Roundup: 8 Laptops : Dell Studio XPS 13
5. Dell Studio XPS 13
The Screen
Screens that measure 13.3'' like this one are generally found on compact, portable laptops as they make for small, lightweight computers. The downside is a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, which is often frustrating for editing documents or surfing the web and can lead to a lot of scrolling.
Compared to other laptops though, Dell's glossy screen performs pretty well, with a contrast ratio of 510:1 produced by whites at 209 cd/m² and blacks at 0.41 cd/m². The viewing angles and responsiveness are absolutely typical for the TN panels that are used in almost all laptops these days.
The publicity for Dell's Studio XPS 13 line of laptops challenges you to blend "power with elegance ... to deliver the ultimate mobile laptop experience."
Whether or not it quite lives up to the hype, the XPS 13 is a realistic competitor to the 13" MacBook, with good looks and and an Nvidia 9400M graphics card that we've been looking forward to seeing inside a PC for quite some time.
Handling & Connectivity
Dell has an unfortunate reputation for pairing up consumer products with tacky glossy plastic, reserving more sober materials for more serious 'business' users, and the Studio XPS 13 is no exception to this rule. The majority of the laptop, from the frame around the screen down to the support for the keyboard, is covered in a very shiny black plastic. It looks good when it comes out of the box, but it's very susceptible to attracting greasy fingerprints. The rest of the laptop is finished with aluminium, and a thin band of what is, according to Dell, "real leather".
The keys themselves are big and easy to type on, and it takes up all of the space available with hardly a millimeter wasted. Above the keyboard are a series of multimedia hotkeys, while in front is a trackpad, which fortunately, is matte, rather than glossy.
Compared to the trackpads on the new Apple laptops, it's very small, and on that front they definitely have the advantage.
The webcam is good quality, as are sound recordings made on the internal microphone, despite a few light pops in places.
Working around the edge of the laptop, there are VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, one regular USB alongside a combination USB/e-SATA, an Ethernet port, a FireWire port and an Express Card slot. Dell seems to have put everything into video ports, which would have been more of an advantage if it hadn't been at the expense of a reasonable number of USB ports. Most users would probably happily exchange the DisplayPort for an extra USB.
Unscrewing ten screws and a large panel gives access to a veritable treasure trove on the underside of the laptop: you can access, and therefore replace, the hard drive, RAM and several other components. As ever though, it's best to proceed with caution when opening up your laptop.
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| Battery level monitor | Express Card slot and FireWire port |
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| Combined USB and e-SATA | Three video outputs: VGA, DisplayPort and HDMI, as well as USB and Ethernet |
Processor Power
Windows Experience Index: 5.2. CPU: 5.2 - Memory: 5.9 - Graphics: 5.8 - Gaming Graphics: 5.4 - Hard Drive: 5.8.
We should start this section with a caveat: the Studio XPS 13 that we tested had an Intel P8400 CPU running at 2.26 GHz, but the slowest model currently available online has a 2.4 GHz P8600. The upshot of this upgrade is that you should expect slightly better performances from a new XPS 13.
That said, the results with a 2.26 GHz were very good, and put the XPS 13 amongst the best of the bunch. It currently sits third in our ranking, behind the Fujitsu-Siemens Xi3650 and the Acer 8930G, both of which boast Intel T9400 CPUs.
Watching a Blu-ray video without hardware acceleration requires around 36-38 W of power and pushes the CPU up to 55%. With acceleration, however, the CPU load falls down to 5-10% and the power consumption to 30-31 W.
Gaming
We were looking forward to seeing the 9400M in action and it certainly didn't disappoint. We took our standard test games (Crysis, World in Conflict and Race Driver Grid) and ran them at native resolution with the detail level set to either low or average--the first time we've ever managed using a graphics chipset. It's not all perfect though, as you still can't turn on anti-aliasing.
Battery Life & Portability
With a laptop that weighs 4.85 pounds and only lasts three hours without being charged, we're obviously a long way behind the Samsung X360 which weighs in at 2.86 pounds and lasts 4 hours 15 minutes. Having said that, it's not a bad result in itself, and comes close to the 3 hours 40 minutes that the 13'' MacBook manages.
| Dell Studio XPS 13 | |
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| Pros | Cons |
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The Dell Studio XPS 13 is a laptop that has it all. You can use it for gaming, watching films or working, and the battery will keep you going whatever you want to use it for. It's an excellent choice for anybody who's looking to replace an older desktop PC with a mobile, multifuction laptop.
Could put up a list of hardware for comparison, for ease of user to compare those product not by points but by hardware parts.
High points does not mean high expectation in other user eyes.
Otherwise would like to see more laptops comparison next time (HP, Acer, etc.)
I read in a local magazine that the Dell XPS 13 would run very hot during normal usage, especially on the "leather" part.
Is that something you noticed?
I'm allergic to fan noise. That it is quiet is for me by far the most important parameter, but it's rarely discussed. Does anyone know if the Dell Studio 17 is completely quiet under normal usage, such as word processing, surfing the internet or watching mp4 movies.
I don't really dig the 5 star system. It always seems like not all the hardware is compared equally as there never seems to be any direct comparison between one model to the other. I think all models should be weighed by features, performance and price point.
I don't really dig the 5 star system. It always seems like not all the hardware is compared equally as there never seems to be any direct comparison between one model to the other. I think all models should be weighed by features, performance and price point.
Hi Warezme--
These products aren't "directly" compared to each other. That's because each one hit the market at a different time. We couldn't compare the performance of a laptop that came out in May to one that came out in July. Each product's review was written at the time that laptop was received by us.
Thanks,
Rachel Rosmarin
Editor, Tom's Guide
That's an old Macbook Pro, what about the new one with the SD card & without the expresscard slot.
-ND
I would never buy those piece of garbage lenovo's
Worst ever laptop review, each page didn't even clearly describe spec such as cpu, chipset, HD, battery size... only subjective rating. Pathetic!
Yeah full specs should always be listed, especially when the laptops weren’t even compared head to head.
Take a look at the Dell 17 inch Studio, it seems one of the major critiques is the battery life. But when ordering that laptop you have several different CPU’s to choose from (CPU’s that differ not only in speed but also in power consumption) so depending on what the review sample was equipped with it could either spell doom for certain configurations or be less of an issue with others.
WTF no alienware!!!!!!!!
I can't believe you didn't list battery life and heat output.
I can't believe you didn't list battery life and heat output.
I need edit button.
The big Acer Aspire 18.4" would of been a good review to add.
I also would of liked a hardware comparison table with screen size, options, and comparative price.
I've got one of those MBPs. I used it today at a conference and my battery lasted for a good 5 hours. Of course, the newer MBP with SD slot is meant to be even better. As for the glossy screen, seriously, I don't see a problem with it. People complain about glare in glossy screens but, in my experience, the glare from a light source behind you is far easier to deal with than the washed out effect that a matte display has. The colours are also truly superb.
Strange there aren't any HP laptops. Or, for that matter, any Gateway, Acer or Sony laptops, considering these companies put together make up around 40% percent of the market.
I also find it strange that more advanced benchmarks were not used, considering the suite other parts go through here.
1) No specs, wtf?
2) No pricing, ehhh... (i.e. that 15" macbook costs $2000... definitely would raise a red flag for most people)
3) Some laptops are in completely different categories (gaming, portability etc.)