Our verdict
The Dell XPS 15 is a powerful, well-built device with long battery life and a vibrant 4K display option.
To the
Live display
Long battery life
Great job
Premium design
Against
Webcam looks you in the nose
Today's best Dell XPS 15 deals
$1,791.50
at Amazon
$1,899
at Walmart
$1,979.63
at Amazon
Update (12/7/2019):
We tested them
Dell XPS 15 7590
These included a new OLED display (for top models) and finally moving the webcam to the top of the screen. Check out our review.
Performance.Class.Endurance.The Dell XPS 15 ($99.99 to start, $1,499.99 and $1,999.99 in review) has them all.Dell's premium mainstream notebook is included It's a reliable, solid choice with its attractive design, vibrant display options and long battery life. If you have an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor. But if you rely on the built-in webcam, everyone gets a great look up their nose.
draft
It ain't broke, so Dell didn't fix it. The XPS line hasn't really changed over the years, and this year's XPS 15 still feels premium with its clean aluminum chassis and soft-touch deck , even if it's not exactly innovative anymore. The aluminum lid is silver and completely spartan save for the reflective Dell logo. Lifting the lid reveals a familiar sight: the impossibly thin InfinityEdge bezel surrounding a 15.6-inch display , with the webcam unflatteringly placed below the screen. The deck is a nice black soft-touch material that felt nice on my wrists.
Dell XPS 15 (7590) (15.6-inch 1TB) at Amazon for $1,999.77
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There is a decent amount of ports on the sides of the notebook. On the left side there is a USB 3.0 port, HDMI-out, Thunderbolt 3 and a headphone jack, while on the right side there is an SD card slot, USB 3.0 and a lock slot are accommodated.
At 4.2 pounds and 14.1 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches, the XPS 15 is a pretty standard size for a performance notebook
15 inch MacBook Pro
is smaller, at 4 pounds and 13.8 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches and the
Microsoft Surface Book 2
, at the same weight, is thicker at 13.6 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches.
Huawei's MateBook X Pro
is the lightest of the bunch at 2.9 pounds and 12 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches.
specifications
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15.6 inch 1920 x 1080 IPS / 15.6 inch 3840 x 2160 IPS touch
CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H
graphic
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q (4GB GDDR5)
Storage
16GB LPDDR3
SSD
256GB M.2 PCIe / 512GB M.2 PCIe
optical
✗
Networking
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 802.11, Bluetooth 4.1, LTE
video connections
HDMI2.0
USB ports
(2x) USB 3.1 Type-A, Thunderbolt 3
Audio
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack
camera
720p webcam
battery
97Wh
power adapter
130W
operating system
Windows 10 Home
Dimensions (WxDxH)
14.1 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
Weight
4.2 pounds
Miscellaneous
Fingerprint reader, SD card reader, Noble Lock slot
Price (as configured)
$1,499.99 / $1,999.99
gaming and graphics
The XPS 15 isn't a gaming machine per se, but you can squeeze out decent graphics performance with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU. I was gaming
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
on 1920 x 1080 and medium settings, and the game ran between 57 and 61 fps as I challenged it with a bunch of Orks, although there was a bit of screen tearing. When I booted it up to high settings, the game ran between 38 and 45 fps.
On the Hitman benchmark (1920x1080, Ultra), the XPS ran the game at 60 fps, which is decent, but falls short of the premium laptop average (94 fps) and the Surface Book 2 with its GTX 1060.
However, the XPS 15's graphics weren't powerful enough to handle our challenges
Rise of the Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto V
or
The subway last night
Benchmarks over 30 fps.
Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch (2018)
Check Amazon
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Microsoft Surface Book 2
$969
Look at Walmart
$1,214.99
View at Best Buy
$1,530.20
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Huawei MateBook X Pro
$959
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531 Amazon customer reviews
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perfomance
With an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage, our test configuration of the XPS 15 is a powerful productivity machine. I opened 25 tabs in Chrome and streamed a 1080p episode of
Last week tonight with John Oliver
, and the system didn't come close to suffocating.
The XPS 15 topped Geekbench 4's overall performance test with a score of 19,775, beating the average (11,901), MateBook X Pro (12,913, Core i7-8550U) and Surface Book 2 (12,505, Core i7-8650U). Merely the MacBook Pro (22,815, Core i7-8850H) performed better.
The 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD in Dell's notebook took 13 seconds to transfer 4.97GB of mixed media files, which translates to a speed of 391MB/s. Our device with a 256GB SSD achieved it a slower 221.3 MB/s. The MacBook Pro got the job done at a whopping 877.5 MB/s and proved faster than the average, 475.9 MB/s and the rest of the field.
Dell's laptop took 44 seconds to pair 65,000 names and addresses in our Excel macro test, well ahead of the average (1:30) MateBook X Pro and Surface Book 2. The MacBook Pro took 51 seconds, putting it ahead nearest competitor.
On our Handbrake video editing test, where the laptops transcode a 4K video to 1080p, the XPS 15 completed the task in 10:12, behind the MacBook Pro (9:56). The average is 20:41, and both the MateBook X Pro and Surface Book 2 took longer.
To stress test the laptop, I ran Cinebench ten times, with performance dropping off during the first two runs and then reaching a steady steady state with scores between 1030 and 1040. It ran at an average of 2.2 GHz, the processor's base frequency as measured by HWInfo, with an average CPU temperature of 64 degrees Celsius (147 degrees Fahrenheit).
