New Dell XPS 13 is Holy Grail of laptops
It's the Holy Grail of laptops: to have something that performs like a gaming laptop, is light enough to hold with two fingers, small enough to fit into a ladies purse and yet has a screen that is large enough for any computing needs.
And it is rare to put this out at the beginning of a review but Dell has done it! At this time, no other laptop manufacturer has anything like this. The latest XPS 13 proposition is about as solid as they get.
The XPS (or Xtreme Performance System) from Dell has always stood a few notches above the other lines (Inspiron for consumer, Vostro for business). It's a sub-brand that's been around since 1993 and today, the XPS is as much a device for consumer use as it is for business with adapter like Dell Latitude D520 AC Adapter, Dell XPS M1530 AC Adapter, Dell Precision M65 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1525 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 1520 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 1526 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude XT AC Adapter, Dell Studio 15 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude E4200 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude D830 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude D530 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude D630 AC Adapter(at the premium end of offerings).
This latest XPS is so different from every other laptop you see and this is mostly to do with the screen (more on that later — we could write a full review on the screen itself). Every millimetre of this device screams quality and workmanship.
If you think that's an exaggeration, consider this: the anodized aluminium surfaces have smartphone-quality bevels (everything holds up to inspection from 4 inches away). Panel gaps are nonexistent.
Even all the regulatory information and Dell's service tag is hidden under a magnetically held, aluminium flap under the device - so as to not mar the overall aesthetics.
Looking around the device, you can appreciate the finer details, such as the lightly textured palmrest (real carbon fiber), the tapered design and ultra-responsive trackpad (glass, with integrated buttons). This is the first multi-touch trackpad we've seen that works so intuitively, right out of the box.
On the left side, you'll see a five-level LED battery level indicator (the battery is built in, non removable), a 3.5mm audio out, USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort and an input for the power adapter.
On the right is an SDXC slot, another USB 3.0 port (with Powershare — to charge devices with laptop off) and a Kensington lock slot. Look closely and you'll also see two slits (one each side) for the stereo speakers. There are no other ports on the back.
As for vents, the bulk of them are hidden behind the hinge and there's one on the underside. The screen opens to about 140 degrees - a fold flat design would have been nice, especially since this is a touchscreen.