Jamison Cush: We call the 2020 Dell XPS 13 the
best Windows laptop, citing its impeccable design,
stunning display and impressive spec sheet. So how
do its larger counterparts, the Dell XPS 15 and
Dell XPS 17, hold up?
At a glance the 15-inch Dell XPS 15 and 17-inch
Dell XPS 17 are scaled-up versions of the
excellent 13-inch XPS 13. That includes the
amazing build quality, as well as the sleek and
professional design. These are good looking
laptops, and we do mean laptops. Though they both
have a touchscreen option, neither is a two-in-one
with a tablet mode, with both sporting a sturdy
display hinge. Neither is particularly portable,
and the XPS 17 is heavy, topping 5.5 pounds,
depending on the configuration. In fact, the Dell
XPS 17 is best suited as a desktop replacement.
Both the XPS 15 and XPS 17 support the Dell
Infinity Edge display. This is both laptops
strongest feature and it's the best display we've
ever seen on a laptop to date. Each XPS display
runs nearly edge to edge with only the thinnest of
bezels and both heavy 93 to 94% screen to body
ratio. Not only does this enable a larger screen
with a smaller footprint, but it also looks
superb. Dell offers both a 1920 x 1200 and a 3840
x 2400 4K option. 4K is worth the upgrade, and not
just for media consumption. More pixels means less
eyestrain, and the higher resolution lends itself
to everything from large spreadsheets to
multitasking to graphic design. In fact, the XPS
17 is almost big enough to mimic a multi monitor
setup. Colors pop and both have deep blacks and
bright whites. Both also shrug off glare very
well. And the touch input in our review units
proved responsive and accurate. Keyboards and
touchpads are also strengths. Both the Dell XPS 15
and Dell XPS 17 have spacious key designs with
more than one millimeter of travel with
comfortable snap, they are backlit and the giant
touchpads are responsive. There's one quirk
however, the combo power key and fingerprint
reader sits in the upper right corner, where the
delete key should be -- accidental presses are
possible. Both the XPS 15 and XPS 17 have full
sized SD card readers and headphone jacks. The XPS
17 has four USB C inputs with DisplayPort and
Thunderbolt 3 that also double as charging inputs.
The XPS 15 has three USB C inputs with DisplayPort
that also doubles charging inputs, and two of
those support Thunderbolt 3; both have lock slots.
This is a decent haul and in line with other
devices in the XPS class. As a bonus both ship
with a USBC to full size USB and HDMI 2.0 adapter.
Still, we'd like to see legacy input on business
devices, including Ethernet. It's a trade off --
sleek design or port selection. The Dell XPS line
is highly configurable with options ranging from
core five to nine processors, two terabyte SSDs
and up to 64 gigs of RAM. Our review units were
near top of line both with 10th Gen core i7
processors and dedicated NVIDIA graphics. As such,
they are beasts able to handle major multitasking
productivity apps in Windows 10 with ease, both
the XPS 15 and XPS 17 will perform well for a long
time. Even at the lower configurations they're
about as future proof as a Windows 10 laptop can
be. Given its smaller build, it makes sense that
the XPS 15 runs a little hotter and a little
louder than the XPS 17 when pushed, but both
stayed relatively cool and quiet under strain.
Both were impressive for 4k units in our battery
test streaming media over Wi-Fi with the display
brightness maxed out the XPS 17 lasted just under
nine hours while the XPS 15 lasted seven and a
half or about enough to get you through a workday.
The audio output for both sounds impressive laptop
speakers are generally mediocre. These are good,
the webcam is not good. It'll work for zoom calls,
but the image is pixelated -- iPads and even
smartphones are way ahead of laptops here. There's
also nothing to block the tiny pinhole lens, just
an indicator light when the camera is on. And
that's too bad. All this adds up to two impressive
devices on par with the XPS 13 as the best windows
10 laptops available as of this review. They are
also some of the most expensive. The Dell XPS 15
ranges from $1,150 to 2000 depending on the
configuration, while the Dell XPS 17 ranges from
$1,400 to 3000 and above. For most, an iPad or
Chromebook, we'll get them through the workday.
But if you can swing the extra costs and have more
demanding needs, the Dell XPS 15 and 17 are worth
it. If you'd like to know more about the XPS 13 as
a portable version of the XPS 15 and XPS 17 Click
the link above or in the description below. What
other devices are you considering? Please let us
know in the comments below and hit that like
button.