Courtesy of Dell, I received the latest version of the Dell XPS 13 Notebook a couple of days ago. Although I have not spent much time with the machine yet to be able to write my initial thoughts, I have already installed the latest versions of both Lightroom and Photoshop. Both ran just fine together, something I have not been able to do very successfully with my Surface Pro 3. The main reason is RAM – my Surface Pro 3 only has 8 GB of RAM, whereas the XPS 13 has 16 GB. In addition, the XPS 13 has the latest generation Skylake CPU (mine came with a powerful Intel Core i7 CPU), which also sports a faster Intel GPU, so I expect it to be faster at doing everything. Lastly, the machine has a whopping 1 TB of fast PCIe storage, which means that I don’t have to constantly carry an external hard drive with me, since its local storage is sufficient for most of my needs when traveling. Hence, I expect the XPS 13 to be a much superior machine for post-processing work when working in the field.
The first issue I have noticed so far is the power plug – unfortunately, Dell has not changed it for a while now, so it is still the same old power plug that goes on the side of the machine. I wish Dell engineers came up with a better designed power plug, so that it could attach to the machine simpler, perhaps with a magnetic connection like on the Surface Pro. This way, if one were to unintentionally stomp on the cable, it does not bring the machine down with it. In fact, it would be even sweeter if someone came up with a way to charge laptops from each side! How many times do you catch yourself moving around just to accommodate the direction of the power cable? I know such a design would take more space, but it would be really convenient. Another potential issue is lack of an HDMI output. Looks like Dell wants its XPS 13 users to purchase an optional accessory to be able to output HDMI from the laptop, which is not that big of a deal, as long as the accessory works well. Still, some people might not like the idea of carrying another accessory and cables in their bags.
A definite plus I see is the availability of two USB ports and a Thunderbolt port. Yes, you heard that right – this little puppy has a Thunderbolt port on its side! I have not seen many PCs with it, which is definitely new, but welcome, since the number of Thunderbolt devices on the market is increasing dramatically. With the ability to transfer up to 40 Gbps, Thunderbolt is a pretty sweet option to put on any machine, let alone a compact travel laptop. And by the way, if you have a monitor with a Thunderbolt port, you should be able to output video without the third party accessory. I cannot verify this 100% yet, but hoping to be able to find out by the time I do the review.
I am planning to travel with the XPS 13 extensively in the next 3-4 months, so expect a review fairly soon. As before, I will be providing benchmark data and comparisons with a number of Microsoft Surface Pro alternatives, as requested by our readers.
This laptop has been out for almost a year now. Dell was one of the first to come out with the Skylake processor. What I’m still waiting for in the McBook Pro! If they have changed something recently let us know. Also one complaint I have been hearing is that it is very hard to see with the HD screen. The 4K on the 15 inch XPS is getting a lot of complaints about this. Even John Shaw on his blog recently bought the 15 XPS and he says Adobe has rezzed up Lightroom and Photoshop to see better on the 4k screens. But old unattended programs like NIK haven’t, making it very hard to see on HD screens. Let us know soon if you can. I need to buy one in a few weeks.
Looking forward to your evaluation of the new X13. I have a 2 year old X13, and while it had performed well, the specs of the new X13 make it very attractive.
Nasim, also let us know where you got the 1TB xps13. The Dell website only goes to a 512mb. Also for anyone interested, Best Buy has the 1TB xps15 for significantly less money than buying from Dell direct. But as John Shaw said in his blog, mention that to Dell and they will match it.
Nasim, Hope this goes well for you, Lets hope Dell has sorted out the Skylake processor issue with blue screening with graphic programs, I have had two of them and had to send them both back to Dell for refunds. Dell was excellent in managing this problem for me and were able to simulate the problem I was having. I am happy to purchase one again once the problem is sorted with the Skylake processor. It has a gorgeous display. Lightroom works fine, Photoshop you can get by. Bridge is unusable this is not a Dell issue though just have to wait for Adobe to get up to speed. I’m back on my old Mac Book Pro for now. The RGB 4K monitor was my reason for purchasing the Dell and that excellent price.
Mark- is it a issue with the HD screen? Just too darn small to see bridge and other programs?
Jay-yes the resolution is very high which makes Bridge on usable at this time until Adobe corrects the scaling issue.
I’m also thinking of updating my travelling laptop soon as my old Sony has become unreliable (needing serious resuscitation on several occasions). I’m currently thinking of a 15.6 inch Toshiba Satellite or Asus Zenbook (if available) or maybe a Dell XP15. Either way I expect it would be 4K, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD.