Dell xps 15 2 in 1: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: a thin, powerful hybrid with genuine gaming chops

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: a thin, powerful hybrid with genuine gaming chops

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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 specifications

CPU: 3.1GHz Intel Core i7-8705G Processor (quad-core, 8MB cache, up to 4.1 GHz)

GPU: Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics, Intel HD Graphics 630

RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,400MHz)

Screen: 15.6-inch, 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge anti-reflective touch display

Storage: 512GB SSD

Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 2 x USB-C 3. 1, microSD card reader, headset jack

Camera: 720p Widescreen HD webcam 

Dimensions: 35.4 x 23.5 x 0.9-0.6cm (13.9 x 9.2 x 0.36-0.63 inches)

Weight: 2kg (4.36 pounds)

OS: Windows 10

From the moment I first saw the new Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 back at CES 2018  I knew it was going to be impressive device.

So it was with great excitement that I received the hot new hybrid for review a few weeks back and started putting it through its paces.

And, in news that will no-doubt please tech enthusiasts who also demand strong creative and gaming functionality, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 has not disappointed me, managing to deliver across the board and very firmly lodging a claim to be amongst the very best hybrid laptops on the market today.

What follows is my review of the new hybrid system, parsed down into key scoring areas like design, hardware, and performance, as well a series of benchmarks that add a little more in terms of filling in the complete picture.

I’ve also supplied pricing and availability information, too, from a variety of major vendors of the new 2-in-1 XPS 15.

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Before we get to the the review proper, though, you should check out the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1’s hype-filled launch trailer, which briefly gives a summation of its notable hardware and features.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: price and availability

The Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is available now, starting at £1,699 for the base configuration, and stretching up to £2,498.39 for the max-specced model. Browse our Dell discount codes for a saving. 

All Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 configurations can be viewed on Dell’s official online store.

Currys PC World also has two models of the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 in stock, the entry level Full HD screen-packing, Intel Core i5-toting model, as well as a 4K screen, Intel Core i7-stacked model, too.

The carbon fibre keyboard surround is shut up and take my money swish.

Take the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 out of its box and the first thing you notice is its anodised aluminium lid and base, with the former embedded with the Dell logo. This is cool to the touch and radiates an air of quality, with the system’s screen (more on this soon) opening and continuing to rotate through 360 degrees thanks to a brace of equally premium aluminium hinges.

Lid opened you are then greeted with the carbon fibre keyboard surround seen previously on the XPS 15, as well as the system’s brand new maglev keyboard (more on that below) and glass-covered trackpad.

Above the keyboard sits the system’s InfinityEdge display, which boasts not only a very effective anti-reflective coating (nicely killing glossy glare nicely) but also a near-bezel-less frame, which really gives the panel presence when turned on. Located in the bottom-centre of the screen can be found the XPS 15 2-in-1’s 720p Widescreen HD webcam as well as the Dell logo.

Round the back of the system you are greeted with nothing other than a scooped air vent, while on the sides of the system you find its selection of ports, which include two Thunderbolt 3 ports as well as brace of USB-C 3.1 connections. A microSD card reader and headset jack complete the port package.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: hardware and screen

The XPS 15 2-in-1 transitions into Windows 10 tablet mode super fast. Perfect for the reading T3.com with a cuppa.

In terms of hardware and screen the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 hits hard.

A quad-core 8th generation Intel Core i7-8705G CPU is partnered with a Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics card (integrated Intel HD Graphics 630, too), as well as 16GB of 2,400MHz DDR4 RAM and a spacious 512GB SSD.

Now, it is important to note that this is not the base hardware spec, but actually a north of two grand model that is near flagship level. That said, the base model still ships with the same GPU and merely knocks the CPU down to an 8th gen Core i5  and 8GB of DDR4 RAM, so you’re not talking about insane capability differences.

This powerful core hardware is then bolted, in this case, to Dell’s absolutely lush  15.6-inch, 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge anti-reflective touch display. And, simply put, this thing is an absolute beaut and joy to use.

