Not only has Dell released a new XPS 15 with the border-less Infinity display, the much loved XPS 13 has been given a new set of internals. There is also a funky new 2 in 1 convertible – an updated (and quite different) XPS 12.
We love the XPS 13 and it is easily one of the best laptops we have used. Going back to anything else with regular fat bezels feels oh so wrong.
But we had been eagerly awaiting for the same tech to make it to the 15”. Dell had been holding out for the new Intel 6th Gen Skylake CPUs, but the wait was worth it.
The new Dell XPS 15 brings the 13’s sleek design, including the borderless infinity display, to the larger laptop.
Thanks to tiny bezels, it’s actually the smallest 15” laptop on the planet (which is important clarify for any people travelling offworld – thanks Dell).
The XPS 15 is from 11 – 17 mm thick and starts at 1.78 KG – though things like the touchscreen and bigger battery weight more.
The laptop measures in at 357mm wide and 235mm deep. In comparison, the old XPS 15 is 372mm wide by 254mm deep.
That’s 1.5cm less width, and almost 1cm less deep. Not bad!
It’s got an Ultrasharp 4K 3840 x 2160 touchscreen, though it’s also available with a standard 1080P, non touch screen.
The laptop has a range of 6th Gen Intel CPUs, from i3s up to a Quad Core i7 and 16GB of 2133 MHz RAM.
You can also get an optional NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (2Gb GDDR5) for extra graphics grunt.
The 15 is available with up to 1TB of SSD storage (or a 1TB HDD…), and has Thunderbolt 3 (and USB 3.1 over Type-C) or extra external connectivity options.
If you opt for the 1080P screen and the 84 WHr battery, the XPS 15 promises up to 17 hours of battery life.
The Dell XPS 15 starts from $2099 and goes on sale at Dell from October 16. For now though on the AU website the old model still shows up.
The new Dell XPS 13 looks a lot like the old one, just has some new features under the hood.
Impressively, battery life is now up to 18 hours!
It keeps the same 1080P or 4K display options, but introduces 6th Gen Intel Skylake CPUs.
On the Dell AU website, the options available are a Core i5-6200U with 4GB or 8GB of RAM and a 128GB or 256GB SSD.
You can also a Core i7-6500U, though only with the 4K screen, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD.
The new XPS 13 starts from $1799 (or $1999 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD), though the top spec i7 model will cost $2499. There is also a gold version that costs an extra $100.
The new XPS 12 is the first (according to Dell) 2-in-1 with a 4K screen. Which is true, considering the Microsoft Surface Book is a slightly sub 4K resolution at 3000 x 2000.
The XPS 12 comes with a Cre m5-6Y54 CPU, which can be coupled to a few configurations. You can get a 1080P screen instead of the 4K, as well as a 128GB or 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM.
Rather than a flipping screen like before, the XPS 12 has a funky attachment to its keyboard that does use a latch or a hinge. Rather you can simple guide it in and out, one handed. How that works in practice remains to be seen, but we will have to wait for a hands on to see how good it is.
The XPS 12 also comes with Thunderbolt 3, via a USB Type-C port.
The pricing and availability for the XPS 12 is yet to be announced for Australia.