Dell XPS 15 (2023) review: A real do-it-all powerhouse

The Dell XPS 15 is an elder of the laptop computer world. It carries itself with a stately, reserved method, and wouldn’t dream of troubling itself with trivia like a radical new colorway or completely different badging. 2023’s XPS 15 retains the pomp however delivers one main enchancment: It’s so much faster than earlier than. 

Looking for extra choices? Check out our roundup of the best ultraportable laptops accessible right now.

Dell XPS 15: Specs and options

The 2023 Dell XPS 15 leaps to Intel’s 13th-gen Core processors and Nvidia’s RTX 40-series graphics. The top-tier GPU is kicked up two rungs from the RTX 3050 Ti in the outgoing model to the RTX 4070 within the new XPS 15. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700H
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 4070 (40-watt TGP)
• Display: 15.6-inch 3.5K OLED
• Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x SDcard reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: Windows Hello fingerprint, facial recognition
• Battery capability: 86 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 13.57 x 9.06 x 0.71 inches
• Weight: 4.21 kilos
• MSRP: $2,799 as-tested ($1,499 base)

The overview configuration, which included the top-tier GPU and upgraded OLED show, rang up at $2,799. Base fashions are extra reasonably priced, nevertheless, with an MSRP of simply $1,499. That drops the graphics to Intel’s Arc A370 and the show to a 1080p IPS display, however you continue to obtain an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB stable state drive. 

Dell XPS 15: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

Dell’s XPS product line settled on a design language in the course of the final decade and hasn’t modified since. It’s a bit boring, to make sure, however reveals a hard-won confidence within the fundamentals of the XPS design language. It could look the identical as previous XPS 15 fashions, but it surely’s additionally good-looking and feels sturdy. That’s what issues. 

Looks apart, the XPS 15 is relatively slim and light-weight for its measurement. It ideas the scales at 4.23 kilos when configured with the OLED show present in my overview unit and measures a mere .71 inches thick, in addition to roughly 13.5 inches throughout and 9 inches deep. The XPS 15 is a bit smaller than a MacBook Pro 16 or Razer Blade 16 (or Blade 15) and weighs much less, too. 

The XPS 15 earns high marks in construct high quality with inflexible panels throughout the highest and backside and loads of reinforcement by means of the keyboard. Display flex is a non-issue and even the firmest typing arms will trigger solely a touch of wobble throughout the keyboard floor. 

Dell XPS 15: Keyboard, trackpad, pen

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Dell XPS 15 has a spacious keyboard with a centered structure. I discovered it instantly acquainted and had loads of room to maneuver whereas typing at excessive speeds. The centered structure ditches the numpad, nevertheless, which can trouble these aiming to compete within the Microsoft Excel Championship (actually, it’s a factor). 

Key really feel is nice however unremarkable with cheap key journey and a timid bottoming motion that gives solely a touch of tactile suggestions. It’s much like an Apple MacBook Pro 16 and a contact improved over Razer’s Blade 16, however can’t beat Lenovo laptops like the Slim Pro 7. Keyboard backlighting is commonplace and does the job with little fuss. 

Dell’s spacious touchpad measures about six inches huge and three inches deep. That’s giant for any laptop computer and makes most use of the spacious inside. The touchpad is responsive and simply handles multitouch gestures however often picks up unintended inputs when typing. Even so, it’s a great touchpad and cozy to make use of for hours on finish.

Dell XPS 15: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

The entry-level Dell XPS 15 has a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS non-touch show, however my check laptop computer loved an improve to the 3.5K OLED touchscreen. The show’s 3456×2160 decision locations it simply wanting true 4K (which has a decision of 3840×2160) however appears sharp all the identical, squeezing a formidable 261 pixels into each inch. Fine fonts look glorious and video games seem extraordinarily crisp when run on the show’s native decision.

Image high quality is in any other case glorious. OLED offers a superb distinction ratio, huge coloration gamut, and good coloration accuracy, all of which provides as much as a vibrant, punchy picture with a tangible sense of realism and depth. High-quality content material, like a 4K film ripped from a Blu-Ray or bought from a digital retailer, appears to leap out from the show in dynamic, high-contrast scenes.