From watching movies to editing photos, and playing games to browsing the internet in tablet mode on the sofa (which is super easy and fluid to do thanks to the system’s aforementioned 360-degree aluminium hinges), the vibrancy, colour depth and touch accuracy of this panel really wowed me, while the near non-existent bezels made those on my old Dell Alienware M11X R3 laptop’s screen appear absolutely ginormous in comparison.

I have to tip my hat to Dell for managing to innovate within such a well-worn hardware area. Chapéu Dell, chapéu.

In fact, I think I would genuinely find it hard to go back to a system now that had even bezels of a modest proportion, so here’s hoping other manufacturers follow suit and start consistently knocking out hybrids with minimal bezels.

As mentioned above, the other major hardware addition this time round is the XPS 15 2-in-1’s brand new maglev keyboard. This is a keyboard that uses rare-earth magnets beneath its keys, rather than membrane switches, to mimic the feel of a traditional physical key response but with only a tiny travel of 0.7mm.

The result of its inclusion is enhancement to the laptops thinness and lightness, which is definitely very portable at just 2kg and dimensions of 35.4 x 23.5 x 0.9-0.6cm, but also a slightly unique typing experience, with slightly stricter key presses required and a faster reset time needed to be gotten used to from my experience. The super low profile of the board though I felt complementary to the excellent always glass-coasted Microsoft Precision touchpad.

Within an hour or two of use I found myself typing on the keyboard like normal, and really I have to tip my hat to Dell for managing to innovate within such a well-worn hardware area, and in such a cool way, too. Chapéu Dell, chapéu.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: gaming and performance

The XPS 15 2-in-1’s AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics chip delivers Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050-beating gaming performance.

GeekBench 4 benchmark scores

[CPU test]

Single-Core: 4,139

Multi-Core: 12,604

[Compute test]

OpenCL Score: 66,688

Unsurprisingly that 8th generation Intel CPU delivers. And it delivers both in terms of everyday usage – with the XPS 15 2-in-1 booting up like lightning, transitioning between laptop and tablet mode rapidly, and running our test suite of apps without issue  – as well as on paper, handing in a very potent set of benchmark scores.

As can be seen in the adjacent boxout, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 racked up an impressive single-core score of 4,139 and multi-core score of 12,604 in GeekBench 4’s CPU test, before following that up with a smoking hot OpenCL Score of 66,688 in its Compute test, too. The numbers do not lie – the XPS 15 2-in-1 is a hybrid processing powerhouse.

And, in what was music to our ears here at T3, the XPS 15 2-in-1 carried that strong UI and app performance over into gaming, too. 

As regular readers of T3 will know, we are huge PC gamers here and definitely appreciate a system that can push some slick frames and effects. As such, we were very, very interested to see how AMD’s Radeon RX Vega M graphics chip handled our benchmarks.

3DMark Advanced Edition benchmark scores

Time Spy: 2,231

Fire Strike: 6,288

Sky Diver: 17,792

The results were good. In 3DMark Advanced Edition the XPS 15 2-in-1 returned scores of 2,231 in the DirectX 12 Time Spy benchmark, as well as 6,288 and 17,792 in Fire Strike and Sky Diver respectively. 

Now, while that falls quite a long way short of the king of T3’s best gaming laptop buying guide right now, the Asus ROG Zephyrus, which scores a whopping 5,576 in Time Spy, 13,929 in Fire Strike, and 30,844 in Sky Diver, it does look good when compared against many other gaming laptops, outperforming for example the Asus ROG Strix ZX753VD-GC266T, which itself packs a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU.

And that performance, without doubt, extends out of benchmarks into real-world gaming scenarios. I booted up one of our test games on the XPS 15 2-in-1, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and ran its in-game benchmark. The results, as can be seen by the nearby boxout, were very impressive.

Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark

[High settings / DirectX 12 enabled / 1920 x 1080]

Mountain Peak: 51.76 FPS

Syria: 42.53 FPS

Geothermal Valley: 42.21 FPS

Overall score: 45.67 FPS

I enjoyed some buttery smooth tomb raiding, bloke killing, and jaguar-running-from.

The game returned an overall benchmark frame rate of 45.67 at 1920 x 1080 resolution with all settings set to high, which is well over our minimum standard for smooth gameplay, 30fps.

