The XPS 15 9575 laptop from Dell serves as their current flagship model. It’s a step up from the earlier XPS 15 9570 with a new flexible 2-in-1 design.
Out of the box the XPS 15 2-in-1 felt very robust but heavier than I was expecting. It has a premium feel to it and features a CNC machined aluminium chassis in platinum silver with a black carbon fibre composite palm rest. The dimensions of the machine are 354mm (13.9″) x 235mm (9.2″) x 9-16mm (0.36-0.63″) and it weighs 2Kg.
As you’d expect from Dell, the XPS 15 2-in-1 is available in a variety of configurations. These range in price from £1,699 (inc. VAT) to £2,499 (inc. VAT). The model to choose really depends on your needs and of course your budget.
Specs
The model I reviewed was the second highest configuration which comes in at £2,199:
- CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8705G (8M Cache, up to 4.1GHz, 4 cores)
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-2400MHz
- Graphics: Radeon RV Vega M GL with 4GB HBM2 memory
- Display: 15.6″ 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge Anti-Reflective Touch Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- Storage: 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Solid State Drive
- OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit 1803
The highest option simply doubles the size of the SSD Drive to 1TB and adds £300 to the price. Dropping down to the lower configurations halves the memory to 8GB and swaps out the 4K screen for a standard Full HD (1920 x 1080). The lowest option also halves the size of the SSD.
The screen is the standout feature no matter which model you go for. The super thin bezel makes it look like the screen is just floating in front of you and it helps make it feel bigger than it is. The 4k version can be too small for normal windows tasks unless you bump the Windows built-in scaling up. Where it really shines is when viewing native 4k content. Despite the size of the screen the level of detail is astonishing.
The downside of the 4k options are the extra cost and greatly reduced battery life. Running the higher resolution screen requires lots more battery and I found I was lucky to get towards 6 hours. This wasn’t a big issue for me but could be a dealbreaker for some potential buyers.
Watch Dell’s overview of the XPS 15 2-in-1 below:
Below the screen the XPS 15 2-in-1 features a 720p widescreen webcam, a Windows Hello compatible infrared camera and a four mic array. The mics pick up your voice whether you’re close to the laptop or a few feet away. The Windows Hello support is neat but I found the position of the webcam to be a bit strange as it’s kind of looking up at you. Still it’s not really a big issue and tilting the screen further back helps.
All configurations feature a full-size, backlit MagLev keyboard. The keys are incredibly thin with very little travel. However, they are responsive and easy to type on once you get used to them. There’s also a large precision touchpad that has seamless buttons. It’s fine to use but I still prefer to use a decent mouse when possible.
Being a 2-in-1 the laptop screen can be folded back into a tent-like configuration which is useful for watching video and presentations. Pushed all the way back the keyboard folds behind the screen and the laptop is ready for tablet mode. You can get by using your fingers on the screen but the best experience is offered by the optional Dell Premium Active Pen. The Pen is fully Windows Ink compatible and it’s perfect for handwriting or drawing with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. Be warned, holding this laptop for extended periods in tablet mode can lead to fatigue due to the weight. I preferred to rest it on a suitable surface to prevent this.
Connectivity
The thin chassis reduces the amount of ports available that you’re probably used to on thicker laptops. The XPS 15 2-in-1 has the following:
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 with Power Delivery & DisplayPort (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3)
- 2x USB Type-C 3.1 with Power Delivery & DisplayPort
- 1x Headset jack
- 1x MicroSD card reader
- Killer 1435 802.11ac 2×2 WiFi and Bluetooth
- Noble Lock slot
It’s worth investing in some adaptors or a docking station should you need to connect to peripherals that require different interfaces.
Performance
The XPS 15 2-in-1 boots quickly and runs cool and near silently unless you’re throwing something demanding at it. When taxed it can get a little noisy and warm. It can easily handle normal Windows tasks such as browsing the web, email and word processing. It’s also perfect for more intensive tasks such as programming, photo and video editing.
It’s no slouch in graphics intensive tasks thanks to the 4GB AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL card. If you like to play the occasional game and aren’t concerned with running everything at max settings then the XPS 15 2-in-1 will do the job. The built-in speakers do a decent job too but I’d recommend going for a decent headset. If you’re after buying a dedicated gaming laptop then there are much better alternatives designed for that purpose.
Verdict
The Dell XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 is a fantastic machine that can adapt to pretty much any task you require. The screen puts other laptops to shame and people seem to be drawn to its beauty. If you’ve got the cash to spend and are looking for a premium laptop then you can’t go far wrong with this one. Highly recommended.
The Dell XPS 15 9575 2-in-1 was reviewed using a review unit supplied by Dell.
Manufacturer: Dell Official Website: www.dell.co.uk