OLED isn’t good, nevertheless, and brightness is a battle. The laptop computer quotes a most brightness of 400 nits and achieved 403 nits in testing. This, mixed with the shiny show coat, could make the show a tad uncomfortable in brilliant rooms. The lack of brightness spells bother for HDR, which appears good however lacks brilliance and luminance element in comparison with a Mini-LED show, similar to these discovered within the Razer Blade 16 and Apple MacBook Pro 16. 

Shoppers who care extra for perform than picture high quality ought to think about sticking with the cheaper 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display. Though nowhere close to as engaging, it affords a better most brightness of 500 nits and has an anti-glare end.

A pair of upward-facing audio system are positioned alongside the XPS 15’s keyboard. They ship sturdy, clear audio that gained’t be muffled or amplified by the floor the laptop computer is positioned on. Distortion is a matter at excessive quantity, nevertheless, because the bass crowds into the midrange and highs start to sound shrill. Music sounds higher at decrease volumes, fortunately, and this stays loud sufficient to fill a house workplace with tunes. 

Dell XPS 15: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A meager 720p webcam squeezes into the XPS 15’s tiny high bezel. Sticking with 720p prevents the necessity for a webcam cut-out or bigger bezel however comes at the price of a fuzzy, ill-defined picture. It’s okay for video calls however won’t ever make it easier to look your finest.

The dual-array microphone is healthier, recording clear, clear dialogue that’s simple for listeners to grasp. Audio high quality stays relatively tinny, nevertheless. Noise cancellation is included and efficient, eradicating repetitive sounds of modest quantity with no unwell results.

A fingerprint reader is offered on the facility button for fast biometric login. It works in addition to any Windows fingerprint reader I’ve tried—which is to say it normally works however can have bother in case your finger is soiled, moist, or positioned at an odd angle. Windows Hello facial recognition can be accessible and far more dependable, as it really works in each gentle and darkish circumstances and may be set as much as acknowledge you with or with out glasses.

Dell XPS 15: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

Dell is all-in on fashionable connectivity, ditching each USB-A and Ethernet in favor of three USB-C ports. Two of those help Thunderbolt 4 and all three help Power Delivery. That means the included 130 watt energy adapter, which makes use of USB-C, can cost the laptop computer by means of any of the three USB-C ports. 

The XPS 15’s flanks additionally comprise a full-sized SDcard reader and 3.5mm audio jack, however that’s it. Those who nonetheless use older USB-A units, or want an HDMI or DisplayPort output, might want to use an adapter. Fortunately, XPS 15 ships with an adapter that converts a USB-C port to USB-A and HDMI.

That nonetheless leaves wired Ethernet within the chilly. You’ll want to purchase an extra adapter or a USB-C hub/dock that helps Ethernet.

Or maybe not. The Dell XPS 15 helps the newest Wi-Fi 6E commonplace in addition to Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi efficiency was sturdy with obtain speeds as much as 80MB/s from Steam and The Epic Store. That’s virtually as fast because the speeds I obtain from my Gigabit Internet service linked over wired Ethernet. 

Dell XPS 15: Performance

The Dell XPS 15 I acquired was a mid-range mannequin with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB NVMe stable state drive. Dell affords some upgrades from right here together with a Core i9-13900H processor and as much as 64GB of reminiscence. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

PCMark 10, a holistic benchmark, kicks off the exams with a mediocre rating of 6,665. This is notably behind another highly effective laptops, although it’s additionally value mentioning that the Dell XPS 15 is lighter and thinner than the laptops it loses to. The XPS 15 does handle a leap over final yr’s mannequin, nevertheless, scoring six % higher. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

I used to be actually stunned by the Cinebench R15 check, which reveals the older Dell XPS 15 a tad forward of the brand new mannequin. The new XPS 15 additionally falls a tad behind the Lenovo Legion 5i, one other laptop computer with Intel 12th-gen Core {hardware}. This signifies that the multicore efficiency of Intel’s new Core i7-13700H just isn’t a lot completely different from the prior mannequin.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Handbrake, alternatively, reveals a major win for the brand new Dell XPS 15 over the prior mannequin, although it additionally nonetheless roughly ties the Lenovo Legion 5i with the outdated Intel Core i7-12700H. The most vital takeaway from this check is that design issues. There’s clearly vital variance between laptops with the identical processor, which can trigger outcomes to bend exterior of what’s anticipated. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

3DMark Time Spy brings us to the graphics benchmarks and, wow, the brand new Dell XPS 15 delivers. Upgrading from an RTX 3050 Ti to an RTX 4070 will increase efficiency by a tremendous 72 %. 