I then loaded up the game proper and enjoyed some buttery smooth tomb raiding, bloke killing, and jaguar-running-from. The game looked and ran great.

The only down points I would raise here in terms of the XPS 15 2-in-1’s gaming performance is that the system runs hot and loud when pushing some serious pixels. Air streams out of the aforementioned rear vent with a noticeable hiss, and the area under and around parts of the keyboard – notably the W,A,S,D key zone – got really quite toasty after 20 minutes or so of raiding tombs.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: verdict

A quality pairing if ever I saw one…

There is no doubting the quality on display in the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1. The hybrid laptop and slate, in its max-specced configuration, is truly a system that will not leave tech enthusiasts and power users wanting.

Yes, the XPS 15 2-in-1 can be beaten by specialist systems that focus more on one or two specific areas rather than going for all of them at once, such as some equally expensive gaming laptops that outscore it in our gaming benchmarks, for example. However, if you need a system that can also deliver to a high level on the productivity and creative fronts, not just gaming, then this laptop should be right up there in your considerations.

Far from a being a jack of all trades, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 approaches being a master of all trades.

It isn’t perfect, with nothing to write home about battery life (the system’s battery life can’t compete with the HP Envy X2, for example) and a tendency to run loud and hot when the CPU and GPU are under a heavy load (such as when gaming), but these are admittedly minor points overall.

Overall, then, this thin and attractive 2-in-1 is very impressive and competes right at the top end of the hybrid 2-in-1 market. You get the premium build quality long-associated with Dell systems, but you also get Nvidia GTX 1050-beating AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics capabilities, a genuinely innovative maglev keyboard, and one of the most lush screens on the market today.

Which leads to the conclusion that, maybe Surface Book 2 aside, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is arguably the foremost hybrid on the market today. 

Far from a being simply a jack of all trades, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 instead approaches being a master of all trades.

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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1: Price Comparison

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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: jack of all trades

Dell’s latest 15-inch XPS 2-in-1 is a high-end laptop that appeals to creative users: people who need power and portability, and might also appreciate a touchscreen and a stylus. It plays in the same field as HP’s Spectre x360 15, Microsoft’s Surface Book 2, and Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Right out of the box, Dell gets most things right with the XPS 15 2-in-1, with a just few areas that need improvement. Its build quality, attention to detail, power, and flexibility add up to a high-end experience that matches its premium price.

It’s fair to say you get what you pay for with the XPS 15 2-in-1. It starts at $1,299, but the model I’ve been testing costs nearly a grand more at $2,199. That price gets a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB of storage, a 4K touchscreen, and AMD’s integrated Radeon Vega M graphics. The most costly part of that is the 4K screen, so you can save quite a bit by opting for the 1080p panel. No matter which model you buy, the Vega M graphics come along for the ride. It’s a solid package that I’ve been able to live and work with — mostly in harmony.

8Verge Score

$1299.99

The Good

• Excellent build quality
• Great 4K screen
• Touchpad and keyboard work well
• Long battery life

The Bad

• Keys are too shallow
• Boring design
• No USB-A

$1300 at Dell

How we rate and review products

Looking at the XPS 15 2-in-1’s chassis is well, an unimpressive viewing — Dell’s XPS laptops have been using the same basic design language for years now and it looks dated. Most of the laptop is covered in metal topped with a silver finish, and when opened up, a faux carbon fiber palm rest. It has a rubberized, smooth texture that makes it by far one of the most comfortable palm rests I’ve used and despite being prone to fingerprints, it’s easy to clean.

Dell’s build quality is unmatched

Overall, the design might be boring, but the XPS makes up for that with excellent build quality. The palm rest, display, touchpad, and keyboard hardly exhibit any noticeable give — there are no wobbly underside or clicking fans here.

However, the Dell XPS 2-in-1 isn’t a lightweight, weighing in at almost 4.5 pounds. That’s more than the 15-inch MacBook Pro, Surface Book 2, and even some full-fledged gaming laptops. I don’t think anyone wants to walk around with a four-plus pound tablet, because it’s cumbersome and awkward to use, but since the XPS is a convertible, you can do that if you want.

