Dell has made a huge comeback in the laptop industry since releasing the 13-inch XPS 13 in 2015. At the end of that year, Dell released the XPS 15, a laptop that fits a 15.6 in screen in one that has a chassis for a 14-inch one. With the XPS 15, Dell’s goal was to create a 15-inch MacBook Pro alternative. They didn’t quite succeed with the 2015 version, but are things different with the latest 2017 version? Read on to find out.
Build and Design
The most noticeable thing that you’ll feel when holding the high-end version of the XPS 15 is that it certainly doesn’t feel like a lightweight 15-inch version of the XPS 13. The laptop is heavy at 4.5 pounds. But it’s not too heavy for portability, and you’ll forgive the weight once you open the XPS 15 and use it.
The 2017 version of the XPS 15 looks and feels just like the late 2015 version with its aluminum chassis and carbon-fibre build around the keyboard. The glass-covered trackpad is the best one you will find on a Windows device — it’s so good that you will want to forget about bringing an external mouse with you, no matter how portable it may be.
The XPS 15 has a log of ports including two USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C port (with ThunderBolt 3), an HDMI 2 port, and a charging port. The XPS 15 also has a full-sized SD card reader — something that’s becoming a rarity on laptops these days.
The XPS 15 has every port you need.
Screen
There are different variants of the new XPS 15 that come with a 1080p screen instead of a 4K one. It is definitely worth spending an extra couple hundred dollars to get the 4K version, which uses a Sharp IGZO screen that displays colors brilliantly and accurately. The viewing angles are also excellent, just as long as you take a couple steps back from the laptop.
Keyboard
Dell uses the same exact keyboard on the XPS 15 that they use on the XPS 13 — this is disappointing because the XPS 15 leaves so much space for larger and more spread out keys. The actual keys themselves aren’t bad, although they could use just a touch more travel. The best word to describe the XPS 15 keyboard is “cramped.” However, the keyboard is certainly not a deal breaker and it’s easy to adjust to. It’s just that the keyboard is the only aspect of the XPS 15 that doesn’t scream premium quality.
Performance
The high-end version of the new Dell XPS 15 has a quad-core Intel Core i7 (7th generation, Kaby Lake) processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512 SSD, and a dedicated 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics chip. You will definitely want to download and install the major Windows 10 updates right away.
Even after the updates, the unit tested for this review operated sluggishly, especially on websites that had a lot of graphics. Uninstalling both the Intel and Nvidia graphics drivers and replacing them with the latest ones available immediately took care of the situation.
Not only has the XPS 15 been able to play many games without a hiccup, but editing and putting together 4K video clips with CyberLink Power Director has been fast and fluid. Using Photoshop CSS 2015 with many photos opened at the same time has also been reliable; there aren’t the same delays that the program has with dual-core i7 processors on the Lenovo Yoga 910, the 2017 HP Spectre x360, or the latest version of the Dell XPS 13.
Battery Life
Perhaps the most shocking thing about the new XPS 15 is that the battery life is almost as good as it is on the lower-powered XPS 13. But it shouldn’t be shocking, especially given that the XPS 15 comes with a 97WHr battery. However, this is also what makes the unit more heavy than other 15.6-inch laptops. In one test, which videos were played back to back with the screen brightness set at 80 percent, the XPS 15 lasted six hours.
Most users should be able to get seven hours of use in a single charge. The XPS 15 isn’t the type of laptop in which you could leave the charger at home, but the battery life deserves a lot of props considering how powerful the unit is.
Conclusion
Those who think the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is overpriced will certainly want to consider the high-end version of the Dell XPS 15, which oozes power, beauty, and usefulness. $2000 ($1800 with discounts at some locations) may sound like a lot of money, but Dell gives you everything you pay for and even more.