Verdict
The Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 look dear , works pretty well and has a decorous screen , but its rivals are good in most areas . So if you want more power , battery biography , versatility or value , you ’ll believably discover it elsewhere
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Hybrid laptops are among the most versatile machine on the food market , and the Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 is one of the most democratic exemplar around thanks to its impressive detachable design .
The latest version of this semi – the Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 9315 – makes big changes to a winning pattern , with updated Intel internals and a keyboard design cribbed from Dell ’s inventive XPS auto .
Despite that , you wo n’t have to spend lightheaded money to get your hands on the XPS . In the US you ’ll pay off $ 1149 for a Core i5 model and $ 1299 for a Core i7 rig . Those figure sit at £ 1189 and £ 1689 in the UK , and in Europe gestate cost of € 1599 and € 1899 .
It ’s time to see if the Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 can pocket a spot on ourbest laptop 2023 chart , or if existing gimmick like theMicrosoft Surface Pro 9,Asus ZenBook S 13 OLEDorApple MacBook Air M2can keep the XPS on the sidelines .
Design and Keyboard
The Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 is detachable rather than the kind of unit with a 360 - degree hinge , so in the box you ’ll find a tablet and a folio instance with the keyboard . They attach using a rich , reliable magnetic system .
Once combine , the folio case folds behind the lozenge to prop the sieve in a laptop - flair spatial relation . Magnets in the display case hold the screen in place , and the pagination case props the screen door at three angles – at a near - just 100 level , at 11.2 degree and a shallow 125 - arcdegree attitude .
It ’s full-bodied , easy to use and stays hard in place . I ’ve no aesthetic quibbles , either : the soft - touch paging caseful looks smart , and the tablet is all CNC - milled product line and recycled Al .
When combined , the unit librate 1.3 kg and is 17 mm deep , so it ’s not huge . And while the pillow slip is a scuff magnet , it does a tidy job of protect the pill .
The only dimensional downside is the fact that the XPS stretches 300 millimetre from front to back in laptop mode . That ’s nearly 100 mm more than the XPS 13 and MacBook and a little deep than the Surface Pro 9 .
There are some other design foibles . You gain versatility by using the XPS as a tablet , of course , but in laptop way it can only pose at those three angled points – formal laptops and the Surface Pro 9 all have more positioning option . And , as with other hybrids , the Dell is a bit awkward in laptop modality when it ’s actually in your lap – it ’s far well on a desk .
The 7.4mm - duncical tablet housesWi - Fi 6Eand Bluetooth 5.2 , and the Dell impresses with two cameras : the substance abuser grow a 5MP whole withWindows Helloand there ’s a decent 11MP taw on the back . At the top of the screen there ’s a book rocker and a top executive button with a fingerprint lecturer . The pair of 2W speakers are ok , too – a bit bum , but desirable for occasional mass medium take in .
The left - hired hand edge has twoThunderbolt 4connections , with one needed for charging , but that ’s it for physical connectivity . There ’s no card reviewer , full - sizing USB , or headphone adaptor . Dell includes earpiece and full - size USB adapters in the box , but that ’s never an graceful solution .
The keyboard is modelled on theXPS 13 Plus ’s unit , which means large , flat release with no gap and little locomotion . The buttons are profligate and consistent , so they ’re right for unremarkable exercise . There ’s a backlight , too , and the entire affair is sturdier than the Surface ’s typing gear . The touchpad is great and antiphonal , too .
The Dell is good - looking and robust , it ’s not too large and has an effective keyboard and great tv camera .
That said , it ’s not the only secret plan in town . The Asus , Apple and both conventional XPS 13 laptops are slimmer and loose than the Dell 2 - in-1 . So is the Surface Pro 9 . The MacBook Air has a headphone jack and the Asus has three USB Type - vitamin C ports . All the laptop computer mentioned here have more conventional and arguably more satisfying keyboard .
Screen
The Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 battle back with its screen . It uses border - to - edge Gorilla Glass Victus – the tough tablet glass to ever emerge from Corning ’s labs – and the 13 - inch panel is a 2880 x 1920 touchscreen with impressive sharpness and redundant elevation from that 3:2 face ratio .
The benchmark do n’t mess about , either . The brightness horizontal surface of 528nitsis excellent and means you’re able to utilize this IPS video display indoors and outside , and the contrast proportion of 2031:1 is a brilliant result and delivers loads of vibrancy and wallop . The superb Delta E of 1.1 assure accurate colour .
The exhibit is compatible with the XPS Stylus , which has 4,096 insistency points and argument functionality , and it attach magnetically to the top of the show . It ’s a sassy design and means the XPS is well - suit to creative apps and distinction - taking tool alongside conventional laptop computer tasks .
Bear in head , though , that the Stylus is n’t included – it ’s a $ 100/£112/€129 rising slope .
This is a great silver screen for creative workplace , video calls , and medium viewing , but it has limitations . It treat 94.8 % of thesRGB gamut , but only renders 70 % of the Adobe RGB and DCI - P3 colour space , so ca n’t work in those place . And while the 60Hz refresh charge per unit is okay , 120Hz would have made sketching and navigation smoother .
