Dell XPS 15 (2019) Review

I love being wrong (sometimes). For example, the Dell XPS 15. I loved last year's model with its heady combination of appearance and power, so much that I didn't think it could improve much. But the last XPS 15 ($ 2,649 revised, $ 1,099 starting) is much better. This is the first time that the XPS 15 obtains an OLED screen, which is itself monumental. But the system also includes an overclockable Core i9 processor and combines it with a discreet Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU, which makes it a beautiful beast. Yes, they also fixed the webcam.

However, there are some compensations for all that beauty and power, that is, the battery life, which is just over 8 hours. But in a stacked notebook, I bet it is a defect that you will be willing to overlook. We certainly have it, that's why we call the XPS 15 the best 15-inch laptop and one of the best laptops for college students.

Dell XPS 15 price and settings

I tested the $ 2,649 configuration of the Dell XPS 15, which has a ninth-generation 2.4GHz Intel Core i9-9980HK processor with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB NVMe m.2 PCIe SSD, an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, a Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU 1650 with 4 GB of VRAM and a 4K OLED display.

The $ 1,099 base model was launched in June 2019 with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-9300H CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe m.2 PCIe SSD, an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU and a display of 1920x1080.

The $ 1,599 iteration offers you a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-9750H CPU with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe m.2 PCIe SSD, an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of VRAM and A 1920 x 1080 monitor. An additional $ 400 doubles the RAM and storage and adds a 4K panel.

Design

Aluminum and carbon fiber: a combination made in the technological paradise. At least it's when you're talking about an XPS laptop. In XPS 15, the combination is exclusive and modern, something you would be proud to show off in a cafeteria or boardroom. The chrome Dell logo shines in the center of the silver anodized aluminum lid, as do the slightly beveled edges of the system.

Adding rigidity and a stylish flair to the mix is the carbon-fiber keyboard deck, which houses the full-size keyboard, a large touchpad and the circular power button playing double duty as a fingerprint reader.

As with all modern XPS notebooks, the latest 15 rocks those barely-there bezels, courtesy of Dell's InfinityEdge design. But unlike all but the most recent XPS 13, the webcam on the 15-inch is right where it belongs, smack-dab in the top bezel.

Weighing 4.5 pounds, the XPS 15 of 14.1 x 9.3 x 0.5 ~ 0.7 inches is on par with its competition. The HP Specter x360 15-inch (4.5 pounds, 14.2 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches) is only slightly larger, while the Apple MacBook Pro 4 pounds, 13.8 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches (15 inches) is smaller and lighter .

Ports

Dell has equipped the XPS 15 with enough ports and slots to make it a formidable workhorse. It is one of the few premium systems offered by an SD card reader.

In addition, you will find a USB 3.1 Type A port with a wedge lock slot and a battery indicator button on the right side of laptops. On the left is another USB 3.1 Type A port with a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI 2.0 and connectors for power and headphones.

Display

Let's give a big round of applause to the latest member of the OLED club. This marks the first time Dell has put an OLED panel on the XPS 15.

With dramatic and vivid colors with rich and detailed contrast, the 15.6-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) XPS panel must be seen to be believed. I was immediately surprised by the way the amber street lights shone against the warm mocha skin of actress Jodie Turner-Smith and accentuated every turn in her long box braids while riding in the car. The smallest details, such as Daniel Kaluuya's beard patch and the small drops of water deposited in his hair by melted snow, were easy to see.

The 4K without OLED version of the XPS 15 is not easy, as it successfully shows the luxurious shine of Kaluuya's crimson velvet monkey. But it was not as vibrant as its OLED counterpart.

Measurement of color reproduction capacity revealed that the OLED XPS 15 can produce 239% of the sRGB range, while the system without OLED reaches 210%. Both screens are much more vivid than the average premium laptop of 128% and 114% of the MacBook Pro. However, no laptop was rival for 258% of the Specter x360.

Wowzers, it's that bright. When I started reviewing the OLED XPS, I thought it was quite bright. Then I realized that it was only 50%. When I set it to the maximum, I almost needed to get some tones to look at the 626 nit panel. The screen without OLED averaged 418 nits, which is more on par with the average of 334 nit, the 403 nits of the MacBook Pro and the 483 nits of the Specter x360.

And while the XPS 15's display is stunning, it's also durable thanks to being made from Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It comes in handy when you want to reach out and use the touch screen. And while the 10-point capacitive touch screen is quick and accurate, you might want to invest in the optional Active Pen ($49.99) to avoid unsightly smudges on this lovely screen.

In case the colors are not vivid enough for you, Dell preloaded several utilities to help. PremierColor allows you to adjust the color range, temperature and brightness. When it's time to watch a video, it has CinemaColor, which offers several easy profiles to quickly adjust the screen. There is also DolbyVision, which can further enhance the color and contrast in standard definition panels.

Audio

In the next iteration of the 15-inch XPS, I want speakers mounted on the top. Dell should place them on the hinge or toward the bottom corners. As it stands, the speakers mounted on the bottom of the XPS 15 are strong, strong enough to fill my small living room with clear, but superficial audio, depending on the song.

