Thanks to the latest Intel Corporation (INTC) chips — which offer even more power and better battery life — the new Dell XPS 15 is even better than the XPS 13.
In 2015, Dell won accolades for the XPS 13, a 13-inch laptop with a near bezel-free “InfinityEdge” display that let it shrink to the size of many 11-inch Ultrabooks. That model won multiple “best laptop” awards and was a CES 2015 star.
Now Dell has applied the same treatment to a full-sized professional laptop with a 15.6-inch display.
When it comes to 15-inch laptops aimed at professional users, Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) 15-inch MacBook Pro is the one to beat, but the Dell XPS 15 is designed to take Apple down a peg. Dell claims the XPS 15 is the world’s smallest 15-inch laptop: It has premium looks in spades, it’s built for performance and its 4K InfinityEdge display beats the MacBook Pro’s Retina display in resolution, while offering touch support.
Just how good is this computer? Is it really a serious contender for best laptop of 2016?
Read our Dell XPS 15 review to find out.
Dell XPS 15 Review: Infinity Display and the XPS-13 Treatment
Prior to last year, Dell’s XPS laptops were nothing special. Solid, but not flashy or particularly outstanding. But the 2015 edition of the XPS 13 changed all of that — it made people excited about Dell again.
The Dell XPS 15 incorporates the same design philosophy that worked so well last year, resulting in a full-sized laptop for professionals that packs a serious punch, yet still manages to claim the title of world’s smallest 15-inch laptop.
The acclaimed InfinityEdge display is back — a 15.6-inch screen (touch support is optional) that goes nearly edge to edge. This time, it’s a 4K panel. The body is a chunk of CNC machined aluminum, the palm rest is carbon fiber and the touchpad is glass. It uses the latest sixth-generation Intel Core CPUs and offers all-day battery life.
Dell XPS 15 Review: Compared to the 15-inch MacBook Pro
There’s a reason why professional users favor the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the new Dell XPS 15 is going to give Apple’s flagship laptop a serious run for its money.
The XPS 15 is thinner than the MacBook pro and half a pound lighter. It has the same aluminum shell for strength, lightness and visual appeal. Both machines have full-sized, backlit keyboards with glass trackpads. Both are offered with optional standalone video cards for additional graphics power, but the Dell uses the latest Intel Core CPUs for better performance than the MacBook Pro’s older chips.
The Dell XPS 15 has a distinct advantage in its display — one of the key selling points of the MacBook Pro. Apple’s Retina display is on a 15.4-inch panel and offers a 2880 x 1800 resolution, while the Dell’s 4K display is on a 15.6-inch panel and offers a 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution.
On top of that advantage, the Dell’s display has a superior color range compared to the MacBook Pro’s display and it is offered with optional touch support.
When it comes to battery life, Dell claims as high as 17 hours on a charge, but when you factor in the 4K display, Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) graphics card and Core i7 CPU of the review model, that drops closer to 10 hours — still better than the nine hours of the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Dell XPS 15 Review: Specs
- 15.6-inch 4K InfinityEdge touch display
- Sixth-generation, 3.5Ghz quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU
- 16 GB DDR4 RAM
- 512 GB PCIe SSD
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M video card with 2GB RAM
- HDMI, USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card reader
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
- 84 WHr Lithium-ion battery
- Windows 10 Home
- CNC machined aluminum and carbon fiber construction
- 0.45-0.66 x 14.06 x 9.27 inches, 3.9 pounds
Note: Specs were as tested for a $2,129.99 model that falls midway between Apple MacBook Pro base configurations of $1,999 and $2,499 (Dell also offers multiple configurations).
Dell XPS 15 Review: Conclusion
Dell has clearly done its homework in terms of the features professionals who carry around 15-inch MacBook Pros want, and it’s packaged all up in a laptop that incorporates the best of the award-winning 2015 XPS 13.
The Dell XPS 15 is everything a photo or video editor could want in a mobile workstation. The model reviewed not only has a 4K display, but it can drive two additional external 4K monitors as well. The sixth-generation quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU is a powerhouse and the next-generation PCIe SSD is as fast as solid state storage gets.
With the Nvidia video card, this laptop is even capable of decent mobile gaming!
At $2,130, the Dell XPS 15 isn’t for everyone. But if you need to get real work done without being chained to a desk, you value battery life, you want the most compact laptop possible and you demand premium design, then the Dell XPS 15 may just beat out the 15-inch MacBook Pro as the best laptop choice.
As of this writing, Robert Martin did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
