Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2023) review

There are many causes to purchase a hybrid, not least the choice to modify between pill and laptop computer modes. And with the Dell XPS 13 9315 2-in-1, the US IT big hopes to persuade individuals to depart regular notebooks behind.

Dell’s removable makes a superb first impression by mixing a smooth folio case with CNC-milled, recycled aluminium and on the within you’ll discover an environment friendly Intel processor.

The worth is likely to be proper, too. The most affordable Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 makes use of Core i5 silicon and prices $1,149 within the US and £1,198 within the UK. If you happen to’d like a Core i7 mannequin, the worth sits at $1,299 and £1,689.

There’s heaps to love, however there’s a number of competitors too. One in every of our favorite convertible laptops is the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 2 360, and laptops just like the Dell XPS 13 Plus, Apple MacBook Air M2 and Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED all stay tempting in the event you don’t want a hybrid.

Design & Construct

• A sturdy, handsome removable design
• Different laptops and hybrids supply extra versatility
• Nice cameras, however not sufficient ports

The convertible XPS 13 appears nice because of CNC-milled aluminium edges and a gunmetal folio case, and each parts are strong. The pill is sturdy and the folio does an incredible job of defending either side.

The folio case attaches to the pill with a strong magnetic connection on the backside of the panel. As soon as that’s carried out, the magnetic folio props the pill into laptop computer positions at 100-, 110.5- and 125-degree angles.

On the highest, you’ll discover a energy button with a built-in fingerprint reader and a quantity rocker, and the cameras are very good; for video calls you’ve acquired a 5Mp unit with Home windows Hiya log in, and for landscapes there’s an 11Mp outward-facing shooter. Internally, you’ve acquired Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

It’s a superb begin, however the XPS has limitations. That angled folio case, as an illustration: you’ll get extra display screen positioning versatility from any laptop computer, the Samsung spins by means of 360 levels and the Microsoft Floor Professional 9 kickstand can sit at nearly any angle.

As with most detachables, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is awkward in your lap. At 300mm from entrance to again in laptop computer mode, it’s deeper than any rival. And whereas mixed weight and thickness of 1.3kg and 17mm are effective, each rival is slimmer and lighter.

Don’t count on a lot when it comes to bodily connectivity, both. The left-hand edge has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, however that’s it and also you’ll want one for charging.

Dell consists of headphone and full-size USB adapters within the field, however the MacBook Air has a headphone jack and the Asus has three USB-C ports. The Samsung has HDMI, full-size USB, microSD and headphone connectors.

Keyboard & Trackpad

• Spectacular edge-to-edge keyboard
• Good trackpad
• Backlight, however no numberpad

The keyboard makes use of the identical edge-to-edge “zero lattice” design because the XPS 13 Plus. It’s disarming at first – a gap-free unit with hardly any journey – however it’s straightforward to rise up to hurry.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The buttons are quick and responsive, and the case lends energy. It’s higher than the Floor Professional 9’s typing gear, extra satisfying than Samsung’s spongy {hardware}, and never far off MacBook high quality.

The backlight is first rate, and the trackpad is sweet too – massive and cozy, and with responsive buttons that might solely do with being a bit of crisper.

Display screen & Audio system

• A high-contrast, high-resolution IPS panel
• Touchscreen works effectively with the elective XPS Stylus
• Tinny audio system and higher screens elsewhere

Each model of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 will get the identical IPS show. The three:2 panel has a 2880 x 1920 decision, so that you’ve acquired a great deal of element and peak. The sting-to-edge Gorilla Glass Victus does an incredible job of defending the panel.

It’s a touchscreen, and it’s appropriate with the XPS Stylus, which has 4,096 stress factors and is a wonderful choice for artistic work. It additionally attaches magnetically to the highest of the display screen, which is a neat storage answer. The stylus isn’t included, although and it’s $100/£112 additional.

The panel’s peak brightness of 528 nits allows straightforward indoor and outside use, and the distinction ratio of two,031:1 is about nearly as good because it will get for IPS, so daring colors are partnered by nice depth and nuance.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

These colors are correct, too, because of a 1.1 Delta E, though this display screen solely renders the sRGB gamut: it produced 94.8% of that house however solely about 70% of the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamuts.

These outcomes imply that the XPS is right for on a regular basis workloads and inventive duties, however it’s not appropriate for high-end design work or HDR media.

The XPS 13 Plus and ZenBook each include high-resolution OLED panels with higher distinction and color. The Samsung convertible has OLED, albeit at a decrease decision, and the Floor Professional 9’s 120Hz refresh price doubles the Dell’s 60Hz determine and makes the UI smoother.

The 2 2W audio system are a bit tinny, however effective for background music and YouTube movies. Apple’s equipment is significantly better.

Specs & Efficiency

• Intel Core i5-1230U or i7-1250U
• 8GB or 16GB DDR4 reminiscence
• 512GB or 1TB SSDs

The 2 XPS 13 2-in-1 variants use Intel’s low-power Core i5-1230U and Core i7-1250U processors, which have two multi-threaded efficiency cores with respective high speeds of 4.4- and 4.7GHz.