With that mentioned, this end result additionally marks a transparent distinction between the Dell XPS 15, a premium efficiency laptop computer, and friends that fall into the gaming laptop computer class. Competitors that concentrate on gaming toss in far more highly effective GPUs and reap the advantages in 3D benchmarks (although they pay for that in battery life, as I’ll present shortly).

IDG / Matthew Smith

Shadow of the Tomb Raider delivers one other massive enchancment however, as soon as once more, marks a transparent line between the XPS 15 and full-on gaming laptops. I nonetheless really feel this result’s a optimistic, nevertheless, because it means the Dell simply offers a fluid 60 FPS gaming expertise. The older mannequin may common 60 FPS, however would generally dip under that mark, which may trigger stutters or dips in fluidity.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Metro Exodus demonstrates one other game-changing enchancment, enhancing the typical frames per second from an unplayable 16 FPS to a barely tolerable 28 FPS. That could appear a bit disappointing, however the Extreme settings we use are fairly excessive, and the Dell XPS 15 is only a few minor element tweaks from a gentle 30 FPS. 

I additionally ran Cyberpunk 2077 to evaluate the laptop computer’s ray-tracing efficiency. The RTX 4070 within the XPS 15 averaged solely 20 FPS at 1080p with Ultra element settings and Ultra ray-tracing enabled. However, turning on DLSS 3 boosted that to a gentle 60 FPS, which implies Cyberpunk 2077 ray-tracing is totally playable on the XPS 15. It even manages 35 FPS within the brand-new “Overdrive” ray tracing mode, once more at 1080p and with Ultra element and DLSS 3 turned on.

The new Dell XPS 15 clearly advantages from its new {hardware}. The Intel Core i7-13700H just isn’t a outstanding enchancment, however appears a tad faster on the entire. Nvidia’s RTX 4070, alternatively, is a huge leap over the outdated mannequin’s RTX 3050 Ti. The new mannequin’s MSRP is just $200 extra, so it’s not as if the higher GPU fully blows up the worth. 

These enhancements change the character of the Dell XPS 15. The prior mannequin was engaging and supplied highly effective CPU efficiency, but it surely was arduous to suggest to anybody who needed to play fashionable 3D video games after work. Dell’s new XPS 15 with RTX 4070 modifications that. It’s now a completely succesful gaming laptop computer that may play practically all fashionable video games at 1080p and 30 to 60 FPS, even when excessive element settings are used.

Dell XPS 15: Battery life

Dell crams a big 86 watt-hour battery contained in the XPS 15. This isn’t the most important battery present in a laptop computer of this measurement, as some rivals exceed 90 watt-hours, but it surely delivered glorious battery life in my testing. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The XPS 15 looped a 4K trailer of the quick movie Tears of Steel for eight hours and 50 minutes.  That’s not the very best accessible from a Windows laptop computer, however a stable end result for this class and a big enchancment over the outgoing XPS 15. Owners might want to monitor the laptop computer carefully to squeeze out a full work day of real-world use, relying on the apps most continuously used, but it surely’s shut. 

Dell XPS 15: Conclusion

Dell’s new XPS 15 is very similar to the outdated XPS 15, however sooner. Much sooner. The one-two punch of recent Intel 13th-gen processors and Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics offers real-world upgrades over the prior mannequin. 

The outdated XPS 15 was a decent workhorse however not all the time a formidable performer, particularly in 3D video games. The new mannequin is completely able to dealing with even probably the most demanding fashionable titles at 60 FPS—when packing the RTX 4070, not less than. 

There remains to be room for enchancment. The touchpad may be overly delicate and the webcam may use an improve. Still, these issues don’t detract from the XPS 15’s slim design, excessive construct high quality, and robust efficiency, and it stays a go-to choose for these craving a premium laptop computer with a stability of portability with pace.