Dell's
Ultrabook entry is great to look at and wonderfully built
One look,
one touch and feel, and you can tell that the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is a
premium device. Every inch of it seems to have been designed with an astute
level of thoughtfulness, and the result is a notebook which not only looks
good, but is also solidly built. The solid and minimalist design alone puts the
XPS 13 along the top Ultrabook contenders, though it's not without a few
niggling issues.
It's a
suitably slim device, and the way Dell fits the 13-inch screen into such a
small chassis is admirable. It's a wee bit heavier than it looks, but the
overall built is immensely solid (Gorilla glass screen, anyone?). Still, its
smaller built meant the loss of essential ports like Ethernet connectivity and
HDMI, which rather dampers the whole experience.
The
keyboard here is particularly notable; it types comfortably and is wellspaced,
though the trackpad works a little awkwardly.The hardware specs of the XPS 13
doesn't exactly scream "Powerful", but it is definitely performable.
Our unit sports an Intel Core i5-2467 processor clocked in at 1.60GHz, which
combines with 4GB of RAM and an 128GB SSD to provide some satisfactory
benchmark scores and a performance well capable of HD movies, music, Internet
surfing and various forms of documenting. It cold-boots quickly too, and the
system wakes from sleep almost instantaneously.
The battery
life of the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is comparably poorer, unfortunately. In our
video loop test with Wi-Fi turned on and brightness set to maximum, we managed
just about 4 hours and 25 minutes of battery time. You could surely do better
with regular usage and with moderate Wi-Fi usage, but it might not be hitting
the marks of other Ultrabooks.
Dell
XPS 13 Ultrabook
Price Starts at $1080
Info www.dell.com
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i5-2467M @ 1.60GHz
RAM: 4GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display: 13.3-inch HD WLED (1,366 x 768)
720p, hardened Gorilla Glass
Storage: 128GB SSD
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 1 x USB 2.0, 1
x USB3.0, mini DisplayPort
Extras: 1.3MP Webcam
Dimensions: 316 x 205 x 6-18mm
Weight: 1.36kg
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Ratings
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Features
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Performance
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Design
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Value
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Comment
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(+) Excellent design
Quite performable
Good keyboard
(-) Limited ports
Battery life could be better
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