Dell XPS 13
By Deepanshu Kumar March 25th,2014
This third version of the Dell XPS 13 is definitely the best. It’s a bit pricey at $1299 as configured, but that buys a sharp, nimble, and durable laptop with a fourth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, an SSD, and a 13.3-inch touchscreen display. If you’re considering an Ultrabook—or a 13-inch MacBook Air—this machine should be on your short list.
Inside the XPS 13’s sturdy shell you’ll find much the same silicon as in many competing 13-inch Ultrabooks, including a mid-range Haswell-class processor (specifically, a Core i5-4200U, with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU) and a128GB SSD. But this model comes with 8GB DDR3/1600 memory, instead of the more typical 4GB.
Small notebooks often feel cramped, but the more I use the XPS 13, the more I like it. Let’s start with the new touchscreen, a rich 1920-by-1080 panel—protected by Gorilla Glass—that excels in nearly every way. The lid is astonishingly stiff, despite measuring slightly more than 1/8-inch thick. It hardly flexed at all when I gripped both sides and twisted. The same goes for the rest of the chassis, which is constructed from a blend of aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber.
The XPS 13, which lacks a discrete graphics processor, falls far short in our Bioshock Infinite test. The reference XPS 15 machine, equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GT 750M, blitzed though the game with an ultra-smooth 44 frame per second (and that’s with the game’s resolution to 1920 by 1080 pixels with medium visual quality). The XPS 13 limped along at just 11 fps.
Inside the XPS 13’s sturdy shell you’ll find much the same silicon as in many competing 13-inch Ultrabooks, including a mid-range Haswell-class processor (specifically, a Core i5-4200U, with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU) and a128GB SSD. But this model comes with 8GB DDR3/1600 memory, instead of the more typical 4GB.
Small notebooks often feel cramped, but the more I use the XPS 13, the more I like it. Let’s start with the new touchscreen, a rich 1920-by-1080 panel—protected by Gorilla Glass—that excels in nearly every way. The lid is astonishingly stiff, despite measuring slightly more than 1/8-inch thick. It hardly flexed at all when I gripped both sides and twisted. The same goes for the rest of the chassis, which is constructed from a blend of aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber.
The XPS 13, which lacks a discrete graphics processor, falls far short in our Bioshock Infinite test. The reference XPS 15 machine, equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GT 750M, blitzed though the game with an ultra-smooth 44 frame per second (and that’s with the game’s resolution to 1920 by 1080 pixels with medium visual quality). The XPS 13 limped along at just 11 fps.