You ’ll get more elsewhere . The XPS 13 and 13 Plus are useable with high-pitched - resoluteness options , and the 13 Plus also has an OLED variant with better contrast . The ZenBook ’s OLED display has better line and DCI - P3 ability , and the MacBook ’s concealment also handles the DCI - P3 gamut – so both have best colours . The Surface Pro matches the Dell loan-blend for people of color but runs at 120Hz .
Performance
The two Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 mannequin employ the Core i5 - 1230U and i7 - 1250U processor . They ’re dispirited - power chips with pairs of multi - threaded operation core that summit at 4.4GHz and 4.7GHz respectively .
In the US and UK the i5 - 1230U models only use 8 GB of DDR4 memory , and you ’ll need to devote $ 1299 or £ 1489 for 16 GB of memory – the recommended amount for study . In Europe the Core i5 good example has 16 GB as criterion , and in all territories the Core i7 version come with 16 GB too . Also pay in mind that every contender uses fasterDDR5 storage .
In all territories both models default on to 512GBSSDs . To upgrade to a 1 TB drive you ’ll have to give $ 150/£200/€100 , and that upgrade is only useable on the Core i7 model .
InGeekbenchthe i7 - 1250U in my sample distribution scored 1620 and 6898 . The former figure is a tad quick than the Core i7 - 1260P and AMD Ryzen 7 6800U chips used in the XPS 13 Plus andZenBook S 13 organic light-emitting diode , but the latter is slower .
That design repeated in PCMark 10 , where the 2 - in-1 scored 4969 . And with Geekbench scores of 1928 and 8698 , the M2 splintering inside theMacBook Airsoared beyond all of these Windows swindle .
There ’s enough magnate here for everyday office job , for load of web browser tab and for switching between media tools , word processors and web windows . You ’ve get canonical photo- and video - editing power , too , and the XPS wo n’t balk at sketching and promissory note - taking using the style .
The Core i5 version will handle most of this , although it ’ll shinny sooner with multi - tasking and creative workload . Given the deficiency of price difference between a Core i5 framework with 16 GB and the Core i7 version , I ’d recommend the latter .
The XPS is passively - cooled , so you do n’t have to mete out with any fan haphazardness . Although if you push the internals while holding the tablet you ’ll observe the upper section of the rear panel and the accompanying boundary getting uncomfortably toasty .
Do n’t expect any real gaming power here , either , or much GPU helper in originative tools – the integrated Iris Xe’sTime Spyscore of 1374 falls behind the Core i7 - 1260P and the Ryzen 7 6800U ’s Radeon GPU .
If you involve more power you do n’t always have to spend more than the $ 1299/£1689/€1899 commanded by the i7 - 1250U/16 GB version of the XPS 13 2 - in-1 , even if you drop off detachable ability . TheDell XPS 13 Pluswith slightly quicker i7 - 1260P processors costs $ 1299/£1399/€2099 . The standard Dell XPS 13 with the same U - serial chip only costs $ 999/£1199/€1349 , and the ZenBook with AMD silicon costs $ 1299/£999/€1365 .
Only the MacBook Air M2 and Surface Pro 9 are dear . Apple ’s rig costs $ 1699/£1749/€2079 with the ripe M2 central processing unit and 16 GB of memory . A Core i7 Surface with the Pro Signature Keyboard sits at $ 1808/£1838/€2138 .
Battery
The 49.5Wh battery inside the Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 is a bit ordinary . In an quotidian work bench mark with the exhibit at half light the Dell lasted for 8hrs 27mins , and it lasted for 9hrs 25mins during media playback with the screen at the same level .
In everyday working shape , you ’ll scrape through a work day with this rig – but no more . Push the component in creative instrument and expect electric battery life to dip towards seven 60 minutes .
The other XPS rigs are no good , but the MacBook Air lasts about 14 time of day and the ZenBook handle 13 hour of use . With the same U - series CPUs and a 47.7Wh battery , I ’d expect the Surface Pro 9 to match Dell ’s convertible security for lifespan .
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Should you buy it?
The detachable exhibit is a blessing if you want a tablet - style working environment , and the large , matte keys deliver a fast and kinky typing experience .
The Dell is fine in most aspects , but contender routinely propose more speed , physical connectivity or improved OLED displays .
Final Thoughts
The Dell XPS 13 2 - in-1 is a nice machine in most aspects , and highlighting include the bright , bluff IPS display , the crisp keyboard and the slick detachable design . But it ’s too middling in too many area , and you ’ll often find improved concealment , stipulation and design elsewhere at no superfluous price .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review move through a serial of uniform checks designed to gauge central thing including figure quality , execution , projection screen quality and barrage fire life-time .
These admit courtly synthetic benchmarks and scripted test , plus a series of real world checks .
FAQs
The biggest difference is that the Dell XPS 2 - in-1 has a detachable cover and a folio keyboard , permit you to use the twist as both a tablet and laptop . The standard XPS has a received clamshell mannikin , with the keyboard fixed to the screen .
This really comes down to a matter of preference . Apple has been leading the way for performance and battery efficiency in the last few years , but some models of the XPS 13 are available with an OLED cover to improve contrast and coloration . You ’ll have to corrupt a MacBook Pro if you want an Apple laptop with a Mini light-emitting diode screen rather than a received LCD panel .
Test Data
Full Specs
