Dell XPS 13 Plus review: further, in a great way

Dell XPS 13 Plus

MSRP $1,299.00

“The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the contemporary tackle laptop design I have been ready for.”

Execs

• Irresistibly contemporary design
• Nice OLED display screen
• Useful efficiency modes
• Wonderful haptic touchpad
• Webcam has been improved

Cons

• Will get heat on the underside
• No headphone jack

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the form of laptop that can trigger head turns and double takes. Not as a result of it’s gimmicky or uncommon – however as a result of it simply appears to be like that good. It’s actually one of the vital eye-catching laptops I’ve ever used.

However is it the most effective laptop you should purchase? That’ll be a more durable case for the XPS 13 Plus to make to some folks, even when it dares to really feel like a peek at the way forward for laptops.

Video review

Design

With one look, you’ll be able to inform somebody had a imaginative and prescient over at Dell for the XPS 13 Plus. That’s been true of the XPS line for years now, however you’ll be able to see why Dell gave this design a brand new identify. It’s well-deserving of 1.

Gone is the carbon-fiber weave palm rests that grew to become synonymous with the XPS model, buying and selling it in for a sleeker and extra standard aluminum floor all through. There are two colour choices out there this time: the darker “Granite” colour and the lighter Platinum possibility, each of which have a singular tint. Outdoors the Dell emblem on the again, although, there’s little or no that resembles earlier XPS laptops – at the least not from the surface.

The gadget is 0.6 inches thick, which makes it barely thicker than each the brand new XPS 13 at 0.55 inches (but to launch) and final yr’s XPS 13 at 0.58 inches. The M2 MacBook Air, after all, is sort of a bit thinner at simply 0.44 inches. It’s an analogous case for weight, the place the two.71-pound Dell XPS 13 Plus is barely heavier than different XPS fashions.

And but, the XPS 13 Plus actually feels moveable within the hand. Chalk it as much as the simplification of all of the visible components, however the XPS 13 Plus very a lot looks like a compact little machine.

The keyboard and touchpad have additionally undergone probably the most radical redesign. I’ll contact extra on how they carry out later, however the look alone is actually hanging. The touchpad now makes use of a haptic engine, which allowed Dell to make it invisible. The perimeters seamlessly mix into the palm rests, making for an extremely minimalist vibe. The entire thing makes use of a single panel of Gorilla Glass 3 and feels extraordinary below your arms.

It’s an analogous story with the keyboard. The “edge to edge” design means as few traces and partitions as doable. It additionally means further massive keycaps prolong huge.

And at last, one of the vital hanging and controversial decisions, the operate row of keys has been changed by capacitive contact buttons. Many people have had poor experiences with a majority of these buttons prior to now on tech merchandise, however I attempted to maintain an open thoughts as I used the laptop as my day by day driver. The contact buttons actually have a futuristic look – and are an enormous a part of what makes the gadget so distinctive.

The contact buttons have an engineering objective, too. Eradicating the bodily operate row allowed Dell to make use of this further area right here to widen out the hinges, which the corporate says permits for higher cooling. The brightness of those keys, in the meantime, is managed by the ambient gentle sensor on the lid by the webcam.

Keyboard and touchpad

After I first noticed the XPS 13 Plus again at CES, I used to be unconvinced concerning the typing and touchpad expertise. Neat look, sure, however sensible? I wasn’t positive. Specifically, I had reservations concerning the haptic suggestions touchpad, which felt decidedly “off” in my quick time with it.

However not. After some tuning by Dell, the sleek monitoring that I’ve come to like on haptic touchpads works nice now. I turned down the sensitivity to 25%, as you are able to do in Home windows 11, and located a candy spot that completely simulated the form of bodily click on mechanism that you just get with a {hardware} touchpad. Gestures work nice, too.

Typing on the XPS 13 Plus feels just like previous fashions. You get 1mm of journey, delivering clicky and satisfying keystrokes that really feel each agency and comfy. In fact, the broader key caps are glorious, making the format really feel spacious. I did discover that for me, personally, the palm rests had been a tad small for my bigger arms. It’s not egregious, however I used to be sometimes irritated by the sharp edges of the chassis digging into my palms.

As for the capacitive operate row buttons, in addition they really feel extra responsive right here within the remaining product. Regardless of my hesitation, they labored.

Ports

The Dell XPS 13 Plus consists of simply two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and that’s it. No headphone jack. No microSD card slot. No nothing.

You, like most individuals, most likely have a visceral response to having issues taken away from them, even when it’s to make for higher tech in the long term. That’s the case with the headphone jack, and I actually had among the identical emotions myself.

Dell isn’t the primary laptop producer to make this break, however it is likely to be probably the most high-profile case. In a world the place even Apple has saved the headphone jack within the MacBook Air, it feels just like the XPS 13 Plus is venturing out into the unknown.

