5 ms·

Dell Might Have Just Perfected the XPS 13

22 points by Alupis 8y ago

craftyguy 8y ago
Did they fix the coil whine? If not, I will not buy a 4th XPS 13. This review seems to be mainly focused on the location of the webcam. Do that many people use webcams on laptops? I generally remove or tape over mine, and see countless coworkers and random folks in cafes do the same.
- konschubert 8y ago
  Yes, many people use their webcams. Our company has people working remotely and I use mine multiple times a day
- methou 8y ago
  I sometimes use the tape covered camera as an rng. If that counts.
- CogitoCogito 8y ago
  I would like to echo that everyone should be aware of the coil whine issue when considering this laptop. The problem is that there can be a slight high-pitched and intermittent sound that may or may not drive you crazy if you hear it. It is inconsistent as well and may not be noticeable until after you've used it for a short while (probably within minutes of use, but maybe not when you first play around with it in say a store). I loved the XPS 13 years back when I first bought it, but this issue caused me to return it directly (but not tell them why). At the time it was important to not mention the issue as the reason, because Dell would insist on sending you back either a fixed laptop or a new one (usually of course the issue would be present). Actually it was a bit worse, since any Dell rep would claim to never have heard of the issue and so you'd have to first go through that back and forth explaining them what was happening. Many customers went back and forth multiple times (and didn't even have a laptop in between the back and forths) and finally after multiple months Dell would refuse a refund and you were left with a laptop that was essentially psychologically unusable. I was a listener on a thread about this on the Dell forums where the same complains would be posted for _years_ with newer versions of the laptop. Their disrespect for their customers shouldn't be forgotten. So basically it's buyer beware when it comes to this machine. Maybe it's no longer an issue, but Dell does _not_ deserve the benefit of the doubt here. I would consider it again if I could try it ahead of time (i.e. at a store) and only in a situation in which I knew I could return it afterwards (without a restocking fee or anything similar). I recommend others take the same precautions.
baybal2 8y ago
XPS is a wonderful machine, the only moment I am not happy with is battery size reduction from 60 to 52 to appease the designer gods...
skc 8y ago
I've been a Lenovo diehard for a while now, but the XPS continues to call out to me. Beautiful device in person, I may just switch when the time comes.
- LowLevelHacker 8y ago
  Don't think pad still has Dell beat hands down
- Alupis 8y ago
  Are you rocking an X1 Carbon then? How do you compare it to the XPS 13? It's time I get a new laptop and can't decide between the X1 Carbon, XPS 13, or the HP Spectre x360 13T (the new diamond cut blue one). I like the 2-in-1 but seems Dell really nerfs their XPS13 2-in-1... and the Yoga seems to not be as nice as the Spectre.
  - skc 8y ago
    Yes, currently the X1 Carbon. It's nice and light yet very sturdy. Comfortable keyboard (but that may be because I'm used to these keyboards after so many years of use, I know other people hate the key placements) Also, I'm not a trackpad guy so I couldn't tell you how well it works comparatively speaking. I'm able to throw all of my dev related work at it and it performs admirably. Just a nice little work horse that stays out of my way. edit: I have the 2017 model by the way.
    - Alupis 8y ago
      I have a T520 right now... and it's time it gets retired. You might be convincing me to jump into the X1 Carbon. Just wish it has the Vega integrated graphics instead of the UHD620 intel stuff!
PinkMilkshake 8y ago
Every XPS 13 I've touched has this annoying issue with the touch pad where it fails to reject your thumb while it's resting on the click button. It drove me nuts. Hopefully they've resolved this because I really like the XPS line.
geezerjay 8y ago
The Dell XPS 13 looks like an impressive laptop. Does anyone know if it supports linux and if it will be sold with linux preinstalled?
- haspok 8y ago
  Most probably - see Project Sputnik blog here: https://bartongeorge.io/ https://bartongeorge.io/
- stubish 8y ago
  While Dell sells many models with Linux preinstalled, it only does so in limited regions. Even within regions, it can differ between what is offered online and what is offered in stores. The most probable answer for an individual is no, Windows only. Despite the fact that at least earlier releases are Ubuntu Certified, per https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models/?query=XPS+13&level=Any&vendors=Dell https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models/?query=XPS+1...
  - diffeomorphism 8y ago
    Since we are talking about the xps 13 specifically, such general statements are not really relevant. All recent xps 13 models have been available as "developer editions" with ubuntu and there is no reason to expect this new model won't be as well.
    - stubish 8y ago
      The developer editions are US only I believe, and are unavailable to most customers.
- eteb 8y ago
  I'm running Manjaro on my XPS 13 9360, dual boot. Had to fight a bit with Secure boot and the storage drivers, but once installed it's been a joy to use. Had problems in Windows with the Killer wifi drivers, resulting in bad latency when on conference calls but nothing like that on Linux.
LowLevelHacker 8y ago
Think pad is still doing it better.