The i5 model has 8GB of reminiscence and the Core i7 rig doubles that determine, however it’s solely DDR4 RAM when most rivals use DDR5. The 512GB SSD I examined has cheap learn and write speeds of 4988MB/s and 3586MB/s.

There’s nothing to shout about on paper, and there’s not a lot pleasure from benchmarks both. In Geekbench 5’s multi-core check, a rating of 6,898 is a couple of hundred factors behind the AMD chip contained in the Asus, and additional again from the XPS 13 Plus’s i7-1260P and Apple’s M2 chip.

PCMark 10 provided no respite. The XPS 13 2-in-1’s results of 4,969 stays behind the Asus and Dell XPS 13 Plus. In our benchmarks, the XPS 13 2-in-1 may solely outpace the Samsung, which makes use of a Core i5-1235U.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

Don’t count on a lot assist from Intel’s Iris Xe graphics chip. Its 3DMark Evening Raid results of 11,151 is a great distance behind the built-in Radeon core within the Asus and in addition behind the identical Iris chip within the i7-1260P.

You gained’t have any points working workplace apps, a great deal of browser tabs or music and media streamers, and the XPS can deal with some primary photo- and video-editing instruments.

Attempt to do extra and it’ll begin to chug and it’s outpaced by the P-series, Ryzen or Apple chips discovered elsewhere. I’d positively suggest the 16GB improve if you wish to go for the Core i5 CPU.

A minimum of you don’t need to cope with fan noise – as a result of the Dell is passively cooled. That’s nice for silent working, however it does imply that there’s a bit of warmth in the direction of the highest of the pill in the event you push the {hardware}. It’s noticeable, however not harmful.

Battery Life & Charging

• 49.5Wh battery
• 45W charging

Battery life is mediocre. The 49.5Wh energy pack lasted for 9 hours and 25 minutes in a video playback check with the display screen at diminished brightness however solely 8 hours and 27 minutes in an on a regular basis work benchmark on the similar display screen degree.

If you happen to ramp the show up or push the elements count on nearer to seven hours, and count on a good 37% of energy from a thirty-minute cost.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

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In some conditions, the XPS gained’t get by means of a working day, and a few rivals are higher on this space. You’ll get twice as a lot longevity from the Asus and nearly as a lot from the MacBook and Galaxy Ebook.

Value & Availability

The most affordable XPS 13 2-in-1 pairs the i5-1230U with 8GB of reminiscence and prices $1,149 or £1,198. Upgrading to 16GB raises these costs to $1,299 and £1,489.

The Core i7-1250U model has 16GB of reminiscence by default and prices $1,299 and £1,689. Upgrading from a 512GB SSD to a 1TB drive is simply out there on the Core i7 mannequin and ups the US and UK costs to $1,449 and £1,889.

As ever, Dell’s personal US and UK web sites are the perfect choices for purchasing the XPS however you may also get it from Currys.

The very best mannequin is the Core i7 model with 16GB of reminiscence. However in the event you’re keen to ditch the Dell’s removable aspect, inexpensive energy is simple to search out. The Asus ZenBook prices $1,299 or £999, and the Dell XPS 13 Plus with a Core i7 CPU sits at £1,299 or £1,399.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

If you happen to’re proud of a U-series chip you will get the standard XPS 13 for $999 or £1,199. The Galaxy Ebook 2 360 prices $849 or £1,299 with a Core i7 CPU, and the Galaxy Ebook 3 360 prices $799 or £1,399. A number of of those contenders have higher screens than the XPS, even when they’re not all hybrids.

The MacBook is aggressive, too, because of beginning costs of $1,119 and £1,249 – though costs rise dramatically for the beefier M2 chip and 16GB of reminiscence. The Floor can be costly, with US and UK costs that begin at $1,808 and £1,838 in the event you pair a Core i7 CPU with the Floor Professional Signature Keyboard.

Take a look at our chart of the perfect laptops and greatest 2-in-1 laptops in the event you’d prefer to see your entire choices.

Verdict

It’s a mid-market choice when it comes to worth, then, and it’s fairly unusual in different departments too.

The processor can run on a regular basis workplace and inventive workloads however nothing more durable, and the show is a shiny, daring touchscreen with out the color breadth for top-end design conditions. The battery barely lasts all day.

Elsewhere, the XPS has a superb keyboard however it’s heavier, thicker and arguably much less versatile than rivals, and the display screen is strong and well-equipped with cameras – however it barely has any ports.

It’s a tough promote. The XPS 13 2-in-1 is an efficient selection if you’d like an on a regular basis removable machine relatively than a 360-hinge hybrid. However irrespective of your intentions for a brand new convertible or laptop computer, you’ll most likely discover a higher choice elsewhere.

Specs

• Mannequin examined
• OS: Home windows 11 Residence
• Show: 13in 2880 x 1920 60Hz IPS
• CPU: Intel Core i7-1250U
• Reminiscence: 16GB onboard
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.s SSD
• Webcam: 5mp Home windows Hiya, 11mp
• Connectivity: 2 x Thunderbolt 4/USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C/DisplayPort/Energy supply
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 49.5Wh
• Charger: 45W
• Dimensions: 201 x 300 x 17mm
• Weight: 1.3kg
• Guarantee: 1yr RTB