First Impressions
Sleek, sexy and hardcore. Those are the
only three words that came to my mind when I saw this 12 inch piece of heaven.
Dell has never failed to impress me with their laptops and desktops, and when I
found out about the XPS convertible, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
Packed with everything required to make it an exceptional ultrabook, does it
live up to its asking price of $1.7k? Read on.
Dell
XPS 12 Ultrabook
Review
A Windows 8 pc that can be used as a tablet
as well. In the following months there will be too many to count on our
fingers, so what sets this apart? To start off, the look and feel of this Dell
certainly makes you feel like royalty. Its screen flips inside its hinges and
each time you turn it, it'll rest with this comfortable clicking sound that
will give you a great deal of confidence in its build. The keys are well
spaced, leaving you with a comfortable and soft space to rest your palms as you
type away! This XPS certainly feels heavy at 1.54 kilos for a 12.5 inch laptop,
although this won't be an issue when you carry it around. However, it starts to
get annoying if you use it in the tablet mode for long stretches - too large
and rigid, unless of course you are comfortably seated with excellent leg and
back support. As you look around the edges you will find a modest collection of
ports - two USB 3.0 sockets, a Mini DisplayPort, a 3.5mm headphone jack and
dual speakers. The only thing missing is an SD Card Reader, which would have
been a useful addition, since it would be a whole lot easier to copy data from
your memory card.
As
you look around the edges you will find a modest collection of ports - two USB
3.0 sockets, a Mini DisplayPort, a 3.5mm headphone jack and dual speakers.
As far as the trackpad was concerned, I
felt like it had a mind of its own. Would be excessively stubborn when it came
to using the cursor for simple clicking or dragging. Although the trackpad is
equipped with several Windows 8 gestures, which makes it pleasant when using
two fingers, it left me extremely disappointed with its cursor navigation. The
XPS is packed with an amazing display of 176 pixels per inch which gives you a
1080p resolution that literally kicks ass. The Gorilla Glass coating makes it
durable enough to be used in the tablet mode. Even though there are certain
limitations with the audio department, I was extremely impressed by how loud it
could get, without too much distortion at the highest volume. The camera wasn't
as clear or crisp as I expected it to be, seeing how its fantastic display set
my expectations all the way to the penthouse. Another amazing thing about the
XPS is its booting time 10 - 12 seconds flat. Unfortunately, the battery drains
out really quickly - maybe 5 hours tops? In standard conditions.
We'll
have to see how the other ultrabooks fare, but for the meantime the XPS 12
seems like a fantastic start!
Verdict
The XPS 12 is a compelling option if you
are looking for a high-end touch enabled ultrabook. Its industrial design,
comfortable keyboard, gorgeous 1080p screen and a superfast booting time
definitely sets it apart. The biggest drawback is the crumbling trackpad and truncated
battery life, but everything else is still superb in comparison and pretty much
makes up for the latter. We'll have to see how the other ultrabooks fare, but
for the meantime the XPS 12 seems like a fantastic start!
The
XPS 12 is a compelling option if you are looking for a high-end touch enabled
ultrabook.
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Dell XPS 12
Ultrabook specs
§ Price:
$1,730
§ 12.5"
Full HD LED
§ 2.6
Ghz Intel Core i5 CPU
§ 4GB
DDR3 RAM
§ 128GB
SSD
§ 1.3MP
Built-in Webcam
§ 1.54
Kgs
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