22 points by Alupis 8y ago

Did they fix the coil whine? If not, I will not buy a 4th XPS 13. This review seems to be mainly focused on the location of the webcam. Do that many people use webcams on laptops? I generally remove or tape over mine, and see countless coworkers and random folks in cafes do the same.

konschubert 8y ago
Yes, many people use their webcams. Our company has people working remotely and I use mine multiple times a day
methou 8y ago
I sometimes use the tape covered camera as an rng. If that counts.
CogitoCogito 8y ago
I would like to echo that everyone should be aware of the coil whine issue when considering this laptop. The problem is that there can be a slight high-pitched and intermittent sound that may or may not drive you crazy if you hear it. It is inconsistent as well and may not be noticeable until after you've used it for a short while (probably within minutes of use, but maybe not when you first play around with it in say a store). I loved the XPS 13 years back when I first bought it, but this issue caused me to return it directly (but not tell them why). At the time it was important to not mention the issue as the reason, because Dell would insist on sending you back either a fixed laptop or a new one (usually of course the issue would be present). Actually it was a bit worse, since any Dell rep would claim to never have heard of the issue and so you'd have to first go through that back and forth explaining them what was happening. Many customers went back and forth multiple times (and didn't even have a laptop in between the back and forths) and finally after multiple months Dell would refuse a refund and you were left with a laptop that was essentially psychologically unusable. I was a listener on a thread about this on the Dell forums where the same complains would be posted for _years_ with newer versions of the laptop. Their disrespect for their customers shouldn't be forgotten. So basically it's buyer beware when it comes to this machine. Maybe it's no longer an issue, but Dell does _not_ deserve the benefit of the doubt here. I would consider it again if I could try it ahead of time (i.e. at a store) and only in a situation in which I knew I could return it afterwards (without a restocking fee or anything similar). I recommend others take the same precautions.

baybal2 8y ago

XPS is a wonderful machine, the only moment I am not happy with is battery size reduction from 60 to 52 to appease the designer gods...

skc 8y ago

I've been a Lenovo diehard for a while now, but the XPS continues to call out to me. Beautiful device in person, I may just switch when the time comes.

LowLevelHacker 8y ago
Don't think pad still has Dell beat hands down
Alupis 8y ago
Are you rocking an X1 Carbon then? How do you compare it to the XPS 13? It's time I get a new laptop and can't decide between the X1 Carbon, XPS 13, or the HP Spectre x360 13T (the new diamond cut blue one). I like the 2-in-1 but seems Dell really nerfs their XPS13 2-in-1... and the Yoga seems to not be as nice as the Spectre.
- skc 8y ago
  Yes, currently the X1 Carbon. It's nice and light yet very sturdy. Comfortable keyboard (but that may be because I'm used to these keyboards after so many years of use, I know other people hate the key placements) Also, I'm not a trackpad guy so I couldn't tell you how well it works comparatively speaking. I'm able to throw all of my dev related work at it and it performs admirably. Just a nice little work horse that stays out of my way. edit: I have the 2017 model by the way.
  - Alupis 8y ago
    I have a T520 right now... and it's time it gets retired. You might be convincing me to jump into the X1 Carbon. Just wish it has the Vega integrated graphics instead of the UHD620 intel stuff!

PinkMilkshake 8y ago

Every XPS 13 I've touched has this annoying issue with the touch pad where it fails to reject your thumb while it's resting on the click button. It drove me nuts. Hopefully they've resolved this because I really like the XPS line.

geezerjay 8y ago

The Dell XPS 13 looks like an impressive laptop. Does anyone know if it supports linux and if it will be sold with linux preinstalled?

haspok 8y ago
Most probably - see Project Sputnik blog here: https://bartongeorge.io/ https://bartongeorge.io/
stubish 8y ago
While Dell sells many models with Linux preinstalled, it only does so in limited regions. Even within regions, it can differ between what is offered online and what is offered in stores. The most probable answer for an individual is no, Windows only. Despite the fact that at least earlier releases are Ubuntu Certified, per https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models/?query=XPS+13&level=Any&vendors=Dell https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models/?query=XPS+1...
- diffeomorphism 8y ago
  Since we are talking about the xps 13 specifically, such general statements are not really relevant. All recent xps 13 models have been available as "developer editions" with ubuntu and there is no reason to expect this new model won't be as well.
  - stubish 8y ago
    The developer editions are US only I believe, and are unavailable to most customers.
eteb 8y ago
I'm running Manjaro on my XPS 13 9360, dual boot. Had to fight a bit with Secure boot and the storage drivers, but once installed it's been a joy to use. Had problems in Windows with the Killer wifi drivers, resulting in bad latency when on conference calls but nothing like that on Linux.

LowLevelHacker 8y ago

Think pad is still doing it better.