Dell XPS 13 Touch (2015) Review

The latest version of the Dell XPS 13 ultrabook ($1,399 as tested) is slimmer than its predecessor, and offers an insanely detailed 13.3-inch QHD+ In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen. It’s one of the first systems we’ve seen with a fifth-generation Intel Core i5 ultrabook-class processor, and so far, we like what we see. It’s a very good choice if you’re looking for the most detailed screen you can get in a system that’s barely larger than the chassis of many 11-inch laptops.

Editors’ Note: This review is for an old version of the Dell XPS 13 Touch. Read the review of the current Dell XPS 13 Touch.

Design and Features
The XPS 13($749.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is constructed from machined aluminum and the keyboard deck and palm rest are clad in carbon fiber. The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass NBT, with barely a few millimeters of bezel around the 13.3-inch, In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen. The near-invisible bezel makes the screen look larger and minimizes wasted space. The 3K (QHD+), 3,200-by-1,800-resolution display is beautiful to behold, and shows an incredible amount of detail when viewing Netflix and YouTube videos. In testing, even the shadow-filled scenes like the skyscraper fight scene in Skyfall were detailed enough to see clearly. Swiping from offscreen to bring up the Windows 8.1 Charms bar is a little trickier due to the narrow bezel, but it’s easy to adapt after a few tries. On the whole, it’s a sleeker look than even the Dell XPS 13 Touch (9333)($749.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window).

The chassis measures 0.6 by 12 by 8 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.76 pounds. That’s slimmer and about a quarter-pound lighter than last year’s model, and puts it right in between the 11-inch Apple MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Air. That’s also lighter than Windows competitors like the Acer Aspire S7-392-5410($1,387.99 at Office Depot® & OfficeMax®)(Opens in a new window), and it’s the same weight as the Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7 Touch( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), our Editors’ Choice high-end ultrabook. What’s notable about this is that the system’s screen height is lower than the other 13-inch laptops here, which means that the XPS 13 will work well on an airline tray table in coach. Typing on the chiclet-style, backlit keyboard is comfortable, as is using the wide touchpad and 10-point touch screen.

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Port selection is adequate, if a bit sparse: You get one mini DisplayPort, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SD card reader. Dell sells a $60 USB 3.0 adapter that will add Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0, and VGA, but that’s another box that you may accidentally leave at your desk or on the road. For wireless connectivity, there’s 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

The system comes with 8GB of memory and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). There may be some who want more storage to keep lots of HD video files handy, but 256GB is enough for most other users, especially if you have subscriptions to streaming video services like Amazon Prime and Netflix. Dell covers the XPS 13 Touch with a one-year warranty, which is a bit short compared with the two years you get with the Toshiba 13 i7 Touch (a $119 option on the XPS 13 Touch). 

Performance
A fifth-generation Intel Core i5-5200U low-voltage CPU with Intel HD Graphics 5500 powers the XPS 13, and it’s good enough to score 2,987 on the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, beating the Toshiba 13 i7 Touch by about 500 points. It even squeaked by the Toshiba Satellite Click 2 Pro P35W-B3226($968.88 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) (2,939), which has a slightly faster Core i7 processor. Its 3DMark Cloud Gate and Fire Strike Extreme scores are also better than that of previous systems, but as the Heaven (9 frames per second) and Valley (9fps) tests at medium-quality settings show, you won’t be playing 3D games on any of the tested ultrabooks, unless you’re ready to dial the quality settings way down.

See How We Test Laptops

Multimedia scores are very good. The XPS 13 handily beat the competition on the Handbrake test with a score of 2 minutes 58 seconds. Most of the other systems ran from three to almost six minutes on the same test. Its Adobe Photoshop (5:54) and Cinebench (249 points) scores are quite competitive, but not the best we’ve seen. The XPS 13 is ready for 2D content creation, so photographers, videographers, and Web developers who prefer Windows should take a good look at this system. The XPS 13 has the multimedia power to complement its 3K UHD+ screen.

Battery life was a mixed bag in our testing. Its score of 7 hours 40 minutes on our rundown test is respectable, but somewhat disappointing compared with 8:44 for the Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7 Touch and 9:31 for the previous Dell XPS 13 Touch. The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch is still our current battery champ at more than 15 hours. You can extend battery life many more hours (we recorded 12:55) using Dell’s 12,000 mAh Portable Power Companion battery pack ($108).

When all is said and done, the latest Dell XPS 13 Touch’s strengths are the brilliant touch screen, sturdy build quality, thin construction, and very solid performance from the fifth-generation Intel Core i5 processor. The Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7 Touch remains our top pick for high-end ultrabooks though, thanks to its longer battery life, two-year warranty (including tech support and Internet security), and bundled software. That said, the XPS 13 Touch should be on your short list if you’re looking for a well-built, thin, light, and powerful touch-screen Windows laptop.