I didn’t discover myself wishing I had a headphone jack as a lot as I believed I might.

And but, I attempted to maintain an open thoughts. Over the course of my time utilizing the XPS 13 Plus as my major pc, I solely got here throughout one state of affairs when I discovered myself wanting to make use of a wired audio supply. My wi-fi earbuds had died, and I wished to hearken to some music whereas working. Thankfully, Dell throws a USB-C to three.5mm adapter proper within the field, so after I dug it out, my considerations had been put to relaxation.

It’s a slipshod resolution, positive. However in a pinch, my minor downside was solved, and I went again to finishing forgetting that this laptop didn’t have a beloved headphone jack.

Now, possibly if I used to be touring rather a lot or working in sudden tech environments, that would change. I actually have sympathy for many who need to maintain analog audio connections round for numerous causes. That’s very true for the reason that gadget solely comes with two USB-C ports.

As for wi-fi connectivity, the XPS 13 Plus comes with help for the most recent Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

Webcam and audio system

Now that all of us use them much more than we used to, although, a nasty webcam is not a minor subject. And everyone knows that cameras have all the time been the Achilles heel of the XPS laptops.

Sadly, the Dell XPS 13 Plus nonetheless makes use of a 720p decision camera, although this time, Dell has separated the precise camera from the IR sensor, which is used for Home windows Hiya. This has allowed for some enhancements in picture high quality, particularly in each low gentle and excessive publicity conditions. To my shock, it’s a much more usable webcam for video calls than earlier XPS 13 fashions, even when it does lack the sharpness that you just get in 1080p cameras.

It’s an analogous case with the audio system. They’re higher, simply nonetheless not superb. Dell now makes use of a four-speaker setup to present the audio a bit extra oomph, and I might hear the distinction instantly. All the pieces is clearer, and apart from the shortage of bass, these audio system create an honest sound stage for the occasional film trailer or YouTube video. So, it’s an enchancment, however I’m not fairly able to name these “good” audio system.

Efficiency

The “Plus” on this laptop’s identify is meant to consult with improved efficiency. Leaning in on how Intel has divided up its new line of chips (with distinct U- and P-series chips), Dell is pointing to the XPS 13 Plus because the extra highly effective possibility, utilizing a 28-watt chip as an alternative of a 15-watt chip. My review unit used the highest-end possibility, Intel’s Core i7-1280P, which comes with 14 cores (6 Efficiency cores and eight Effectivity cores) and a 4.8GHz max frequency. My review unit paired this CPU with 16GB of 6400MHz RAM.

However on the subject of the laptop itself, don’t get fooled by the advertising and marketing hype, occurring from each Dell and Intel, on this case. The XPS 13 Plus is loads highly effective, however it’s not any extra a performance-driven laptop than final yr’s XPS 13. The truth is, the upcoming XPS 13 is the one which has been downgraded to a decrease wattage CPU. There’s a bigger story to inform there, however suffice to say: The XPS 13 Plus isn’t dramatically extra highly effective than different laptops of its dimension.

Within the default Optimized mode, the XPS 13 Plus truly leans towards a cooler, quieter expertise. Inside temperatures by no means acquired too scorching, which has generally been a difficulty with different XPS laptops. However bear in mind: With many laptops transitioning towards a bigger, 14-inch display screen dimension with a bit extra room for cooling, the XPS 13 Plus (and commonplace XPS 13) isn’t probably the most highly effective gadget to make use of this chip, as examined in nearly each benchmark I threw at it.

The excellent news is the leap from Eleventh-gen to Twelfth-gen Intel chips was fairly important in multi-core workloads, so that you’ll seemingly be pleased with the efficiency right here, even with some pretty heavy multitasking, and even gentle content material creation. Not precisely a machine you’ll need to spend all day enhancing 4K video on, however no laptop of this dimension actually is.

Somewhat than bump the display screen dimension as much as 14 inches and introduce some discrete graphics, the XPS 13 Plus is left as a succesful laptop, however one which feels prefer it’s overselling its capabilities. Know what you’re entering into, although, and also you’ll discover loads of efficiency for a laptop of this dimension.

Sidenote: I believed it was a extremely odd transfer when it was introduced earlier this yr. On the time, I believed a 14-inch mannequin would make extra sense, particularly since you may possibly put in a 35-watt CPU and a discrete graphics card, which is what loads of laptop producers have been doing not too long ago. However after seeing what Apple has accomplished splitting its personal lineup between the M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Air, you’ll be able to see that Dell was going after a really comparable lineup. Even the costs nearly line up identically. 

Dell emphasizes the out there Efficiency mode discovered within the My Dell utility, which has been engineered to unlock much more efficiency. I noticed a 19% enhance in multi-core benchmarking and a 6% enhance in single-core. Each firm (and gadget) handles these efficiency modes otherwise, and it’s not extraordinary to see that form of delta in efficiency modes, however the XPS 13 Plus actually takes better benefit of this Efficiency mode than the typical laptop.

