X

Dell's new XPS 15z reviewed

Dell says the new XPS 15z is the "thinnest 15-inch PC on the planet." Check out our review and hands-on video to find out if that's true.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
See full bio
Dan Ackerman
2 min read
Watch this: Dell XPS 15z

Dell this morning announced its latest addition to the high-end XPS laptop line, the 15-inch XPS 15z. Probably the worst-kept secretin technology since Dell's last laptop announcement, the 15z has been the subject of many rumors and leaks, not to mention a teaser video from Dell itself, and a recent Tweet from CEO Michael Dell that revealed the new system's name.

In the run-up to this official unveiling, predictions from some corners of the Internet have pegged this new 15-inch as Dell's latest version of a MacBook Air competitor or a successor to Dell's now-cancelled Adamo laptops. As is often the case, these prerelease analyses were way off the mark, and any comparisons to either the MacBook Air or Adamo are unfounded. In fact, the XPS 15z is 0.97 inch thick, which is even bigger than the 0.95 inch thick 15-inch MacBook Pro.

The Dell XPS 15z (bottom) and the Apple MacBook Pro. CNET

That's why Dell says this is the "thinnest 15-inch PC on the planet," rather than the world's thinnest laptop. But though it may not make for as compelling ad copy, the XPS 15z is better than its gimmicky thickness claims, and is in fact a well-made, reasonably configurable, upscale multimedia and gaming laptop that includes almost all the high-end extras we'd want, from an (optional) 1080p screen, to a backlit keyboard, to 3D support.

The XPS 15z starts at $999, and our upgraded review model came out to $1,534, including an Intel Core i7 processor and 1,920x1,080-pixel display. Read our full review of the Dell XPS 15z.