Hands-on Dell's XPS 14 and XPS 15: A New Standard Discussion

[Ichinenjuu]

I don't see how these laptops are a "new standard" when the B+RGLED screen has been done away with, but okay...

IPS option would be nice too...

[techtonic]

Dell giveth and Dell taketh away. Gone are the subwoofer, B+RGLED, trackpad buttons that you can see, 7200rpm HDD and externally replaceable battery. For that they add less weight and bulk, an SSD cache, slot loading drive, and a battery that doesn't stick out like a hernia. It's also way more expensive than the previous XPS. I got mine for $960 USD after a coupon code (1080p, i7, blue-ray, 9-cell battery).

BTW, on some pics, it looks like the battery is replaceable but you have to open the panel to get inside. I'm okay with an internal battery as long as the user can do the replacement. Yeah, it might void the warranty, but you shouldn't need a new battery for a couple of years in which case the warranty already expired. Can anyone confirm?

[lovelaptops]

Nice article. I liked the previous XPS 15 but it was pretty average all around besides its great screen and speakers. The design was cool and the build quality decent but again, pretty average. The game is definitely stepped up here.
I would also like to see a better graphics card on the 15" model; the last XPS 15 suffered from the same problem.

Let me see if I have this straight: the new XPS 15 has a worse screen (the former being among the best on the planet) and worse audio (ditto) and while the design was cool and the build quality decent, the L521, at a higher price and virtually the same weight is an improvement? Is sleekness of design the new standard in DTR laptops? Though you didn't mention it, it also won accolades for its keyboard.

The winners here are people who can pick up the L502 on closeout.

[Ichinenjuu]

^ Anything for the sake of sleekness (and MBP imitation *cough*)

[Mitlov]

Yeah, I like the approach of the previous XPS better. It embraced the desktop replacement concept wholeheartedly (class-leading screen, class-leading sound) instead of being a knock-off of anything else.

On the other hand, this will probably sell better...

[foxyshadis]

Man, total bummer on the lack of expresscard; I was just about to order one to complement the hilariously small 2 USB ports, since I could also use it with my current laptop, when I saw that it doesn't have that slot either. I really like the laptop, but it needs day 1 upgrades: The 30 GB mSATA has to go, it's too slow to be useful; need a USB 3 hub; down the line, probably replace the panel with something better, but at least the resolution is OK for now. (I look forward to the day when it's as easy to buy "retina" aftermarket panels on eBay as it is to get HD ones now.) All of that makes me leery of going for it after all.

[techtonic]

Yeah, I like the approach of the previous XPS better. It embraced the desktop replacement concept wholeheartedly (class-leading screen, class-leading sound) instead of being a knock-off of anything else.

On the other hand, this will probably sell better...

What we're seeing here it seems is that the desktop replacement laptop as a market segment is becoming marginalized. The L1502x was almost the perfect desktop replacement. Top 1080p screen, best in class speakers with subwoofer, 7200 rpm HDD, USB 3.0 before others had it. Only missing element is it didn't have a high end graphics card. But now it's all about thin and light for current laptops. We might not ever see a laptop like the 1502x again.

[Ichinenjuu]

I'm thinking that too. The desktop replacement is disappearing; Sony got rid of its F line, Dell is only making thin and light, etc. The only "desktop replacements" are super heavy gaming laptops or business laptops. Man, if the replacement for desktops is disappearing, I must be really behind the times by having a desktop...

[foxyshadis]

I'm thinking that too. The desktop replacement is disappearing; Sony got rid of its F line, Dell is only making thin and light, etc. The only "desktop replacements" are super heavy gaming laptops or business laptops. Man, if the replacement for desktops is disappearing, I must be really behind the times by having a desktop...

These days I feel like the only user a desktop is aimed at is businesses and basement-dwelling WoW freaks, so I feel you. There are a few good offers out there on Ivy Bridge parts, though; the real reckoning won't be until Intel declines to produce a desktop chip at some point, pushing higher-margin laptop chips in things like the Acer Veriton N and HP Ultra-slim. I sort of doubt AMD will pick up enough slack to matter.

[flatsix911]

Interesting announcement by Dell.
They have 3 Ultrabooks (as defined by Intel) and the XPS 15 is not included.