Dell’s 2018 XPS 13 provides the biggest shake-up in years, but what else is new?
Dell’s XPS 13 is the physical embodiment of the “if it ‘ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra. Little has changed over the last few years and just as with the Apple MacBook Air, the faithful XPS has seen only the occasional internal upgrade in recent years.
Well, things are set to change in 2018, announcing a significant redesign for the best Windows laptop you can buy in the week before CES officially kicks off, and it’s looking very nice indeed.
Dell XPS 13 review (2018): Key specifications and UK price
- 13.3in Full HD / 4K display
- 302 x 199 11.2mm (WDH closed), 1.2Kg
- Intel Core i5-8250U / i7-8550U processors
- 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of RAM
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage
- Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro
- Price: From £1,269
- Release date: 4/1/2018
Dell XPS 13 review (2018): Key features and first impressions
Okay, so the design is still very XPS-like. The now three-year-old 13.3in InfinityEdge display makes another appearance – although it’s now slightly less reflective – and the trademark wedge-shaped chassis is still in place.
It is different, though, and the new model is 30% thinner than last year’s effort and lighter, too. The 2018 XPS 13 is 11.1mm slim at its thickest edge and 7.8mm at its skinniest. It weighs 1.2kg, which is 6% lighter than the outgoing model.
Thanks to this skinnier body, the battery is slightly smaller this time around, although I’ve been reassured that stamina hasn’t taken a hit. Dell claims 20–hour battery life with the Full HD model, and up to 11 hours with the 4K variant.
Another area that sees cutbacks is connectivity. The New XPS no longer has a full-sized USB Type-A port on its edge, though it does make up for that by increasing the number of USB Type-C connections. The Dell has three of these, with one reserved for charging and the others supporting Thunderbolt 3, and there’s also an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The webcam is still as awkwardly placed as ever, set into the bezel below the screen rather than above it. This time, however, it’s fully Windows Hello-compatible, so you’ll be able to log in to Windows 10 with your face. Likewise, the circular power button next to the keyboard now does double duties as a fingerprint scanner.
As for the innards, this year’s Dell XPS 13 is equipped with Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” processors. Starting at £1,269, configuration options include a choice of either the Core i5-8250U or Core i7-8550U, with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Storage options range from hard disks in the 128GB to 1TB range and PCIe SSDs from 256GB up to 1TB.
There’s also a new Rose Gold colour this year, which has a white woven fabric-like palm rest. It’s a bit of a Marmite design choice, but at least the lid is more of a subtle copper tinge than a gawdy hot pink (hey, I like hot pink – Ed).
Dell XPS 13 review (2018): Early verdict
Dell’s latest XPS 13 might not be a dramatic shake-up, but this 2018 redesign is enough to reignite interest in the range, adding Coffee Lake CPUs, a Rose Gold model, weight and size reductions and more USB Type-C ports than you can shake a USB cable at.
I doubt I’d recommend eBaying your old model for this one, but Dell’s fresh-faced XPS 13 looks to be a decent step forward. Be sure to stay tuned for my full review in the near future to find out if it’s as good as 2017’s model, which for me was nigh on the perfect laptop.
Source: expertreviews.co.uk
