One error after another?After the low-end XPS 15 (FHD/i5/Hybrid) didn't meet the high expectations, we were wary of the more expensive and better equipped XPS 15 with a UHD panel, SSD NVMe and Core i7.Who wants already spend more than 2,000 euros for CPU throttling, short battery life or even PWM flickering? But we can allay concerns after this updated review - at least some of them. The CPU and GTX 960M can use their full performance and PWM flickering is also present at the lowest Brightness levels are not. Runtimes are disappointing though; even shorter after BIOS 1.1.14 update (NVMe SleepBug) compared to the FHD 54 Wh model.
THAT
6700HQ
honors his name and can even defeat the Aspire
Nitro Black Edition
in the Cinebench take-home tests. The i7 can use its boost (3.1GHz) even on battery power. The latest BIOS is important; the XPS 15 was stuck at 2.6GHz from the factory (BIOS Rev 1.1.05) and had throttling issues when transitioning to the outlet.
The lack of a mechanical drive gets rid of the annoying noise that plagued the XPS 15's low-end mic pickups. One issue is the ugly soft-touch surface of the palm rest. Now, after two weeks of tabbing the XPS 15 versions, we can see the full glory of the hard-to-remove blemishes (even on the touchpad).
The UHD Sharp panel is among the best of its kind, which is particularly supported by 89% AdobeRGB coverage and very good results after calibration. Color tints from the side on dark or glossy surfaces are less of a problem in our opinion; at least we wouldn't think so discourage a purchase.
When it comes to the advantages, we can repeat our analysis results of the first XPS 15: Excellent build quality combined with good serviceability and very compact dimensions. Cooling solutions behave sensibly and performance fanatics will not be disappointed after the BIOS update. Good sound from the speakers and Thunderbolt 3 complete the package away.
In summary - if we ignore the initial errors and confusion - the XPS 15 UHD is a great tool to work with with limited errors. Those who want perfection in every respect will be disappointed with the webcam, but the runtimes make everyone sympathetic an end. If you don't care about the counterpoints, then in other respects you're getting a very good notebook that can stand up to the Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 2015.
Update 12/23/2015:
We have already determined that BIOS 1.1.14 does not improve battery life. Dell is now recalling the not yet officially released version 1.1.14 and asking the testers to use the earlier version (1.1.13). Note: Version 1.1.13 has not yet been officially released to users. Dell is working hard to release it as soon as possible. We will add the new runtimes but will not repeat the performance tests (speeds etc.) due to the immature BIOS revisions.
This is a scaled down version of the original analysis. You can read the full review in English.
here
.
