Verdict
The Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) is a simple spec bump upon the modern first multiplication . As such , little has changed . The challenging design combines with a great presentation , satisfying keyboard and comfortable haptic trackpad . But , it often get quite warm and the performance does n’t match up with likewise specced rivals . And , the battery life history is just okay .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
In 2022 , Dell decided to reimagine its excellentXPS 13range . It was a toughened task and , overall , it has n’t gone well . This year , the new Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) is a wide-eyed refresh rather than a course chastening .
It ’s not completely readable why Dell remember its XPS 13 devices needed a big shake - up . Of naturally , you ca n’t stand up still , but it had thebest Windows laptopaccolade class after class with the previous incarnation of the XPS 13 .
The switch - up saw the regularXPS 13 ( 2022)become even thin and get a stir of colour , but the performance was n’t up to it . Then , the futuristic XPS 13 Plus ( 2022 ) split onto the shot , but had too many hang - ups to retrieve Dell ’s crown . With the latest version , not much has changed .
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Design and Keyboard
The Dell XPS 13 Plus looks great , there is absolutely no denying that . The outside of the laptop computer is unaltered from the silver atomic number 13 stylings that the XPS 13 range has offer for many years but , on the inside , it looks like the hereafter of laptops .
The gapless keyboard represents the only strong-arm input on the bottom of the information processing system , with the invisiblehaptic trackpadand touch taproom taking up the rest of the space . It is voiceless to blame the excogitation of the XPS 13 Plus .
The touch sensation ginmill has a neat whoremonger of swapping between shortcut image and function keys when pressing down on the Fn key , which depend really silky . However , there ’s no haptic feedback on the touch bar , and so lacks a satisfying click .
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There is also an issue with the backlighting of the keyboard . On my white review sample , the lighting often appears very spotty and heavy to see , even in coloured weather , an return that was also present in the late model . The problem may be less prevalent on the darker colour option available , though .
Everything else with the physical exploiter interface is rosy . With such a slim and outlandish excogitation , you may expect some sacrifice to be made with the quality of the keyboard but it ’s a joy to apply . In fact , the XPS 13 Plus dead offers the just typing experience of any thin and light laptop right now . It comes with a surprising amount of travel and a pleasing smidgen of snappy feedback .
You should n’t have any doubts about this unique trackpad either . Its invisibility is no offspring , and unless you ’re not a steady laptop user , you ’ll naturally get used to where it is . It function accurately and the haptics provide what feels like hatful of travel .
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This Dell is n’t astoundingly thin and idle in the same way theAsus Zenbook S 13 OLED ( 2023)is , but it has a delightfully small step still . It comes in at just 1.26 kilogram and 15.3 mm thin .
Unfortunately , the port option is jolly abysmal , with oneUSB - Con either side of the gimmick and that is your sight . It ’s courteous to have one of either side , allowing for flexible charge up capableness but you are going to be inhabit the dongle life if you involve anything more than a simple USB - C. Thankfully , they do offerThunderbolt 4support , helping to ease the scummy port selection pain if you have supported displays or accessories .
Dell tout the XPS 13 Plus sustainability chops in the form of a low - atomic number 6 aluminium chassis , with no mention of any form of recycled plastics used in the build of the machine though . The central achievement is in the packaging , which is completely made of card , make it fully reusable and renewable .
Display and Sound
Your experience with the Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) display will differ greatly reckon on which selection you go with .
There are four options , including FHD+ non - touch , FHD+ touch , UHD+ touch and 3.5 K OLED touch . My review model was the latter and , likely , the pick of the bunch – though the UHD+ role model does still cost more to sum .
Despite its overall redesign hiccough , Dell ’s displays have n’t faltered and the 3.5 K OLED does not disappoint . In my benchmarking , it managed a decent peak brightness of 383.7 nit but in the main shone elsewhere . Being an organic light-emitting diode , the contraband level comes in at 0 and demarcation ratio 0:1 while you get 6700 K white optical colour temperature , 100%sRGB , 99%Adobe RGBand 100%DCI - P3 .
These are top - notch scores that go above and beyond what you really want for productivity usance , but you ’ll be delighted with them however , and it ’ll afford accurate delegacy of color if you do dabble in paradigm editing too . The 13.3 - column inch display may not be very cinematic , but movies and videos look great on the Dell too , with bright color and lush contingent throughout .
I was surprised by the unattackable audio capabilities on offer from this dinky gimmick too , and I really should n’t have been as the XPS range has long offered great speakers . These are n’t perfect though , with the sound stumbling when you become the volume up high . But , for the most part , what you get is a pleasingly full sound that does let some somewhat harsh highs sneak in though . There is n’t much true bass to talk of either , meaning it does n’t touch the like of theMacBook Air .
Disappointingly , the webcam is simply 720p rather than 1080p , intend the detail is n’t great . And , it looks nothing more thanfinewhen in anything but pristine lighting conditions . The results are rather warm too . It ’s perfectly fine for your typical Zoom meeting but do n’t expect top - notch visuals .
