The Dell XPS 15 laptop is the smaller and cheaper version of the Dell XPS 17. It retains most of the impressive specs, but also the slightly chunky feel and weight. PC-Site reviews this 15.6 inch laptop.
What we like best
Connectivity is important for work laptops, and, like its bigger brother, the XPS 15 has its user covered in this area. There’s a USB 3.0 port on the left side, a multi-card reader on the front, and a couple of USB 2.0 ports on the right. At the back, there is an additional USB 3.0 port, along with an HDMI port.
Performance is dealt with by an Intel Core i5 processor, which for a mid-range laptop is perfectly adequate. Web browsing while running office applications and streaming videos is a fluid and quick process with the Dell XPS 15.
The XPS 17 was great for gaming thanks to its generous graphics specs, and the Dell XPS 15 also allows for some minor gaming – minor because its native 1366 x 768 (upgradable to Full HD) display will only run undemanding games perfectly smoothly.
The touchpad, crucially for such a small laptop, is responsive, large and with a smooth, pleasant feel to it. The two buttons underneath it are equally well-designed.
There is also scope for plenty of upgrades, such as a Full HD, backlit screen, a Blu-ray drive and an additional 4Gb RAM. This might drive the price up somewhat but it is nice to have the option to pack more features into this small device. The whole thing has got a very stable and solid feel to it, so there’s an extra bit of reassurance that you don’t get with more fragile laptops.
What we like least
Design-wise, the Dell XPS 15 is no knock-out. While the keyboard is laid out nicely, there is no numerical keypad and the laptop’s aluminium finish on the lid looks more like a knock-off version of the Macbook, and the chassis sticking out beyond the display creates the impression of a sloppy designer not being bothered about fixing an oversight.
Neither is it particularly portable. It’s 40mm thick and weighs 2.8Kg (compared to the Macbook Pro 15 inch’s 24.1cm height and 2.54Kg weight), which isn’t great when you want to carry it around on trains and busses during the day.
Performance, graphics and connectivity are the main strengths of the XPS 15, and if it weren’t for the stodgy design and its lack of portability, this could have been a contender for best laptop in its price range. As it is, it’s still a very good all-round laptop.
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Processor Speed
Up to 2.7GHz
Processor
Up to Intel Core i7 2620
RAM
Up to 2.48Gb
Screen Size
15.6
Graphics
2048MB NVIDIA GeForce GT540M
Hard Drive Storage
Up to 750Gb
Battery
6-cell
9-cell
Multimedia
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
9-in-1-card reader
Webcam
2 x 4W speakers
12W sub-woofer
Ports
1 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0
1 x HDMI
1 x RJ45
Weight & Size
381mm (W) x 38.2mm (H) x 265.4mm (D)
2.70Kg (2.87Kg with 9-cell battery)
Connectivity
802.11 b/g/n Wireless
Bluetooth 3.0
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
Operating System
Up to Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit
The Dell XPS 15 laptop (where the XPS stands for extreme performance systems) is the slightly smaller version of the XPS 17. As such, it has many of the same design and performance features.
One of them is the very good connectivity: The Dell XPS 15 offers both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, a multi-card reader and a HDMI port.
Dell XPS 15 lapop
The Dell XPS 15 laptop’s keyboard and mouse are simple but responsive and functional – the backlight on the keyboard works very well and aids typing in below-average light conditions, the keys themselves are nicely isolated, and the two main buttons below the touchpad are authoritative and large.
For those who want to beef up their laptop with specific features, the Dell XPS 15 offers plenty of room for upgrades. You can, for example, add extra RAM, a Blu-ray drive or exchange the 1366 x 768 for a Full HD display.
To read more about the Dell XPS 15 laptop and its features, check out the PC-Site review here.
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