Dell XPS 15 Review Discussion

The new XPS 15 (also called the XPS L501X) is a completely redesigned multimedia notebook from Dell. Sporting a JBL sound-system with subwoofer, NVIDIA GT420M dedicated graphics, and an Intel Core i5 processor, this system is designed with performance and entertainment in mind. In this review, we take an in-depth look at the new XPS and see how it stacks up against the competition.

Read the full content of this Article: Dell XPS 15 Review

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Very surprising battery life. Every other review I have seen has it about 3.5 hours under those conditions. Even Dell only quotes 5h14m using MobileMark07.

 

Well others might be more stressful than browsing the web or something along those lines. We have kind of stuck with the "airport notebook usage" model since that is what most of us work with on business trips.

 

They didn't make the HDD upgradeable!?! You have got to be kidding me...

 

My real disappointment with this model is that Dell dropped their previously available high resolution FHD 1920x1080 display, which received very favourable reviews, and now only provides a low resolution screen. Makes you wonder why Dell bothered to provide all those other good graphics features, if those images just end up on a low res screen.
Even my 5 yr old 15" Acer laptop has a high quality matte WSXGA screen (1680x1050), though slower CPU and graphics card.
I agree that the difficulty of changing the hard drive is poor design.

 

Nice review Jerry, expect I do not agree with the fast graphics. It's slower than the well underclocked Envy 14's GPU and producing more heat. This graphics performance even poor within the 14'' laptops, but it is the 15" version of XPS. So GeForce GT420M rather like belongs to Cons category than Pros.

 

Yeah, I don't really see how dell is trying to pawn this new XPS 15 off as their "performance" laptop. No option for a good screen and a GeForce GT420M. This just makes the new Sager 5160 look THAT much better.

 

Nice review Kevin.

I thought the previous-gen Studio XPS notebooks looked classy and high-end. These new XPS notebooks do not inspire confidence; you're right, the budget Inspirons look startling similar.

The 1080p screen option is no longer available, apparently; it is missing from Dell's configurator. That is a genuine shame -- 1366x768 is borderline useless for any sort of actual work. Unless all you do is watch 720p videos, you're in for a disappointment.

I expected a lot more from this notebook. On paper it looked like a great machine but that is clearly not the case.

The ASUS N53 series is much more appealing:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5988&review=asus+n53jf

 

I have an SXPS 16 and we have a XPS 15 here at the office and Ill say that I like the new design. No more blocked vent or cheap plastic screen lid. If they took my hardware and put it into a new XPS Id be happier. The offered hardware in the XPS does leave alot to be desired. Seems like they may try to replace the studio line with XPS with the GPUs they are offering. Still the exterior design is pretty nice IMHO.

 

No they all said just browsing with the screen at 60%. Laptopmag got 3h6m with the screen at 40% ( link)

BTW why is everyone saying you can no longer get the 1080p screen? Just go to colors tab on the customization.

 

i still wouldn't buy this.. the acer timeline X 4820TG looks like a better option. Just hope there's a 1600X900 screen soon for it.

Panther214

 

Sorry Dell, no good screen, no deal!

 

Once again

The 1080p screen is still available under the "Colors" tab of the customization menu.

 

It's there now; it was taken off for a while. I suppose Dell ran out of stock and de-listed it for that period.

Edit: looks like the upgrade is $220; that's very steep.

 

I know why dell has cheaper starting point for XPS 15 now compared to XPS 14

 

It's a $150 CDN upgrade on DELL Canada for a "FHD (1080p) B+RGLED Display ". Is this the paragon of displays discussed in this review?

Dell XPS L501x: An Excellent Mainstream Notebook - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

...who knows? If so, I'd say it's worth the upgrade price since it's not just an upgrade to pixel density, but to ALL display parameters; contrast ratio, viewing angles, colour gamut...

After all, we don't say two 1080p TV's are the same simply by virtue of them having the same resolution. If they're upping the quality across the board, then it makes sense it's gonna cost more than a nominal amount.

I found when I was shopping my DELL the options - like FHD screen - can come and go in bewildering fashion. I waited about 6 months for my FHD screen option to appear again, but boy am I glad I did. It transforms the laptop from ho-hum to absolutely stellar!

 

I looked on DELL US site and I see the upgrade has exactly the same description as DELL.ca but is indeed $220. Wow! - something that actually costs more in the US. That's a first!

Sorry, I know that's off-topic but couldn't help remarking on it.

 

This screen is to XPS 15 as Radiance is to Envy 14.

Expect it to be gone again soon and then come back for $350.

 

$220? Wasn't the screen only $135 when dell first offered it? Man, the same thing happened with the envy14, the radiance was 100 at first, then jumped to 200!

 

Yes, plus keep in mind graphic performance (which is, IMO, weak even as it is now - barely higher than m11x-R1) will degrade at the resolution of the other screen.