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Performance
public presentation is where the Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) bumble in terms of economic value for money . The £ 1570/$1849 review fashion model I ’ve been testing offer up an Intel Core i7 - 1360PCPU , 32GBRAMand 512GBSSDstorage . It is n’t the most measure of constellation , particularly with that 32 GB RAM being overkill for a equipment largely focalize on productivity . So do bear this in mind when considering my reportage on the performance of this equipment if you ’re considering the likes of the 8 GB RAM model , as it may disagree significantly in terms of multitasking capabilities .
In my benchmarking of this laptop , it is unclouded this form cistron does n’t turn on the full capableness of the Core i7 inside , with theLG Gram SuperSlim , which frisk the same poker chip , offering higher processor - based test scores . In terms of our holistic PCMark 10 trial , it also fell short of the LG while also losing out to theSamsung Galaxy Book 3 Proand360models that I ’ve reviewed . This is more surprising as those twist offer the less muscular Intel Core i5 - 1340P cow chip , and do n’t offer the 32 GB RAM that this car does .
Nevertheless , it is n’t all about benchmarking and , as a productivity simple machine , the Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) rarely flounder in my use . Intensive productivity never learn this laptop judder and the fans rarely got very loud . However , in the case of the latter , more cool down grunt may have been welcome as the bottom of the equipment would regularly get uncomfortably strong .
The onboard SSD is up to standard , peculiarly impart the premium price you are paying . It comes in at 6820MB / s read and 5079MB / s write . These are n’t leg - trembling speeds , but are up there with the majority of gamey - end ultrabooks on the market today . You ’ll be able-bodied to swiftly reassign filing cabinet through one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports with little time waiting around .
Software
refreshfully , Dell does n’t load this laptop with as many preloaded apps as some competitor , with just Dell Pair , Dell Command and Dell Digital Delivery onboard in terms of first - party programs .
These offer couple with Dell accessory , updates to Dell drivers and software as well as the loading or reloading of included third - company apps severally . The included third - party pick are McAfee Security , with which you get a 12 - calendar month LiveSafe subscription , as well as a 30 - day Microsoft Office trial .
Dell offers 1 - twelvemonth premium support with all models , while its Limited Hardware Warranty varies reckon on your region .
Battery Life
In a postM1 MacBook Airworld , some Windows laptop computer have decided to mistreat up to the home in term of battery life to try and keep pace with Apple ’s impressive capabilities .
The LG Gram SuperSlim and theSamsung Galaxy Book 3 360are key examples , with both hitting over 13 hours . The Dell XPS 13 Plus is , confessedly , minuscule than those twist but it hang well poor .
Our PCMark 10 battery life trial come in at 7 hr and 46 minutes , which is a pitiful grade for a modern high - end productiveness auto . If it typically remove that musical score , it would be just about acceptable but , when push , I often saw this gadget handle under 4 hours , which just does n’t cut it in 2023 .
Thankfully , you ’ll be able to swiftly file the Dell back up , with a 60W courser that ’ll get you to 100 % in not much over an hour .
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Should you buy it?
The Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) asks you to ante up a premium for its futuristic looks . If you ’re willing to make sacrifices for this , and hope an excellent laptop keyboard , it could be for you .
The Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) does n’t get all the performance it can out of its element and often gets rather quick under payload . The battery life is also far depleted than some key rivals , admit theMacBook Air M2 .
Final Thoughts
The Dell XPS 13 Plus ( 2023 ) is a thwarting laptop in many ways . It should be applaud for suffer out from the crowd while still getting some staple , like an excellent keyboard and trackpad experience , right . The 3.5 K OLED display is tremendous too .
But , the substantiation is in the pud , and time value - for - money carrying into action is primal . The Dell XPS 13 Plus just does n’t keep up . TheLG Gram SuperSlimandSamsung Galaxy Book 3 360both outstrip this gimmick in term of speed , despite the latter offering a lower - power buffalo chip . Battery spirit is highly disappointing too , pass well foul of high-pitched - end modern standard .
The Dell XPS reconsideration needs a rethink if it ’s proceed to repugn with first-class devices like theMacBook Air M2once again . tick out ourBest Laptopguide for even more options .
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How we test
Every laptop computer we review perish through a series of undifferentiated checks designed to approximate key thing including build lineament , carrying out , screen quality and electric battery life sentence .
These include conventional synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests , plus a series of real world chit .
FAQs
The Dell XPS 13 Plus was introduced in 2022 as a novel take on the typical XPS 13 normal . It tender a futuristic redesign in terms of looking and user fundamental interaction . The veritable XPS 13 became a lower - powered yet more colourful selection instead .
The current M2 MacBook Air is comfortably one of the best laptops around while the Dell XPS 13 Plus flow scant in performance and battery life . The Dell XPS 13 Plus does extend what might be the best laptop computer keyboard on the grocery though .
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