the word "Available" from the article title. Available implies that a consumer can purchase the machine today. There is only a speculative ship date of some time in September.nils_ - Wednesday, August 14, 2019 - link
I wonder if we're also going to see 15" models with Ice Lake, I would prefer that and with more thermal headroom instead of "7% thinner" (previous models are already thin enough).