 

I REALLY love the design, but the more I look into this rig for my brother and brother inlaw the more I see it as a downgrade from my SXPS 16. The base price and chassis are right for some, but the whole package is definitely not worthy of the xps name....

 

I'm confused. Why would you post this review now? Isn't the XPS 15 R2 (L502x) with Sandy Bridge coming out in February? If so, I would love to see you update the review to reflect performance and options at that time. If I can get this with Sandy Bridge and a GT 555M GPU and the sweet 1080P display, I may bite despite the ho hum design.

 

I think the going rate for meaningful screen upgrades is around $200, so this isn't out of line even if some others, even Dell in the past, made them available for less. I believe a growing number of consumers are becoming aware of something some of us have considered paramount for some time: the screen is probably the most important component of the laptop (except when very special purpose applications are involved - even very high end gaming), and 90% of all laptops screens sold today are not only low resolution, but worse yet have crappy contrast ratios, brightness and color gamut coverage. Note that the MBP 13 is considered by many to have among the better displays in circulation yet it is a 13.3"screen with only 1280X800 resolution, while the Asus N53 is a 15" with 1080p resolution, but a poor overall appearance due to other specs being at best "average for the class," which means "poor!"

The morals of this story are:

1) the screen is among the most important, if not THE most important component of your laptop

2) It's not just the resolution, but all the optical features: brightness, contrast ratio, color gamut width that make for a great viewing screen

3) If you can find one of the few with an excellent screen, pay a premium for it, whether it is a $200 upgrade as in the Dell XPS 15 (which is a honey of a display, as described in the excerpt from a review by notebookcheck.net, below) , when available, or just a more expensive computer, even as much as the, choke, choke, MBP series.

More and more people are discovering the importance of this. The Envy 14 sales dropped way off when they discontinued the highly prized "Radiance" screen and, in mid January, when they briefly offered them again, they were sold out in 3 days. I hope this causes manufacturers to stop putting so much of their cost into the electronics and more into the screen, on board audio, keyboard (and light), overall build quality. Most of us will do fine with 2010 midrange CPUs and GPUs for several more years.

Excerpts from review by notebookcheck.net

Our high-end model came with the full HD B+RG LED screen. After calibrating and testing the ICC profile we determined that the screen exhibits a very broad color space. sRGB and AdobeRGB are both covered to good extent. In terms of color space, our test notebook ranks in just behind the XPS 16 with an RGB LED display.<dl class='csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-firstcol' style='width: 127px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs sRGB (transparent)
</dd></dl><dl class='csc-textpic-image' style='width: 126px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs AdobeRGB (transparent)
</dd></dl><dl class='csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-lastcol' style='width: 127px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs Envy 14 (transparent)
</dd></dl>
<dl class='csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-firstcol' style='width: 127px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs HP 8540w (transparent)
</dd></dl><dl class='csc-textpic-image' style='width: 126px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs Lenovo W510 (transparent)
</dd></dl><dl class='csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-lastcol' style='width: 127px;'><dt> </dt><dd class='csc-textpic-caption'>XPS 15 vs Dell Studio XPS 16 with RGB-LED Screen (t)</dd></dl>

The display attributes are quite impressive. The screen shows a maximum brightness of 265 cd/m² and an average of 246 cd/m². On top of that, it exhibits quite a good brightness distribution of 86%. Due to the low black level of 0.45 cd/m², the screen has an excellent contrast ratio of 558:1.

253 cd/m² 243 cd/m² 229 cd/m² 254 cd/m² 251 cd/m² 238 cd/m² 265 cd/m² 244 cd/m² 237 cd/m²

Information Gossen Mavo-Monitor Maximum: 265 cd/m² Average: 246 cd/m² Illumination: 86 % Black: 0.45 cd/m² Contrast: 558:1» ICC File (Datacolor Spyder3Elite)

Distribution of brightness ​

Not only are the numbers good, the appearance of colors makes a good impression on the naked eye as well. Black areas on the screen appear jet black—although it's hard to tell because of the reflections that pop up. We also didn't notice any shadows or streaks showing up on bright-colored areas of the screen. All in all, the colors appear vivid and crisp and the picture sharp.

 

Couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed above regarding the importance of a laptop screen. I've been in the market for a replacement laptop for several months and have found it frustrating, at best, to locate a model with a full HD (1920x1080) display except in the highest priced models, even as an option.

Frankly, I fail to see the point of a Blu-Ray drive, strong discrete graphics support and a 1366x768 screen. Even 1600x900 resolution displays are few and far between.

It may come as a surprise to laptop manufacturers, but many of us use our computers for more than tweeting and playing games in 1020x764 resolutions. The ubiquity of 16:9 aspect ratios is problematic enough (though understandable.) But to virtually elminate high resolution screens in 15 and 17 inch notebooks is ridiculous.