The largest distinction I noticed between these modes was in Handbrake, the place Efficiency mode resulted in a forty five% quicker video encode. That’s a critical uptick, displaying simply how a lot efficiency is left on the desk in Dell’s Optimized mode. In the event you’re sitting right down to do some work in an utility that requires some heavier lifting, switching modes is actually well worth the time it takes to open up the app.

As a result of it makes use of a 28-watt processor, the internals of the XPS 13 Plus truly share rather a lot in frequent with earlier entries within the lineup. It makes use of two followers, some warmth pipes, and a few small vents within the backside lid and by the hinge. And general, I want the XPS 13 Plus’ strategy to balancing warmth and efficiency, although the underside of the laptop will get very heat. It was sufficient for me to not need to apply it to my lap for too lengthy, even in Optimized mode.

Dell’s “Cool” mode helps fairly a bit, and I truly discovered myself staying there for almost all of my day-to-day work. It restricts efficiency fairly a bit, however the one time I felt the slowdown was in video calls whereas doing different work concurrently.

Nonetheless, the floor temperature is a frustration, particularly if you examine it to Apple’s MacBooks. These laptops, both the M1 or M2 mannequin, do such an unbelievable job at staying cool and quiet – it’s exhausting to not keep away from making that comparability.

Battery life

As we’ve begun to note whereas doing laptop reviews in 2022, units powered by Intel’s Twelfth-gen chips aren’t precisely battery champions. Most see a discount from earlier generations, which is a disgrace. The XPS 13 Plus, with its 55 watt-hour battery, matches this pattern.

The laptop lasted eight hours on a single cost whereas operating internet shopping macros that cycles by means of web sites in Google Chrome. Subsequent, I tossed an area 1080p film trailer on loop, and the battery died after 9 hours and 20 minutes. Each of those outcomes are common for a laptop of this kind, particularly one with a 4K touchscreen.

In my very own workload, I used to be getting round 5 or 6 hours on a single cost, which meant I wanted to plug again in round midway by means of the work day. You’re certain to get a pair extra hours from the bottom mannequin with its decrease decision display screen, however I haven’t examined it but myself.

Curiously, the XPS 15 lasts round an hour and a half longer. Laptops just like the Lenovo Yoga 9i fare a bit higher as nicely, as does the HP Spectre x360 13.5. And, after all, the MacBook Air lasts for over twice so long as most of those Home windows laptops, lasting as much as 18 hours in these identical checks.

Show

The XPS 13 Plus makes use of the identical 13.4-inch 16:10 panel as utilized in earlier variations of the XPS 13 — and it’s improbable. Mine is the 3456 x 2160 decision OLED panel, although you’ll be able to go for the 3840 x 2400 show for the very same value. The latter possibility isn’t OLED, however it’s a bit brighter and sharper. The OLED mannequin tops out at 386 nits, which actually isn’t the brightest panel on this planet. But it surely’s loads shiny, even whereas working by a window or below harsh overhead lighting.

Even when you had been to go for the decrease decision base mannequin, nonetheless, you’d be getting a strong display screen. The mannequin I reviewed has glorious colour saturation (100% sRGB, 99% AdobeRGB) and colour accuracy (Delta-E of 0.83). And, after all, as a result of it’s OLED you get absolute blacks for distinction that commonplace LED panels simply can’t compete with. That makes it a beautiful display screen for watching TV exhibits or movies on-line.

And the bezels, after all, are as skinny as ever, together with up prime the place the webcam is. Even in comparison with the MacBook Air, these bezels are simply tiny — and it appears to be like attractive.

Our take

It’s clear that Dell is onto one thing particular with the XPS 13 Plus. Greater than every other laptop I’ve reviewed prior to now couple of years, that is the one folks need to cease me and see. Whereas the usual XPS 13 will seemingly be the extra widespread possibility due to its value and extra standard keyboard and touchpad, the XPS 13 Plus feels much less like a wild experiment and extra like a delicate nudge to the remainder of the trade in a brand new route.

Are there any alternate options?

The forthcoming Dell XPS 13 is an efficient different because it’s cheaper and has a extra conventional keyboard and touchpad. It might be a bit much less highly effective although.

In the event you’re searching for a barely bigger, extra highly effective laptop, I’d advocate contemplating a 14-inch laptop such because the Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo, Lenovo Yoga 9i, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon, and the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED.

Lastly, the M2 MacBook Air dominates the XPS 13 Plus in battery life and floor temperatures.

How lengthy will it final?

The XPS 13 Plus ought to final you 4 or 5 years, and there’s no motive to suppose it received’t final simply so long as every other high-end laptop. The distinctive design might lose its luster through the years, after all, as increasingly laptops come out.

Must you purchase it?

Sure. If you would like a show-stopping, cutting-edge laptop, look no additional.

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