No one wants a four pound tablet

The 360-degree hinge also lets you use the XPS in an easel or movie-watching mode, both of which are probably more practical than as a tablet. The hinge is quite sturdy and doesn’t have the horrible screen wobble so many 2-in-1s are plagued by. On the flip side, it’s very hard to open the XPS 15 2-in-1 with one hand, thanks to that stiff hinge and no cut out to slip your finger into.

When it comes to ports, the XPS 2-in-1 reminds me of the not-so-loved 15-inch MacBook Pro: two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C 3.1 ports with DisplayPort, an audio jack, microSD card slot (I’m not sure what to do with it), lock slot, and a battery level indicator. There’s no full-size USB-A port — which is a travesty — and while I appreciate the forward-thinking of including USB-C, user adoption still isn’t high enough for me to swear it off, then have to buy a dongle.

Dell does get your dongle collection started by including a USB-C to A adapter in the box, but I’d much rather just have the port built into the machine itself. Fortunately, you can charge the laptop using any one of the four USB-C ports.

The screen on the Dell measures 15.6 inches (with a 16:9 ratio), has thin bezels, and supports Dell’s included stylus. It’s the highlight of this XPS 15 2-in-1 unit, because this 4K display pops. By default, Dell sets Windows 10’s display scaling to 250 percent, which makes everything comically large — moving it down to something like 225 or 200 percent lets you better take advantage of the screen’s real estate.

It’s a gorgeous 4K screen

Colors are bright, with tons of pop and contrast without too much image sharpening. The 4K option has 100 percent Adobe RGB certification (with some variance between displays), which is useful if you’re planning to do any serious image editing with it. Dell advertises 400 nits of brightness and while eyeballing it next to the Spectre 15-inch x360, the Dell definitely appears to be the brighter and better looking 4K experience.

Dell deserves credit for including a capable stylus with the XPS 15 2-in-1, unlike HP, which throws in a basic one, or Microsoft that doesn’t give you any stylus at all. The included pen has 4,096 levels of pressure and is the closest equivalent to the Surface Pen I’ve tested. It’s a great stylus, has good weighting, and draws with precision. It also supports angle input for shading.

The XPS 15 2-in-1’s keyboard is nearly as shallow as the MacBook Pro 15-inch, but other than that, there isn’t anything like it. It’s clickier, has better tactile response, and I find it more enjoyable to type on, overall. Also, it’s hopefully more reliable than Apple’s issue-prone keyboard. However, the backlight brightness is not as bright as I hoped and the Page Up and Page Down keys are unceremoniously located above the left and right directional keys — it’s just asking for an incorrect entry.

Shallow keys, but they’re okay

The trackpad is Precision-enabled, but is a tad small considering the overall real estate on the palm rest. Regardless, it has a fast, accurate input with support for all of Windows 10’s gestures, and the results are exactly what I look for: smooth.

Dell makes it very easy to log in to the computer by supporting both fingerprint sign-in — via the power button — and facial recognition via the IR camera, located at the bottom of the display, under the “Dell” logo. The webcam placement is a sacrifice made for the thin bezel design, but as I’ve found out before (and more than once) it’s entirely possible to have thin bezels and place the webcam where it belongs — at the top of the screen.

It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: Dell’s camera placement means that all of your video calls will have horribly unflattering up-the-nose angles and your fingers will block the camera when you type.

“This Dell rips,” are words that I’d rarely ever say, but they are true about this XPS 15 2-in-1. Processor-wise, the Core i7-8750G is a speedy quad-core processor — that part is well-known — but there is little (if any) crapware installed upon first booting the XPS 15 2-in-1.

So your first few times using the system is clear-headed and uncluttered, as it should be. Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and other Adobe suite apps should have no issue running in large batch operations here.

Didn’t expect light gaming performance

Where the XPS 15 2-in-1 surprised me in terms of performance was with graphically intensive apps, or rather, games. League of Legends can run at a consistent 60 fps and full 4K resolution. Counter Strike: Global Offensive runs just as well, but a graphics-intense title like Rainbow Six: Siege requires some settings tweaks, to a lower resolution with less eye candy. It won’t hold a candle next to a purpose-built gaming laptop, but it’s still impressive because the XPS 15 2-in-1 wasn’t designed for gaming to being with.

