Dell XPS 9350 (Iris) vs. Razer Blade (Kaby Lake)

What do you think? I have both and having a hard time deciding which one to keep...

 

What do you think? The XPS 13 is superior in every way excepting colour accuracy if you have the 4k stealth.

 

Yeah that's about right. The XPS 13 is superior in many ways, except camera placement (and I do Skype regularly). The KB upgrade to the RBS has evened the playing field more (16GB SDRAM, better battery life, graphics performance).

But aesthetically, I prefer the RBS. One-handed opening, rounded edges, black aluminum design, camera placement (though the bezels are still terrible).

That's the rub for me... aesthetics or functionality? It's a tough call.

 

I ended up buying both and will figure out which one to keep.

 

It depends on whether or not you really need an ultrabook. When I kept running out of battery on my stealth before lunch, it made selling it very easy.

 

I'm a little confused as to how the XPS 13 is so obviously superior as some here are making it sound.

If you're talking about an Iris XPS 13, what are the exact specs? Is it a 1080p/8gb/256gb, or QHD+/16gb/256 or 512gb? If it's the 1080p obviously the XPS will have better battery life, but it has less ram. The QHD model matches in specs, but the battery life would be pretty similar.

I'm looking at these 2 options myself right now and I'm having a hard time thinking that the XPS 13 is the right choice considering the cost/spec options. I can get an i7/16gb/512gb Stealth for $1,400 (or i7/16gb/256gb for $1,250,) and the XPS 13 would cost $1,850.

If there was an i7/16gb/256 or 512gb 1080p XPS 13, I'd probably have it ordered already. Alas, it does not exist.

 

If you don't mind buying Dell Certified Refurbished, I would go that route, instead of paying retail prices. They come with 1-year warranty and are usually in like new condition. Dell Outlet regularly puts out 25% or 30% off coupons for their XPS laptops (though I haven't seen one in awhile...). A lot of resellers sell them on eBay, and you can currently buy an XPS 13 w/ i7/16GB/512GB/Iris for about $1100 or i7/16GB/1TB/Iris for about $1450. You can also find comparable prices on Amazon, if you prefer going that route. Those prices are far better than the RBS and would be a good argument for the XPS over the RBS. I still think the RBS makes a good case in terms of aesthetics and the Razer Core.

 

XPS machines are easily the most "Core-Compatible" as tons of people have done it. I would say RBS for the aesthetics only. I would take something like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-DELL-X...213985?hash=item2812ce7c61:g:7XIAAOSwYIxX4r57

Easily kicks the RBS to the curb.

 

The earliest attempts to make the XPS machines work with the Core required reboots and various workarounds. Maybe that's changed.

 

They have slightly more issues with waking up/sleeping, but the razer blade/stealth still themselves have issues.

 

You have the two best 13 inchers out there IMO. But which is more usable to you? I would forget about design and think about which combination of keyboard, touchpad, and display is going to serve you best. I would guess they're pretty well-matched so it may be hard. Personally, I would never go for the Stealth because the bezels are too big for me and I hate the fact that the top bezel is so thick. It's a functional issue for me because I prefer a screen that's higher up on its frame, like the XPS 13. Having to look down more = uncomfortable. Idk how much higher up the XPS is but I would guess by at least a centimeter.