Dell XPS 13: A Different Kind of Ultrabook
by Dustin Sklavos on March 13, 2012 9:00 AM ESTConclusion: Excellent Starting Point
Dell's first entry into the ultrabook market is a patient and smart one. They've arrived at the party a bit later than the competition, but they're fashionably late: instead of a design that just apes the Apple MacBook Air, Dell has taken care to produce something unique to them with the XPS 13.
Aesthetics are almost always a matter of taste, but I continue to personally prefer the looks of the XPS 13 to the other ultrabooks on the market barring the hot pink Zenbook ASUS produces. The materials Dell has chosen to use in the construction of the XPS 13 are notable not just for their quality on their own, but for the lack of chintzy or cheap materials employed. The two-toned black and silver design is also a distinctive one; where other vendors are emphasizing silver and aluminum tones (and giving away their inspiration), Dell has produced an ultrabook that stands out in the right ways.
That's why it's unfortunate that despite the clear attention paid to practicality in the design of the XPS 13, it's also practicality that often needlessly suffers. The keyboard is par for the course for ultrabooks and I'm not sure how much refinement Dell could offer there, but unified touchpads continue to be problematic on PCs and the XPS 13 is no exception. Despite the extended period of time I had to use the XPS 13, I still wasn't ever able to totally adapt to it. I'll also readily admit that I'm personally annoyed by the lack of an integrated card reader; your mileage may vary and certainly it seems like a nitpick, but this is something that I get a tremendous amount of use out of in my aging ThinkPad X100e.
Most of those problems are probably things that the end user will adapt to without too much difficulty, but the XPS 13's thermal solution is a trickier issue. If you're just using the XPS 13 to do word processing or surf the internet, and you use it primarily on flat surfaces, you're not likely to have many issues with it. While the fan can be irritating, the carbon fiber shell ensures the ultrabook never gets uncomfortably hot to the touch. Unfortunately, venting the bottom instead of the sides or back feels like it was the wrong decision, and the ultrabook sometimes has trouble enjoying the benefits of Intel's Turbo Core the way many of its kin do.
None of the issues with the XPS 13 are fundamental flaws or uncorrectable. This is a good product at a reasonable price point that basically just needs a refresh. If you're in the market for an ultrabook I wouldn't dissuade you from going with the XPS 13, but I might advise you to really examine how you're going to use it and do some shopping around first. That's just good advice for any computer purchase, but it's definitely relevant here.
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Penti - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - link
I think this is pretty much spot on, on connectivity actually. Mini-DisplayPort is a plus, especially if you are running a high-res monitor when you use this as your desktop replacement or main machine with your 27" or 30" monitor as you need the DisplayPort in order to put out and feed a 2560x1440 monitor or 2560x1600 monitor, or anything over 1920x1200 that HDMI on SNB/older graphics can handle. It's easily converted to HDMI or VGA, and having only one of those is a minus. I do miss ethernet, but it's no deal killer here. Display and resolution is too bad it's not better otherwise it does look like a good ultra-portable. It has no worse display then virtually any competition. A x220 with IPS wouldn't be much more expensive though. Personally I think mini-DisplayPort and USB3 is pretty good on the connectivity side for this market any how. Does look like a clean computer with understated but good styling. Certainly looks like a one of the better ultrabooks.MistahJayden - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
I love everything I've heard about the computer except for that screen resolution...it's freakin killing me here.Can they update it? Or would I need to look for another laptop in it's place?
It's not that bad, it's just I prefer a smaller looking interface.
EricZBA - Friday, March 16, 2012 - link
1366x768 is a crime against humanity. The predecessor to this unit, the Dell Studio XPS 13, had a gorgeous 13.3 inch LED LCD with 1280x800 resolution. I wish they would have built upon the awesomeness of that notebook.zlyles - Tuesday, April 3, 2012 - link
Just a heads up...When Dell first released this ultrabook, we ordered two for some of our sales reps. With i5, 4GB memory, 128GB SSD, and Win 7 Pro, the price was $1,192 before tax.
It took nearly a month to get the laptop, and we liked it so much we got a quote for two more. This time the quote came back at $1,500 per, with the same exact specs.
Our Dell rep informed us due to supply and demand, Dell had increased the price and $1,500 was as low as he could get now.
Personally I think it's BS to launch a product, then jack the price by over 25% within the first 3 weeks of it's release because of how well it is received.
On the bright side, it is the only wedge design ultrabook of this caliber I have found with TPM hardware for encrypting the hard drive.
WolfOfDeath - Monday, July 2, 2012 - link
The author isnt sold on the Ultrabook class? He must one of the most daft people in the world. Ultrabooks are and will take over the entire laptop market. Few if any people will want laptops now if for no other reason than battery life. How short sighted can someone be? Wow, just wow.