GADGET WATCH: Dell XPS 13

There are too many laptops on the market to keep track of them all, so it’s becoming more important now to research fully before you buy – especially as they start getting more powerful.

One of Dell’s most recent releases attempts to break into the ultrabook market. It’s already a tight race, with plenty of competition – so can the Dell XPS 13 stand up against the rest?

Hardware and Features

The Dell XPS 13 is price at around $1199, with a 13-inch screen powered by an i5 Intel processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM.

The device also comes with a 128GB hard drive. However, there’s also a second model, which costs $1499 and comes with a solid state drive of 256GB. Then, the final model is powered by an i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256GB solid-state drive and costs $1699.

Each device boasts eight hours of battery life, weighs 1.36 kilograms and features the same ports on all devices.

What’s the consensus?

There’s a lot to like about the XPS before you even open the lid. Over at TechRadar, the publication notes the elegant design and its compact nature, saying it’s a “gorgeous” looking device.

“Our previous Ultrabook design best has to be the Asus Zenbook but the Dell XPS 13 really cuts it. It looks the part and feels it too at 1.4 kg,” it said, also praising the enterprise features such as BitLocker Data Encryption

Over at Engadget, the publication noted the brushed aluminium design, and praised the external look of the gadget. However, once opening the device, it said, there are a few problems.

“Try to open the laptop, though, and you’ll realize some further attention was needed elsewhere. There’s a somewhat stiff hinge, which isn’t necessarily a problem (you certainly don’t have to worry about it separating on its own), but actually getting it open can be a bit of a challenge.”

“Stick a finger under the lip of the lid and, when you start to lift, the laptop will start to flip over before opening.”

That can definitely be an annoying move for seasoned laptop owners, although Engadget said the available ports are “comprehensive enough”, with a headphone jack, USB ports and a mini display port.

And the disappointments continue over at CNET, saying the resolution is a little bit lower than what they’ve seen on other devices – and it also criticised the lack of an SD slot.

Performance wise, the publication also said that while the battery life was not terrible, it’s certainly not the best on the market. However, it also said the overall performance was fast and that the weaker battery was one of the few problems it had with the device.

At TechRadar, there was a little more praise for the speed, saying the only real disappointment was that there was no dedicated graphics option.

“The processors could hold their own for all the tasks we could throw at it but the lack of graphical grunt means this isn’t a gaming machine. You can comfortably multi-task.”

At Engadget, there was also some more praise for the keyboard, saying the gadget feels like “a truly premium product”, along with respectable performance – although noted the display had some disappointing off-angle contrast.

There were also criticisms of the trackpad, with reviewers suggesting the component was a little unresponsive.

Who’s it for?

This is definitely a great choice for a laptop. If you’re after some power and need something easy to carry around, then the Dell XPS is a choice that won’t break your bank either.

If you can get over some of the problems with the display and the trackpad, then this is an excellent choice for business use – and one of the best you can make around the $1000 mark.