Opinions of Dell XPS 13 or 15

jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 13:46
Last edited 16/02/2016 - 14:18 by 2 other users

Hi OzB Community ,

I have been and I am looking for a laptop as a replacement for my Macbook Air 13.3" as it was just sold after owning for 3 years.

I am looking for Opinions of all and anything on the Dell XPS 13" and 15" ,I have been eyeing this particular laptop for a while , mainly because of the specs, i7-512gb-16gbSSD and the BEZEL.
ONE Gripe of the laptop is the camera placement!

What I loved about the Macbook:

Excellent battery life for the previous 2 years (9-11 hrs)
Amazing industrial design
Superb touchpad- speaking for web browsing(scrolling) and going back and forth from pages
Multitouch capabilities
Keyboard (One of the best I've used)
Screen is extremely brighter than Windows PC's Ive used.

Let me know what you all think.

Or even any other laptop suggestions comparable to the above.

Cheers!

Computing 13.3inch 15.6inch Computer Dell Laptop Ultrabook

Comments

    • jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 22:01

      Will read WP. Thanks cDNA!

  • carlJack on 16/02/2016 - 14:58
    +1

    Have been using XPS 13 for 5 months. Absolutely Amazing machine.

    • jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 21:58

      How do you find Battery life and User X regarding trackpad and noise if any?

      • cDNA on 17/02/2016 - 11:01

        it's over 9 hours with light use.

        You can buy a Dell companion (power bank) to charge it on the go. The bigger power bank gives you an extra 18 hours of battery life.

      • carlJack on 17/02/2016 - 12:22

        Battery life is around 8 - 9 hours Max.Less if doing some heavy work. Trackpad is nice and easy to use. no issues.

  • ESEMCE on 16/02/2016 - 15:03
    +2

    Can you live with QHD resolution?
    The i7 models only come in stupid high res if I remember correctly.
    Program interfaces and even OS's aren't really ready for that high resolution in my opinion,. especially on a tiny 13" screen.

    I bought a XPS13 Full HD - non-touch screen for my mum, so my time with it is short.
    The Touchpad takes some getting used to cause it depresses (maybe MacBook Air's do too.. never used one.. My last Mac was a Powerbook G4 which is now the brains of a "jukebox")
    Keyboard is OK, the backlight is a bit bright for my liking and there don't appear to be Apple style shortcut keys to reduce it (not that I've looked that hard)
    Screen is very nice.
    Battery life has been on the disappointing side to me. I really expected more from it. Couldn't give you a run time though.

    They come up frequently on Dell Outlet at a good $400+ discount.

    • jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 21:57

      If i opt for the dell i would specify for the 1080p version ONLY because of the better battery life. .and how often would i touch my screen. ..though i do like the fact that the touch version doesn't have the slight plastic border surrounding it

      • carlJack on 17/02/2016 - 12:25

        I had a touch screen sony vaio before. Problem with Touch screen is that it gets dirty very often. Thats why I opted for 1080p with non touch.

      • ESEMCE on 17/02/2016 - 12:34

        As I said, I'm pretty sure the i7 ONLY comes with the QHD panel…
        So you'll have to drop your sights back to the i5 (I think)
        Maybe you can custom build an i7 with 1080p, but I didn't think Dell did custom XPS builds.

  • boomramada on 16/02/2016 - 16:15
    +2

    Yet an another mac fan, ask questions then buy a another mac product? :)

    • jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 21:55

      If i can't decide on what else to try then most likely will but that's only because it works and works well re. Battery life and amazing trackpad response.

  • atj on 16/02/2016 - 17:17

    I didn't think the 16gb 13” was available in Au? Have I missed it on their website or do you have to call them up or something?

  • Sestrooper on 16/02/2016 - 18:12

    If you like OS then go mac air. If you like windows, then go XPS 13.
    I have an XPS 13 and it is great. Only issue is the touchpad is sometimes annoying.
    Battery life is great.

    • jnathanc on 16/02/2016 - 21:54

      It's this the known touchpad issue you're referring to?
      Definitely would want something with great battery life! Having to plug into a wall after short periods can be cumbersome!

      • Sestrooper on 16/02/2016 - 23:02
        +1

        I think it depends on what you are used to. I had a Lenovo X220T, so for me the track pad is an improvement. I don't find it super annoying but a few people do seem to. Hands down the macbook trackpad is better but I don't know if that would be enough for me to buy it over the dell. Another point is that the dell xps 13 is cheaper than the macbook by a fair amount when you consider the specs. Currently the XPS is the 6th gen I5/7 processors vs mac which are 5th generation. The macs will likely have the new 6th in them this year but I bet the price is more as well….

        Remember you can always buy one and return it within 30 days at most stores. I believe the microsoft store has this option.

        You could also use a Bluetooth mouse if the trackpad is THAT annoying.

        Battery life for me is about 10 hours on the FHD i5 version. The QHD version is approx 25-30% less battery time due to the higher pixel count required to be lit.

        Hope that helps….

        • ESEMCE on 17/02/2016 - 09:17

          The Lenovo Trackpad is "unique"

        • Sestrooper on 17/02/2016 - 18:34

          @scubacoles: meaning?

        • ESEMCE on 17/02/2016 - 19:37

          @Sestrooper:
          Took me about a month to learn how to use my x240 work laptop trackpad.
          The XPS trackpad is much easier.. but of a similar ilk.

        • [Deactivated] on 17/02/2016 - 20:03

          x220/T420/sandy bridge gen was the last thinkpad with the good trackpad and good trackpoint. Your x240 has a completely different one.

          (And thinkpad's trackpad were never their strong point anyway. Its all about the clit.)

        • ESEMCE on 17/02/2016 - 20:33

          @tatsulotto:
          Ah, I figured yours must be the same as mine…

        • Sestrooper on 17/02/2016 - 20:44

          @tatsulotto: I loved that clit. I wore it out too fast though :( Doesn't respond much

        • [Deactivated] on 17/02/2016 - 22:29

          @Sestrooper:

          Its an easy fix apparently. The x220 is still pretty popular among /g/ as its cheap as hell second hand and can take an eGPU setup with minimal modifications.

      • carlJack on 17/02/2016 - 12:31

        Touch Pad was an issue was with older version of xps 13. There have been firmware updates since then which eliminates the issue.

  • iamnikon on 17/02/2016 - 11:23

    I've had the mid-range XPS 13 for about a year. Loved it. Can get close to 10 hours on light use - often I don't have to charge it until the second day, when using it for about 4-5 hours at uni making notes.

    I've had no problems with the trackpad. The keyboard is outstanding.

    Frankly, I don't think you need the touchscreen QHD version - the increase in price and decrease in battery life is not really worth the power boost and the touchscreen.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join