The Dell XPS 15 is one of the first new laptops to incorporate Intels brand new ‘Sandy Bridge’ quad core processors which boast increased performance with less power consumption. A direct rival to Apple’s MacBooks the Dell XPS 15 combines style with performance to create a thinner and more effective Ultrabook than the rest of the competition.
Similar to the Mac Books from Apple, the XPS 15 manages to pack a huge amount of tech into such a small area! The main specifications of the XPS 15 are as follows:
- 2.1 GHz Intel Core i7
- 8GB Random Access Memory (RAM)
- 750 GB Hard Drive
- Nvidia GeForce GT 640M
The XPS 15 is built for people who want very good performance from their laptops, the GT 640M graphics processing unit coupled with the very powerful i7 processor make for a consistently smooth and pleasurable experience. With this hardware the XPS 15 can happily tackle modern games without any problem and can even give Crysis a run for its money which is always an impressive feat.
Visually the XPS 15 is one of the most attractive features of the laptop, it is one of those ones that stands out in a crowd. Aluminium wraps around the outsides of the device giving it a shiny and professional look while maintaining a flat top and bottom, similar to how the MacBooks look.
All of these powerful specifications and visually stimulating assets aren’t without their downfall though as the XPS 15 is a heavy device as a result. While the whole device feels rugged and as if it could easily survive a fall, if you are someone who is constantly moving your laptop around or using it on long journeys it could become a bit of a problem.
One aspect I really didn’t like about this laptop is the keyboard. For me the keyboard is a very important aspect of a laptop since it is arguably your primary method of input into the device. On the XPS 15 the keyboard just looks out of place and as if they pulled a keyboard from a smaller laptop and stuck it in the middle of the XPS 15. As you can see from the image below, it doesn’t stretch edge to edge of the device, just leading to wasted space and not allowing the keyboard to live up to its full potential. Sure the different font on the keyboard looks nice but when you come to use it, you’ll wish it was bigger.
The screen on the XPS 15 is very bright and makes up for the keyboard problems with a large 1600×900 pixel resolution which is brilliant for a laptop. It is coated with Gorilla Glass too so you’ll never have to worry about accidently scratching or cracking it.
Overall the XPS 15 is a quality device under the hood, if you want a laptop to play video games on or run powerful software applications then this is the laptop will do that just fine. I personally couldn’t commit £1,100 to a laptop with a keyboard which would drive me crazy which is a shame since the rest of the device is really good. I’d suggest having a play around with the device in a store before commiting and if you like the feel of it, give it a go.