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I had a chance to try both versions of the XPS 15's 15.6-inch display: a 1920 x 1080 matte non-touch display and a 3840 x 2160 glossy touchscreen. Both are really good, but when I got Tears of Steel on Looking at the two, it was clear that the 4K option was better. Both showed colorful holograms that would appear in a lab, but the high-resolution display was sharper and even more vibrant. The trade-off for the extra pixels, however, is battery life, as we continue will see below.
The 4K version is superior, covering 164 percent of the sRGB color space, compared to 115 percent for the 1080p option. Both surpassed the premium laptop average of 110 nits, although the MacBook Pro, MateBook X Pro, and Surface Book 2 covered more color space than the 1080p XPS 15.
Dell's 4K panel is also brighter, averaging 447 nits on our light meter compared to 371 nits for the 1080p version. Both are brighter than the average (307 nits) and the MacBook Pro, although the MateBook X Pro and the Surface Book 2 were brighter.
keyboard and touchpad
The XPS 15 offers just 0.8 millimeters of travel for keys that require 70 grams of force to press. We prefer 1.5 millimeters or more of travel, but these are workable. I hit 105 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, slightly below my average of 107 wpm, but with my standard error rate of 2 percent. But even though the keys are on the flat side, I never felt like I was bottoming out.
The 4 x 3.1-inch Dell touchpad uses Microsoft's precision drivers. It's large enough to comfortably navigate Windows 10, and it responded accurately to all my gestures.
Audio
The XPS 15's sound is surprisingly solid. I was listening to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" in a small conference room and was immediately surrounded by noise. The vocals, guitars, and synths were all clear, although the bass, while noticeable, was a bit weak was able to crank it up in the preloaded Waves MaxxAudio Pro software. This did, however, turn the vocals and synths down a bit.
expandability
You'll need two screwdrivers to get in, but there's plenty of room to upgrade the XPS 15. To move the bottom cover, I removed 10 Torx T5 screws. But there are two more that are easy to forget: a pair of Phillips screws under the XPS label, which lists the service code and regulatory information. Then you just pry the base off. The PCIe NVMe SSD can be swapped out with just a single screw, and there are two SODIMM slots (ours was 8GB each).
battery life
You can count on carrying the 1080p XPS 15 around without a charger. It ran an incredible 11 hours and 53 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which continuously surfs the web over WiFi, streams video, and runs graphics tests at 150 nits of brightness. That's it not only above the premium laptop average of (8:22), but also outperformed the MateBook X Pro and Surface Book 2. The MacBook Pro ran a few minutes longer.
The 4K screen takes some of the battery life though. This version lasted 8 hours and 28 minutes on a charge, still above average but a lot less than the non-touch 1920 x 1080 panel.
heat
Under load, the XPS 15 keeps its external temperature cool. After streaming 15 minutes of HD video from YouTube, the laptop measured 92 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom, 90 degrees on the touchpad, and 83 degrees between the G and H keys. When gaming
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
, the laptop warmed up to 107 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom, 102 degrees on the center of the keyboard, and 81 degrees on the touchpad.
cam
Dell, my eyes are up here.
At this point, the XPS 15 (and its smaller sibling, the XPS 13) are immediately equated with webcams that look in your nose Chin erect in a way that no one could make flattering if they tried. In a test shot I took at my desk, I appeared sharp and my blue shirt was color accurate, but some light filtering in from nearby windows was blown out completely.
software and warranty
Dell bundled mostly useful software with the XPS 15, including Mobile Connect to send texts and on Android to mirror your phone's display. Dell SupportAssist runs hardware scans and helps you get tech support. Killer Control Center lets you prioritize which apps get access to your bandwidth. However, the company also added bloatware in the form of Netflix and McAfee Security.
Of course, you also get a bunch of apps that come with Windows 10, including not one, but two different versions of
Candy Crush, Seekers Notes: Hidden Mystery
and
Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure
.
Dell sells the XPS 15 with a 1-year warranty.
configurations
We tested two models of the Dell XPS 15: a $1,499.99 laptop with a 1080p display, an Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of PCIe NVMe storage, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q GPU, as well as a $1,999.99 version that upgrades storage to 512GB and a 4K touchscreen display.
The base model costs $999.99 with an 8th generation Intel Core i5-8300H processor, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB, 5,400 rpm SSHD, a 1080p touchscreen and integrated Intel UHD 630 graphics.
If you max out the laptop, you're paying for a $3,149 notebook with an Intel Core i9-8950HK CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB PCIe SSD, a 4K touchscreen display, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB VRAM.
bottom line
It's hard to argue against the Dell XPS 15. It looks and feels premium, has a great display (in both 1080p and 4K variants), and lasts all day on a charge. And with the discrete graphics, you can even play a little on it , if you want. The biggest flaw, while finicky for some, is that it still places the webcam in an unflattering spot below the display.
If you might need more graphics, the 15-inch Surface Book 2 comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, but it starts at $2,499. So you're paying a significant premium over the XPS. The 15-inch MacBook Pro outperformed the XPS 15 in some benchmarks, but it starts at $2,399, so again you're paying a lot more.
However, if you're looking for a powerful, attractive 15-inch laptop with performance for under $2,000, with everything you'd expect from a quality ultraportable, the XPS 15 is undoubtedly the one for you - as long as you're with the nose-cam be able to live.
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Today's best Dell XPS 15 deals
$1,791.50
at Amazon
$1,899
at Walmart
$1,979.63
at Amazon
Andrew E Freedman
Andrew E. Freedman is the senior editor at Tom's Hardware, focusing on laptops, desktops, gaming and breaking news. He holds an MS in Journalism (Digital Media) from Columbia University Previous work has appeared in Kotaku, PCMag, Complex, Tom's Guide, and Laptop Mag, among others.
