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I can't recommend the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition enough. Comes installed with Ubuntu, and I've been running mine with Fedora for the past year and change.

I can't recommend the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition enough. Comes installed with Ubuntu, and I've been running mine with Fedora for the past year and change. Battery life is over 22 hours, roughly 14 hours while streaming NetFlix. (You have to get the 1920x1080 screen for better battery.) At idle it uses about 2.3 watts with screen on. The laptop works well with https://fwupd.org/ https://fwupd.org/ under Fedora for all BIOS/firmware updates.

contacha 9y ago
Hi, I'm very curious as to how well your trackpad is working. I have the same computer and I can either use synaptic drivers with great accuracy but almost no palm detection, or only libinput with palm detection but bad accuracy, but the real problem is taps not registering if they follow a movement. I have browsed the web everywhere, impossible to find a working solution. If you have any tip it would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!
Tharre 9y ago
If you get the FHD model, be aware that it has content adaptive brightness control (CABC) that can't be turned off. And Dell has so far refused to fix the issue. Extremely annoying if you're working with dark terminal screens and regularly tabbing into brighter windows. For more information see [0]. [0] https://github.com/advancingu/XPS13Linux/issues/2 https://github.com/advancingu/XPS13Linux/issues/2
- antongribok 9y ago
  This has gotten a major tweak with a 2.x BIOS update, and it's a lot better now (IMHO). It's still there, but barely noticeable. Also, now the minimum brightness setting is now super low, which is kind of refreshing actually. Personally I like it, but I can see how some might not.
  - Tharre 9y ago
    That's odd, do you per chance remember which update exactly? The CABC is implemented in the Novatek display driver IC, which the BIOS never touches. Dell provides a utility for Windows for flashing it on supported systems (QHD or the similar Latitude 7370) from Novatek for precisely that reason. Though the brightness settings might make a difference.
    - antongribok 9y ago
      I do not, which is why I deliberately said "2.x". I think it was either 2.1.x or 2.2.x, but not certain. I'm not sure why you would think the BIOS update package would not touch it. It certainly touches the USB-C and the TPM modules. It was around the end of this past summer when that update came out. Along with a different brightness curve, it bumped up the battery life as well. I've heard of the Windows utility for disabling this, but I thought it could be used on the FHD model as well. It didn't bug me enough to bother with Windows.

contacha 9y ago

Hi, I'm very curious as to how well your trackpad is working. I have the same computer and I can either use synaptic drivers with great accuracy but almost no palm detection, or only libinput with palm detection but bad accuracy, but the real problem is taps not registering if they follow a movement. I have browsed the web everywhere, impossible to find a working solution. If you have any tip it would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

Tharre 9y ago

If you get the FHD model, be aware that it has content adaptive brightness control (CABC) that can't be turned off. And Dell has so far refused to fix the issue. Extremely annoying if you're working with dark terminal screens and regularly tabbing into brighter windows. For more information see [0]. [0] https://github.com/advancingu/XPS13Linux/issues/2 https://github.com/advancingu/XPS13Linux/issues/2

antongribok 9y ago
This has gotten a major tweak with a 2.x BIOS update, and it's a lot better now (IMHO). It's still there, but barely noticeable. Also, now the minimum brightness setting is now super low, which is kind of refreshing actually. Personally I like it, but I can see how some might not.
- Tharre 9y ago
  That's odd, do you per chance remember which update exactly? The CABC is implemented in the Novatek display driver IC, which the BIOS never touches. Dell provides a utility for Windows for flashing it on supported systems (QHD or the similar Latitude 7370) from Novatek for precisely that reason. Though the brightness settings might make a difference.
  - antongribok 9y ago
    I do not, which is why I deliberately said "2.x". I think it was either 2.1.x or 2.2.x, but not certain. I'm not sure why you would think the BIOS update package would not touch it. It certainly touches the USB-C and the TPM modules. It was around the end of this past summer when that update came out. Along with a different brightness curve, it bumped up the battery life as well. I've heard of the Windows utility for disabling this, but I thought it could be used on the FHD model as well. It didn't bug me enough to bother with Windows.