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I recently sold an XPS 13, an i7 9543 model from 2015, which was the first laptop in a long time that I regretted buying. I got it as a Windows machine and nev
by cannam 8y ago
I recently sold an XPS 13, an i7 9543 model from 2015, which was the first laptop in a long time that I regretted buying.
I got it as a Windows machine and never ran anything else on it. Technically it was broadly fine. The specs were OK, it was reasonably repairable, I had a hi-dpi screen, the case was solid.
But the keyboard felt really dead, the wrist rest was smeary, the screen had a grainy impression, the machine was slower than its specs would suggest, and the 16:9 ratio and thicker/heavier than expected construction meant there wasn't much to be gained from the narrow bezels on the screen.
I replaced it with a high-spec MS Surface Laptop, which is a risky gambit because the Surface is effectively completely unrepairable. But it has a better keyboard, screen (3:2 ratio), and touchpad, it's faster, and the wrist rest has a nice carpet on it. It's a pleasure to use so far, in contrast to the Dell.
It's funny how much of this still comes down to personal ergonomic factors.
- zdragnar 8y agoI got a Dell XPS 13 from work and it's got nothing on my surface book. Even Linux support is better, though the difference largely comes down to multi monitor over DP vs USB-C.
- dawnerd 8y agoTried a 2016 model too and the cpu was thermal throttling like crazy. Managed to get Ubuntu installed but there were tons of issues so I ended up returning it. I’d love to get a surface but they’re a bit spendy and if I’m spending that much I’d rather go MacBook Pro. But damn they do look good
- vvanders 8y ago+1 on Surface. Have a Surface Book with discrete GPU and been really happy with it overall. Really a fan of the 3:2 aspect ratio.
- xamarinthrw 8y agoI've heard this very often. I am interested in knowing more about it. Is it just a matter of feeling or are there things you can pinpoint which work better for you? Compared to 4:3 (narrower) and 16:9 (wider)
- lallysingh 8y agoI got a surface for my wife, and it works well for her. Excellent screen. But the keyboard is too small, my giant meat sticks can't squeeze onto it.
- partiallypro 8y agoOn the Surface Book? There are two versions, the 15" and the 13." I think the keyboards are both full sized. Maybe you mean Surface Pro. I love my Surface Pro, but I have long skinny fingers.
- Promarged 8y ago> I recently sold an XPS 13, an i7 9543 model from 2015, which was the first laptop in a long time that I regretted buying. I've got 9350 and it's also bad. Coil whine, one firmware update completely bricked it (fortunately was on warranty), "fun" with accessories (TB15 was a disaster). Would not recommend. Actually it's only the NBD warranty that keeps me with Dell (used that and it's very convenient). Does Microsoft have something like that?
- m_fayer 8y agoMy job got me a newer XPS 13 i7 8550U model. I also dislike it: conspicuous coil whine, heat issues wherein you get to select between "high-perf/hair dryer", "ok-perf/annoying", "slow/silent" modes. A Dell tech looked at it and claimed that it's performing as intended. My colleagues all have the same model but with dual-core i5s, and they're much happier. I guess whoever decided to offer these machines with the quad i7s failed to check with the engineering department.