I’m used to seeing just five hours of battery life with 2-in-1 computers that have 4K touchscreens, but the XPS 15 2-in-1 surprised me with seven hours of use between charges. It’s not as long as you’ll get with an ultrabook or Microsoft’s Surface Book 2, but it’s on par with the 15-inch MacBook Pro and other powerful laptops. The light-up battery gauge on the left side offers limited info as to how much battery is left, but it is useful for eyeballing it.

Dell has established the XPS 15 2-in-1 as one of the best laptops in its class. The XPS 15 2-in-1 blends all the benefits of having a 4K display, powerful chipset, and aesthetic integrity, without the user having to sacrifice too much battery life, excessive heat, or poor build quality. While the design choices of Dell still seem a bit dated, everything else about the XPS 15 2-in-1 performs as you’d expect… which is the right way.

The 4K screen is an expensive upgrade

The biggest issue might be the XPS 15 2-in-1’s price, which isn’t as high as a MacBook Pro or Surface Book 2, but still a significant cost. You can skip the 4K screen for a 1080 panel and save quite a few hundred dollars, while still maintaining many of the other qualities that make this XPS so good to use. You might even get better battery life and performance with the lower-resolution screen, but 4K just makes it that much better because of the Adobe RGB support and resolution.

Although the XPS 15 2-in-1 is a very expensive laptop with a boring design, it does most everything it’s supposed to well, which might be enough to make you forget about its cost and sleepy styling.

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Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 vs Dell XPS 15 2-in-1: which laptop should you choose?

Today we will compare two interesting laptop models from Dell. The XPS 13 2-in-1 is Dell’s smallest 13″ 2-in-1 laptop with an InfinityEdge display for virtually limitless viewing options and superb detail with optional UltraSharp QHD+ technology.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 now features the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processor with improved performance and graphics. Due to its size, this computer may be the best choice if you travel frequently. In Dell stores it costs from $980.

The XPS 15 2-in-1 is the world’s most powerful 15″ 2-in-1. Powered by the world’s first chip to combine an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ quad-core processor with dedicated Radeon™ Vega M graphics, it’s a great choice for professionals with a 4K display and long battery life. Unfortunately, it costs more – from $1274.

Specifications

Category	Dell XPS 15 2-in-1	Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
Processor	8th Gen Intel Core i5-8305G 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8705G	10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 Intel Core i5-1035G1 Intel Core i7-1065G7
RAM	8GB/16GB DDR4-2400MHz	8 GB DDR3 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB LPDDR4x-3733 MHz
Graphics	AMD Radeon RX Vega M (4 GB)	Intel UHD Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Memory	256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB PCIe SSD
Display size	15. 6″ (touch)	13.3″
Screen resolution	1920×1080 (FHD) 3840×2160 (4K UHD)	1920 x 1200 (touch) 3840 x 2400 (touch)
Biometrics	Fingerprint scanner IR camera	Fingerprint scanner IR camera Windows Hello
Ports	Two Thunderbolt 3 Two USB-C 3.1 3.5mm audio	Two Thunderbolt 3microSD card readers 3.5 mm
Battery	75Wh	51WHr
Dimensions	13.9 x 9.2 x 0.36-0.63 in. (354mm x 235mm x 9-16mm)	11.69 x 8.15 x 0.28 – 0.51 in. (297 x 207 mm x 7 – 13 mm)
Weight	From 4.36 lb (2 kg)	From 2.9 lb (1.32 kg)

So, thanks to Intel’s new partnership with AMD, the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 not only has a quad-core Intel processor, but also Radeon M graphics, which still has a performance advantage over integrated graphics. Plus, you’ll get the performance you need for any game, content creation, editing, viewing in 4K resolution, or for ultra-demanding tasks.

Dell Power Manager allows users to easily customize the laptop’s sound, cooling, and performance to suit their preferences. In addition, it ensures optimal processor performance at all times by monitoring and controlling system temperature.

