Dell pumps up performance and pixels for XPS laptop lineup

Along with getting the latest Intel processors, Dell claims the "world's smallest" title for the 15- and 13-inch models with "virtually borderless" displays.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice

Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.

Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials

More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.

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Joshua Goldman

Oct. 8, 2015 12:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

Dell impressed us earlier in the year when it released the XPS 13, a well-designed laptop that fit a 13-inch display into the same body size as an 11- or 12-inch laptop. To do that, it used a quad HD+ (3,200x1,800 pixels) "virtually borderless" InfinityEdge display. And now, it's giving the same treatment to the XPS 15, making it -- at least for the moment -- the world's smallest 15-inch laptop.

For the XPS 15, the InfinityEdge display has a 4K Ultra HD (3,840x2,160-pixel) resolution and Dell says it's the only laptop display with 100 percent minimum Adobe RGB color. It can be configured with Intel's sixth-generation processors (also known as Skylake) up to a quad-core i7, up to 16GB of memory and fast PCIe solid-state or hard drives up to 1TB. There's the option to add a 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M graphics adapter, too.

Dell also added a Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C combo port for faster file transfer than USB 3 and multiple display and peripheral support through one connection. To simplify things, the company will offer different dock options. Battery life is rated at up to 17 hours, though you'll have to downgrade to a full-HD display to get it.

The already impressive XPS 13 -- still the smallest 13-inch laptop around -- gets Skylake processors and the same memory and storage upgrades as the new XPS 15 and a Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C combo port. Battery life is rated at up to 18 hours with a full-HD display.

If you're looking for something more along the lines of a Microsoft Surface, Dell has the new XPS 12. The tablet portion consists of a 12.5-inch 4K Ultra HD (3,840x2,160-pixel) resolution display and can be configured with a new Intel Core M processor, up to 8GB of memory and a 128GB SATA or 256GB SATA SSD for storage. Ports and connections include two Thunderbolt 3, a headphone/mic jack, SD card slot and 802.11ac.

Dell didn't use a thin cover-type keyboard for the XPS 12. Instead it took a full backlit keyboard and precision touchpad from one of its laptops that attaches to the tablet via a magnetic connector. It lets you attach and remove the tablet with one hand, but is secure enough to pick up and move like you would a laptop -- even by its screen. Also, unlike Microsoft, Dell is including the keyboard.

The new Dell XPS 15 and 13 start at $1,000 and $800, respectively and are available now, while the XPS 12 still needs some fine-tuning and will arrive in November starting at $1,000.

In the UK they're far more expensive. The XPS 15 will set you back £1,099, while the XPS 13 is £849, with both on sale now. No UK details were forthcoming about the XPS 12, other than it's available "in the coming months." Australia also has the XPS 12 as "TBC", but the XPS 15 starts at AU$2,099 and the 13 at AU$1,799.