For example, the string orchestra that accompanied Sam Cooke in "A Change Is Gonna Come" was as sweet and stimulating as his faint tone was taciturn but hopeful. However, the bass in "Truth Hurts" by Lizzo was missing, although the artist's rap / singing was pleasant and clear, as was the piano.

To help improve audio quality, Dell preinstalled the Waves MaxxAudioPro software. It has 24 presets, including Hip-Hop (Soft), R&B, Movies, Oldies, Loudness and Classical.

Keyboard and touchpad

Maybe it's the 79 grams of acting force spoken here, but typing on the island-style keyboard of the XPS 15 is a powerful and comfortable experience. Despite the 1.1 mm shallow depth of the key travel (1.5 is our preferred minimum), my fingers never bottomed out while writing the review. I even reached my usual 70 words per minute on the 10fastfingers typing test without any problem.

The keys are large and have a generous space. And the backlight allowed me to burn the midnight oil without too many mistakes.

The 4.1 x 3.1 inch Precision touch panel is spacious, fast and responsive. Performing Windows 10 gestures, such as a three-finger touch to invoke the Activity Center or a three-finger swipe to access recent applications, was almost instantaneous.

Performance

Who wants more power? I make. And Dell offers more than anything with the XPS 15, which includes a ninth-generation Intel Core i9-9980HK 2.4GHz overclockable processor with 32GB of RAM in a chassis that is otherwise thin. The laptop underwent my real-world tests, streaming Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Netflix with 25 additional open tabs from Google Chrome, some of which were transmitted from Twitch or YouTube, while others were running Slack and Tweetdeck

The XPS 15 also yielded dazzling results in our synthetic tests, achieving an impressive 28,882 in the Geekbench 4.3 overall performance test. That simply shattered the average of 16,226 premium laptops, as well as the 17,195 presented by the Specter x360 and its 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U CPU. But equipped with its own 8-core Intel Core i9-9980HK CPU, the MacBook Pro achieved a result of 31,012.

MORE: laptops with the best overall performance

The XPS 15 obtained a certain revenge in the Handbrake test, and it only took 8 minutes to transcode a 4K video at 1080p. That's faster than the MacBook Pro 8:10 and the Specter x360 21:13 and the average 22:13.

When we run our usual file transfer test, the 1 TB PCIe NVMe m.2 SSD unit of XPS 15 doubled 4.97 GB of media files in 10 seconds for a transfer speed of 508 megabytes per second, beating the drive solid state Specter x360 (424 MBps). However, both scores are below the category average of 620.3 MBps.

We also run the Black Magic storage test, in which the XPS obtained a read / write speed of 2,116 / 2,224 MBps. The MacBook Pro SSD posted a faster result of 2,612 / 2,611 MBps.

In addition to its integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, the XPS 15 also has a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of VRAM for more intense tasks. When we executed the Dirt 3 benchmark, the XPS 15 achieved 80 frames per second exceeding the average of the 68 fps premium laptop. However, with their respective AMD Radeon Pro Vega and Nvidia MX150 GPUs, the MacBook Pro and Specter x360 got 120 and 118 fps.

Battery duration

There is a price to pay for all that power and such a beautiful screen. Thanks to all these high-power galas, the OLED iteration of the XPS 15 lasted only 8 hours and 7 minutes in our battery test (continuous Wi-Fi browsing at 150 nits of brightness). The non-OLED model lasted a little longer at 8:48. Both times they will help you spend a full day at work and will last longer than 7:46 of Specter x360.

But the premium average of 8:26 exceeds the OLED XPS 15, while the MacBook Pro, which lasted 10:21, outperformed the competition.

Hot

The XPS 15 can get a little warm under the collar, but thanks to the ventilation located in front of the hinge and along the bottom of the laptop, it is never uncomfortable to use in your lap. After 15 minutes of playing a YouTube video, the touch panel measured 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The center of the keyboard reached 96 degrees, which is just above our comfort threshold of 95 degrees. The laptop's undercarriage was a warm 102 degrees.

Webcam

Dell could have one of the best webcams I've used on a premium laptop, and they made it themselves. After constant complaints about the "nasal chamber," the company returned to the lab and created a shooter that measures only 0.9 inches, making it the smallest of Dell to date. But it is not the size that matters, it is the quality of the image. And I am pleased to report that Dell does not disappoint.

The test photos I took in my living room had a precise color of my chocolate complexion, purple locs and white and marigold dress. There is definitely some visual noise, but it is not as bad as what you will find in competitive systems. Also, I was sharp enough to be able to distinguish the cut of the heart in my ring when I made the peace sign.

Software and warranty

The usual cast of Dell preinstalled utilities makes its appearance on XPS 15. It obtains Power Manager, which runs diagnostics on the system's battery and adjusts fan speed and power consumption for more demanding tasks. Mobile Connect allows you to duplicate your smartphone to your laptop, so you can call a Lyft or play mobile games like The Elder Scrolls: Blades on the captivating screen of the XPS.