Built-in gyroscope and accelerometer automatically determines whether the laptop is on your lap or on the table. If the laptop is placed on a desktop, system performance is improved without causing user inconvenience due to excessive heat. The powerful battery provides up to 15 hours and 25 minutes of use on a single charge at Full HD resolution.

There are many similarities between the two models, including support for the Dell Active Pen, high-resolution touch displays, and rich connectivity. Although the XPS 13 has fewer ports, the 10th generation Intel processor makes up for this shortcoming. If you don’t need extra graphics power, go for the XPS 13. It’s also incredibly compact and lightweight and will fit in any laptop bag. Sleek and thin body (8-13.7mm) with silent design avoids excessive heat and noise.

The premium mount lets you rotate your XPS 13 2-in-1 360 degrees in four adjustable positions so you can work, watch videos or browse the web in tablet, presentation, laptop or console mode. With office applications such as Word or Excel, the battery life on this laptop is up to 15 hours, while streaming video from Netflix – 10 hours.

With 400 nits of brightness, it’s brighter than normal laptop display coverage, so the screen doesn’t fade, even outdoors. Anti-glare panel improves outdoor performance. With 72% color coverage and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, you’ll see every hue from the lightest to the darkest.

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 Review

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In 2018, Dell was out of touch with its redesigns. In addition to a bold overhaul of its flagship Ultrabook, the Dell XPS 13, Round Rock has completely redesigned the Dell XPS 15 as a 2-in-1 laptop.

When converting a Powerhouse laptop into a hybrid machine that you really want to use as a tablet, Dell turned to the new Intel Kaby Lake G processors to deliver “discrete-level” graphics on a single chip.

Considering we already loved the previous XPS 15 model, giving it a 360-degree hinge, and an 8th Gen Intel Core processor with integrated AMD Vega graphics only sweetened the deal.

Datasheet

Here is the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 (2018) configuration submitted for review on the channel: , up to 4.1 GHz) Graphics: Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics, Intel HD 630 graphics card RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2.400 MHz) Screen: 15.6-inch, 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge anti-glare touch display Storage: 512GB PCIe SSDPorts: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 2 x USB-C 3. 1, microSD card reader, headset jackConnectivity: Killer 1435 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi BluetoothCamera: 720p widescreen webcam HD camera with 4 digital microphones, handy Windows Hello infrared camera Weight: 4.36 lbs (2 kg) Size: 13.9x 9.2 x 0.36-0.63 inches (35.4 x 23.5 x 0.9-0.6 cm, W x D x H)

Pricing and availability

Dell launches XPS 15 2 -in-1 for $1299 (about £957, AU$1,653).

The only other laptop currently equipped with the same Kaby Lake G chips is the HP Specter x360 15 which starts at a higher $1,369 (around £1,010, AU$1,740) to get started.

To get a 4K screen on the XPS 15 2-in-1, you need to spend at least $2,099 and upgrade to an Intel Core i7-8705G processor with the same 8GB Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics

Comparatively, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro, when fully loaded for $1,299 (about $960, $1,720), features a 7th generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor paired with AMD Radeon RX 540 graphics , FHD display, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD

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design

9 0002 XPS 15 2-in-1 saw a similar hybrid redesign to that of the smaller XPS 13 2 -in-1, introduced at CES 2017, for its distinctly larger size.

You get the same silver anodized aluminum cover and base with carbon fiber keyboard rest that was released on previous XPS 15 models, this time with aluminum hinges that allow 360-degree rotation.

Dell’s most impressive version has been slimming down the Powerhouse XPS 15 into a hybrid laptop that’s comfortable to hold.

Comparatively, the Dell XPS 15 measures larger at 14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45-0.66 inches (35.7 x 23.5 x 1.1 cm), but is surprisingly 0.3 pounds lighter than it hybrid version.

Given the laptop’s size and lightness, we’re surprised at the range of ports Dell has managed to make available on the XPS 15 2-in-1: two Thunderbolt 3 and two USB-C 3.1 – all of which support charging and DisplayPort –

The reduction of science

What made this incredibly small size possible is twofold.

First, Dell’s use of the new next-generation InfinityEdge display, with a new 1500:1 contrast ratio that makes black and white disappear entirely on screen.